SAN ANGELO, Texas -- The pain and hassle of having a sore throat, body aches, coughing and headaches is familiar for anyone that has had the flu--now imagine a quarter of the population of San Angelo catching a new deadly strain of the flu. This is exactly what the exercise team did as they conducted a pandemic flu table top exercise at the San Angelo Emergency Operation Center Sept. 24.
“This is very important because it is something that can really happen. It is something that has happened throughout history,” said Tech. Sgt. Derrick Baldwin, 17th Medical Operations Squadron public health office. “What we’re doing is basically combining our plans with our local counterparts, and trying to work through the events of an actual pandemic outbreak.”
The exercise team consisted of medical, first responders and emergency management personnel from the San Angelo community and Goodfellow Air Force Base.
“The cooperation between the base and the community is so important,” said Sandra Villarreal, City County Health Department health director. “Viruses and bacteria have no boundaries, so we have to work together and rely on each other.”
The yearly exercise allows both the base and community the opportunity to not only tighten up their plans, but also brings everyone to the table to get to know one another and work towards a common goal.
“We want to provide the best care to the citizens of our community through a coordinated effort,” said Villarreal. “It’s going to take all of us to provide for the community, so we want to do this as effectively and efficiently as we can.”
Goodfellow and San Angelo working together helps combine knowledge and resources, which will help to ensure each community is prepared for any emergency that could occur in the future.