Anthrax Outbreak Drill Tests Readiness in Wyo.
CHEYENNE -- On Monday, the gym at Laramie County Community College gym became a place where people could go to get help.
It was an important part of a full-scale drill simulating an anthrax attack. It was part of a statewide exercise dubbed "Operation Prairie Eagle."
In the drill, conducted for Wyoming's emergency response agencies, area residents went to LCCC to get antibiotics to protect them.
Fifteen counties took part in Monday's drill. Three others will do so later.
In an actual emergency, the Centers for Disease Control would send medications from its national stockpile. They would arrive within 12 hours after an attack, said Kim Deti with the Wyoming Department of Health.
Wyoming workers would get medications to the state's residents within 48 hours, she added.
If an actual emergency occurred, residents would get the medications for free, said Wendy Braund, state health officer.
"We hope an event like this never occurs," Braund added. "But it is very important to be ready,"
Exercises like Operation Prairie Eagle maintain readiness, she said.
The exercise started last Thursday and ends today.
Results of the drill will show how well Wyoming's responders can distribute federal medical supplies across the state.
Wyoming faces special obstacles in distribution. Long distances between towns is one challenge, Braund said.
If an actual attack occurred, area residents would go to Frontier Park or the LCCC gym for medication, said Gus Lopez, director of the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department.
Officials would set up a similar site in Pine Bluffs for eastern Laramie County residents, Lopez said.
Participating agencies included city-county health, the National Guard's Civil Support Team, Highway Patrol, Department of Revenue, Department of Transportation and area fire districts.
Officials said they aren't sure how much the drill will cost. The state pays for it with federal money.
Planning for the event started more than a year ago.
"An exercise of this magnitude is not done every year," Braund said. "It really is a large collaborative effort."
Copyright 2012 - Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne
