Information on the Small Pox Threat & What Smallpox Is?
Smallpox is a highly contagious virus that can be spread through the air and infects 30% of the people who are exposed to it. Once infected, there is no cure. None of our current antiviral medications is effective. Smallpox can spread from person to person and through infected blankets, linens, and clothing. Experts consider it a likely weapon of choice for use in a bioterrorist attack
Symptoms
Symptoms don't start until about 12 days after exposure to the virus. At first, it's like the flu -- causing an under-the-weather feeling of fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, and backache. Then, severe abdominal pain and disorientation can set in, as small, round sores erupt all over the skin. Statistically about 30% of people who become infected will die, and survivors can be left with permanent scars.
Vaccination's can prevent smallpox infection. The World Health Organization's worldwide vaccination campaign, began in 1967, ending in 1980. After the disease was officially declared "eradicated." In the U.S., Smallpox had been stamped out earlier, thereby childhood vaccination's ended in 1972.
There are only two official repositories of smallpox virus in the world: the CDC in Atlanta and the Russian State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk. Those supplies are used for scientific research and vaccine development.
These 2 Countries, however, are not the only locations of this deadly virus. Iraq is known to have begun growing and stockpiling large quantities of smallpox virus, that can be especially adapted for use in bombs and missiles.
Prior to Sept 11th, 2001 interest was rising in how prepared the United States is prepared in the face a bioterrorism attack. Now that the "unthinkable" has happened, the United States has been bolstering the Smallpox Vaccine Supply.
AED
(Automated External Defibrillator)
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills more than 350,000 Americans each year. The American Heart Association estimates that up to 100,000 deaths a year could be prevented if early defibrillation was readily available in the first few minuets of a SCA emergency.
Life Support Systems are using the AED for its simple, easy to use operation , no matter what your prior defibrillation experience. The AED is rugged and reliable, offering safe and effective defibrillation in a wide variety of situations with various types of patients. Medtronic Physio -Control invented the first external defibrillator 40 years ago and today, it is the world's largest provider of external defibrillators.
Anthrax The Facts and Symptoms you should Know
Emergency Reaction of Chemical and Bilogical Incidents
Click the EMS Stars to go to the data
1.) A man falls while rollerskating and fractures his
olecranon process. Which artery should you assess first?
A. Femoral
B. Radial
C. Pedal
D. Carotid
2) An incomplete closed fracture that occurs only in
Children is known as:
A. an epiphyseal fracture.
B. a comminuted fracture.
C. a greenstick fracture.
D. a pathologic fracture.
3) The most reliable indication of an underlying fracture
is:
A. guarding.
B. point tenderness.
C. swelling.
D. the inability to move the limb.
4) The first step in caring for a young boy believed to have
an injured upper arm after a bicycle accident is to:
A. remove any clothing from around the suspected
injury.
B. check for a distal pulse.
C. cover all wounds with dry, sterile dressings.
D. apply gentle traction to align the limb.
5) The second step in caring for an upper arm injury is to:
A. remove any clothing from around the suspected
injury.
B. check for a distal pulse.
C. cover all wounds with dry, sterile dressings.
D. apply gentle traction to align the limb.
Ordinary people with no special training can save lives with the heart-jolting defibrillators that are being put in public places around the country.
Many heart specialists and others want to install these simplified, automated devices in airports, shopping malls, casinos, stadiums, schools and even homes to save victims of sudden cardiac arrest.
Several studies have examined the effectiveness of automated defibrillators in the hands of trained and designated staff members at casinos and other public places, Chicago's Study is the first to evaluate their use by untrained passers-by in real medical emrgencies.
Dr. W. Douglas Weaver of the Henry Ford Heart Institute in Detroit has stated,"I think there's enough evidence that these devices should be in every public place, and ultimately they ought to be in every home."
The AED study, sponsored by the city of Chicago, has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Sudden cardiac arrest-- from heart attacks, heart disease, accidents or other causes -- strikes about 250,000 American adults every year outside hospitals. About 95 percent die before reaching the hospital. People stand a much better chance of surviving if they undergo defibrillation, which restores a normal beat to a helplessly quivering heart, within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest. Ambulances often can have long response times and in some areas arrival may take up to 10 minutes, to be on scene with their advanced equipment.
AED's are easy-to-operate defibrillators that automatically detect the heart's rhythm and can decide whether the victims heart needs a shock. The AED's have been developed over the past 20 years and used by Fire and Police Departments.
These four-pound defibrillators were distributed like fire extinguishers in labeled glass cabinets at Chicago's O'Hare, Midway and Meigs Field airports. No bigger than the size of a toaster, this equipment carries the capability to record thier actions for later review.
In the Chicago two-year study, someone tried to use one in each of 18 witnessed cases of persons suffering from cardiac arrest. Eleven people were revived. Though some airport personnel were trained on the defibrillators, six of the primary rescuers in the 11 successful efforts were passers-by, largely travelers, with no connection to the program or experience with the machines.
Now the "International Council of Shopping Centers," are sating that many shopping centers are participating in the AED programs, the differnce to the Chicago program is that designated operators, usually security staffers are using the AED's. Issue's of liability and making sure people who use the equipment know how to do it properly are serious concerns for the Store markets. Illinois and many other states are adopting "Good Samaritan Laws," which offer varying protection from lawsuits for well-meaning rescuers. No one was sued during the Chicago airport study.
MORE DATA
DAVE'S EMS QUIZ
FRIED MEDIC'S BURNOUT QUIZ
New CPR Guidelines
EMS SKILLS
EDUCATIONAL LINKS
Rattled but apparently not badly hurt, the driver walked away from a car accident, finally going to a hospital only at a police officer's insistence. The driver was later shocked to learn that he had in fact sustained a life-threatening liver injury.
Fact: In the frantic rush after an accident, serious injuries can often can go undetected without close observation by emergency crews.
COMING SOON
Ambulance History
From earliest times, people have required a means of transporting their wounded and sick. The first wounded were probably carried in a hammock strung between two poles. Other unique conveyances included human hooleys which were used in India; wicker cradles called mule panniers; and Egyptian camel litters. The Mojave Indians devised a litter comprised of a sheet of canvas between two poles carried on the shoulders of two men. A more formalized ambulance surfaced in the late 15th century, when Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain took an unprecedented interest in the welfare of their troops during their crusade against the Moors. Surgical and medical supplies were brought together in special tents for the wounded called ambulancias. The concept of the ambulance was developed further by a man named Dominique-Jean Larrey who had been appalled by the neglected wounded and poor medical conditions he had witnessed during France's war with the Austrians and Prussians in 1792. Larrey came up with the idea of mobile ambulances--light-weight, two wheeled vehicles which stayed with the troops and allowed surgeons to work on the battlefield, an idea he later refined for Napoleon during the General's Italian campaign. The evolution of the ambulance took yet another turn during the American Civil War when ambulances were too few, often late, and driven by civilian drunkards and thieves. A physician names Jonathan Letterman reorganized the field medical service to prove an effective ambulance service for the evacuation of battle casualties. In 1864, an act was passed in Congress entitled "An Act to Establish a Uniform System of Ambulances in the Armies of the United States," which spelled out who was responsible for each phase of the ambulance system.
Precursors of Modern Ambulances
Most ambulance innovations took place during wartime, which were then adapted to civilian life. American hospitals initiated their own ambulance services during the late 1860s. Horse drawn, these ambulances had a moveable floor that could be drawn out to receive the patient. Beneath the driver's seat was a container with: a quart of brandy, two tourniquets, six bandages, six small sponges, splint material, blankets and a two-ounce vial of persulphate of iron. With the arrival of the automobile came a different type of ambulance, the first appearing in 1899, during World War I, many ambulances were adapted from buses and taxis. The world's oldest builder of ambulances is the Hess and Eisenhardt Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1937, they sold the first air-conditioned ambulance built in America. Developed with the idea that the ambulance should be a pre-hospital emergency room, these precursors of the modern ambulance were filled with medicine cabinets, roof lights, and two-way radios.
Post World War II Advances
Ambulance service has not been confined to ground units. During the Civil War, train ambulances and steam boat hospitals were used, and street car/trolley ambulances were popular in some cities in the late 1800s. More recently, the Star of Life, a water cruiser, began to operate under the direction of the Coast Guard and Marine Police in 1976. And the "medi copter" is commonplace now, first coming into service as a means of evacuating combat patients in Korea and Vietnam, and now invaluable during natural disasters, such as the Johnstown Flood, when medical supplies required refrigeration and patients needed to be airlifted to hospitals.
Today's Ambulances
Today Ambulances come equipped with the most state of the art Equipment as well as amazing new technologies, ranging from defibrillators and monitors than can transmit a complete 12-lead ECG directly to emergency department to the latest in handheld computers.
Our muscles produce enough heat to boil several cups of coffee
We have enough carbon in our bodies to make 1000 pencils
Enough Phosphorous to make 3000 match heads
An Adult femur can absorb a 1/2 ton of pressure
Our hands have more parts controlled by more muscles than any other part of our body
We are capable of processing over 10,000 different smells
If every citizen in every city were calling everyone in the phone book (at the same time) it might come close to how many connections our brain makes in a second
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but
the Mastery of it."
There are more than 155,000 emergency medical technicians who are national registered.
S T A T I S T I C S
Emergency Medical Services Providers (approx.) 815,000
Number of Heart Attacks (1996) 1.5 million
Deaths Due to Unintentional Injury (1996) 93,400
Deaths Due to Motor Vehicle Crashes (1996)
Medical Expenses Due to Unintentional Injury $74.6 billion
S T A T I S T I C S
Coronary heart disease is America's No. 1 killer.
Stroke is America's No. 3 and a leading cause of serious disability.
That's why it's so important to reduce your risk factors, know the warning signs, and know how to respond quickly and properly if warning signs occur.
Heart Attack Symptoms & Warning Signs
Stroke Symptoms & Warning Signs
911 Call is Critical in EMS
(What to Say )
You, as the 911 caller, are a vital link within the EMS system.
The information you provide the dispatch operator helps EMS
help you. The following lists the guidelines for communicating
the 911 call:
• Try to remain calm — emotions can deter effective communications.
• Speak slowly, deliberately.
• Respond to all questions presented by the dispatch operator.
• Give a brief, concise description of the emergency, including: the nature of the illness, for example, chest pain with difficult breathing; the mechanism causing the injury, for example, a fall from a 6-foot ladder; the number of patients involved and the types of treatment being rendered by bystanders or first responders.
• Know the complete residential or business address, including street number and community, especially if you are calling from a cellular phone.
• Assist emergency response to the address by ensuring the house number is visible from the street and turning on porch lights. You might send a bystander to meet the ambulance.
• Do not hang up until directed by the dispatch operator.
West Nile Virus
2006
DIRECTIONS FOR CALLING 911
The U.S. government took a leading role in modern emergency medical care with the creation of the Highway Safety Act of 1966 and the Emergency Medical Services Act of 1973, which created guidelines and funding for training, equipment, and the implementation of regional systems.
There are more than 155,000 Emergency Medical Technicians who are National Registered.
6) The second step in caring for an upper arm injury is to:
A. remove any clothing from around the suspected
injury.
B. check for a distal pulse.
C. cover all wounds with dry, sterile dressings.
D. apply gentle traction to align the limb.
First-aid measures depend upon a victim's needs and the provider's level of knowledge, ability and skill.
Knowingwhat not to do in an emergency is very important and could mean the difference between life & death. For example; Improperly moving a person with a neck injury, can lead to permanent spinal injury, paralysis and death..
If the Brain is deprived from oxygen for 4
minutes or greater brain damage occurs.
First aid requires rapid assessment of victims to determine whether life-threatening conditions exist. One method for evaluating a victim's condition is known by the acronym ABCs, which stands for:
A - Airway-is it open and unobstructed?
B - Breathing-is the person breathing? Look, listen, and feel for breathing.
C - Circulation-is there a pulse?
Is the person bleeding externally? Check skin color and temperature for additional indications of circulation problems.
BLEEDING
The presence of blood over a considerable area of a person's body does not always indicate severe bleeding.
The blood may ooze from multiple small wounds or be smeared, giving the appearance of more blood than is actually present.
The rate at which blood is lost from a wound depends on the size and kind of blood vessel ruptured.
Bright red, spurting blood indicates injury to an artery.
While welling or steadily flowing, dark red blood indicates injury to a vein.
Welling or spurting blood is an unmistakable sign of severe bleeding. If a major artery ruptures, a person may bleed to death within a minute. Injuries to veins and minor arteries bleed more slowly but may also be fatal if left unattended. Shock usually results from loss of fluids, such as blood, and must be prevented as soon as the loss of blood has been stopped.
AIRWAY A B C
Bleeding control is most effectively handled by the application of direct pressure over the wound. Universal Precautions should be utilized by using latex gloves
MINOR CUTS, SCRAPES,
& BRUISES
TREATMENT
Wash with cool water and bland soap. Cover with a light protective adhesive bandage (such as a Band-Aid or Telfa strip).
Use of an antibiotic or antiseptic is optional. Avoid using alcohol.
Hydrogen peroxide kills some microorganisms by generating oxygen at the site of a cut, but it is a weak antiseptic. Stronger substances include iodine complexes such as Betadine and benzalkonium chloride (Zephiran).
Facial scrapes should be thoroughly washed to remove debris and, after treating with antiseptic or antibiotic cream, should be left unbandaged.
Treat bruises that involve bleeding into the tissue beneath the outer layer of skin with cold packs to reduce swelling.
For deeper cuts that go through the skin, control bleeding by direct pressure and elevation. If bleeding persists or recurs, the wound may need a doctor's care to be closed with tape or stitches.
First Aid Data on this site NOT intended to replace first aid and/or CPR training.
First Aid Data on this site NOT intended to replace first aid and/or CPR training.
First Aid Data on this site IS NOT intended to replace first aid and/or CPR training. it is ONLY Informational
First Aid Data on this site is NOT intended to replace first Aid and/or CPR training.
First Aid Data on this site IS NOT intended to replace first aid and/or CPR training. IT IS STRICKLY INFORMATIONAL
First Aid Data on this site is NOT intended to replace first aid and/or CPR training.
Choking
Choking occurs when the airway is partially or totally blocked by a swallowed object, i.e. when something goes down the windpipe rather than the food passage. The aim of treatment is to clear the blocked passage.
THE CHOKING VICTIM WILL CLASP HIS NECK IN AN INSTINCTIVE ACT, WHICH IS NOW RECOGNIZED AS THE UNIVERSAL CHOKING SIGN.
Act Quickly; speed is essential. Brain death can occur in 4-6 minutes.
Treatment:
Conscious Adult
Ask, "Are you choking?" If the victim can speak, cough or breathe, DO NOT INTERFERE - he is not choking.
If the victim cannot speak, cough or breathe, give upward abdominal thrusts. To do this, stand behind victim and wrap your arms round the waist. Grasp one fist with your other hand and place thumb side of your fist in the mid-line between waist and rib cage. Press fist into abdomen with 4 quick upward and inward thrusts.
Do not use abdominal thrust when dealing with a pregnant woman or over-weight victim. In these cases use chest thrusts - press on breastbone as in CPR.
Stand behind victim and place your arms under her armpits to encircle body.
Grasp one fist with the other hand, and place thumb side on the middle of the breastbone.Press with quick backward thrusts.
Repeat above sequence. Be persistent. Send for medical aid, call an Ambulance and continue treatment until help arrives.
Self Help
The above technique can be used successfully if a person is choking and alone. Lean over a chair or railing as you act to help release obstruction.
Unconscious Adult
Establish unconsciousness.
Call for Help". Get them to get an Ambulance, Now! Dial 911 in the US or your local emergency telephone number.
Open Airway and begin A of resuscitation procedure,
If unsuccessful deliver five abdominal thrusts.
Use finger probe in mouth to remove the dislodged foreign body.
If unsuccessful repeat these sequences. Be persistent.
Continue treatment until help arrives.
Child (as for adults)
If a child (1-8 years) is choking, proceed as for adult, depending on whether victim is conscious or unconscious.
Infant (up to 1 year)
If an infant is choking, turn infant face downwards supporting the body along your arm with hand supporting head and neck.
Ensure airway is open.
Deliver five back blows between the shoulders, then turn over and give five chest thrusts.
Remove object if visible.
Do not perform blind finger sweeps in infants and children. When obstruction is removed and infant is still not breathing and has no pulse start CPR.
Call help FAST
To prevent further complications, all cases of choking should receive medical inspection even if the first aid measure relieved the obstruction.
CONTACTING Emergency Services
Dial: 911
Your Emergency call will be answered with these possible questions:
Which Service Do You Require
Ambulance.
Fire Dept.
Police Dept.
Rescue.
Marine Rescue.
When the Emergency Service you need answers:
State: Your telephone number, the emergency control staff may need to call you back. ( You could get cut off )
State: The Address or Location were help is needed.
State: The nature of the Incident.
State: The number of people involved and If any are trapped.
State: Any known hazards, i.e.. Fire, Chemicals, Gas Leaks, Oil Spills, Overhanging Electric Cables, Mud & Rock Slides. .
Do: Give any directions and landmarks you know of, this will help speed up the response time to the incident.
D. a pathologic fracture.
