Detroit fire crews must wash away body fluids at accident and crime scenes when police ask, a new fire department policy document says.
That's unsafe and unfair, a union responds.
"The Detroit Fire Fighter Association is asking a Wayne County Circuit judge to grant an injunction to halt the practice until an unfair labor complaint is resolved," Christine Ferretti writes at The Detroit News.
The union . . . argues the regulations could expose crews to HIV, hepatitis or other blood-borne pathogens and pose an "imminent" risk to the health and safety of workers and the public.
But fire administration countered that while the policy wasn't in writing before, it's not new.
The "Bodily Fluid Aftermath Cleanup" directive was issued this month to formalize existing practice, according to the city.
Mike Nevin, association Local 344 president, also filed a complaint with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He tells the newspaper:
"They've had a few of these runs where they are just blasting blood everywhere. I hope they don't get any in their eyes and mouth. This is a completely different line of work than we're used to. . . .
"You want to add another layer of cleanup. That's completely different than our job description."
The department says all emergency responders have protective clothing, cleanup gear and blood-borne pathogens training. Nevin responds that firefighters don't have hands-on training in removing blood and other body fluids.
Here's WXYZ coverage of the issue by Simon Shaykhet:
