What is your preferred method of Decontamination?

[firemoose827 324]

Im playing around with different ideas for decon and what tools to carry and use for our team. We carry numerous types and sizes and styles, and I want to narrow it down to one, with a back up. What teams out there use decon frequently and can add the advice Im looking for?

What does your team use and carry? What back-up do you have? Any advice would be great, thanks!

[Guest]

What kind of Decon are we talking about?

Gross, mass, individual, chemical bio-hazard.

Edited October 17, 2008 by roofsopen

[firemoose827 324]

Decontamination of victims, for Hazardous Materials purposes. ANy kind of Decon that you employ.

[Guest]

It depends on what you are deconing for and if you have resources. I can almost guarantee that no where except for FEMA does the amount of materials needed for a mass decon exist. At work our decon equipment consists of a tower ladder with a fixed fog nozzle for the bucket, and an Engine with same apparatus. We are also equipped with a 2.5 cap to .75 adapter for a distributor for multiple garden hose lines for technical decon. If you do not have a LARGE water source you will have bigger problems than having the equipment. I could get you a list of what we carry but that will take a few weeks for me to be back at work from vacation.

Bottom line is fog nozzles, small garden sprayer type wands, brushes, containment pools, overpack drums for tools, cones, decon tent, covers for deconned people (like a blanket or towel), portable water heater. Im sure their is more, but thats all i have off the top of my head.

[firemoose827 324]

Let me explain myself a little better, sorry for the confusion! lol I thought it was straight forward but I see where it could be taken off topic. In my county team, we have 4 systems for decontamination set up in our trailer. We use 3 portable shower set ups mostly, for 3 stations of decon located on a tarped area for containment of run-off water. We also have a large, re-usable collapsible tent system that is folded like an accordian and pulled open from either end, and has 3 stations inside the tent with hookups for water, heat, and drainage of the contaminated water into a large bladder for disposal. The first part of the tent is an area for the victims to disrobe and place their clothing in bio bags for disposal. Than they go into the decon area where jets of water from the walls and ceiling wash their bodies as they are scrubbed by decon personnel in level "B" suits. The third section is where they can shower, and dress in disposable scrubs.

Than we have another tent thats similar to the other, but not as elaborate, and only has two rooms and is inflatable.

Or, we can use the 2X6 lumber cut to 4' lengths and connected with hinges to form a couple of 4'X4' catch basins for the manual rinsing of the victim by decon personnel in a series of 3 different baths.

I was looking for what other teams use for their primary decon set up at haz-mat scenes so I could compare and maybe use their ideas to simplify our operations.