The story below cleared the AP wire a little over an hour ago, at about the same time as I received a mailing list message from one of the emergency managers involved. Apparently, after word got out about this, his office received calls from schools, businesses and nursing homes, questioning what they should do if they get an "anthrax" letter.

Apparently the National Domestic Preparedness Office (part of the FBI) just this morning re-distributed a set of recommendations in the form of a special bulletin titled "WMD THREATS: SAMPLE GUIDELINES REISSUE."

My point: Should any one of you who lurk or post here happen to find yourself or your facility the recipient of something like this, you need to know (even if your local emergency managers don't) that information IS apparently available from the National Domestic Preparedness regarding how "civilians" should respond in a nasty situation like this. Right now, this information is only available to public safety agencies, but--if you're affiliated with a school, nursing home, government office, etc., (especially in Wisconsin), and if you are ALL concerned -- it might not be a bad idea to find out in advance, what a "first responder" should do.

Hopefully this is just a temporary "sick trend" that will disappear soon, but.....ya never know.

Just passin' it on....

Anthrax Scare Closes Wis. School

.c The Associated Press

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) - Anthrax scares shut down a middle school and a social services building Tuesday, and authorities in Milwaukee reported the second threat at a city clinic in as many days.

Bullen Middle School was evacuated after receiving a letter purportedly contaminated with anthrax, a deadly livestock disease that can be transmitted to humans.

A similar letter was received at the Children's Social Services of Wisconsin building. As a precaution, 33 people underwent decontamination procedures at the scene and were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Dr. Gary Zaid, director of emergency medicine at Kenosha Hospital Medical Center, said all indications were that the threats were hoaxes.

In Milwaukee, 10 people were taken to a hospital Tuesday as a precaution after one of them opened a letter that contained white powder and an anthrax threat at Aurora Health Care offices. A day earlier, there was a hoax at a Planned Parenthood downtown.

The FBI was investigating all of the threats.

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), January 13, 2000

Answers

"and if you are ALL concerned -- it might not be a bad idea to find out in advance, what a "first responder" should do"

Get sick and die really horribly? Ooh, there's a pleasant one to ponder over!

Why so keen to find new things to worry about?

Eat healthily, take some excercise. Drive carefully, don't own a gun because you're more likely to shoot yourself than to be shot by someone else. That pretty much covers the staying alive bit for all LIKELY causes.

For all PRACTICAL purposes you might as well take classes in Hand To Hand Combat Against Bug Eyed Monsters From Pluto as worry about what to do if you open an letter and read "Now yu hav anthrix, ha ha ha"

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), January 13, 2000.

Well, if you are really a "public servant" perhaps I shall take your comments seriously.

If not, I hope at least you had fun.

FYI: As far as this being "new," 'don't think so. Not at least according to the FBI.

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), January 13, 2000.