Mass Drill in Pittsburgh

[Jon]

Mass Drill in Pittsburgh to Focus On Decentralizing Care



Updated: 07-22-2005 09:16:07 PM
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JENNIFER C. YATES
Associated Press Writer


PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Don't look for hundreds of people to gather at a large public venue when a mass vaccination drill is held in the city next month.

Instead, emergency medical personnel will fan out to senior centers across the city in an effort to test how effective it is to decentralize vaccine distribution should a bioterror attack strike. During the Aug. 1 drill, a pneumonia vaccine will be given by the city's paramedics to elderly residents at various senior centers.

Dan Swayze, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Prehospital Care, said most terror drills encourage people to gather at large arenas or stadiums where medications can be given out en masse. But, based on suicide bombing targets overseas, Swayze said that might be risky.

''What we're concerned about based on what we're seeing in Iraq is those kinds of gatherings could be a (target) for an attack,'' Swayze said. ''We're wondering if a more decentralized system ... would be a good way to minimize the security risks.''

From Firehouse.com - Rest HERE: Clicky

 

[cixelsyd119]

this sounds like a good plan

bioterrorists could use this to their advantage though, imagine if they knew which medic agencies were going to be delivering vaccines. If one were to expose them to some communicable weapon, imagine the damage that could be done as they travel from place to place exposing people.

 

[Jon]

Yeah.... but:
A - reduces the number of people who can be exposed at once, and also reduces the number of "exposers" for any person

B - Hard to coordinate that sort of action

C - The whole point is that the population has or will be exposed to some form of bioterror weapon.... thats why the vaccines are going out. This way sounds like it will be easier on all involved if executed properly.

D - As for which agency would be distrubuting the vaccines.... that would be the City of Pittsburg EMS - a 3rd service EMS-only department with heavy rescue and ALS transport capability.

Jon

 

[Jon]

Even easier..... mess with O2 or H2O.....

 

[TTLWHKR]

They didn't do those drills when I worked there, of course it was before 9/11. We did do mining accidents and steel mill mass casualty accidents though.