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Santa Fe County Director of the Santa Fe County Office of Emergency Management and Assistant County Fire Chief, Martin Vigil, has updated the Board of County Commissioners and top County officials on the County’s pandemic influenza contingency plans. Although there are no confirmed cases of the N1H1 (Swine) Flu in Santa FeCounty at this time, plans are in place to maintain critical County Government operations in the event of widespread illness. Event triggers for the activation of the County’sEmergency Operations Center and the reallocation of County employees to critical job functions are some of the issues addressed in the County’s contingency plan. As part of the plan, Vigil has asked that all department heads discuss basic infection control behaviors and family emergency preparedness with their employees.

Chief Vigil was formally a Critical Care Nurse at the University of New Mexico Hospital Medical/Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. “Martin’s past experience in dealing with infectious diseases in a direct patient care setting brings a unique set of skills, knowledge and background to the County’s emergency planning process for this specific situation,” said County Manager, Roman Abeyta.

The County Emergency Management Office is in daily contact with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security as well as with the New Mexico Department of Health. The Office of Emergency Management has been actively planning for pandemic influenza since 2004 and was one of the first in the State to conduct a full scale respiratory mass surge drill that involved St. Vincent Hospital, Santa Fe Indian Health Service Hospital and City/ County Emergency Medical Services.

“While the N1H1 virus has not shown high mortality rates like those associated with previous pandemics, like the 1918 Spanish Flu,” said Vigil “It remains to be seen what this virus will do in the coming weeks.”

For more information, contact Martin Vigil @ 992-3070.