Published: July 28, 2009 11:43 pm      

Biohazard drill deemed a success

JOHNSTOWN — An exercise to test the biohazard detection system at the U.S. Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center in Richland Township went off without a hitch late Tuesday afternoon.

Dozens of emergency responders with the Richland Township Fire Department and Cambria County’s hazardous-materials team joined local postal officials and postal inspectors from Pittsburgh in conducting the drill at the facility at 235 Jari Drive.

The drill began at 4:30 p.m. with a simulated alert of the system, which is installed on mail-processing equipment at the facility and samples the air, said J. Bruce Hammerle, postal inspector in charge of the drill.

“It seemed like everything went very well,” he said.

Hammerle said the Postal Service periodically conducts drills at all processing and distribution centers to protect its employees and give them the experience of working with the emergency responders.

The mail is extremely safe, Hammerle said, adding that there have not been any anthrax incidents since 2001 and there have been extremely few real hazardous materials incidents at any postal site in the U.S.

Johnstown Postmaster Mike Hudak said there has never been a hazardous materials incident in Johnstown.

The drill shows that the Postal Service is committed to the safety of employees, he said, and provides them with the knowledge of how to handle such a situation.

Ron Springer, director of emergency management for the county, said the exercise went well and allowed his team to practice their entry into the building and work with postal inspectors.

The hazmat team also secured a suspicious piece of mail that was “found” on the loading dock at the facility.

Wes Meyers, Richland deputy fire chief, likewise said the drill went well. His firefighters made sure everybody evacuated the building and assisted the hazmat team.