- Since March 25, the NGO DYA has been carrying out disinfection work with firefighters in the Emergency area of the Hospital of Navarra, where there is room to clean four ambulances. “It’s not as nice or safe as ensuring the safety of a concert, but we’re there to help you and as long as we can’t stay home,” says Maria Eito, Iñigo Oliuno, Damián Castro and Elisa Rekalde, volunteers. The photographic report by Mikel Urabaien Otamendi has brought to light the work of volunteers.
In 1977 the DYA was born, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection of health from road accidents. Over these 43 years, the members of the association have been adapting their assistance to different situations according to their needs. It is normal to find in jars, football matches or voluntary parties dressed in yellow among the crowd, as well as ambulances painted with that characteristic color. However, they have not been left behind in this COVID-19 crisis: since March 25, disinfection work is being carried out with firefighters in the emergency area of the Hospital de Navarra. There, the DYA organizes two daily rounds of four people and has a special suit to prevent contamination.
The photographic report by Mikel Urabaien Otamendi has brought to light the work of volunteers.
On site there is a cleaning post for four ambulances. Depending on the degree of contamination possible, they are disinfected with ozone or with simple bleach. The DYA needs 20 liters of water for cleaning every day. When the vans arrive next to the tent, they empty themselves and for half an hour spray the interior with ozone, while the beds are cleaned with the two methods.
Subsequently, the clothes contaminated by the health personnel are removed and the volunteers classify them as a disinfection zone: reusable, with a 72-hour quarantine and single use. There is not much suit and besides helping to handle it very carefully and carefully, if something is broken, you have to fix it as possible, for example, by means of an insulating tape.
"We're there to help."
On this occasion there are no massive events, nor too many road accidents, as has been disrupted by the importance of fires. In addition, they are also in danger. But the coronavirus crisis has not been rejected by the volunteers, who have re-adapted once again, even though the tools at their disposal are scarce: “It’s not as nice or safe as ensuring the safety of a concert, but we’re there to help and as long as we can’t stay at home,” said volunteers Maria Eito, Iñigo Oliuno, Damián Castro and Elisa Rekalde.