Hospital services

Our specialty focus is providing Hazmat training and consulting to hospital staff and facilities. We have the ability to take your staff from no knowledge to being able to provide a functioning decon team. We also advise you on proper equipment purchases, then drill and evaluate your facility to help you become effective, safe and compliant.

Hospital services

Hazmat Awareness is the cornerstone of our programs. This four hour class is also the prerequisite to take 1st Receiver. Awareness gives the student a basic understanding of the detection and effects of Hazardous Materials, reporting procedures and witness responsibilities, identification of hazardous substances and introduction to the Incident Command System. We also introduce the student to Terrorism and its effects on emergency response. This class is lecture only, no practical skills application.

This classroom lecture with a knowledge validation test at the end is awarded 4 hours of CME by the IL Department of Public Health.

Class size is limited to 50 students.

Hospital Hazmat Awareness Training

Midwest Safety Associates provides training in Hospital First Receiver according to the most current OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 HAZWOPER standards and OSHA Best Practices. Our 8 to 12 hour class takes a student from no knowledge of Hazardous Materials and brings them to the level of functioning Operator on a hospital patient decontamination line. Our program consists of one full morning of classroom training in Hazmat Awareness then moves through Incident Management, START triage and decon operations. We complement this with a full afternoon of drills and practical exercises.

Our program has two options, a one day 12 hour class or two 8 hour days. Unlike our competitors, all students in our classes dress out in Level C protective garments at least twice during the training. We use simulated victims for the decon practical exercise at the end of the program, showing your team how difficult it can be with actual patients. We adjust the class based on your equipment and procedures.

Our class will help you interface with local fire departments as it is taught to Illinois state standards using common terminology and procedures.

This class has been awarded 12 hours of CME by the IL Department of Public Health.

Class size is limited to 30 students per class, however 20 is the optimal size for full participation of all students.

Hospital First Receiver Training

In October 2006, FEMA and the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security rolled out version 4 of the Hospital Incident Command System. All hospitals receiving Federal grant monies must be compliant with the National Incident Management System and the Hospital Incident Command System version 4 by October 2007 in order to continue to receive those grants.

Midwest Safety Associates has developed a program to teach hospital staff HICS IV and help you become compliant with the mandates outlined in PHSD-5 and JCHAO standards. Our program includes classroom lecture and tabletop drills for hospital administration and command staff. Drills can be integrated with 1st Receiver training and quarterly Hazmat drills. We can also assist in NIMS training and compliance.

This class has been awarded 4 hours CME by the IL Department of Public Health. Class size is limited to 40 students.

Hospital Incident Command IV (HICS IV)

JCAHO mandates that hospitals conduct a minimum of two full exercises per year that test the hospital’s response to emergency situations.

We can help design, coordinate and supervise your drill. At the end of the drill, we provide a written critique of all functional areas that we observe during the exercise and give suggestions for improvement.

If needed, we can help provide simulated victims for disaster responses. We will also assist you with coordinating the drill with local government and responders such as police and fire departments.

Drills can be conducted before a training session to identify training needs and after to rate the effectiveness of training.

Please contact us with your requirements.

Exercise Construction and Management

Hospital Incident Safety Officer

HSPD-5, NIMS, HICS and 29 CFR 1910.120 all mandate the assignment of Safety Officers to incidents. We are currently finalizing our Incident Safety Officer course and will be offering it Fall 2009. The course will be 16 hours long and will include practical exercises in conjunction with our Hazmat classes. This class will be compliant with OSHA and NIMS/HICS guidelines.