Environmental Injuries - Poison Plants

Poison Ivy image courtesy of D. Bjorn, Cathin' Up on Flickr

Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac are prevalent throughout the state.  Do you know how to identify them?  Do you know what to do if you come in contact with them?  Did you know that if poison ivy burns that the smoke can get on your gear and you can come into contact with it later that way?  Urushiol, the toxin found in these plants can bind to anything – by touch, or by air if the plant is burning - you, your gear, the dog you rescue, your apparatus, hose, and tools.  ANYTHING. 

Quick tips for avoiding injuries from poisonous plants:

• Suit up to avoid it touching your skin.
• Wear gloves in case it came in contact with your hose or tools.
• Watch animals. They won’t be itching but it can be carried from their fur to your body.
• Wear the respirator your department provides in case any of these plants might be burning nearby. The gases from these plants can cause serious respiratory problems.
• Watch out for it. Poison ivy grows as a vine or shrub and can be found on riverbanks and woodland edges. Poison oak usually grows as a shrub. Poison sumac grows as a woody shrub.

Here in Texas we not only get to worry about poison ivy, but also poison oak and poison sumac. Learn to identify these plants, recognize symptoms, and learn how to treat the consequences of coming into contact with these plants from these resources:

• Poisonous Plants (CDC)
• Protecting Yourself From Poisonous Plants – Print and put up on your bulletin board (NIOSH)
• Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac (NIH)
• Poison Oak and Ivy Training Video
• Identifying these plants (CDC)  
  

Do you have experience with poison plants? 

Some people swear by comfrey, alcohol rubs, soap and water, over the counter products, and even shoe polish for removing poison ivy from tools or for treating poison ivy rashes.  The FDA suggests Ivy Block for preventing rashes.  What’s your trick for treating, or preventing the spread of, poison ivy when you’re unlucky enough to get caught by it?

Environmental Injuries - Heat Stress

It’s hot out there.  No surprise there. 

Heat Indicator courtesy of the FAA's website

Heat exhaustion comes on slowly, but heat stroke comes on fast.  Both are hard to avoid in your line of work.  And, did you know that heat stress can lead to problems like lower performance levels and slips & falls?  Heat stress is caused by high temperatures and dehydration, but they can be stopped with preparation and proper treatment as they begin. 

Quick tips for avoiding heat stress: 

• Pay attention to yourself and others.
• Know what it looks and feels like:  red and dry skin, throbbing headaches, dizziness, confusion, disorientation, delusion, irritability, nausea, swollen tongue, rapid heart rate.   
• Drink lots of cool water or cool non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated beverages.
• Take breaks and apply cool compresses to your body to regulate body temperature.

TCFP Library videos about heat stress

• HEAT, HEART, AND HEALTH
  AV07-2100  Length: 60:00  Format: DVD  Author: FETN
• HEAT: WORKING IN HOT ENVIRONMENTS
  AV05-1863  Length: 25:00  Format: DVD  Author: EMERGENCY FILM GROUP
• EMERGENCY INCIDENT REHABILITATION, PART 1 & 2
  AV06-1950  Length: 60:00  Format: DV  Author: FETN

Tips for your Rehab program

• Emergency Incident Rehabilitation (USFA) Chapter Two: Heat Stress and the Firefighter. Includes Rehab SOPs.
• Firefighter Hydration During Rehab (Fire Engineering, December 2006)
• Proper Hydration Is Not As Simple as H2O (Fire Chief, August 2001)
• Working in Hot Environments (NIOSH) 
• Firerehab.com's Heat Exhaustion webpage 

Learn more about NFPA 1584 - Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training Exercises
The Elephant on the Fireground: Secrets of NFPA 1584-Compliant Rehab (Fire Engineering, 2008)
Contact the library if you need assistance adhering to or if you need help locating sample SOPs for rehabilitation. 


What are other departments doing?

Austin Fire Department recently obtained a rehab truck.  Check it out!

Contact the library if you’d like help writing a grant proposal to get such a van for your department.

Spread the word about being safe in the extreme heat with this humorous, and smart, video.  

Stay tuned for information on avoiding another common Environmental Injuries... 
Poison Plants

Welcome to our new blog, "Avoid Injury!"

What the heck are we doing with those injuries you've been reporting?

As you are aware, the Texas legislature recently mandated that regulated fire departments report all firefighter injuries to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) via our FIDO reporting system, and that the commission make recommendations for avoiding injuries, based on the reported injuries.  In addition to their recommendations, we wanted to be able to provide with you some feedback and information on what you have been providing to us. 

Our newest informational resource, Avoid Injury!, will bring you up-to-date information on the injuries departments are reporting to the TCFP.  You’ll get to see what other departments are experiencing, think about how your department stacks up, and then we’ll provide you with tips for avoiding these injuries. 

2010

TCFP has been collecting injury data from you since March 2010.  By the end of 2010 we only had 20% of the regulated entities reporting injuries, but we moved forward with our mandated report. 

The 2010 firefighter injuries report was passed and approved by the commission earlier this year.  To see the recommendations from the commission on the 2010 injuries visit the commission’s webpage.

2011

Thus far in 2011, we have 90% of the regulated entities reporting injuries or “no injuries.”
Thank you to all those departments that have reported your injuries!

46% Report “No Injuries”

44% Report at least one injury

10% have not reported either way

Check out the types of injuries reported in 2011, thus far:

Types of Injuries	Total (8/15/2011)
Strain-Sprain	1192
Exposure Airborne Pathogen	287
Exposure Blood Pathogen	140
Environmental	137
Wound	322
Broken Spine-Neck	2
Bites-Stings	49
Broken Bones	29
Burns	91
Chest Pains-Cardiac	32
Debris/Penetrating	32
Electrocution	5
Exposure-Chemical	35
Hearing Loss - Acute	8
Hearing Loss - Chronic	4
Heart Attack	2
Pain Medical Unspecified	28
Smoke-Gas Inhalation	31
Stroke	2
Grand Total	2428

As you can see, Sprains & Strains, Exposure Injuries, Environmental Injuries, and Wounds are the most common types of reported injuries.   Over the next few months we’ll be focusing on these types of injuries, so check back here regularly to help keep your team safe.

Environmental Injuries

Check out the types of Environmental Injuries that have been reported in 2011, thus far:

Environmental Injuries by Type (2011) - click to enlarge

 As you can see, Heat Exhaustion and Poison Plants make up most of the Environmental Injuries reported in 2011.  Since we’re in the dog days of summer right now, we plan to focus on these types of Environmental Injuries over the next few weeks!

Coming Soon:

• Learn to identify poisonous plants. 
• Learn how to spot someone suffering from heat stress.
• Learn how to avoid suffering the itchiness and dehydration common amongst first responders during the summer months.