Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
April 8, 2020
HEPA Filters for Ambulances
Disinfecting Business and Residential Space
HEPA Filters Used With Ventilators in Ambulances
Ambulance Modified for Special Coronavirus
Protection
New Mason County W.V Ambulance includes HEPA
Filters in Both Cab and Patient Area
Ambulance Ventilation Systems Need to be Better
Designed
AAF Provides Filters for the Range of Healthcare
Needs with TCO Diagnostics for Optimum Selection
AAF TCO Analysis Leads to Big Savings for Texas
Hospital
Filtration Group Recommends a TCO Approach
to Virus Protection
Filtration Group NOVAPLEAT Lowers TCO
DAFCO Software Shows the Lower TCO of Its
Filters
______________________________________________________________________________
HEPA Filters for Ambulances
North Ridgeville, Ohio has added a new feature
to its ambulances to help battle the spread of
coronavirus.
“We’ve had to take other precautions, like
during Ebola and H1N1 (viruses), but not like
this, due to just how contagious (COVID-19) is,”
said 13-year North Ridgeville firefighter Bill
Foster.
Foster said Fire Chief John Reese found a
description of a promising process for
sanitizing the ambulances. He contacted Servpro
and asked them to take a look to see if they
could come up with something similar. Servpro is
a company that handles fire and water cleanup
and restoration.
“Servpro took a look and brought in two
different models with HEPA filters," Foster
said. These are high-efficiency air filters
capable of trapping almost 100 percent of
particles in the air, according to Servpro.
“They are used for construction and mold
abatement, and have been around and they have
been proven," Foster said.
Foster said the back of an ambulance is “just
like in a house, moving the same air around. If
someone is coughing, it is spreading all around
inside the ambulance.”
He said the resulting product from Servpro is
“like a large box with an (air) intake on the
one side and it blows (air) out the other side
with a filter. We opened the (ambulance) window
slightly and it was hooked up to the exhaust fan
we already had - pulling in fresh air, taking
out bad air, filtering and expelling it outside
the ambulance.”
The first one was installed in one of the city’s
ambulances in late March, said Foster, and “a
second one was installed on April 2.”
Disinfecting Business and Residential Space
Servpro says its franchise professionals are
uniquely prepared during this unprecedented time
to clean and disinfect a home or business
according to the protocols set forth by the CDC.
It cites years of experience in dealing with
biological contaminants and will go beyond the
scope of work that regular janitorial staff
perform on a daily basis.
Professionals
are trained to perform a proactive cleanup that
involves facility or structure cleaning and
disinfection. Cleanup procedures generally
include cleaning of porous and non-porous
surfaces, disinfecting of non-porous surfaces,
cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, tools,
and/or supplies used for cleanup process, and
disposal of waste.
The CDC encourages cleaning of high-touch
surfaces such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs,
light switches, bathroom fixtures, toilets,
phones, keyboards, tablets and tables. Other
spaces mentioned in the CDC’s guidance for
commercial spaces include:
-
Kitchen/Food
Areas
-
Bathrooms
-
Schools/Classrooms
-
Offices
-
Retail Spaces
-
Water Fountains
-
Shelving/Racks
-
Sales Counters
-
Carpets and Rugs
-
Stair Handrails
-
Elevator Cars
-
Playground
Equipment
-
Fitness
Equipment
The CDC recommends usage of a labeled
hospital-grade disinfectant with claims against
similar pathogens to the coronavirus. Multiple
products in the Servpro product line carry the
EPA-approved emerging pathogens claims. While
there is currently no product tested against
this particular strain of the coronavirus,
Servpro is
following all guidelines as provided by
the CDC and local authorities.
https://www.servpro.com/coronavirus
HEPA Filters Used With Ventilators in Ambulances
This guide for EMS responders addresses PPE. The
aim was not to develop novel guidance for
emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, but
to unify multiple sources of information in a
single planning document addressing the full
spectrum of infectious agents to create a
concise reference resource for EMS agencies
developing their service policies. Notify the
receiving hospital of the need for an airborne
infection isolation room (AIIR) for patient
placement. • Consider having the patient
compartment exhaust vent on high and isolating
the driver compartment from the patient
compartment. Consider having the driver
compartment ventilation fan set to high without
recirculation. • If driver/pilot compartment is
not isolated from the patient compartment,
vehicle operator to wear NIOSH-approved,
fit-tested N95 respirator. • Patients who are
intubated should be ventilated with a bag-valve
device or ventilator equipped with a HEPA filter
on exhalation port.
https://www.ems.gov/pdf/ASPR-EMS-Infectious-Disease-Playbook-June-2017.pdf
Ambulance Modified
for Special Coronavirus Protection
“The protection and safety of our first
responders as well as our patients is paramount
for our organization," said Murrells Inlet
Garden City S.C.
Fire Chief J.R. Haney.
Protection and safety for MIGC Fire is so
paramount that visitors have to be screened for
coronavirus symptoms upon entering the facility.
It’s also why the department came up with its
very own coronavirus ambulance.
“We thought that putting an air scrubber in that
has a HEPA filter in it that is capable of
filtering 99.5% of particulates down to .3
microns, that would be extremely helpful for our
personnel in the back of the medic unit," said
Haney.
The department didn’t stop there. They also
added plastic covering over all possible air
outlets.
“You create a negative environment because all
the environment inside of the unit is sealed
off, so when it creates a suction, that particle
doesn’t have a chance to land on anything," said
Haney.
New Mason County W.V Ambulance Includes HEPA
Filters in Both Cab and Patient Area
Features of the ambulance include an advanced
filtration system, with a HEPA filter in both
the cab and patient area. The patient area is
also larger than in the previous ambulance and
is equipped with a power-assisted cot.
According to Dennis Zimmerman, Mason County
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management Director, the 2019 model emergency
vehicle was delivered in December 2019.
Ambulance Ventilation Systems Need to be Better
Designed
The protection of emergency medical service
(EMS) workers from airborne disease transmission
is important during routine transport of
patients with infectious respiratory illnesses
and would be critical during a pandemic of a
disease such as influenza. However, few studies
have examined the effectiveness of ambulance
ventilation systems at reducing EMS worker
exposure to airborne particles (aerosols). In
this study, a cough aerosol simulator mimicking
a coughing patient with an infectious
respiratory illness was placed on a patient cot
in an ambulance. The concentration and
dispersion of cough aerosol particles were
measured for 15 min at locations corresponding
to likely positions of an EMS worker treating
the patient. Experiments were performed with the
patient cot at an angle of 0° (horizontal), 30°,
and 60°, and with the ambulance ventilation
system set to 0, 5, and 12 air changes/hour
(ACH). Results showed that increasing the air
change rate significantly reduced the airborne
particle concentration (p < 0.001). Increasing
the air change rate from 0 to 5 ACH reduced the
mean aerosol concentration by 34% (SD = 19%)
overall, while increasing it from 0 to 12 ACH
reduced the concentration by 68% (SD = 9%).
Changing the cot angle also affected the
concentration (p < 0.001), but the effect was
more modest, especially at 5 and 12 ACH.
Contrary to expectations, the aerosol
concentrations at the different worker positions
were not significantly different (p < 0.556).
Flow visualization experiments showed that the
ventilation system created a recirculation
pattern which helped disperse the aerosol
particles throughout the compartment, reducing
the effectiveness of the system. Findings
indicate that the ambulance ventilation system
reduced but did not eliminate worker exposure to
infectious aerosol particles. Aerosol exposures
were not significantly different at different
locations within the compartment, including
locations behind and beside the patient.
Improved ventilation system designs with
smoother and more unidirectional airflows could
provide better worker protection
AAF Provides Filters for the Range of Healthcare
Needs with TCO Diagnostics for Optimum Selection
AAF provides the range of gas phase and particle
removal filters for hospitals and healthcare
facilities. The company offers an audit to
determine the total cost of ownership (TCO) for
various options. This is a good basic text.
McIlvaine will be pursuing the TCO variables
caused by the coronavirus and will be asking for
AAF input.
www.aafintl.com › market-insights ›
healthcare-ab_205_enuk_hr_042017
AAF TCO Analysis Leads to Big Savings for Texas
Hospital
One of the largest not-for-profit healthcare systems
in Texas recently decided to reduce energy costs
by engaging a leading real estate and
environmental management firm. AAF
Flanders advised that conducting a comparison
study of the current filters through a direct
method of measuring their HVAC system
performance would identify improvement
opportunities and provide evidence that
alternative filter types would save energy and
money.
The goals were
to reduce energy costs and Total Cost of
Ownership (TCO), reduce facility risk with final
filters that did not suffer in performance, and
select filters that would last at least 6 months
or longer. The four-week comparison study used a
direct method of energy logging, evaluating the
hospital’s current filters against recommended
filters to document the reduced overall cost.
This direct method of measuring the $in.wg./yr—dollars
per resistance in.wg. (inch of water gauge) per
year—is extremely precise, yielding hard data in
order to systematically evaluate the value of a
proposed filtration solution.
The direct energy logging data indicated that
the current system added significant energy cost
to the hospital’s bottom line. The recommended
AAF filters had significantly less resistance
and greater airflow, minimizing operating costs.
The hard data demonstrated that the
$in.wg./yr
for AHU 1 was $8,000, and the
$in.wg./yr
for AHU 2 was $4,902. It projected that the
energy savings for AHU 1, if the recommended
filters were adopted, was $11,800 per year,
while the projected energy savings for AHU 2 was
$7,100 per year. This recommended system, based
on the precise results of hard data, was found
to be a much more efficient and effective
solution for the hospital’s needs. A regular
changeout schedule was also recommended to meet
their objectives.
When the testing data was extrapolated to
encompass all of the buildings on the hospital
campus, the annual energy savings totaled an
incredible $398,725. Based on this analysis, the
projected annual energy savings for all 10 of
their facilities added up to over $571,640.
AAF Flanders then revisited the site to perform
the same testing using TCO Diagnostic, an
advanced analytical software tool. The analysis
projected the exact
same calculations as the direct
energy logging method. This validated that the
energy savings and total cost of ownership
calculations of TCO Diagnostic were accurate and
proved the program’s reliability for energy
savings through filtration. It is this ability
to combine real-life, local filter performance
results with local operating costs that
differentiates TCO Diagnostic from all other
total cost of ownership programs.
https://www.aafintl.com/en/commercial/proven-results/recommended-filtration-saves-energy
Filtration Group Recommends a TCO Approach to
Virus Protection
The Filtration Group references EPA findings
stating that
HVAC systems which aren't properly
serviced can be a hot bed for infectious
contaminate bypass starting with filters, then
settling in duct work that is ventilated
throughout the building. Fifty percent of all
illnesses are either caused or aggravated.
Indoor cold symptom transmission rates reported:
by poor IAQ.
The stigma and liability for indoor virus and
disease outbreak should be heavily considered as
a cost factor of TCO. Under these circumstances
the difference between changing system filters
on time and late can cause conditions where
unplanned air duct sanitizing and HVAC coil
cleaning becomes an unexpected expense. TCO
helps a facility manager recognize the value of
a filter product over time. Fiberglass air
filters at one time were a mainstream prefilter
component. The use of these MERV 4-6 air filters
was to protect mechanical systems from burn outs
and debris build up on coils– not the occupants
in the building. Fiberglass filters are now
viewed as an outdated solution due to the fact
that they are the lowest level of respiratory
protection of the humans in the building. The
increased change out rates will also drastically
increase HVAC service costs to negate any energy
cost reduction up front.
Viruses and bacteria travel throughout a
building by attaching themselves to larger
airborne particles. In order to eliminate them
from recirculating in the air stream, use of
HEPA and high efficiency air filters are the
first line of defense for a building's HVAC
system.
Filtration Group NOVAPLEAT Lowers TCO
Last
year the Filtration Group introduced AEROSTAR
NOVAPLEAT It engineered to improve indoor air
quality while having an equal or better total
cost of ownership compared to traditional MERV 8
pleated filters on the market today. Its design
incorporates an increased air particle removal
rate that captures 2.5x more airborne irritants
in the ASHRAE 1-3-micron range than the minimum
standard for a MERV 8 pleat. The filter’s
lifespan meets or exceeds normal standard
capacity product lifespans, supplying a seamless
replacement for less-efficient filtration.
Introducing the NOVAPLEAT X to any commercial
HVAC system change-out will benefit the overall
indoor air quality of a building as well as the
health of its occupants.
“Filtration Group is investing
in self-supported pleat technology as the format
offers an inherently lower cost structure that
is also environmentally friendly relative to
traditional wire-backed pleats,” Michael Bruce,
director of product management, said.
“Innovations in self-supported pleats align with
our mission of making the world safer, healthier
and more productive” The NOVAPLEAT X is
manufactured in an expansive range of standard
sizes to fit all types of applications looking
to make improvements in indoor air quality
without sacrificing energy efficiency. It is
designed for all types of applications:
commercial office, manufacturing and
distribution, educational facilities, healthcare
and pharma, hospitality, airport and
transportation hubs.
DAFCO Software Shows the Lower TCO of Its
Filters
DAFCO is the Canadian based
subsidiary of the Filtration Group.
The following elements help make up the Total
Cost of Ownership of HVAC systems and
the filters it uses:
– Filter Cost
– Labor Cost (installation and
removal of air filters)
– Energy Cost
– Waste
– Maintenance
Of these elements, Energy uses the
most at 81% with Investment and
Maintenance coming in second at 18.5%. The high
energy costs has a lot to do with what type of
filter you are using and what type of resistance
to air flow it has. The denser the media of the
filter, the higher average pressure drop or
Delta P will be, spiking energy costs. An
average Commercial Building uses over 50% of the
energy bill related to HVAC System. Using the
recommended DAFCO Filtration Group Air Filter a
building can reduce overall energy consumption
by 20% with better filter selection .
