By Ken Robinson
FireRescue1 Associate Editor
An actor portraying a firefighter on TV helped showcase a new antidote that could save real firefighters' lives at Fire-Rescue International.
The CYANOKIT is administered intravenously and is the only antidote FDA-approved for the treatment of both known and suspected cyanide poisoning, according to manufacturer Meridian.
For firefighters regularly exposed to cyanide poisoning from sources like smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide, the antidote could be the difference between life and death.
"Compressed wood, plastic and other compounds give off cyanide when they burn," said Jerry Hauer, spokesperson for Meridian and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services for the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness. "As we see more use of CYANOKIT, we're going to see more lives saved."
An IAFC member who regularly attends FRI, Hauer said he knows of the potential to save lives from personal experience.
"I look back on one or two cases that come to mind, including one of a firefighter trapped in a basement," he said. "Had we had a CYANOKIT, I wonder if he could have been alive today."
The treatment works within minutes and studies have shown a 73 percent survival rate for smoke-inhalation patients.
Firefighters at the launch in Chicago may have recognized a celebrity, as Steven Pasquale, who plays firefighter Sean Garrity on the television drama series "Rescue Me," helped bring attention to the threat of cyanide poisoning and the CYANOKIT.
"I'm obviously not a real firefighter, I just play one on TV — but my experience with the storylines and scripts on 'Rescue Me' has given me insights into this world," Pasquale said. "All first responders have a dangerous job — they are the ones running into burning buildings instead of running out of them."
The antidote contains a hydroxylated active form of vitamin B12, which forms a strong bond with cyanide and allows it to be safely carried out of the body through urine.
Meridian Medical Technologies specializes in auto-injectors for military and emergency response services, and has served as a critical supplier for nearly 50 years to the US Department of Defense. You can find them on the web at www.meridianmeds.com/.
