Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital participated in a statewide disaster drill this morning, and while the dirty bomb scenario was faked, the action was real.

It started at 6:00 this morning with the role playing news that a dirty bomb had gone off in San Bernardino.

Teams of hospital staff sprung into action, going through the motions as if it were real.

If this particular case were to happen, Henry Mayo would have to analyze what open space they have, and talk to physicians to find out what patients could technically be released to make more room if needed. That way, they could serve as a backup, where San Bernardino victims could be treated.

“The first part of the drill is really about getting information,” says Henry Mayo Public Relations Director Andie Bogdan.

Bogdan also noted that in her own role playing attempt to gather information that would be released to the press in the event of a disaster, she noticed that the copy machine required a password to make copies. “These are the little things that I’m glad I’m aware of now.”

Henry Mayo also did a contamination treatment drill of their own. They simulated receiving patients contaminated with dirty bomb material, and they went through the steps of separating them, washing them, and treating them in their specialized facilities.