Volunteers Still Needed for Full Scale Disaster Exercise

HandsOn Central Ohio is currently recruiting 100 volunteers to participate in the Franklin County Public Health and Columbus Public Health full scale exercise on April 21, 2011. The exercise will be a simulation of a biological attack on Franklin County that is as close to reality as possible and includes participation from the Columbus Fire Department, Police Department, Hospitals, Health Departments and Nonprofit agencies. Volunteers are needed to test the Volunteer Reception Center’s capability to process untrained or “spontaneous” volunteers during a disaster. Volunteers will be actors in the exercise and play spontaneous volunteers that are eager to help first responders in their efforts to contain the biological attack. All “spontaneous volunteers” will be processed through the Volunteer Reception Center at COSI, 333 West Broad Street to test its function and efficiency. The exercise will take place on April 21, 2011 from 8am-4pm. We need your help! Please join us in this important test of Franklin County’s Emergency Response Plan and Volunteer Reception Centers. To register as a volunteer, click here. For all questions, email rverhoff@handsoncentralohio.org.