| When the Anniston Chemical Disposal Facility
began weapons destruction two years ago, local residents clamored for protective
equipment.
"We probably gave away 100 (shelter-in-place) kits an hour,"
said Daniel Spillers, program manager for the Chemical Stockpile Emergency
Preparedness Program in Anniston. "About 1,300 a day."
Now?
"It varies," he said, standing next to a column of shelter-in-place
kits at a warehouse at McClellan on Tuesday. "We're probably getting 15
a month."
And CSEPP still has plenty to give away. The white, cake-box
shaped kits -- containing duct tape, plastic lining, scissors and an instructional
video -- are stacked six feet high at the warehouse, next to brown colored
boxes filled with air cleaners.
CSEPP has given out 14,688 shelter-in-place kits, but still
has more than 25,000 available. While protective hoods and air cleaners
have moved faster, the agency still has many on site.
The reasons, say officials, seem to be acceptance of the work
at the ANCDF.
"I'm not surprised, because the general public is apathetic
about what's going on in the area," Spillers said. "I think we've put out
enough information about safety and quality issues that they feel confident."
Calhoun County spent $13.7 million on stockpiling protective
equipment. Hoods, air cleaners and shelter in place kits are available to
residents free of charge, but must be picked up through CSEPP.
"This is a shelter-in-place kit offered to you as a citizen,"
said Dan Long, director of Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency. "We
can't force you take it."
The equipment can not be delivered, Spillers said. People
need to be trained on the use of the equipment, and if they aren't, the county
could be exposed to a lawsuit. The training is not time-consuming; those
who qualify for a protective hood must see a nurse before being fitted, but
the maximum time anyone would spend in a class is 45 minutes.
Mike Abrams, a spokesman for the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal
Facility, said the unclaimed kits, while a kind of "insurance" for the area,
did not reflect the progress of weapons destruction.
"Our success over these past two years speaks well for us,"
Abrams said. "But I think it's something that runs parallel to us. It's
not necessarily cause and effect."
Demand for the kits fell off after weapons destruction began
in August, 2003, but CSEPP still wants to move them out to residents. The
surplus in protective equipment is a result, he said, of trying to ensure
everyone in the county had access to the protective gear.
"It was a hit and miss thing," Long said. "You're darned if
do and darned if you don't. They wanted to make sure they had enough supplies
to cover people."
In the meantime, the agency is losing its warehouse space
at Fort McClellan to make room for TV-24's new studios; Spillers said the
agency is in negotiations for new storage space.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will determine what
to do with left over protective equipment when the stockpile is destroyed.
Long said he thinks there's enough equipment available to satisfy everyone.
"I think the people who want it have it, and the people who
don't want it are never going to get it," he said. "And everyone has their
own opinion on whether they want it or not."
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