The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District announce today that fire engines throughout the unincorporated portions of Washoe County will begin carrying a new treatment for victims of smoke inhalation. Called a Cyanokit, this drug will enable the District’s paramedics to potentially reverse the toxic effects of cyanide poisoning related to smoke inhalation.
Victims of structure fires often succumb to smoke inhalation before they ever suffer burn injuries. Until now, no other agency in the county was able to provide this life-saving intervention at the scene of a fire.
This applies to the public, as well as fellow firefighters. When a citizen or trapped firefighter is pulled from a burning building, this drug may be given right away to increase their chances of survival.
Across the country, this drug has been successfully used to revive victims of smoke inhalation that would have otherwise certainly perished.
The Cyanokit drug costs more than $1,000 per dose, but the District said it felt that this was worth the cost in order to give the residents of the County an added layer of protection. The District currently employs more than 60 paramedics.
Visit http://www.tmfpd.us/ for information, or contact Battalion Chief Alex Kukulus at [email protected] or 775-762-0638.
