Description

Firefighter safety is the number one priority during wildfire season. Given the recent lessons learned from a worldwide pandemic, preventing disease transmission at fire camps and remote environments is an emerging issue. Since fire camps are often remote, house a variety of personnel, and use shared equipment, they are an ideal setting for the invasion and spread of infectious diseases. This course explores other real-life case studies of exposure to an infection on the fire line that in some cases was even deadly

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Course Objectives

• Understand the various hazards and risks associated with infection control in the austere environment

• Understand the basics of infectious disease risk management and including pertinent definitions and applicable techniques that can be used even by the most junior of frontline fire personnel

• Apply personal risk management techniques to protect against infectious disease in order to decrease firefighter mortality and morbidity

• Integrate pathophysiological principles of infectious disease and modes of transmission that are relevant to wildland fire operations

• Understand the pathophysiology and differences between viral and bacterial infections and how to manage the contamination and cross-contamination risks associated with infection.

• Identify the signs and symptoms of infection for the most common infectious diseases encountered in the wildland arena

• Understand what to do in the event a firefighter might be infected and contagious

• Integrate basic infection control procedures including the proper use and disposal of Personal Protection Equipment

• Integrate the basic logistics required to prepare personal to equip themselves and respond with rapid access infectious control supplies

• Understand the importance of recording and reporting incidents of infectious disease exposure in order to develop strategies to protect firefighter personnel from other new viruses that will undoubtedly present in the years to come.