Which term describes the evacuation of patients to a location outside a healthcare facility during an incident?

• A. Horizontal evacuation
• B. Vertical evacuation
• C. Shelter-in-place
• D. Staged evacuation

Answer: (A)

Moving patients laterally to a safer area is the idea behind horizontal evacuation. In a healthcare incident, you want to clear the danger zone quickly while keeping care teams close and avoiding the added complexity of moving patients up or down floors. By relocating patients to a safe area on the same level or just outside the immediate care area, you establish a controllable, nearby space where triage and continuing treatment can occur with minimal transport risk.

Vertical evacuation would require moving patients to another floor or lower levels, which adds stair or elevator use and increases risk for unstable patients. Shelter-in-place means staying put and not evacuating. Staged evacuation involves moving patients in planned steps, which takes more time.