[Updated] Remaining evacuation orders were lifted the night of May 26.
As I write this on Sunday, May 24, my go bags are packed and my Corolla has a full tank of gas. I’m monitoring social media posts from the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), the lead agency on the ground at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, California.
OCFA is being supported by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Garden Grove Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, and a lot of very smart chemists.
They are monitoring what Southern California news agencies including KTLA describe as a damaged industrial tank holding approximately 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, currently self heating and extremely unstable.
OCFA Division Chief Craig Covey said yesterday, “This thing is going to fail and we don’t know when. There are literally two options left remaining. One, the tank fails and spills … or two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up.”
That pronouncement on Saturday still stands on Sunday afternoon. About 50,000 people from six surrounding cities have been evacuated; several of six large-scale shelters are full, and World Central Kitchen is on its way to feed them.
I live about 6 miles from the tank — outside the blast and evacuation range, but inside the plume range if the tank explodes.
And I’m thinking about the durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) providers pulled into this emergency.
We rightly think of first responders and community members in times like this. But how often does the public think of durable medical equipment suppliers who drive to the rescue of displaced patients who still need supplemental oxygen, diabetes supplies, wound care supplies, urological supplies, enteral/parenteral nutrition and home infusion supplies, to name only a few?
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on May 23, the start of a response cycle that typically provides additional flexibilities when patients need, for example, resupplied or replacement DME items, but aren’t at home to receive deliveries.
But so often, suppliers load up their vans and start delivering DME as quickly as possible, before flexibilities are formalized. You routinely do this — after floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, industrial accidents, wildfires — even before reimbursement has been confirmed and emergency processes finalized.
You take care of your patients anyway, because respiratory and other healthcare needs wait for no one. You do this because the best patient outcomes rely on consistent, uninterrupted care. You do this because of who you are.
So while first responders are absolutely in my heart, so are DME suppliers — their delivery techs, funding specialists, admin personnel, clinicians, compliance experts and everyone else taking care of patients who were rushed out of their homes with only minutes to pack.
I see you, I am grateful to you, and I thank you. Stay safe. May your patients stay strong with your help.
Update: On Monday, May 25, President Donald Trump approved California’s request for a presidential emergency declaration.
