As part of our yearly in-service
training program, Brentwood Fire and Rescue recently completed training on
Hazardous Materials Decontamination. This training was broken down into two
different portions. The first focused on mass, or gross, decontamination, which
comes into play when a large group has been exposed to a hazardous material.
Some examples of this situation might include workers in a factory or office,
shoppers at a mall or perhaps fans at a sporting event. The second part of the
training focused on technical decontamination which occurs when rescuers exit
the ‘hot zone’ of the incident. Technical decontamination may also include any
victims who are removed from the hot zone. It is worth noting that typically
all rescuers would be wearing some form of personal protective equipment, such
as firefighting turnout gear or Tyvek suits. However, due to the extreme heat
during this training evolution firefighters who were not entering the simulated
hot zone did not don this equipment. This was intended to help prevent heat
related injuries to on-duty personnel.
Crew members began the evolution by creating a decontamination corridor
for mass decontamination. A group of potentially contaminated people would be
required to walk through this wall of water to rinse off any hazardous
materials.
As part of decontamination, exposed individuals would be required to
remove their clothing and don modesty suits inside a tent prior to entering the
decontamination corridor. Tarps would also be placed over and around the
corridor to help protect modesty. As this was a training exercise, this
firefighter was allowed to remain clothed.
Should the need for even more water be required, one of Brentwood Fire
and Rescue’s aerial devices could be called upon to add more water volume.
Some areas or situations do not lend themselves to establishing a
decontamination corridor with fire engines. In those instances, BFR’s Hazardous
Materials Unit is equipped with a portable shower station that can function in
a similar capacity. Setting up the engines or an aerial is faster, but consumes
much more water and may potentially contaminate the fire apparatus.
Firefighters are practicing removing a victim from the ‘hot zone’. They
have immobilized the victim on a long spine board and moved him to the
decontamination station. Here his clothing would be removed before he is
scrubbed down and rinsed off. The dual catch basins are intended to limit the
amount of potentially contaminated runoff resulting from the decontamination
area. One basin is for washing and the other is for rinsing.
This firefighter picked a good day to volunteer to play the role of a
victim; the rinse was a refreshing way to beat the July heat!
Only after the victim has been seen to will the rescuers be deconned.
Firefighters always work in pairs, and this is no exception. They will need to
coordinate with each other to see who has less air remaining in their SCBA. The
person most at risk of running out will go first. As they progress through the
area, they will remove their protective equipment and drop their tools. Once
they have been thoroughly scrubbed and rinsed, they will be medically evaluated
to ensure they are suffering no ill effects. Two of the most important things
checked are body weight and core temperature. Excess loss of body weight can
indicate dehydration and a high core temperature can lead to heat related
injuries. In other words, it gets plenty hot wearing a plastic suit in the
middle of summer!
Every day is a great day to be a Brentwood Firefighter, but some days
are just plain fun!
