HAZARDOUS JOBS: EMERGENCY ROOM WORKERS MUST ENSURE OWN SAFETY

Emergency personnel need to ensure their own safety if they're going to be able to keep their patients safe.

That was the message Friday at the 11th annual LifeBeat Air Medical conference at Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau. LifeBeat and Southeast Missouri Hospital sponsored the conference.

Emergency personnel face a variety of hazards in the hospital and out in the field as they respond to calls for assistance.

Methamphetamine labs, and their operators pose a growing threat to emergency personnel.

Meth labs house a variety of potentially lethal chemicals used in manufacturing the drug, said Brenda Cone, an investigator with the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force.

Explosions and fires aren't uncommon at methamphetamine labs, and it is important that emergency personnel know what they are up against, and what to look for to indicate that they have found a methamphetamine lab, said Butch Amann, an investigator with the State Fire Marshal's Office.

Cone, Amann and Butch Boyd, the director of security at Southeast and former Cape Girardeau police chief, held a panel discussion on the dangers of methamphetamine.

The drug task force raided its first methamphetamine lab in February 1995 in Butler County, Cone said.

"We had no idea what we were getting ready to face," she said, adding that Missouri has the "dubious honor" of leading the nation in meth production.

Because of the dangerous chemicals they contain -- ether, anhydrous ammonia, sodium metal and other potentially explosive or combustible materials -- meth labs are designated as hazardous waste sites, Cone said.

In addition to the danger of fires and explosions, inhaling or coming in contact with some of the chemicals used can be lethal. Investigators have been killed by fatal fumes and explosions, she said.

Cone said investigators try to let fire personnel know they'll be raiding meth labs, but that doesn't always happen.

In the first three months of this year, she said, the task force seized 38 meth labs in Southeast Missouri.

Every now and then the task force works cases involving cocaine or marijuana, but not often, Cone said.

"We're so overwhelmed with this methamphetamine problem that there aren't enough of us to handle it," she said.

In addition to the dangers the labs and the drug itself create, methamphetamine manufactures -- who usually also use the drug -- are also dangerous to emergency personnel, Cone said.

"When you walk in the door, all they're going to see is a uniform," she said. "And a uniform to these people mean police."

People who have been brought to the ER from meth labs may have toxic chemicals on their clothing or skin, Amann said, and paramedics and medical providers need to be aware of that.

Emergency personnel can't be good health care providers if they don't take steps to protect themselves, said Robert F. Harris, senior case manager with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Violence in emergency rooms and hospitals is increasing across the nation, Harris said.

"It's just an extension of things that go on in the community, and the hospital is part of the community. Where do people go when they're injured or sick? Where do people go if they're a victim of violent crimes? Where do people go who are perpetrators of violent crimes and as a result, become victims themselves? It's just a natural extension of that violence that follows that individual into the hospital arena," he said.

Emergency personnel face a number of dangers, Harris said. In the cases of gang shootings, there is always the possibility the perpetrator may come to the hospital to "finish the job," he said. Or violence may break out among rival gang members in the emergency room.

And the patient himself may pose a risk if he is armed or under the influence, Harris said.

Individuals who are wanted by the police or who might be carrying weapons, drugs or drug money may try to resist medical treatment because they don't want to be turned over to the police, he said.

Ambulance personnel, First Responders, emergency room staff and others need to recognize the potential risks, Harris said.

And there are other threats. ER personnel might be in danger from estranged spouses or lovers who could track them to the work place, Harris said.

"Just be aware that you have the potential to be a victim. Make your environment safer," he said.