Disposing of meth lab takes money, manpower
Two weeks ago, Marion County law enforcement officials busted a meth lab in Florence. It took six officers, eight hours, and $800 of equipment that can never be used again — all to make the residence safe again.
When the day was over, it took more than $5,000 to clean up just one meth lab.
This scenario happens over and over again as sheriff's officers and police officers encounter meth labs in Marion County. Because once the suspect is out of the house, that's when the cleanup begins.
And cleaning up a meth lab takes lots of manpower, lots of equipment, and lots of money — a bill that's footed by the taxpayers.
Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Soyez is the county's authority on illegal drugs. He was at the Florence bust on Jan. 14 — called there on his day off.
But how does it all start? Where do officials begin at a meth lab bust?
First, the group of officers brought to the scene gather for a briefing. They learn about the suspect inside the house: Does he have a prior conviction? Is he likely to have a weapon? Is he even in the house right now?
Then the group is stationed around the house. A good "team" would have four officers, Soyez said. In the ideal situation, there would be four more officers — one stationed on each side of the house, in case the suspect flees.
But before all this happens, officers who will be going inside the house have to get into protective gear. That's done at another location, Soyez said, and it takes a person 15 to 20 minutes to get ready.
Here's the rundown: First, each officer puts on a "Level C" biohazard suit. It's made of an impenetrable plastic with elastic at the end of the legs and arms. The officer also puts on layers of boots and gloves.
That covers up the body. On the head, each officer must wear a SCBA — self-contained breathing apparatus. Breathing tanks are attached to the SCBA, and a mask is placed over the officer's face. Then a hood goes over the head.
If that's not enough, the entire thing now has to be completely sealed off. Another officer takes a roll of duct tape and tapes up any openings at the legs, arms, and head.
Officers easily use half a roll of duct tape per man, Soyez said.
It takes 15 to 20 minutes to get ready, he said. Once you're sealed inside, it can get very hot inside the suit. There's no air ventilation.
And getting inside a car with all that gear on is tough, Soyez said.
Officers are allowed 45 minutes inside the suit before they have to take a break, he said. To cool down, they might come outside and be sprayed down by water while standing in a child's pool (to collect contaminated water).
The meth lab environment is a deadly one. Anhydrous ammonia, in its liquid form, can freeze human tissue. Its vapors can damage human lungs when they reach 300 parts per million.
The same goes for phosphene gas, the vapor that results when ephedrine is combined with AA to make meth. Just a few parts per million of phosphene gas can kill you.
When the officers are ready to go into the house, they first search the residence for the meth lab. Then they identify what kind it is — either a "P2P" or "Nazi" method of making meth.
The Nazi method is the easiest method, so it's the most common method the county sees, Soyez said. P2P is the most dangerous, since it uses heat to create the final product.
The area inside the house is called the "hot zone." The yard surrounding the house is the "warm zone," and the street is the "cool zone" — safe for anyone, Soyez said. Everyone in the warm and hot zones must wear protective gear.
Inside the house, officers first take the components of the lab and put them on the front porch, he said. Then they go through everything, identifying and labeling each item.
With the meth items on the porch, the officers open all the doors and windows of the house to get some ventilation. They're constantly taking readings of the air to see how contaminated it is.
Once the officers have gone through the meth lab items, it's time to call the state. The officers contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, who gives the OK for a Kansas Department Health and Environment hazmat team to come out to the site. The hazmat team is based in Wichita.
By now, the officers have been on site for about four hours. But once the hazmat team arrives, they take over and begin the decontamination. They take away containers, chemicals, neutralize anhydrous ammonia with water — anything to make the house completely clean.
All this is with the permission of the KBI and the county attorney's office.
After the hazmat team is done, anyone off the street should be able to enter the house, Soyez said.
Finally, after the entire process is complete, the officers in suits go through decontamination. They're showered off while standing in a series of "kiddie pools," working their way down to the cool zone on the street.
By the end of the process, the officers have taken off their biohazard suits and are standing in just boots, gloves, and their normal clothes. Each suit cannot be re-used after a meth lab cleanup, Soyez said.
It's a full day's worth of work, and the State of Kansas picks up the tab for everything, he said.
Later this spring, Hillsboro officers Jesse Hiebert and Chad Funk will head to the Kansas Highway Patrol center in Salina for "meth lab school." For one week they'll learn everything there is to know about methamphetamine.
Soyez went to meth lab school two years ago, and today's training sessions tell much more than they used to, he said.
Officers constantly need more training because meth manufacturers are becoming more and more creative in their methods.
"These people are ingenious," Soyez said.
