AN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COORDINATOR in an urban county in Texas was recently contacted by a relative who is an EMT and assistant coroner in Pennsylvania. He told him of an unusual call that he was dispatched to for a “person down in auto.” On arrival they found the victim sitting in his car, obviously unconscious. Before they were done, the incident grew into a full-blown haz mat call and the health of several first responders might have been compromised if they hadn’t already had safety goggles and gloves on.
Research done after that “close call” found that recently a new way to commit suicide has been discovered by mixing two chemicals that can be bought over the counter at local stores. They are Bonide – a sulfur spray used as an insecticide for fruit trees and hydrochloric (muriatic) acid. Once mixed, the chemicals produce heat and a flammable, noxious gas that causes the subject to pass out and the heart stop within minutes. The process appears to be quick and painless.
Two other similar events in California and Georgia indicate that this knowledge is spreading through the underground and could well be practiced in any community in North America. Both instances involved young men in their 20′s and locked inside their car with the chemicals. Both had left a note on the dashboard warning of the lethal gas to be found inside.
In August the Pasadena Independent reported:
A newer model, white VW Beetle was sealed off from public Monday as it was believed to contain hazardous chemicals as well as a body of a young man in his 20’s.
Pasadena police and fire officials staged at Halstead (just behind the Best Buy shopping Center) 2:40 p.m. HazMat teams from Glendale were quickly called in.
The windows to the car were rolled up and apparently locked. The temperature was about 100 degrees when officials arrived. There was allegedly a sign on the vehicle warning people of the potential danger.
Engine 37 from Pasadena established a staging area down wind for incoming units and contacted PPD to gather more information. Battalion 3 arrived on scene and established Halstead command. Upon further investigation and information gathered from PPD, it was determined that the LACO specialized haz-mat unit would be needed.
You can read the entire article HERE.
And more recently, in December the Cartersville, Georgia, Daily Tribune reported:
Bartow County HAZMAT workers, in addition to other city and county emergency crews, were called Tuesday to a day use area on Lake Allatoona where a man had apparently committed suicide using hazardous chemicals.
Around 12 p.m. Bartow County fire fighters, deputies and emergency medical workers responded to a call that a man was found by a park ranger sitting in a car and did not appear to be breathing. In that car were two buckets containing a yellow substance and a note on the window that said, ‘Caution,’ and it had the chemical name on it,” BCFD Bt. Chief David Levey said, adding that the substance was a mixture of chemicals including sulfuric acid.
Read the full account of the incident HERE.
Our EPO friend has compiled a simple check-list to remind you of some good practices whenever you run a call that looks like it could be one of these:
- Do not become complacent! Your response should be similar on every call.
- Don’t go rushing in.
- Survey the scene.
- Does the scene look routine?
- Do you see anything unusual? (Example: A note on the window, containers inside the vehicle and taped windows or vents).
- Wear the appropriate PPE.
- Establish a Hot Zone and call for additional resources (haz mat, PD, etc.)
- Did PD arrive prior to FD and become contaminated requiring emergency decon and first aid?
What action will you take? Will you hurry to make patient access? Will you use a lockout tool, center punch, or halligan to make entry?
You make access, a rush of warm air comes out of the vehicle and you smell a sharp odor. You have just become a victim and have been exposed to a noxious, possibly fatal gas.
Use this information to structure a drill for the entire shift. It’s only a matter of time until somebody uses this trick to make a booby trap for first-responders.
Hat tip to G. W. for sending us this bulletin from a law enforcement forum.
