FDNY warning of foreigners issued

NEW YORK -- The city's fire department has issued an internal memo warning firefighters not to give out information about the department, in response to e-mail inquiries from people at foreign universities about emergency procedures.

The memo, distributed last week by Chief of Operations Sal Cassano, cites a warning by the U.S. Fire Administration's Critical Infrastructure Protection Information Center.

The federal agency "recently learned that fire and/or EMS departments on the East Coast have received electronic mail from foreign universities requesting information about how their department is organized, trained and equipped," says the memo.

It continues: "The individuals are also asking for the identification or locations of major response routes."