Exposure to Hydrogen Cyanide

Hydrogen Cyanide Exposure In Rhode Island Sends 12 Firefighters To Hospital

12 firefighters and nearly 40 residents of an elderly care home were hospitalized after a fire in Hopkintown, Rhode Island. The reason for the hospitaliation is exposure to hydrogen cyanide. The fire started after a radio was found in an oven.

Hydrogen Cyanide exposure can cause:
Early symptoms of cyanide poisoning include lightheadedness, giddiness, rapid breathing, nausea, vomiting (emesis), feeling of neck constriction and suffocation, confusion, restlessness, and anxiety. Accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) may complicate severe intoxications.
Rapid breathing is soon followed by respiratory depression/respiratory arrest (cessation of breathing). Severe cyanide poisonings progress to stupor, coma, muscle spasms (in which head, neck, and spine are arched backwards), convulsions (seizures), fixed and dilated pupils, and death.

The CNS is the most sensitive target organ of cyanide poisoning. Cardiovascular effects require higher cyanide doses than those necessary for CNS effects. In serious poisonings, the skin is cold, clammy, and diaphoretic. Blue discoloration of the skin may be a late finding. Severe signs of oxygen deprivation in the absence of blue discoloration of the skin suggest cyanide poisoning.


I hope they followup on how the radio got in the oven?




Boston Ladder 14 Pulled From Service Over Brake Issue
A 1992 E-One ladder truck has been pulled from service after an inspection found faulty brakes. This is the first truck inspected after an order was issued by the Fire Commissioner in the wake of the death of Lietenant Kevin Kelley.
Kelley died when Ladder 26 struck a building after an apparent brake failure. This has resulted in an outcry from firefighters over the conditions of Boston's fleet. Ladder 14 is 16 years old serving in a major urban department yet it appears the Menino administration views it as business as usual.
Local 718 has asked the state to intervene and inspect all apparatus.


FDNY Partners With IBM To Combine Information For Fire Department
The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) has selected IBM to build a state-of-the-art system for collecting and sharing data in real-time that potentially can prevent fires and protect firefighters and other first responders when a fire occurs. FDNY’s new Coordinated Building Inspection and Data Analysis System (CBIDAS) will use business intelligence technologies, including predictive modeling and advanced data analytics, to anticipate fire exposures, analyze possible impacts, and improve processes that can minimize risks, such as collecting and disseminating data on building inspection, permits and violations.
The goal of the CBIDAS is to ensure that firefighters and other first responders have timely access to the information they need for effective fire suppression and for maximum public and personnel safety when a fire occurs. With the completion of the project, FDNY will also move from a strictly cyclical, schedule-based inspection process to a risk-based assessment methodology.