Question for you FD HazMat or Special Ops types

dw200 · Post by **dw200** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:38 pm

Serious question here...what do you use for hazmat or other operations when a radio could be contaminated and require disposal? My boss does not like the idea of throwing away a $1000 radio. AND PLEASE...NO LECTURES ABOUT THE VALUE OF A HUMAN LIFE VS A RADIO. I agree but there has to be a middle ground somewhere. It is getting harder and harder to find the appropriate accessories for my MT1000 radios that i could dispose of in this matter (although they are better than my current front line radios). What do ya'll think???

Bruce1807 · Post by **Bruce1807** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:30 pm

our radios are worn in the hazmat suits not external

fire_master_21 · Post by **fire_master_21** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:40 pm

same here

Post by **Mfire39** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:03 pm

Ditto.. We use all our comm equip inside the level A suit.. The same goes if we use encapsolated level B suits. So unless you have a suit failure, none of it really gets exposed.

-Marc

HLA · Post by **HLA** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:41 pm

absolutely, keep the radio inside your suit and use some kind of headset setup with a large ptt button on your chest or throat mic and earpiece. otto makes a great setup for your situation.

Radio_Cowboy · Post by **Radio_Cowboy** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 5:52 am

Same as the above posts.

I work in the Semiconductor industry, and our TK-480's stay inside the Hazmat suits, used with Envoy comm units. If for some reason a radio would become contaminated due to suit failure or human cordination failure (radio dropped into a acid waste tank, radio dropped into a toilet, radio involved with extreme biohazard, ect) the radios get sent to decon for disposal.

-RC-

talviar · Post by **talviar** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 10:52 am

Ditto.
Radio stays in suit away from contaminent.

IF something happens, sent out for professional clean/decon and if non-usable at that point, insurance handles replacement. Most fire dept's/hazmat teams should have insurance to cover replacement of damaged/destroyed equipment. Majority of the time, the insurance carrier is paying for what isn't billable to the "spiller"

Post by **firemed9** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 11:11 am

Same as everyone else, inside with me where its out of the bad stuff. However, if for some reason the radio gets contaminated, it gets deconed by our local chem. specialist company and the bill goes to the company who we responded to.

Elroy Jetson · Post by **Elroy Jetson** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 11:12 am

I can't say for sure how anyone else does it, but if I were involved in the reclamation of a seriously contaminated radio, I'd pull the electronics out of it and install them in all new housings. Given that virtually any radio we're likely to be talking about is environmentally sealed, this should certainly be a reasonable option.

Elroy

5-sides · Post by **5-sides** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:09 am

Without naming names, don't do what an agency near me did.

After a training exercise, they decided to actually "decon" their MBITR's by soaking them in buckets of bleach. Made for some very expensive paperweights.

Like everyone has said, wear the radio inside the suit and use a headset, throatmike & body PTT.
The accessories are not cheap, but way less than a new radio.

mr.syntrx · Post by **mr.syntrx** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:45 am

Elroy Jetson wrote:I can't say for sure how anyone else does it, but if I were involved in the reclamation of a seriously contaminated radio, I'd pull the electronics out of it and install them in all new housings. Given that virtually any radio we're likely to be talking about is environmentally sealed, this should certainly be a reasonable option.

Elroy

You can't do that for IS radios, as most radios in HAZMAT service are. I'd do that for non-accredited radios too though.

fogster · Post by **fogster** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:04 am

5-sides wrote:After a training exercise, they decided to actually "decon" their MBITR's by soaking them in buckets of bleach. Made for some very expensive paperweights.

Is that where the white Sabers in Jurassic Park came from?

Post by **vcaruso** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:49 pm

In the suit has my vote as well.

High_order1 · Post by **High_order1** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:28 pm

After a training exercise, they decided to actually "decon" their MBITR's by soaking them in buckets of bleach. Made for some very expensive paperweights.

I know why they did that. It is very hard to teach people that DoD procedures aren't necessarily the best procedures.

There's only one situation where I can think of entering a contaminated area where the radio would be mounted externally, but truthfully, most contaminants aren't terribly difficult to remove.

-Shawn

mr.syntrx · Post by **mr.syntrx** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:21 pm

MBITRs are tough, but not THAT tough!