Monday, September 17, 2007

Not JUST a room and contents fire.

There has been much discussion within the FCFD about Cyanide exposures and (possible) poisoning. The HazMat equipment committee is currently researching cyanide detection devices for our HazMat team and Safety Officer's vehicle. Please review the info below on Cyanide poisoning. Since reviewing the info on Cyanide our approach to "JUST a basic room and content fire" should change especially during the overhaul period. Sure we can put the fire out but our exposure to this incredibly toxic gas is present and has a cumalitive effect on our bodies. Below is great info to share with your shift to encourage discussion and further research about Cyanide poisoning. - R. Kuley

For valuable info on Cyanide - click here

Cyanide & Fire Chiefs
By Janet Wilmoth (IChiefs)

How often after a fire or response do you hear firefighters complain of headaches, dizziness or achiness? These symptoms are pretty typical after a long, strenuous physical activity, dehydration or lack of sleep. Recent research indicates, however, that these symptoms could indicate cyanide poisoning, which occurs in firefighters more often than recognized.
Early last year, a firefighter in Providence, R.I., was diagnosed with cyanide poisoning after responding to a building fire. Over a period of 16 hours, seven more firefighters were diagnosed with cyanide poisoning, including one who suffered a heart attack. It was only through a series of coincidences that emergency-room physicians checked that last firefighter for cyanide poisoning.
After the diagnoses, Providence Deputy Asst. Chief Curtis Varone turned his attention to the dangers of cyanide poisoning. He said that quite a bit of research had been done about the effects of cyanide poisoning and possible impact on firefighters, but that research isn’t reaching the mainstream fire service.
According to Varone, blood tests aren’t done routinely for cyanide poisoning, and the nature of the chemical makes it difficult to detect. The half-life of toxic cyanide is one hour. If a firefighter is close to being toxic when he leaves the incident, within an hour his toxicity level has dropped by half. Another hour and it’s half again. It leaves the blood quickly, but continues to cause harmul effects, Varone said.
A second problem with diagnosing cyanide poisoning is that only eight laboratories in the United States can process the proper blood tests. Rhode Island Hospital is one of those eight and it stocks cyanide antidote kits.
Varone has been tracking the link between firefighters and cyanide poisoning and its correlation with firefighter heart attacks. Cyanide affects the organs involved with respiration, the brain and the heart.
Repeated exposure to cyanide can affect the heart, Varone said. “It would be possible for someone to show cardiac arrhythmia for up to two weeks after exposure.” Varone says that we could be underestimating the rist that cyanide exposure causes heart attacks.
Awareness is the important first step to prevention, Varone said. “Wearing the [SCBA] packs goes back to staffing: how many trucks at the fire, how many crews are available so nobody has to take their packs off.” Also using longer-duration bottles allow firefighters to be protected earlier and for longer.
Varone will present more information in “Cyanide: The Tip of the Iceberg” at the Fire Department Safety Officers Association Safety Forum, Oct. 31–Nov. 2 in Orlando, Fla. For details, go to http://www.fdsoa.org/ or call 508-881-3114.

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