I was surprised when the console officer paged me over the cell block's intercom yesterday afternoon…
I was told to report to my work assignment in the chapel. Because of the COVID-19 related lockdown, I haven't been to the chapel's office in almost two months.
It turned out that the Catholic chaplain called me in because an overhead sewer and water pipe started to leak inside the Protestant chaplain's office. A civilian maintenance crew came several hours earlier to fix the leaking pipe, but after they left, it was time to clean up the mess that was left behind.
As it turned out, a substantial amount of paperwork was ruined, and a number of books and pamphlets my chaplain kept on the shelves and on his desk, were too. So the officer who covers the area was nice enough to hand me a pair of plastic gloves, a spray bottle of bleach, and a large plastic garbage bag. I then went to work.
Using an assortment of recycled rags and the bleach, I cleaned and disinfected the office. I tossed out everything that was damaged. Once I was done, I took the now full trash bag, tied it up, and hauled it to a dumpster that was parked down the corridor.
Mission accomplished! I was back in my cell about two hours later. It felt good to be back in the chapel. I just wish it wasn't for a hazardous material spill.
D.B.
It turned out that the Catholic chaplain called me in because an overhead sewer and water pipe started to leak inside the Protestant chaplain's office. A civilian maintenance crew came several hours earlier to fix the leaking pipe, but after they left, it was time to clean up the mess that was left behind.
As it turned out, a substantial amount of paperwork was ruined, and a number of books and pamphlets my chaplain kept on the shelves and on his desk, were too. So the officer who covers the area was nice enough to hand me a pair of plastic gloves, a spray bottle of bleach, and a large plastic garbage bag. I then went to work.
Using an assortment of recycled rags and the bleach, I cleaned and disinfected the office. I tossed out everything that was damaged. Once I was done, I took the now full trash bag, tied it up, and hauled it to a dumpster that was parked down the corridor.
Mission accomplished! I was back in my cell about two hours later. It felt good to be back in the chapel. I just wish it wasn't for a hazardous material spill.
D.B.
