On February 29, 2024, the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency conducted the annual Hospital Emergency Response Team (HERT) training. The training was held at the LA County Fire Del Valle Regional Training Center. The exercise was conducted with the participation of the EMS Agency’s J. Michael Criley Paramedic Training Institute, the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Trauma at LA General Hospital and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The exercise was conducted in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, including EMS and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) divisions, LA Sheriff’s Department, and the LA City Fire Department.
Over 60 physicians, nurses, and paramedics participated in the training, rescuing entrapped victims, and providing on-scene medical care. The exercise, meant to prepare hospital-based teams to respond to the field when higher-level medical and surgical expertise is needed, emphasized collaboration between the EMS clinicians and the hospital-based teams. With the support of Measure B funding, training equipment including airway mannequins, hemorrhage simulators and fresh tissue specimens that allowed teams to practice critical skills in realistic scenarios.
The HERT is a unique LA County resource. Authorized by LA County EMS Ref 817, HERTs provide physician-level field response to critical patients where additional medical and/or surgical expertise is needed on scene. Based at the two LA Health Services Level I Trauma Centers (LA General and Harbor-UCLA), a team consisting of a trauma surgeon, emergency physician, and trauma nurse are available 24/7 to mobilize to respond to the scene within 20 minutes. These teams must be prepared to operate safely and effectively in the out-of-hospital environment in coordination with EMS personnel. These annual trainings, conducted with the support of local fire departments and USAR teams are essential to the success of the teams. Thanks to this program, and the collaborative exercises, multiple deployments in the past several years have resulted in positive patient outcomes.
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