THOSE PESKY FALSE ALARMS

by Pam North

Letters containing a powdery substance that could be anthrax, bomb threats-
these have become even more terrifying in recent months to Americans
still somewhat in shock after the September 11, 2001 tragedy.  Suspicious 
situations, while carrying more sinister ramifications since that event, 
have routinely been a part of the world's problems for years, however, and 
although they are often very nerve-wracking, many thankfully  turn out to be 
nothing more than false alarms and nuisances.  Some are even amusing, and 
provide a light note to keep us from becoming paranoid in today's threatening 
world.

Suspicious-looking boxes are often a source of concern.  One such box was 
discovered in an Enterprise, Alabama Wal-Mart parking lot by a store employee 
in 1996, who, to be on the safe side, called the police.  They roped off the 
area, and then enlisted the aid of the Fort Benning, Georgia bomb squad, which
soon arrived by helicopter.  X-rays of the package were taken, revealing an 
appearance of wires inside, so the course of action taken was clearing the 
area completely, evacuating all store employees and customers, and blowing up 
the package.  It proved to contain a dead armadillo.

Another questionable package was found in 1993 outside a Bristol, England
Territorial Army center.  In this instance the police also were called,
and subsequently an Army bomb-disposal unit arrived on the scene.  Again, 
the box was blown up, and this time the contents of the box was found to be 
a supply of leaflets.  Their subject?  How to deal with suspicious-looking 
packages.


When miniature liquor bottles (at 35 cents apiece) began to disappear from 
Pan American Airline jets in 1978, it was suspected that maintenance crews 
or flight attendants were the culprits, so a clock device was secretly
attached to the liquor cabinets by security personnel to record the times
of the thefts.  An unsuspecting flight attendant heard the ticking sound
while the plane was airborne, and immediately alerted the captain.  In the 
interest of safety, the flight was rerouted to the nearest airport to evacuate
the passengers and crew, and the unscheduled landing incurred an unplanned 
$15,000 cost for the airline.

A Level Plains, Alabama woman heard a thud outside her home in 1985, and upon 
opening the door discovered a long white object stuck in the roof of her 
backyard shed.  Concerned, she contacted the police, who answered her summons 
and climbed up on the roof of the shed to investigate.  Military markings were
evident on what appeared to be a missile of approximately 18 inches in length.
The general consensus among the police officers was to leave the questionable 
object alone, and they contacted officials at nearby Fort Rucker to handle the 
problem.  In turn, the trusty Fort Benning, Georgia bomb squad was the team 
ultimately called to respond to this one also.  Surrounding roads were closed, 
and the bomb squad went to work extricating the object from the shed's roof.
It proved, to the relief of everyone, to be a cardboard model of the type 
available from most toy stores, but the story didn't stop there.  The event
made national news, and the investigation wasn't closed until a 14-year-old
boy came by the police station to claim his rocket.  He had shot it off from 
a nearby playground, and had been unable to find it afterward.

Malice does underlie even false alarms sometimes.  A bomb threat in 1995 
forced a Royal Jordanian Airlines plane en route to Chicago to make an 
unscheduled landing in Iceland.  No bomb was discovered after a thorough 
search, and the culprit in this instance turned out to be a Chicago woman 
who had gone to great lengths to try to deter her mother-in-law from visiting.

Although these situations all had a comic element, it's good to know that help 
is available in an instance in which a suspicious object or situation is 
causing concern.  The individuals and teams responding to emergency calls never
know ahead of time what actually lies ahead to challenge them.  When the 
scenario is not a false alarm, and the threat is dire and real,  there are 
many unsung heroes who routinely risk their lives to keep citizens out of 
harm's way.  We're lucky to have them around.



Information Source:  Uncle John's 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader