HANAPEPE — Wednesday was not a day off for the O‘ahu Interscholastic Association, said Dwight Toyama, executive director. The OIA athletic directors were an integral part of the weapons of mass destruction exercise being coordinated by the state Department of
HANAPEPE — Wednesday was not a day off for the O‘ahu Interscholastic Association, said Dwight Toyama, executive director.
The OIA athletic directors were an integral part of the weapons of mass destruction exercise being coordinated by the state Department of Health with multi-agency support from other community agencies and the Hawai‘i National Guard 93rd Civil Support Team.
During the exercise involving the contamination of the Westside by anthrax, the mass medication distribution exercise was triggered, enabling the populace to receive medication to counter the biological bacteria.
“We heard on Hawai‘i Public Radio that Kaua‘i needed about 500 volunteers,” Toyama said. “The OIA does a major community service project every year, and when the office heard the announcement, thought this would be a good service project.”
A Dept. of Health spokesperson said after hearing the announcement on HPR, Toyama researched the piece through The Garden Island website before contacting the DOH office.
Although figures vary from 500 to 700 people needed for the exercise, the OIA role players, more than two dozen of them, fit the bill by going through the mass distribution procedure several times, switching from calm citizens to agitated and disturbed people on occasion.They were joined by other volunteers from the community who turned out to be part of the exercise.
The exercise involved a mock walk-through clinic as part of the Strategic National Stockpile dispensary in which medicines and supplies are distributed during a public health emergency.
According to Center for Disease Control calculations, about 500 people an hour could be served for a population the size of Kaua‘i, the DOH spokesperson said. This necessitated having the bodies needed to test the system.
Toyama said the OIA does these community service projects annually and in the past, has done work with Hugs, an organization for families with challenged children, the Wheels on Meals program, and the Hawai‘i Kidney Foundation.
“This year, we decided we would do it with the people involved in the the OIA instead of with the kids,” Toyama said. “It’s kind of like ‘We walk the talk.’ During the discussion we had about this, not everyone was in agreement, but I’m so happy that we had a 100 percent turnout, today.”
Toyama said in addition to being involved in the exercise, the group was hosted to breakfast by Waimea High School athletic director Jon Kobayashi and Obsessions restaurant during a site visit to the Menehune campus.
“The people aren’t that hungry right now because Jon had an astonishing buffet lined up,” Toyama said.
Following the exercise, the OIA athletic directors took a short water break under the limbs of a poinciana tree in the armory parking lot, and following that, rolled up their sleeves to help break down the tent city that appeared for the exercise.
“This is not a holiday for them,” Toyama said. “We got here on a 6 a.m. flight and will leave on a 2 p.m. flight. Once home, these people have to go to work because there are volleyball games and other events scheduled. But, hopefully, there’s time to buy some mochi and stuff.”
