[Archived] City of Alexandria Seeks Volunteers for Emergency Exercise in July

This news release has been updated to reflect that children under 16 are not required to have adult accompaniment to participate, and to correct the event date in "For more information." 

For Immediate Release: June 13, 2019

The City of Alexandria is seeking volunteers to participate in Capital Fortitude, a full-scale emergency exercise designed to evaluate the National Capital Region’s ability to dispense medication quickly in response to an anthrax attack. This Point of Dispensing (POD) exercise, administered by the Alexandria Health Department, will take place on Friday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at the T.C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus (3801 W. Braddock Road). That day, volunteers will move through a simulated medication dispensing site. Although no actual medications will be handed out, public health staff and volunteers will go through the same procedures and protocols that they would use to dispense medications in a real disaster. Participants are required to register online. Volunteers will receive a summer kit for safe and healthy fun in the sun.

People of all ages, including parents with young children, people with disabilities, college students and faculty, scouts, community groups, seniors, members of faith-based communities, corporate employees and the public are encouraged to register in advance. No special training or experience is needed. Participants should allow up to two hours for the exercise.

For more information about the July 19 POD exercise and to register, visit alexandriava.gov/Health.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact jasmin.johnson@vdh.virginia.gov or call 703.338.7697, Virginia Relay 711.