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Scientific American Frontiers had a segment outlining the investigation of dying coral in the US Virgin Islands. Some coral is eaten away and others have large white dead patches. They took samples of the dead coral, ground it up and had a look. They were surprised to find a soil fungus (not...

Last I heard, current thinking is that melting all the available ice would raise ocean levels between 4 and 30 inches, not 8 feet. The 8' figure ignores the fact that ice expands as it freezes and most ice in the polar ice caps is located below sea level to begin with, not floating on top...

Perhaps the question should be "Should the recovery effort have been filmed in the first place?" After all, if it is acceptable to film the recovery of the original diver's body, then why would it somehow be wrong to show that same film just because it also captures the last minutes of the...

Life evolved from the sea. It's time to get back to our roots...

I read an interesting piece recently that indicated wiping with an alcohol rag did virtually nothing for certain virii. They need a good 10 minute soak in a disinfectant.

Interesting that the definition of "scuba diving" requires the use of "face mask, diving fins, snorkel, knife, abalone iron, spear or spear gun, in any combination or combinations , together with any self-contained underwater breathing apparatus." So by definition, if you are not using any of...

I wonder how they can build inventory when they can't meet existing demand?

Bigjetdriver69's actual comment was "(sort of a paramedic plus some)". I didn't read it as a statement that he was more highly qualified than a paramedic, just a very rough analogy. Around here there's 3 levels of paramedic, the first having very basic qualifications in first aid, symptom...

Disclaimer: I usually stick to lurking in these sorts of threads and I don't have any real experience in a 3-man team under water. However, this debate parallels current debate in the fire service and there are some interesting comparisons to be made. A two man team offers the simplicity of...

I wonder if anyone would know. Once the cylinder has exploded it's a little hard to tell exactly how much pressure it contained prior to the explosion. Unless someone admits to overfilling. Taking that one step further, if we may assume for a moment that an overfilled cylinder is most likely...

He's saying that if you can feel a pulse at such-and-such a point, it indicates a minimum systolic blood pressure of XX mmHg. (Systolic is the bigger number in a blood pressure reading -- the maximum pressure.) It's just a way of estimating blood pressure, not a method of measuring a pulse.

That depends on whether you have a left hand octo or a right hand octo. A few companies make a model with the hose routed in from the opposite side. If worn on your right it would face your buddy. One argument for wearing your octo and secondary on the same side is that in the event you lose...

You can't blame that on them. There is no downwind -- your healthy non-smoker's lungs are sucking in all the available air... :rofl: Actually, supposedly there is one legitimate medical use of cigarettes. Apparently they help control schizophrenia. It kind of makes sense to me. I'm a...

Yes, but the volunteers have a lot more fun. Nobody gets stuck with a clipboard if everyone is needed on the end of a hose :rofl2: Up here (Ontario, Canada) the courts have held that Occupational Health and Safety legislation does not apply to the fire service. But at the same time, the...

A RIT team carries in at least 1 extra 1 hour cylinder with a special transfill hose that screws directly on the spare cylinder. All pumpers are supplied with 1 spare 1 hour cylinder and the special hose in a carry bag so any crew can be designated as an interim RIT team. Pumper/Rescue trucks...

I don't know what system your department is using, but our MSA transfill hoses do equalize pressure between cylinders. As stated earlier, each buddy team (wearing 45 cu ft cylinders) carries one transfill hose between them for immediate use. In addition, RIT teams wear and carry an extra...

I assume you are talking about a pre-cordial thump. It is an old techique used to stop the heart to correct an arythmia following a witnessed arrest in specific circumstances like electrocution. It is not recommended for use by lay people. Applied incorrectly or inappropriately, it can kill the...

Absolutely correct. I was responding to an earlier comment suggesting it's not realistic to try for a femoral pulse with all the other urgent activity. The point I was trying to make is that a femoral pulse check is not necessary -- a carotid check is adequate, quick and easy. I did not mean to...

The first thing to remember about CPR is that if it is necessary the person is dead to begin with, so you can't do any further harm. Everything else is statistics. That said, my department has just completed their part in a multi-year, multi-city North American study. At variation with the...

A freind of mine's son was around that age when he went for a walk on the tracks with his buddy. Initially he only lost the 1/2 of his foot that the train ran over. The doctors tried to save it but months later had to amputate at the ankle. A few years went by and they had to amputate again...