The initial call will be received via 911 or a direct call into a law enforcement agency. The call will be directed to an officer, or in some cases, a fireman. The responder will ask the appropriate questions to determine what makes the envelope or package suspicious. 

The response will be that absent a specific threat or an addressee that would fall into the description of high threat potential, the addressee has these options. 

You will be informed that you can: 

• open the letter if you feel so compelled 
• mark the letter "refused or return to sender" 
• throw it away.

To conserve law enforcement response, we will not be picking these letters up and we will not be submitting them for testing. 

If you open a package or letter and, absent a clearly articulated threat, a powder is observed, there is no reason to believe the substance is Anthrax or any other toxic substance. Powder is simply powder, without any additional threat indicators, and should not be treated as a suspected hazardous material. 

If a responding agency is sufficiently concerned about a suspected substance, they should contact the State Hazardous Material Hotline at 1-800-641-5005. The personnel answering the Hotline will evaluate the concerns and provide recommendations. 

If the Hotline staff determine that additional resources may be necessary, they will contact the appropriate Vermont State Police Troop Commander. The Troop Commander will review the circumstances, and if they deem it appropriate, dispatch a specially trained Vermont State Police investigator to respond to the scene. 

The investigator will provide on scene information to the Troop Commander in order to assess the need for Special Team response such as Haz Mat or EOD. 

If a Special Team is dispatched to a scene, the Troop Commander or designee will be responsible for participating in a unified command with the appropriate local emergency service agencies until the situation is resolved.

In order for the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory to conduct an
examination of a suspicious material, such as suspected anthrax, the request
must be referred via the Regional Terrorism Manager (Vermont State Police
Troop Commander). If the law enforcement investigation reaches a point where
it has been determined that the substance represents a threat or is
suspicious and possibly poses a realistic public safety concern, the Vermont
Department of Health Epidemiology Section must be contacted immediately for
additional input into the threat assessment. Until the threat assessment has
been completed by law enforcement and the Health Department, no promises
about whether or not testing will be done are to be made to the persons
involved in the situation.