Bioterrorism drill seeks Foothills volunteers
by Brian DiTullio

NORTHEAST VALLEY – The Maricopa County Department of Public Health is looking for volunteers to participate in the area’s first bioterrorism drill.

In the event of a terrorist attack involving biological weapons, such as the use of anthrax, botulism or smallpox, the health department would be the government entity responsible for inoculating the Valley’s population, estimated at almost 4 million people.

In preparation for such an attack, DPH has partnered with the Carefree‑Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce to solicit 350 volunteers to take part in the drill Saturday, May 19. The event runs from 8 a.m.‑2 p.m. at Cactus Shadows High School, 5802 E. Dove Valley Road.                 

Jeanene Fowler, public information officer for DPH, said the program is part of the federally funded cities’ readiness initiative, charging major metropolitan areas to put disaster plans in place.

Gina Durbin, director of student services for the Cave Creek Unified School District, explained last week that planning for this kind of drill has been in the works for some time and now that it has come to fruition, they needed places to test theories on how to implement the plan.

“They need to know: Will this work?” she said. “Is this something we can model?”

The plan involves trying to provide medication for a viral outbreak such as pandemic influenza or a bioterrorist attack to an estimated 3.7 million people in under 48 hours.

According to the health department, they have established a network of dispensing/vaccination sites, known as Points of Dispensing (POD), across the county where the public can receive necessary medication. The sites are primarily community high schools, such as Cactus Shadows, which would be converted to either a drive‑up site or a walk‑up “clinic.”

“They’ll be using the parking lot to see how fast they can get this done,” Durbin said.

Volunteers will be playing various roles as part of the exercise. Some will be given cards that say they are a family of four, or that they are a family of six with special needs, said Fowler. They then will proceed through the POD at Cactus Shadows. Other volunteers will be needed to staff the POD and simulate dispensing medication.

Volunteers will receive training before the run‑through exercises. And, in the event of a real crisis, volunteers and their families will be administered the medication prior to the POD opening, according to the department of health. Each POD requires about 75 people per 12‑hour shift, and most jobs involve keeping a steady and organized flow of people moving through the POD.

“The whole point of this is to see if it can be a smooth transition,” Durbin said.   

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and pre‑register.

For more information and registration forms, contact Ian Ellison, executive director of the Carefree‑Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce, at (480) 488‑3381. Completed forms must be in by April 18.