FRI Call for Papers

The second call for papers for FRI presentations is open Feb. 1 – Feb. XX. We encourage all SHS Section members to submit your presentations, even if you submitted last fall and were not accepted. When you submit your presentation using the online system (include link here), be sure to indicate how your presentation is relevant to one or more of the items in the SHS Section’s current strategic plan (http://www.iafcsafety.org/1238528170SHS_Strategic_Plan_2009-2010.pdf). This will assist the SHS Section representative to the Program Planning Council in determining recommendations for sessions that should be included in the FRI health and safety track. If you have any questions, please contact Chief Keith Padgett at padgettkeith@gmail.com.

 

Five Fort Worth, Texas firefighters escaped serious injury early Friday during a partial roof collapse.


 

The department was dispatched at 2:35 am to a one-alarm structure fire with a report of a resident still inside the house, said PIO Tim Hardeman. Truck 14 arrived on scene at 2:39 am, found the structure fully involved and initiated incident command.


 

At 2:50 am command received a Mayday due to a partial collapse affecting five firefighters. "All were extricated with assistance," the department reported. Three were uninjured and two sustained minor injuries. They were treated on scene, released to full duty and completed their shift.


 

The fire was reported under control at 3:33 am. Despite the early report, there was no one inside the structure, Hardeman said. 

Flames left a three-story Jewett City building badly damaged Monday night.

The blaze was reported on North Main Street at about 11:15 p.m. Several fire companies were called to the blaze, and it took firefighters nearly three hours to knock it down.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze. One firefighter was treated for steam burns and the other injured when duct work fell on him. Both were taken to area hospitals and have since been treated and released.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

E-mail news tips to Eyewitness News, or dial: 866-289-0333.Connecticut's latest breaking news is on WFSB.com and Channel 3 Eyewitness News.Be The First To Know:Breaking News, Weather, Sports E-mail Fr

Two Phoenix firefighters escaped a close call fighting a house fire early Monday night.

The incident started out as a police situation. Officers were called to a house near 28th Avenue and Bell Road regarding a family fight.

Phoenix police said an 18-year-old was threatening his parents with a knife.

According to police, The teen's parents grabbed the other kids inside and left. As they looked back at the home, police said the parents noticed their son also leaving and the house on fire.

The first firefighters on the scene said the house was engulfed in flames and smoke. A team of firefighters went inside the home while another team ascended on the roof.

A fire spokesman said the team on the roof started venting the fire by poking holes in the roof. That's when part of the roof gave way, and two firefighters fell right into it. One firefighter went all the way through to the ground, but he other was pulled to safety back up through the hole.

Both firefighters escaped injury, but both were taken to the hospital to be checked out.

Police arrested the 18-year-old. He faces a number of charges, which could include arson.

After more than 40 years in the FDNY, new Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano knows the job’s glories – and its risks.

A “firefighter’s firefighter” with five citations for bravery, Cassano’s voice still trembles when he describes losing a colleague in a blaze. He has made it his mission to prevent others from making that supreme sacrifice.

“If you’re going to send someone into harm’s way, you should know what that’s like,” said Cassano, who traded in his uniform for a suit when he assumed command of the department this month.

“I know what it’s like to run into a burning building and so I know what it means to ask someone else to do that,” he said.

Cassano is trying to protect his firefighters by giving them the best possible equipment – they’re getting new masks and audio equipment – and adjusting mind-sets, he said.

“We’re not telling people not to be brave. But we’re telling them to do it a little safer,” said Cassano, who helped produce the “Everyone Goes Home” campaign that teaches firefighters there is nothing cowardly about retreating or seeking help.

Firefighter burn injuries dropped 29% in the past year, and Cassano is confident his leadership on safety issues will lead to further improvements.

“If I can’t change it, nobody can change it,” he said. “We don’t want people taking unnecessary risks.”

Cassano’s stance is shaped by his memory of loss, and he can remember every moment of Black Sunday, the dark day five years ago when the FDNY lost three men.

“I remember being in the hospital in the Bronx and getting a call that one of the men in Brooklyn was trapped and it looked bad,” Cassano said. “It was devastating. Devastating.”

Eugene Stolowski, who survived a five-floor jump from the burning Bronx building on Black Sunday, applauded Cassano’s efforts.

“Safety is paramount,” said Stolowski, who is continuing his recovery and works for the FDNY’s family assistance unit. “Cassano knows this. He’s a great man and a firefighter’s firefighter.”

A crash involving a Bismarck fire truck, a transit bus and a pickup sent two people to the hospital yesterday morning, according to The Bismarck Tribune. Firefighter Donavan Voeller, 41, was transported to St. Alexius Hospital and was treated for "non-critical injuries." The bus driver was treated and released at the hospital. Voeller, one of four aboard the apparatus, was the only firefighter injured. The fire truck, which was returning from an emergency call, was traveling westbound on Century Avenue and was waiting to turn onto State Street when the bus, traveling eastbound, struck the right side of the fire truck's cab, then continued on and struck a pickup. The crash caused $35,000 damage to the fire truck.

January 12, 2010
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Personal Protective Technology (PPT) Program will hold our third stakeholder meeting on March 2 and 3, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh Airport.

We are pleased to announce that John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM, Director of NIOSH, will be the luncheon Keynote Speaker on Tuesday, March 2. Dr. Howard has been a leader in the field of occupational and public safety for the past 18 years. He served his first term as the director of NIOSH from 2002 through 2008. For two years of this term he acted as coordinator of HHS’ World Trade Center Health Programs. He again stepped into his role as director of NIOSH in July of 2009. Prior to his NIOSH appointment, he served as the chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) in California’s Department of Industrial Relations and was an Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of California.

In order to facilitate interactive discussions, the meeting format will include both poster sessions and a series of breakout sessions. The posters will present NIOSH PPT Program research, standards development, and respirator certification information. The breakout sessions will include facilitated discussion on the following subjects:

Session 1: Pushing the Limits: Designing the Next Generation of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs)
This session will discuss the different styles of N95 FFRs, user aspects, and economic impact issues. Participants will be invited to discuss design issues, limiting issues in the use of N95 respirators along with current and future needs in the marketplace with these respirators.

Session 2: PPE Selection, Interoperability and Compatibility Issues: Dysfunction or Co-Function
The discussion will focus on a “systems level” approach in providing full body protection to exposure hazards including inhalation, dermal, and physical. The complexities in selection of personal protective equipment such as protective clothing, protective ensembles (garments, boots, and gloves), respirators, and other mission essential equipment will be discussed.

Session 3: Protective Clothing Technologies, Materials and Performance Criteria
A sampling of the current research efforts will be reviewed to provide a basis for discussion during the session. Areas for discussion include chemical permeation, nanoparticle penetration, heat stress, stored thermal energy, ensemble testing, and other protective clothing and equipment issues.

Session 4: Informing Stakeholders of Counterfeit Respirators and Misrepresentations of Approval: Buyer Beware
This session will focus on the mechanisms currently used by the PPT Program to communicate with stakeholders. The focus will be on recent issues and the communication instruments used by NIOSH to alert end users of NIOSH respirator certification revocations, performance failures, quality control issues, and counterfeit respirator products. Participants will be invited to discuss future approaches, informational campaigns, and dissemination strategies for NIOSH to better alert end users of these non-conforming respirator issues.

The Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh Airport is located at 1111 Airport Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15231, adjacent to the airport terminal. Registration and poster viewing will begin at 7:15 AM on Tuesday, March 2 with the welcome session commencing at 8:00 AM. A block of sleeping rooms is being held for the nights of March 1, 2, and 3 at the Hyatt Regency at the rate of $114 per night. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel at 724-899-1234 and asking for the NIOSH room block. The cut off date for the special group rate is February 15, 2010. Please reserve your hotel room as soon as possible to ensure availability of the special negotiated rate for those attending this meeting.

You may register for the meeting electronically (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/resources/pressrel/letters/lttr-03022010.html) or you can download the Adobe PDF form and fax it to 412-386-6716. On-site registration will also be available.

This meeting will also be available through remote access capabilities (Microsoft Live Meeting), whereby participants simultaneously listen and view presentations over the internet. Each breakout session will have a specific call-in number. These phone numbers will be provided to participants registered for Live Meeting prior to the meeting. To register to attend by remote access, complete the registration form and check the remote access attendee block. Questions related to remote access should be directed to John Sporrer at 412-386-6435. This option will be available to participants on a first-come, first-serve basis and is limited to the first 100 participants.

For additional information, please contact John Sporrer telephone 412-386-6435, fax 412-386-6716 or e-mail npptlevents@cdc.gov. The meeting agenda, as well as links to any materials for the meeting, will be posted to the website prior to the meeting.

Sincerely,
Les Boord
Program Manager, NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program
Director, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory

 

While U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran is pleased by the reduction in firefighter deaths last year, he believes there's still work to do.

A preliminary report posted on the USFA Web site shows 90 firefighters died on duty last year, compared to 118 in 2008.

During a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, Cochran said it would be premature to attempt to point to specific causes for the decline.

"While it is good to see the number of deaths down, we have to wait maybe two or three years before we can do a detailed analysis and look for a trend. It's too early to say the culture of the fire service is changing."

The number of firefighter fatalities last year was the lowest since 1993 when 81 firefighters died.

Cochran lauded fire officials for getting involved. "There's the national seat belt pledge and the annual firefighter safety stand down. These programs are benefiting our firefighters..."

Deputy Administrator Glenn Gaines said while he also was excited to see the lower figure, he remains dismayed by the number of heart attack-related deaths.

"Heart attacks are still killing our firefighters," he said. "You have to be physically fit to do this job. You have to have good aerobic capacity..."

Gaines also believes more needs to be done about crashes. Last year, 16 firefighters were killed in collisions.

A video stressing "arriving alive" will be made available to the nation's emergency responders in the next six to eight weeks. "It will reinforce the importance of safe driving," Gaines said.

Both administrators said the USFA remains committed to providing education and support.

"We are not resting on our laurels," Cochran said.

WICHITA, Kan. -- Urban A. Eck, a captain and 27-year veteran of the Wichita Fire Department, died on Saturday after multiple surgeries at Wesley Medical Center.

Eck had been hospitalized on Dec. 18, following his firefighting work during a call on Dec. 13 at Cedar Lakes Apartment clubhouse where he was treated for heart-related symptoms. Several days after the fire, he saw a physician who admitted him to the hospital.

The WFD is reviewing circumstances surrounding Capt. Eck's death, which would help determine if he died in the line of duty. The review could take several months and involve several agencies.

"Urban was a dedicated public servant and outstanding fire officer," Chief Ronald D. Blackwell said. "He was always there for the public and for his fellow firefighters in times of need. He will be sorely missed."

Capt. Eck, 51, is survived by his wife, Lori, and eight children. His funeral is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at St Mark's Catholic Church in the Colwich area, 19230 W. 29th Street North.

Capt. Eck was hired by the WFD on March 29, 1982 and was assigned to Station 11 at 1845 George Washington Boulevard. He was promoted to lieutenant in November 1989 and captain in January 1994.

He was one of several WFD firefighters recognized by Firehouse Magazine for his courageous efforts during a 2008 house fire.

The colors will be flown at half-staff on the day of the funeral to mourn Capt. Eck's passing.

Two firefighters were injured battling a house fire in southwest Atlanta late Sunday night.

The fire started in a vacant house in the 700 block of Cascade Road about 9 p.m.

One of the injured firefighters was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. Paramedics took the other firefighter to Emory's Midtown Hospital.

Both firefighters are expected to recover.

A woman suffered serious burns and three firefighters were injured on the scene of a fire at a Pitcairn apartment complex on Saturday.

Firefighters said a candle was knocked over during a domestic dispute at about 2 a.m. on the third floor of the building located on Broadway Boulevard.

Pitcairn Apartment Fire

A 47-year-old woman inside the third floor suffered burns to her hands and face, according to officials. The woman was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital and later airlifted to UPMC Mercy.

We also found out that two firefighters suffered smoke inhalation. One was treated at the scene, the other was treated and released from Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville. A third firefighter who fell on ice and hit his head, was also treated and released.

The building owner took Channel 4 Action News inside the apartment where there was sever smoke and water damage.

Residents' living there also had to pack what they salvaged after the fire and move somewhere else for the next couple days. People's living rooms and kitchens were also destroyed.

Carol Todaro lives on the first floor and hopes she can return home soon.

"I just love this apartment. I hope I can come back here. Hope they don't condemn it or anything," said Todaro.

The American Red Cross is helping three families with accommodations and supplies. Officials said a total of 16 people were left homeless following this fire.

By: Reginald D. Freeman, MS, MIFireE, CFO
You have just returned to the station from battling a heavily involved structure fire. You go through the motions of getting back into service by replacing the sooted cross lays with fresh hose, decontaminating the apparatus, tools, and equipment that were used and finally, conduct your after action review with all personnel involved in the emergency. Everyone shares a laugh at the expense of the rookie for steaming the Captain because the nozzle was on full fog instead of narrow fog during initial fire suppression efforts. But one critical step was skipped, which occurs in a lot of firehouses, the decontamination of the sooted gear. How often, at the end of every shift, is our gear decontaminated? For busy houses, this is difficult because of the call volume; however, when the opportunity presents itself, such as departments that have two sets of gear per firefighter, the changing out of gear should happen as frequently as possible. There are often comments such as, “Look at that rookie gear” or “I don’t want to have Chief gear”. Both are presumptions of one having gear that has not been involved in the mitigation of a fire or is not “dirty”. Emergency responders hopefully will continue to abandon these ideologies and embrace a safer practice of personal protective equipment (PPE) maintenance. Inspections of PPE should take place at the beginning and end of every shift or after an exposure to a hazardous environment. Proper decontamination of PPE varies depending on the manufactures recommendations. Always reference manufactures suggestions in regards to cleaning PPE. There are some common practices that are in use by many fire departments. Standards and cleaning recommendations pertaining to PPE is found in NFPA 1971, Protective Clothing for Structural Firefighting and NFPA 1851, standard on Selection, Care and Maintenance of Structural Firefighting Protective Ensembles. Did you know that NFPA 1851 states that all structural firefighting ensembles must be cleaned and inspected to manufactures specifications at least annually and that this must be documented? Do you currently have a department policy in place that supports this recommendation?
          Protective clothing should be cleaned as soon as possible to avoid the setting in of soils and stains. For severe soil spots, use an approved spot cleaner before washing. PPE can be machine washed at a temperature below 140 degrees F or hand washed. If hand washed, place coat on a hard surface such as a table top with the lining side down and make sure to spot clean extremely soiled areas. Using a mild soap or detergent (recommended by the manufacturer) and hot water at 105 degrees F wash the PPE ensemble with a soft brush or cloth.  Rinse garment thoroughly with clean water and hang to dry in an open area with adequate circulation (Do not hang in direct sunlight). Hoods can be washed in a washing machine using laundry detergent recommended by the manufacturer and warm water. Additionally, hoods may be dried on medium heat in a clothes dryer.
          Firefighting gloves should be kept clean and free of dirt and hydrocarbons, or any other substances. If gloves have to be cleaned, then manufacturer’s recommendations should be followed. In most cases, the cleaning procedures of gloves are very similar to those of bunker coats and pants. Firefighting boots should be free of mechanical damage due to punctures, tears or melting. The sole should be in good condition and free from excessive wear. The tread should be in good condition in order to provide traction. Boots should be cleaned by using warm water and mild soap or detergent approved by the manufacturer. A soft brush could possibly be used to free the boot from heavy soot and other debris from the mitigation of emergencies.  
         Helmets should be kept clean and all reflective trim should be in place. The inner liner should be in place and free of damage, buildup of dirt, hydrocarbons, or other substances. Helmets, as the other pieces of PPE, can be cleaned by using warm water and mild soap or detergent approved by the manufacturer. Heavily soiled gear contains carbon and other harmful solids from the combustion process. Some of these toxic materials are known carcinogens. FEMA defines a carcinogen as being a chemical or physical agent that encourages cells to develop cancer. Repeated exposure to such harmful products may not immediately show harmful side effects but could cause illness due to chronic exposure. Our health and the health of our co-workers and families can be suitably protected if we implement the appropriate initiatives. These initiatives include properly decontaminating ourselves when we arrive back to the station from an emergency. This will help in preventing the accidental ingestion of harmful products and cross contamination. Last but not least, we should follow the previously listed steps pertaining to cleaning our PPE after it has been exposed to toxic and harmful materials.
Simple 3 Step PPE Care Process:
 

 

        
 
 
 
Our profession is one of distinct merit and admiration from the communities that we serve. We spend a lot of time focusing on how we can help others and occasionally forget about taking care of ourselves. It is incumbent upon us to properly decontaminate our gear after each call. Our families are depending on us to make sure that the trophies that we take away from calls are those of pictures that staff personnel take and not the harmful toxins that we have on our gear. These types of trophies should be neutralized as soon as possible. For any questions pertaining to this subject matter, contact your department Training/Safety Officer or other designated member. Remember to always refer to the manufacturers recommendations in regards to the cleaning and or maintenance of any pieces of PPE.  
Sources: NFPA 1971 & 1851. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Fire & Emergency Services Occupational Safety & Health Department Management Plan.                                             
 Reginald D. Freeman Biography:
     Reginald D. Freeman is currently serving as the Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Marietta, GA. Chief Freeman has been awarded member status with the Institution of Fire Engineers, accredited as a Chief Fire Officer Designee (CFO), Fellow of Harvard University’s Senior Executives for State & Local Government, and he is currently on NFPA’s Technical Committee for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications. Chief Freeman has a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, a Master of Science in Executive Fire Service Leadership, and he is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership.  
                  

Firehouse.com Editor's Note: WBAY-TV has identified the fallen firefighter as 15-year veteran Steven Koeser. The other firefighters were identified as: Brad Woelfel, Michael Fromm, Jeffery Fliss, Matthew Winkel, Joshua Mertens, Kurt Kelling, Chase Fritsch, and Joshua Tyler Scott.

ST. ANNA, Wis. --

A trash bin outside a Wisconsin foundry exploded, killing one firefighter and injuring at least nine others.

Calumet County Sheriff Gerald Pagel told The Post-Crescent of Appleton that the cause of the blast Tuesday night outside the Bremer Manufacturing plant near rural St. Anna was not immediately apparent.

Company president Tom Dolack said the fire broke out between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., but he had no more information on what may have caused it. He said the trash bin that exploded contained scrap aluminum.

A 33-year-old firefighter died at the scene, Calumet County Sheriff's Deputy Brett Bowe told the Post-Crescent. Nine firefighters were injured, said Joyce Casper, a dispatcher with the sheriff's department.

"We're just devastated as a result of the death of a fireman and the injuries," Dolack said at the plant. "It's overwhelming for us as I'm sure it is for their families. This is a very close-knit community."

Roger Brandt, 77, lives about a quarter of a mile from the plant. He said he saw smoke rising from the plant on Tuesday night. As he watched out the window he heard a "terrific boom" and red flames shot 100 feet into the sky over the building, Brandt said.

"It shook the windows. I wondered what happened to the place," he said.

The Bremer plant sits on the side of a hill in the countryside. Outside the plant near a loading dock Wednesday, an investigator from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration milled around a twisted slab of blackened metal and blackened barrels resting on a bed of ashes.

A U.S. flag flew at half-staff outside the plant.

According to its Web site, Bremer specializes in producing aluminum sand castings that are then used by other manufacturers. Bremer's Web site says it employs 120 people and melts about 375,000 pounds of aluminum a month.

The site says the company started in Milwaukee in 1937.

The volunteer fire chief of Plymouth, Utah died on Dec. 24 after suffering a heart attack while working at an EMS call, according to the USFA.

Craig C. Starr, 44, served as a volunteer EMT/firefighter and currently held the position of fire chief at the department.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children, Angela (Tyson) Jensen, Brian (Kristina) Starr, Ryan Starr and Zachary Starr; three grandchildren, Hunter, Hurley and Damian; his mother and stepfather, Berneice and Art Peabody; his father and stepmother, Lanny and Arlene Starr; 10 half-brothers and sisters, Richelle, Stephanie, Angie, Gary Allen, Wendy, James, Jason, Jeff, Justin and Darren; three stepbrothers, Troy, Danny and Bill; and one stepsister, Alice. He was preceded in death by his grandparents.

Funeral Arrangements

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 11 a.m. at the Belmont 1st Ward church, 16925 N. 5200 West, Riverside, Utah.

Interment will be at the Plymouth Cemetery.

A 24-year-old Belmont firefighter collapsed at a firehouse on Dec. 29 and later died, according to the USFA.

Firefighter Richard Adam Miller was reportedly participating in physical fitness training activities when the incident occurred.

Fellow firefighter immediately came to his aid and began efforts to revive him. He was transported to Gaston Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Investigation continues into the cause of his death.