San Jose hazmat units decontaminate Valley Medical Center patient

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A patient was airlifted to Valley Medical Center in San Jose late Tuesday night after the person was exposed to some sort of chemical at the facility where he or she works.

When the patient arrived at the hospital just before midnight, hospital staff decided to isolate the patient for decontamination. Hospital staff also called the San Jose Fire Department hazardous incident team. 
Firefighters also decontaminate 10 members of the medical staff -- including the flight medics who airlifted the patient.  Hazardous materials teams also decontaminated the medical helicopter used to airlift the patient.    

The process disrupted emergency room operations for a time.  

Eventually, fire crews were able to figure out what type of chemical they were dealing with, although they wouldn’t disclose the name of the material. But KTVU has learned the patient was having difficulty breathing for a time.

“We were able to determine it was just stuff that needed soap and water,” said Fire Capt. Brad Cloutier.