Local businesspeople learn about possible pandemic
Local businesspeople learn about possible pandemic
By Zack Anchors
Staff writer
Scarborough businesspeople learned this week how to prepare for an influenza pandemic, a threat that Scarborough Fire Chief Mike Thurlow said the town and state are taking seriously. At a workshop held at the Scarborough Public Library, Cory Hedman, director of food safety and quality assurance for Hannaford, shared how his company was preparing for a pandemic and offered advice for other local businesses on what they could do to get ready. In attendance were dozens of local businesspeople from companies large and small, including businesses ranging from banks and telecommunications companies to non-profit organizations and retail stores. Although Hedman said companies should be ready for all kinds of emergencies, such as terrorist attacks or severe storms, pandemic influenza requires special kinds of preparation. One of the major considerations of businesspeople when preparing for a pandemic, said Hedman, should be how the crises would affect staffing.
“The (Centers for Disease Control) predicts that there could be up to 40 percent of your people wouldn’t be able to show up for work,” said Hedman. “They could be sick, they could have died or they could be caring for loved ones.”
The influenza that scientists believe may result in an epidemic is a particular strain called H5N1, commonly referred to as Avian Flu because it is found in birds. Scientists are concerned that the flu could mutate into a form that would aggressively and lethally diffuse through human populations as it is spread through the global transportation networks. The flu has been found in birds throughout the world, and has so far resulted in around 100 human fatalities, which were the result of humans catching the flu directly from poultry. If the flu does mutate and infect human populations, Chief Thurlow said, it could take as little as two weeks to expand into a pandemic and then six to eight months to develop a vaccine.
“From what I know, it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when,” said Thurlow. “We’re in a historical cycle. It’s just a matter of time.”
Throughout his presentation, Hedman offered a number of questions that businesses consider when planning for pandemic influenza. Because many businesses are reliant on information technologies, Hedman said businesses should evaluate how their systems would function with lower IT staffing and the possibility of employees working from home. He suggested businesses identify the key positions and crucial functions of the business in order to ensure that they could be backed up in a crisis. He advised businesses to explore how they could aid emergency management services and fulfill a public need in an emergency. Hannaford, Hedman said, has established a series of strategies to handle pandemic influenza that include implementing an emergency distribution plan for their products, consolidating and minimizing staffing and screening associates prior to work for illness.
Chief Thurlow said many small business owners need to consider the possibility that they may need to have their business closed for several months in the event of an influenza pandemic.
“If your business doesn’t deal in food supply or EMS, or any of the critical infrastructure needs, you’re going to be closed,” said Thurlow.
Wednesday’s workshop was part of a series of “Lunch and Learn” presentations sponsored by the library and the Scarborough Community Chamber. Upcoming “Lunch and Learn” workshops will focus on topics of interest to local businesses such as business insurance and business networking.
By Zack Anchors
Staff writer
Scarborough businesspeople learned this week how to prepare for an influenza pandemic, a threat that Scarborough Fire Chief Mike Thurlow said the town and state are taking seriously. At a workshop held at the Scarborough Public Library, Cory Hedman, director of food safety and quality assurance for Hannaford, shared how his company was preparing for a pandemic and offered advice for other local businesses on what they could do to get ready. In attendance were dozens of local businesspeople from companies large and small, including businesses ranging from banks and telecommunications companies to non-profit organizations and retail stores. Although Hedman said companies should be ready for all kinds of emergencies, such as terrorist attacks or severe storms, pandemic influenza requires special kinds of preparation. One of the major considerations of businesspeople when preparing for a pandemic, said Hedman, should be how the crises would affect staffing.
“The (Centers for Disease Control) predicts that there could be up to 40 percent of your people wouldn’t be able to show up for work,” said Hedman. “They could be sick, they could have died or they could be caring for loved ones.”
The influenza that scientists believe may result in an epidemic is a particular strain called H5N1, commonly referred to as Avian Flu because it is found in birds. Scientists are concerned that the flu could mutate into a form that would aggressively and lethally diffuse through human populations as it is spread through the global transportation networks. The flu has been found in birds throughout the world, and has so far resulted in around 100 human fatalities, which were the result of humans catching the flu directly from poultry. If the flu does mutate and infect human populations, Chief Thurlow said, it could take as little as two weeks to expand into a pandemic and then six to eight months to develop a vaccine.
“From what I know, it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when,” said Thurlow. “We’re in a historical cycle. It’s just a matter of time.”
Throughout his presentation, Hedman offered a number of questions that businesses consider when planning for pandemic influenza. Because many businesses are reliant on information technologies, Hedman said businesses should evaluate how their systems would function with lower IT staffing and the possibility of employees working from home. He suggested businesses identify the key positions and crucial functions of the business in order to ensure that they could be backed up in a crisis. He advised businesses to explore how they could aid emergency management services and fulfill a public need in an emergency. Hannaford, Hedman said, has established a series of strategies to handle pandemic influenza that include implementing an emergency distribution plan for their products, consolidating and minimizing staffing and screening associates prior to work for illness.
Chief Thurlow said many small business owners need to consider the possibility that they may need to have their business closed for several months in the event of an influenza pandemic.
“If your business doesn’t deal in food supply or EMS, or any of the critical infrastructure needs, you’re going to be closed,” said Thurlow.
Wednesday’s workshop was part of a series of “Lunch and Learn” presentations sponsored by the library and the Scarborough Community Chamber. Upcoming “Lunch and Learn” workshops will focus on topics of interest to local businesses such as business insurance and business networking.
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