WGU D548 Task 1 – Comprehensive
Emergency Response (Latest
2026/2027 Update) with Detailed
Solutions.
Western Governors University
Zakayia Johnson
Mentor: Nick Gera
D548 – Emergency Management and Planning in
Healthcare
Professor Kelly Roese
June 11, 2025
Comprehensive Emergency Response Planning for Western View
Hospital in an Urban Context
Situated in the heart of a densely populated urban area, Western View
Hospital is one of the region's largest and most sophisticated healthcare systems.
With over 800 beds and specialized services, including a Level I trauma center,
medical and pediatric units, and a global research institute, the hospital faces
, D548 Task 1 – Comprehensive Emergency Response
2
many potential hazards and risks in its operating environment. While the
geography allows optimal patient access for the hospital and the community it
serves, it also means that the hospital operates at risk of spills of hazardous
materials, loss of power, and surges in patient numbers during emergencies. This
paper considers the response planning and decision-making of Western View
Hospital through a scenario-based perspective, specifically a chemical spill
incident connected to a train derailment nearby.
Strategies for Emergency Scenarios
Hazardous Chemical Spill (Man-Made)
Due to Western View Hospital's proximity to freight train lines and heavily
traveled roadways, there is a very real threat of experiencing a hazardous
chemical spill. If this occurs, Western View Hospital will have to implement its
HAZMAT protocol immediately, which consists of notifying the local fire
department, public health department, and environmental protection
department. Once this has been implemented, the hospital will establish a
perimeter to control exposure and alter or shut down the hospital's HVAC system
to control the distribution of airborne contaminants.
Ensuring that all the staff are prepared is crucial. During the planning
process, all departments will receive yearly mandatory HAZMAT awareness
, D548 Task 1 – Comprehensive Emergency Response
3
training, and the ER staff, security, and facilities teams will receive different
operations-level training. The annual training will include donning and doffing PPE,
dealing with contaminated patients, and establishing hot/warm/cold zones on the
facility campus. Mobile decontamination units will be available and sited in
various zones of the facility- most commonly. The ambulance bay or another area
in the parking lot. The hospital will conduct simulation activities to model spills
during certain seasons because wind and temperature will change the toxic
sculpture/diffusion. The staff will conduct tabletop exercises seasonally.
Urban Flooding (Natural)
In addition, Western View's urban campus is vulnerable to urban flooding
due to aging city infrastructure and seasonal storms. The event of heavy rains or
sewer overflow will prompt the hospital's emergency operations center (EOC) to
be activated to manage flood response. Sandbags will be pre-deployed to entry
points, and flood gates will be locked down in the basement of the hospital and
sub-ground spaces with utilities. Electrical and medical equipment and stock in
lower-level spaces will be moved by maintenance to higher ground in preparation
for the annual storm season.
The hospital's facilities management and maintenance teams have received
annual training for flood response, including the initial start-up of the pump
Emergency Response (Latest
2026/2027 Update) with Detailed
Solutions.
Western Governors University
Zakayia Johnson
Mentor: Nick Gera
D548 – Emergency Management and Planning in
Healthcare
Professor Kelly Roese
June 11, 2025
Comprehensive Emergency Response Planning for Western View
Hospital in an Urban Context
Situated in the heart of a densely populated urban area, Western View
Hospital is one of the region's largest and most sophisticated healthcare systems.
With over 800 beds and specialized services, including a Level I trauma center,
medical and pediatric units, and a global research institute, the hospital faces
, D548 Task 1 – Comprehensive Emergency Response
2
many potential hazards and risks in its operating environment. While the
geography allows optimal patient access for the hospital and the community it
serves, it also means that the hospital operates at risk of spills of hazardous
materials, loss of power, and surges in patient numbers during emergencies. This
paper considers the response planning and decision-making of Western View
Hospital through a scenario-based perspective, specifically a chemical spill
incident connected to a train derailment nearby.
Strategies for Emergency Scenarios
Hazardous Chemical Spill (Man-Made)
Due to Western View Hospital's proximity to freight train lines and heavily
traveled roadways, there is a very real threat of experiencing a hazardous
chemical spill. If this occurs, Western View Hospital will have to implement its
HAZMAT protocol immediately, which consists of notifying the local fire
department, public health department, and environmental protection
department. Once this has been implemented, the hospital will establish a
perimeter to control exposure and alter or shut down the hospital's HVAC system
to control the distribution of airborne contaminants.
Ensuring that all the staff are prepared is crucial. During the planning
process, all departments will receive yearly mandatory HAZMAT awareness
, D548 Task 1 – Comprehensive Emergency Response
3
training, and the ER staff, security, and facilities teams will receive different
operations-level training. The annual training will include donning and doffing PPE,
dealing with contaminated patients, and establishing hot/warm/cold zones on the
facility campus. Mobile decontamination units will be available and sited in
various zones of the facility- most commonly. The ambulance bay or another area
in the parking lot. The hospital will conduct simulation activities to model spills
during certain seasons because wind and temperature will change the toxic
sculpture/diffusion. The staff will conduct tabletop exercises seasonally.
Urban Flooding (Natural)
In addition, Western View's urban campus is vulnerable to urban flooding
due to aging city infrastructure and seasonal storms. The event of heavy rains or
sewer overflow will prompt the hospital's emergency operations center (EOC) to
be activated to manage flood response. Sandbags will be pre-deployed to entry
points, and flood gates will be locked down in the basement of the hospital and
sub-ground spaces with utilities. Electrical and medical equipment and stock in
lower-level spaces will be moved by maintenance to higher ground in preparation
for the annual storm season.
The hospital's facilities management and maintenance teams have received
annual training for flood response, including the initial start-up of the pump
