B.C. is rolling out a new hospital code in the coming months to train staff for a situation it hopes theyB次元官网网址檒l never have to face: an active attacker.

The directions are straight forward. If someone enters a hospital armed with a gun, a knife or some other weapon and appears intent on harming others, staff must immediately call their emergency switchboard. The switchboard will notify 911 and issue a B次元官网网址渃ode silverB次元官网网址� over the hospitalB次元官网网址檚 paging system.

Upon hearing those two words, nurses, doctors and other staff will know to spring into action, but for patients and visitors to the hospital a more plain language order will follow. The gist of it, Health Emergency Management B.C. director Gerry Delorme says is this: run, hide, fight.

B次元官网网址淚f possible, run. Leave the building, get out of the areas of hazard. If you canB次元官网网址檛, hide. Find a room, secure the room so nobody else can get in and hide until the event is cleared.B次元官网网址�

And, if confronted by the attacker, staff will be trained to grab any item they can find and prepare to defend themselves.

B次元官网网址淭he expectation is to fight for your life,B次元官网网址� Delorme says. He adds this is what law enforcement recommends and what has been shown to work in similar situations elsewhere in the world.

B次元官网网址淎nd thatB次元官网网址檚 a fairly unusual message to give health-care staff, but thatB次元官网网址檚 how serious this type of situation is,B次元官网网址� Delorme says.

The training is broken up into two phases, the first online and the second in person, each about an hour in length. Phase one began rolling out in Island Health, Interior Health and Northern Health at the start of October. It teaches staff what code silver is, how to report it and how to respond. As of Oct. 17, Delorme says 5,703 staff in the three health authorities have completed the training.

Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health havenB次元官网网址檛 implemented the training yet. Vancouver Coastal said on Oct. 19 that it will be rolling it out B次元官网网址渋n the coming weeks,B次元官网网址� but didnB次元官网网址檛 provide a specific date. Fraser Health hasnB次元官网网址檛 provided a timeline.

Phase two is set to begin in January and will go into how different scenarios could actually play out and what ethical obligations health-care workers have towards their patients.

This last one is tricky, Delorme says. Ultimately, staff will be trained in much the same way people who take first aid are.

B次元官网网址淵ou never rescue at all costs,B次元官网网址� Delorme says. StaffsB次元官网网址� first responsibility will be to keep themselves safe.

B次元官网网址淵ou may have time to take your patients into a room and help hide them, and barricade the doors and those things. You may not. We tell people to survey the scene, survey whatB次元官网网址檚 going on. If itB次元官网网址檚 not safe for you to provide care, you donB次元官网网址檛 provide it.B次元官网网址�

Staff will also be carefully trained on recognizing the difference between aggressive or violent behaviour B次元官网网址� code white B次元官网网址� and an active attacker B次元官网网址� code silver. Delorme says the former kind of violence is already widespread in hospitals and other health-care settings. Sometimes itB次元官网网址檚 someone reacting badly to losing to a loved one, and other times itB次元官网网址檚 someone struggling with mental health or substance use, Delorme says.

Code silver has never been needed in B.C., but there are a number of instances in the United States when hospitals have been attacked. Delorme says the province is preparing now, in much the same way it runs earthquake drills, so that if the worst case scenario does happen one day people arenB次元官网网址檛 left not knowing what to do.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 in an abundance of caution.B次元官网网址�

Delorme says theyB次元官网网址檒l incorporate whatever feedback they get from phase one into their January in-person sessions.

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EditorB次元官网网址檚 note: This story was updated on Oct. 19 to include a response from Vancouver Coastal Health.

jane.skrypnek@blackpress.ca
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