ICFR responds to Deer Creek Canyon Park for Patient with Rattlesnake Bite

On Saturday ICFR medics and firefighters responded into Deer Creek Canyon Open Space Park to assist a patient with a rattlesnake bite.  With assistance from Jefferson County Open Space Rangers, the ICFR staff located the patient, provided Advanced Life Support medications to the patient, and carried the patient out to a waiting Inter-Canyon ambulance, where the patient was transported to a local hospital for additional care.

Although venomous (poisonous) snakes are relatively common in the U.S., bites from venomous snakes are a rare cause of death in this country. While there are about 8,000 venomous snake bites reported each year in the U.S., no more than 12 deaths were reported each year from 1960-1990 as a result of poisonous snake bites.  About half of all reported snake bites occur in children.

Along the Front Range the prevalent rattlesnake is the Western Prairie Rattlesnake.  Contrary to movie and TV mythology, rattlesnakes do not always rattle before striking.

Western Prairie Rattlesnake

What do I do for initial first aid?

 Because many Coloradans live in rattlesnake country, a snakebite emergency plan should be developed before it is needed. If you are less than one hour from the nearest emergency room, initial treatment is relatively simple:

·         Try to calm the victim and call 911.

·         Gently wash the area with soap and water.

·         Apply a cold, wet cloth over the bite.

Several DON'Ts are very important to remember:

·         DON'T apply a tourniquet.

·         DON'T pack the bite area in ice.

·         DON'T cut the wound with a knife or razor.

·         DON'T use your mouth to suck out the venom.

·         DON'T let the victim drink alcohol.

The preceding treatments will NOT help the victim and are dangerous. Applying ice or a tourniquet can block circulation, which can result in gangrene and eventual loss of the limb due to amputation. Cutting the wound can cause excessive bleeding. Because human mouths are full of bacteria, sucking the venom from the wound can cause infection, making treatment more difficult.

ICFR treats patients with a rattlesnake bite by following the Denver Metro EMS Protocols, providing care for symptoms such as pain, itching, nausea and low blood pressure.

Emergency Medical Services at Inter-Canyon Fire Rescue

Initial Training
ICFR requires all firefighters to become certified as a First Responder at a mimimum.  ICFR First Responders can initiate Basic Life Support (BLS) using the BLS kits in each ambulance, engine, and rescue truck in the ICFR fleet.  In addition ICFR First Responders are trained in CPR and AED operation.


EMS Training:
Many of the volunteers at ICFR continue their medical education and become a members of the EMS unit, allowing them to treat and transport patients in the three ICFR ambulances.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment certifies entry level competency of EMS Providers for the State of Colorado. Pre-Hospital providers in Colorado can be certified at one of four different levels: 

1.  Emergency Medical Technician- EMT - provides Basic Life Support Care including oxygen administration, IV therapy and some medications

2.  Advanced EMT - additional training allows for the administration of more medications and patient treatments

3. EMT Intermediate - provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) care with oversight and medical direction

4. Paramedic. - provides ALS care and the full range of pre-hospital treatments

Certification by the CDPHE is based on successful completion of a recognized education course, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician certification, and an application process including a fingerprint-based criminal history record check.

Time required for completion:
First Responder - approximately 40 hours
EMT - approximately 200 hours
EMT-Intermediate - approximately 320 additional hours
Paramedic - approximately 1200 additional hours

Emergency medical services providers are used to staff first ICFR ambulances.  EMS Providers are allowed to perform medical acts as delegated by a Colorado Medical Director.   ICFR EMTs and Paramedics work under the Denver Metro Protocols, defining the care and treatment protocols.  All EMS Providers administering patient care in Colorado are required to have a Medical Director who directs how and where an EMS Provider may practice.  ICFR uses Saint Anthony's Hospital as our Medical Director, contacting the hospital for medical directions and questions.

ICFR Ambulance 683

Continuing Education:

All levels of ICFR providers must recertify as required by the State of Colorado and/or the National Registry of EMTs.  This includes 12-24 hours of annual continuing education.  ICFR provides monthly education at our EMS meetings and members attend additional training in the Denver Metro area and throughout the state.

ICFR Ambulance 682

ICFR EMS members invest significant time in initial and continuing training to provide the best possible pre-hopspital care.  ICFR responds to approximately 250 medical calls each year.

ICFR Ambulance 681

ICFR Firefighters invest time to prepare for response

Before responding to your call for help via 911, each ICFR firefighter invests hundreds of hours in preparing to respond.  These tasks are critical to the response and allow ICFR to respond rapidly with the right equipment, staff and apparatus.  Preparation includes:

Equipment maintenance - Just as your car requires maintenance to run properly, each engine, ambulance, water tender, rescue truck and brush truck requires diligent maintenance to be prepared to respond in all conditions.  Firefighters must maintain not just the vehicle but all of the equipment on the truck.  This includes the vehicle's engine, pumps, foam generators, hose, tools, extrication equipment, medical equipment, lighting, electrical generators, and saws.

Ambulance checks - One of our EMTs or paramedics checks the ambulances to ensure all three ambulances are equipped with the supplies and medications needed to meet or exceed the Denver Metro Protocols (these protocols identify the treatments for our patients), and the State of Colorado ambulance requirements.  All three ICFR ambulances are equipped to meet both the Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) requirements.  In addition, Rescue 684 at Station Four is equipped with both BLS and ALS supplies.

Supply ordering and inventory maintenance - The EMS supplies used to stock our ambulances, rescue trucks and engines must be ordered frequently to maintain the proper inventory.  ICFR works diligently to ensure the right equipment and supplies are available, while monitoring our inventory levels to ensure we meet budgetary guidelines.

Administrative duties - The officers and firefighters of ICFR invest significant time in admiistering the department.  With five fire stations, 50 firefighters and EMS staff, and 15 pieces of apparatus, administrative duties are not the exciting part of ICFR, but must be addressed.

Training - ICFR offers weekly training on various topics to our firefighters and EMS staff.  In addition to the training offered within the district, ICFR staff attends many courses offered throughout the Denver metro area and Colorado.  Structural firefighting, wildland firefighting, Emergency Medical Services, Hazardous Materials response, fire prevention, fire investigation, and fire inspection are just a few of the training topics.

All of this time is invested before your call for help via 911.

Basic Wildland Firefighter Training

Initial Training:
The volunteer firefighters at ICFR must all complete basic wildland firefighter training.  This training includes several courses developed and approved by the federal National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG).  The basic wildland firefighting courses include:

S-130 Basic Wildland Firefighting
S-190  Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

Annual Training:
Following the initial course completion ICFR firefighters (like all federal, state and local wildland firefighters) must complete an annual safety refresher course and pack test:

Safety Refresher course - eight hour course each year focusing on fire behavior and safety
Pack Test - each firefighter must carry a 45 pound pack three miles in under 45 minutes to ensure physicial endurance and work capacity

Firefighters must maintain both the annual Safety Refresher and Pack Test to receive a "Red Card" which is required to work on major fires.

Advanced Training:
Many ICFR wildland firefighters have completed advanced course in fire behavior, wildland firefighter leadership, fire and team management, safety, Command and General Staff level courses, and engine/crew boss leadership.

These courses exceed the minimum training requirements to maintain current status

ICFR paramedics obtain 12 lead ECG in the field to shorten time to hospital treatment

An article in the Wall Street Journal this week pointed out that paramedics obtaining an ECG in the field before arrival in the hospital can shorten time to treatment.  ICFR paramedics and EMT-Intermediates routinely obtain and interpret a 12 lead ECG in the field.  The 12 lead ECG above is an example of a normal ECG.  Our staff can then notify the hospital of any ECG changes and alert the emergency room and cardiac catheterization lab of the patient's condition.  The patient can often bypass the emergency room and be taken directly to the cardiac catheterization lab for immediate intervention.

You can read the Wall Street Journal article at:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444554704577643702705179164.html

  

ICFR Firefighter narrowly misses First Place in Firefighter Challenge at Big Chili Cook Off

ICFR firefighter Scott St. John narrowly missed first place in the Big Chili Cook-Off last Sunday.  Scott completed the grueling time trial demonstrating firefighter skills and missed first place by only seconds.  Congratulations to Scott and thanks to all of the firefighters who partcipated.  Photo courtesy of Michael Davis - Elk Creek Fire Department.

ICFR takes home Green Chili First Prize

The 11th Annual Big Chili Cook-Off, Music & Arts Festival was held Sunday, September 9.  The event was held at the Evergreen Lake House, located at 29614 Upper Bear Creek Road in Evergreen.  The spectacular day featured a chili cook-off competition between many firefighter teams from the local departments.

ICFR firefighter Bob Pastor's "How Green is my Valley" green chili took home first place for green chilis.  Thanks to all of the firefighters and citizens for their work in supporting the area fire departments.

The Big Chili Cook-Off supports local fire departments and remembers those lost on 9/11.

Congratulations to Bob!

Big Chili Cookoff in Evergreen Sunday

Sunday, September 9, 2012 is the annual BIG CHILI Cook-off at Evergreen Lake House. Tickets are $15.00 at the door (no dogs allowed, with the exception of Service Dogs).

Scott St. John will be proudly representing Inter-Canyon Fire Rescue in the firefighter challenge. He needs our cheering and support. He will be competing against the five other area Fire Departments.

ICFR has six chili’s entered and we need your votes; consider the following:

Blazing Saddles – red - #39A Belva Wildman

Shot Gun Willies – green - #39B Belva Wildman

The Hunt for Red October – red - #39D Kent Harris

Soy lent Green – green - #39E Kent Harris

Carlos (the Hangover Baby) – green - #39F Zoe Algien

How Green is My Valley – green #39G Bob Pastor

Proceeds benefit the area Fire Departments. The gates open at 10:30 am and the Music starts playing at 10:30. The lineup is great, playing all the way until 5pm. We start serving chili at 11:00 am. The Fire Fighters Competition is at 12:30 pm. The times are always subject to change slightly.

Fuel Moisture Content

Severe wildfires have been burning more wildland and more houses in recent years. Many factors play a role in both the increasing intensity of the wildfires and the resulting destruction of home.  Some assert that climate change is at least partly to blame; others claim that the increasing number of homes in and near the forest (the

wildland-urban interface) is a major cause. However, most observers agree that wildfire suppression and historic land management practices have led to unnaturally high accumulations of fuels in many wildland-urban interface areas. While high intensity conflagrations (wildfires that burn the forest canopy) occur naturally in some forests (crown-fire or stand-replacement fire ecosystems), abnormally high fuels littering the forest can lead to conflagrations in wildland-urban interface areas when such crown fires were rare in the past.

Fuel moisture content is critical, but is generally a function of weather patterns over hours, days, and weeks.  This year's weather patterns have produced extremely low fuel moisture content.  Fuel size is also important—fine and small fuels (e.g., needles, grasses, leaves, small twigs) are key to fire spread, while larger fuels (e.g., twigs larger than pencil-diameter, branches, and logs) contribute primarily to fire intensity; both are important to minimizing fire damages. Fuel distribution can also affect damages. Relatively continuous fuels improve burning, and vertically continuous fuels—fuel ladders—can lead a surface fire into the canopy, causing a conflagration.  Lastly, total fuel accumulations (fuel loads) also contribute to fire intensity and damage.

Fuel moisture content may be the most important single property controlling ignition and spread of fire in the wildland-urban interface. 

This is because moisture in live or dead fuels requires heat to evaporate the moisture so the fuel can burn. The moisture content - measured as the amount of water (by weight) as a percent of the weight of oven-dried wood, grass or other fuel - of live, green foliage fluctuates widely, from less than 100% (i.e. more oven-dry fuel than water) to more than 200% (i.e., more than twice as much water as oven-dry fuel), depending largely on weather in the preceding days and weeks.  Dead fuels also contains water, but at much lower levels, typically ranging from near 100% to as little as 10%. Fire ignitions depend on an energy source or spark (e.g., from a match, cigarette, chainsaw, or from lightning) and fuel with a moisture content below approximately 20-30%.  However, once a fire is started, fuels with a moisture content of 100% can burn, especially if the fire is driven by high winds as are commonly seen along the Front Range of Colorado.

Potential wildfire fuels are generally described by the time (in hours) that it takes for the moisture content of the fuels to decline by about two-thirds.  During a fire the fuels must first lose moisture before ignition. 

The smallest diameter fuels, also called fine fuels or flash fuels, are the 1-hour time lag fuels—needles, leaves, grass, etc.—both on the surface and in the tree crowns that dry out (lose two-thirds of their moisture content) in about an hour. The next size class is 10-hour time lag fuels—woody twigs and branches, up to a quarterinch in diameter (about the diameter of a pencil). The larger size classes are the 100-hour time lag fuels (up to 3 inches in diameter) and 1000-hour time lag fuels (more than 3 inches in diameter).

Currently the 1000-hour fuels along the Front Range have a fuel moisture content of 6-16%.  For comparison the timber which you purchase at the lumber yard has been dried in a kiln to a moisture content of approximately 12%.  This means that many of the large fuels are as dry as kiln dried lumber.  The lighter, flashy fuels can dry out in an hour and support lighting of the heavier fuels.

Please exercise caution with all ingition sources.  If you see or smell smoke you can call 911.  ICFR firefighters will respond and check out any possible smoke or fires.