Tulsa Firefighters Train In Infectious Disease Response, Protection

Nina Pham, the Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola while treating a patient who was from Liberia, released a statement Tuesday saying she's doing well.

Centers for Disease Control believes Pham may have caught the virus because of the way she removed her protective gear. That's why area health care workers and first responders are focusing on how to spot Ebola symptoms and how to protect themselves from getting sick.

Tulsa firefighters point out they train on how to respond to and prevent the spread of disease all year around, but lately the focus has been on Ebola. Crews have special gear and training to respond if a case is suspected in Tulsa.

Health care officials don't know how Pham contracted Ebola, but they say Oklahomans can learn from what happened in Dallas.

"Obviously some procedures that weren't followed or got left out or were breached, and it caused a health care worker to become infected - and we don't want to see that here in Tulsa," said Stan May, public information officer for the Tulsa Fire Department.

10/13/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Doctor: 'Average Tulsan Shouldn't Worry About Ebola'

They say that begins with educating all emergency responders, and the first line of defense starts before crews show up on scene.

"We are carefully screening callers that are requesting 911 emergency medical assistance. If they have symptoms and a travel history that elevates their risk for Ebola we are noting those situations," said Dr. Jeffrey Goodloe, EMS emergency management director.

If a caller has an elevated risk, firefighters and EMSA personnel are prepared.

"At that point we will enter in something at little more high of a protective level and make sure that we are fully encapsulated and it fully protective of the individual," said Michael Broad of the Tulsa Fire Department.

The Hazmat suits provide twice the protection than what is normally worn. The seal can save lives.

"Zip up to here, and it has a peel-off zip," Broad said, demonstrating the Hazmat suit. "Peel that off and glue it down, and now that has made my zipper imperious to the water."

Removing the protective gear is just as important as putting it on. Officials at the CDC are investigating to see if Pham got Ebola when she removed the protective gear. So Tulsa crews are getting a lesson on how to remove and decontaminate the suits.

"It's a new situation so there is always a bit of apprehension, but it's the same thing we deal with the HIV and AIDS virus, influenza," May said.

"That's probably going to kill more people in the United States than Ebola, but we have to prepare for the extreme cases and we follow protocol."

Emergency crews are also taking an online course to reinforce the training.