CDC posts Ebola guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted Start of Search Controls Top of Form Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for Management of Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in the United States. The information is for managers of 9-1-1 PSAPs, EMS agencies, EMS systems, law enforcement agencies, fire service agencies, and individual EMS providers including emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, and any other medical first responders. EMS responders are offered guidance in handling inquiries, responding to patients with suspected Ebola symptoms, and keeping workers safe. Read more at http://bit.ly/1ByeG9x.

The entire CDC document is at http://1.usa.gov/1qyt8eP.

Safety testing of Ebola vaccine candidates underway

The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest in history and is estimated to have caused 2,473 infections and more than 1,400 suspected and confirmed deaths in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone since March 2014, when the outbreak was first reported, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak is the first in West Africa and the first to affect urban areas. In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the number of Ebola cases in West Africa could reach 1.4 million by the end of January if trends continue without an immediate and massive scale-up in response. Researchers say the total number of cases is vastly underreported.

According to CDC Director Tom Frieden, this estimate does not reflect actions taken or planned since August by the United States and the international community, actions that, he notes, [the CDC] anticipates will slow the spread of the epidemic. He noted at press time that the epidemic could still be reversed if enough sick patients can be contained in medical facilities, Ebola treatment units, or other facilities where the risk of transmission is reduced. Many hospitals are filled to capacity, and patients must be turned away from treatment centers that are also overcrowded.

The United States recently has committed to a $750 million initiative that would establish treatment facilities in Liberia, and the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously in September to create an emergency medical mission to respond to the outbreak, according to the CDC. According to “FACT SHEET: U.S. Response to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa,” President Obama has declared the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the humanitarian crisis there “a top national security priority for the United States.” He said in an address to the American people in September that “the United States is partnering with the United Nations and other international partners to help the Governments of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal respond just as we fortify our defenses at home.”

Read more at http://bit.ly/1plVeXV.

Enterovirus D68 outbreak

From mid-August to September 26, 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or state public health laboratories have confirmed a total of 277 people from 40 states and the District of Columbia with respiratory illness caused by EV-D68. Hospitals in Missouri and Illinois were the first to document this increase that was later identified to be caused predominantly by EV-D68 infection.

The CDC is prioritizing testing of specimens from children with severe respiratory illness. Of the specimens tested by CDC labs, about half have tested positive for EV-D68. About one-third have tested positive for an enterovirus or rhinovirus other than EV-D68. EV-D68 is a nonpolio enterovirus. Enteroviruses are very common and cause about 10 to 15 million infections in the United States each year, according to the CDC. At press time, the CDC expected that there would be more confirmed cases of EV-D68 infection in the approaching weeks, since several states were investigating clusters of people with severe respiratory illness and specimens were still being tested for EV-D68.

Although summer and fall are considered the seasons for these viruses, many state health departments have reported increases in the usual numbers of cases of severe respiratory illness in children this year and EV-D68 appears to be the predominant type of enterovirus.

The CDC had been working with partners in Colorado to investigate the reports of nine children who were hospitalized for acute neurologic illness with limb weakness of unknown cause. The children were being tested for poliovirus, West Nile virus, and enteroviruses. Investigations into these and other possible infectious and noninfectious causes are ongoing. See http://1.usa.gov/1uWDhSU.

Anyone can become infected with nonpolio enteroviruses; however, infants, children, and teenagers are more likely to get infected and become sick because they do not yet have immunity (protection) from previous exposures to the viruses, according to the CDC. Most people who get infected with nonpolio enteroviruses do not get sick or may have mild illness, like the common cold, the CDC explains. Infants and people with weakened immune systems have a greater chance of experiencing complications.

You can become infected with nonpolio enteroviruses through close contact with an infected person or by touching objects or surfaces that have the virus on them and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

There is no vaccine to protect from nonpolio enterovirus infection. You can help protect yourself and others from nonpolio enterovirus infections by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after using the toilet and changing diapers; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.

There is no specific treatment for nonpolio enterovirus infection. People with mild illness typically only need symptom treatment and usually recover completely. However, some illnesses caused by nonpolio enteroviruses can be severe enough to require hospitalization. If there is any concern about symptoms, consult a health care provider. Additional information is at http://1.usa.gov/1AsawQ5.

Sen. MikulskI CFSI Legislator of the Year

The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) has selected Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) the 2014 CFSI Legislator of the Year.

The current chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Mikulski has been a leading advocate for the nation’s fire and emergency services and has been very influential in securing and maintaining funding for a number of fire service programs, according to the CFSI. In addition, she has been a leading proponent of the United States Fire Administration and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Charlottesville (VA) FD catalyst for city’s technology award

The City of Charlottesville, Virginia, was awarded the Enhanced Situational Awareness Award at a special ceremony in Richmond in September. The award, in the category of Innovative Use of Technology in Local Government, was part of the annual Governor’s Technology Awards.

The Charlottesville Fire Department was the lead agency for a project that has evolved into a commercially available paradigm-changing solution called the “VIISE Situation Room,” which enables and simplifies the method of sharing geospatial operational information (among all levels of government, all public safety disciplines, and the private sector) on a daily basis and during significant events or emergency incidents.

This project leverages existing data from its source, allows more information to be added, and engages ESRI’s ArcGIS Online to share information more easily and effectively, according to a press release. It makes more information available in near time so the best decisions can be made. The project received a Department of Homeland Security grant for a Virginia pilot to replicate this solution in other localities in the Commonwealth. This project enables responders to have critical information at their fingertips via Web, Android, and iOS apps and can be put into operation within five minutes, even by a first-time user.

NFPA: in 2013, a fire every 25 seconds

Every 25 seconds, a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the United States, according the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report Fire Loss in the United States during 2013.

Among the statistics cited in the report for 2013 are the following:

• Public fire departments responded to 1,240 million fires, which represents a decrease of 9.8 percent from the year before.
• There were 3,240 civilian deaths, an increase of 13.5 percent since 2012.
• There were 15,925 injuries, a decrease of 3.5 percent from the year before.
• The number of structure fires has steadily declined in recent years, from their peak of 1,098 million in 1977 to 487,500 in 2013.
• Property damage of roughly $11.5 billion occurred as a result of fire; home fires represented $7 billion of the property loss.
• Intentionally set fires in structures decreased across the board: There was a 16.7 percent decrease in civilian deaths and a 0.7 percent reduction in property damage.

NWCG offers WUI Wildfire Mitigation Desk Reference Guide

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has created a Wildland-Urban Interface Wildfire Mitigation Desk Reference Guide that is designed to provide basic background information on relevant programs and terminology for community members and agency personnel who are seeking to enhance their community’s wildfire mitigation efforts. The four primary objectives of the reference guide follow:

• Provide a reference to assist with integrating wildland-urban interface mitigation principles into national wildland fire training;
• Promote common wildfire mitigation language and culture;
• Establish an authoritative source for wildland-urban interface mitigation information; and
• Provide consistent definitions for use by all media.

Fire chiefs endorse position papers

Fire chiefs from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom participated in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Forum (UFF) in Quincy, Massachusetts, in September. Among those attending were United States Fire Administrator Chief Ernest Mitchell, International Association of Fire Chiefs CEO and Executive Director Mark Light, United Kingdom Chief Fire & Rescue Advisor Peter Holland, and Chief Fire Officers Association of the United Kingdom’s incoming President Peter Dartford. The group endorsed the following documents as official UFF-Metro Chief position papers: Fire and Smoke as a Weapon, Fire Behavior and Tactical Considerations, and Fire-Based Community Healthcare Provider Programs. All are available at http://www.nfpa.org/urbanfireforum.

NIOSH introduces new Web page

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Emergency Preparedness and Response Office has announced its new Web page http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/?s_cid=3ni7d2eml09102014.

The Office offers the following services:

• Assistance on the selection and use of personal protective equipment.
• Review and clearance for guidance documents and communication materials.
• Coordination with other agencies and volunteer groups on occupational safety and health matters.
• Responses to questions from businesses on how to protect their employees.
• Health care facility design and engineering support for treatment facilities in Africa.

NFPA wins fema grant for online vehicle training

The http://www.nfpa.org/“>National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) will develop an “Alternate Fuel Vehicle Safety Training” online program for firefighters with funding it received from the http://www.fema.gov“>Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “Assistance to Fire Fighters–Fire Prevention and Safety” grant program. The free training program will cover incidents involving electric, hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas and passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses. The online alternative fuel vehicle safety training programs will be available free of charge for the next year.