In its October 16, 2009 “2009 H1N1 Flu: Situation Update,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the following: “During the week of October 4-10, 2009, influenza activity continued to increase in the United States from the previous week.” The Update cited a summary of key indicators for this observation:
- Visits to doctors for influenza-like illness (ILI) were higher than what were expected for that time of the year. ILI activity was equal to or higher than what was seen at the peak of many regular flu seasons.
- Hospitalization rates for laboratory-confirmed flu were climbing and were higher than expected for that time of year.
- The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza based on the 122 Cities Report exceeded what was normally expected at that time of year.
- Eleven flu-related pediatric deaths were reported that week; 10 of the deaths were confirmed 2009 H1N1. The other death was attributed to influenza A; the subtype was undetermined.
- Since April 2009, 86 pediatric 2009 H1N1 deaths were confirmed; 39 were reported to the CDC since August 30, 2009.
- Forty-one states were reporting widespread influenza activity at that time.
- Almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far were 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses. The viruses remain similar to the virus chosen for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine and remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir, with rare exception.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
September 9. Fire Police Captain/Chaplain Richard Holst, 60, Huntington Manor (NY) Fire Department: official cause of death not yet determined.
September 11. Firefighter/Operator Ricky Christiana, 44, David Crockett Volunteer Fire Company #2, Gretna, LA: apparent heart attack.
September 13. Firefighter Terry Sharon, 60, Monterey Fire Department, Owenton, KY: heart attack.
October 2. Firefighter Patrick Joyce, 39, Yonkers (NY) Fire Department: injuries sustained when he jumped out of a third-story window to escape a rapidly spreading fire in a residential structure.
October 6. Captain Carl Nordwall, 56, Norfolk (VA) Airport Fire Department: heart attack.
October 17. Firefighter Gary D. Street, 60, East Lake Sinclair Volunteer Fire Department, Sparta, GA: apparent heart attack.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
USFA recommends responder H1N1 vaccinations
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has recommended that firefighters who provide emergency medical services and EMS workers receive the H1N1 vaccination.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) had recommended that healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, as well as the following population groups, receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine as soon as it is available in their communities: pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age, persons between the ages of six months and 24 years, and people ages 25 through 64 who are at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.
“Given that firefighters and EMS personnel who provide direct patient care are eligible for early vaccination, their first responder agencies should be contacting their local doctors’ offices, clinics, local health department, or other agencies to make arrangements for their workforces to be vaccinated as soon as supplies of the H1N1 vaccine are received in their jurisdictions,” said U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin J. Cochran.
“Receiving vaccinations for both seasonal influenza and the H1N1 influenza is important to ensuring the well-being of the first responder workforces, their families, and the patients to whom they provide emergency medical care, Cochran explained. In addition, he said, [vaccinating personnel] will also help to ensure that their agencies will be able to continue to provide critical services to their communities during periods when there may be an increased demand for emergency medical care resulting from the H1N1 virus.”
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, studies have shown that the H1N1 vaccine injection and the seasonal flu vaccine injection can be given simultaneously.
First responders and agencies may obtain additional information on the H1N1 influenza pandemic at the following Web sites: www.flu.gov/, www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/, www.usfa.dhs.gov/, and www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_ems.htm/.
More than 5,000 attend Fallen Firefighters weekend
“As long as there is an America and an American fire service, there will be a debt that we must strive to pay due to their selfless commitment to saving lives and property,” U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin J. Cochran told the more than 5,000 family members and friends of firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2008 and previous years; members of the fire service; Administration officials; and members of Congress in attendance at the 28th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, October 2-4, 2009. The 103 firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty in 2008 and 19 firefighters who had given their lives in previous years were memorialized during a program that included music, tributes, and the reading of their names.
Keynote speaker and Congressional Fire Services Caucus Co-Chair Steny Hoyer (MD) paid tribute to the fallen firefighters:
They died because there was something in each of their lives that they valued more than life: their duty, their calling to protect the safety of their families, and their fellow citizens. They are ready to shout down tens of thousands of years of human instinct to run into danger, into the fire, into the flood, into the catastrophe.
The fallen firefighters’ names have been inscribed on a plaque that will be placed among other plaques surrounding the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, established in 1981, which contains the names of more than 3,300 firefighters. Additional information on the Memorial Weekend is at Weekend.FireHero.org/.
Firefighters’ journey to combat cancer
On September 14 in Los Angeles, California, firefighters kicked off their “CODE 3 for a Cure” journey across America and Canada to stamp out cancer. Los Angeles Council Member Tom LaBonge led active and retired firefighter/cancer survivors on their mission “to extinguish cancer forever.” President and Founder Lorenzo Abundiz, a retired Santa Ana, California, firefighter who has fought three types of cancer, founded the CODE 3 initiative.
The firefighters drove a fire engine across America and into Canada to unite with firefighters in the war against all types of cancer. The firefighters shared their cancer experiences and stressed the need for early cancer screenings for firefighters and the public. The group will use the donations they received to provide financial assistance to firefighters diagnosed with cancer who are experiencing financial hardship.
The CODE 3 firefighters carried a memorial fire bell, which was used in fire department ceremonies throughout the country to honor their fallen comrades. One seat on the fire engine was left empty at all times to signify the loss of a firefighter from cancer. Throughout the journey, the CODE 3 firefighters collected the names of firefighters who have died from cancer and placed their names on that seat of honor. At the end of their journey, the CODE 3 firefighters participated in a fire department memorial service during which the names collected during the journey were read as the fire bell was sounded once for each name.
Top Hollywood celebrities have expressed their support for the cause on WWW.CODE3FORACURE.ORG/, which provides information about the group and its activities. The organization’s e-mail address is firefighters@code3foracure.org/.
APCO and ANSI approve core competencies
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have jointly developed a standard that outlines the core competencies and responsibilities for public safety communications operations.
APCO ANS 1.106.1-2009, Core Competencies for Public Safety Communications Manager/Director, provides guidance for public safety communications managers, directors, and agencies and helps to prepare the next generation of managers and directors now working at various levels within public safety communications centers, according to APCO. The areas of core competencies identified include managing self and personal skills, providing direction, facilitating change, working with people, using resources, and achieving results. The standard, approved by ANSI on August 31, 2009, can be downloaded at http://apcointl.org/new/commcenter911/APCOstandards.php/.
California wildfires put focus on prevention methods
A recent Society for Range Management conference noted “the need for national plans with priorities for times of wildfire crisis.” The June 2009 issue of Rangelands, a publication of the Society for Range Management, features a section devoted to wildfires and invasive plant species—often a source of fuel for fires. The topical papers grew out of a discussion in five workshops at the December 2008 conference, “SRM Center for Professional Education and Development: Wildfires and Invasive Plants in American Deserts.” The workshops were dedicated to identifying funding sources, science needs, and implementation strategies for policy makers and land managers.
The magazine articles and conference agenda, according to Rangeland, focused on ways to prevent wildfires that involved suppressing invasive species of plants, creating green strips, implementing assisted migration, and avoiding actions that disseminate invasive plants and facilitate their spread. The full text of “SRM Center for Professional Education and Development: Wildfires and Invasive Plants in American Deserts” conference is at http://www2.allenpress.com/pdf/RALA_31.3_i1551-Final.pdf/.
NVFC establishes volunteer health and safety priorities
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has released a series of health and safety priorities that address critical health and safety issues that affect the volunteer fire service.
NVFC’s Health and Safety Committee developed the “Volunteer Firefighter Health and Safety Priorities” contained in a series of Behavior, Equipment, Standards, Training (B.E.S.T.) practices in the following four areas:
- Behavior: Support the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of all personnel. Operate all emergency apparatus and privately owned vehicles to conform to the highest road safety standards and enforce the use of seat belts. Develop, practice, and enforce recommended health and safety standards for all personnel. Monitor and ensure that all active emergency scenes maintain the utmost level of safety and fireground accountability.
- Equipment: Provide and require the proper use of full personal protective equipment. Maintain all equipment based on established safety recommendations.
- Standards: Encourage the use of all smoke, fire detection, and fire suppression devices, including fire sprinkler systems, in all structures. Vigorously enforce all fire safety codes and ordinances. Obtain apparatus and equipment that meet national safety standards.
- Training: Use fire training programs that conform to the highest professional standards. Operate a safe fire training ground at all times. Establish, maintain, and deliver fire safety programs for all age groups.
The NVFC highly encourages departments to adopt and adhere to the B.E.S.T. practices to protect their personnel from harm. Fire departments were mailed a ”Priorities” poster to display in their stations; this initiative was supported by Provident Agency. The poster can also be downloaded at www.nvfc.org/health_safety/. Additional hard copies may be ordered from the NVFC office at 1-888-ASK-NVFC (275-6832) or by e-mail at nvfcoffice@nvfc.org/. In the future, the NVFC will release a series of articles that further explores the B.E.S.T. practices.
Study’s goal: reduce number of firefighter injuries
The University of Waterloo in Canada, the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Athletes’ Performance, and the Pensacola (FL) Fire Department are jointly engaged in research that may help reduce the potential for firefighter injury. The study is funded primarily by a grant from the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
The research study began at the Andrews Institute in April 2009. More than 75 firefighters are participating. The first portion of the study includes a qualitative screening to determine if a firefighter is able to complete the various components of the study. If cleared, the firefighters undergo a fitness test to gauge their current fitness level. During the fitness test, participants undergo a battery of physical tests that measure strength and power; a V02 test, a standard aerobic capacity evaluation that measures cardiovascular fitness; and a skin fold test to measure body composition. These tests are followed by a biomechanical testing session in which muscle and movement patterns are monitored during general and simulated firefighting tasks to determine if specific training can improve their movement patterns during occupational tasks and prevent injury in the field. Some indirect evidence suggests that firefighters who have trouble controlling their normal body mechanics may be more susceptible to low-back and other musculoskeletal injuries than firefighters who exhibit excellent body control, according to the Andrews Institute.
Subjects will be taught ways to move and activate muscles instead of just becoming physically fit. Elements of fitness, such as strength or muscular endurance, used to identify occupational readiness often disregard how the tasks are being performed. Consequently, says the Andrews Institute, individuals appearing to be the most physically prepared could move their bodies in ways that predispose them to a higher risk of injury.
The data collected from biomechanical analyses of the firefighters while they perform various work-related and nonwork-related physical duties will help determine why some firefighters may be susceptible to injury when fulfilling their occupational duties and provide information that can be used to develop evidence-based physical training programs. Following these preliminary analyses, the researchers will integrate training methodology into an intervention study that compares firefighters’ “movement-centric” approach with a conventional “fitness-centric” program to determine what effect individualized movement coaching can have on preparing firefighters to meet the physical demands of their profession while also reducing their potential for injury.
The firefighters will then meet with a performance coach in Florida for 12 weeks. These 90-minute training sessions are held three times a week throughout the training period. After the 12-week training program is completed, the firefighters will undergo another round of fitness and biomechanical testing for final data collection.
This work with the firefighters was just getting underway at press time.
