FORTS® Strengthens Hospital Readiness Under The Joint Commission’s 96-Hour Framework

Understanding the 96 Hour Readiness Expectation

When a disaster disrupts hospital operations, the first 96 hours are the most consequential. Patient safety, clinical continuity, financial exposure, and community trust are all at stake. The Joint Commission’s 96 hour framework does not require hospitals to remain fully operational for four days under crisis conditions. Instead, it requires healthcare organizations to demonstrate that they have a clear, documented plan defining what they can realistically sustain, where their vulnerabilities exist, and how patient care will be protected during an extended disruption.

This approach recognizes the reality of modern healthcare operations. No hospital can independently stockpile or self support every critical resource required during a prolonged emergency. Readiness is measured not by excess inventory, but by foresight, planning, and access to reliable external support.

Where Most Emergency Plans Fall Short

Many hospitals discover during drills or real world events that their emergency operations plans depend on assumptions rather than executable solutions. Surge space is limited. Isolation rooms are finite. Administrative and command functions compete for space with clinical care. Utilities such as oxygen, power, lighting, and communications become constrained quickly.

The Joint Commission allows for this reality, but it also expects hospitals to identify how these gaps will be addressed. Plans must clearly articulate what services will be reduced, relocated, or replaced and which partners will be activated to maintain continuity of care.

How FORTS® Converts Planning Into Capability

FORTS® strengthens hospital readiness by providing rapidly deployable, hospital grade infrastructure that replaces lost or compromised space when it matters most. When emergency departments, inpatient units, or support functions are taken offline due to disaster or construction, FORTS® delivers fully functional clinical and operational environments in hours rather than weeks.

Deployable solutions include mobile field hospitals, negative pressure isolation units, exam and triage areas, administrative offices, command and control centers, and first responder support facilities. These assets allow hospitals to continue caring for patients while maintaining operational control during disruption.

Logistics and Utilities That Support Continuous Operations

Physical space alone does not ensure continuity. Hospitals must also sustain oxygen delivery, electrical power, lighting, and essential utilities. Through FORTS Logistics, healthcare facilities gain access to oxygen trailers, large kilowatt generators, LED lighting towers, and utility support equipment designed for rapid deployment.

These assets remove uncertainty during regional emergencies when demand outpaces supply. By integrating logistics into emergency operations planning, hospitals can demonstrate credible pathways for sustaining care through the 96 hour window.

Strengthening Compliance Through Priority Access

RapidReserve™ provides hospitals with guaranteed priority access to FORTS® infrastructure and logistics assets before emergencies occur. This ensures that critical resources are not just identified in a plan, but contractually secured and operationally defined.

This level of preparedness aligns directly with The Joint Commission’s emphasis on documented resources, external agreements, and clear activation thresholds. Hospitals are able to show surveyors exactly how and when support will be mobilized.

Supporting Drills, Exercises, and Real World Validation

The Joint Commission expects emergency plans to be tested. FORTS® units enable hospitals to move beyond tabletop exercises by supporting full scale simulations, evacuation drills, surge planning, and construction continuity scenarios.

By deploying real assets during exercises, hospitals can validate assumptions, train staff, and strengthen confidence across clinical, facilities, and leadership teams.

Building Resilience for an Increasingly Uncertain Future

As natural disasters, infrastructure failures, cyber incidents, and construction related disruptions become more frequent, the 96 hour planning window is no longer theoretical. Hospitals need solutions that bring speed, flexibility, and reliability directly to their campuses.

FORTS® serves as a force multiplier within hospital emergency operations plans. By delivering deployable infrastructure, logistics support, and priority access to critical resources, FORTS® helps healthcare organizations meet and exceed The Joint Commission’s 96 hour framework while protecting patients, stabilizing operations, and supporting the communities they serve.