Suspicious Powder Guidelines

State Office Procedure
 

The Tennessee Homeland Security Council has decided the following steps are to be taken should a state employee come in contact with a suspicious substance and/ or receive an envelope or package suspected of containing such a substance.

Any employee exposed to a suspicious substance will immediately notify their supervisor and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) at 615-741-0001 or 1-800-262-3300.

TEMA, in turn, will contact the Facility Manager of the State building where the incident has occurred, or the Commissioner/ Director responsible for state offices within the leased building where the incident has occurred, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security.

The Facility Manager will notify appropriate local law enforcement agencies and proceed to quarantine the immediate area surrounding the incident location and the individual/ individuals who have been exposed. Normally, a complete evacuation of the facility is not required.

In addition, the Facility Manager (Commissioner/ Director of state offices within a leased building) will offer any needed assistance to the TBI or local law enforcement agencies in further securing the premises.