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UNC Hospitals discusses emergency preparedness tactics

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T.J. Deluca, head fire inspector at UNC, also a retired New York City firefighter, gives a presentation to UNC Hospital security staff about the potential dangers of attacks on a University campus.

There is a perceived sense of safety in hospitals that has little to do with security guards.

Much as in airports, dangerous situations — including bombs, shooters, abandoned bags and radiation — can be masked by the bustle characteristic of hospitals, said UNC Hospitals officials who led a routine information session on safety issues Tuesday.

The training served as an overview of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats that can be avoided through awareness and security diligence.

UNC Fire Safety Inspector T.J. DeLuca said shooters and terrorists can capitalize on the sense of security felt on college campuses.

“If you’d asked students at Virginia Tech whether there was a possibility of a shooter before that day, they’d probably tell you, ‘No, I don’t think so’,” DeLuca said.

The public pays attention to popular spaces — such as Kenan Stadium and the Smith Center, which have increased security — but might not think of the hospital as vulnerable, he added.

“The point is, (chemicals) are available. And if it’s available to use in a work sense, it’s available for people to use as a weapon,” DeLuca said.

“We have to understand the threats in order to protect ourselves and once we understand that, we can protect others,” he added.

Jonathan Moore, associate radiation safety officer in the Office of Environment, Health and Safety, stressed that the biggest threat in a situation involving radiation is fear.

“People hear the word radiation and they think of the worst case scenario,” Moore said.

He added that there is a difference between radiation exposure and contamination. If someone is exposed to radiation and immediately washes his or her skin afterward, he or she can reduce the chance of contamination.

If someone is contaminated with radiation, it could take days for symptoms to show and weeks for it to be recognized, Moore said.

Dalton Sawyer, director for emergency preparedness for UNC Hospitals, said radiation often tops lists of the threats that scare people the most.

“Radiation is up there because you can’t see it, you can’t smell it and you can’t feel it,” Sawyer said.

He added that it is the job of administrators to project calm and collective personas when informing the public of threats because it helps to curb panic.

“Our staff takes its cues from administration — if the staff is nervous, then patients are nervous,” he said.

Sawyer said the hospital has numerous protocols in place for any emergency situation. All include contacting a team specifically trained to handle the crisis.

DeLuca stressed that security officers must be trained to follow the R.A.I.N. procedure, which instructs them to recognize, avoid and isolate a hazard before notifying the relevant parties.

“If you see something, say something,” DeLuca said. “If you see something that’s odd, don’t make a decision yourself about what’s suspicious. If you think it’s out of place, let us know.”

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