This article originally appeared on wric.com
This device isn’t a ‘Proton Pack’ from the movie Ghostbusters, but it does have positively charged particles of its own. The ‘hydrostatic sprayer’ is Richmond Ambulance Authority‘s new gold standard for disinfecting ambulances.
“This allows us to go to the next level,” said Mark Tenia, Public Relations Manager for Richmond Ambulance Authority.
The disinfecting solution is turned into a mist that is capable of eliminating all bacteria and viruses from any hard surface it touches. That comes in handy during times when the flu and coronavirus are spreading.
Tenia says this solution can have a significant impact on the workday.
“If we have a situation where we feel we have to go to the ambulance right away to decontaminate it and disinfect it, we can do that and we can do it immediately,” Tenia said. “That allows our crews to get back into the field at a faster rate, which allows us to respond to emergencies much more quickly.”
Tenia said for EMS agencies, the number of micro-organisms and bacteria should be at a level of 50 or lower. RAA was able to get the hydrostatic sprayer to bring the number down to two, but Tenia believes with enough practice they can lower it to zero.
The sprayer unleashes positively charged mist on negatively charged surfaces, and the mist latches on to surfaces that can’t normally be reached like under a passenger chair or behind a shelf. The bacteria is then killed by the chemicals, becoming a lifeless cell.
RAA says it’s the first EMS agency in the state to use the hydrostatic sprayer and hopes the non-toxic chemical keeps the agency flu-free for the foreseeable future.
