Fairfield's First Responders Train on Biohazard Response

FAIRFIELD, CT: On Wednesday, November 5th, the Fairfield Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team held their quarterly drill at the Fairfield Regional Fire School on the timely subject of biohazard response. After several weeks of meeting with representatives from St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bridgeport Hospital, the Fairfield Police and Health Departments and American Medical Response to ensure readiness in the event of an Ebola patient within the regional response area, Wednesday's exercise was developed by Fire Department Planning Chief Schuyler Sherwood to test recent changes in departmental Standard Operating Guidelines.

“It’s important for all our personnel to be prepared to respond to any emergency, and even more important that our agencies interoperate flawlessly when an emergency like this presents itself,” said Assistant Chief Sherwood. “The participation of Fairfield Health Director Sands Cleary, Police Captain Don Smith, AMR General Manager Bill Schietinger and field representatives, St. Vincent’s Emergency Medicine Chairman Dr. Doodnauth Hiriman, and Bridgeport Hospital EMS Coordinator Barry Barkinsky ensured that we’re prepared to respond to the challenges posed by any biohazard in a manner that ensures the safety of our response community while providing excellent patient care.”

Following an hour-long briefing and review of protocols and procedures, the thirty-two Fairfield Fire Hazardous Materials Technicians assembled went outside to the prepared scenario set up in the Clarence Darrow Life Safety Trailer, meeting Administrative Assistant Denise Sherwood who portrayed an ambulatory patient who had been exposed to a highly virulent communicable disease by her tenant. Following their initial interview, Fairfield Fire Lieutenant Scott Trembley and Fire Fighters Tom Janik and Wayne Parks initiated the departmental protocols for a virulent biohazard, bringing in AMR Operations Supervisors Dominick Mauro, Patrick O’Connor, and Diana Teixeira along with the ambulance that had been prepared for transport.

After assisting the first patient in dressing themselves for transport, Fire Fighters Scott Iannucci, Jeff Pinckney and Phil Plante were suited in appropriate Personal Protective Equipment to make entry and remove the SmartDummy in a back bedroom representing the non-ambulatory patient. Utilizing a stokes stretcher the patient was removed to the waiting stretcher to be transported under paramedic care by an AMR ambulance lined in plastic to minimize contamination, after which the entry team was decontaminated using a bleach solution followed by doffing their gear in the prescribed manner.

“Our guys have been meeting on this since the first patient was announced in Dallas,” said Chief Richard S. Felner who attended the briefing. “They combined their EMS and HazMat skills along with our procedures to make sure that we had the necessary equipment and training to safely respond” should a similar patient present in Fairfield, explained the Chief, adding that Fairfield Fire, Police and Public Health officials have been working together with the Sponsor Hospital Council of Greater Bridgeport and private sector medical providers for decades to ensure that responders are fully prepared to provide optimal patient care while maintaining their own and the community’s safety.