Firefighters were called to the town hall this morning for a report of a suspicious package inside the town clerk’s office. Upon receipt of the call Squad 2 immediately asked for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Haz-Mat team, our standard procedure for these type of incidents. Crews arrived and secured the town hall and cordoned off the area with the assistance of York Police. York Ambulance also arrived and stood by. Voice contact with town hall staff was made and the fire crews established that there were no ill effects being felt by the town hall staff. They were told that help was on the way and to sit tight. The PNSY Haz-Mat team arrived and a quick briefing took place, crews entered the office to collect a sample for idnetification while YFD crews stood by outside ready to assist if necessary. The sample was quickly determined to be crushed up diet pills believed to have been sent by mistake with some other pertinent mail. The incident quickly de-escalated and companies were released shortly thereafter. This incident highlights the need to be vigilant, as the town hall staff was this morning. Staff there definitely made the right move calling for help. Luckily everything turned out to be alright.
