Business & Tech

Looking Sharp for ShakeOut: Hospital Employees Duck Under Desks

Drill saw many of Grossmont Hospital's 3,300 workers take part—to the tune of "YMCA" parody.

Email arrived at 10:07 a.m. Thursday reminding affected workers at Sharp Grossmont Hospital that the moment was at hand: time to duck, cover and hold on.

The La Mesa hospital was one of many up and down the state, plus schools and businesses, taking part in the annual Great California ShakeOut at 10:20 a.m.

On the day a real earthquake hit the Bay Area (just 3.9 magnitude), Sharp Grossmont workers in Supply Chain Services good-naturedly crawled under the desks for a couple of minutes.

They included 33-year employee Mark Rice, 24-year veteran Scott Anderson and—in the offices nearby—29-year employee Lynn Jamison, a material management technician, and Rocky Garcia, a two-year staffer who works as a data analyst.

Traci Donahue, supervisor of the department and a 24-year La Mesa resident, noted the music being played on computers: a parody of “YMCA” by The Village People. But this version said: “Duck, Cover and Hold On” instead.

The hospital’s Central Pharmacy played the same song over its PA system—written and sung by Sharp staff, said Liz Outlaw, who oversees the hospital’s safety and disaster preparedness efforts.

Outlaw didn’t know immediately how many of the hospital’s staff dove under desks (no patients were involved).

But she said all 3,300 employees of the hospital overlooking Grossmont Center were given a refrigerator magnet with the Earth Quake Alliance’s Drop, Cover, Hold On logo and the Sharp HealthCare emergency phone number to call for hospital updates should there be a large scale emergency in the community.

“We also held an emergency/disaster safety fair last month where staff attended to learn emergency preparedness from the County of Emergency Services, American Red Cross, Heartland Fire and Rescue, and other vendors,” Outlaw said.  “We have been making a concerted effort to reinforce to staff to be prepared at home; educating them on home preparedness kits and emergency plans.

This was the third year Sharp Grossmont has taken part in the drill, she said.

Anything learned?

Outlaw said: “A lot of people still feel that it’s OK to stand in a doorway even though doorways are not reinforced as they were in old houses. They also ask a lot about the Triangle of Life where we used to be taught to lie flat against a solid surface and hopefully something will fall over us causing a triangle of safe space, but first responders have discovered that not to hold true.  

“The Duck, Cover, and Hold On is being promoted so that people have a better chance of having in a ‘breathable space’ to survive in.

In a real quake, Sharp Grossmont is well drilled to handle a quake, she said.

California has strict earthquake codes for hospitals “resulting in our ability to withstand a strong magnitude and remain open and functioning,” she said. “We have used disaster grant money through the federal government’s Hospital Preparedness Program to purchase and store items that will assist us should our hospital have a surge of patients during an emergency event.

Sharp Grossmont also has extra generators should the power lines be severed; extra water stored should the water lines be compromised; extra tents, cots, beds, food, linen, radios, etc all for emergency purposes.

Anyone treated for bumping head while climbing under desk? 

“I hope not, but I have not heard,” Outlaw said.  “Some of the ‘older’ staff was wondering about getting back up once they got down, but I think they figured it out.”
do right now if an earthquake struck but the staff did

 “More San Diegans participated in the ShakeOut drill this year than in previous years,” said Herman Reddick, San Diego County Office of Emergency Services interim director. “We continue to encourage people to learn more about earthquake preparedness, complete a family disaster plan and create a home emergency kit to help them recover after a major earthquake.”

Across the state, a record 8.6 million people — individuals, families, schools, businesses, government agencies and organizations registered for the Great California ShakeOut. In San Diego County 696,944 pledged to drill this year, according to preliminary figures.

Family disaster plan templates in various languages are available on ReadySanDiego.org.

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