FARMINGTON – Franklin Memorial Hospital received a fax at 4 a.m. Tuesday alerting it to a case of pandemic influenza with two confirmed cases of bird flu.

The false fax kicked into immediate action a daylong partial test of the hospital’s plan for dealing with a flu pandemic, according to Randy Gauvin, emergency preparedness coordinator.

Everyone who entered the hospital Tuesday passed through a triage staff wearing gloves, masks and gowns who asked following questions: Do you have a cough, a sore throat, or feel ill? Have you been out of the country recently? A thermometer was swiped across foreheads to assess temperatures.

The test was planned for a day when the hospital board meeting as well as a couple of couple community events would take place at the hospital. Educating staff and the public to the hospital’s plan was one goal of the drill, Gauvin said.

Other goals included testing new employee identification cards, a run through of the lockdown and limited-access plan and a test of the pandemic flu triage system.

Franklin Memorial was the first hospital in Maine to develop a pandemic flu plan. Representatives from other hospitals attended Tuesday to observe the drill.

Jerry Cayer, FMH vice president, was the incident manager who would take command in case of an emergency. Leah Binder, information officer for the hospital, and Clyde Ross, Franklin County information officer, also participated.

“Communication among multiple organizations during a crisis is where it often breaks down. This gives us a chance to practice,” said Cayer.

The goal for the hospital and county information officers is to be consistent in what is said, Binder said. While there is a flu hotline giving basic flu information now, during a pandemic the hotline would be staffed with six to seven workers providing the public with information.

“What makes people most frightened,” Binder said, “is when there is conflicting information.”

The public also has a responsibility to try to get as much information as possible prior to an event, said Clyde Ross. Pamphlets were handed out to everyone entering explaining the differences between flu, pandemic flu and avian flu, and how to prepare for them.

There was a lot of information out last year about avian flu. Since, the public has become complacent about it, said Binder, “but we haven’t forgotten.

“There were several pandemics in the last century and there will probably be one in our lifetime. Whether severe or not, we need to be prepared,” she said.