Students from Arizona’s three universities will participate in a statewide flu pandemic exercise. As KJZZ’s Peter O’Dowd reports, Tuesday's drill will include up to 500 people.

PETER O’DOWD: Students in health-related fields from universities in Tucson, Tempe, and Flagstaff will take part. In the scenario of pandemic flu, they’ll be asked to prioritize treatment of the sick, and they’ll learn to collaborate across different medical fields. The University of Arizona’s Michele Lundy says big-picture this is about preparing for any kind of disaster.

MICHELE LUNDY: We might be protected from some natural disasters, but there’s potential things that could occur here. This is certainly applicable to anything: be it natural, be it biologic, be it chemical, be it infectious.

O’DOWD: The exercise is more than academic. Lundy says in case of a widespread disaster, students with some medical training could be called in to help. Former Surgeon General and former Senate candidate Richard Carmona will give the opening address for the drill.