Surprise drill staged at Saratoga Care Center

A security drill was conducted the morning of Sept. 30 at the Saratoga Care Center, during which the nursing home staff, an officer from the Saratoga Police Department, Saratoga Volunteer Firefighters and deputies from the Carbon County Sheriff's Department responded.

Multi-agency drills are required for nursing homes that accept Medicaid, according to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, or CMS, a federal agency that ensures the integrity of medical providers and facilities which accept Medicare.

According to the CMS, nursing homes were required to hold a drill by November 15 to be in compliance.

The drill began about 9:45 a.m. Sept. 30 when a fictional bomb threat was called in to the police department. After the bomb threat, a Saratoga officer responded to the nursing home along with a deputy of the Carbon County Sheriff's Department.

The officer began to evacuate the building along with nursing home staff members. Other staff members arrived to help out during the evacuation.

Volunteer firefighters also responded to assist with removing residents from the facility.

The nursing home residents were moved up the street to the South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) ambulance barn just one block up from the nursing home.

Many nursing home patients moved to the ambulance barn by themselves, but others were helped by staff members of the facility or first responders.

Nursing staff also moved equipment to the ambulance barns on wheeled carts.

The drill was planned for sometime during the week of Sept. 24-30 according to John Zieger of Carbon County Emergency Management. Details of the drill, and the exact time it was to be held were withheld from members of the nursing home staff and first responders to ensure a realistic drill.