Decon Training

Today at work I did decontamination team training. Basically because the hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center and has all the advanced cardiac and trauma care, and has the burn unit etc, it's setting itself up as a community/medical decontamination site if there's a chemical or biological attack or accident or incident, small, large, huge, whatever. So if people need dencontamination and need medical attention, they come to us and the hospital goes into lockdown and we decontaminate anyone who comes in. And no one can come in without being decontaminated first. They have to get through us! :)

A lot of the therapy staff is on the team. It makes sense, we're experts at moving people around, have the skills to help if someone can't movewell or at all on their own, and are free to help out if there's a hospital or community emergency, because at that point therapy is secondary, it's not like a doctor or nurse who can be doing more important medical stuff.

There's going to be this big international wide, I think, mock drill thing next month where we get to put our skills into action. COOL BEANS! That'll be pretty interesting.


So today was my day for training. It was fun. We got to learn about chemicals and how to classify and contain them, briefly anyway, that's not really our job but we got some background info. We spent most of the day getting in and out of decon suits, practicing getting people through the decon tents etc. Getting people through the showers, procedures about securing clothing and jewelry and valuables etc, how to deal witht he difficult person who doesn't want to get undressed or wash their hair, etc. All the possible scenarios.


Those suits are HOT! They don't let anything in, which means they don't let anything out either, which means it gets hot and sweaty in there. And they're big and bulky, and funny looking. But it was a fun session figuring them out and getting the kinks out of getting them on andoff, taping oursleves in. We had to think of all the little things, like go to the bathroom first, and pull back your hair, secure your glasses, tuck your pants into your socks so they don't ride up your leg, all the little things other than the important stuff like taping it up properly and making sure the airflow is on so you can breathe and not suffocate. :)

People were thinking Outbreak or stuff like that, me I was thinking of the Child Detection Agency from Monsters inc.

Oh well. It shows you where MY mind is...

But it was good training to be had, I get to be helpful and useful and it's a good skill to know, and it keeps me at the safest place in the hospital if there's an emergency. Deconed and clean, in an inpenetrable suit. :) WHOO HOO! Space Alien, Monster Carie!!!!!! :)