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Emergency Response Incident Command System
St Vincent’s Hospital is committed to providing a coordinated and organised approach in the event of a disaster or mass casualty incident. A range of disaster management concepts and the Hospital Incident Control System (HICS) have been adopted and implemented to assist in ensuring St Vincent’s Hospital’s preparedness in this area.
Disaster management concepts- All Agencies (or integrated) approach
- Comprehensive approach embracing strategies in prevention, preparedness, response and recovery
- All Hazards
- Prepared Community
HICS provides a predictable chain of management, a flexible response as required for the event, accountability of position functions, and a common language to promote communication and facilitate outside assistance.
A disaster is defined as ‘a serious disruption to community life which threatens or causes death or injury in that community, and damage to property which is beyond the day-to-day capacity of the prescribed statutory authorities and which requires special mobilisation and organisation of resources other than those normally available to those authorities’.
Two scenario-based emergency training exercises have been held on the St Vincent’s Campus to help develop effective policies and strategies.
References
NSW State Disaster Plan (Displan) – March 2006
NSW HEALTHPLAN – November 2005
HICS Guidebook and Glossary – August 2006
HICS Appendices – August 2006
Relevant website links
Australia’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
Emergency Management Australia
Emergency NSW
South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Disaster Management
Hospital Incident Command System (HICS)
EMERGO Train System
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Emergency Preparedness & Response
St Vincent’s Hospital Emergency Operations Plan
How to find St Vincent's Hospital 
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