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NHS Fife holds disaster drill at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy

Hospital and ambulance staff took part in the simulation.
Hospital and ambulance staff took part in the simulation.

NHS Fife staff have donned hazmat suits and taken part in a drill to prepare for major incidents.

Pictures shared by the health board show staff dressed in hazmat suits setting up emergency decontamination tents outside Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

The event was meant to simulate a real-life major incident involving large numbers of sick and injured patients.

Staff outside the hospital practice receiving ‘patients’.
Staff dressed in hazmat suits for the disaster drill at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

It was held in the hospital’s emergency department to test the plans in place to manage such events.

It allows staff to become familiar with equipment used during a chemical incident or accident when a large number of people require their help.

NHS Fife major incident drill
The A&E department remained open.
The event put the hospital’s plans to the test.

NHS Fife says the exercise was planned to have no impact on patient services, with A&E service remaining open throughout.

Susan Cameron, head of resilience, said: “Emergency planning is crucial to ensuring we can respond effectively to major incidents, and these types of exercise are vital in helping us test our plans to make sure we are as prepared as we can be for such events.

A decontamination tent.
A decontamination tent was erected for the disaster drill at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.
Disaster drill simulation at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.
The event simulated a real-life incident.

“The emergency department is most often at the centre of our response to major incidents and the simulated event will allow us to test a realistic possible scenario in real-time.

“We can subsequently then tailor our planning to make sure that robust protocols are in place to help us manage real emergencies as effectively as possible.”

Disaster drill simulation at Victoria Hospital.
Disaster drill simulation at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

NHS Fife had issued a message about the event on its social media pages to reassure anyone who saw the exercise taking place that it was a simulation.

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