Community Corner

Health Department Drill Was Smooth Sailing

Workers practiced dispersing medicine in emergency-type situation Wednesday.

I felt a little like I was in the movie Independence Day on Wednesday.

I'm not really sure why. I don't remember any scenes that took place in a large garage full of city vehicles and public nurses handing out medication.

But that's where I was yesterday, participating in the Oak Creek Health Department’s mass-dispensing drill, in which public workers practiced distributing medicine to a large number of people.

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The drill was designed to simulate what would need to be done in case of a large-scale emergency.

And, in my mind, this emergency involved aliens taking over the planet and our collective lives in the hands of Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum.

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I am happy to report that we would all successfully receive the pills we needed if this ever happens.

Count me in

The Health Department for volunteers to drive their cars to the Oak Creek Street Department to receive "medication" (No actual medication was handed out). The exercise allowed several departments – health, police, fire as well as agencies from out of town – to practice getting people in and out with what they need.

I have a soft spot in my heart for volunteer activities that don’t make me leave my car, and I love getting anything free (even if it's fake), so I was immediately in. Normally, I would be sequestered in a makeshift area for media, but I talked Oak Creek Health Officer Judi Price into letting me participate and write a first-person column on the experience.

I wasn't sure what to expect. In a real emergency, I'm guessing the line of cars would be longer, tempers shorter and overall chaos at a higher level.

But on Wednesday morning, as I drove up to the Oak Creek Street Department just after 9:30 a.m., I found pleasant volunteers directing me to stay in between traffic cones set up in the parking lot and proceed to the entrance of the (rather large) street garage, where more instructions and people awaited.

In and out

"I would guess you are not breastfeeding."

This is an accurate assessment from the first worker I spoke to. She asked a few more questions dealing with pertinent medical information, and I was then whisked over to the next station.

From there, it was over in the blink of an eye. I quickly moved on to three other stations, got my fake medication and gave it back, received a parting gift (an eco-friendly tote bag) and was thanked for my time.

The entire process took roughly ten minutes. I spent relatively little time sitting idly in my car. It was quite efficient and the size of the Street Department garage seemed to make it easy for people to move along and not feel claustrophobic.

Though I eagerly anticipated my "volunteer time" lasting longer, I suppose it's a good thing it went quickly. Even though workers outnumbered participants at a given time (cars steadily streamed in throughout the morning), from the untrained eye it was a smooth operation.

God forbid a big disaster ever happen, but it seemed clear Wednesday that emergency workers are pretty well-trained to handle it and that residents are in good hands.

Assuming, of course, that Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum somehow fall short.


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