NCJ Number
191817
Date Published
April 1997
Length
49 pages
Annotation
This paper examined fire department response to biological threat at B’nai B’rith Headquarters, Washington, DC.
Abstract
On April 24, 1997, the District of Columbia Fire/EMS Department (DCFEMS) responded to the Washington, D.C. offices of B’nai B’rith, an international Jewish organization, for a suspicious package. The package had been mailed to B’nai B’rith and contained a Petri dish labeled with words that led local emergency responders to suspect the package might contain Anthrax and Yersinia, both disease-causing bacteria. The DCFEMS established a perimeter around the site where the package was located, attempted to protect the B’nai B’rith building, established a command post, and set up hazardous material decontamination procedures. Though the threat was a hoax, the incident revealed many lessons for the fire service to share in preparation for any future events. The paper covers DC/EMS preparedness and response, hazmat operations, EMS operations, police operations, interagency coordination and command post operations, public information functions, and metropolitan strike team response. A final section includes 17 lessons learned from the episode, including: (1) a chemical/biological incident will quickly overwhelm even the most prepared responders; it is essential to call early for additional EMS and hazmat resources; (2) a supply of vaccines and antibiotics should be available in stockpiles for responders and victims from a chemical or biological attack; and (3) senior fire and EMS officers need real time information on evolving incidents that include chemical and biological threats. 4 appendices