Harlingen fire fighters train on new equipment

HARLINGEN — Firefighters underwent training this past week to use new equipment the department received through a federal grant.

The new RAD-57 will help firefighters monitor carbon monoxide levels in the bloodstream of persons who may be stricken by the deadly invisible gas.

Darrell Loftus, training coordinator for Harlingen Fire Department, said the cost of such a unit might range from $7,000 to $9,000, so the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council submitted the grant application with the intention to distribute the new tool throughout the region.

“(The RAD-57) is going to be able to give us a better assessment of carbon monoxide poisoning. The newer technology will help us provide medical intervention a lot quicker and be a lot more specific,” he said.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is caused by carbon monoxide displacing the oxygen in a person’s bloodstream, Loftus said. As a result, the displaced oxygen makes it more difficult for a person to function as cells in the body depend on oxygen for survival.

Assistant Fire Marshal Danny Warner said carbon monoxide is an invisible and odorless gas that is emitted by almost any burning fuel.

He added that symptoms of poisoning may include a headache, nausea, dizziness or shortness of breath. Warner said carbon monoxide poisoning might even be mistaken for food poisoning or the flu.

“Even for firefighters, we have what we call rehab,” Warner said. “We check their carbon monoxide levels … Often (carbon monoxide inhalation) can make them disoriented and we don’t want them going back to a fire if those levels are too high, because it could put them in danger as well as the people they are rescuing.”

Warner added that anyone who suspects they might have carbon monoxide poisoning should immediately proceed to open air and seek medical attention.

According to the fire marshal, 90 percent of non-fire carbon monoxide poisoning incidents take place in the home and the peak time of day for these incidents is between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Statistics from the National Fire Protection Association show that in 2005 U.S. fire departments responded to about 61,000 non-fire carbon monoxide incidents.

With the new carbon monoxide monitoring tool at their disposal, the Harlingen Fire Department will be able to serve the city and its outlying areas. For Loftus, the importance of having the RAD-57 at the department’s disposal is simple.

“We’re talking about someone’s life here,” Loftus said. “The quicker the assessment (of a patient’s condition), the quicker the intervention and the higher the probability of survival.”