C.W. Post, Glen Cove Hospital, Local EMS Stage Campus Disaster Drill

Emergency medical technicians and firefighters rushed into a dormitory at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007 to rescue seemingly unconscious or injured students, overcome by an unseen and potentially lethal gas.

The students were only acting, and their exposure to carbon monoxide was a simulation. But the response was real – a large-scale, multi-agency emergency drill involving Glen Cove Hospital and more than 100 responders from local fire and EMS departments and county and federal disaster agencies.

Students acted the part of victims of carbon monoxide exposure at Brookville Hall, a 150 room residence hall at the campus. Firefighters and EMS rescuers evacuated the building, set up a triage center to evaluate dozens of "patients" and transported 10 students with simulated conditions of serious or critical to Glen Cove Hospital. To contend with the sudden influx of patients, the hospital called in extra emergency medicine physicians and nurses for the drill, said Dr. John D'Angelo, chairman of the hospital's Department of Emergency Medicine.

C.W. Post Provost Joseph Shenker said, "The health and safety of our students is our No. 1 priority. Exercises like these are vital to the security of the campus community. I am grateful to Glen Cove Hospital, Roslyn Fire Companies and the many other agencies and C.W. Post departments for their commitment of time and resources to this important project."

The drill was the second major emergency exercise at C.W. Post in 19 months. In April 2006, the Campus hosted a simulation of a chlorine gas leak that involved 1,600 students, faculty and staff and numerous local, county and state public safety agencies.

Agencies involved in the drill included: Glen Cove Hospital; The East Norwich Fire Co.; the Glen Cove Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Corps; the Glenwood Fire Co.; the Jericho Fire Department; the Roslyn Fire Companies; the Westbury Fire Department; the Nassau Medical Reserve Corps; the Nassau County Community Emergency Response Team; the Disaster Medical Assistance Team NY-2, a unit of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the C.W. Post Departments of Public Safety and Residence Life.

Long Island University's Homeland Security Management Institute and the Old Westbury and Old Brookville police departments sent observers to the drill and participated in the "hotwash" evaluation session after the event.

Posted November 9, 2007