Developing a quarantine plan to respond to a biological attack with smallpox: Using the Delphi technique in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina

The action steps by which a large metropolitan region would quarantine a significant portion of its citizens are not well-known. Given the recent focus on bioterrorism preparedness, the author undertook a research project to determine whether or not the Delphi technique could assist urban emergency managers in reaching consensus for a regional quarantine action plan. The author's research demonstrates that the Delphi technique proved useful in prospective emergency management planning for implementation of a widespread quarantine in a metropolitan setting. Findings also support that through the use of Delphi, emergency managers might avoid many of the barriers posed by traditional intergovernmental relations in urban planning processes.