[Goose]

For instance, if all the High School teachers were trained and ready to step into the job, they could have been deployed in March.

Good idea. It would also be possible to have something like a health department  auxiliary that met one weekend a month for practice/training. You would get paid for that, so people would be willing to do it. Cross training police and fire is a good idea too, but those people aren't quite as available as teachers would be. It is important that whatever structure that is created exercises frequently in order to ensure it actually works.

[Goose]

For instance, if all the High School teachers were trained and ready to step into the job, they could have been deployed in March.

Good idea. It would also be possible to have something like a health department  auxiliary that met one weekend a month for practice/training. You would get paid for that, so people would be willing to do it. Cross training police and fire is a good idea too, but those people aren't quite as available as teachers would be. It is important that whatever structure that is created exercises frequently in order to ensure it actually works.