MARICOPA, Ariz. — The City of Maricopa has a new tool to combat coronavirus.
Believe it or not, it looks a lot like a lamp, except it radiates UVC light. This light can be used to sanitize tabletops, countertops, and other surfaces.
"The UVC just breaks down the DNA of any microorganism and just renders them harmless basically," Deputy Chief Christopher Bollinger with the City of Maricopa Fire and Medical said.
Firefighters simply have to activate the delayed start option and exit the room to use it.
"This thing will fire up. Ten minutes later they come back in, and the room is sanitized with the UVC light," Bollinger said.
To protect people from the potentially harmful rays, motion sensors automatically turn off the light if someone enters.
"We'll use it in the workout facilities and the offices, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedrooms, anything that basically has a surface area or air in it," Bollinger said.
This includes disinfecting emergency equipment.
Each unit costs about $4,000 and has a 9,000-hour life cycle; in other words, the deputy chief says a unit should last five to 10 years.
"They're going to be an addition to what we would normally do on all our cars to make sure we don't become transmitters of diseases," he said.