IAFF opens behavioral health treatment center

IAFF opens behavioral health treatment center

The International Association of Fire Fighters recently opened the IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The facility, specifically for IAFF members, was established in collaboration with Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS), a leader in behavioral health care management. It will provide “evidence-based care for addiction and other disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], anxiety, and depression,” according to the IAFF.

Craig L. Katz, M.D., who designed a program for first responders following the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, and Abby Morris, M.D., a behavioral health care expert, will oversee the Center, which will be staffed by ARS staff. The staff, explains the IAFF, will treat substance abuse and other complex issues like PTSD in the fire service and help develop protocols for fire departments for handling mental health issues.

The Center has a 15-acre campus with 58 beds. For more information, visit www.iaff recoverycenter.com.

Creating an information-driven future for EMS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of EMS has released the report “Beyond EMS Data Collection: Envisioning an Information- Driven Future,” which can be found at http://bit.ly/2ixfca3 and which outlines some of the proceedings of a summit convened by the NHTSA earlier this year. More than 30 leaders of national organizations, federal officials, and industry experts attended. John Becknell, PhD, facilitated the discussion and chaired a 10-member panel that wrote the report.

The NHTSA says the report should not be considered a consensus document but rather a summary of the findings of the panel through its research and discussions with the EMS community. It also will serve as a resource for the profession, for the NHTSA, and for the EMS Agenda for the Future initiative.

The report focuses on the vision of an information-driven future and the roles of people and technology that will make that vision a reality. It stresses the importance of creating an “information culture” in EMS, one that would replace the “default culture … of gut-reaction, best-guess and imitation of others.”

Also, recognized by the report’s authors is the need for continually improving information systems to meet the diverse needs of local, regional, and national EMS systems that can be integrated with other data systems, are easy to use, and do not interfere with the provider’s ability to care for the patient.

Are FL Superfund sites associated with cancer?

Studies have shown that hazardous waste (Superfund) sites can potentially adversely affect human health and disrupt ecological systems. Florida has the sixth highest number of these sites in the United States and, in 2016, was projected to have the second largest number of new cancer cases in the country. Hence, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the University of Florida studied cancer incidence rates in relation to Superfund sites; they found a possible association.

According to Emily Leary, Ph.D., assistant professor at the UM School of Medicine and co-author of the study, adult cancer rates in Florida from 1986 to 2010 were analyzed in relation to cancer incidence in counties that contain Superfund sites compared to counties that do not. They found that the rate of cancer incidence increased by more than 6 percent in counties with Superfund sites.

Florida has 77 sites that have been classified as Superfund sites by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The researchers used cancer incidence data collected by the Florida Department of Health and looked for cancer clusters, or “hot spots,” of cases that were higher than normal. The researchers did not distinguish between different types of cancer.

Leary said there were spatial and gender differences across Florida in adult cancer incidences. She noted that more research is needed to define the relationship. “Identifying that a difference exists,” she said, “is a necessary first step.”

The study, “Superfund Locations and Potential Associations with Cancer Incidence in Florida,” recently was published online in Statistics and Public Policy.

Synthetic urine masks drug test use

Matt McCarty, M.D., a board-certified, fellowship-trained physician specializing in chronic pain management, is voicing concern about drug abusers’ use of synthetic urine to hide their activity from employers.

In a press release, Dr. McCarty said that a recent survey by the National Safety Council revealed that 70 percent of businesses say that prescription drug use—especially of narcotic painkillers—has been adversely affecting their business. About 57 percent of the businesses surveyed reported that they administer drug tests to all of their employees. Some of these organizations, Dr. McCarthy notes, have had employees submit the synthetic urine. This “urine,” he added, can be purchased easily on the Internet and in most states. “It’s perfectly legal; only 14 states in the United States currently outlaw the sale or possession of synthetic urine.”

sale or possession of synthetic urine.” Dr. McCarthy is the founder and CEO of Genotox Laboratories, a national reference lab that provides medication- monitoring services through urine drug screen confirmations and pharmacogenomics testing. Genotox researchers have developed ToxProtect,™ a patent-pending DNA authenticated method that matches urine submitted for drug testing to a specific donor.

IAFC and AT&T expand relationship to benefit fire service

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has announced that AT&T will participate in its Fire-Rescue international, July 26-29 in Charlotte, North Carolina; Symposium in the Sun, November 9-12, in Clearwater, Florida; and Symposium in the West, May 4-7, and Fire-Rescue Med, May 2014, both in Henderson, Nevada. The IAFC also advised In a press release that IAFC and AT&T relationship has been renewed and expanded to serve leaders of the fire and emergency service through education and collaboration.

“AT&T has collaborated with the IAFC for many years, and we are delighted that our relationship has continued to get stronger to benefit our 12,000 members and the entire fire and emergency service,” said Chief John Sinclair, IAFC president and chairman of the board. In addition to attending specific IAFC events and collaborative efforts of mutual interest, activities will include focus group sessions, presentations, and webinars.

“Fire-rescue and emergency medical services play a critical role in every community they serve. We couldn’t be more proud to continue our support of the IAFC and the important work that these first responders do each day,” said Jim Bugel, vice president of AT&T Public Safety Solutions.

AT&T has been a long-time supporter of the public safety community, equipping first responders with the communications solutions, products, and services they need to do their jobs safely, explains Sinclair.

LINE-OF-DUTY DEATHS

FEBRUARY 24. Firefighter James Franciskovich, 52, West Burlington (IA) Fire Department: injuries sustained in a department vehicle crash.

FEBRUARY 25. Firefighter/EMT Ronald Savage, 63, Milford (MI) Fire Department: suffered a cardiac issue while training.

FEBRUARY 25. Firefighter Terrance “Terry” Edward Shafer, 62, Spring Valley (WI) Fire Department: nature and cause of fatal injury, suffered on February 24, to be determined.

MARCH 2. Firefighter Michael Norton, 38, Coweta County Fire Rescue, Newnan, GA: nature and cause of fatal injury suffered on March 1 still to be determined.

MARCH 7. Captain William “Iron Bill” Dowling, 43, Houston (TX) Fire Department: complications of injuries suffered on May 31, 2013, in the Southwest Inn fire that killed four other firefighters and seriously wounded many others. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Firefighter Fatality and Prevention Program report on the incident is at https://www.cdc.gov/ niosh/fire/pdfs/face201316.pdf.

MARCH 11. Lieutenant Dennis DeVoe, 45, Harrisburg (PA) Bureau of Fire: injuries sustained in an accident involving his personal vehicle while responding to a multialarm fire in a row house. The driver of the vehicle that hit his car was apprehended by police.

Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database