October 16th, 2007 @ 5:27pm
by Bob McClay/KTAR; Associated Press
School children were taken to the Phoenix Children's Hospital emergency department as part of a fictitious bomb scenario.
Twenty seventh-graders from William T. Machan Elementary School, along with a teacher and school bus driver, were treated as part of a hospital training exercise that simulated the possible aftermath of bomb going off near a school bus.
Emergency room physicians played along, assessing and conducting treatment for each patient.
Hospital officials said the annual drill tests communications and patient tracking during disaster response.
"What we learned is that we need to work on being able to identify and track our patients better. We always can have improvements in communication," said Phoenix Children's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Dr. Richard Thomas.
They held their drill the same week state and federal officials are holding similar attack drills because much of the city is focused on preparedness issues.