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Not 5 minutes after the 6 o'clock news told people to call 911 if they found a suspicious letter in their mailbox, the tones went off. The policy was still being written on how to deal with this new service call so we had to improvise. The chief showed up and helped guide us through the procedure. While on scene another lady came up and asked us to open her mail because she was scared too. We told her to drop all the mail that she thought was covered in anthrax on the ground and go back into her house. Anyway, this is what we are doing. Its alot of overkill but worth it.
1. Tell the person to put the letter on the front porch and stay inside. (She had the letter out but her and her kids were walking back and forth over it, stepping on it and waving to the neighbors)
2. Approach the letter in full turnout gear breathing air.
3. Gloved up, place the letter in a zip lock freezer bag.
4. Place that bag in another freezer bag.
5. Stand in the yard and (here is the good part) let another fireman ,me, hose the biohazard boy down with a 1" line while he washes the bag and himself with anti-bacterial soap.
6. Place the double bag inside a red biohazard bag from the medic and drop it in the policemans lap. Then they open the bags, lick the letter and tell us if it tastes like anthrax.
Any similar procedures out there? And by a show of hands, how many have to fight back laughter as you drench the low man on the totem poll that day from stem to stern? I can tell you that my hand is up
1. Tell the person to put the letter on the front porch and stay inside. (She had the letter out but her and her kids were walking back and forth over it, stepping on it and waving to the neighbors)
2. Approach the letter in full turnout gear breathing air.
3. Gloved up, place the letter in a zip lock freezer bag.
4. Place that bag in another freezer bag.
5. Stand in the yard and (here is the good part) let another fireman ,me, hose the biohazard boy down with a 1" line while he washes the bag and himself with anti-bacterial soap.
6. Place the double bag inside a red biohazard bag from the medic and drop it in the policemans lap. Then they open the bags, lick the letter and tell us if it tastes like anthrax.
Any similar procedures out there? And by a show of hands, how many have to fight back laughter as you drench the low man on the totem poll that day from stem to stern? I can tell you that my hand is up