International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Advocates Screening Fire Fighters for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Using Pulse C...(a fire does not end once the fire is con...)

Date:1/8/2008

a fire does not end once the fire is controlled. The "overhaul" phase of fire control, when fire fighters seek out and extinguish any remaining fires to eliminate rekindles and stabilize both the structure and scene, can be time consuming and expose firefighters to CO levels high enough to cause death or permanent impairment. Additionally, repeated or accumulated exposures present an even greater risk to fire fighters.

Even a single high level exposure, or prolonged exposure to low levels of CO, has the potential to cause long-term cardiac, neurocognitive and psychiatric damage. The long-term effects of CO -- including Parkinson-like syndromes affecting motor skills and speech, dementia, cortical blindness, acute renal failure, muscle cell death, and more -- can be devastating for fire fighters and their families.

According to Mike McEvoy, EMS Director, NYS Association of Fire Chiefs, "Two facts are widely known -- CO is the most common poison in the world today, and dead firefighters often have significantly elevated CO levels. The proactive use of the Pulse CO-Oximeter advocated by IAFF will help to ensure that no firefighters slip through the system with undetected CO poisoning in the line of duty."

The IAFF is the driving force behind nearly every advance in the fire and emergency services in the 20th century, from the introduction of shift schedules early in the last century to the enactment of SAFER in 2003. With recognized experts in the fields of occupational health and safety, fire-based emergency medical services and hazardous materials training, the IAFF has established professional standards for the North American Fire Service. In addition to city and county fire fighters and emergency medical personnel, the IAFF represents state employees, federal workers and fire and emergency medical workers employed at certain industrial facilities, including over 3,000 local unions in more than 3,500 communities throughout the United States and
'/>"/>

SOURCE Masimo Corporation Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4 5
Related biology technology :

1. Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. to Present Data on Alzheimers Vaccine at 13th International Congress of Immunology Conference
2. The Government of Quebec and the New Canadian Government Invest in the Creation of an International Biobank
3. International Isotopes Inc. Announces Completion of an Exclusive Distributor Agreement for Sales of New Style Transportation Containers
4. Arrow International Files and Mails Definitive Proxy Materials
5. Niceware International Announces Licensed Vendor Status with ICCBBA, Inc. to Provide ISBT 128-compliant Software
6. DuPont, Genencor International and Tate & Lyle Honored for Groundbreaking Work in Developing Bio-PDO(TM)
7. Viragen International to Reverse Split Its Common Stock
8. Tutogen Medical, Inc. and Zimmer Holdings, Inc. Announce Agreement for International Distribution of Biological Products
9. Zimmer and Tutogen Announce Agreement for International Distribution of Biological Products
10. PAREXEL International to Present at Thomas Weisel Partners Healthcare Conference
11. Biosafety and Biosecurity International Conference 2007 to be held in Abu Dhabi from November 12 to 14