Preparing for optimal outcomes: a live evacuation exercise.

Requirements for emergency preparation and training are a part of medical facility guidelines. At one pediatric level I trauma center with 525 beds and more than 12,000 employees, the perioperative teams received regular evacuation training but had never held a live evacuation exercise, so a team made up of perioperative and support personnel created a plan for a live evacuation exercise. The team evaluated the six key areas of evacuation planning: communication, resources and assets, security and safety, staff responsibilities, utilities management, and clinical and patient support activities.