FARMINGTON – The outbreak of swine flu elsewhere has provided an opportunity to revisit pandemic plans, Emergency Management Director Tim Hardy told Franklin County commissioners Tuesday.

“We’re trying to stay optimistic that it won’t develop into anything major,” Hardy said while explaining the response of the county to developing news of the outbreak.

The county’s Emergency Management office is on alert status, Hardy said.

“It looks like we’ve dodged the bullet on this one so far,” he said

Updates about the flu are posted on the Emergency Management’s Web site, www.franklincountyema.org, he said.

Hardy has contacted local schools, met with Franklin Memorial Hospital officials and makes daily conference calls for updates to Maine’s Center for Disease Control and the Emergency Management Agency, he said.

Now is a good time for schools, the hospital and other entities to either develop a pandemic plan or review and update their plans, he said.

He has met with employees at the county courthouse to discuss the type of issues that might be encountered if the illness becomes a factor here. He has also discussed what plans are in place for the jail and dispatch and how the flu might affect daily operations, he said.

It’s a good time to get people on board to plan for any type of pandemic event, he said.

The most important task to undertake, he suggested, is to stay informed.