Fire Service Today

Upcoming Technical Committee Meetings of Interest to Emergency Responders

During the next two months, several NFPA technical committees will be meeting to discuss a wide range of topics of interest to the emergency response community which could result in major changes to several protective clothing and equipment standards. Here's a sample of what's coming up:

July 12-13, Alexandria, VA - TC on Special Operations Protective Clothing and Equipment - considering a new standard on the selection, care and maintenance of protective ensembles for technical rescue incidents. www.nfpa.org/1855

July 19-21, Missoula, MT - TC on Respiratory Protection- presentation on new flat pack technology, considering changes to NFPA 1981 (SCBAs) related to lens masks, communications, buddy breathers, and the addition of a new section on SCBAs for non-fire emergency responders. www.nfpa.org/1981

July26-28, Providence, RI - TC on Structural and Proximity Fire Fighting Protective Clothing and Equipment - reviewing proposals to NFPA 1851, Standard on Selection, Care and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting. www.nfpa.org/1851

August 3-4, Quincy, MA - TC on Electronic Safety Equipment- reviewing proposals to NFPA 1982, Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS). www.nfpa.org/1982

Click on the links above to get complete meeting details and agendas.

Dave Trebisacci

 

Push Hard, Push Fast....New AHA CPR Guidelines

Ok so the strangest thing happened to me the other day, this past Friday. I had planned on attending a CPR recert class Friday evening with my wife, who is a nurse. Well during the day at work I got an email regarding a promotional ad campaign for the new AHA CPR guidelines. I clicked the link to the video and I tell ya it was one of the funniest videos I have ever seen yet one of the most educational videos at the same time. Now I am not going to spoil it for you all but let me tell you that after watching this video you will not ever forget how to do CPR.

AHA CPR Video

Have a great day!

Ken Holland

Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week

This week marks the IAFC's annual Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week. This year's theme concentrates on fire ground survival by providing fire chiefs and firefighters the required skills to survive or ensure the survival of our own people.

The fire ground is one of the most dangerous areas a firefighter can operate in. Granted, working a motor-vehicle accident on an interstate or responding to a scene of a gunshot puts firefighters at risk, but no other situation places them in such an unsafe environment as a working fire. Conditions can change so quickly that many seasoned officers or firefighters may not recognize it until it's too late.

This is why it's so important to train and encourage good situational awareness and crew-resource management in people at every scene. True team work should be built into the entire organization to ensure everyone remains safe at every incident.

In honor of Fire/EMS Safety, Health & Survival Week, NFPA, together with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), have distributed a copy of Understanding and Implementing the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives, published by the NFFF and written by subject matter experts from the fire service, to all 45 NFPA Public Fire Protection Technical Committee Chairs. 

These Committee Chairs are intimately involved in the codes and standards process, and it is important for them to have this valuable resource as they make decisions on documents that impact the fire service. It is the hope of the NFPA and NFFF that these Chairs will use the information presented in the book as they consider issues that could impact firefighter safety and survivability. It is time to take action to further reduce the number of firefighter deaths and injuries—we all have a role to play in making sure every American firefighter goes home after every shift.

Read more about Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week.

-Lauren Backstrom

NFPA completes "Third Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service"; finds improvements but continued needs

NFPA has released its "Third Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service", a study that looks at the current needs of America’s fire departments, as compared to those identified in assessments done in 2001 and 2005. The goal of the project was to identify major gaps in the needs of the U.S. fire service and to determine if the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (DHS/FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) programs are continuing to reduce the needs of fire departments.

The report looks at personnel and their capabilities, including staffing, training, certification, and wellness/fitness; facilities and apparatus; personal protective equipment, fire prevention and code enforcement; the ability to handle unusually challenging incidents; and communications and new technologies.

Selected findings

• Nearly half (46%) of all fire departments that are responsible for structural firefighting have not formally trained all their personnel involved in structural firefighting, down from 55% in 2001 and 53% in 2005.
• Seven out of ten (70%) fire departments have no program to maintain basic firefighter fitness and health, down from 80% in 2001 and 76% in 2005.
• Nearly half (46%) of all fire department engines and pumpers were at least 15 years old, down from 51% in 2001 and 50% in 2005.

Selected conclusions

• Needs have declined to a considerable degree in a number of areas, particularly personal protective and firefighting equipment, two types of resources that received the largest shares of funding from the AFG programs.
• Some innovative technologies that have not been identified as necessary in existing standards but are known to be very useful to today’s fire service – including Internet access and thermal imaging cameras – have also seen large increases in use.
• Declines in needs have been more modest in some other important areas, such as training, which have received much smaller shares of AFG funds.

Download the full, 216-page "Third Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service" report.

NFPA 1917 Ambulance ROP Publishes June 24

The Report on Proposals (ROP) for NFPA 1917, Standard for Automotive Ambulances is due to be released June 24 for public review.  The committee acted on over 1200 proposals during the ROP.  The results of the committee actions and ballot are published showing changes in the proposed original draft.  On June 24th, this will begin the Public Comment period.  The Comment closing date is August 30, 2011.  After the closing date, the committee will meet again to review and act on all comments.  A similar report of the committee action on comments will be published in the Report on Comments (ROC) on February 24, 2012.  For the latest information on NFPA 1917 you can sign-up to be alerted by registering your email address with the NFPA 1917 Doc Info Page and clicking on the "Alert Me" link

Larry Stewart

New online Vision 20/20 Fire Prevention Advocacy Toolkit helps fire service demonstrate the value of fire prevention

The Institution of Fire Engineers USA Branch (IFE-USA) is launching a new web-based Vision 20/20 Fire Prevention Advocacy Toolkit that gives local fire departments the tools  they need to prove the value of fire prevention in saving lives and reducing the impact of fire on a community and its economy.  Available at www.strategicfire.org, this program was funded by a DHS Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to IFE-USA to demonstrate the value of investing in fire prevention in these difficult economic times.

The Vision 20/20 Fire Prevention Advocacy Toolkit was developed under one of the five Vision 20/20 strategies, Strategy 1 Fire Prevention Advocacy.  This strategy is led by Alan Perdue, Emergency Services Director Guildford County (NC), a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and a member of the Vision 20/20 Steering Committee, and supported by Peg Carson of Carson Associates, Inc.

“In this economy, community officials and fire chiefs are confronted with tough decisions when it comes to what services to save and what services to cut,” said Perdue.  “We all know that fire prevention saves lives and money, but it’s been somewhat difficult to justify these programs economically.  Every day, a fire department responds to a fire every 23 seconds, someone is injured every 31 minutes, and every three hours someone dies.  Annually, across the nation, fires cause $15.5 billion in property damage and these new tools can demonstrate the terrible impact that a fire can have at a local level on people, a community and its economy.  A catastrophic fire can not only cause injuries and deaths, but it may also mean that businesses close their doors, resulting in losing both jobs and tax revenue.  It’s really quite simple - prevention pays.”

Included in this toolkit, among others, are resources such as…

Fire prevention advocacy strategies Community investment in fire preventionImplementing an advocacy program Working with the local mediaEvaluating your program’s impact Reaching audiences

“There has never been something like this that local fire chiefs can use to prove the value of fire prevention programs,” said Vision 20/20 Project Manager Jim Crawford.  “The Vision 20/20 Fire Prevention Advocacy Toolkit gives them the information that they can use in reaching out to community leaders, city officials and other decision makers to prove the impact that fire prevention programs have in not only saving lives but making communities economically sound and viable.”

The Vision 20/20 Fire Prevention Advocacy Toolkit can be found at www.StrategicFire.org.  You can also learn more by following us on Twitter @strategicfire and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/strategicfire.

View the video clip about this innovative program

Steven Sawyer

'Threat Assessment for Emergency Planning' Discussed at NFPA Conference & Expo

Citing NFPA 1600, the standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs, Orlando Hernandez, NFPA Fire Service Specialist, discussedthreat assessment for emergency planning in an education session this morning.

 
The foundation of any effective emergency plan is a thorough threat assessment. An understanding of the things that might create emergencies provides insight into what we need to be prepared for in our organizations. This critical first step applies to all levels of plans from simple evacuation plans up through comprehensive continuity of operations plans. This session looked at threats and the threat assessment process.

Orlando used several past experiences to highlight some of the important steps; including planning, risk and resource management assessments, warning systems and business impact analyses. Following Hurricane Katrina, Orlando helped to set up a general population shelter, and also assisted Haiti after their earthquake as the logistics chief for a hospital. Video of Flash Flood Alley in Texas was also used to demonstrate what could happen in the absence of threat assessment and emergency planning.

-Lauren Backstrom

It’s Getting Hot Out There!

    Summer hasn’t officially started, but it sure feels like it’s arrived.  We’ve already begun to hear cautionary statements from meteorologist, public officials, and news reporters regarding the elevated risks of heat related emergencies.  The extreme temperatures that we’ve been experiencing open the door to a variety of medical emergencies such as heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.  Heat related emergencies can also lead to serious cardiac issues, such as cardiac arrest, which is the leading cause of death among firefighters.  Proper hydration and rehabilitation practices are required by all of us, but especially those individuals working in the fire services.

    Fire service personnel are routinely exposed to elevated temperatures and harsh working conditions.  However, the protective clothing that is worn and the large amount of physical exertion that is required during firefighting operations already put responders at a higher risk level.  These risks are only exacerbated by the increase in ambient temperature and humidity.  For these reasons, it is imperative that Emergency Services Organizations have a proper rehabilitation process in place.  NFPA 1584, Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations, and Training Excercises, provides the rehabilitation requirements for these types of organizations. 

    NFPA 1584 requires that fire departments develop Standard Operating Guidelines to address each of the following;

(1) Relief from climatic conditions

(2) Rest and recovery

(3) Active and/or passive cooling or warming as needed for incident type and climate conditions

(4) Rehydration (fluid replacement)

(5) Calorie and electrolyte replacement

(6) Medical monitoring

(7) Emergency medical services (EMS) treatment in accordance with local protocol

(8) Member accountability

(9) Release

    Once established by departmental policies, rehabilitation operations should be implemented in accordance with NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, and NFPA 1561, Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System.  For more information on establishing a rehabilitation program in your department, click the links in the body of this blog.  Stay hydrated, stay cool.

Ryan Depew

rdepew@nfpa.org

Chiefs, industry, and NFPA meet on fire alarm responses

In today's economy, every budget dollar is precious. Chief Jack Parrow and Chief Jeff Johnson of the IAFC advocated for the fire service to examine responding to fire alarms where no emergency condition existed. You can call these unwanted alarms, false alarms, accidental, or microwave in the popcorn, but the Chiefs are concerned such responses consume apparatus and personnel resources and represent an increasing demand for response where no fire department services are needed.

The Chiefs worked with the NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, Technical Committee by submitting many proposals to revise NFPA 72 and provide local officials some tools to manage these responses. The Technical Committee asked for more information before supporting these proposals.

This prompted a very spirited conversation between NFPA and the IAFC on this issue. Through this discussion it was agreed the issue needed a national  dialouge and the time to start it was now.The Chiefs, NFPA and the US Fire Administration stepped up and hosted a Summit on May 3, 2011 attended by more then 50 representatives from the fire service, NFPA technical Committees, fire alarm industry and central station operators.

The discussion at the Summit reflected the passion and intensity the issue generates among the stakeholders. Using a series of panel discussions, break out sessions, and facilitated discussion, attendees were exposed to the varied perspectives and possible approaches to crafting a solution.

Download the Fire Alarm Response and Management Summit proceedings.

- Ken Willette

Wanted: fire chiefs who go "above and beyond" to support the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems

The nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC),and NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative have teamed up with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) to award a fire chief for their outstanding local efforts to increase the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems. The “Bringing Safety Home” award will recognize a fire chief who uses HFSC’s educational materials and NFPA’s  FireSprinklerInitiative.org resources as a key part of a program to educate and ensure that decision-makers have information to upgrade or pass new residential fire sprinkler legislation at the local level.

Read Karen Wallingford's entire blog post on NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative blog to learn more about the award and how to apply. Nominations are due July 29.