VIDEO: As confirmed coronavirus cases within DC Fire and EMS continue to climb, the department is taking new steps to protect its firefighters and paramedics on the front lines. That means ambulances and crews must undergo a three hour decontamination every time they respond to a call involving a patient with symptoms of the virus.
"We've had some units come here twice in 24 hours," said EMS Captain Charles Steptoe.
Steptoe showed ABC7 around the new decontamination facility on Wednesday afternoon. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the department used the building to store extra vehicles and apparatus. Now, it's home to a 24/7 operation made possible by a $30,000 machine that DC Fire and EMS purchased not long after the pandemic began.