Relax -- that Hoffman Estates 'disaster' was only a drill
Though drawing only about 800 volunteers, short of the goal of 3,000, emergency crews still benefited from Tuesday's big bioterrorism drill at the Sears Centre arena in Hoffman Estates, officials said.
The event trained crews to quickly distribute antibiotics in case of an anthrax outbreak or something similar.
Suburban departments have trained for such a scenario for years, but the events of Sept. 11, 2001, have increased preparation efforts. Officials Tuesday stressed collaboration between departments as key to success.
The Sears Centre would be one of many dispensing clinics which would be activated in case of a pandemic event. In Schaumburg, Motorola Corp. would provide its employees with their own medicines, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said.
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"It would be silly to move hundreds of people off site," he said.
An $80,000 Homeland Security grant paid for the event, Cook County Department of Public Health spokeswoman Kitty Loewy said. The main cost is paying overtime wages for police, firefighters and other first-responders from the 25 departments that participated, as the Sears Centre donated use of its facilities.
Crews were tested throughout the day. Todd Waller, a police officer in the village of Golf, posed as a resident trying to steal medicines. He was able to reach where the medicines were stored wearing plain clothes, then succeeded in running out of the arena with two boxes of antibiotics.
"I caused quite a stir," Waller said.
He said though that police would be more "on edge" and prepared in case of a real disaster.
Exposing gaps in the system only better prepares crews, officials said. Streamwood village Trustee Jason Speer ran through the drill playing the role of a pregnant woman who needed an assist getting down the arena's stairs. He said it took crews about 20 minutes to find a wheelchair for him. Streamwood Deputy Police Chief Jim Gremo said in the event of a real disaster, those 20 minutes would be costly, as the waiting would prevent the distribution of medicines.
"It's good to get rid of all the kinks now," Gremo said.
Dr. Steven Martin, head of the Cook County Department of Public Health, said Northwest suburban police and fire departments are typically more organized than the southern and western parts of the county. He said the area has better resources -- like the Sears Centre -- to coordinate in the event of a disaster.
"This is outstanding," he said of Tuesday's performance in the pandemic drill.