The discovery of a hazardous material closed the Volunteers in Medicine clinic Wednesday afternoon.

Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were dispatched to the clinic, at 940 North Marr Road, after a white powdery substance was found on a dollar bill retrieved from a donation box. He says that Columbus Police were the first to respond. Volunteers in Medicine staff members reportedly told them that a staff member was counting monetary donations from a drop box inside the facility, when the powder fell out of a folded bill and onto the counter-top. CPD then called for the Columbus Fire Department to help identify the substance.

Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters learned that three staff members were in the facility when the white powder was discovered. Capt. Wilson says that the facility was immediately closed to the public. After making sure that no one in the building was hurt, firefighters turned their efforts to identifying the powder.

During the initial response, CFD utilized the department’s hazardous materials response unit, “Haz-Mat 1.” Capt. Wilson says that this specialized unit contains equipment and resources used on a wide range of hazardous materials calls, including the identification of unknown substances. Arriving on the scene, the fire department’s hazardous materials technicians donned protective gear and prepared an infrared spectrometer unit. Wilson explains that this spectrometer has the ability to take a small sample of a substance and identify the makeup of the sample. He says that the resulting analyses revealed that the powder was methamphetamine. Upon determining the identification of the powder, firefighters collected the remaining methamphetamine and placed it in police custody.

Once the issue was resolved, Wilson says that firefighters briefed representatives of Columbus Regional Health. CFD Battalion Chief Mark Ziegler commended the Volunteers in Medicine staff for their handling of the situation, “You all did a great Job! You saw that something wasn’t right and you made the call,” he said.

No injuries were reported and the incident lasted about one hour. Police are unsure as to when the bill containing the meth was deposited in the donation box.