08:25 17/10/01 Pager message
Royal Mail Delivery Office Preston - Chemical Incident Suspected Anthrax.
Took four hours. This is what happened.
One sorting office had already come across the envelope and put it in a
damaged package wrap and sent it on its way. At Preston however, a sorter
made a joke about it, and after several of his colleagues had handled it
decided to give it to his supervisor.
The supervisor wasn't unduly suspicious because it had an NHS logo on it,
but decided to phone the person to whom it was addressed. The man who
answered said he was not expecting anything from the NHS. Slightly worried
now, the Supervisor phoned the Royal Preston Hospital to be put through to
a department that said they hadn't sent anything to that address.
Distinctly concerned he phoned the Police, by which time the first delivery
had gone out.
The Armed Response team arrived, as it is they who assess potential
hazardous packages. Their Sargeant also arrives and jointly they decide
they have no option but to seal themnselves, with all the postal staff in
the sorting office and say it could be Anthrax. The Police then call the
Fire & Ambulance Services. The Fire Service attend as for a chemical
incident. Two Fire engines, an Incident Support Unit, a Chemical Incident
Unit and a Major Incident Support Unit. The Ambulance Service attend with
two ambulances, a Decontamination Unit, a bevy of Officers and myself.
The Public Health Service Consultant is away and is being covered by the
one in Cumbria, so he is brought to Preston under Police escort. Similar
incidents are said to be occurring at Blackburn and Bacup.
We decide to decontaminate everyone and start them on Ciprofloxacin. Just
then a call comes from Blackburn. Their envelope has something to do with
Barium. The Consultant and I look at each other with knowing expressions.
He phones the Radiology Department. The name on the envelope is familiar.
He puts on a suit and goes to investigate the envelope, coming out a few
minutes later with his mask off. As you guessed, it was the envelope of
Picolax for the Barium enema that burst open in the sorting machine.
One dose of Picolax that gave hundreds of people loose bowels. I always
knew it was effective stuff..
Vic Calland
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