A Story from the Field: Night Twelve for Ton, a Phrom Phiram Rescue Volunteer

Ton is a volunteer rescuer at a small rescue base in Phrom Phiram district, Phitsanulok. For more than ten days, while the Nan River spilled over into riverside villages, he and his fellow volunteers barely went home. The base's two rescue pickups and its single ambulance drove in and out of the flooded zone many times a day, carrying bedridden elders, pregnant women, small children and people with chronic illnesses to shelters and to hospital.

On some trips the water came up to the vehicle steps. Many evacuees climbed in soaking wet, their clothes caked with mud. Some had cuts on their feet from days of wading. Some had diarrhea; some were running a fever. Field stretchers and spine boards were used again and again with hardly any time to wash them. Life jackets were piled together in the back of a pickup, wet, then dry, then wet again, over and over.

On the twelfth night the water began to fall and the evacuation work wound down. Ton opened the rear doors of the ambulance to sort out the equipment. The smell that came out was a mixture of mud, sweat, vomit and days of trapped humidity. The rubber floor of the patient compartment had brown stains along every groove. Water was sitting in the bottom of the equipment lockers. The stretcher mattress had started to show black spots. The base chief walked over, looked inside and said just one sentence: "If we get a cardiac call or a newborn tomorrow, we can't put them in a vehicle like this."

The volunteers washed the vehicles late into the night, but everyone knew that hosing and mopping alone was not enough for vehicles that carry the injured, the sick and the most vulnerable people in the community. The same situation has played out this year at rescue foundations, subdistrict (SAO) ambulance units and community hospitals across Phrom Phiram, Bang Rakam and neighboring districts.

The Hidden Risks Inside Ambulances and Rescue Vehicles After a Flood Mission

An ambulance or rescue truck is a place where sick people, injured people and responders share a small, enclosed space. After a flood evacuation, these vehicles are not just muddy. They have been in contact with floodwater contaminated by sewage, with body fluids from patients, and with moisture that has built up continuously over many days. Unlike a private car, they are expected to be clean and ready at any moment, for any kind of patient.

Health risks

• Floodwater bacteria. Organisms such as E. coli arrive on the clothes and shoes of evacuees and can cause diarrheal disease.
• Leptospirosis. Rescuers who wade through water frequently and have small cuts on their hands and feet are at high risk, and the bacteria can also be carried on equipment that has been submerged.
• Germs from patients. Fever, diarrhea and respiratory infections can all leave contamination on stretchers, grab rails and surfaces inside the patient compartment.
• Mold and spores. Mold growing in stretcher mattresses, seat cushions and damp lockers is a real hazard for patients with weakened immune systems and for anyone with asthma.
• Skin problems and wound infections. Contact with contaminated equipment can lead to rashes and infected wounds, both for patients and for the volunteers who handle the gear.

The World Health Organization points out that floods raise the risk of water-borne disease and that the recovery phase brings its own health hazards. Emergency vehicles sit right at the intersection of those risks, because they move between floodwater, shelters and hospitals all day long.

Risks to the mission and to trust

Ambulances and rescue vehicles must be ready to respond at all times. If a vehicle is still dirty or smells musty, crews hesitate. Patients and relatives lose confidence. The parent organization, whether a foundation, a local government office or a hospital, may face questions about hygiene standards. And every responder who falls ill from germs picked up in the vehicle means one fewer pair of hands at exactly the time the community needs them most.

Rescue foundations in particular depend on public goodwill and donations. A clean, well-kept vehicle quietly communicates professionalism. A vehicle that smells of mud and damp sends the opposite message, even when the team has done heroic work.

Risks to equipment

Much rescue equipment is expensive and hard to replace: scoop stretchers, spine boards, splint kits, life jackets, rope bags and first-aid packs. If it is left damp without disinfection, mold spreads until the equipment has to be thrown away long before the end of its useful life. Foam padding, fabric straps and the stitching on life jackets are particularly vulnerable.

Why a Normal Vehicle Wash Isn't Enough

High-pressure hosing and nothing else. This removes mud, but it does not disinfect. Water forced into the vehicle can also run into the gaps under the floor and into lockers, making the dampness problem worse than before.

Wiping with strong bleach. Concentrated bleach can corrode metal fittings, make plastic and vinyl brittle and leave harsh fumes in a confined patient compartment that irritate the airways of both crew and patients. And no matter how careful you are, a cloth cannot reach every crevice.

Spraying air freshener. This hides the smell for a short time. In an ambulance, a strong perfume can make nauseous patients feel worse, and the musty odor comes back as soon as the air conditioning is switched on.

Parking in the sun for days. During a flood response, rescue vehicles rarely get a day off, let alone several. And sunlight does not reach mold growing inside foam or deep in the air ducts.

Relying on routine between-patient wipes. Wiping down the stretcher and rails after each patient is an excellent habit and should continue. But after a prolonged flood mission, the contamination goes far deeper than the surfaces that a quick wipe covers.

Why Flood Missions Are Different from Everyday Calls

Rescue crews are used to cleaning their vehicles after a road accident or a medical call. A flood evacuation is a different kind of job, and it leaves a different kind of mess. On an ordinary day, a vehicle carries one or two patients, returns to base, and is wiped down before the next call. During a flood, the same vehicle may make ten or fifteen trips in a single day, each time bringing in more water, more mud and more people who have spent days in difficult, unhygienic conditions.

Evacuees often have not been able to wash properly for some time. Some have been drinking water of uncertain quality. Some have been living alongside livestock, pets or rats that have also been driven to higher ground. Elderly people and those with chronic illness may be weaker than usual, and some will need to lie down on the stretcher for the whole trip. All of this means that the load of germs brought into the vehicle is far heavier than on a normal shift, and it accumulates over days rather than hours.

There is also the problem of continuous moisture. In an ordinary week, a vehicle has time to dry between calls. During a flood response, it never really dries out. Doors open into rain and floodwater, wet clothing and blankets come on board, and the air conditioning runs constantly in a humid cabin. That steady dampness is exactly what mold needs. By the time the mission ends, spores may already be established in the foam, the fabric and the ductwork, even if the surfaces look acceptable.

Finally, crews are exhausted. After twelve days of near-continuous work, it is unrealistic to expect volunteers to strip and deep-clean every vehicle and every piece of equipment to a high standard on their own. Bringing in a professional team for the deep disinfection step lets responders focus on rest, on their own families and on staying ready for the next emergency, while the vehicles are restored properly in the background.

The Solution: ULV Disinfection Fogging with Chemgene HLD4H, Plus Ozone Treatment

World Health Disinfection (WHD) provides a professional disinfection fogging service using CHEMGENE HLD4H applied with an ultra-low-volume (ULV) fogger. The fine mist spreads through the patient compartment, the driver's cab, the equipment lockers, under the stretcher and along the floor grooves. It helps reduce bacteria, viruses and fungi on frequently touched surfaces such as grab rails, the head of the stretcher, stretcher straps and control panels.

This is followed by our ozone treatment service inside the sealed vehicle. Ozone is a gas, so it penetrates every gap and travels through the air-conditioning ducts. It destroys mold spores and breaks down the molecules behind musty, vomit and mud odors. After proper ventilation, ozone breaks back down into oxygen and leaves no chemical smell in a vehicle that must carry patients.

Fogging and ozone complement each other. Fogging places disinfectant directly onto the surfaces that hands and bodies touch. Ozone reaches the air, the porous materials and the ductwork where odors and spores hide. Together they bring a vehicle back to a state the crew can trust.

Our service process for rescue units and ambulances

1. Survey and assessment. We inspect each vehicle, the places where water has collected, the materials involved and the list of equipment that needs disinfecting, and we plan the work so it does not leave the unit without a vehicle on call.
2. Cleaning and sorting advice. We advise on washing out mud, separating infectious waste according to your organization's system and laying out removable equipment in a designated area.
3. ULV disinfection fogging. The patient compartment, cab, lockers and equipment such as stretchers, spine boards, life jackets and kit boxes are fogged thoroughly.
4. Ozone treatment. The vehicle or equipment room is sealed, and the duration and concentration are set to the size of the space. Air recirculation is run so the ozone reaches the ducts.
5. Ventilation. All doors are opened until the ozone has fully broken down. Our team confirms it is safe before crews return to the vehicle.
6. Re-check and advice. We check odor and moisture levels and recommend a disinfection rhythm for the rest of the flood season.

Commonly Overlooked Spots in Rescue Vehicles After a Flood

From experience in the field, the places volunteers most often miss are the ones they cannot see or reach easily, and these are often exactly where germs and mold build up the most.

• Stretcher locking rails and stretcher legs. Mud and water collect in the sliding rails, which hands touch every time the stretcher is loaded or unloaded.
• Under the rubber floor and along the rear door sill. Water brought in during evacuations seeps under the floor covering and can stay there for days.
• The patient compartment air vents. Moisture from evacuees' wet clothing is drawn into the air-conditioning system, so the vehicle smells musty every time the air is turned on.
• Pickup beds and equipment boxes. These carry life jackets, ropes and rings that are often folded away wet without ever being properly dried.
• The driver's seat and radio panel. Crews handle these with wet hands throughout the mission.

Fogging and ozone treatment reach all of these places at the same time without having to strip the vehicle down to its frame, so rescue teams save time and get back into service sooner.

10 Reasons Rescue Units and Ambulance Services Should Disinfect Professionally After a Flood Mission

1. Reduce the risk of passing floodwater germs on to the next patient, with ULV disinfection fogging.
2. Protect the health of responders and volunteers who have worked for days on end.
3. Fine mist reaches under stretchers, into floor grooves and inside lockers where a cloth cannot.
4. We use CHEMGENE HLD4H, a disinfectant suited to surfaces in real working environments.
5. Ozone treatment removes musty, vomit and mud odors at the source.
6. Extend the life of expensive rescue equipment instead of throwing it away moldy.
7. Ozone dose is controlled with care for electronics and rubber components.
8. Work is scheduled in rounds so the unit is never left without a vehicle on call.
9. Build confidence among patients, relatives, donors and the parent organization.
10. Support daily care with the Chemgene 750 ml spray for wiping rails and stretchers after each patient.

Before and After Rescue Vehicle Restoration

What Our Customers Say

"After the team fogged and ozone-treated our vehicles, both of them were clean again and the smell was gone. The younger volunteers said they felt much more at ease, because they knew the vehicles were genuinely ready for the next patient."

— Head of a volunteer rescue base, Phrom Phiram district (scenario from the field)

Advice for Responders and Volunteers After the Mission

• Wear rubber gloves and boots while washing vehicles and equipment, and cover any wounds completely before touching water.
• Wash your hands with soap every time you come out of the water and before eating.
• Keep work clothes separate from your family's laundry and wash them thoroughly.
• If you develop a high fever, headache, calf pain or red eyes after wading through floodwater, see a doctor quickly and tell them about your flood exposure, as advised by Thailand's Department of Disease Control.
• Set up a rotation so every vehicle is disinfected in turn and there is always one ready to respond.
• Rest. Fatigue lowers immunity, and the people who protect the community also need protecting.

Planning for the Rest of the Flood Season

Flooding along the Nan River does not always end with a single peak. Water levels can rise again after heavy rain upstream, and rescue units may be called back into the flooded zone at short notice. It is worth thinking now about how to keep vehicles and equipment in good condition if that happens.

Designate a dry, ventilated area at the base where wet equipment can be laid out after each mission instead of being folded straight into lockers. Keep a supply of disinfectant spray in every vehicle so that crews can wipe down rails and stretchers between patients. Keep a simple log that records when each vehicle was last professionally disinfected, and schedule the next treatment after any extended period of flood work.

If your organization also runs a staff rest room, a medical supply store or a shelter at the base, those spaces deserve the same attention. Mold that grows in a damp storeroom can easily spread to clean equipment stored there. A coordinated plan that covers vehicles, equipment and buildings together is often the most efficient approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long will a vehicle be out of service?
A: It depends on the size of the vehicle and how contaminated it is. Our team will assess it and give you an estimated time before we begin, and we schedule vehicles one at a time so the unit can still respond to calls.

Q: Does the medical equipment need to come out?
A: Sensitive, removable electronic equipment should be taken out or covered before ozone treatment. The outer surfaces of that equipment can be cleaned separately following the manufacturer's instructions.

Q: Can you disinfect life jackets and stretchers?
A: Yes. They should be washed free of mud and dried first, then laid out in a room that can be closed off so they can be fogged and ozone-treated together.

Q: Can you also treat a flooded rescue base or crew rest room?
A: Yes. Our service covers vehicles, equipment storerooms, duty rooms and the organization's buildings.

Q: What needs to happen during ozone treatment?
A: Everyone must stay outside the treated area. No people, animals or plants may be in the vehicle or room, and you must wait until ventilation is complete and our team confirms it is safe.

Q: We already disinfect with our own spray after every patient. Is professional treatment still necessary?
A: Keep doing your routine wipes; they are an essential part of infection control. Professional fogging and ozone treatment are meant as a deep reset after a prolonged flood mission, reaching lockers, rails, foam and air ducts that routine wiping cannot cover. The two approaches support each other rather than replacing one another.

Q: Can several vehicles from different organizations be treated at one site?
A: Often, yes. If several foundations or local units share a base or a car park, we can discuss a combined schedule so that each vehicle is treated in turn with minimal travel and waiting time.

Q: How do we get in touch?
A: Call 065-556-6294 or message LINE @whd268. Our team will ask about the number of vehicles and the size of the area and arrange a survey.

Make the Vehicles That Save Lives Clean and Safe Again

Talk to the World Health Disinfection team to plan disinfection fogging and ozone treatment for ambulances, rescue vehicles and equipment after flood missions in Phrom Phiram and nearby areas.

See Our Disinfection Service – Click Here

Book Ozone Treatment – Click Here

Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268 · worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

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Sources: WHO – Floods and health and Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health