Niles firefighters train to deal with bed bugs

When Niles City Fire Chief Larry Lamb went to a training conference last week, the first thing he did in his hotel room was yank the headboard off the bed to look for bed bugs. 

He knows about the tiny, oval-shaped insects that prefer to hide close to where people sleep - especially in mattress crevices – because his department is taking a proactive approach to deal with them.

“One of the steps to that was to have a preventative program here in the station which basically includes detection devices on the beds so we know if we have an issue and regular treatment,” he said.

Firefighters also wash their sheets and gear more often

“We could go out three, four, five times a night going into other homes and the last thing you want is to bring one of these little guys back and have him turn into 50 little guys and 2,000 little guys eventually,” Lamb added.

Bed bugs typically infect high traffic areas such as college dorms, hospitals, nursing homes, daycares, and schools. They're also really good hitch hikers, traveling from place to place on luggage and clothes.

That’s likely how it got inside South Bend's Center for the Homeless a couple weeks ago. The center would not talk with WSBT about it on camera, but a spokeswoman said it's something they monitor regularly. She also told WSBT an exterminator took care of the problem.

“It’s a clean-up problem,” said St. Joseph County Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Felger. “Unfortunately you often have to hire it done because it's more than what people can do.”

Businesses, schools and other organizations do not have to report bed bug outbreaks because the outbreaks are not a health threat, Felger said.

“You just have to be thankful that if you make a trip somewhere you didn't pick it up because in the big city hotels it can be a real problem,” he added.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself from bed bugs when you travel. Check the cracks and crevices of the mattress for what look like little drops of blood. If you see them, the mattress may be infested.

To avoid bringing bed bugs into your home, avoid picking up furniture from the curb that people are trying to give away for free as you don’t know where those couches, mattresses and chairs have been.

But bed bugs aren't contagious – you can’t “catch” them like you can catch a cold or get the flu. But once you do get them, they can be very itchy and uncomfortable.

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Niles firefighters train to deal with bed bugs