Milwaukee Fire Department Implements a Carbon Monoxide Meter Program That Saves Lives

     Over recent years, the Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) has seen a steady increase in calls that result in carbon monoxide (CO) runs. In 2005, the department responded to 538 CO runs, 585 in 2006 and 692 in 2007. From the beginning of 2008 until May 31, MFD has had 311 CO runs, compared to 285 runs during that time last year. With the anticipation of CO runs increasing, MFD implemented a one-of-a-kind CO Meter Program to enhance the safety of firefighters and citizens alike.

     The MFD CO Meter Program began after a significant run took place on June 22, 2007. Engine Company 6 responded to a person who was in and out of consciousness in a church kitchen. When the company arrived, firefighters assessed the patient and determined the patient showed signs of CO poisoning, but it took approximately 20 minutes for them to make that determination. The next step was to call a battalion chief on the scene to test the level of CO in the church. The battalion chief arrived with a four-gas meter and got a reading at 800 ppm (parts-per-million) of CO gas inside the church. OSHA standards prohibit exposure to more than 50 ppm of CO gas during an eight-hour time period. Immediately, firefighters did an evacuation. Six people went to the hospital that day, including four firefighters.

     "After that incident, our department realized that giving CO meters only to battalion chiefs was an inefficient way to operate and placed our firefighters and citizens in more danger for a longer period of time if CO was present," says MFD Fire Chief Douglas Holton. "Our Labor Management Safety Committee came together and proposed that the department grant a single-gas CO meter to every engine company and ladder truck in the city."

     It was not until November 2007 that the MFD budget permitted all 16 truck companies to have a single-gas meter. The next task was to obtain money for all 37 engine companies to have a single-gas CO meter as part of the CO Meter Program. To do so, the department sought sponsors and was able to raise $50,000 through the funding of five local companies—including $42,000 from the Wisconsin Energy Foundation. "The program was an easy sell," says Holton.

     On March 1, 2008, MFD engine companies got single-gas CO meters to round out the Carbon Monoxide Meter Program.

     Today, firefighters and paramedics have the ability to detect CO gas within 15 to 30 seconds of arriving on a scene, and then take the necessary steps immediately following a reading. The CO meters are attached to firefighting personnel first aid kits and accompany them daily on all calls.

TALLYING WTC HEALTH tolls seven years on
     The World Trade Center Medical Working Group of New York City has released the first of its planned annual reports documenting the health-related consequences of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

     Its report found that more than 10,500 rescue and recovery personnel have received federally funded treatment for physical conditions stemming from their work at the WTC, many with asthma and respiratory problems. At least 5,500 more have gotten federally funded mental health treatment, and thousands more have obtained it privately. The New York Department of Health's WTC Responder Fatality Investigation Program has identified 382 total responder deaths to date.

     The Working Group is a panel of physicians and researchers appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2007 to produce yearly reports on the state of 9/11-related health and health services. For their initial report, members reviewed more than 100 scientific articles published since the attacks.

     They also issued recommendations in the key areas of funding, research/evaluation and education. These included providing long-term federal funding for the treatment and monitoring of WTC-exposed populations; expanding research into WTC-related physical and mental problems, including possible late-developing diseases like cancer; increasing awareness of the symptoms of 9/11-related illness and available resources for assistance; and educating policy-makers, the media and the public about the difficulty of establishing direct causal links between exposure to the WTC site and individuals' illnesses.

     Find the report at www.nyc.gov/html/doh/wtc/html/studies/medgroup.shtml.

     "I think this is a great program because our firefighters and paramedics go into over 75 homes per day just on EMS runs. When we arrive, we will now know instantly if CO poisoning is the cause of the patients' symptoms and take the necessary steps within seconds—instead of waiting for one of our battalion chiefs to come and assess the situation and then act," said Chief Holton. "Thus far, this innovative program has had tremendous success and we are confident that by taking this proactive approach we have already saved lives."

Brian Glassel is the assistant fire chief for the Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD). He is the former director of the MFD Hazardous Materials Team and past president of the MFD Chief Officers Association.