State Grant Provides Broward, Florida Fire-Rescue Workers With Free Hepatitis C Tests
Hallandale Beach Fire-Rescue was awarded a $64,000 grant on behalf of 11 fire departments, including Miramar and Cooper City in south Broward County.
With the grant money, Hep-C Alert, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about hepatitis C and assists people affected by the disease, will train and screen about 1,500 fire-rescue employees.
Hepatitis C, a virus that attacks the liver, is transferred through exposure to bodily fluids. Firefighters and emergency medical workers have basic knowledge about the dangers of the disease and how to protect themselves, but the grant will pay for advanced training and screening tests.
"Hep C is becoming more of an issue with the public safety sector and being more recognized," said Hallandale Beach Fire Lt. Alex Baird. Early detection is key, he added.
In March and April 2000, North Miami-based Hep-C Alert collaborated with University of Pittsburgh researchers to test municipal firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians in Miami-Dade County.
Of the 1,314 participants, 2.7 percent tested positive for the antibodies of the virus, and 1.5 percent had the disease, according to the study. In the age group of men 50 and older, 3.7 percent tested positive for the antibodies of the virus.
"We have found in the fire-rescue industry that the veterans have the highest incidence of Hep C because at that time we were always getting bloody, and it was before we took universal precautions."
Universal precautions translate to fire-rescue workers using rubber gloves, masks, glasses and other safety measures to protect themselves from the spread of fluids or liquids. These precautions have been practiced for about 15 years.
"We are dealing with body fluids -- and a glove can rip. And there is always a chance of exposure when you are out there working in a medical field," Baird said. "This is a disease. It can lie dormant for a decade and the results of this disease can include drug therapy, liver failure and liver transplant."
Hallandale Beach Fire-Rescue applied for the grant to finance the screening of its employees, but did not wait long enough for grant funds to pay for the tests. As a result, the department will not share in the grant's proceeds.
"Originally when we started we were halfway through the grant procedure and then the city was able to find the funding," said Lori Williams, the grant writer for Hallandale Beach Fire-Rescue. "We found the money in the budget to screen police, fire and public works personnel."
Miramar, Cooper City, Coral Springs, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Lighthouse Point, Margate, Parkland, Plantation, Pompano Beach and Sunrise are the fire-rescue departments that will share the funds provided by the new state grant.
Hep-C Alert will begin training and screening the employees as soon as the county approves a purchase order needed for the program to begin.
The cost of training and screening each fire-rescue worker will be about $45. The cost would be about $75 for screening alone if done by a private physician, according to Hep-C Alert.
Baird, who also is the training and marketing coordinator for Hep-C Alert, will teach a majority of the instruction sessions.
"We are going to provide the education and an opportunity to be tested after the training," said Baird, who hopes to start the sessions in November.
The fire departments will require their employees to attend the training, but the screening for the disease will be optional. Results will be kept confidential.
A person who tests positive for hepatitis C can still work, but if the disease is left untreated it can cause major health problems, Baird said. Those infected may not show symptoms for 20 years, according to Hep-C Alert.
The grant money will be generated by a surcharge on traffic ticket fines, and is distributed through the state's EMS Trust Fund. The Broward Regional Emergency Medical Services Council, a group of emergency service professionals that provides advice on EMS issues to the County Commission, recommended that the grant be approved.
Cooper City Deputy Fire Chief Michael Campbell said the grant would benefit 38 people in his department.
"We will do anything for employees, as they are the most valuable resource we have," he said. "We had no funding for the screening, but got the training."
Miramar Fire-Rescue and its 120 firefighters will receive funds from the grant as well.
"It's a nasty disease," said Bill Huff, division captain of emergency medical services. "The numbers are twice as much as AIDS. Hepatitis C is of great concern, and B is spreading like wildfire. This will help educate our crew members on the hazards of Hep C and the steps to take to prevent contraction of the disease."
About six years ago, a Miramar firefighter contracted hepatitis C. It was presumed that he was infected by tainted blood on broken glass at the scene of a traffic accident. He is now on disability, Huff said.
"If someone is stuck with a needle or exposed to blood or other body fluids, we make arrangements for treatment and counseling," said Huff, who also serves as the city's infection control officer.
Baird thinks that the grant will benefit the lives of fire-rescue workers.
"The fire department is a brotherhood, and we don't want to see our brothers get sick," Baird said. "If we discover this early on it can help prevent long-term effects."
