The Bedbug Crisis

[x635 4,066]

Well, the Bedbug crisis seems to be in full swing.

Just wonder how long until these things make it into firehouse, EMS stations, etc. And then bring them home.

Do you think the media is making a big deal of this, or is legitamitely a "crisis". I mean, our jobs put us all at risk, and there is no safe chemical out there to kill them.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

No its a significant issue and one where I work we are keeping an eye on. Our station is across the street from a high rise complex which was the first to have a major outbreak and they started to fan out from there. We have had none yet and we made sure we all communicated the issue and the things to do to prevent them from spreading. We do not and will not kneel on beds, couches etc. We remain standing and place our ems bags when on calls in buildings known to have infestation only on hard tables and such. This also holds true as normal for us as we don't want to bring back roaches either.

[KRF178 49]

No its a significant issue and one where I work we are keeping an eye on. Our station is across the street from a high rise complex which was the first to have a major outbreak and they started to fan out from there. We have had none yet and we made sure we all communicated the issue and the things to do to prevent them from spreading. We do not and will not kneel on beds, couches etc. We remain standing and place our ems bags when on calls in buildings known to have infestation only on hard tables and such. This also holds true as normal for us as we don't want to bring back roaches either.

Knocking on wood as we speak

[PEMO3 523]

I used to always put moth balls in my tech bag to avoid "stowaways" from some off the more interesting residential assignments. A few camphor balls placed in the bottom of each compartment kept the multi-legged hitchhikers from grabbing a ride home with me at the end of my shift. I also kept cedar balls in my locker, which is also another natural insecticide, thus ensuring my gear was bug free, plus it kept it smelling fresh.

[rpbravest29fd 3]

Unfortunately...these things are not a joke. Parts of my town are infested with them, and the volunteer EMS building is now dealing with its third infestation in a year with the bugs being brought into the ambulances by residents who live among them. The problem is that these things have nothing to do with a persons cleanliness. 5-star hotels around the world have them and they are almost impossible to get rid of.

[191SH 4]

NO amount of moth balls or natural pesticides will stop a bedbug from hitching a ride home on you or in your bag and I mean nothing will or can stop this except carry a can of compressed air on your rig(same one used to clean computer keyboards) or use extreme heat (that you would find in clothes dryer)Bedbugs jump from host to host and are very hard to kill they can live in your matress for 1 year without eating , so if you do get them it is VERY important NOT to throw anything away without sealing it in plastic and I mean anything even a pair of underwear, remove all clothes from drawers and closets and put in the dryers for 30 minutes, in-case your mattress asap and seal zipper with duct tape , and call exterminator it will cost about $650 in services and it takes 3 visits over a 3 week period but the emotional toll is the worst thing of all.

I manage several buildings take this seriously especially if you work or live in the city

[GAW6 66]

It is definitely a real problem. Had an employee at my job who was infested with them and brought them in to the office. She was told numerous times that she had to do something about it. After (4) exterminations of the office and suspension of the employee, she returned, only to find that her coat and hat were infested with over 100 bed bugs!

The employee was finally terminated.

[27east 19]

Anyone heard of DDT? Is all this natural green IPM nonsense really any good? Of course not. This green thing is going way to far. I'm all for recycling and such, but when it affects my health, the hell with Mother Earth. Blast the place with DDT and get rid of them.

[Alpinerunner 61]

It's not good for you, either. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT#Effects_on_human_health

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Anyone heard of DDT? Is all this natural green IPM nonsense really any good? Of course not. This green thing is going way to far. I'm all for recycling and such, but when it affects my health, the hell with Mother Earth. Blast the place with DDT and get rid of them.

Your F***ing kidding right. It is well documented that bedbugs are resistant to DDT, and have been that way in America since the 40's. Before they even banned the stuff in the 70's. Some species of bedbugs are 100% immune to the effect of DDT.

The reason why DDT and other pesticides are not working on current bedbugs is because the rate of reproduction of insects has allowed the bedbugs to evolve to be immune to current pesticides. Darwinian evolution, those who are not fit to survive do not pass down their genetic material. In this case, the ones that did not survive were not immune to the pesticide, those that did and reproduced now just created a whole new generation of bedbugs immune to your pesticide. And this has been going on for the better part of 20 years. Think of Bedbugs and pesticide like MRSA and antibiotics.

http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2008/04/12/no-ddt-thanks-were-good (not the best source, but the most informative and least technical, I have other significantly more dense work if requested).

DDT is not extremely toxic to humans. The LDLO for DDT is 500mg/kg-1. They spray it on the walls in Africa and Latin America to prevent malaria carrying mosquitos from building up in living spaces. Due to DDTs biochemical make up, it builds up in the top level predators through a process called bio-magnification in which the toxins (DDT) builds up in organism. Since DDT is a known carcinogen, its high levels in upper level predators leads to reproductive and health issues. DDT is the reason Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles and other species were all but extinct from North America. While not hazardous to humans at low doses, it is both a human and environmental health risk.

Edited August 30, 2010 by bvfdjc316

[ny10570 745]

DDT was great. There's been an increase in the push to phase it out in Africa recently and not for the environmental costs. For some unknown reason in insect populations that have developed a resistance, some are showing an increase in activity after DDT application. Not so awesome to stimulate the feeding and breeding of a pest your trying to eradicate. The theory is these bugs have "learned" that after DDT exposure is a prime time to thrive as competitors and predators are killed off. Want to kill bedbugs, one of the safest and most effective is CO2. All hard surfaces and electronics are bathed in CO2 and all furniture is bagged and saturated with the gas. Its the most effective and far and away the most expensive.

[Tapout 42]

All excellent posts. Our ER has been visited TWICE in the past 3 months by patients brought in by EMS covered in bed bugs. It was by NO FAULT of EMS. The patients both times "forgot to mention" the bug infestations in the houses from which they'd been transported. The 1st of the 2 didn't even tell us-- it was her social worker who called the ER over an hour after the pt's arrival to share the news with us that the pt had JUST gotten medicaire/aide approval for her house to be decontaminated, but the actual decon had not been done yet. Several of the staff had to bag and throw away brand new scrubs, shoes, etc. and the EMS crew who'd brought her in was taken out of service for hours to clean the bus, get new uniforms, the works. It sucked all around. :angry:

[37FD 0]

No its a significant issue and one where I work we are keeping an eye on. Our station is across the street from a high rise complex which was the first to have a major outbreak and they started to fan out from there. We have had none yet and we made sure we all communicated the issue and the things to do to prevent them from spreading. We do not and will not kneel on beds, couches etc. We remain standing and place our ems bags when on calls in buildings known to have infestation only on hard tables and such. This also holds true as normal for us as we don't want to bring back roaches either.

then stay out of station #2.