Safety BriefingMay 2011

Lt Col Brockshus

Overview

• Poison Ivy• Safety Training extension• Distracted Flying• Tornado season

How do you get poison ivy?

• You normally get it from touching the leaves (urushiol in the leaves)

• Touching something that has touched it, like your clothes or your dog.

• Using a weed eater to remove poison ivy will result in spraying your legs with poison ivy.

• Breathing smoke from firewood burning with poison ivy on it.

What about immunity?• Some people appear to be immune.– About half to population can be affected

• Others become immune. • HOWEVER, you can gain or lose immunity.• People change as they age.• Never assume that you are immune .– The more you are exposed, the more likely you will

break out.

What it is like to get it?

• At first you get a slight itchy spot, which gets worse and worse.

• Appears in 12 to 24 hours.

• It can be a small itchy area that will annoy you, or it can cover your whole body with giant red sores .

What if you know you've been exposed to it?

• Within a hour, you should rinse with lots of cold water - like a garden hose. – Hot water will open your pores and let the oil in.

• Taking a shower could be a disaster, it could help it spread.– (Later, after the oil is all absorbed or washed off, and you HAVE

a big rash, hot showers can ease the itch for a few hours.)

• For up to about 6 hours washing with alcohol may still help remove the oil– Many say that after 1/2 hour the oil has soaked in and you can't

remove it.

What can you do once the itching starts?

• For a serious case you MUST SEE A DOCTOR. – Steroid cream, steroid pills, antihistamine

• For less serious cases check with your local drugstore – Oak-Ivy CalaGel and comes with two bottles.

• Popular home remedies:– Take a hot shower - this may ease the itch for a few hours. – If heat eases your rash, try a hair dryer, but BE CAREFUL. Don't burn yourself! – Soaking in a tepid bath with oatmeal or baking soda.– Jewelweed is widely thought to help the rash. Mash and apply to the rash. – Spray with a deodorant containing aluminum, which most do. Spray , never

use a stick or roll-on , Arrid Extra Dry is a favorite.

How long does the rash last?

• Anywhere from a week to 3 weeks, depending on how bad it is and how you treat it.

• Prescription remedies make it go away much faster.

How long does the oil last?• The oil from poison ivy is extremely

stable and will stay potent - essentially forever (5 years).

• You can get a rash from clothing or tools that have the oil from last summer, or even from many years back.

• If you don't remove the oil by washing, using alcohol to dissolve it, or by just hosing off with a hard spray from a hose - assume it will stay forever.

–

Is it contagious?

• Once you have the rash the oil has been absorbed and you probably can't spread it to others or elsewhere on yourself.

• If you get big blisters filled with liquid it is mostly water and will not spread the rash even if they break. (Some SWEAR that the fluid does cause further outbreaks. It is not true)

Cleaning clothes exposed to the plant oil.

• If you afford to, consider throwing the clothes away.

• Wash it, if possible with bleach, consider washing it twice.

• Wash hard items in a dish washer.• For leather shoes, use rags and alcohol, while

wearing thick rubber (not latex) gloves. Then apply oil because the alcohol is sure to dry out the leather.

Where does it grow?

• Everywhere in the US and southern Canada except the far west, deserts and at high altitude.

• In the west they have poison oak, which is very similar.

• Both love roadsides and edges of fields. And certainly into southern Canada and northern Mexico as well.

How do you get rid of poison ivy?• Get a goat - they eat PI with no ill effects.• Rip it out by the roots but you can catch a terrible

case of poison ivy rash.• Do not burn it because the smoke can get in your

lungs.• Be VERY careful about mowing it. You grind up

the leaves and create a nasty soup.• Many situations call for wise use of a product like

Roundup.

Quiz

• Which shiny red leaves belong to poison ivy?

Quiz• Which shiny red leaves belong to poison ivy?• Answer: Poison Ivy has 3 leaf clusters. The

other is harmless Virginia Creeper.

Which is the poison ivy?

Which is the poison ivy?

Heart Shaped Leaves

Two leaf groups

Which is the poison ivy?

Which is the poison ivy?

Poison Ivy is never this

symmetrical

Poison Ivy Colleagues

• Poison Ivy and Poison Oak have 3 leaves per cluster

• Poison Sumac has 7 to 13 on a branch

• Poison Sumac

• Poison Oak

Deadline Extension for CAP Safety Training

Deadline Extension for CAP Safety Training

• Deadline for Intro to CAP Safety has been slipped to 31 May 2011

• One time period to take training in class, after May you must take training on line.

• Over due members will not be able to participate in CAP activites.

• For the full letter see the CAP website / May Safety Beacon

Distracted Flying

Distracted Flying

• Deviations on the rise for FY11

• Taxing– Write down clearance– Recorders– Ask

• Review Chap 5 of Airmen Information Manual (AIM)– Departures– Enroute– Arrival

Spring Tornado Season

Facts about tornadoes• They may strike with little or no warning.• They may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris

are picked up.• Moves Southwest to Northeast, but may move in any

direction.• Forward speed of 30 MPH, but may vary from stationary to

70 MPH.• Peak tornado season in the northern states, is late spring

through early summer.• Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9

p.m., but can occur at any time

Know Your Tornado Terms

• Tornado WatchTornadoes are possible. Remain alert for approaching storms. Watch the sky and stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for information.

• Tornado WarningA tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter immediately.

What to do Before a Tornado

• Be alert to changing weather conditions.• Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or to commercial

newscasts for the information.• Look for the following danger signs: – Dark, often greenish sky– Large hail– A large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating)– Loud roar, similar to a freight train.

• If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

What to Do During a Tornado• In a Structure

– Go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level

• Vehicle, trailer, or mobile home– Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy,

nearby building

• Outside– Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression – Do not get under an overpass or bridge– Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas

Immediately After a Disaster

• Find your family• Get food and water• Find a place to stay• Apply for assistance• Cope with disaster

General tips

• Don't return to your flood-damaged home before the area is declared to be safe by local officials

• Before You Enter Your Home Walk carefully around the outside and check for loose power lines, gas leaks, and structural damage.

Stay Safe and Farewell Osama bin Laden