Local Hazmat Crews Demonstrate Protective Gear

Texas hazmat crews now have the task of decontaminating the residences of the two nurses infected with Ebola.

Cleanup crews have to make sure the nurses’ apartments and the common areas of the buildings are clean.

Cleaning up a biohazard can take hours. When the Dallas crew started to clean Thomas Duncan’s apartment, day one of decontamination took 11 hours. Duncan was the first man to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States.

“Right now the way the crews are handling it is very similar to what we would do except their equipment is the next level up for protective gear because of the necessity of this particular virus,” said Brian Dutter, the operations manager of SERVPRO in Goleta.

Rudy Garcia works at SERVPRO and said he cleans up a lot of dangerous messes.

“It’s scary but it’s something we have to do. It’s a part of the job,” he said.

To protect themselves, workers suit up in head-to-toe gear.

Garcia puts on an airtight hazmat suit, two pairs of gloves and a mask.

“When you put it on, you’re going to pull these straps and tighten it around your face,” he said as he put on a mask.

“Safety is the primary concern. We want to make sure the guys aren’t exposed to any bacteria or viruses,” said Dutter.

After each cleanup is completed the entire suit is thrown away.

The buddy system is in place from start to finish. That helps prevent contamination.

Dutter said he doesn’t think Ebola will spread to California, but if it does, they will be ready.

“Right now I think it’s being handled well and in the future probably we’ll be prepared to handle it as well,” he said.