# ER closed after contamination



## firecoins (Feb 12, 2009)

http://www.kron4.com/News/ArticleVi...l-Smell-Comes-from-San-Jose-Home/Default.aspx



> A teen is in critical condition and the emergency room and ambulance bay at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center remain closed after a possible contamination with an unknown chemical.
> 
> KRON 4’s Christine Connolly was at a press conference Thursday afternoon, where officials with the San Jose fire department said they first received a call from a home on Yucca Avenue about a teenage boy reacting to some sort of contaminant. Fire, police and paramedics went to the house and found an unconscious 18-year-old boy. After he was brought to the hospital, officials determined that it was a hazmat situation. Hazmat teams then went to the home and shut down the ER.


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## VentMedic (Feb 12, 2009)

http://cbs5.com/local/hazmat.valley.medical.2.933749.html



> The teen was transported to the medical center without being decontaminated, which Stallard said was correct protocol based on the information emergency crews had at the time, but which caused the emergency room scare.


 
When does your service take precautions and who makes the decision?

This might be a topic for another thread.


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## silver (Feb 12, 2009)

interesting out of police, fire, EMS, there was no Hazmat tech/specialist or anyone, who could discern that it was a hazmat incident, who could notify the hospital before his arrival?


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## mycrofft (Feb 12, 2009)

*Quick looks yield these*

http://firetool.blogspot.com/2009/01/haz-mat-news-hydrogen-sulfide-is-new.html
Not very scientific but passable. "H2S-uicide" gaining popularity.

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mhmi/mmg114.html
CDC about H2S intoxication. NO decon needed. Maybe if the kid was doused in the precursor chemicals.

Being a former Air Guard "Disaster Preparedness Officer" (read that "chem/bio defense officer") and firefighter, the lack of commonsense in responses to chemicals is disappopinting, except for one thing: I heartily doubt that
on-scene commanders have at their disposal adequate information about local winds and analysis of "what smells funny" so they have to make -do erring on the side of safety.
 Anyhone remember the one about the woman who was taken to an ER and made everyone sick? I'll go Google it right now.


PS: No success, but look at this. A lot of "Who shot John".:wacko:
http://www.swcphp.ouhsc.edu/CD06/CERT04/Chemical%20Terrorism%20Manual%5C1_General%20Information%5C1b_ER%20Procedures%20in%20Chem%20Hazard%20Emer.htm


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## VentMedic (Feb 12, 2009)

mycrofft said:


> Anyhone remember the one about the woman who was taken to an ER and made everyone sick? I'll go Google it right now.
> 
> 
> PS: No success, but look at this. A lot of "Who shot John".:wacko:
> http://www.swcphp.ouhsc.edu/CD06/CE...tion\1b_ER Procedures in Chem Hazard Emer.htm


 

The toxic lady from Riverside, CA:

http://discovermagazine.com/1995/apr/analysisofatoxic493


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## firecoins (Feb 13, 2009)

VentMedic said:


> http://cbs5.com/local/hazmat.valley.medical.2.933749.html
> 
> 
> 
> ...



actually this is why I posted it.  I don't think the topic off topic.


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## berkeman (Feb 13, 2009)

silver said:


> interesting out of police, fire, EMS, there was no Hazmat tech/specialist or anyone, who could discern that it was a hazmat incident, who could notify the hospital before his arrival?



Looks like we have conflicting articles.... wonder which one is right.  The article I read said the Pt was decontaminated before transport:

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11689084?nclick_check=1



> When firefighters arrived, however, they immediately detected a noxious odor and put on their full protective respiratory gear before entering the home. Inside, they found an 18-year-old man unconscious lying on the floor in his bedroom. His mother was standing over him, said Capt. Barry Stallard.
> 
> (snip)
> 
> Initially, authorities thought it was a natural gas, so they immediately evacuated the home, pulling the man outside. With the help of paramedics, they quickly decontaminated him. They then wrapped him up and transferred him to Valley Medical Center, along with his mother.



I happened to drive past the area where the incident began, and it looked like a war zone while it was going on.


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## VentMedic (Feb 13, 2009)

Then it looks like the FF being interviewed on the news may not have had his facts in order.


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## mycrofft (Feb 13, 2009)

*The reporter probably presumed a decon had taken place.*

If the responders wear spacesuits and they pull a victim out, stands to reason they will "decontaminate him" before transport if you don't like actually watch what went on. Maybe the responders stripped him.:blush:


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## mycrofft (Feb 13, 2009)

*More about toxic lady Gloria Ramirez*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Ramirez

Truth is always the first casualty.


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## Noctis Lucis Caelum (Feb 14, 2009)

The hospital is right at the corner of my house.
Funny thing is that i got the news from my dad first.
Still pretty trippy when i saw it all over the news and online


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## vquintessence (Feb 14, 2009)

mycrofft said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Ramirez
> 
> Truth is always the first casualty.



Wow never heard about the possible cover up regarding what could have happened to that woman.


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## Summit (Feb 14, 2009)

VentMedic said:


> The toxic lady from Riverside, CA:
> 
> http://discovermagazine.com/1995/apr/analysisofatoxic493



hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm great read... very interesting hypothesis.... I'd have to go with psychosomatic reaction to hysteria if I had to pick a choice... the concentration of airborne toxin produced just doesn't seem high enough and symptom onset seems too quick. If it was not psychosomatic, it had to have been another chemical, one that came to be in the hospital, and something that was missed and accidentally detsroyed/covered up by the initial investigation

Seems like a great episode of House.


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