SPEARFISH…A science lab on the campus of Black Hills State University is being utilized to sterilize supplies for the Spearfish Emergency Ambulance Service.
With an expected increase in use of facemasks and other equipment as the medical community prepares for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spearfish Emergency Ambulance Service is proactively testing a process to decontaminate masks using an autoclave in one of the BHSU science labs.
BHSU President Dr. Laurie Nichols said, “We are glad that the ambulance service reached out and that we had the right equipment to assist. Throughout BHSU’s 137 year history, the University and the community have worked together to meet challenges and overcome adversities.”
Dr. Greg Farley, Dean of the College of Business and Natural Sciences, noted that the science lab autoclave will be used for the decontamination process. Farley explains an autoclave is a metal tank that can withstand high pressure – not unlike a pressure cooker in a kitchen. The pressure is used to heat water and produce steam, which along with very high temperatures is used to sterilize objects placed inside (medical instruments, beakers, masks). This is standard equipment in hospitals, microbiology labs and research facilities.
The process will be supervised by professionals with Spearfish Emergency Ambulance Service and takes about an hour and half. The pressure chamber is used to heat steam to a high temperature (>270 degrees F) to kill microorganisms. Andrew Binder, education coordinator with the Spearfish Ambulance Service, has been doing some test runs on campus and the process is working well. The process is meticulous to avoid any potential of cross communication.
Brian Hambek, executive director of the Spearfish Emergency Ambulance Service, said that being able to extend the usage time of masks will be beneficial.
“With the lack of PPE equipment, anything we can do is going to be helpful,” Hambek said. “We are going to get probably 8 to 10 uses from each mask.”
Hambek noted that it is still hard to know what the infection rate is going to be in this area so they are doing all they can to prepare. Hambek is also working with the City of Spearfish to do the same thing with masks used by the police, fire, and other departments.
