Every hospital is going to be different in terms of how prepared they are to handle emergencies. As the Radiation Safety guy, I serve on our hospitals Emergency Management Committee. We routinely have drills for fires, weather, kidnappings, terrorism, you name it.

Most major hospitals are quite large (and getting bigger all the time). A fire in one area of the hospital is not necessarily an emergency in the others. Some hospitals are very capable of taking care of their patients. Others are not so prepared.

I can't think of many reasons why you couldn't bring a bag of some kind if you were an impatient, unless you were in an ICU or some such more restricted area. I would just bring what makes you feel more comfortable. And if the hospital doesn't even have sprinklers, pick a different one if you can.

Greg