130 Fire Drills, 100+ Buildings, 29 Sites: How Townsville Hospital Scaled Safety with Locatrix

Emergency Ready: Townsville Hospital’s transformation with Locatrix

Stretching from coastal islands to inland communities, the Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) stands as a beacon of healthcare excellence. With over 6,200 staff, THHS cares for more than 250,000 people across 21 facilities. That reach comes with unique challenges in keeping every site safe and compliant – challenges Locatrix is helping them meet.

Learning from the past: Fires happen

Hospital governance demands rigorous attention to fire safety and emergency preparedness. Fires are not hypothetical risks, they are real and have disrupted hospital operations across Australia. From Sunshine Hospital’s electrical blaze (2023) to Gatton Hospital’s admin building fire (also 2023), these incidents underscore the critical need for robust emergency planning.

THHS is no exception. Despite its proactive safety culture, fires have occurred. But thanks to the systems and processes in place, these emergencies have been managed effectively. As one THHS Fire Safety Coordinator put it:
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“Fires are always going to happen, and it’s critical to issue accurate training to prepare all occupants for managing emergencies, especially in a busy hospital like Townsville, where staff care for vulnerable people”

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The Challenge: Scalable, Sporadic Site-Specific training

Before adopting Locatrix’s PlanSafe, THHS relied on a mix of face-to-face sessions and fragmented online platform learning sessions to deliver fire safety training. This approach was inefficient, especially when travel to some facilities could take up to six hours. With over 130 fire drills annually and more than 100 buildings across 29 sites, THHS needed a smarter solution.

PlanSafe provided just that. It enabled remote, role and site-specific training tailored to each facility’s fire evacuation plan. Staff received timely alerts for certification renewals, and training modules were automatically updated to reflect changes in infrastructure or safety protocols. This ensured that all 6,200 staff members, from nurses to wardens, were prepared for emergencies in their specific work environment.

Empowering staff with PlanStudio

Complementing PlanSafe, PlanStudio empowered THHS complete control over its building plans. Fire Safety Advisors could make live updates on-site, ensuring that evacuation diagrams and training materials remained accurate and relevant.

Providing this agility proved invaluable, not only for fire safety but also for operational planning, such as mapping staff amenities and equipment layouts.

Governance, compliance, and continuous improvement

THHS’s journey reflects the broader lessons outlined in Locatrix’s “From Risk to Resilience” article. Effective emergency planning hinges on:

• Comprehensive preparedness for fire, flood, and other disasters.
• Role-specific training that reflects fire-engineered solutions.
• Reliable communication with internal teams and emergency responders.
• Accountable leadership and transparent post-event evaluations.
• Maintained infrastructure and regular audits

By integrating these principles into its operations, THHS has not only improved compliance but also built a culture of resilience.

Conclusion: A Model for Healthcare Safety

THHS's adoption of PlanSafe and PlanStudio showcases how technology can transform emergency preparedness. Fires may still happen but with the right tools, training, and governance, their impact across 29 sites and 100 buildings can be minimised. THHS’s story is a testament to learning from the past and investing in scalable, future-ready solutions.

At Locatrix, we exist to protect lives through preparedness.

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Header image supplied by THHS Facebook page