About 1,000 volunteers will soon be sought to help inoculate all the residents of Schoharie County within 48 hours in case of a bioterrorism event.
The county Board of Supervisors Friday established a medical reserve corps that will cover the volunteers under the county’s liability insurance and worker’s compensation.
Kathleen Farrell Strack, the county’s public health director, told supervisors, said that a federal grant will cover the cost to organize and mobilize the health team though there would be a cost in the future if medicine had to be stored.
The volunteers do not have to be medical personnel, she said. The county is looking to get between 750 and 1,000 in order to give the more than 32,000 county residents oral inoculations within 48 hours of an emergency.
“Let’s move quick,” she told county board members.
Though some medical personnel would be needed, she said that chaplains, office workers, forklift operators and many other types of volunteers would be needed in case of an emergency.
Supervisor Phil Skowfoe of Fulton noted that there would be a cost in the future for climate-controlled storage.
Ms. Farrell Strack said the group is seeking about 800-square-feet in storage space for possible supplies.
The medical reserve corps was founded in 2002 after many uninsured volunteers served after the disasters of September 11, 2001.
Ms. Farrell Strack said the corps is especially important in Schoharie County because of its proximity to the capital district.
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In other action, Supervisors:
• Began the meeting with a moment of silence for assessor Richard Barbic who died earlier this month.
• Heard program coordinator Becky Yung and young students speak about the Reality Check program. They asked the supervisors to pass a resolution aimed at reducing smoking in movies.
• Supported initiatives from the county conservation association to allow 14 and 15-year-olds to hunt big game with adult supervision, to have a handicap accessible boat launch on the Schoharie Creek in the Town of Schoharie behind Dunkin’ Donuts, and to have handicap access to creeks and lakes in state parks.
• Discussed the issue that some waste haulers may be improperly claiming that their trash is coming from Schoharie County because the county has the highest subsidy amount ($34 a ton) among the three counties in the MOSA trash authority. The subsidy amounts in Montgomery and Otsego counties are both under $20 a ton.
• Appointed Wynn Kintz to the Fulton, Montgomery and Schoharie County Workforce Development Board.
• Named Zhongchun Jiang of Cobleskill to the county Empire Zone administration board.
• Heard that the report on possible security changes for the county buildings should be ready next month. The report will then go to the safety committee for recommendations.