Presented on July 24, 2025, this WRAP-EM webinar highlights the evacuation of 90 behavioral health patients during a 109°F HVAC failure in Phoenix, Arizona. 

On July 24, 2025, the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM) hosted a webinar featuring Robin Oothoudt, Executive Director of the Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response (AzCHER), and Ben Fagerlie, Director of Operations for AMR Central Arizona. The session examined the coordinated response to a catastrophic HVAC failure at a behavioral health hospital in Phoenix during extreme heat in August 2024.

Robin and Ben presented a dual-perspective analysis on planning and executing both emergent and non-emergent healthcare facility evacuations. The case study emphasized the unique challenges of relocating pediatric and behavioral health patients, coordinating interfacility transfers, and establishing communications during multi-day operations. Topics included pre-evacuation planning, bed coordination, transport logistics, and lessons from real-world incidents, including the Phoenix evacuation and a subsequent water contamination-driven evacuation at Tuba City Regional Health Care.

The webinar serves as a vital resource for hospital emergency planners, EMS professionals, public health officials, and emergency managers preparing for facility evacuations in extreme weather or infrastructure failure scenarios.

Acknowledgments: 
This webinar was made possible through the support of the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM), the Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response (AzCHER), and American Medical Response (AMR) Central Arizona. 

WRAP-EM is funded by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) under Award Number 6 U3REP190616. The views expressed are those of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the official views of ASPR or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.