North Texas "big city" Firefighter Ebola preps

I am a veteran on a "large" North Texas fire department and would like to share our
preparedness plan for Ebola. Ready?? Wait for it••••
Nothing!!! That's what we have coming down through the high paid EMS directors, EMO
Officials, Medical Directors, and a lot of other big titles making all that think tank money.
Basically we have zero info and ancient respirators on the trucks meant for TB.
I'm sure we have quite a few medical professionals as well as first responders on here, but
for the rest of you, here is a little insight. It may be a shock to you, but as a firefighter, once
we hand over care, we never hear another word on the patient except in very rare
circumstances. In fact, the only way we know if someone survived or died is through the media.
I can remember getting a call from the ambulance service letting us know we were in contact
with MRMSA and the occasional AIDS patient when there is a lot of blood involved. That's about
all ive heard through the years.
When 9-11 went down, our big plan was to inventory supplies. Granted there wasn't much
we could do, so they did the only thing they could think of in case attacks kept happening
around the nation.
You would think with all the media hype when it hit in your neighborhood, we would
have every current piece of Intel on Ebola precautions as it lands here. So far, we have heard
nothing.
Of course I have to say that I love my job and wouldn't trade it for the world. Our higher ups
tend to consume their time with nonsense such as sick time, making sure you have on
your collared shirt, and dust on the lockers instead of curtailing a virus that could wipe out
most of humanity, but who am I but a low level supervisor.
I would like to hear from any other medical workers and your current plans. I got off shift this
morning so I'm sure by Thursday some sort of plans should be starting to materialize.
I will keep my ATS friends (you) in the loop as material comes available as I'm sure something
will have to come out soon. It just would seem that it should have been done a month ago.
Stay Safe!

I apologize on the format. First post and its on this damn pad I never use.

a reply to: TexasTruth


Well the main point of prevention in ebola is something already very intrinsic in American culture.... do not get fluid on you. Ebola in its present incarnation means little to first world countrys. It would have already been eradicated if Africa had modern plumbing and burial that didn't include their very hands on practices with cadavers.
In these parts.of Africa the very commonly crap in the water they bathe in. The pee in the town's and villages on the sides of buildings. ... there is more. Use Google.



So yeah.... how.much are you worried about hiv or hepititus infection? Ebola is somewhat worse but about the same... it's not like the flu.

originally posted by: ArmyOfNobunaga
a reply to: TexasTruth


Well the main point of prevention in ebola is something already very intrinsic in American culture.... do not get fluid on you. Ebola in its present incarnation means little to first world countrys. It would have already been eradicated if Africa had modern plumbing and burial that didn't include their very hands on practices with cadavers.
In these parts.of Africa the very commonly crap in the water they bathe in. The pee in the town's and villages on the sides of buildings. ... there is more. Use Google.



So yeah.... how.much are you worried about hiv or hepititus infection? Ebola is somewhat worse but about the same... it's not like the flu.

But, American people have sex, people sweat, people don't wash their hands after going potty, and people cough (a bit of spit droplets sometimes I'm sure), and they all touch doorknobs. I don't feel safe at all. Just because we're from America doesn't mean it won't spread.

a reply to: ArmyOfNobunaga

That sounds just like the part of town I work in. The filthy way some people live right here in America is frightening.
Its really not us I'm worried as much as finding someone with symptoms, living in a shelter with hundreds of other people.
As of now, we would load that person up and the 100 people that were in direct contact would be on their merry way to the bus stop, train, etc... Tracking homeless people down would be quite the task. Imagine the people with warrants or illegals seeing officials at the shelter.
I always loved Stephen Kings book "The Stand", its my favorite book. I'm just not quite ready to live it.

originally posted by: ArmyOfNobunaga
a reply to: TexasTruth


So yeah.... how.much are you worried about hiv or hepititus infection? Ebola is somewhat worse but about the same...

mmm hmmmm.... and dead/infected doctors and nurses have proven how hard it is to catch. This isn't and STD, it's an aerosol virus. Here is a mythbusters video showing how easy it is to spread body fluids, its from another thread and thanks to whomever posted it for us originally.... so yeah.... try again.

Also, I help out in an ER, we have no plan whatsoever.

originally posted by: ArmyOfNobunaga
a reply to: TexasTruth





So yeah.... how.much are you worried about hiv or hepititus infection? Ebola is somewhat worse but about the same... it's not like the flu.

Ebloa is indeed able to travel in aerosolized droplets (a sneeze) identical to the flu. Please, don't spread the same disinformation that TPTB are spreading to prevent panic. It CAN and WILL spread like the flu.

The place where u don't want it is in the school systems as children will pass it around like wild fire.
This is very scary indeed and im not very optimistic that it wont kill millions before a cure is released.
If this hits public schools in texas i will pull my child from school we live in the country and ill add to food reserves and wait it out for a vaccine.


I remember seeing it takes america 8-12 months to stock pile enough vaccine after they have a viable one, I should look into that now i think about it.
I hope the CDC can contain it like they say but there is always the chance they know were screwed and are keeping it quiet so people dont panic.

I agree! The flu moves incredibly fast through the schools. Ebola will be no different infecting entire schools and the households they live in. With HIPAA laws and our crazy way of doing things, it could move rapidly around the country.
On a positive note, this is a huge media story. Social media has gone crazy with this, and the "sky is falling" mentality is a good thing right now. But! In the hood and in the shelters I gaurantee you, this hardly resinates with half of them.
a reply to: pez1975

originally posted by: lakesidepark

originally posted by: ArmyOfNobunaga
a reply to: TexasTruth





So yeah.... how.much are you worried about hiv or hepititus infection? Ebola is somewhat worse but about the same... it's not like the flu.

Ebloa is indeed able to travel in aerosolized droplets (a sneeze) identical to the flu. Please, don't spread the same disinformation that TPTB are spreading to prevent panic. It CAN and WILL spread like the flu.

It is not disinformation to point out that people with Ebola will NOT be coughing or sneezing as they would with flu.

Ebola makes pigs sneeze, in humans the liver is effected so the virus is mostly got rid of in poo and blood, the body doesn't try and remove a virus from the liver by sneezing. it is the authors of scientific studies who have confirmed this!

a reply to: DrHammondStoat

People cough and sneeze when they have NO virus! Allergies, irritants, sore throats, and you are saying no Ebola victim will be affected by everything else?

They will just magically QUIT coughing and sneezing after they become infectious....

I would ask you post these scientific studies....that say it primarily affects the liver...as you seem to be the first one to assert that. I have been reading that it affects all organs of the body. And nothing about it shutting down the cough and sneeze responses.

The hazard is there, maybe it does not promote it (giving you that one)...but it does not supress it either (you have to show us something besides your statement that 'scientific papers' exist - you don't get that one simply with the Dr. beside your name).

I have lived inside and know the difference between medical truth, and media truth, with my own situation...and I'm not willing to believe the 'media truth' this time! Stakes are too high.

The rest of the public deserves the same, and this country deserves it, so we can do what we need to do individually and as a country.

Perhaps treat it as the military would. From what I understood from my bit of time in enlistment is that biologicals are handled very similarly to chemical agents. (At least from what I remember of MOPP drills.) You need a strong bleaching agent to clean up. In terms of chemical weapons, the oxidation breaks it down rendering it inert. In terms of biologicals, the oxidation kills the germs. However washdowns with stuff that neutralizes chemicals or kills germs as needed also limits the re-use of protective gear. Various plastics and rubber materials tend to breakdown under exposure to caustic oxidizing agents, they get brittle and need to be replaced.

I'd guess you'd also want to see if there's some way to cover an ambulance interior with some kind of plastic throwaway cover that could be incinerated. (Tyvek like material?) Other than that stock up on the bleach or calcium hypochlorate or similar bleaching agent to washdown with. There may also be some other compounds or OTS cleaners like Lysol that may do the job against viruses while being less corrosive. Also I'm not sure if I'd trust the typical HEPA filter against something the size of a virus, I'd probably just use the air tanks.

Texas isnt even prepared to deal with flooded rain water on all of our streets after a short 10 minute down-pour, so I can certanly believe they have no plan of action for this one.

Incompetance reins supreme here in Texas.

Well, we've had quite a bit of material sent out now. But we are still very unprepared in my opinion. We run a lot of calls and if this spreads I see crews walking right in with nothing but our usual latex gloves on. Nobody is going to hazmat out for a sick person call yet. By the time you figured it out would be far to late.
Especially if its someone like this deputy that walked into the clinic in Frisco. Its scary that this could spread like a zombie movie before anyone gets serious.

I live in America, in a city just outside of New Orleans, you know what I walked outside to tonight? A nasty man peeing in the parking lot!!! Yes, he was pissing in the parking lot, right beside his truck he was peeing!!! Grossed me out, but I'm sure it has happened much more than I what I witnessed tonight!

People are disgusting!! Even in America, people are disgusting!