Volume 8, Issue 1 October 2014 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Special points of Wilderness Medicine Weekend June 6-8, 2014 interest:

 Wilderness Medicine Weekend highlights.

 Being a firefighter means being prepared

 Emergency Preparedness information

Inside this issue: Introduction to Wilderness Medicine Weekend The first NCEM Wilderness Medicine Weekend was held June 6-8, 2014. Unfortu- nately only 3 people from Nye County Emergency Management attended because the Rope Rescue 2 weekend had to be rescheduled from the original May dates. We were; Matt Drywater Team hangs out (Sta. 91-Duckwater), Diane McGinnis (Sta.31-Beatty) and Ed Booss (Sta.51-NCEM), with several people from Las Vegas rounding out the class. This was a condensed version of the 2 week course that SNWMS (Southern Ne- Long Hot Sum- 3 vada Wilderness Medicine Society) conducts for 4th year medical students; it was tailored mer for people without extensive medical training. The course focused on first aid skills using improvised items and any equipment that we had in our backpack. Participants with no training up thru EMT all learned valuable skills, which are applicable to both the wilderness Being a firefighter 4 means being pre- and in an urban setting during a disaster. Friday was the power point presentation with some hands-on practical skills. Saturday pared morning the class observed vehicle extrication and studied. That afternoon started the "fun Notes from the 5 stuff" with swimming (in the heat of the day), water safety and a water rescue exercise. Technical Re- After supper it was "back to school" due to the volume of information in the handbook. sponse Team Throughout the weekend participants were challenged by scenarios where we had to iden- tify and treat emergencies. On a beautiful Sunday morning they broke camp. At Lake Mead, Coyotes among 6 took a final swim and did a "warm up" rock scramble at the abandoned Ore Car Mine. We us then hiked several miles up an erosion canyon, with safety lessons along the way. On the return leg of the hike, about half way thru this narrow canyon, an emergency scenario was done to demonstrate the difficulties in getting victims evacuated. Later it was "back to www.ready.gov 7,8 class", reviews of lessons learned and exams. The course concluded with an evening of rap- pelling in Red Rock Canyon. At the end of the weekend, even with slight sunburns and some sore, tired muscles, everyone agreed that they had a great time and learned a lot of useful skills. Matt Drywater summed it up by saying "it was well worth the long drive from Contact info and 9 the north end of the county and hopefully more people will attend next year". Emergency pre- paredness tips Page 2 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

NV State Health Division Trailers

We have 3 disas- ter trailers lo- cated through- out the County. They are regu- larly inspected and inventoried.

Rope Rescue Team hangs out

The Technical Rescue Team (aka Rope Rescue Team) in the southern part of the county can be found "hanging out" in various locations. Sometimes they are at the Nye County Training Site in Pahrump using the rappelling tower to work on techniques, maybe on a hillside far from town or at Beatty VFD reviewing and practicing skills. The team members come from several departments and bring their own areas of expertise which benefits everyone. There is a lot more to rope rescue rappelling than what you see in the movies. They use 2 ropes (main rappelling and belay) because, SAFETY is top priority - the life of the rescuer and the victims are at stake. The team must maintain proficiency in many disciplines, for example: knots, rigging, mechanical advantage and patient packaging, just to name a few. The latest Thursday of the month is for reviewing, practicing skills and preparing for the weekend training. The second Sunday of the month is an 8 hour training where they do rescue scenarios "in the rocks". In March the team did a fun exercise at a place called hole-in-the-rock, near Beatty, that tested their ability to rappel over different terrain. It was over 150' with 3 faces to be transitioned and a free rappel (where there is no place to put your feet for stability) - just your ropes and thin air. Faces transitioned: The first was almost vertical with a low anchor (normal transition), which went down to a chasm that could be stepped across. The second face was undercut with about 30' free rappel with a high anchor transition (vertical rope from descent). The third was a steep descent to skree (loose rocks) above the flatter terrain. When doing a free rappel, even with your safety belay line, you are really hanging out. The team has identified other fun and challenging locations for future training, so you might want to consider joining the team and "hanging out" with us.

Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 3

Long-Hot Summer 2014 In 2014 the summer weather started early and was hotter than the past few years, and is expected to last longer, too. Everyone needs to take extra care to avoid heat related problems. Evaporation of sweat is the primary cooling mechanism when working in the summer, and we have been told to hydrate, but what does that really mean? First you can sweat 3 liters of water in an hour, sometimes more doing firefighting, so you become dehydrated rapidly. But, you do not get thirsty until you have already lost 2 liters of water, so it will be hard to catch up if you did not drink before you started working. Since we can have long response times to many incidents, drink a bottle of water on the way to the scene. Second, most people do not know what hyponatremia (water intoxication) is - blood sodium level that falls too low to maintain normal body function. This is usually the result of drinking more than enough water while failing to eat or replenish electrolytes. Hy- ponatremia patients deny being thirsty, usually have urinated recently and the urine was probably clear; sometimes, if the kidneys are distressed the patient may produce a large volume of diarrhea instead of urinating. The treatment is rest in shade and gradual intake of salty foods, when thirst and hunger com- bine with normal urine output, the problem is solved.* It can be prevented by consuming fluids in a ratio of 1 liter of electrolyte mixture (sports drink) for every 2-4 liters of water. The risk factors for heat illness include being over 50 years old, obese, fatigued, out of shape or un-acclimatized to the heat. High humidity, medications, caffeine, alcohol and medical conditions (including a fever or recent prior heat illness) can all reduce your ability to cope with heat. The mildest heat illnesses are heat syncope and heat cramps. Heat syncope is when the blood flow to the brain is reduced because blood is drawn to the skin and pools in the legs, so you feel dizzy when getting up or even faint while standing in the heat. Heat cramps are caused by a sodium deficiency in the exercising muscles, so a few muscle fibers at a time will briefly spasm. Since both illnesses are caused by dehydration the treatment is resting in shade and drink fluids containing sodium (salt pinch to a quart of water or sports drink). Heat exhaustion is a serious problem when the body's core temperature rises. The patient is sweating profusely, has cool clammy skin that usually has a pale or dusky look, decreased urine output, headache, feels very tired and can have persistent muscle cramps. Treat with rest in shade, fluid replace- ment, you can assist cooling by fanning a patient also have medical personnel check them. Usually the patient has about a 90% recovery in several hours, but it will still take a few days for the body to return to completely normal functioning. Heat stroke is a medical emergency because the core temperature rises to 105o or more. The classic signs and symptoms are hot dry skin, rapid heart rate, fast breathing, headache, disorientation, confusion and possibly seizures (if the body is not cooled, it will go into a coma). An exertional heat stroke (EHS) can come on in as little as 15 minutes so the patient will still be sweating profusely with rapid bounding pulse. One of the reliable indicators are the changes of behaviors; such as being irrational and sometimes showing aggression.* The heat stroke patient MUST be rapidly cooled and evacuated to a medical facility. Things everyone can do to combat a heat illness: 1) get in better shape and become acclimatized, 2) stay hydrated, 3) when you first start to feel heat related problems get someone to relieve you so you can rest, 4) always watch your team members for heat illness, 5) always get pre- entry and post-entry medical evaluations, 6) work smarter not harder. ------*Wilderness First Aid, American Safety & Health Institute, 2013 Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 4 Being a firefighter means being prepared By Thomas A Merrill—from Backdraft Magazine Vol.51 iIss. 2 (The following is an EXERPT) “If you are like most volunteers, you LOVE to advertise the fact that you are a firefighter. But, with that title comes an immense responsibility, because people do not think of you as a volunteer or a member. People think of you simply as a firefighter. When people are with you , they take great comfort in the fact that you are not only considered trustworthy but also competent and dependable. They believe that you will be able to help them out in their time of need. They could care less if you are volunteer or paid.”

“People don't understand or necessarily care about all the different job classifica- tions we might have in the volunteer fire service—structural, interior, non struc- tural, social, administrative—all they know is you are a firefighter and in their mind that means you can be counted on to help them if they ever need your ser- vice.”

“Different tasks and duties can be expected of members based on tenure, interests, training, age and a variety of other factors.”

“The professional volunteer firefighter vows to do more than just the minimum required. They em- brace their role and work hard to improve their skills. Whatever category they fall into, they train and are prepared to do the job expected of them.” EXAMPLE: “If you are an outside (non-structural or exterior firefighter) be prepared to quickly tap a hydrant, throw a ground ladder, change out SCBA bottles and get power to the lights and fans without struggling” “If you are a driver, know the rig! Know how to drive it safely and responsibly” “If you are an EMS pro- vider, keep your skills sharp by maintaining and staying familiar with all the various medical equipment car- ried” “Certainly if you are an interior structural firefighter, then you know you are expected to be able to don and off your gear and SCBA quickly and competently, advance a hose line and carry a resident in peril down a ladder.” “The point is, whatever your role or title is in your department, be prepared to live up to the expectation associated with it. Not only is the public expecting this, but your fellow firefighters as well.

“SO how do we get ourselves prepared? My simple answer is to be into your “job”. You volunteered to serve to learn as much about whatever your role is. Develop the attitude that training will continue throughout your career. Just because you are a life member or have many years in the fire service does not mean you get to pass on training. You should never stop training! Take advantage of every opportu- nity to improve your skills. Work to perform your job role competently and confidently. That equates a professional firefighter” “Senior members have an important role here too. I hear too often of the senior member who only show up for the big call. They believe because they trained hard years ago, that it’s good enough to carry them on the fire ground at today’s call. I say hogwash! Nothing could be further from the truth, senior members have a duty and an obligation to maintain their proficiency as much as a newer member” “It is also a great opportunity for the senior member to take on a “mentor” role and pass on important lessons they learned over the years. “ In addition to senior members staying sharp, they exhibit that age-old leadership quality of leading by example. How can our new members appreciate the importance of training and regular drill attendance when they see older, more experienced members exhibiting a care-less attitude towards it? “No matter what your role is, you owe it to the public, your fellow firefighter and yourself to be as thoroughly trained and prepared as possible” Page 5 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Notes from the Technical Response Team (Sta. 51) During the first half of 2014, we made 23 runs. Most were HazMat incidents, we also provided coverage for the Beatty Fire Depart- ment during their Fourth of July celebration, and had 3 mutual aid re- sponses to assist with large fires in Pahrump and Amargosa Valley. In June there was an exciting weekend of learning wilderness first aid, which is slightly different from our normal training for Nye County Emergency Management personnel. (see first page) Congratulations to our 3 newest HazMat Technicians; Richard Flanagan, James Rice and James Rosen. They spent most of the early sum- mer taking an accelerated class at Station 51 which consisted of: 1) in- tense academic studies; 2) gaining intimate knowledge of our meters, equipment and procedures; 3) rigorous practical training exercises. This course complies with the requirements of NFPA 472, chapter 7. Their hard work has made them extremely valuable members of the team. Later this year we plan on having a course in basic surface mine (rope) rescue and begin firefighter I training, for our new members.

Some wise words from EMS WORLD to think about when we

communicate in writing: “Start with the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When and Why. These are the essential elements and should go at the top. Edit yourself. Never use 10 words to say what you can say in three! You don’t give consideration to adding a new ambulance; you consider it. Strong verbs are essential , and an active voice is better than passive.”

Tonopah FD Testing the pumps on the Engine 2014

Mike Bridgeman Rob Elliott Matt Kirkland Dennis McGaw Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 6

Coyotes among us. By Animal Control The Coyote is found throughout most of Nevada, ranging from the low desert and valley areas to the highest moun- tain elevations. Often called the “little wolf,” the Coyote resembles a medium sized shepherd type dog, but has large erect ears, a narrow muzzle and yellow eyes. The tail is round and bushy and is carried straight out below the back. The Coyote coloration varies from grayish, tawny brown with a black tip on the tail in the low desert and valley areas to gray with white under parts in the highest eleva- tions. The Coyote has a large brain and has an exceptional sense of smell, vision and hearing. The Coyote is most active at dusk, night and predawn and has a distinctive vocalization, which con- sists of various howls, high quivering cries and crazy high pitched yapping. There are two howling seasons, January/February when breeding season starts and September/October when females are calling to their pups. Pups are ready to hunt on their own in the fall of the year of their birth and will relocate 5 to 10 miles from their parents range. The mortality for juvenile Coyotes is 50% to 70% and adults typically live 3-5 years. It is estimated 30% to 50% of the adult population dies each year and Coyotes compensate by breeding younger and having larger litters. The Coyote’s range varied from 3 to 30 square miles, but where the Coyotes are numerous, the home range becomes smaller as competition for food, water and shelter becomes a prime factor on setting limitations. The absence of prey will also factor into a smaller litter size and fewer females will breed when there is a scarcity of food. Coyotes are opportunistic carnivores or equal opportunity eaters, tak- ing the easiest meal available, which includes meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruit, insects, rodents, and reptiles. The food need not be fresh and the Coyote is happy to feed on carrion. A varied diet allows the Coyote to exist on whatever the area offers in the way of food, be it trash from a Nye County dumpster, pet food, pets themselves or natural prey. Animal Control The Coyote’s sense of smell, vision and hearing, when coupled with evasiveness, enables them to 775-751-6316 survive both in the wild and occasionally in suburban areas of some of Californias largest cities. They are common in most rural areas, but because of their secretive nature, few are seen. As the Coyote finds urban areas easy pickings, they lose their fear of humans and become bolder. Efforts to control or exterminate the coyote by predator control agencies have produced an animal that is extremely alert and wary and well able to maintain itself. When the Coyote loses its wariness of man, the Coyote becomes a risk to the health and safety of the public .Though attacks on people are rare, not so is the attack on domestic pets. The Coyote can carry rabies and Tularemia, diseases that can be transmitted to man and domestic pets. Specific canine diseases such as distemper and canine hepatitis can travel both ways, putting both Coyote and pet at risk. Parasites that are carried by Coyotes include mites, ticks, fleas, worms and flukes.

Currant Creek Fire Station and Community Center Volume 8, Issue 1 Page 7

WWW.READY.GOV

There are so many learning opportunities to take advantage of online. There are special instructions & games geared towards chil- dren that makes preparedness fun. Please share with the children in your lives.

Volume 8, Issue 1 Page 8

WWW.READY.GOV cont’d

Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 8 DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TIPS AND IDEA’S (DEM) PHONE: 775-751-4279 If a natural or man-made disaster strikes your community, you FAX: 775-751-4280 might not have access to food, water, and electricity for some time. It’s important to take steps now to store emergency food so that you will be prepared if something happens. 1510 E. Siri Lane Ste. 1 Pahrump, NV 89060 Some great websites you can go to www.ready.gov for tips and idea’s. emergency.cdc.gov

Don’t forget to talk to your neighbors and friends and family as well, EVERYONE has great ideas to offer. We are on the web: www.nyecounty.net The following are some tips in regards to Emergency Food Sup- plies.

 Avoid canned goods that have be-  Store foods that you eat regularly. DIRECTOR: come swollen, dented, or corroded. Foods that require no refrigeration, Vance Payne  Keep your hands clean — it's one of preparation, or cooking are best. [email protected] the best ways to keep from getting  Store enough food for two weeks. It 775-751-4278 sick. If soap and running water are is better to have extra you can not available, use alcohol-based share than to run out. hand gels or wipes to clean hands.  Individuals with special diets and  Inspect all food for signs of spoilage allergies will need particular atten- tion; this includes babies and the before use. Throw out perishable elderly. Nursing mothers may need foods, such as meat and poultry, TRAINING OFFICERS: that have been left out at room tem- liquid formula, in case they are un- FIRE: perature for more than 2 hours. able to breastfeed. Canned dietetic foods, juices, and soups may be Matthew Clayton  If there's a power outage, eat food helpful for those with special needs. [email protected] in the refrigerator first, the freezer 775-751-6311  Make sure you have a manual can 775-764-1571 next, and finally from your stored opener and disposable utensils. supplies.  Keep food in a dry, cool spot—out of the sun, if possible.

EMS: Replace your stored food on a regular basis. Michael Klein [email protected] Within six months, use: 775-482-7365 775-764-1626  Boxed potatoes  Dried fruit  Dry, crisp crackers  Powdered milk Newsletter developer: Tina Landsberry Within one year, use: [email protected] 775-751-6316  Canned soups  Canned fruits, fruit juices, and vegetables  Canned nuts  Jelly  Peanut butter  Ready-to-eat cereals and uncooked instant cereals In proper containers and conditions, the following may be stored indefinitely:  Bouillon products  Dried corn  Dry pasta  Instant coffee, tea, and cocoa  White rice