EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS NEWSLETTER
Throughout the H1N1 virus outbreak, extraordinary efforts took place in Graham County. Our hospital and Doctor offices were inundated with patients ailing from flu like illness. The World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5, which is characterized by confirmed personto-person spread of a new influenza virus able to cause “community level” outbreaks. A nationwide Public Health Emergency Declaration was authorized and the Strategic National Stockpile released antiviral medication which Graham County received. In retrospect, Graham County suffered a late seasonal flu outbreak. As of today, there is one confirmed case of H1N1 reported in our county. At this time, the H1N1 virus is mild in nature and depicts seasonal flu. The H1N1 virus may seem to have been overestimated, but it does not need to be underestimated either. It’s very likely this virus can reintroduce itself this fall with a vengeance. As always, good hygiene, washing hands, cough etiquette, and staying home when sick are our most important countermeasures in battling flu.
Health Department
Neil Karnes – Health Director Brian Douglas – BT Coordinator Matt Bolinger, MD – Epidemiologist Darla Hansen, RN – Director of Nurses
Summer 2009
Volume 22
Bioterrorism & Emergency Response Coordinator
Brian Douglas
Over the past five years, many investments were made in our nation’s preparedness for pandemic influenza. The events in the last several weeks have proven the value of those efforts. These efforts include the development of community plans, the acquisition of medical countermeasures, and good communication between the medical community, schools, and our local health department.
HEALTH & SAFETY FAIR
Once again the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center’s Health Fair was a very successful activity for the community. Many displays, tests, and information were shared with those who found their way to EAC February 27th and 28th.
DOMESTIC WELL WORKSHOP
Host: Graham County Cooperative Extension Date: June 10th 2009 Location: 2100 S. Bowie Ave., Solomon AZ Time: 9am to 12 noon – Morning Session 1pm to 3pm – Afternoon Session Contact: Graham County Cooperative Extension at 928-428-2611 The morning session will cover domestic well care and maintenance. Speakers will be Ray Cueto a local well driller and Kristin Uhlman, U of A Cooperative Extension Assistant Area Agent. The afternoon session will cover water quality. The program will emphasize how aquifer hydrogeology may result in a well being more or less vulnerable to contamination, and will also outline well operation and maintenance activities that can be implemented by the homeowner. The last presentation will be a discussion on water treatment options by Janick Artiola from Cooperative Extension. Arizona has over 112,000 domestic wells; education of well owners is an important human health issue. The workshop will include presentations on aquifers, sources of water contaminant, well water sampling and constituents to test for, and a question and answer session with a local driller. We will also distribute the Well Owners’ Guide
to ground Water Resources in graham and Greenlee County and a listing of statecertified water testing complement the program. laboratories to
EDUCATION/TRAINING
2008 Emergency Response Guidebooks
The 2008 Guidebook for First Responders during the initial phase of a dangerous goods/hazardous materials transportation incident have arrived. If your agency has not picked up a copy we have some in the Health Department and the Engineers Office. A Spanish version is now available.
EASTERN ARIZONA COLLEGE For information about EAC courses call the
Call Brian Douglas at 428-0110 for information on how to obtain your free copy.
EAC EMS Department at 428-8398 or email ems@eac.edu
NIMS COURSES ONLINE
IS 100 Basic Incident Command System IS IS 700 National Incident Management System IS 200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents IS 800 A National Response Plan (NRP), an Introduction http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslis t.asp
2009 GRAHAM COUNTY LEPC MEETING CALENDAR
The 2009 Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) meeting dates have been set. Members and others interested in attending these meetings can put these dates on your personal calendars. Thurs 8/27/2009 Thurs 11/19/2009 4:00-5:00 pm 4:00-5:00 pm
June 10th July 8th August 12th September 9th Health Annex 820 W. Main Safford
EMS Sub-Region & MGRMC Tape & Chart
Meetings are held at the County General Services Building Assembly Room, 921 W. Thatcher Blvd-Safford.
SATNET SOUTHWEST REGIONAL TRAUMA CONFERENCE
August 6th & 7th 2009 Tucson Convention Center 260 S. Church Ave. Tucson Arizona Contact: Candice Johnson 520-626-9912 Web Site: crestaznm.org Target Audience: Physicians, Nurses, EMTs Paramedics, Respiratory Therapists, etc. Date: Place:
Target Safety & Training
MSHA-OSHA-CPR-First AidEmergency Medicine; Call Pam Peterson at 928-485-9203 E-mail Wmwoman_2000@yahoo.com
LUCKY TO LIVE IN AMERICA
My daughter and her husband recently traveled to Israel and some countries in the Middle East. They brought back some great pictures, stories, met some very nice people and toured some very interesting historical places. But, they couldn’t go to some places because of the threat of danger or had to have an escort. The pictures below show a bomb detonator outside a church and the other a sign warning of mines in the area… So far, I haven’t seen these things in America. Let’s keep working to maintain our safety, security, and freedoms here at home. We need to be thankful for what we have and not lose it.
Happy Birthday
July August September Staci Mona Brian Darla 10th 26th 3rd 12th
Happy Birthday Greg #50
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT OFFERS VACCINES FOR CHILDREN
Free vaccines are available for all children ages 0 through 18 years. Protection against 11 major and possible serious childhood diseases is available with today’s vaccines. A completed registration form and copy of the child’s shot record is required for any child needing immunizations. Appointments can then be scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon (1:30-4:30 p.m.) or a Thursday morning (8:30-11:00 a.m.) immunization clinic. The afternoon clinic is held on the second Wednesday of every month. Call for an appointment: 928-428-0110 Available at: Graham County Health Department 826 W. Main Street Safford, Arizona 85546
MEMORIAL DAY 2009
INDEPENDENCE DAY JULY 4, 2009
WEST NILE VIRUS
Mosquito season is here again and with it looms the threat of West Nile Virus. Most people who contract the disease will experience mild symptoms or none at all. Some will experience severe symptoms with the possibility of paralysis or death. The concern and potential for West Nile Virus is real. Residents should maintain their swimming pools, eliminate standing water, wear insect repellent, vaccinate horses, and avoid the outdoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. In 2008 Graham County had 5 severe cases of West Nile Virus. It is here so take precautions to help prevent an unnecessary serious illness. Arizona ranks second in the country for West Nile Virus cases.
Graham County Emergency Management will be offering a CERT Course June 9th to July 29th of 2009. If you are interested in training to qualify to help your family, community or even volunteer during a National disaster, call Brian Douglas at
928-428-0110 for information.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program helps train volunteers to assist first responders in emergency situations in their communities. CERT members give critical support to first responders in emergencies, provide immediate assistance to victims, organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site, and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts. The role of a CERT volunteer is self-help/neighbor help until such time as trained first-response personnel arrive. CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. Cert is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference. CERT training consists of 20 hours of instruction on topics that include disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations, and light search and rescue operations. If this interests you call 928-428-0110 and ask for Brian or Hank.
Does your pool look like this?
HEAT
HEAT ILLNESS
Summer is almost here and it is hot in Arizona. With heat illness very common here below are some ideas to help prevent a problem: HEAT CRAMPS – Muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are often the first signal that the body is having trouble with the heat. First Aid – Get the victim out to a cooler location. Lightly stretch and gently massage affected muscles to relieve spasm. Give sips of up to a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes. HEAT EXHAUSTION – Typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to decrease to the vital organs. This results in a form of mild shock. If not treated, the victim’s condition will worsen. Body temperature will keep rising and the victim may suffer heat stroke. First Aid – Have victim lie down in a cool place. Loosen or remove clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air, conditioned place. Give sips of water if victim is conscious. Be sure water is consumed slowly. If nausea occurs, discontinue. If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
STROKE – Heat Stroke is life threatening. The victim’s temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly. First Aid – Heat Stroke is a severe medical emergency. Call 911 or emergency medical
services or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Move victim to a cooler
environment. Remove clothing. Try a cool bath, sponging or wet sheet to reduce body temperature. Use fans and air conditioners. WHAT CAN YOU DO? 1. Drink plenty of water regularly 2. Limit intake of alcoholic beverages 3. Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles 4. Protect face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat 5. Avoid too much sunshine 6. Avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat and take frequent breaks 7. Spend at least two hours per day in an air-conditioned place 8. Check on family, friends, and neighbors who do not have air conditioning and who spend much of their time alone 9. Cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, awnings or louvers. Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80 percent 10. Dress in loose-fitting clothes that cover as much skin as possible
SPRING & TEEN FAIR
This years ‘Teen Fair’ was held during the ‘Spring Fair’ on Friday afternoon. A lot of hard work went into this years fair with a short time to plan and pull it off. Many teens showed up and learned about choices that can change the direction of their lives. Good job to all who helped plan and make it great!
Poor choices can send you to ‘Jail’ or ‘Worse”
Hot Lites played for the Dance!
CONGRATULATIONS ZACH AND CAROLYN
Staci - Well Woman Program
Newly weds Zachery and Carolyn Hansen with proud parents Darla and Theron.
Darleen & Fran
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Be Tobacco Free
GAS DETECTORS
The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) has purchased 4 combustible gas detectors through a grant and distributed them to each local Fire Department at the May LEPC meeting. The instruments provide a “Geiger Counter” ticking signal that increases in frequency as the source of combustible gas or vapor is approached. They are excellent for pinpointing the location of combustible gas leaks as minute as 5 PPM. The units are ideal for pinpointing known leaks, checking for leaks, and verifying the safety of potentially hazardous locations.
Kellie & Sharon from the Health Dept.
Some people are always available to help
FT. THOMAS FIRE HOSTS EXTRICATION TRAINING
The Ft. Thomas Fire District was awarded a “Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Grant” for the year 2009, stated Fire Chief, McCoy Hawkins. The grant was for new Rescue Air bags and extrication tools. This equipment will allow the volunteer fire men to perform their duties in a safe and rapid manner. On April 18th the Ft Thomas Fire District hosted training on the safe and proper use of Rescue Extrication Equipment, LN Curtis and Sons Daryl Kim Trained members from Ft. Thomas, Pima, Thatcher, and Safford Fire Departments. Training Started at 8am and lasted until 3pm and consisted of class room and hands on experience. The Border Patrol donated 8 vehicles for the hands on training. This is the second year Ft. Thomas has hosted this training. It helps firemen see all the hazards of extrication, and keep up to date on placement of safety devices in new vehicles. Today’s cars have front, side and curtain air bags and these devices are capable of injury or death to a firefighter if safe and proper rescue techniques are not used. New Vehicles also have hardened steel that is sometimes impossible to cut if you do not know where to place cutters at an extrication incident. Proper stabilization procedures and proper rescue air bag placement were also taught. Volunteer Firefighters of Arizona and G. N. Construction of Tucson, donated money for refreshments and lunch.
2009 RELAY FOR LIFE
This year was another successful year for the Relay for Life with great community support with many organizations, families, and groups sharing their talents and time to help with its success.
The Health Department was well represented
Great Job Robert Herrera – Committee Chairman
RED CROSS FIRST AID/CPR
Graham County Emergency Management sponsored a Red Cross CPR and First Aid class at the Health Annex in Safford on April 25th. More classes are being scheduled for the near future.
All Volunteer Fire Departments in Graham County took part in Extrication Training in Ft. Thomas