Meanwhile, miles away the staff of Memorial Hermann Hospital began bracing for the arrival of victims. Tom Flanagan, administrative director of emergency services, Memorial Hermann Life Flight and its communications center, was feeling under the weather and planned to leave work early when he learned of the explosion. But sure enough, we could see the smoke and the fire from the 12th floor windows in our Life Flight communications office which overlooks the helipad. Immediately, he issued a call for all three helicopters and organized a shuttle system, sending the helicopters and crews back and forth to the Phillips plant. With burn patients, every second counts.
Severe burns can cause patients to lose fluids and go into shock.
When the burns are on the face, medical workers have to be on guard against swelling that can cause the airway to close. To save time, Flanagan met the crews on the helipad as they came in. He helped unload patients, gave the crew a new stretcher and more supplies and sent them back to the accident site. As he stood on the rooftop, he could hear the ambulances coming off Highway 288 onto MacGregor. The hospital would receive 12 patients within 25 minutes by ground and air, nine of them with moderate to severe burns.