East valley fire departments work together for training drills

MESA, Ariz. (KSAZ) - East valley fire departments and Banner Desert Hospital are working together by holding a mass biological and chemical exposure drill in the event that a patient would need to be decontaminated before going into the hospital.

"It's extremely important for these stations to be around, so these hospitals don't get affected because if one goes into the hospital contaminated, that could mean a contamination for the entire hospital, in which case that affects patients in the entire area and the entire valley," Giovanni Mustaca said.

Firefighters went step-by-step though the different stages.

One of those steps is a Gross Decon and that involves removing heavy particles, then it's off to the tent where patients strip down and prepare to get sprayed.

"We're going to clean them, soak him down, scrub him and rinse him," Mustaca said.

"After that, they're admitted to the hospital.

Giovanni Mustaca enjoys these drills because he says it helps him prepare for what could be a real-life situation.

"It's really important for all the Hazmat tecs are on the same page, and to know their jobs, you know, from the very first step to the very end," he said.

The chemicals could be anything from pesticides to potential terrorist attacks.

The east valley fire departments have this training every Monday.