Does mass dispensing exercise prove disaster readiness

Here are photos of the mass dispensing clinic in October 2006. Clicking on the photos should take you to the annotated versions. My backlog from Existing timestamp: November 18, 2006 @ 18:39. See previous posts

Mass dispensing exercise (free flu shots) Oct. 28 –
https://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/10/17/mass-dispensing-exercise-free-flu-shots-oct-28/

Flu-Season Wealth of Vaccine –
https://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/10/08/ flu-season-wealth-of-vaccine/

YKHC Messenger, Nov 15, 2006 http://www.ykhc.org/1312.cfm

Mass Dispensing Exercise proves disaster readiness

…More than 750 participants walked through the free flu shot clinic October 28, with more than 600 getting the influenza vaccine….

It took participants on average less than 10 minutes to move through the clinic. Up to four lines at a time were set up for people to sign up, get their vaccine, and move through the clinic as quickly as possible. Staffed with nearly 90 volunteers, the clinic staff tested emergency response procedures that might be needed in an actual emergency.

A review of survey responses from participants found reactions to be overwhelmingly positive, with several instances of people reporting that the clinic was the most organized event they had ever attended in Bethel….

The display ad in the newspaper gave a different number of those who volunteered and went through the clinic. The reported total on radio call-in, October 31, was 700.

I arrived at the mass dispensing clinic a bit after noon. The parking lot was full leading several people to return later thinking there were lines inside. There was just one person ahead of me and a family of 3 or 4 arrived after I did. Through FluWikie’s assistance, I found a “queue theory” algorithm (see “List of Queueing Theory Software”) to calculate the number of lines needed or the number of people who could be processed, also known as a “call center” calculator or “queueing problems that arise in teletraffic analysis”. When I find the one I used (there are several) I’ll revise this post.

I also calculated the proportion of people in Bethel and the surrounding region who were vaccinated (less than 8%). This would be important in identifying if a minimum number of people could receive vaccinations or treatments (such as Tamiflu) if any were available in order to protect the public from a spreading infection. (also for a revised post when I find my notes)

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Information located above the heads of most people in a crowd. Plastic plumbing pipe as portable sign posts is good idea. View from inside the gym back towards entrance.

Portable sign posts. I didn’t check to see how easily these are set up and taken down, nor if they can be made of ordinary plumbing pipe or some special kit.

People enter through the single, right-hand door, then are directed by a person, the thin orange tape, and the orange floor cone.

I would like to have seen a test of
1) both doors open. This allows people in line to see more of the novel situation before entering the room. i.e., one can adjust to the situation
*check out who is already there;
*how long the line is;
*where the stations are; more importantly, how the visual field and space is demarcated (pipes cones people)

2) left door open. People are supposed to move left so having that side of their visual field open may tend to draw them into the room and towards that direction.

The tests should be done from the perspective at entrance of the building, too. A wider view allows a person to be drawn towards the open space from the narrower, darker, longer entry hall before one reaches the main room. People hesitated as soon as they entered the building, trying to think about what to do next. Fortunately, there was a person who spotted the hesitation and invited people inside the main room.

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People are coming from the right towards the left. The sign (to left of photo) is designed to be seen above the crowd. However, by having the sign located after the station doesn’t it tend to draw people past the station and towards the sign?

If there is a line backup, wouldn’t it be difficult for people to turn around or go backwards (double-back on the queue or towards the line) in order to get to the station?

The other thing to observe–
how easily can one identify the sequence of stations? i.e., pick out the relevant visual cues (signal ) from the background noise (high ceilings, cones, frames, words on the signs).

how distinct is the relevant information? That is, numbers would seem to be more important than the English word “station” in a mass disaster situation. Can the numbers be seen without looking for them? without thinking about what the sign says? There needs to be consistency between the station signs in their format, font size, decoration.

Why are there different colored aprons or jumpers on non-public (officials)? white, yellow, green

Each non-public person had a name signs hung around the neck. The names were large. However, the cord used tended to make the name sign flip over so it couldn’t be seen. Maybe write on both sides or use a different fastening?

There was significant distance between the sign and the actual station.

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The last person to assist people to exit the building is before one gets to the top of the steps behind me. There are no further signs. Even to get this far required an assumption that the unlabelled stairway went somewhere.

Lit by flash unit so without a bright flash, the hallway is dark. The yellow tape blocking passage isn’t very visible in the near background. At the end of the hallway the school’s mesh gate is down.

In the absence of any directions, one woman ahead of me followed the 3 or 4 men ahead of her into the men’s room (entrance is in the left foreground).

There is no telephone. Contrary to the thinking of many, cabs are still the only mode of transportation to a substantial proportion of Bethel residents (and non-residents, who park their boats or snow-gos on the edge of town when visiting from the Villages).

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Your mass disease pass to the non-existing shelter