A tabletop exercise was held yesterday in Pulaski County to gather emergency personnel together to determine how to handle a mass disaster.
Pulaski County Preparedness Coordinator Sherry Fagner said the scenario put together information from entities from the hospital, health department, schools, police, EMS, EMA, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana State Department of Health, and media.
“We did a lot of collaboration on if it was a true event that a public health emergency was declared,” said Fagner.
The exercise involved a mass health incident that began at a sporting event in Pulaski County and eventually affected over 200 people in the state. The treatment and staffing of the theoretical event were discussed among all entities involved plus what kind of assistance could be applied by state and federal government agencies. How critical information could be released to the public was also part of the discussion.
Fagner said the collaboration helped put ideas on the table about how different emergency agencies would handle a mass medical situation.
“I’m pretty confident that we have a good working group and that we would all work together. We all know each other. We can coordinate in advance, and when something actually happens I think that would be pretty evident from today’s scenario.”
Any health information about diseases or vaccinations can be found at the Pulaski County Health Department. Call (574) 946-6080 or visit gov.pulaskionline.org/health-department.
