 Britons Advised To Use Hankies In Terror Gas Attack
If I understand these instructions correctly, British Government authorities, advise:
IN EVENT OF ENEMY GAS ATTACK.
1). WHIP OUT YOUR HANKIE
2). BLOW YOUR NOSE
3). TAKE A DEEP BREATH
4). BEND OVER
5). KISS YOUR ARSE GOODBYE
Seriously, if this article doesn't convince you to take responsibility for your own, and your families, safety, nothing will.
The Government is under no obligation to protect you.
And evidently, has little, or no, intention of even trying.
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Britons Advised To Use Hankies In Terror Gas Attack
Reuters | 15 November 2002 | Dominic Evans
Posted on 11/14/2002 5:18 PM PST by yankeedame
NEWSDESK
15 Nov 2002 00:02
Britons advised to use hankies in terror gas attack
By Dominic Evans
LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Britain unveiled plans on Friday to advise civilians on how to deal with a terror attack -- including tips such as running away from poison gas or using handkerchiefs as improvised masks. Acknowledging the now "permanent threat" of attack, chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said posters -- and mock exercises in public to test the response of emergency services -- could alarm people, but might also save lives.
He was responding to a damning report which said hospitals and ambulance services in England and Wales were ill-prepared to tackle possible chemical, biological or nuclear attacks.
Britain, Washington's close ally in its declared war on terrorism, has been on alert ever since last year's September 11 attacks.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has warned that the next strike could be with weapons of mass destruction, reinforced the need for vigilance this week, saying he received almost daily intelligence of alleged threats to British interests.
Donaldson said the National Health Service had responded to the increased risk of attacks in Britain by stockpiling drugs, vaccines and chemical antidotes -- including 30 million smallpox vaccines -- and distributing emergency breathing equipment.
But it was now time to raise public awareness.
"If everybody is saying now this is a permanent threat -- however non-specific -- it's really important we move into a new era where we take the public with us," Donaldson said.
"Initially it will be alarming for people to see these things, but it does give the information which would be able to provide some protection for people if the worst were to happen."
The posters, which should be ready early next year, will offer simple advice to increase chances of surviving incidents like a chemical gas attack -- like leaving the scene quickly, not taking deep breaths, and breathing through a handkerchief.
HOSPITALS ILL-PREPARED
Donaldson was responding to a report which found that many National Health Service organisations assigned to tackle major incidents like train or plane crashes felt they were poorly prepared for the new threats since September 11.
Twenty-one percent fell unready to handle a chemical attack. The figure rose to 30 percent for a biological attack, 38 percent for an attack such as a "dirty bomb" involving radioactive material, and 53 percent for nuclear attack.
In London, perhaps the most likely target of any attack, ambulance services were "still not well prepared for incidents involving radioactivity", the report said. Failures in planning also meant mass casualties "would challenge the NHS in London".
The report, by the spending watchdog National Audit Office, said the real picture might be worse as checks with a small sample of replies showed they had overstated their preparedness to tackle major incidents.
Levels of personal protection equipment and decontamination equipment were "unsatisfactory", the report added, citing one third of hospitals who complained that a five million pound government allocation earlier this year was insufficient.
Gas masks were widely distributed among civilians in Britain during World War Two.
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Britons Advised To Use Hankies In Terror Gas Attack
2002-11-15, 03:59
