Fire district hosts mass casualty decontamination class

Homeland Security provided a grant for South Boundary and North Bench Fire District Volunteers to take a Mass Casualty Decontamination Class.

The class was held on June 26, and 27, at the South Boundary Fire station in Naples and was open to all emergency services in Boundary County. 

The course was two days of instruction, first classroom, then hands on, according to South Boundary Fire Chief Tony Rohrwasser.

The county possess what are called mass casualty tents. These tents are stored in a mobile trailer near the sheriff’s office. The tents were set up and simulated an area where large groups of people could be decontaminated, quickly, safely and discreetly, in the case of an attack, accident or disaster which could require decontamination.

The volunteer fire fighters also acted as victims and were escorted by fellow fire fighters through a decontamination corridor.  The exercise was given to give the fire fighters first hand experience of what  victims must go through in such an incident.

“We wanted the fire fighters to participate in this feature so they could better understand exactly how it felt  to be hit with cold water,” said Rohrwasser.  “This way they have an idea on both sides what to expect from an event like this, and how to be sympathetic to a victims needs.”