Fire Service Today

What firefighters do

I came across this video that does a really good job of showing what firefighters do, and addresses some frequently asked questions, such as why does it take so many firefighters and trucks to put out a fire.

Curt Varone

Wildland Conference Coverage

FDNNtv.com covered the Backyards and Beyond conference that our Firewise team recently put on in Tampa. Here is a link to the video clip:

http://www.fdnntv.com/news.asp_Q_articleID_E_4033_A_title_E_Firewise_Conference_Teaches_Citizens_About_Measures_They_Can_Take_to_Combat_Wildfires The link will stay on the home page for about 10 days and then will be archived.

Jim Smalley

DOT grants limited exemption to vest requirement for highway operations

As most firefighters are aware, new US DOT regulation that went effect on November 24, 2008 require all workers operating on/adjacent to Federal highways where they are potentially exposed to traffic to wear high visibility garments that meet the requirements of  ANSI 207. Quoting the Federal Register “The FHWA is revising its regulations to address safety concerns raised by the firefighting community regarding high-visibility safety apparel. Due to imminent safety implications to firefighters, the FHWA has determined that there is good cause under the Administrative Procedure Act to dispense with notice and opportunity for comment as it would be contrary to the public interest.”

The amendments to 29 CFR 634 create a limited exception for firefighters who are exposed to flame, fire, high heat or hazardous materials. To see the actual text of the revision click here. The revision begins on page 70593, bottom of the third column.

Curt Varone

2008 UL Global Fire Service Leadership Conference

I recently had the great fortune to attend the 2008 UL Global Fire Service Leadership Conference sponsored by Underwritters Laboratories, UL Global and RJA Associates.

It was a gathering of fire service leaders from 19 countries and 5 continents, including Argentina (Argentina), Brazil (San Paulo), Canada (Ottawa), China (Hong Kong), France (Paris), Germany (Frankfurt), India (Delhi, Mumbai), Indonesia (Jakarta), Italy (Rome), Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Mexico (Mexico City), Nigeria (Lagos), Qatar (Doha), Singapore, South Africa (Johannesburg), United Arab Emirates (Dubai), United States (Phoenix, San Francisco, District of Columbia, Chicago, Chelmsford, New York City, Columbus, Janesville, and New Orleans) and Viet Nam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City), as well as representatives from the IAFC, NFPA and NIST.

Welcome to the Fire Service Today Blog

Welcome to the Fire Service Today Blog, the new “blog-home” of the Public Fire Protection Division of the NFPA.

In this blog we will be providing news, information, and commentary on a wide variety of fire service related topics, from new standards to important training conferences;  from reports on major incidents to lessons learned from incidents in the NFPA’s historical archive; from new research to in-depth discussions of age-old topics. 

The blog will be written and updated by the PFP staff, who together have over 250 years of fire service experience. We hope you will enjoy our blog, and find it to be a valuable source of information. Please be sure to book mark this page and come back to visit us regularly.

Curt Varone