COVID19 PPE
- Thread starter FDNYrigs
- Start date
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Universal precautions as with any thing else.
Dan Nigro announced just this weekend , additional screening will be made by 911 operators as to which type of CFR Responses will be handed by which branch. Med branch resources EMS will be advised as to patient condition. FDNY CFR will then be available for duty , and not be put in a position of Possible exposure.
Isolation PPE (for providers)
-Gloves
-N95
-Booties
-Isolation Gown
-Bouffant (Hair Net)
-Eye Pro (Googles/ Glasses)
-Second pair of Gloves
Patients
-Reverse Isolation (sheet burrito)
-Surgical masks
Also, if anyone has any particular questions feel free to ask. Information is power, especially in a time when so much false information is out there creating panic when calm is needed.
-Gloves
-N95
-Booties
-Isolation Gown
-Bouffant (Hair Net)
-Eye Pro (Googles/ Glasses)
-Second pair of Gloves
Patients
-Reverse Isolation (sheet burrito)
-Surgical masks
Also, if anyone has any particular questions feel free to ask. Information is power, especially in a time when so much false information is out there creating panic when calm is needed.
Lebby said:
68jk09 said:
Thank you Philip, "Lebby" and Chief JK for passing this information onto us.
"Lebby" in regards to the Isolation PPE (for providers), I appreciate the fact that you passed on the required PPE equipment being used by the FDNY/EMS. If NYC uses that, I'm sure other EMS providers can use the same as well. I hope to pass that information on for others to see.
In addition Philip, I understand that the members of FDNY/EMS are now required to work a 12 hour shift rather than their normal 8 hour tour. I think I saw that some where recently. Are you guys working 12 hour shifts now to allow more EMS vehicles on the road ?
Thank you Chief JK, "68jk09" for passing on that info regarding making our own hand sanitizer. Even here in much less populated areas, it can NOT be found on any store shelves. I have been using a spray bottle of bleach on my hands, then wiping it off with a cloth.
Whatever we can learn here will no doubt help others if we pass the word along.
We don't know when this will end and it certainly has had a huge impact on our normal, daily lifestyle.
As I understand it, for us more senior members, we need to be extra careful.
Probably best if we cut back on partying with those young, pretty dancing girls, who kinda go for us "white haired guys".
Thank you for clarifying PPE for providers. I?ve seen a few posts on FB of FDs announcing to the public that they will be donning full turnout gear and SCBA for close contact with people during incidents. I?m by no means an expert but I do know that turnout gear does not provide protection from biological agents.
Dunno how it is in the FD but I'm in the hospital and we don't have enough PPE to always be in an N95 and some people you don't know have COVID until after the fact. For all patient contacts we are to be gloved. In addition surgical face mask and goggles at all times while in the hospital. If we are contacting a rule out COVID or confirmed COVID then we add the hair bouffant, ensure the gloves are nitrile, N95 mask and face shield. Goggles and regular mask are left outside the room. COVID rule outs and confirmed are being kept isolated in single rooms (for now) in only certain units. Once a rule out is negative they are moved out of the isolation zone and into the regular zone.
The worst has yet to come. Anticipate a hectic two weeks. Just hope people are smart and social distancing will work so we can save as many people as possible and don't have a situation like Italy.
The worst has yet to come. Anticipate a hectic two weeks. Just hope people are smart and social distancing will work so we can save as many people as possible and don't have a situation like Italy.
Len90 said:
Thank you "Len90" in telling us the hospital side of things. My sister in law is an RN in a Connecticut Hospital where they are treating two COVID patients. I believe both patients are doctors there. Both also live in or near Westchester County, NY.
I tend to believe as you say, "the worst is yet to come". I guess we all have to use caution.
They say that history repeats itself. That just might be true because about 100 years ago in 1918, there was an influenza pandemic that hit our country. Here is a story about it from our local newspaper.
www.theday.com/local-news/20200315/life-and-death-in-great-1918-influenza-pandemic
- Joined
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- Messages
- 8,442
nfd2004 said:
Yeah - they go for us white hair guys not for the white on our heads but for the green in our bank accounts Speaking of Green Happy St Patrick's Day
Kevin, I never looked at it that way, but I think you might have a point there.
And Happy St Patricks Day to you guys as well.
It was a St Patricks Day in 1978 when some of the guys from the FDNY invited me to march with them in the parade. It sure was an Honor for me, as well as a couple of my buddies who were also invited.
Of course a very different St Patricks Day this year as our entire country tries to deal with this COVID-19 thing. This St Patty's Day (2020) will go down in the history books for sure.
And Happy St Patricks Day to you guys as well.
It was a St Patricks Day in 1978 when some of the guys from the FDNY invited me to march with them in the parade. It sure was an Honor for me, as well as a couple of my buddies who were also invited.
Of course a very different St Patricks Day this year as our entire country tries to deal with this COVID-19 thing. This St Patty's Day (2020) will go down in the history books for sure.
nfd2004 said:
No problem. Always trying to share. My hospital now has restricted all visitors as we are low on PPE and masks for providers only. Our latest update was that the N95 can be used for a "whole day" provided that you wear a surgical mask over it with face shield. We also informed that so long as we have the surgical mask and goggles on it doesn't matter if we have an incidental "low likelihood of transmission" contact with a COVID-19 patient. No need for self quarantine, just monitor ourselves for symptoms.
If every doctor right now was to self-quarantine for a low likelihood contact there would be pretty much no doctors left in NYC. We are currently splitting ourselves into "teams" where we are trying to maintain our workforce.
I work on SI (guess some probably figured that out) and we on a good day are short on hospital beds etc. Total hospital bed count on SI around 1100 for population of nearly 500,000. That is why you see SI getting the first drive thru testing facility in the 5 boroughs. Biggest limiting factor right now is timeliness of testing. However, we have ideas on what is likely and what is not by studying labs and X-rays. CDC still really hasn't truly even quantified this as a droplet or an airborne. Coronaviruses are usually droplet but reports say this can live in the air for up to three hours... that is more airborne.
Anticipate shelter in place to happen very soon city wide. As opposed to it as I am (feel it does interfere with our basic rights in the USA) we need to do something to help curtail this and flatten the curve. Won't be surprised if we see a military tent hospital pop up soon. 36 confirmed cases just in SI alone and that number will continue to grow. Our current efforts will take about a week to determine if they are working. IF we see decrease in number of cases reported without an increase in testing capacity then we might be able to start getting over this hurdle.
Continue to stay safe.
- Len
nfd2004 said:
Ironically, we changed schedules right before this all happened so now the 24 hour trucks run three 8 hour tours while the those that don't only run one 12 hour tour as opposed to the two 8s previously, this was done to get the most EMTs on the street the most cost effective way possible. Since, the situation was occurred we are now only working with partners on the same platoon as to not cross contaminate (of at least that is the theory).
Lebby, makes sense to keep workers of the same group working together. Seems like all of healthcare (field responders, hospitals, etc) are all going to team based and trying to not intermingle. Are EMS being restricted to number of people in one place? At the hospital we now are not allowed to be in groups of more than 15 any time.
Len90 said:
Sounds like you read the recent New York Times article, if not it is a good which I highly recommend. No, we have no group limit, but that said even at my station of the biggest in the city we rarely have more than six people in the same room. Recently we had a HazTac drill on Covid, where HT1 invited any member during shift change to sit in for a little OT andwe maybe had 10 members in the kitchen which along with Sunday Meal is probably our max. That said we have been trying the whole six feet thing, which has been hard considering the station's and notably the Lieutenant's Office's size.