I couldn’t believe what was happening. I ran back inside, and as I was running toward security, I told the nurses and clinicians to start getting ready to evacuate. There was no way the staff and patients could stay there. I texted my administrator, Amy Reuther, and told her the situation. She called me immediately, confirmed to continue to evacuate and said she was on her way. That’s when the gravity of the situation hit me, and I thought, “We have to get 130 people out of this building!”
I got on a quick conference call with hospital leaders, Ian Heck and Amy, and they said, “You are boots on the ground. Your job is to remain calm and to get everyone out safely. You can do this!” That helped me as EMS, fire and the state police arrived and assisted the evacuation started by the staff.