BOCA FIRE RESCUE NET - City of Boca Raton

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Page 6 BOCA FIRE RESCUE EMS By: Bob Nelligan Division Chief Where has the Avian Flu gone? The stimulus for this update was my recent attendance at the International Disaster Management Conference in Orlando on February 20-22. While there, I met and discussed this topic with Danitza Tomianovic of the Miami Quarantine Station for the CDC. Assessment of the current situation from the CDC The highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) in Asia, Europe, the Near East, and Africa is not expected to diminish significantly in the short term. It is likely that H5N1 virus infections among domestic poultry have become endemic in certain areas and that sporadic human infections resulting from direct contact with infected poultry and/ or wild birds will continue to occur. So far, the spread of H5N1 virus from person-to-person has been very rare, limited and unsustainable. However, it continues to pose an important public health threat. Map: Affected areas with confirmed human cases since 2003 The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported human cases of H5N1 in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe and the Near East. Indonesia and Vietnam have reported the highest number of H5N1 cases to date. Overall mortality in reported H5N1 cases is approximately 60%. The majority of cases have occurred among children and adults aged less than 40 years old. Mortality was highest in cases aged 10-19 years old. Studies have documented the most significant risk factors for human H5N1 infection to be direct contact with sick or dead poultry or wild birds or visiting a live poultry market. Most human H5N1 cases have been hospitalized late in their illness with severe respiratory disease. The current cumulative number of confirmed human cases of H5N1 is 408; 255 of which have died. Despite the high mortality, human cases of H5N1 remain rare to date. There is little pre-existing natural immunity to H5N1 virus infection in the human population. If H5N1 viruses gain the ability for efficient and sustained transmission among humans, an influenza pandemic could result with potentially high rates of illness and death worldwide. Now that I have your attention! Some Facts: • Although low pathogenic avian influenza (H5N2) has been reported on very rare occasions in humans in the United States, the highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses have never been detected among wild birds, domestic poultry, or people in the U.S. • You cannot get avian influenza from properly handled and cooked poultry and eggs. • Studies done in labs suggest that prescription medicines approved for human influenza viruses should work in treating avian influenza infection in humans; however, influenza viruses can become resistant to these drugs so these drugs may not always work. Is there a vaccine available to protect humans from the H5N1 virus? Yes. The H5N1 vaccine, approved in April 2007 by the FDA, was developed as a safeguard against the possible emergence of an H5N1 pandemic virus. However, the H5N1 virus is not a pandemic virus (yet!) because it does not transmit efficiently from person to person, so the vaccine is being held in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile rather than being used by the general public. Summary The World Health Organization, in cooperation with countries all around the world, is keeping a watchful eye on this potential pandemic virus. Human cases are being monitored and treated aggressively. New cases among humans were down by 50% in 2008 from the previous year. Domestic and wild birds are being tested for H5N1 infection on a broad scale around the world in an effort to keep it in check. In the United States, the CDC and USDA have banned the importation of birds from areas where H5N1 has been documented. The federal regulation states that no person may import or attempt to import any birds, whether dead or alive, or any products derived from birds from the specified countries. For further and continuous updated information on the Avian Influenza, go to the web sites of the World Health Organization http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ avian_influenza/en/index.html and the Center for Disease Control http:// www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm. Not to be outdone by Emily, Clay Fredrick brought his mom, Shannon, in for a visit.
Page 7 BOCA FIRE RESCUE Communication By: Mike O’Neil Division Chief Apparatus Computers The Fire Department received 30 replacement laptop computers. These laptops will replace the current Data 911’s and allow easier updating of our Mobile CAD software. We ordered the laptops with an internal AVL card and will soon be able to view unit locations on our mapping system. OSSI CAD I recently attended a two day Computer Aided Dispatch Software (CAD) Administrator’s class hosted by our CAD vendor, OSSI. In class we built a CAD system as part of the training. This included entering all streets and address ranges, divisions, stations, units, unit recommendations, employees, run areas, and maps for a very small city. This class demonstrated the complexity and just how all the modules interact together for a functioning CAD system. What our personnel see on the MCT’s is just the output of hundreds of hours in data input and design. Rebanding The Communications Division is beginning to program the newly assigned frequencies into test radios. The Fire Department will have some test radios programmed around the first or second week of March. The test group will be monitored for any issues before programming the rest of our radios. We will not notice any difference in our operation until we switch the radio system controllers over to the FCC assigned frequencies. We do not have a firm cutover date yet but will have training before the switch to cover all locations of frequencies and Talkgroups. Special Ops By: Scott Johnston Division Chief Picture of personnel from multiple agencies working a rope system. We recently hosted a workshop put on by Petzel and Safety Solutions, which highlighted several new pieces of hardware now being used in the Fire Service, as well as the “Petzel XO” personal bail-out system. The XO bail-out system was designed as a joint venture between FDNY and Petzel in response to the tragic deaths of three FDNY members, and several others critically injured when they were forced out of a 4 th floor window due to fire overcoming the apartment they were in. Look up “Black Sunday” and you can read the complete story of the heroic efforts of these men. (You can find out more about Black Sunday at http://www.nypost.com/seven/01142009/ news/regionalnews/i_could_feel_fire_150069.htm) In attendance during this workshop were firefighters from Dade County Fire Rescue, Broward County Fire Rescue, Ft. Lauderdale Fire Rescue, Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, Okeechobee County Fire Rescue, and Boca Raton Fire Rescue. All personnel were extremely impressed with our new training facility and appreciative of our hospitality. This event so far is the largest multi-jurisdictional event to date held at our new training tower. Two groups were formed: one to get the chance to review the XO system and actually do some bailouts, and the other group got to use some new belay devices which makes evolutions such as victim pick offs extremely easy to switch between haul and lower systems. At the end of the workshop, Petzel presented us with a “Petzel ID” belay device worth approximately $150. This piece of equipment will be added to our High Angle Rescue equipment.
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BOCA FIRE RESCUE NET - City of Boca Raton

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