Fire House Facts
Date:
09/29/2009Summary:
Sunday September 20, 2009 through Saturday September 26, 2009Contact:
The Yuma Fire Department responded to 207 emergency calls for service
- 8 Commercial Assignments
Including: various false alarms - 1 Hazardous Materials Assignment
Including: the smell of propane near a motor home parked next to a residence - 19 Motor Vehicle Crashes (24 total patients)
Including: 1 head on collision, and 1 involving a light pole - 165 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor)
Including: 5 for difficulty breathing, 11 for chest pain, 18 fall victims, 5 unconscious people, 3 seizure cases, 3 diabetic emergencies, 2 possible stroke victims, 1 allergic reaction, 1 for a possible poisoning/overdose, 15 patients with mental problems, and misc. other illnesses and injuries. - 14 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments
Including: a fire started by children on the outside of a residence, a mattress fire started by a small child, a response for an unattended cooking fire at a home, a hay bale on fire, and various alarms
Choking Injuries And Deaths
This week the Yuma Fire Department responded to three different cases that involved choking victims, and one of those was a child under the age of 1. According to Safekids Worldwide, airway obstruction - choking, strangulation or suffocation - is the leading cause of accidental death in infants and the fourth leading cause of accidental death in children ages 14 and under. Each year, approximately 900 children ages 14 and under die from airway obstruction injuries.
The majority of childhood choking injuries and deaths are associated with food items. Choking occurs when food or other small items lodge in the throat and block the airway. Children are most at risk from small round objects like pieces of hot dogs, candies, nuts, grapes, marshmallows, and popcorn. Dangerous non food items include balloons, buttons, marbles, coins, and toys with small removable pieces.
Don’t let small children play with small items like these or toys with small pieces. An easy test is, if it can pass through an empty toilet paper roll, it can present a choking danger to a small child. Adults (and older children) should know how to perform the Heimlich maneuver and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Follow the Yuma Fire Department on Twitter
Follow the Yuma Fire Department on Twitter. The address is www.twitter.com/YumaFireDept. (This link will take you to an external website that is not part of the City of Yuma official website.)
