An announcement Tuesday by Rock County Health officials that they will no longer respond to each anthrax threat with full protective gear sparked some controversy about how seriously anthrax threats should be taken.
Rock County Health Officer Helen Krause refuted these attacks, saying this does not mean the department is going to completely stop examining potential anthrax threats. Instead of sending out officials in full gear, she said, the department will now evaluate the case first and determine what precautions are necessary for the situation.
“We want people to call, and yes, we are going to take action,” Krause said. “We just have to have a response that is more appropriate to the calls we have been getting.”
According to Larry Kamholz, public information officer at the Madison Police Department, every suspicious envelope or package report is investigated. Officers will ask the caller basic questions about the package and send an officer to the scene. If the package is contained, officers will send the package to the state hygiene lab, but if the substance has spilled or is leaking, the fire department is called.
Marcia Holtz, division chief at the Madison Fire Department, said when they are called to the scene they bring the hazardous materials team with them. It is the job of the HazMat team to keep the room closed off and sterile.
“When we get a call about unknown powder, our firefighters put on jump suits made of tyevk, gloves made of nitrile glove and they wear respiratory protection,” Holtz said. “We don't want material to make contact with skin or to be inhaled.”
Holtz said there are four levels of gear used when dealing with hazardous materials. Level D means officers can wear station uniforms and street clothes. Level C means officers must wear firefighting gear with respiratory protection. Level B means officers must wear plastic or vinyl suits called splash suits, and for Level A threats, officials must wear encapsulated suits with no skin or fabric exposed.
A computer determines the threat level and the necessary precautions that need to be taken, Holtz said.
“We obtain information from either a police officer, or a responsible party at the scene, and we get information about the package,” Holtz said. “We plug it in to a computer and it matches the information to possible products and recommends what to wear.”
Holtz said the calls have generally been level B and C but that the protective suits are worn instead of the firefighting gear because the department does not want the firefighting gear to be contaminated.
Krause said this system insures that a response by health officials corresponds with the potential threat.
“If it doesn't require a Level A response then we don't need a Level A response,” she said. “We have to make sure that the response is appropriate to the threat.”
David Moore, an inspector with the Janesville Police Department, said the JPD continues to examine each call pertaining to unknown substances.
“We are responding to all calls,” Moore said. “We have policy and procedures and we are following them.”
Holtz defended the Rock County announcement, saying officials likely meant they are examining only credible threats.
