Incirlik Air Base Fire Department and 39th Civil Engineer Squadron explosives ordnance disposal members perform decontamination procedures during a Major Accident Response Exercise.

Stacked disasters – like a winter storm that damages a water system during a pandemic – can provide lessons for the next time around. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis By Tiffany A. Radcliff, Texas A&M University and Angela Clendenin, Texas A&M University While the world is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and emergency… Read more »

A member of the Kosovo Security Force HAZMAT Company conducts decontamination procedures during a training scenario at the Joint Multinational Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany, on Nov. 2, 2020. The KSF is attending a JMRC rotation to build relationships and interoperability with the incoming international units deploying as part of Kosovo Force 28, a NATO organization dedicated to the safety and security of all people in Kosovo. The HAZMAT unit is trained to quickly set up remote decontamination and testing stations in response to reports of hazardous material.

Healthcare and public safety workers are in constant contact with unknown pathogens out in our community, including COVID-19. Actions like frequent handwashing, wearing a protective mask, and using hand sanitizer are all important infection control practices that add layers of protection to prevent illness. The nose is a key entry point for most respiratory infections, so using a nasal antiseptic adds another layer of safety. Applied with a cotton nasal swab to the skin inside and around the nose, NanoBio Protect kills germs on contact and continues to kill germs for 4+ hours after application.

During an interview with ABC News medical correspondent Jennifer Ashton, Fauci was asked whether the U.S. would one day recommend eye protection, such as face shields, due to the pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci responds, “If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it. It’s not universally recommended, but if you really want to be complete, you should probably use it if you can.”

This mapping tool by the Harvard Global Health Institute shows how severe the pandemic is where you live. The COVID Risk Level map shows the current risk level by county according to a seven day average of daily cases per 100k people.

Every community needs to plan and prepare for the risks of HazMat, CBRN, and mass casualty incidents. These emergency plans should include policies for quick and efficient decontamination of contaminated victims. DQE, the leader in portable decontamination systems, introduces the MasCas® II Decontamination Shower, a durable, lightweight, multi-victim decon shower with a fast-deploying design for technical decontamination.

The following COVID-19 resources provide guidance on the processes for cleaning and disinfecting protective garments and PAPRs in the event that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and to ensure proper hygiene practices between uses.

These are excellent resources for videos on safely removing disposable gowns, face masks and gloves amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These videos are consistent with CDC recommendations as of March 24, 2020.

Take these five steps to free up patient capacity and move to a full 24/7 operational platform. To battle the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and the entire healthcare system has to change its admissions procedures and move to a full capacity protocol.