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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No VI_D <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: January 4, 1993 <br /> SUBJECT: Hepatitis B Shots for Volunteer Fire Departments <br /> DEPARTMENT Emergency Management PUBLIC HEARING YES NO X <br /> ATTACHMENT(S) INFORMATION CONTACT <br /> None Nick Waters, ext 3030 <br /> TELEPHONE NUMBER <br /> Hillsborough 732-8181 <br /> Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br /> Mebane 227-2031 <br /> Durham 688-7331 <br /> PURPOSE: To consider a request for funding and administering Hepatitis <br /> B series shots to Orange County volunteer fire fighters. <br /> BACKGROUND: The federal Occupational. Safety and Health Administration <br /> (OSHA) adopted regulations effective July 6, 1992, imposing certain <br /> standards on emergency workers who are subject to .exposure to blood and <br /> body fluid. Fire departments in Orange County confronted with <br /> emergency situations are performing duties that present a certain risk <br /> of exposure to blood and body fluids. Examples of these duties would <br /> be the rescue of victims from fire and assisting victims of automobile <br /> accidents prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel. <br /> Orange County, through the office of Emergency Management and the <br /> Health Department, has already provided the Hepatitis-B vaccine to fire <br /> department first responders and emergency medical services personnel. <br /> Hepatitis-B is one of the diseases identified in the new federal <br /> standards for which there is an effective vaccine. This innoculation <br /> has thus far not been routinely offered to firefighters who are not <br /> first responders. There are approximately 200 firefighters within the <br /> volunteer departments of Orange County who should be offered Hep-B <br /> vaccine. The innoculation is a series of three shots - one initially, <br /> followed by the second in one month, and the third in six months - at a <br /> cost of $90 per series. The cost to innoculate 200 firefighters would <br /> total $18, 000. The office of Emergency Management and the Orange <br /> County Health Department would coordinate this effort. <br /> This issue was discussed during one of the 1992-93 budget work <br /> sessions, with the suggestion made that if volunteer departments were <br /> unable to fund these innoculations, that the County consider funding <br /> them through an appropriation from contingency. <br /> RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board approve $18, 000 <br /> for Hepatitis B shots, with funding to come from contingency. <br />