Mainline - San Francisco Firefighters Local 798

you know someone who has had one
of these infections and if not, you most
likely will soon.
In 2007, the Tucson Fire Department and
the University of Arizona College Of Public
Health engaged in a study to investigate
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA) in the firefighter and
EMS provider environment. The results
were shocking in that they found it in a
nuber of places —where you sit, sleep,
live a n d e at. T h i s st u d y d e term
i n e d the occurrence and frequency
of MRSA and other bacterial indicators
on environmental surfaces in
fire stations, training sites, and offices of
Emergency Medical Responders.
Handled sponges were used for collection
of targeted bacteria from commonly
contacted environmental surfaces at
Emergency Medical Response facilities.
Biochemical tests confirmed isolates as
S aureus, and MRSA was confirmed by
growth on selective and differential media.
An initial set of 500 samples were collected
at 9 fire-related facilities to identify
areas of increased exposure. Subsequent
studies targeted sites (n=160) for repeat
sampling that were MRSA positive. S aureus
was isolated from 10.6% (17/160) of
the sampled sites.
The couch and the classroom desks were
the most contaminated at 20% (4/20 and
2/10, respectively). Of the S aureus isolated,
64.7% (11/17) were confirmed as
MRSA. Firefighters have a high potential
for exposure to MRSA, not only through
patient and hospital contacts but also in
the fire station environment. MRSA “was
isolated with the highest frequency on
the couches and the class desks,” wrote
J.D. Sexton and colleagues, University of
Arizona.
The researchers concluded: “Although
the true health significance of these exposures
is unknown, improved infection
control practices, such as routine hand
washing and surface disinfection, are
warranted to reduce MRSA exposures.”
Basic infection control procedures
Remember the fact that hazardous
exposures don’t just occur outside the
firehouse.
Firefighters spend long periods of time
together, in close contact (for a workplace),
in facilities that are occupied 24
hours/day, 365 days/year. Under these
circumstances, cleanliness and personal
hygiene are not optional. Hand washing
is still the number one way to decrease
risk. Use soap and warm water for a minimum
of 15 seconds or an alcohol based hand
cleaner when water is not available.
Change your clothes if exposed to an
infectious environment and wash them
at the station or have them professionally
laundered – DO NOT take them home.
At your firehouse, we need to designate
clean and dirty areas. Typically where
the apparatus bay meets the living area
is a great place to start. Alcohol based
hand cleaner dispensers placed at each
entry point in the firehouse, should be
used before entry. How about morning
cleanups?
Don’t just clean the bathrooms because
we need something to do; remember
that it can actually help keep someone
from getting sick or potentially contracting
an illness. The same thing goes for
kitchens, floors, furniture, etc., and make
sure the cleaners you use in the house
meet the EPA H list for MRSA. Our
Formulation 64-RP (the red stuff you
dump into toilets instead of cleaning
them) is effective against MRSA with a
10 minute contact time. This means that
it is left on the surface you are disinfecting
for a minimum of 10 minutes before
it is wiped dry. Given the constant use
and abuse to which firehouses are
subjected, it’s also a good idea to
select and maintain furnishings that can
be easily cleaned (not necessarily an old
fuzzy sofa someone brought in from their
home). In the Tucson study, a cloth couch
was cultured and produced 664,000
MRSA. After switching to furniture
covering that was cleanable with
disinfectants they cultured zero (like
none).
The chain of infection is pretty sneaky. It
only takes 10 of these little microscopic
MRSA bugs to make you sick. So you lean
against the patient’s bed, the bugs cling
to your pants, your jump bag on the floor
gathers more of them. You touch the
patient with gloved hands, picking up
more of the little guys and your gloves
touch your jump bag. Now put the jump
bag over your shoulder and walk back to
the rig. Get on the rig, go back to the
firehouse and have a seat on the couch.
Sounds like thirty times a day for some of
the busier companies. Hopefully you get
the point.
Am I needlessly ringing the alarm?
Based on recent events in my firehouse,
I think not. Time will tell. Though
many believe that MRSA is the next big
epidemic, we’re not helpless against it.
Be creative with solutions, and break the
chain of infection. There is no substitute
for doing the simple things we all learned
early in our careers: If you are sick, use
your sick time, go see your doctor and
don’t come back to work until you are
well again. Remember that you’re not
just protecting yourself, but your fellow
firefighters and the family you go home
to. Be safe, be well.
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