________________________________________________________________________ Workers learning to guard nation's capital from bio-chemical attack Copyright ) 1998 Nando.net Copyright ) 1998 The Associated Press WASHINGTON (January 6, 1998 10:30 a.m. EST http://www.nando.net) -- Local health and safety workers are taking a course this week on how to deal with a chemical or biological attack on the U.S. capital. The Washington Post reports in Tuesday's editions that the course is an attempt to teach local authorities how to deal with such threats in ways that go beyond the usual anti-terrorist instruction provided in connection with presidential inaugurations and similar events unique to the capital. Over the next few days, several hundred members of the Washington area's emergency response units will learn how to identify poisonous agents, approach the scene of an attack and handle paraphernalia such as detection devices and decontamination gear. Washington is the eighth city to receive the training, which is part of a program initiated by Congress for 120 American cities at a cost of more than $100 million. The program includes representatives of local governments and such federal agencies as the Defense and Energy departments, the FBI, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It is managed by the Army's Chemical and Biological Defense Command.
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