Took part in a HazMat drill over the weekend.

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Hickeydog

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As a victim, of course. As morbid as it sounds, it was quite fun. I got to play the part of an angry, anxious, and uncooperative victim. ;) Which is the complete opposite of who I am. I'm quite mellow, even in exciting situations. Anyways, the whole thing went about as smoothly as a disaster drill can go. Everyone survived, in reality and in the drill. We had a bit of a hang up at the hospital where they weren't notified that they were getting contaminated victims, and we had to sit in the ambulances for a few minutes while they got the decon tents set up. And guys in hazmat suits are quite scary, especially the firefighters at the scene. They use a full coverage suit with SCUBA under it, so they look COMPLETELY alien, and you can't hear them talk. And being uncooperative makes things 10 times harder for them. I felt terrible for being that way, but that's what the organizers wanted. At the hospital, it wasn't as bad, but the hazmat suits are still rather creepy. At least you can see a face through the face shield.

Anyways, if you have the opportunity to play a victim in a training event, I highly recommend doing it. It's quite fun, and quite educational.
 
You have any pictures of the suits? I'm an EMT/Firefighter in training. In a few weeks we have to deal with HazMat materials. Wonder if it'll be similar! Sounds like you enjoyed it! Glad to hear man!
 
You have any pictures of the suits? I'm an EMT/Firefighter in training. In a few weeks we have to deal with HazMat materials. Wonder if it'll be similar! Sounds like you enjoyed it! Glad to hear man!

The firefighters were in Level A suits, like these:

070605-F-6393C-090.jpg



The hospital staff were in Level B suits (I think). It was essentially a water proof suit with rubber gloves and boots, sealed with duct tape, with a HUGE hood. It went down past their elbows. They also had a air filter (possibly air conditioner) unit on a belt.
 
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