Jul 6

Jul 6 Lenoir County EMS shares decontamination process required after high risk calls

Stephanie Towne in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) prepared to film the Lenoir County EMS crews as they go through their decon process after responding to a high risk call. Travis Towne / Neuse News

Recently, my wife Stephanie Towne and I had the opportunity to visit with some members of the Lenoir County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team and capture the extensive decontamination (decon) process they must go through after responding to a high risk call. Prior to recording, she was required to put on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) so she could get close to the decon area to film.

Commander Chris Johnson explains the decontamination process steps. Travis Towne / Neuse News

Commander Chris Johnson explained that after responding to a high-risk call, crews come back to the station and go through a decon process that takes approximately 8 minutes to complete. The crew must quickly and thoroughly decontaminate the ambulance as well as themselves. The stretcher and all of their gear are pulled out of the vehicle and disinfected and both the inside and outside of the ambulance must be sprayed with a special solution.

Utilizing the mobile shower trailers, the response team then shower and decontaminate themselves with a special antibacterial soap and go through a complete uniform change, while another team sprays and wipes down each piece of their equipment. The crew then prepares the ambulance for the next call to serve the Lenoir County citizens. Commander Johnson stated that during one 24 hour period these crews went through this process 26 times.

Filming the decontamination process. Travis Towne / Neuse News

During the hour that my wife and I were at the station filming, there were two complete decontamination cycles completed and both Stephanie and I were impressed with the professionalism and dedication that was shown throughout the whole process. The EMS crews’ passion for service and willingness to go the extra mile is an amazing example of our medical community’s commitment to the citizens of Lenoir County.