Health Department Stages Mock Emergency Drill

Hamilton County may face any number of manmade and natural threats—things ranging from terrorist attacks to pandemic diseases.

The Chattanooga/Hamilton county Health department shut down most of its daily activities today and staged a training exercise for its staff.

The exercise was held at mid-day at Hixson High School which is in Fall Break.

It involved police, fire, EMS vehicles, and some 200 volunteers taking part in the mock emergency.

SABRINA NOVAK, EMERGENCY RESPONSE COORDINATOR  “The scenario for this..the scenario we chose was that essentially we had an intentional release of anthrax. And with the intentional release of anthrax, that dictates what it is we would be dispensing.”

The exercise tested the Health Department’s capacity to set up a POD..which means a Point of Dispensing.

The PODs distribute lifesaving medications or vaccines during large-scale public health emergencies.

SABRINA NOVAK “Our planning requirement is within a 48 hour period of time, we’re giving tools or potentially vaccine out to all residents and visitors of our county within that time period.”

First responders and their families would be the first to receive the medication.

They’ll provide security.

SEAN SHEPPARD, HCSO “One  of the things we have at the facilities is how are you going to have that many people coming in from the public and actually going to have a mixed large group of people and move them through an orderly fashion and then back off the campus again”

PODs are part of the Centers for Disease Control’s Strategic National Stockpile. The medicine or vaccines delivered by the SNS would be free for everyone. The agency has stockpiled enough to protect people in several large areas at the same time.

There’s paperwork to fill out, so part of this exercise is to determine how fast all of that can be done.