THIS IS ONLY A (`DIRTY' BOMB) DRILL HOSPITAL TESTS HOW READY IT IS FOR A CHEMICAL ATTACK.Byline: PATRICIA PATRICIA Practical Algorithm To Retrieve Information Coded In Alphanumeric PATRICIA Proving and Testability for Reliability Improvement of Complex Integrated Architectures PATRICIA PApilloma TRIal Cervical cancer In young Adults FARRELL AIDEM Staff Writer VALENCIA -- Kathi Judge splattered splat·ter v. splat·tered, splat·ter·ing, splat·ters v.tr. To spatter (something), especially to soil with splashes of liquid. v.intr. ketchup on her left shoulder Thursday, preparing for her gory go·ry adj. go·ri·er, go·ri·est 1. Covered or stained with gore; bloody. 2. Full of or characterized by bloodshed and violence. role in a drill to see just how prepared Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, is should terrorists strike with a ``dirty'' bomb. The ``blood'' on Judge's T-shirt helped push her to the front line of a decontamination decontamination /de·con·tam·i·na·tion/ (de?kon-tam-i-na´shun) the freeing of a person or object of some contaminating substance, e.g., war gas, radioactive material, etc. de·con·tam·i·na·tion n. center on the grounds of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, a portable shower unit and triage triage Division of patients for priority of care, usually into three categories: those who will not survive even with treatment; those who will survive without treatment; and those whose survival depends on treatment. center that would be activated should a disaster involving chemicals strike. ``This is the dirty side over here,'' said Richard Londergan Jr., a hospital official directing the team assigned to handle ``victims'' from a mythical dirty bomb attack at the Valencia mall. Those playing victims lined up on the dirty side before entering a four-shower complex on wheels where they were scrubbed down by staffers covered head-to-toe in protective gear. In a real emergency, victims of a chemical attack would be transported by ambulance to the hospital and segregated on one side of the shower, said Terry Stone, a registered nurse and the hospital's newly appointed safety and engineering manager. Victims would disrobe, shower in the warm soapy water where aides would uses brushes to clean them, move to the clean water spray to rinse and then, draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. in gowns, head to a triage tent on the ``clean'' side. The drill went reasonably well, though organizers spotted a few glitches that need fixing. ``I think we're seeing where we have opportunities to improve, but I think if this were a real disaster, we could do it,'' Stone said. Newhall Memorial is a designated emergency resource center, meaning it would be notified in case of a major disaster in the state to handle patients and coordinate with 11 other regional hospitals to help manage the crisis. pat.aidem@dailynews.com (661) 257-5251 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital staff coordinate an emergency drill at the Valencia facility Thursday morning. The drill simulated a ``dirty'' bomb attack at a nearby mall and featured ``victims'' in need of transportation and treatment. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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