In control when the power goes out
With wildfires now burning along the Western Slope and in the southwest and central-mountain regions of the state, anxiety among many is rising, particularly for those on the medical staff who remember the 2021 Marshall Fire. Reassurance can be difficult to provide, as it’s impossible for it to be absolute: We can’t predict the type, timing or severity of any type of emergency.
But our emergency planning is robust and comprehensive. We have tested our response plans and we are ready to activate them at a moment’s notice.
It starts with strong and tight community partnerships. Good Samaritan connects daily and coordinates closely with city managers, local fire departments and Xcel Energy to ensure that if the local power supply is interrupted, care at the hospital will continue.
Even if we avoid wildfires along the Front Range, at some point during our hot summer, windy fall, dry winter and back around again, we’ll experience a local power outage. Or several.
“It might even be intentional,” said Chris Mailliard, Good Samaritan Emergency Management. “Xcel Energy will aggressively de-energize lines if it feels they’re at risk of breaking or dangerously drooping due to high winds or excessive heat and might spark a fire.”
The Marshall Fire in December 2021 ignited in part due to high winds and power lines. High heat, drought and waves of 100-mph winds crashed against the Foothills for days and fueled a fire that many of you watched from our windows.
We did not evacuate. (More on that in a minute.) But we transferred more than 50 of our most-critical and laboring patients to hospitals outside the fire’s path as it consumed more than 1,000 local structures and homes.
Today, more than half of Broomfield County has been classified officially as experiencing a Severe Drought. The rest of the county is classified as one level worse: Extreme Drought. And many of you likely are watching the current wildfires expand across the state.
Please keep in mind we’ve prepared to respond quickly to outmaneuver both outages and extreme weather events.
During outages, “We have a generator that provides us with a constant stream of electricity, and a sensor-activated transfer switch that kicks on the generator within 10 seconds of a power disruption,” Mailliard said. “The generator doesn’t power everything in the hospital, but what’s important to remember is that patient care is not interrupted.”
When we’re on generator power, all functions deemed critical for life safety have power. Lighting is reduced to every third light, and available power flows to red outlets only.
Regarding extreme weather events, “January’s fire on Dillon Road is a great example of how much we’ve learned since Marshall and how well we communicate with city partners,” said Mailliard.
The Dillon Fire: On Jan. 5, farming equipment sparked a brush fire on Dillon Road in southeastern Boulder County near Louisville. It consumed about 35 acres. No structures were damaged, and no injuries were reported.
“We received real-time information from our awesome fire department, and even though we were within the evacuation area, we knew we were safe and wouldn’t need to evacuate,” he said.
Important note: Good Samaritan is a shelter-in-place facility. We will not evacuate just because we fall within an evacuation zone. If you’re working at Good Samaritan during an extreme event, do not act on city information alone. Wait for instruction from the hospital. Our Emergency Preparedness and Response team will activate the best plan to keep everyone safe.
“Incidents can move fast, but so can we,” said Mailliard. “We conduct emergency response drills that incorporate everything we learned from Marshall and even more since then.
“We’ve got this,” he continued, “and we’re happy to empower you with the information you need to keep your calm and know your role in an emergency.”
Departments and care areas that would like an in-service on what to expect and how to respond during a power outage or any emergency event can contact Mailliard via email.