Texas Health Resources (THR) Shelters
DALLAS – FORT WORTH, TX, USA
2 X 22 X 72’ EMERGENCY RESPONSE SHELTERS
22’ X 42’, 30’ DOME
Texas Harris Methodist Hospital, which serves Dallas and Fort Worth, identified a potential issue of overcapacity occurring at its facilities. To be proactive, Texas Health Resources (THR) sought to procure portable shelters which could be utilized during potential weather events to ensure the continuation of services and operations should this occur.
“Harold and his team at Dynamic Shelter have been a super team to work with. They met incredible timelines brought upon us and flew out to our location many times to provide firsthand demonstration and education.”
DINAH CANNEFAX, DIRECTOR OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Challenge
THR were looking for two portable medical surge shelters that could each accommodate a minimum of 20 patient beds. Each shelter was required to be set up quickly during severe weather conditions such as hurricanes, flooding and tornados, or as increased capacity during periods of exceptional demand for existing infrastructure.
The shelters needed to be set up quickly and easily by 6-8 people with minimal assembly components, no heavy lifting equipment, and packaged with all ancillary equipment into one trailer.
Additionally, the shelter would need to be deployed many times to various locations.
Planning
The capabilities and requirements of the shelters were clearly defined from the beginning of the project. The Dynamic Air Shelters were designed to meet the specifications of the Hospital and to integrate various HVAC, power, and internal surge Hospital requirements.
Effective partnerships were formed from the outset and clear communication conducted at all stages of the project. This collaborative method of working ensured the creation of a complete turnkey field hospital which fully met the needs of THR.
Solution
To meet the requirements of the client, DAS provided two, 22’ x 72’ emergency response shelters that connected both lengthwise and perpendicularly. Controls were put in place to allow for the deployment of a rapid response or a long-term temperature-controlled intensive care unit.
Outcome and Benefits
By utilizing a Dynamic Air Shelters inflatable shelter, the client was able to deploy the structure in multiple applications as a remote service or as an increased capacity to existing infrastructure. This allowed increased performance of hospital operations, and a wider range of support for the community.
Additionally, the shelters offer an increased level of safety by providing protection against severe weather conditions.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY…
“It is the purpose of this letter to inform others of our success in utilizing two Dynamic Shelters to operationalize a mobile, medical field surge unit for Texas Health Resources (THR).
THR spent two years investigating mobile shelters large enough to house 20 patient beds. Requiring this size limited the vendors to only a few, some articulating structures and some inflatable. During this time, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck our coast and a great deal more was identified about what we would require of a mobile field unit. Based on the fact that the Dynamic Shelters could quickly be erected with 6-8 people, and it had fewer pieces than most metal framed shelters, we decided on them as a vendor.
Since our decision, and even before making a final selection, Harold and his team at Dynamic Shelter have been a super team to work with. They met incredible timelines brought upon us by federal grant restrictions and flew out to our location many times to provide firsthand demonstration and education. Based on the number of vendors we have worked with over the past few years in executing our preparedness program, Dynamic Shelter is one of the few who have met all our expectations.
Since the delivery of the unit in December of 2006, we have deployed the unit ten times, one of those times being in severe weather with winds over 50 miles per hour. We have been very happy with the unit’s performance. Lastly, I want to take a moment to emphasize the great relationship I have with Harold Warner. We have asked for many changes and upgrades along the way, all met with an enthusiasm for learning and timely responses. We continue to work with them almost weekly as we fine tune our procedures and can count on them to assist us in the future with continued training as our team and field response program matures.”