Detroit FFs Upset over New Blood, Fluids Cleanup Policy

Detroit firefighters are objecting to a new city policy that requires them to clean up blood and other potentially dangerous biological material from emergency scenes without sufficient training and equipment.

The Detroit Fire Fighters Association filed a complaint Wednesday with the Michigan Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration concerning the new procedure, which began Tuesday, Metro Times reports. Under the new policy, first responders must hose away human fluids from accident, crime and other emergency scenes and then flush the liquid down sewer drains. Contaminated material, such as bloody clothing, also must be collected in special bags, which firefighters have yet to receive, according to news outlet. 

Union officials are worried that this policy creates health risks for firefighters and the public.

“We are not janitors, and we certainly are not biohazard experts,” Mike Nevin, the union's president, told the Metro Times. “The public should be concerned. There are a lot of very serious problems with this.”

In the past, trained specialists have dealt with properly sanitizing areas contaminated by potentially dangerous biological material that could carry infectious diseases, according to the Metro Times. Those individuals followed strict OSHA guidelines in order to avoid any health dangers.

“Employees have received no training on blood and bodily fluid clean up and have no knowledge of proper procedures involved as this is not Fire Fighting or EMS work,” Nevin's complaint states. “Employees have not been provided with adequate safety to dilute and flush blood and bodily fluids down drains whether on public or private property.”

Detroit Fire Commissioner Eric Jones told the Metro Times that he wouldn't comment about the union's complaint until he had an opportunity to read over it. Jones was one of the Detroit officials responsible with crafting the new procedure.