Postal Service to Conduct Emergency Preparedness Drill at Palatine Sorting Center

This is Only a Drill

PALATINE IL — The U.S. Postal Service, in cooperation with local first responders and public health officials, will conduct an evacuation drill and Biohazard Detection System response exercise as part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard communities, employees and test its emergency preparedness plans.

The response exercise will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18 at the Palatine Processing and Distribution Center located at 1300 Northwest Highway in Palatine, IL. The exercise will include participation from the Palatine Police Department, Palatine Fire Department, Village of Palatine, Harper College, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cook County Department of Public Health, American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, FBI and Suburban PACE Bus company.

The facility and property will not be accessible from 4–5 PM.

The exercise is only a precaution. There is no evidence of any new anthrax-contaminated letters in the mail.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.