was developed using the International Association of Fire Chiefs Model Procedures for

Responding to a Package with Suspicion of a Biological Threat released in January 2004

written in cooperation with the FBI's Hazardous Materials Response Unit. The document

provides a model procedure for first-arriving emergency personnel to respond to potential

bio-terror events primarily involving suspicious letters, packages or containers; it was

created to serve as a model for all types of fire departments in all types of communities.