| WHAT: |
The Syracuse Mail Processing and Distribution Center will host a biohazard drill on Tuesday, September 20. An evacuation, coordinated arrival of emergency and the activation of a Decontamination Trailer, which will include volunteers going through the decontamination process, are slated. The drill evaluates the response of the Postal Service and local emergency services to a potential positive alert from on-site postal equipment, currently operating in the Taft Road mail processing center, which tests for the presence of anthrax. Following an evacuation of the entire facility, postal officials note that routine customer access to the building will be permitted during the drill. Residents of the immediate neighborhood and postal box holders at Taft Road are being advised about the drill. |
| WHERE: | Syracuse Postal Processing and Distribution Center, 5640 East Taft Road |
| WHEN: | Tuesday, September 20, 2011 Begins at approximately 6 pm. The drill takes place during National Emergency Preparedness Month. |
| BACKGROUND: |
“This is a tremendous learning opportunity for us. We appreciate the care and completeness from so many departments to address our safety and comfort in the event of such an extreme emergency,” noted the Plant Manager for the Taft Road Mail Processing Center, David Mikolajczyk. The on-site equipment at the Post Office, known as its Biohazard Detection System or BDS, is found in mail processing centers around the nation. “Specifically, BDS provides us with an early warning to the presence of anthrax in the mail,” explained Mr. Mikolajczyk. “It means we can respond quickly to protect the health of our employees and the safety of the communities we serve.” Partners in the exercise include North Syracuse Fire Dept (the lead agency to respond to an event at this facility), Onondaga County and NY Departments of Health, County Emergency Services/911, NYS Police, Postal Inspection Service and local hospitals. All of these agencies will test the components of evacuation, decontamination, a public hotline and possible medical facility intervention. One component of that activation will be the mobilization of the county’s Decontamination Trailer which is deployed to any event where a potential hazmat exposure has taken place. |
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How it works: |
The BDS equipment operates primarily on the afternoon shift -- Tour 3 -- as mail passes through the high-speed, high-impact areas of the postmarking operations. The BDS collects air samples from this area on an hourly basis, and then analyzes each sample to determine whether anthrax is present. The entire sampling and testing process is automated. If the BDS detects anthrax, the system shuts down this operation and sounds an alarm to evacuate the plant. Postal employees continue to practice these evacuations, which differ slightly from an ordinary fire drill. |
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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. We’re everywhere so you can be anywhere: www.uspseverywhere.com. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
