By Jason Feifer
Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts)
Copyright 2006 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
In the event of a hazardous material exposure, the Fire Department would face a conundrum: It has a mobile decontamination unit ready to go, but it doesn’t have the legal right to force people into it.
“If we deem it to be a safety issue for the rest of the public,” Lt. Brian H. Smith said yesterday, “we would need the authority to say, `Yes, you need to be decontaminated.’”
By law, the Board of Health is the one with that power; that’s true for communities across the state. So last night, Lt. Smith and Fire Capt. Robert W. Newton came to the board seeking help. This isn’t an especially pressing issue, they said, but it could be problem in the case of an emergency.
The board and city Health Director Bernard F. Sullivan agreed.
If a person was exposed to chemicals and posed a threat to others, he’d need to be decontaminated before going to the hospital. Otherwise, doctors and other patients could be affected, Mr. Sullivan said.
Mr. Sullivan would be called to any emergency scene and could then mandate decontaminations, but agreed the Fire Department shouldn’t have to wait for him.
The board said it will begin drafting regulations that, in specific cases that pose a threat to public safety, would give the Fire Department authority to mandate decontamination.
Capt. Newton said he doesn’t expect this to be much of a problem because most people would want to be helped, but that there’s always the chance that one or two people will object.
The decontamination unit contains of multiple chambers for people to be washed and dried before entering a hospital.