HOUSTON ASIS CHAPTER
MINUTES
APRIL 30, 2003
The Chapter held a luncheon meeting at the Renaissance
Hotel. Vice-Chairman Mark Steinfort
presided. Eighty-six members and guests
attended.
Opening Prayer: S.A. Jimmy Baugh
Opening Pledge:
Mark Steinfort
Committee Activities:
Certifications
Committee: Darin Dillon CPP announced the first of twelve sessions
occurred April 29th. Eight
students attended. The next session
will be May 6.
Treasurer’s Report:
Bob Cascino was unable to attend but copies of the report were distributed.
Golf Tournament:
Darin Dillon announced the annual tournament will be held May 12 at the
Willowcreek Golf Course. There are
currently 120 golfers registered with about 20 spaces available. Early registration ended April 29, but forms
are still available on the web page. To
see details about Willowcreek, look for the link on our web site. On May 8, the U of HD will be hosting a new,
catered Appreciation Reception for the golfers and sponsors and several former
recipients of the scholarship program.
WEB: Mark
Steinfort thanked our current sponsors of the web site for providing the
necessary $5,000 to maintain the site.
ASIS Foundation:
Greg Walker explained that the Foundation provides scholarships and other
benefits to the Chapter. The Houston
Chapter has purchased a table (10 seats) for the Foundation Dinner at the
National Conference. We were the first
Chapter to reserve a table and will be given preferential placement. Members may purchase a seat back from our
Chapter for $180. The Neville Brothers
will be appearing.
Community support:
The Executive Committee voted to donate $500 to the Houston Police Bicycle
Relay Team for the 22nd Annual Ride from Houston to Edmonton. Donations benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society.
Law Enforcement
Recognition Award: Presented by Mike Mallon
HPD Officer T.A. Harris was introduced by his supervisor Sgt
R.P. Chandler.
On October 14, 2002, Officer Harris responded to a
suspicious male call at an apartment complex.
Officer Harris located the suspect, who was kneeling on the sidewalk and
holding a large knife to his throat.
The suspect, who approximately 30 minutes earlier had stabbed his
girlfriend, was extremely upset. After
talking with the suspect for an extended period of time to no avail, Officer
Harris determined that immediate action was necessary. The suspect was momentarily distracted by
other officers at the scene, which afforded Officer Harris the opportunity to
kick the knife away from the suspect.
The suspect was then transported to the hospital for further evaluation
and upon his release was charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Officer Harris displayed exceptional courage in dealing with
a distraught suspect who was threatening suicide. Because of his unselfish
actions, Officer Harris was able to take the suspect into custody without
further injury to any other citizens, officers, or even to the suspect himself.
We awarded Officer Harris a plaque in appreciation of his
dedication and professionalism.
Speaker: Richard Bradley, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of
Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston;
Medical Director for the Emergency Center Memorial Hermann Hospital; Assistant Professor
in the Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine; Assistant EMS
Physician Director with the Houston Fire Department
Topic: Local
emergency medical response to multiple Casualty Incidents from Terrorism and
natural disasters, including Special Teams Response to biological threats and
S.A.R.S.
Houston leads the country in its ability to provide
emergency medical response and interaction with multiple agencies. There are five physicians in emergency
medical services, who often accompany the ambulances and provide critical
at-the-scene assessments or treatments.
What do we face in a WMD medical incident? Terrorism changes the way we behave through
fear. A nuclear incident is an
invisible threat and the physical effects from exposure are delayed. Decontamination becomes one of the major
issues for EMS. Removal of the clothes
eliminates 90% of the contaminants and showering eliminates most of the rest. Privacy and the inability to return
contaminated personal belongs (such as wallets, house/car keys) are two of the
greatest challenges. Other
considerations include readily having the instruments for detection and being
able to “certify” that a room is clean.
Biological agents are easy to get.
Inhalation is the most common biological route and remains undetected
until there are numerous casualties.
The results can be incapacitating and lethal. Trains are the obvious transportation method for chemical threats. Liquids disseminate as vapors or aerosols
with varied volatility. The onset of a
physical reaction can be seconds to hours.
Dr. Bradley reviewed the five types of chemical agents: nerve agents,
Blister/mustard agents, Cyanide, Choking and Irritants (such as pepperspray). Pepperspray cannot be dismissed as just a
“minor incident”. Its release creates
panic, often because the person(s) do not know exactly what has been released and the symptoms can mimic exposure to
sarin, a deadly agent. Without an
immediate field test, EMS must react as if it was the more serious agent.
How do you plan for a medical response? First you start with the “all hazards”
approach and then modify your response: if it is a WMD, conventional explosion,
man-made “accidental” incident or natural disaster. It is always important to consider a secondary device by sizing
up the situation prior to rushing
in. Gather as much information as you
can before you dial 911. Use your video
monitoring to look for multiple people that are down versus standing around one person. Are people running away
from the area? If you think there is a
possibility it is a terrorist act, tell the dispatcher so the emergency
responders can follow the appropriate protocol. It is better to be more cautious.
What is a mass casualty incident? The definition requires that 20 or more
individuals require transportation to a hospital. Always use an Incident Command protocol for these incidents. EMS will look for the Liaison Officer. If you don’t have one, then become the one
at your scene. Express your needs to
the city workers: do you need an electrical/utility shutdown? EMS will then follow medical response steps
to identify patients:
First, they will separate all the
non-patients or those that do not require immediate treatment (Green)
Secondly, they will TRIAGE
Red: immediate transport
Yellow: stable; delayed transport
Black: non-recoverable injuries or
fatality
A safe area will be designated as
a TREATMENT area. It is critical to get
a list of people affected by the incident to eliminate false claims. Keep anyone out of the treatment area that
does not need to be there.
Lastly, a clear and accessible
location must be found for TRANSPORTATION.
One route of ingress/egress must be protected from being blocked. A critical role for the Transportation
Officer is to adequately assign patients to the Trauma Center best suited for
the injury and not overload any one facility.
It is also just as important for the Transportation Officer to track where each patient is being sent and to
communicate that information to the families.
When can you reoccupy a space if a chemical agent is
suspected or released? The obvious
answer is when it is safe!
Unfortunately, it becomes the Incident Commander’s decision as the
HazMat responders will never give you an “all-clear”. They will only be able to take a 1-2% sampling of the facility to
base their response. With a fine
granular agent such as anthrax, it can infiltrate almost anywhere. After eighteen months, some buildings are
still not re-occupied in Washington.
S.A.R.S. This
is something to watch but not
something to panic about. You only need be concerned if someone is
actually sick. Diagnosis requires
certain criteria:
A fever
Respiratory symptoms such as a cough
or runny nose (not found in flu)
The patient has visited or transferred
through one of four places
China, Hanoi, Singapore, Toronto
The patient has had intimate contact
with someone who is infected (often the case with healthcare workers)
We have to change our thinking about staying home when we
are sick. Past work ethics dictated “I
don’t care if I’m sick. I can’t miss
work”. However, when dealing with this
type of illness, if you are potentially contagious, you need to stay home.
After a question and answer period, Dr. Bradley was given a
plaque in appreciation of his time and presentation.
The next luncheon meeting is May 28th. Our speaker is David Lattin, an expert on
kidnap and extortion.