Thursday’s alarm incident that prompted a rapid and extended response from local law enforcement at Newman Regional Health was rooted in hand sanitizer.
On Friday morning, Newman Regional Health Public Information Officer Steven Bazan had told KVOE News a third-party vendor was installing items, and that process had led to an active shooter alarm going off. Later in the day, Bazan says the installation involved hand sanitizer dispensers. The process led to inadvertent contact with wiring behind a wall, which sounded the alarm.
Once the alarm sounded, Newman Regional Health went into its lockdown protocols and requested law enforcement presence. Bazan says patients remained safe and in care as staff handled their emergency duties and law enforcement conducted a roughly two-hour sweep of the hospital and nearby medical buildings.
As Bazan did Thursday, Newman Regional Health CEO Cathy Pimple praised the work of staff and law enforcement. “While this incident was the result of a technical issue, our team responded exactly as trained, and we are using this as an opportunity to strengthen our systems and partnerships even further,” she said.
Bazan says Newman Regional has started a “post-event review,” starting with internal teams Friday and moving to law enforcement Tuesday and external partners in the next few weeks.
10:15 am Friday: Third-party installation work may have triggered active shooter alarm Thursday; ‘hot wash’ sessions ahead to discuss possible adjustments
The incident is over, but Newman Regional Health administrators continue conversations about what happened and how to adjust after an alarm triggered an active shooter response by hospital staff and several area law enforcement agencies Thursday.
As part of the all-clear announcement given early Thursday evening, there was basic information about the likely cause — a malfunction in an emergency switch. The incident began unfolding around 4:20 pm after an active shooter alarm triggered. Newman Regional Health Public Information Officer Steven Bazan had an update on the likely cause with KVOE News on Friday morning after initial surveillance and investigation:
Bazan was grateful for the response of hospital staff, especially given the uncertainty of the situation.
In the short term, Bazan says emotional support professionals have been at the hospital for a round of talks Friday morning and are available to talk with staffers as part of a separate discussion window for the afternoon hours. Bazan also says the incident has started conversations about potential adjustments, including a series of what are called “hot washes” — immediate, informal debriefing sessions — with an internal hot wash and another with local law enforcement coming soon.
Bazan thanked the different law enforcement agencies for their prompt, efficient and effective response and their work as the situation developed.
*Click here for KVOE News’ prior coverage from Thursday’s incident.
