More than 50 City of Kirkland employees will participate in an exercise as part of the city’s emergency management planning for pandemic flu from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 13.
The city will test its capability to have employees remotely access computer files and programs. This test will provide valuable information should it become necessary for the city to institute social distancing procedures in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak.
According to Public Health-King County/Seattle, pandemic flu is an outbreak of flu that spans several regions of the world. It is caused by a new flu virus that is unlike any previous virus, so people will not have any immunity to it.
In addition to testing the remote access capabilities, the exercise will help the city test its ability to forward phone calls received by the exercise participants. Officials hope that incoming calls to those staff members participating in the exercise will be automatically forwarded to another staff member. If for some reason there is technical difficulty with the transfer of calls, the city appreciates the understanding and patience of the customer.
For more information about the city’s pandemic flu planning efforts, please contact Stephanie Day at sday@ci.kirkland.wa.us or 425-587-3630. For preparedness and prevention information, visit www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/prepare.
