help, Pepper spray problems

deyo321 · Jan 18, 2009

I do not enjoy exposure but have not had the reaction like you describe. Our spray is the hottest at 5.3 million scoville heat units, but the concentration is 2%. This tells you how quickly recovery occurs. At 2 % recovery can be half hour to an hour (tho everyone is different). My military buddies tell me that they were sprayed with 18% and recovery was like 24 hours. Really in our facility a half hour recovery should be plenty of time to gain control of a situation. We also recently changed our spray and I find this one to be more burning with less respiratory involvement.

deyo321 · Jan 18, 2009

Well that posted before I was done. I was going to add that there are of course many variables like how much is discharged and size of area. I have not had it discharged in my office (thank god) and am not on scene until secure, so much of my exposure is after the fact. I do however monitor the training when the officers are sprayed to certify. So I would like to ask you how quickly your respiratory status went south and what s/s you experienced to help me in practice. Did you take a direct hit on scene or was that reaction from after discharge? Do your co's have masks? I hope your employer will find a suitable solution for you. Perhaps a medical mask would lessen your exposure. Good luck.

pigeon · Jan 19, 2009

Thank you for your reply. I was outside waiting for the inmate to be brought out for me to assess and treat when I started having a tight, sputter feeling in my chest. The Sergeant came out and stated that they were purging the ventilation system and it was blowing directly on me, It only took about three to five minutes until I was having serious difficulty from the time its started to blow on me to the time they brought out the inmate. The secretions in my lungs got thick, and I went into an asthma attack. I met the members of our move team in entry with my boss and she had an attack just from the residual on their clothes, and I had another attack worse than the first. Choking, and tightening in my chest were the first feelings I can describe. My voice is still not back to normal either, I am very hoorifice. I understand that is probably because of the gas and the medications mixed with coughing. Six hits from an inhaler ( I am not asthmatic either) on my way to the hospital and I still had wheezes and an O2 sat of 90%. I feel better now, and I had no skin reaction so I am only asking that they allow me to have a special accommodation of a gas mask. I'm praying that I keep my job, I am the sole provider for my family.

What is the name of the specific gas that your facility uses? I was told that they actually have a gel spray available that allows the specific inmate to be affected but does not spread out into the air? Have you heard of this?

Thank you again for all your help.

Steristripqueen · Jan 19, 2009

Can your facility order for you PF95 masks? They are a class A tool at my facility because they can filter out chemical agents. They are light wt. and easy to carry in a pocket. They come in a box of 35 small and reg. sizes. We use them for TB isol.

aknurs · Jan 24, 2009

In my facility anytime we go to a cell extraction,(if medical personnel are in the facility, we are required to attend a cell extraction) we are given a mask to wear,(along with the extraction team). Unfortunately cell extractions & pepper spray are a part of prison life. (it is termed as "non-deadly force" to get an inmate to comply).Before an extraction we are required to see if there is a medical reason, that the inmate can not be sprayed(ie: asthma,copd, etc) I also check to see if any of the inmate in the immediate area could have a problem also, as the spray permeates the area.

Security should provide a mask of some type, for the staff involved in this type of substance,as it is oily and sticks to everything it comes in contact with. I would think it would also be an OSHA issue...But not to be rude, the bottom line is , if you do not want to be exposed to pepper spray,maybe you should think about working somewhere besides a jail or prison setting, as that seems to be the standard procedure to obtain compliance, in lieu of using a taser, which it is a last resort where I work. The spray is almost allways used first.

JDCitizen · Jan 24, 2009

In my facility anytime we go to a cell extraction,(if medical personnel are in the facility, we are required to attend a cell extraction) we are given a mask to wear,(along with the extraction team). Unfortunately cell extractions & pepper spray are a part of prison life. (it is termed as "non-deadly force" to get an inmate to comply).Before an extraction we are required to see if there is a medical reason, that the inmate can not be sprayed(ie: asthma,copd, etc) I also check to see if any of the inmate in the immediate area could have a problem also, as the spray permeates the area.
Security should provide a mask of some type, for the staff involved in this type of substance,as it is oily and sticks to everything it comes in contact with. I would think it would also be an OSHA issue...But not to be rude, the bottom line is , if you do not want to be exposed to pepper spray,maybe you should think about working somewhere besides a jail or prison setting, as that seems to be the standard procedure to obtain compliance, in lieu of using a taser, which it is a last resort where I work. The spray is almost allways used first.

Not all prison systems use pepper spray in such situations. I have seen many cell extractions, fights etc. over the years and have not seen pepper spray used.

Mr Ian · Jan 24, 2009

Not all prison systems use pepper spray in such situations. I have seen many cell extractions, fights etc. over the years and have not seen pepper spray used.

I was going to say something like this.

Before pepper spray - we still managed ok. Are you saying there is a whole conduit system that sprays generally when activated? If so - I am gobsmacked. Unbelievable. And yes I've worked corrections and secure psych.

Under H&S regs the employer has an obligation to make your workplace as safe as possible for you. However, I know prisons are given a carte blanche and all the excuses under the sun because no one outside of them wants to have to deal with them so they get away with much more than they should.

AmericanRN · Feb 5, 2009

In my facility anytime we go to a cell extraction,(if medical personnel are in the facility, we are required to attend a cell extraction) we are given a mask to wear,(along with the extraction team). Unfortunately cell extractions & pepper spray are a part of prison life. (it is termed as "non-deadly force" to get an inmate to comply).Before an extraction we are required to see if there is a medical reason, that the inmate can not be sprayed(ie: asthma,copd, etc) I also check to see if any of the inmate in the immediate area could have a problem also, as the spray permeates the area.
Security should provide a mask of some type, for the staff involved in this type of substance,as it is oily and sticks to everything it comes in contact with. I would think it would also be an OSHA issue...But not to be rude, the bottom line is , if you do not want to be exposed to pepper spray,maybe you should think about working somewhere besides a jail or prison setting, as that seems to be the standard procedure to obtain compliance, in lieu of using a taser, which it is a last resort where I work. The spray is almost allways used first.

Is it actually called "non lethal force" in your area? The law enforcement agency I work for while in school absolutely does not allow anyone to use that terminology because it is a litigious statement in itself. Pepper spray, tasers, bean bags, asps, etc are called "less then lethal" weapons because it will cover the agency's butt if someone dies from any of it or has an allergic reaction. The legal team discovered that it is a legal loophole to term it non lethal.