BFP maintains decontamination as COVID-19 cases arise in Bicol
LEGAZPI CITY—The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Region 5 continues in providing technical decontamination to ambulances of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) referral hospitals in the Bicol Region.
Fire Senior Superintendent Romeo Maltezo Jr., BFP-5 Regional Director, said that the decontamination activity is one of the efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
BFP-5 established two decontamination facilities in the region: one at the Bicol University ground which is just in front of the Bicol Regional Teaching and Training Hospital, and another at the Naga Fire Station near the Bicol Medical Center.
“We really seek to put up the decontamination facility near the designated hospitals in the region so that the [BFP] team can immediately disinfect the ambulances after transporting of patient,” Maltezo explained.
He added that the ambulance personnel are also undergoing disinfection at the decontamination facility to ensure they are safe from the virus.
Maltezo affirmed that the BFP personnel facilitating the decontamination procedures are equipped with Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Explosives (CBRNE) trainings. He said that at least 16 BFP personnel, including the safety officers, are handling the decontamination procedures.
“Even those BFP personnel who conducted decontamination to ambulances will undergo decontamination. It is highly technical and strict protocols must be followed,” he stated.
Prior to the declaration of community quarantine, the BFP had procured washable Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and Air-Purifying Respirator Masks to ensure the safety of its personnel, he added.
Aside from the conduct of decontamination, BFP-5 also provides assistance in contact tracing as well as support to checkpoints and chokepoints while still carrying its mandate in fire prevention and response.
As of May 20, 2020 Department of Health (DOH) Bicol recorded a total of 68 confirmed cases of COVD-19 in the region. (PIA5/CEB)
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