Edgartown, MA- Recently, anthrax has dominated the news and captured the attention of citizens in every American city and town. The anthrax threat has evolved from a hoax intended to disrupt activities, to a covert attack, intended to cause illness and death. Emergency personnel are struggling to meet the needs of their communities, as worried citizens panic at the prospect of contracting the deadly disease.
"Response to Anthrax Threats" is a video produced by Emergency Film Group of Edgartown, MA that depicts emergency personnel responding to anthrax incidents. Footage from the program has been shown on Inside Edition, NBC News, CNN and Fox TV. The program addresses the training needs of fire departments, law enforcement, hazmat teams, EMS and other emergency responders who will be at the forefront of an anthrax incident in their community.
"Response to Anthrax Threats" explains the hazard properties of bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, and explains the symptoms of the three types of the disease: inhalation anthrax, cutaneous anthrax and gastrointestinal anthrax. Live footage of training exercises illustrates proper response procedures to common scenarios involving anthrax. Illustrating the guidelines of the National Defense Preparedness Office, the program explains the interplay of local law enforcement, the FBI, fire departments, hazmat teams and local health officials.
The program was filmed in Boston with the assistance of the Boston Fire Department, Boston Emergency Management Services, Boston Police Department, Massachusetts Department of Health, Massachusetts National Guard and Clean Harbors. The technical committee members include Tom Abbott, Chief, Tempe (AZ) Fire Department; Rem Gaade, principal in Gaade & Associates of Toronto, Ont.; Rick Emery, principal, Emery & Associates, Vernon Hills, IL; William Patrick, Biological Warfare Consultant to the US government; and Glen Rudner, Virginia Department of Emergency Services.
Founded in 1989, the film production company has produced nearly a dozen training programs on terrorism response for emergency responders, most recently for the US Department of Justice, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the Security Command of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee. Thousands of copies of such titles as "Terrorism: 1st Response," "Terrorism: Biological Weapons," and "Terrorism: Chemical Weapons" have been widely distributed throughout the country and are training hundreds of thousands of local and state emergency response personnel.
For more information, or for a free color catalog describing all programs available from the Emergency Film Group, call 800 842-0999 or 508 627-8844, or e-mail info@efilmgroup.com. Program descriptions are available on-line at http://www.efilmgroup.com.
