Emergency responders and volunteers ran a live training exercise at UAF today as part of the 2019 Shield Alaska Exercise. The exercise works with federal, state, local and non-government agencies to see how well they can respond to a catastrophe.
Today volunteers gathered at the Hess Recreation Center on the University of Alaska Fairbanks to test their ability to distribute medicine in the event of a pneumonic plague outbreak.
"The possibility of an outbreak is real," said Doug Schrage, the UAF Fire Chief. "And should one occur, if we were to find ourselves flat footed and unable to respond, many people could be infected before we had a chance to get in front of it, so that's why we are doing this."
This exercise is part of a statewide simulation known as 'Shield' that tests the state's capability to respond to and control an emergency should one happen.