PHYSIO-CONTROL, INC. and MEDTRONIC, INC. has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the LIFEPAK® 15 monitor/defibrillator within the United States. The official FDA 510(k) Premarket Notification was posted on the FDA website and can be viewed at: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPMN/pmn.cfm?ID=28973. www.physio-control.com. www.medtronic.com. (800) 442-1142.
To help firefighters protect the more than five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, the ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION has created Approaching Alzheimer’s: Make your first response the right response. This outreach and training program, designed with and for paramedics, firefighters, and other first responders, provides strategies for working with people who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The training includes: Wandering, Abuse and Neglect, and Disaster Response. A DVD features actual first responders portraying scenarios based on previous encounters with citizens with dementia. www.alz.org. (800) 272-3900.
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION scientists have released a report stating that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), chemicals commonly used in commercial goods as flame retardants since the 1970s, are found in all United States coastal waters and the Great Lakes, with elevated levels near urban and industrial centers. The new findings are in contrast to analysis of samples as far back as 1996 that identified PBDEs in only a limited number of sites around the nation. Individual sites with the highest PBDE measurements were found in shellfish taken from Anaheim Bay in California, and four sites in the Hudson Raritan Estuary in New York. Download the full report at: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/PBDEreport/. www.noaa.gov.
The FOUNDATION FOR AIR-MEDICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION (FARE) has established a family grant fund to benefit families of air-medical crewmembers and patients killed or seriously injured in air-medical accidents. The fund offers monetary assistance to families of air medical crewmembers and their patients to cover unanticipated expenses such as travel, lodging, food, childcare, leaves of absence, medical or burial expenses, and social services. To be eligible for FARE, an air medical service provider must be a current member of the Association of Air Medical Services and must file a post-accident plan that contains a family-assistance provision with the FARE national office in Alexandria, Virginia. www.fareonline.com. (703) 836-8732.
The NORTH CHARLESTON FIRE DEPARTMENT (NCFD) has implemented CommandScope Mobile Preplan software by Realview to access critical building information. Twelve fire stations and at least 22 vehicles will be equipped with new computers and CommandScope, which will allow NCFD firefighters to view critical electronic preplan information such as location maps, floor plans, and photographs, which members can view in a vehicle while responding to a 911 call. This eliminates time spent looking for paper plans and guesswork when arriving on-scene, allowing NCFD firefighters to be immediately attentive to emergency specifics. www.realviewllc.com. (312) 284-2030.
ADVANTAGE FITNESS PRODUCTS (AFP) supplied specialized equipment and provided training support to the SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT (SFFD) to help the department meet the revised International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) fitness protocol. The IAFF’s revised protocol recommended new standards for all in-house fitness facilities to ensure they are up-to-date and maintained. With a grant from The Federal Emergency Management Agency, SFFD chose AFP out of four competing providers, and awarded the $500,000 project to enhance its existing facilities throughout the county. In total, 47 fire stations and SFFD administrative sites, including department headquarters, received fitness equipment. www.afproducts.com. (888) 895-0547.
The SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS’ fire department was selected by the California State Fire Training Office and Office of Emergency Services to instruct Confined Space Rescue Training (CSRT) courses and offer professional certification. San Manuel joins 50 departments statewide that offers the facilities and expertise necessary to train firefighters in CSRT. San Manuel Fire Department instructors teach techniques employed during urban search and rescue situations, such as structural collapse resulting from earthquake. www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov.
The findings in a landmark Federal Emergency Medical Association-sponsored cardiac and heart disease study of firefighters aged 40 and over were released by Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. H. Robert Superko, a leading expert on lipids, cholesterol, and advanced metabolic markets, lead a comprehensive, scientific battery of blood and imaging tests on 300 firefighters in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The findings showed that job-related stress and psychological pressures, as well as diet, exercise, and inherent personality, interacting with a genetic predisposition to heart disease, probably have tremendous impact heart attack risk in these first responders. Final results are expected to be submitted for consideration at the annual American Heart Association meeting. www.saintjosephsatlanta.org.
