September 11th
Professional Firemen´s National Day

How does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy intersect with Firemen’s life?

Today, we celebrate the Professional Firemen´s National Day, and thank to those who make their lives an ode to sacrifice, team spirit and work for the community benefit.

The tribute is more than deserved!

However, few of us know that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy plays a very important role in the life of these professionals.

Firemen come across with this therapy in two moments: for use in their professional lives and for helping many of the victims they assist.

We usually think about Firemen as those who help victims of car accidents or those who deals with fires, but they are much more than that! One of the departments that we often forget is the Firemen Divers (which is also an important asset in surveillance, support, search, and rescue operations). Decompression Illness (disease due to excess nitrogen molecules accumulated in blood and tissues) is one of the most common problems with divers, and the use of Hyperbaric Chambers is often a matter of life or death.

Also in fire environments, whether forestry or urban, Firemen are often intoxicated with carbon monoxide, which is a colorless and odorless gas, produced by combustion, and which can cause several neurological injuries or, if not treated in time, it can even be fatal. This poisoning is a reality that many Firemen come across with, when they help victims intoxicated due to fireplaces, braziers, or water heaters. The use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is also often vital in these cases.

Also in fire environments, Firemen are often victims of fire and come out with burns during their rescue actions. The use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in burn situations, namely those of the 2nd and 3rd degree, is very important due to its healing action, for fighting infection, and for helping on tissue regeneration.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy it’s a type of therapy in which the patient breathes pure oxygen (100%) while is being subjected, inside a Hyperbaric Chamber, to a pressure 2 to 3 times greater than the atmospheric pressure. It is a painless and non-invasive therapy, and its importance is increasing in the lives of all of us and of those to whom we honor today, our Firemen!
The Hyperbaric Center of Cascais is exclusively dedicated to Hyperbaric Medicine and registered at the European Association, and to the present date, the first and only private center with mono-place chambers
Its staff is a highly specialized team with competence in Hyperbaric Medicine given by the Medical Association and a vast experience in the several applications of this type of treatment. Today in particular, we emphasize the lives already saved, from Firemen or civilians, using this therapy, namely in the context of poisoning by Carbon Monoxide or Decompression Illness.
Our greatest thanks to all peace warriors for their everyday actions, to protect and save us.

Maria Luís Gameiro

Direcção Centro Hiperbárico Cascais