February 24^th 2012 is the 125^th anniversary of the former Village (now Hamlet) of Mumford, located in the Town of Wheatland, County of Monroe, and State of New York.  As with thousands of communities throughout the United States, volunteers have protected our homes and families.  The services these men and woman provide to their neighbors goes largely unrecognized, but deeply appreciated every time there is an emergency.   In public health, they fulfill a large part of the third core function known as “Assurance.”  The following is a true story and demonstrates their courage and dedication.

On September 13, 2011 the hamlet of Mumford, in the Town Wheatland, County of Monroe and in the state of New York experienced a Propane BLEVE.

A BLEVE occurs when liquid with in a container reaches a temperature well above its boiling point and causes the container to rupture (Peterson, 2002).  As the BLEVE occurs numerous fragments may travel hundreds of yards and the fuel ignited as it escape (NFPA, 2011).  According to 2010, Emergency Response Guidebook in case of a propane fire the minimum safe distance from the fire is 1600 meters ( about 1 mile) in all directions (ERG, 2010).  What makes propane so dangerous is that as is released it remains airborne while dissipating (NFPA). Propane stored under high pressure expands at a rate of 30 to 1 when release into the air.

As the first alarm sounded, Mumford and its mutual aid partners arrived on scene.  As additional alarms were sounded, the scope and complexity of the incident increased. Before the fire was contained, four fire alarms were sounded, calling 39 fire departments and over 350 firefighter to the scene  (MCFW, 2011).  State and County Hazmat teams were deployed, and a level 2 hazmat emergency was declared (MCFW).  Several other fire and EMS battalions were put on standby to come to the scene in the event 70,000 gallons of high pressure propane  exploded.  According to local officals, the explosion could have destroyed and leveled the hamlet of Mumford and over half of the adjacent town of Caledonia. The potential deaths and injuries were estimated to exceed 18,000 and property damages well over 250 million dollars. County and State officials estimated the crater from the explosion could have a diameter of one mile MCFW).

Among the problems faced were communication and water supply. With so many departments called up from 3 different counties, interoperability became a problem.  When a high tech solution failed, a good old common sense solution prevailed.  The fire required over 3 million gallons of water. The existing water service could not supply enough water and the suburban fire departments were not prepared to draft water from nearby creeks.  Command solved the problem by matching rural and suburban agencies to take advantage of each skill sets. County and State official worked with the Mumford Fire Chief as the incident commander, given his experience with the site, interoperability and water supply issues.  After the incident, all agencies participating along with county, state and FEMA officials, conduct debriefings and training sessions to review the incident, discuss areas needing improvement, and how future incident should plan to handle similar events.

The majority of these emergency personnel are volunteers that serve our communities and put their lives on the line during emergencies.  We all should feel blessed to have such giving and self sacrificing individual living among us.  Their families should be remembered too, as they are left behind every time these men and woman leave home for an emergency call.

Happy Birthday Mumford Fire Department and thank you for all you do.

References:

Mumford BLEVE. (2011). Monroe County Fire Wire. Retrieved February 9, 2012, from http://www.mcfw.com/?m=201109&paged=6

Peterson, D. (2002). BLEVE: Facts, Risk Factors, and Fallacies. In Fire Engineering. Retrieved February 9, 2012, from http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-155/issue-4/features/bleve-facts-risk-factors-and-fallacies.html

2010 Emergency Response Guidebook (2010th ed., pp. 176-177). (2010). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://www.ehso.com/hmerg.php

BLEVE. (2011).  National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://www.nfpa.org/catalog/product.asp?title=&category_name=&pid=FL87VH&target_pid=FL87VH&src_pid=&link_type=search&order_src=

In the United States, almost 60% of all homes were built before 1980 (US Census, 2011).  In New York and the Northeast, this rises to 80% or more.  In update Upstate New York including Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse this represents over 70% of all homes, whether they are owner occupied or rented (US Census).   These older homes often contain many hazards effecting our health, and are the source of a lot of medical problems.

In 1997, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reduced the use of lead from 0.05 to 0.06 percent under the 1971 Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (CPSC, 1977) .  Lead has been used in consumer goods and the workplace for thousands of years.  It’s only in recent times have we learned about the toxic effects.  Lead particle ingested or inhaled can poison us causing neurological, renal, and cardiovascular and reproduction illnesses.

Older homes can present a number of others hazards. For example, the common house mouse is the primary host responsible for carrying an infectious virus known as Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis. The virus is transmitted via fresh fecal material, saliva or nesting materials that are inhaled or absorb through the nose, eye, or open wound (CDC, 2007).  Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (also referred to as LCM) may present as aseptic meningitis, or encephalitis, causing inflammation of the brain, spinal cord, and meninges (CDC).

Radon gases, molds and other carcinogens often are presents in older homes. Many of these dwellings do not meeting current building codes and have inherent fire hazards.  Many homeowners have Home Inspectors test their dwelling for these hazards and offer way to mitigate the problems.  Many rented homes do not enjoy the benefits of this testing, nor do most certificates of occupancy call for such remediation.  Over 44% of the dwellings in New York State are rental units and over 30% in Upstate New York (Census).  Seniors and children occupy about 39% of these homes (Census).  Who are the most vulnerable segments of our population.

References:

2010 U.S. Census. (2011). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t

CPSC Announces Final Ban On Lead-Containing Paint. (1977). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml77/77096.html

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis. (2007). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 12, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lcmv/qa.htm

Best Wishes,

James Carroll

A senior falls and becomes injured every 17 seconds, and one senior dies from a fall every 30 seconds in the United States (NCIPC, 2006). The associated medical costs with these deaths exceed $380 million dollars and total health care cost for seniors falls is over $23 billion in 2005 (CDC, 2011). Taking simple precautions could reduce these injuries and cost by 40% (CDC, 2008). It’s estimated by 2020 cost of fall injuries will exceed $54 billion. Over 40% of the housing occupied by seniors in the United States is not safe (CDC).

I would bet that everyone knows a senior who has fallen at home and had difficulty getting help. It could be a relative, friends, or parent. I work part time as an EMT and many of our calls are to render aid to seniors. There are program in your communities to get senior help. Check with your town and counties offices.

Some communities have created NORCs (Natural Occurring Retirement Communities). A NORC is a community group that provides resources for elderly and their families to improve the quality of life (Asterhill, 2009). An example is providing transportation for seniors to get to medical appointments or grocery stores, or assist them in making physical modifications to a dwelling.

There are intervention strategies underway by CDC. They have aggressive education and home modification programs for prevention with community partners throughout the country. The focus is on seniors, family members, health care givers, and medical professionals (CDC).  While the CDC’s programs are making gains, many low income seniors fall between the cracks.  We need to strengthen our relationships between municipalities, community organizations, and health care providers.  Helping those in need helps the community become a richer place to live.

References:

-Cazenovia: Senior Housing Study. (2009). Asterhill Incorporated. Retrieved from: http://asterhill.com/files/CazStudy_Sep_09.pdf
-Falls – Older Adults. (2011). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved August from: http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/index.html
-Preventing Falls: How to Develop Community-based Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults. (2008). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/.
-What You Can Do to Prevent Falls. (2006). Nation Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthmarketing/hminaction.htm#campaigns.