Surgical Fires: Woman's face ignites during surgery

Miami woman's face ignites in 'flash fire' during surgery



The article about this incident, w/photos is located here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068853/Kim-Grices-face-ignites-flash-routine-procedure-biopsy-cyst.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Fires during surgery? Not as unusual as you might think! Here's the second one in the same week!

Washington man's face catches fire during routine surgical procedure: It's second such incident in a week nationwide 

Immediately followed by this post on a Legal Malpractice website: Two surgical fires in one week may lead to malpractice suits 

Overview of Surgery Fires



Authorities suspect the Fire Triangle might be responsible. According to the FDA: Fires can occur when the three elements of the “fire triangle” come together. In the surgery room it looks like this:

 Oxidizer: Gases used during surgery, such as oxygen and nitrous oxide, and room air

 Fuel: Flammable objects, including surgical drapes, alcohol-based skin preparations, airway tubing, and even the patient’s hair or body

 Heat: Tools such as electrosurgical (tissue-cutting) tools, lasers, fiber-optic lights and cables that can generate heat or sparks and cause a fire

 Surgeries of the head, neck and upper chest pose a greater risk of fire, especially if the patient is receiving extra oxygen through a breathing mask or nasal tubing.

I know you want to know more about it. From "The Patient is on Fire!" A Surgical Fires Primer (http://www.mdsr.ecri.org/summary/detail.aspx?doc_id=8197):

Most people have heard of the fire triangle: heat, fuel, and oxidizer. When these three components come together in the proper proportions, a fire—the rapid chemical reaction of fuel with oxygen, resulting in the release of heat and light energy—is bound to occur. Diminish or remove any element of the triangle, and a fire can be prevented or extinguished.

 Each side of the triangle contains obvious (and some not-so-obvious) components that are commonly found in the OR environment. Each member of the surgical team controls a specific side of the triangle: surgeon, heat sources; nurse, fuels; anesthesiologist, oxidizers. By understanding the fire triangle and how to properly manage its components, the surgical team can prevent fires.

Heat and ignition sources. Heat input from a variety of sources increases the oxidation rate of a fuel-oxygen mixture until combustion occurs. In addition to the overhead surgical lights, some of the heat sources found in the OR are defibrillators; electrosurgical or electrocautery units (ESUs, ECUs); heated probes; drills and burs; argon beam coagulators; fiberoptic light sources and cables; and lasers used with the free-beam (bare-fiber) method or with contact tips or fibers. These sources produce temperatures from several hundred to a few thousand degrees Fahrenheit, enough to ignite most fuels, including most drapes. In addition, incandescent sparks can be produced by ESUs or high-speed drills and burs; lasers can also cause sparks when the energy hits instruments or the laser fiber becomes damaged. These sparks, or even glowing embers of charred tissue, can provide enough initial heat to ignite some fuels, especially in oxygen-enriched atmospheres (OEAs).

Also, for a few seconds after deactivation, a heated ESU or ECU probe tip, fiberoptic cable tip, or laser contact tip can retain enough heat to melt plastics or ignite some fuels. While these devices must be in contact with a material to heat it, a laser can heat a fuel from a few centimeters to several meters away. A fiberoptic light source may take a minute or so to heat a drape to the point of combustion, while a laser can cause almost instantaneous ignition. By ensuring that these heat sources are not directed toward or allowed to come in contact with fuels, OR staff can prevent fires.

Fuels. A fuel is anything that can burn, including almost everything that comes in contact with patients, as well as the patients themselves. As shown in the "Fuels Commonly Encountered in Surgery" table below, fuels abound in the OR; note that, in addition to the many items that are generally known to burn, many other items that are not generally thought of as flammable are listed.

Some prepping agents and a few ointments required during surgery are volatile and extremely flammable, more so than many other fuels. For example, liquid alcohol from a wet, dripping prep can pool under the patient and generate vapors beneath the drapes for quite some time. Concentrated alcohol vapors trapped under drapes or above areas still wet with alcohol can be easily ignited by heat or sparks (see "Proper Prepping Techniques," below). Open bottles or basins containing volatile solutions (e.g., alcohol from suture packs, acetone degreaser) should be closed or removed from the sterile area as soon as possible after use.

Under the right conditions, some surgical ointments can burn. For example, petroleum-based ointments used in an OEA will ignite when enough heat is present to cause vaporization. These materials must vaporize and mix with oxygen to allow ignition. Globs of ointment are not easy to ignite because their mass absorbs considerable heat before vaporizing. Thin layers, however, have a low mass per area and need less heat to cause vaporization; thus, they are more ignitable.

 In contrast, water-based lubricants, such as K-Y Jelly, are mostly water and will not burn; heat simply vaporizes the water in the lubricant, cooling the area. In fact, water-based lubricants can be used to coat hair to make it fire resistant.

I DID NOT know that about lube! I'm thinking, KY could save some eyebrows not only during surgeries but BBQ season...Sure when you show up to the BBQ with a Costco sized container of KY Jelly, people WILL wonder, especially if they were expecting you to bring the pasta salad. But the conversation about fire safety has to start somewhere. I'm just thinking, starting with some lubricant is not a bad idea. At a bbq or in a surgical suite...

Preventing Fires in the Operating Room

But I digress, this post is about Surgery Fires. Turns out, Surgery Fires are preventable. I know. Such a surprise. Here is how to prevent them (in case you are asked)




Extinguishing Operating Room Fires
Because fire prevention is NEVER 100% effective, here is how to put OUT a surgery room fire from the ECRI Institute https://www.ecri.org/surgical_fires :

https://www.ecri.org/Documents/Emergency_Procedure_Extinguishing_a_Surgical_Fire.pdf


More info is available at:

Surgical Fires in the News https://www.ecri.org/Press/Pages/default.aspx
FDA Surgical Fire Initiative http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/SafeUseInitiative/PreventingSurgicalFires/default.htm
SurgicalFires.Org http://surgicalfire.org/
Inside Edition Reports on Surgical Fires http://www.insideedition.com/news/7309/inside-edition-reports-on-surgical-fires.aspx
Surgical Fires: Chronological Bibliography 1949-2009 https://www.ecri.org/Documents/Fires_Bibliog_HD_2009_Fires_Issue_(1949-2009).pdf

Surgery Fires- Do you know what causes them?

Fire deaths in New York City declined last year -- Newsday.com

Fire deaths in New York City declined last year -- Newsday.com

Fire deaths in New York City declined 10 percent and fire response times were quicker last year, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg acknowledged Monday that pending budget cuts will make keeping those numbers under control a challenge.

"The public doesn't have the income to generate the taxes to pay for more," he said at a new firehouse in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. "We're going to have to do a lot more with less."

In response to a $4 billion deficit through 2010, Bloomberg ordered a citywide slash in spending by 7 percent. He proposed cutting fire department training and reducing the night shift staff at four firehouses in each borough but Queens. Those reductions begin Saturday.

When Bloomberg came into office in 2002, six firehouses were shuttered to trim budget costs. Fire deaths spiked from 97 in 2002 to 125 in 2003, according to the city Fire Department's figures.

Response times during that same period were slower, growing from 4:13 to 4:20.

For 2008, fire deaths totaled 86, down from 95 in 2007, the figures show. Of the 2008 deaths, the leading cause was related to careless smoking.

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said unattended candles, overloaded circuits and careless smoking were the top-three causes in the city's fires.

In an effort to reduce fires and fire-related deaths, the city spent $1 million in U.S. grants to promote the use of smoke detectors and educated 600,000 New Yorkers through various programs on fire prevention and safety, Scoppetta said.

According to the figures, the fire response time to structural fires on average was clocked at 4:12 for 2008, 15 seconds faster than in 2007.

Scoppetta said a change in dispatch protocol sped up responses. Now when a blaze is reported, the dispatcher sends out firefighters to the fire's location while keeping the caller on the phone if more information is needed.

Before, firefighters didn't respond for at least a minute until dispatchers collected as much information as possible on the fire from a caller.

"They have all the information they would've had if we held them in quarters for a minute plus, instead they are on their way and they get there much faster and they still end up with all the information that's available," Scoppetta said.

Message of Fire Prevention will continue into new year in St. Kitts,

SKNVibes.com News: Message of Fire Prevention will continue into new yearBy VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THROUGHOUT the last year, the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Services has made great strides in educating the general public in fire prevention and safety tips, an initiative it intends on strengthening for the new year.

In a December 30 interview with SKNVibes, Fire Sub-station Officer at the St. Kitts Fire Prevention Office Clarence Hendrickson stressed the importance of understanding and observing fire safety tips.

He said once aware of the dangers involved in overlooking fire safety tips, individuals can be fully able to prevent fires, safeguard their property and know how to respond in case of fire-related casualty.

Hendrickson noted that especially during the Christmas season, persons must pay particular attention to the proper use of power strips. He urged the general public not to overload power strips and stated that Christmas trees and decorative lights should be unplugged when no one is at home.

“A common mistake people make is passing electrical cords under their rugs. Rugs are made from oil-based materials which generate heat. Applying additional heat to these cords over a period of time, the insulators will get overheated and damaged causing the live and neutral wires to touch, resulting in a fire.

“Also, in the case of lighting and extinguishing matches, many persons fail to follow fire safety tips. People have a tendency to turn on the gas before they light the match. Sometimes, excess gas vapour is emitted and igniting the match after may cause an explosion. So people must be cautious to light the match first.

Also, after using a match, it is advised that you extinguish the lighted match with water to ensure that the match does not automatically re-ignite. Some persons may also put the used match right back into the box with the other matches which is not wise at all as it too can cause fire.”

He further stated that individuals should ensure that all appliances not in use are unplugged. Hendrickson also discouraged the public from cooking when feeling tired or sleepy and said individuals should not go to bed smoking.

“We are pleased to announce that there has been a significant reduction in the cases of fires which may suggest that persons are observing the fire safety tips more.

We intend to start the Fire Awareness programmes in which we will be going around to schools, hotels and business places to have lectures on fire prevention and safety tips.”

Hendrickson said the Department has made a concerted effort to educate and sensitize people to the causes of fires and equip them with the knowledge of how to respond in the case of a fire. He said that through the Fire Summer Safety Programme, “each one is reaching one to get the message around”.

He thanked the general public for its full cooperation this year and said he is looking forward to its continued support in the upcoming year.

Tidy Up! Banned Ikea Commercial

Seriously...housekeeping is a big fire prevention issue!

Fire Safety Deadline Looms For Older Cruise Ships

2010 SOLAS Deadline Looms For Older Ships - Cruises - Cruise Critic
For some of cruising's older ships, 2010 is a watershed that could see them sent off to the breakers' yard. That's because on October 1, 2010, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) will require all ships of 167 signatory states making international voyages -- including virtually every country where cruise ships are registered -- to comply with the latest fire safety requirements. This means that for the first time, the latest regulations will apply even to the oldest ships as the grandfather clauses protecting them will not longer apply. If your favorite ship was built before 1980, its future beyond that date could be in question.

The New Rules

Among the major points in the latest rules are requirements that there be two means of egress from all atrium levels; low-level lighting systems; installation of smoke detectors, sprinklers, fire detectors and fire alarm systems in all accommodations and service areas; and fireproof enclosures around all stairways. Most of these rules went into effect by October 1, 2005, which means all ships in service today already comply. But full compliance with the latest SOLAS regulations won't be required until 2010, when all ships regardless of age will be required to be free of almost all combustible materials in their construction. Many ships built before 1980, and especially those built before the 1970's, were constructed under older rules that allowed combustible materials. Replacing all the combustible materials in these ships may be prohibitively expensive, and owners may choose to scrap them instead and take the opportunity to replace them with more modern ships that more easily comply with today's stringent safety standards.

The complete set of regulations is highly complex and has produced a high level of safety on today's cruise ships. Even so, there have been occasional unforeseen accidents such as combustible mooring lines aboard the Carnival Ecstasy catching fire in 1998, and the far more serious outdoor balcony fire onboard the Star Princess in 2006. Both Carnival and Princess responded immediately by substituting fire retardant and fireproof materials fleetwide, actions that went beyond the existing SOLAS convention. Eventually, further SOLAS amendments will probably require that similar steps be taken by all operators, but in the meantime most major cruise lines have adopted the changes without waiting for the regulators to catch up.

Click the link above for the rest of the story!

Fire Engine Art Project

Materials list (Fire Truck):
- 1 Graham Cracker per child
- Red Frosting
- One Cheese cracker
- Three pretzel sticks (2 whole, and one broken in thirds)
- Two Hot Tamales per child
- Two Oreo® cookies per child (or one split in half)
- Two chocolate candies (like M&Ms)per child
- Two Corn Pops per child

Directions (Fire Truck):
1. Spread some red frosting on the graham cracker
2. Press the cheese cracker to the front of the truck
3. Build the ladder from the pretzel sticks
4. Put two hot tamales on the top for lights
5. Place the split Oreo's as wheels
6. Add two chocolate candies for hub caps
7. Add a Corn Pop for the head/tail lights

Click here for directions: Handout, website.

kdka.com - Could Fire Prevention Help Curb City Fatal Fires?

kdka.com - Could Fire Prevention Help Curb City Fatal Fires?

(KDKA) PITTSBURGH A KDKA investigation into the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau could alarm you.

KDKA Investigator Andy Sheehan examined the fire records of the city, consulted with fire safety experts and compared us to the rest of the country.

The investigation found that Pittsburgh has more fatal fires and more multiple alarm fires than other cities its size.

Due to budget constraints, the city drastically cut its fire prevention efforts two years ago.

Now, it must face a pressing issue: how can it marshal the resources it has to make its citizens safer?

Click the link above for the rest of the story!

Before pallet blaze, fire officials considered closing company

Before pallet blaze, fire officials considered closing company
Click the link above for the entire story. More photos and video at the link!

Phoenix fire officials said the department was considering shutting down Sonoma Pacific of Arizona before Thursday's pallet-fueled blaze at 27th Avenue and Buckeye Road.

Three fire marshal visits in the past four months resulted in documentation of various fire code violations, including improper wood storage, weed overgrowth, and fire apparatus location. Company officials maintain they corrected the problems as soon as they were notified.

The fire, possibly sparked by an arsonist, started at about 9 p.m. and burned through piles of wooden pallets at the Sonoma Pacific of Arizona. The blaze spread to parked semi-trailers at a neighboring trucking company. The surrounding area is a mix of homes, business and industrial yards.

Phoenix Fire Department Chief Bob Khan said the fire was difficult to extinguish because of the code violations.

Jobs!!

Employee Opportunity
http://www.cityofwoodland.org/hr
THE CITY OF WOODLAND, CA INVITES YOUR APPLICATION FOR FIRE PREVENTION SPECIALIST I/I(Closes 7/30) QUALIFICATIONS:
Fire Prevention Specialist I:$3576.10--$4346.77 Monthly
Knowledge of: English grammar and report writing techniques; Mathematics sufficient to compute fire prevention statistics; Computer data entry skills.

Ability to: Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing; establish and maintain cooperative relationships with those contacted in the course of work; learn the operating procedures and details of the fire prevention function of the City's Fire Department.

Experience and Training: Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.

License or Certificates: Possession of a valid California Driver's License.

Fire Prevention Specialist II:$3845.34--$4674.03 Monthly
Knowledge of: Codes pertaining to fire safety, life safety and building construction; Hazardous materials, use and storage; Basic fire science and fire terminology.

Ability to: Understand, interpret and enforce fire and life safety codes and regulations. Assist in fire investigations. Maintain records and prepare reports. Respond effectively, orally and in writing, to citizens' inquiries and complaints. Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with fire department personnel and others encountered in the course of work.

Education: Certification as a Fire Prevention Officer I through the State Fire Marshal's office or the completion of 15 units or a comparable number of hours in Fire Science related courses with emphasis in Fire Prevention, Fire Protection and Fire Investigation.

Experience: Two years of fire prevention experience in a governmental fire agency.

OTHER OPENINGS:
UC Berkley: Deputy Fire Marshal/EH&S Specialist II (Until Filled)
Annual Salary Range: $52,620 – $96,588
City of Woodland: Fire Marshal/Battalion Chief (Closes 8/6)
Annual Salary Range: $82,070 - $95,006
City of Gilroy: Paid Call Firefighter Salary: $12.81 Hourly; Firefighter I/II Paramedic Salary: $82,247.00 - $104,604.00 Annually

Mark your calendars! City of Las Vegas will be accepting applications for FIREFIGHTER TRAINEE October 1-12, 2007. Click here for more information!

No permit for structure where fatal fire started

foxcarolina.com - News, Weather, Video - Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville, Anderson | No permit for structure where fatal fire started
This will get more interesting as time goes by no doubt.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Charleston officials say a room and loading dock where a fire which killed nine firefighters started was built without a city permit.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports today the city is investigating to determine if a permit would have required the Sofa Super Store to have additional fire walls or a sprinkler system.

There were no sprinkler systems in either a large warehouse or in the furniture showroom where the nine firefighters died in the June 18th blaze.

The area between the warehouse and the showroom had been empty space. Building officials did --not-- realize something had been built until they saw aerial photos after last week's fire.

Store owner Herb Goldstein told the newspaper he didn't know he needed a permit.

Fire Marshal: Gorham Schools Violate Fire Code

Fire Marshal: Gorham Schools Violate Fire Code - Local News Story - WMUR Manchester

GORHAM, N.H. -- An inspection of the high school in Gorham found numerous fire code violations, including a locker room without a second exit and a bowing wall in the gym, according to the fire marshal.

An inspector from the state Fire Marshal's office said work to correct the problems "must begin immediately." He toured schools in the Gorham-Randolph-Shelburne Cooperative School District at the request of Superintendent Paul Bousquet.

The girl's locker room at the high school should be closed until a second exit is installed, fire inspector Charles Chalk wrote in his report. The gym also could be off limits if an engineer finds that the bowing exterior wall is unsound.

The high school's chimneys need to be evaluated and repaired, and the fire extinguishing system in the school kitchen must be updated, he said. In the meantime, the stove may not be used to cook any greasy food.

Chalk also found that the building's entire fire alarm system is unsafe. It consists of a hodgepodge of "manual activation devices, some heat detectors, some smoke detectors and a partial sprinkler system," he wrote. "Upgrading must begin immediately."

He found several fire code violations at the Ed Fenn School, as well, including an inadequate rescue window in the speech therapy room. He suggested that the district hire a licensed fire protection engineer.

Rescue 911 - 100 Lives Saved - Segment 2

Electrical cord starts a fire and a "silent killer". Good stuff!

Gas Pump Fire: Woman drives off with hose still in the car!

The Advocate - www.newarkadvocate.com - Newark, Ohio
More evidence that "Fire Prevention" methods work (and won't put anyone out of work!)

UNION TOWNSHIP — In the morning rush to get gas, a motorist became distracted when the credit card machine wasn’t working and ended up driving off with the hose still in her tank, Union Township Fire Prevention Officer Ron Jones said.

“A spark, we don’t know from where, set the gas in the hose on fire,” Jones said.

The fire quickly engulfed the plastic housing of the gas pump. When Hebron Fire Department arrived at the scene for the 7:30 a.m. call, they quickly dosed the pump with foam to extinguish the flames before any other damage was done.

“I’ve never been to a gas station fire before,” said Jones, a 30-plus year veteran firefighter. “When we came down from the hill, we could see the black, billowing smoke.”

But with the amount of safeguards on gas pumps, fire never reached the fuel tanks.

When kids play with fire, firefighters worry

Cabinet.com | The CABINET PRESS INC | Covering Milford, Wilton, Amherst, Lyndeborough, Greenville, Mont Vernon, Jaffrey, Mason, Hollis, Brookline, Merrimack and Bedford, NH.

MILFORD —A toddler played with matches and set a mattress on fire last year. Teens played with fireworks and nearly injured four firefighters in Milford last year.

Milford’s fire prevention officer says these are two examples of a huge problem across the nation: kids setting fires.

In Milford in 2006, there were nine such instances and seven of them were intentional. The nine instances involved 15 kids.

“We’ve had children as young as two who have set fires,” said Capt. Jason Smedick, the town’s Fire Prevention Officer.

The toddler was copycatting a grandparent who lit a candle with a match. But the toddler didn’t light a candle; the child set a mattress on fire. Smedick hopes to remind parents that children are watchful and prone to emulate what they see.

The article goes on to discuss the Juvenile Firesetting Program offered by the Milford Fire Department.

California Town Uses Goats to Stop Wildfires - Firehouse.com News

California Town Uses Goats to Stop Wildfires - Firehouse.com News

MENLO PARK -- A hungry, four-legged firefighting crew has returned to the city's hillsides.

About 450 goats from the Dixon-based Ecosystem Concepts Inc. started feasting Tuesday along the slopes of Sharon Hills Park.

The critters are in town for a couple of weeks to chew up dry brush that otherwise could turn into tinderbox fuel heading into the fire season.

"They are a really neat mowing machine," said Robert McGrew, a former firefighter who runs Ecosystem with his wife, Brea, a licensed veterinarian.

The goats have been bringing their fire-suppression skills to Menlo Park around this time every year for almost a decade, and they've turned into a kind of neighborhood tradition for those living around Sharon Hills Park.

Check out the website for these four legged firefighters by clicking here.
Goats R Us is another company that provides the same service. Click here for their website.

A Fire That Could Have Been Foretold - washingtonpost.com

Courtland Milloy - A Fire That Could Have Been Foretold - washingtonpost.com

The fiery destruction of Eastern Market, our long-neglected, trash-strewn, rodent-infested "local treasure," hit us when we least expected it. Sure, the 19th-century Capitol Hill structure had no sprinkler system; the electrical wiring was faulty; the opaque plexiglass windows were set in rotted wood frames. But who could have guessed that those things might constitute a fire hazard?
The District has fire inspectors. Apparently, they didn't have a clue.

Ouch. This would be a very bad day at the office.

Fire codes put heat on Home Depot

Inside Bay Area - Fire codes put heat on Home Depot

SAN CARLOS — Home Depot may be able to help you remodel your kitchen, but according to vigilant shoppers and the fire marshal, they could have trouble keeping you safe from a fire.

The fire lanes surrounding Home Depot's store — on Old County Road at Brittan Avenue — have long been clogged with stacked wooden pallets, dismantled store shelving and overstock merchandise, such as bags of garden soil and a hot tub, according to eyewitnesses. Furthermore, they say, the store takes up dozens of parking spaces on the sides and back of the building with the same, most of it haphazardly stacked and unsecured.

On Tuesday a resident contacted the Times after noticing floral displays constructed out of concrete blocks in the fire lane on the north side of the building.

According to International Fire Code, there must be a 20-foot-wide open lane around the entire perimeter of the building to allow a firetruck access in case of a fire or other emergency. On Wednesday a reporter could just barely pass a regular-size sedan around the building's south side due to tarps, pallets and other items cluttering the thruway.

Community calls for strict enforcement of fire codes

News Leader - Fernandina Beach, Florida (Amelia Island)
This editorial is written in response to the allegations of Fire Marshal Bunch that the City Manager retalliated against him for strictly enforcing the fire code when inspecting city projects. Seems that the citizens are all for city employees having a "positive helpful attitude". But they are even more concerned that the fire codes are being strictly enforced....

Given the choice, we'd prefer strict enforcement of fire codes, especially on city property - where the offender is another city department - and especially when it involves children in day-care or after-school programs.

For the backstory, click here.

L.A. Fire Inspectors: State Agency Failing to Clear Brush

abc7.com: L.A. Fire Inspectors: State Agency Failing to Clear Brush
Why cant we all just get along? What happens when the state snubs the locals jurisdictions...