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| Fire Prevention and Life Safety Education Division |
The Fire Prevention Division of Long View Fire Department is headed by Captain James
Strickland. Certified as Level III Fire & Life Safety Educator by the North Carolina Department of
Insurance, Captain Strickland has served as the department's Fire Prevention Officer since 1990.
Supported by three additional certified Fire & Life Safety Educators, this division of the department
is responsible for coordinating and administering programs to a wide array of audiences ranging
from pre-school children to senior citizens.
If you would like to schedule a fire prevention program in your school, church or business or would
like a station tour, contact Captain Strickland by telephone at (828) 322-1312 or by email at
jgstrickland@longviewfire.org .
Strickland. Certified as Level III Fire & Life Safety Educator by the North Carolina Department of
Insurance, Captain Strickland has served as the department's Fire Prevention Officer since 1990.
Supported by three additional certified Fire & Life Safety Educators, this division of the department
is responsible for coordinating and administering programs to a wide array of audiences ranging
from pre-school children to senior citizens.
If you would like to schedule a fire prevention program in your school, church or business or would
like a station tour, contact Captain Strickland by telephone at (828) 322-1312 or by email at
jgstrickland@longviewfire.org .
FIRE & LIFE SAFETY PUBLICATIONS AND BROCHURES |
FEATURED LIFE SAFETY TOPIC Smokeless Tobacco Hazards |
- Bruce Long, February, 2008
For this month’s life safety topic, I’m going to offer
something a little different. We’re still staying in the realm of
life safety but this one is a little outside the box. In this
article, I’ll present some facts and expose some of the
myths associated with smokeless tobacco products.
My inspiration for this piece came after I read a story about
former semi-professional baseball pitcher Rick Bender.
Bender, like many other baseball players, was a regular
user of smokeless tobacco. At age 26, he developed a
small sore on his tongue and sought medical treatment to
alleviate the problem. He suspected it might be tobacco
related and indeed, medical tests confirmed it. Bender’s
dime sized tongue sore was discovered to be cancerous
and if this news alone wasn't devastating enough, the
events that followed surely would be. After four surgeries,
Rick had lost 1/3 of his tongue, 1/2 of his jaw , 25% use of
his right arm and had severe facial deformity.
For this month’s life safety topic, I’m going to offer
something a little different. We’re still staying in the realm of
life safety but this one is a little outside the box. In this
article, I’ll present some facts and expose some of the
myths associated with smokeless tobacco products.
My inspiration for this piece came after I read a story about
former semi-professional baseball pitcher Rick Bender.
Bender, like many other baseball players, was a regular
user of smokeless tobacco. At age 26, he developed a
small sore on his tongue and sought medical treatment to
alleviate the problem. He suspected it might be tobacco
related and indeed, medical tests confirmed it. Bender’s
dime sized tongue sore was discovered to be cancerous
and if this news alone wasn't devastating enough, the
events that followed surely would be. After four surgeries,
Rick had lost 1/3 of his tongue, 1/2 of his jaw , 25% use of
his right arm and had severe facial deformity.
The brochures below have been prepared by personnel of Long
View Fire Department. All information brochures on this page are in
.pdf format and will require a program such as Adobe Acrobat
Reader. If you do not have this program, get it free by clicking on
the link below. We hope you find the infomation helpful. If you have
any questions about information found in these publications,
please call the department. Other publications are being prepared
at this time so check back often for updates.
View Fire Department. All information brochures on this page are in
.pdf format and will require a program such as Adobe Acrobat
Reader. If you do not have this program, get it free by clicking on
the link below. We hope you find the infomation helpful. If you have
any questions about information found in these publications,
please call the department. Other publications are being prepared
at this time so check back often for updates.
| Being Prepared Using 9-1-1 Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors General Home Fire Safety Tips Safe Outdoor Burning |
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS ARE YOU READY? |
Former baseball player and
cancer survivor Rick Bender
speaks of his near death
experience as a result of
smokeless tobacco use. For
more info about Rick Bender
and his struggle with cancer,
visit his website at
www.nosnuff.com.
cancer survivor Rick Bender
speaks of his near death
experience as a result of
smokeless tobacco use. For
more info about Rick Bender
and his struggle with cancer,
visit his website at
www.nosnuff.com.
Rick Bender’s story is not an isolated incident. Oral
cancers due to smokeless tobacco are common and on
the rise. One reason for the increase can be traced to a
common myth, that smokeless tobacco is harmless, or at
least less dangerous than smoking. Consider this; spit
tobacco is comprised of tobacco, sweeteners, abrasives,
salt and chemicals including about 28 known carcinogens.
Some of the chemicals include tobacco specific
nitrosamines, Polonium 210, Benzene, Arsenic, Lead,
Cyanide, Cadmium, and Formaldehyde. And of course,
there’s nicotine, which is absorbed into the bloodstream at
a rate of 3 to 4 times that of a single cigarette. The sales
pitch for smokeless tobacco is that it's not nearly as likely
to cause lung cancer as opposed to cigarettes. That in
itself is true. By the same token, drinking a rat poison
cocktail is less likely than cigarettes to cause lung cancer.
So, why don't we see more people drinking rat poison as
opposed to using smokeless tobacco products?
Tobacco companies, in an attempt to save their sinking
ship, have placed their money in smokeless tobacco
products and their marketing strategy has been to portray
these products as "safe" smoking alternatives. To
adolescents and Nicotine dependent smokers, it sounds
too good to be true. And it is. Like smoking, spit tobacco
has detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system. It
also has numerous other long term effects including
leukoplakia , gum disease, tooth abrasion, yellowing of the
teeth, loss of bone in the jaw and chronic halitosis. Lastly
and certainly not least are the various cancers that are
associated with spit tobacco, primarily in various regions of
the upper digestive system including the oral cavity,
pharynx, larynx and esophagus.
In addition to reassurances from tobacco companies about
the safety of smokeless tobacco, users offer their own
justifications for continuing their habits. I’ve often heard, “If
that don’t kill me, something else will.” That's true enough.
The only difference, it's likely to take "something else" many
more years to kill you. Or how about, “I enjoy it and if it kills
me, at least I was happy.” This is very brave talk but you
don’t hear much of that from those who have active
cancers, especially those who are in the end stages of the
disease. Probably the most illogical argument I’ve heard is
something to the effect of, “30 year old Joe died of cancer
last month and he never smoked a day in his life but my
grandpa lived to be 100 and chewed tobacco every day of
his life.” I had a friend who developed a rare form of cancer
when he was about 25 and never lived to see his 27th
birthday. He never used tobacco and in fact, he led a
relatively healthy lifestyle. Would tobacco use have
prevented his cancer or increased his chance for survival?
Obviously, such logic is absurd. My friend was an exception
to the rule and quite likely a victim of genetics. 100 year old
tobacco dipping "Grandpa” managed to survive due to
genetics. He too was an exception to the rule. There is a
danger when we allow such exceptions to serve as the
basis for proving or disproving our positions. As I sit here
and type this article, there’s a chance I may have
undetected cancer. A cousin died of brain cancer last year
only 4 months after the initial diagnosis.
It happens. But if you’re reading this article and you are a
tobacco user, your chances of harboring a precancerous
condition or actually developing cancer either now or in the
near future is significantly greater. In fact, the ratio of oral
cancers in users of smokeless tobacco versus non-users
is nearly 50:1 and 30-50% of those diagnosed will be dead
within 5 years.
In the United States, the 2000 National Household Survey
on Drug Abuse, which was conducted by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reported
that 7.6 millions Americans age 12 and older were active
users of smokeless tobacco. Most users were males
between the ages of 18 and 25.
In their attempt to intervene, an increasing number of
institutions and establishments are limiting or prohibiting
the use of smokeless tobacco on their premises. Citing not
only the health risk posed to users, these organizations
recognize the annoyance of the foul odors and distractions
associated someone spitting into a cup or bottle every few
seconds.
There is no way to guarantee yourself good health for
tomorrow. Maintaining a sensible diet, getting regular
exercise and avoiding certain habits can tip the odds in
your favor but there are no promises. On the other side of
the coin, there are no guarantees that you will suffer illness
by using smokeless tobacco products. You may be a
regular user and live to be older than the rest of us. But just
as healthy living puts the odds in our favor, an unhealthy
lifestyle will obviously have the opposite effect. Make your
decisions carefully.
For more stories and information on quitting, visit
www.quitsmokeless.org.
cancers due to smokeless tobacco are common and on
the rise. One reason for the increase can be traced to a
common myth, that smokeless tobacco is harmless, or at
least less dangerous than smoking. Consider this; spit
tobacco is comprised of tobacco, sweeteners, abrasives,
salt and chemicals including about 28 known carcinogens.
Some of the chemicals include tobacco specific
nitrosamines, Polonium 210, Benzene, Arsenic, Lead,
Cyanide, Cadmium, and Formaldehyde. And of course,
there’s nicotine, which is absorbed into the bloodstream at
a rate of 3 to 4 times that of a single cigarette. The sales
pitch for smokeless tobacco is that it's not nearly as likely
to cause lung cancer as opposed to cigarettes. That in
itself is true. By the same token, drinking a rat poison
cocktail is less likely than cigarettes to cause lung cancer.
So, why don't we see more people drinking rat poison as
opposed to using smokeless tobacco products?
Tobacco companies, in an attempt to save their sinking
ship, have placed their money in smokeless tobacco
products and their marketing strategy has been to portray
these products as "safe" smoking alternatives. To
adolescents and Nicotine dependent smokers, it sounds
too good to be true. And it is. Like smoking, spit tobacco
has detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system. It
also has numerous other long term effects including
leukoplakia , gum disease, tooth abrasion, yellowing of the
teeth, loss of bone in the jaw and chronic halitosis. Lastly
and certainly not least are the various cancers that are
associated with spit tobacco, primarily in various regions of
the upper digestive system including the oral cavity,
pharynx, larynx and esophagus.
In addition to reassurances from tobacco companies about
the safety of smokeless tobacco, users offer their own
justifications for continuing their habits. I’ve often heard, “If
that don’t kill me, something else will.” That's true enough.
The only difference, it's likely to take "something else" many
more years to kill you. Or how about, “I enjoy it and if it kills
me, at least I was happy.” This is very brave talk but you
don’t hear much of that from those who have active
cancers, especially those who are in the end stages of the
disease. Probably the most illogical argument I’ve heard is
something to the effect of, “30 year old Joe died of cancer
last month and he never smoked a day in his life but my
grandpa lived to be 100 and chewed tobacco every day of
his life.” I had a friend who developed a rare form of cancer
when he was about 25 and never lived to see his 27th
birthday. He never used tobacco and in fact, he led a
relatively healthy lifestyle. Would tobacco use have
prevented his cancer or increased his chance for survival?
Obviously, such logic is absurd. My friend was an exception
to the rule and quite likely a victim of genetics. 100 year old
tobacco dipping "Grandpa” managed to survive due to
genetics. He too was an exception to the rule. There is a
danger when we allow such exceptions to serve as the
basis for proving or disproving our positions. As I sit here
and type this article, there’s a chance I may have
undetected cancer. A cousin died of brain cancer last year
only 4 months after the initial diagnosis.
It happens. But if you’re reading this article and you are a
tobacco user, your chances of harboring a precancerous
condition or actually developing cancer either now or in the
near future is significantly greater. In fact, the ratio of oral
cancers in users of smokeless tobacco versus non-users
is nearly 50:1 and 30-50% of those diagnosed will be dead
within 5 years.
In the United States, the 2000 National Household Survey
on Drug Abuse, which was conducted by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reported
that 7.6 millions Americans age 12 and older were active
users of smokeless tobacco. Most users were males
between the ages of 18 and 25.
In their attempt to intervene, an increasing number of
institutions and establishments are limiting or prohibiting
the use of smokeless tobacco on their premises. Citing not
only the health risk posed to users, these organizations
recognize the annoyance of the foul odors and distractions
associated someone spitting into a cup or bottle every few
seconds.
There is no way to guarantee yourself good health for
tomorrow. Maintaining a sensible diet, getting regular
exercise and avoiding certain habits can tip the odds in
your favor but there are no promises. On the other side of
the coin, there are no guarantees that you will suffer illness
by using smokeless tobacco products. You may be a
regular user and live to be older than the rest of us. But just
as healthy living puts the odds in our favor, an unhealthy
lifestyle will obviously have the opposite effect. Make your
decisions carefully.
For more stories and information on quitting, visit
www.quitsmokeless.org.
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week's question.
week's question.
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