PAX Centurion - November / December 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • November/December 2013 • Page 31 A new tool in the toolbox Boston EMS Corner: Ed McCarthy I n the first days of December 2013, Boston EMS began distribut- ing Carbon Monoxide detectors to ambulance crews throughout the city. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas most often resulting from combustion of some type. Incidents with CO usually crop up in the winters, where furnaces are on, and windows are closed. CO has the same vapor density as ambient air, and as such does not sink into low places like basements, and step wells as ‘heavier’ propane does. It mixes with air, and does not dissipate, unless the area is aggressively ventilated. When inhaled in higher concentrations, it blocks the body’s absorption of oxygen, causing dizziness, and headaches. Often times, the early symptoms can mimic the flu. Prolonged exposure can lead to suffocation, and death. These devices, ironically no bigger than a pack of cigarettes are attached to equipment bags brought into calls. The detectors con- tinually ‘sniff’ the surrounding air, and are pre-programmed to sound a warning signal if they detect a dangerous level of Carbon Monox- ide. In an old city like Boston, there are a lot of very old residential heating systems out there, potentially leaking, and in need of repair or replacement. On December 3 rd , one day after receiving their detector, the crew of Ambulance 5 inWest Roxbury, crewed by EMT’s Kevin Foley, and JohnWalton, was dispatched to a call for an elderly woman who had fallen in the Edelweiss Assisted Living Center located at 2220 Centre St. A common enough call for EMS. Upon entering the build- ing, the CO detector began to sound a warning. The crew, the staff of the center, and all of the resident were unknowingly standing in an atmosphere poisoned with a very high level of CO. The elevated levels were registering on all the floors of the facility. Everyone in there was at risk. Recognizing the danger, and the scope of the task at hand, theA-5 crew alerted Boston EMS operations, and requested extra units in preparation for an evacuation of the building. The Fire Department response confirmed the EMS crews findings of Carbon Monoxide. “Our meters were reading 290 parts per million,” said EMS Lieutenant Frank Sheeran, who responded to manage the scene. “We start evacuating people at a reading of 50 parts per million.”Arrangements were immediately made to transfer all of the Edelweiss residents out of their ailing building and into he adjacent, and unaffected Deutsches Altenheim German Center for extended care Nursing Home facility. There were a total of 58 evacuees. Due to the quick thinking of theA-5 crew, none of the residents or staff were sickened by the CO filling their building. After an investi- gation, the Fire Department discovered a leak in a pipe leading from the heating system beneath the building as the source of the CO, and arranged for it to be repaired. “I wonder if the people in the City of Boston know how lucky they are to have things like this out there, in service.”Walton said, after the incident was over. “Imagine, in just one day, these new detectors potentially saved nearly sixty people.” It borders on miraculous that these detectors came in so handy just one day after being issued. It also makes one wonder how many homes or apartments with elevated CO readings members of Boston EMS (and other services) have unwittingly walked into over the years after being dispatched for illnesses that could have been CO related. Thankfully, that danger may now be in the past, thanks to a new tool in the toolbox at Boston EMS. T he following members of Boston EMS have given decades of service to the City of Boston. We congratulate them on the occa- sion of their retirement. TomMaciejko began his career at Boston EMS in 1978. He rose through the ranks to Superintendent of Operations, overseeing countless day-to-day issues that affected the field work Boston EMS does. It was his depth of skill and knowledge as a cardiac care clini- cian, however, which in my opinion he was best known for. Tom was at his best in the back of an ambulance with a critically ill cardiac patient before him. Good luck Tom. Deputy Superintendent Claire McNeil be- gan her EMS career in 1972, after ‘riding third’ Congratulations to EMS retirees By Ed McCarthy, EMS Editor as a nurse observer, and falling in love with the job. Rising to the rank of Deputy Superintendent, Claire served as the Infectious Disease prevention coordinator, and was deeply involved in workplace safety, and unprotected exposures suffered by EMS members while working with patients. Thank you Claire! Deputy SteveAntonino brought his brand of EMS care, and know-how to Boston EMS in 1978. He rose through the ranks of EMT and Paramedic to become a Deputy Super- intendent, managing shifts at EMS and the training department. Steve’s no nonsense at- titude rubbed off on many of his co-workers, and trainees, and is just one of the many reasons EMS is so effective today. Thank you Steve!