Local Firemen Pitching in to Fight Bird Flu Outbreak

While the heart of the bird flu epidemic is still hundreds of miles away from Burlington, two Burlington Firefighters are working in Northwest Iowa to combat the virus.

Burlington Fire Chief Matt Trexel told the Burlington City Council on Monday that Cpt. Scott Hoschek and Firefighter Nate Skifstad are currently on a two-week deployment to Northwest Iowa, assisting in Hazmat operations on bird flu stricken farms.

“They’re working around Shelton, Iowa…most they’re going to be supervising [loading the birds] into the vehicles, and they have to inspect them to make sure there isn’t blood dripping or feathers or anything that could spread the disease hanging off of the truck. They have to make sure it’s clean,” Trexel said.

Trexel says that the deployment, as well as overtime pay at the fire department, is being paid for by the state’s emergency management agency. He says that the firemen are gaining important Hazmat training experience.

Bird flu, the H5N2 virus, has impacted more than 60 farms across the state and roughly 30 million chickens and turkeys, all of whom must be euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease. Last week, Governor Terry Branstad extended a state of emergency through June in response to the outbreak.