UPDATE:
Based on the winter weather forecast for the coming days, the full-scale public health emergency preparedness exercise will be rescheduled for February 24. This decision is intended to keep everyone safe and prevent over-extending critical staff in the event of an adverse weather event this weekend.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Transylvania Public Health and several partner agencies will be conducting a full-scale public health emergency preparedness exercise at the Transylvania County Parks and Recreation Activities Center on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
This exercise will allow public health staff and emergency responders to practice the roles that would be put into action during a high demand, high consequence public health emergency and assess current plans and capabilities to ensure that they would be able to meet the community’s needs in a real emergency.
This particular exercise will simulate an incident that requires the distribution and dispensing of medications from the Strategic National Stockpile.
The exercise will begin at 9:00 a.m. and is expected to conclude by 2:00 p.m. Residents should expect to see an unusual amount of activity in and around the Transylvania County Parks and Recreation Activities Center and Transylvania Regional Hospital, including the presence of emergency vehicles on the day of the exercise. Residents should not be alarmed by these activities; they are necessary to allow staff to practice the roles they would play in an actual emergency.
As part of the exercise, staff and volunteers will work to demonstrate operational communications, coordination, public health and medical services capabilities associated with the dispensing of medical countermeasures. Exercise operations will include providing security at the scene, setting up and operating a “point of dispensing” location, triaging and transporting patients, testing communications, activating an emergency operations center and providing hospital surge capacity.
Evaluators will examine Transylvania County’s response to the incident and its interaction with other agencies and assets. Their comments will be compiled in an After Action Report and Improvement Plan with recommendations for future training, equipment, and response procedures.
Partner agencies include Transylvania County Emergency Medical Services, Transylvania County Communications, Transylvania County Emergency Management, Transylvania County Fire Marshal, Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Transylvania County Parks and Recreation, Transylvania County Administration, Brevard Police Department, Brevard Fire Department, North Carolina Forest Service, Transylvania Regional Hospital and American Red Cross.
For more information regarding this exercise, please contact Transylvania Public Health’s Preparedness Coordinator, Anita Glance, at [email protected] or (828) 884-3135 ext. 251.