On Saturday, March 21, a chairlift malfunction occurred at Sugarloaf injuring seven guests. The initial report to NorthStar EMS and Franklin Memorial Hospital immediately after the incident indicated that as many as 50 individuals may have been injured. As a result of that report, our emergency operations plan was activated and 40 hospital personnel who were not working that day came in prepared for the worst. Dozens more staff were on standby if needed. Our response was all encompassing and included doctors, nurses, pharmacists, phlebotomists, dietary and housekeeping staff, security, and others.
As time went on, reports on the number of those injured became fewer and fewer and by 2:30 p.m. the hospital’s emergency operations plan was deactivated. Three adults were transported from the mountain to Franklin Memorial Hospital by NorthStar ambulance. All had noncritical injuries and were in stable condition. The hospital discharged two of the patients later that day, while the third patient was transferred to another facility.
All hospitals are required to have an emergency operations plan in place in case of disasters. It is not unusual for hospitals to respond to serious events ranging from severe weather, to traffic accidents involving many casualties, to mass shootings and epidemics. In addition to a plan, hospitals are required to hold regular drills to test their readiness to handle these emergency situations.
The response to this event shows that Franklin Memorial Hospital and its NorthStar ambulance service are ready to meet these challenges. I would like to thank all hospital personnel who came in to work that day and those who remained on call to treat the injured. Fortunately for all, the situation was not as dire as initially reported. Yet, had it been, be assured that the hospital and our exceptional team of health care providers are well prepared to respond to unforeseen events in our community.
Rebecca Arsenault
President/CEO
Franklin Memorial Hospital
First I would like to say that it was a good thing that only a few were injured and were non critical in nature…however, while the hospital and the resue EMS all kicked into high gear, it seems that the there was a major break down in the communication and immediate assessment on the ground which lead to an over reaction to the actual need and emergency response teams. This first step in this type of emergency is to stay calm, assess the situation, call 911 and report accurately.
I think I speak for all when I say that we’re very fortunate to have such an outstanding medical team in our community! Thanks to everyone who is a part of it.