These steps have eliminated what is known as surge capacity, the ability of hospitals to handle a sharp increase in patients.

To prepare for bioterrorism, hospitals must build surge capacity back in.

The center is designed to have 40 exam rooms with "surge" capacity to treat additional patients in times of disaster.

One is what is known as surge capacity: a hospital's ability to deal with a sudden influx of patients.

As such it fills a unique role in providing a surge capacity to the Commando capability.

Since Sept. 11, officials have wrestled with trying to increase hospitals' surge capacity for even a onetime catastrophic event.

Such improvised facilities are generally developed in cooperation with the local hospital, which sees them as a strategy for creating surge capacity.

The civilian side needed both operational capability and a significant surge capacity.

Throughout the disaster, burns referral centres continued to have substantial surge capacity.

The reality is that our surge capacity or our capacity to deal with large numbers of patients within the mental health system.