Chiles Center will serve as a medical care point in the event of a terrorist attack
By Maureen Inouye
Next week, UP will host one of the largest emergency drills ever sponsored by the U.S. government.
On Wednesday, UP is participating in the national TOPOFF 4 exercise. TOPOFF is short for "Top Officials."
TOPOFF 4 is a "dirty bomb" drill designed to analyze how well Portland officials respond in an emergency. The Chiles Center will be turned into a staffed medical care point with beds and facilities. The drill will examine how people in the area, including students, react to a large-scale crisis.
Nursing students have been invited to participate in the drill by acting as victims or delivering care. Each volunteer has been or will be assigned a role; the majority of this group is seniors.
TOPOFF 4 is the fourth "Full-Scale Exercise" Congress has sponsored to determine America's response to possible terrorist attacks with weapons of mass destruction. In this case, the weapon is a "dirty bomb."
A "dirty bomb" is actually a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD). This is not a nuclear device, but rather an explosive that releases radioactive material. The RDD is a plausible terrorist weapon, according to a press release from Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Like campus fire drills, TOPOFF 4 will allow officials to observe reactions, preparations and recovery in a simulated disaster. In this way, TOPOFF 4 will help government agencies recognize unforeseen problems and
consequences before a real emergency occurs.
TOPOFF 4 will help government officials assess how effective present emergency plans are and allow them to revise the plans after the drill.
"I think it's going to be a good experience for us to know about nation-wide disasters, especially those of us who work in the health care industry," senior nursing student Tara Henkelman said. Henkelman is excited to be one of the students delivering care in the "dirty bomb" exercise.
"This drill is designed to see how well we all react, to see how many volunteers respond to the 'dirty bomb,' said nursing instructor Lori Chorpenning.
Chorpenning is in charge of coordinating the university's efforts and resources with those of the city during the drill.
The "dirty bomb" will be detonated simultaneously in Guam, Portland and Phoenix.
Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom are also participating in the drill to examine how well U.S. federal agencies coordinate with international partners.
The exercise will help establish how all levels of government officials can work together to respond to a possible terrorist attack.
The Chiles Center will become a medical care point for a day, designed to assist hospitals in caring for bomb victims. There will be 50 beds for possible victims.
"We need to figure out how to decrease the number of people going to hospitals," Chorpenning said. "Volunteers will come, and then victims can be brought in."
The nursing students are receiving eight clinical hours for their involvement.
"We're excited because it's different from being in hospitals, and we get to meet health care professionals and members of the community," Henkelman said.
Most of UP's nursing participants are seniors. Some of them, including Henkelman, have been chosen to deliver care, but others will be turned into victims with the use of make-up.
Besides UP students, participants will include 11 state departments, the city of Portland, Multnomah County and Columbia County.
TOPOFF 3 in April 2005 included more than 5,000 members of the private sector, as the government relies on volunteers when agencies are overwhelmed.
Citizens will be informed of the drill as Wednesday approaches, but in order to protect important information, public knowledge of the drill will be kept to a minimum.
Portland has received $2.5 million in federal grants to pay for TOPOFF 4.
For each drill, two U.S. cities are chosen. This is the first year a U.S. territory, Guam, has been involved.
"It's cool they chose Portland (this year). UP always finds good opportunities for students," Henkelman said.
