CDC Article On Emergency Services Workers

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5516a4.htm?s_cid=mm5516a4_e

These are excerpts from the article, which is HUGE, so didn't want to put the entire thing here. It gives a fairly clear indicator of what all Emergency Services personnel are going through in the Gulf Region. The following stats don't mean there will be chronic problems, but the longer all of it goes untreated, the higher the risk of chronic issues appearing.


Floodwater contact with the nose, mouth, or eye was reported by 51% of firefighters and 30% of police officers
52% of police officers and 63% of firefighters reported rescuing citizens from flooded areas.
69% of police officers and 59% of firefighters reported that they were not living with their families at the time of the survey.

Police officers and firefighters reported similar prevalences of physical health symptoms.
28% of police officers and 31% of firefighters reported upper respiratory symptoms
Cough was reported by 21% of police officers and 23% of firefighters.
Skin rash was reported by 54% of police officers and 49% of firefighters
Injuries most commonly reported by police officers and firefighters were lacerations
Police officers: 20% firefighters: 24%
sprains/strains: 13% and 25%
falls: 9% and 10%
animal bites/stings: 11% and 8%

22% of Fire fighters reported symptoms consistent with PTSD and 27% reported major depressive symptoms.
Police officers 19% reported PTSD symptoms and 26% reported major depressive symptoms.

Among all police officers, 31% reported seeing a health-care provider for post-hurricane illnesses and injuries; health-care utilization among firefighters was not assessed.