From the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department:
QUITMAN, TX (KLTV) - Members of the Quitman,
Hainesville, Mineola and Longview Fire
Departments respond to a Hazardous Materials (Haz-Mat) incident reported to be
in the emergency room of East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) Quitman.
The initial call for service
to Mineola FD began at approximately 3:30 p.m. on 04/28/2012 with a request to
assist ETMC EMS on FM 1799 in Wood
County. It was reported that the incident involved an
exposure to a toxic substance. The toxic
substance was reported to emergency service personnel as "Temik", reported by
some resources available as on of the most toxic poisons that may have ever
been produced.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., the
Quitman Fire Department was called to respond to ETMC Quitman to assist with
the clean up efforts inside the emergency room after patient treatment and
care.
After Quitman Fire Department
assessed the situation they requested the assistance of the Mineola,
Hainesville and Longview Fire Departments.
The Longview Fire Department was special requested for their Haz-Mat
team and expertise in Haz-Mat operations.
Through a combined effort, the emergency responders determined that the
threat of potential contamination to the emergency personal that treated the
exposed patient warranted immediate action.
Additionally, the evaluation of the incident necessitated the temporary
closure of the ETMC Quitman emergency room.
The remainder of the hospital was allowed to operate as usual.
All emergency first responders and emergency
room staff had to be Decontaminated (Decon) for their protection against
possible contamination on site and immediately.
They also were given a medical evaluation to establish to determine if
they had any signs or symptoms of exposure to the poison.
The emergency room was cleared and cleaned by
Haz-Mat technicians as safely and quickly as possible.
Concurrently, there was a
secondary scene established at the patient's home to recover and dispose of the
remaining poison. This site was managed with
care by members of the Mineola Fire Department with the assistance of Tyler Fire
Department Haz-Mat team.
No injuries or illness to
emergency service personnel or hospital staff have been reported at the time of
this release. ETMC Quitman hospital
reports that the hospital and emergency room are now full operational.
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