Mansfield school staged as site of an anthrax disaster drill

County, city, and school officials, emergency responders, and community members will participate

by PegNews wire

MANSFIELD — On Tuesday April 1, Ben Barber Career Tech Academy in Mansfield will help Tarrant County Public Health prepare to respond to a mock anthrax release that would require medicating the residents of Mansfield. The school district, the city and other agencies in Mansfield have been planning the exercise for several months.

The academy will become a site for the mass distribution of medications. The students, parents and other volunteers will simulate exposed victims. Tarrant County Public Health will train district personnel and volunteers to staff the event by simulating the dispensing of medications.

"We know that in a real event social unrest may arise and the public will want to know how to get the recommended medications quickly," said Public Health Director Lou Brewer. "This exercise will help us test our plan so that we can serve the residents of Tarrant County as efficiently as possible."

"We are pleased to partner with Tarrant County Public Health in this massive undertaking," said Mansfield ISD Superintendent Vernon Newsom. "Our hope is that the lessons learned during this exercise will be to the benefit of all of our communities."

Source: Tarrant County Public Health