New Westminster firefighters recently helped ensure that two patients needing treatment at Royal Columbian Hospital weren't going to pose a chemical contamination threat to the hospital.
Local firefighters attended Royal Columbian Hospital on Jan. 20 to assist their Surrey counterparts, after two people who had been in a fire in Surrey were sent to Royal Columbian Hospital for treatment. It was feared that the two people may have been contaminated, so protocols in place for dealing with such situations were enacted.
The patients weren't admitted to the hospital until it was ensured that they wouldn't pose a contamination risk.
"Our guys contacted Surrey. Surrey fire indicated there was a propane bottle involved in the fire. They weren't contaminated," said Brent Joel, a fire inspector with New Westminster Fire and Rescue Service. "They let them into the hospital. They have to be worried about that."
Joel noted that an entire unit of the hospital could potentially be shut down if patients who had been contaminated were brought into the facility.
