Fire Service Today

Wooden I-Beam Danger Revealed in TV Newscast

A recent fire in Milwalkee trapped two MFD firefighters and led a local TV news team to investigate the dangers that wooden I-beams pose to firefighters. Definitely worth watching this video!!!!!

http://www.wisn.com/video/17971947/index.html

Steve Sawyer

Free Training on the Firewise Website

If your district or department responds to wildfires or can expect to respond to fires in the wildland/urban interface, check out www.firewise.org for a wealth of resources including free training modules in the online Learning Center. 

The award-winning Fire Fighter Safety in the WUI series is available from the Firewise Catalog as a DVD and instructor guide set for only the cost of shipping and handling. Or you can enroll in the Firewise Learning Center to take this as an online course.

A new offering at the Firewise Learning Center is Firewise Water Training. This course is an expanded, updated version of the old "Operation Water" educational module that's been around since the late 1980s. It references and incorporates principles from NFPA 1142, Standard on Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting, and covers topics including safe driving and operation of fire apparatus, pre-fire strategy development, calculating water needs, water sources and water supply, and post-fire activities. It's designed to help fire departments use water more effectively and to stay safe.

Michele Steinberg

Alternative means of funding for fire departments.

I was looking at today's Boston Globe, as well as watching some news on the television, and the House Speaker Sal DiMasi states that some cities and towns in Massachusetts should be prepared for budget cuts of up to 10% in local aid. He has also stated that this could mean layoffs for many police, firefighters, and teachers in hardest hit areas. With that being said, and I suggest that one read the article in today's Boston Globe, I was thinking if there are many fire departments who are pursuing or at least researching alternative means of funding. I think that with so many departments being faced with severe budget cuts it might a good idea to look into ways that one might be able to supplement their operating budget by looking into grants. When I was on the Bridgewater Fire Department we were handed some significant budget cuts and rather than give up we went and searched out grants to provide funding for essential needs of the department. We managed to secure funds to outfit out two stations with a PlymoVent system, 20 new SCBA's to replace the oldest ones we had in service, as well as funds to outfit three of our apparatus with all new hose and appliances. So while the funds might not be flowing as they once were from the state, I think that with a little bit of creativity a department may be able to secure some funding though grants.

Ken Holland

How much more will fire apparatus cost?

I won't argue that some of the requirements in the NFPA 1901 standard add to the cost of new fire apparatus.  With that cost comes added safety, and the intent is to save lives.  Recently, Gary Handwerk, a member of the NFPA Fire Apparatus Technical Committee, published an article with an itemized list of the NFPA 1901 requirements new for 2009 and the associated costs with those new requirements.  I have heard many rumors of people being told that the new standard is adding as much as $19K to the price of new vehicles.  In Gary Handwerk's article he provides some facts.  I think this is good information to have before purchasing your next pumper or aerial truck.

Larry Stewart

When considering a new radio system.......

I thought this study from the IAFC might be helpful when looking into new state of the art radio equipment before committing to a new technology.

Larry Stewart

Christmas Tree Fires

The holiday season brings with it many traditions, with Christmas Trees being at the top of the list. Having been to my share of fatal fires during the holidays, this video from NIST is one I wish everyone would watch.

Curt Varone

Firefighters and Post Traumatic Stress

While attending the National Fallen Firefighters meeting in Baltimore that was primarily focused on post traumatic stress issues, we were introduced to a web site developed for the US Military to assist returning veterans.  The site, afterdeployment.org,  provides a number self-evaluation checklists along with connections to various resources for a variety of conditions that soldiers and firefighters commonly experience. It was obvious to us all that such a web platform would be of great benefit to fire and emergency services. Take a look. It will serve as a great resource for us until we can develop one geared specifically for the fire service.

Curt Varone

From the World of Hazardous Materials Response

Hazmat responders know that NFPA 472 contains the competencies for hazmat and WMD response, but a new effort by the technical committee that handles this standard may ultimately result in a “how to respond” document for these events. Back in 2002, there was NFPA 471, a recommended practice that provided responders with advice on incident response planning, response levels, site safety, PPE, incident mitigation, medical monitoring, decontamination and handling spills. NFPA 471 was withdrawn by NFPA a few years back because it contained outdated information not relevant to the activities of today’s responders. The other day, I looked back with some amusement (and horror) at the NFPA Hazardous Materials Handbook, which contained the old 471 and had pictures of responders using a “kiddie pool” as an important part of their decontamination “efforts.”

Well, no one could imagine the feedback we received after people noticed NFPA 471 wasn’t around anymore. As we learned, 471 remained a significant (if outdated) part of many departments’ library, and still in wide use. Certainly, times have changed, and the committee wants to again create a new document to address these response issues. A task group has been formed that will kick off in January. Let me know if there are any items that you would like me to bring to the task group’s attention, perhaps something that has not been covered in other places. I’ll make sure that the task group hears about it, and keep checking the Fire Service Today Blog for updates.

David G. Trebisacci, CIH, CSP

Sr. Fire Protection Specialist

Firefighters and Asbestos

I came across this web site on the risk of abestos to firefighters. Pretty nice resource we all should have bookmarked!!!

Curt Varone