The dangers of heat stress for industrial workers, athletes, emergency responders, construction workers, and anyone working outdoors continue to grow yearly. According to NASA, the past eight years are the warmest since modern record-keeping began in 1880. DQE’s new website focuses on the causes of heat stress, heat illness signs and treatment, and how the Kore Kooler Rehab Chair relieves heat stress through a cooling process called forearm immersion.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to inform clinicians and public health departments that parechovirus (PeV) is currently circulating in the United States. It is recommended that clinicians us Contact, Droplet, and Standard Precautions.

Workers suffer over 3,500 injuries and illnesses related to heat each year. In April, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched a National Emphasis Program to protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries.

The CDC has updated their recommendation for the wearing of N95 and other NIOSH-approved masks, citing that, “When worn consistently and properly, N95 respirators provide the highest level of protection from particles, including the virus that causes COVID-19.” To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, CDC continues to recommend that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.

A full-scale mock disaster exercise was conducted by firefighters, police offices, and Emergency Operation Center officials on Friday, Oct. 1 in Jackson Center, OH. The Decon Zone included DQE’s decontamination pool and the Indestructo decontamination shower system for decontaminating a HazMat responder after stopping a leak in a tanker truck.

Micro-hospitals and freestanding emergency rooms are popping up all around the country. Just like traditional hospitals, these facilities must meet CMS guidelines and have an Emergency Operations Plan in place to address hazard vulnerabilities. Consider a scenario where a contaminated patient enters the building and needs decontamination, is there a plan to address this situation? DQE’s Micro-Hospital Patient Decontamination System provides a simple, professional, and affordable approach to patient decontamination.

Record heat is spreading across the United States. Explore the heatwave forecast for your county and track weekly cases of heat-related illness across the country with the CDC Heat & Health Tracker. Search for heat and health by county or zip code, create custom maps, view data snapshots, and access CDC guidance and resources. 

Hazardous Material Response Team participates in an exercise at an area near the DoD Fire Academy Training Pad. The team consists of members from the Fire Department, Emergency Management Flight, and Bio-Environmental Flight. It offers an excellent opportunity to maintain proficiency in dealing with hazardous materials.

Incirlik Air Base Fire Department and 39th Civil Engineer Squadron explosives ordnance disposal members perform decontamination procedures during a Major Accident Response Exercise.

Stacked disasters – like a winter storm that damages a water system during a pandemic – can provide lessons for the next time around. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis By Tiffany A. Radcliff, Texas A&M University and Angela Clendenin, Texas A&M University While the world is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and emergency… Read more »