Florida Hospital Decontaminates 17 Officers and K-9

METAIRIE, La. --

Patients and neighbors who live near East Jefferson General Hospital encountered a scary sight Friday morning: dozens of people in masks and hazmat suits.

It was part of the decontamination of 17 police officers and a police dog who were exposed to an unknown chemical -- now believed to be a pesticide -- that made them sick. The officers were rushed to the Metairie hospital Friday morning to be treated, and hazmat crews responded to help stop the potential spread of anything dangerous.

The hospital's emergency room was closed for much of the morning, but it reopened shortly after noon.

"So I seen these guys getting into the special kinds of suits. I didn't know what the hell was going on, you know," said Frank Lovecchio, who lives across the street

Lovecchio watched as the hospital created its own instant decontamination zone. The WWII veteran let his instincts take over.

"Let me get away from here. I don't want to breathe any of that stuff in," Lovecchio said.

Hospital crews moved quickly to set up a tent and shower in order to scrub down the 17 law enforcement officers.

Passing cars slowed to get a look, and pedestrians milled about to watch the events unfold.

"Looks like they had a little micro-triage area set up there," said Louis Dumser, who also lives near the hospital. "I was telling my son I don't know what happened. I hope it was nothing to bad."

Hospital officials said patients and neighbors have nothing to worry about -- the chemical was not dangerous to people nearby.

East Jefferson spokesman John Sartori said the hospital was following its emergency protocols to make sure whatever they were dealing with remained contained.

"We isolated the situation to make sure that it was safe. But yes, it's completely safe," Sartori said.

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