The Guthrie County Public Health Office in Guthrie Center was abuzz Wednesday morning. County officials from several departments gathered in the main conference room to practice their skills in managing large-scale emergencies.

The public health office was the location for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). In an emergency, the EOC is the central command center, tasked with organizing all aspects of containment. The EOC covered numerous substations, including: an executive committee, finances, public information, logistics, operations, and planning. Several County officials took part in the exercise, including: Supervisor Tom Rutledge, Auditor Marci McClellan, Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Bob Kempf, Public Health Director Jotham Arber, and Panora Mayor Patrick Parker. The group also included representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, Panora Emergency Medical Services, and Adair Fire and Rescue.

Across town, Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center seniors participated in immunization efforts to combat a hypothetical medical outbreak. Senior Alexa Herbert describes the procedures. “They gave us information sheets to fill out and then stickers with different diagnoses. Then you had to fill out the information sheet according to your diagnosis and then go through screening and vaccinations.”

Herbert enjoyed the exercise and learned there are many facets to emergency preparedness in medical situations. The full-scale exercise is one of the only ones ever conducted by the County. Kempf tells Raccoon Valley Radio they have done about 80 exercises in the past ten years, but none have included all possible components of the EOC. The County hopes to continue this operation on an annual basis.