A language barrier led to an Ebola scare Wednesday afternoon in Columbia, causing first responders to don hazmat suits and police to block off a residential street before an ambulance crew ruled out the deadly virus.

The Columbia Fire Department and a Boone Hospital Center ambulance responded to a report of a sick person in the 500 block of Columbia Drive at about 3:50 p.m., Columbia Fire Department Battalion Chief John Metz said in a news release. The caller didn�t speak English and was unable to provide more information.

First responders were able to determine the person had been to Africa recently, and based on the travel history and symptoms, the ambulance crew initiated an infectious disease protocol, Metz said.

�The symptoms were enough that the ambulance crew was concerned,� he said.

Under the protocol, fire department and ambulance personnel wear hazardous materials suits while treating and moving the patient. Notification is sent to other agencies and hospitals.

�It�s really about putting our people in the right equipment� and opening lines of communication among agencies and keeping them open, Metz said.

Communication last night is what made the event run smoothly, he said.

�Fortunately, it was a false alarm, but it showed us that planning, preparing and practicing paid off,� Metz said. Six firetrucks and an ambulance responded, he said. Police also blocked access to the street during the call.

Metz said a language barrier contributed to the situation. Initial attempts to communicate with the man and a family member stalled, Metz said. The ambulance crew used a telephone translation service. The effort was initially unsuccessful, but the ambulance crew eventually learned the man had not been to West Africa or any other area affected by the recent Ebola outbreak. Ebola was then ruled out, he said.

The incident was downgraded to a standard emergency. Metz said it was about 45 minutes after the call was dispatched, as crews were loading the man into the ambulance, that the determination was made that he was not high-risk.

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services was alerted to a situation with a possible high-risk patient at 4:20 p.m., spokeswoman Andrea Waner said. Communication lines were kept open with the fire department, Office of Emergency Management and University Hospital, she said. She, like Metz, said recent training to prepare for an infectious disease case paid off, despite this one being a false alarm.

�We�re just glad we had the partnerships formed to openly communicate yesterday,� Waner said.

In the event a person with an infectious disease such as Ebola is in the area, first responders would take the patient to University Hospital and initiate quarantine if necessary, Waner said. The health department would monitor the patient, track travels and trace the person�s contacts, she said, and notify any people who had come in contact with the person.

This story was first published online on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 6:16 p.m.