LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Firefighter protection
I am writing with regard to two articles that appeared in the January 1990 edition of your magazine.
One article, “Safe Firefighting Practices” by Vincent Dunn, included a section on overhauling. Chief Dunn addressed a number of safety practices for the overhaul stage but did not directly address respiratory protection. I wanted to share with your readers the work that our organization has been doing on overhaul. Data collected through our Personal Exposure Recording system for firefighters shows that firefighters spend as much or more time during overhaul than any other firefighting activity. In response, we have asked our state OSHA to write a standard defining overhaul and prescribing lightweight respiratory protection or firefighting procedures to reduce exposures during this stage. We believe that this standard is needed because it is during overhaul that firefighters too often take off essential protective equipment including SCBA; and yet they may be exposed to very serious health hazards including asbestos released in older structural fires, smoldering fumes, or spilled toxic chemicals.
To date, an advisory committee convened by our OSHA Standards Board has met to discuss the need for overhaul protection. The sense of the advisory committee is that until other equipment is available, if firefighters are going to be conducting overhauls they should be wearing full SCBA. Paper dust masks for asbestos fibers or chemical filter masks that screen out only one or two substances simply are not adequate in light of the hundreds of hazards present during the overhaul stage. Given that SCBA is the onlyadequate protection currently available, and given the weight of a full SCBA pack, the advisory committee also has discussed the need for procedures or practices that limit the amount of time a firefighter conducts overhaul. For instance, rotating members in and out of overhaul so they are not working for more than 30 minutes at a time is one possible procedure.
Since this is an issue of current concern, if other states have developed standards or accepted practices to address overhaul hazards, we would appreciate knowing. Information can be sent to the address shown below.
The other article, “Constructing or Reconstructing a Modern Firehouse” by Paul J. De Silva, included a section on fire station layout. While De Silva discussed in some detail the design for apparatus bays, I was surprised to see no mention of diesel exposures, which can occur when apparatus bays are located next to living and working quarters. Given the scientific data available, which indicates that diesel exposures can be carcinogenic and mutagenic, we believe it is essential that fire stations be designed to ensure that firefighters are not exposed to diesel fumes throughout the day or night. A number of fire departments throughout our state have worked to retrofit fire stations by sealing off doors, pole holes, or other corridors connecting apparatus bays to living and working quarters. Some departments have installed ventilation systems or vacuum tube systems to prevent the release of diesel fumes into the apparatus bay area in the first place.
1 am certain that many of your readers are aware of the many hazards of diesel fumes and have addressed these hazards in their own ways. If anyone would like more information on this issue, contact our organization: California Firefighter Foundation, 1780 Creekside Oaks Drive, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 98533, (916) 921-9111.
Dan Terry
President
California Firefighter Foundation Sacramento, California
A new approach to building inspection
After reading “Save Bureau of Fire Prevention” in Letters to the Editor in the April 1990 issue, I felt it only proper that your readers be given another perspective.
The inspector from Hollywood is correct in that most cities are experiencing serious budget problems and are finding it difficult to meet the state of Florida’s requirements on inspecting and upgrading the existing buildings. The state requires that the inspectors enforcing the adopted codes be state-certified.
The state of Florida ranks as one of the fastest-growing states in terms of elderly and retired residents. We have a tremendous number of lowand high-rise residential structures that do not meet the present life safety requirements. In order to arrive at some uniform compliance level, the Florida Fire Marshal has adopted the 1985 edition of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code to be applied statewide.
One of the major problems of any city has been the ability to maintain a cadre of reliable, trained, and certified inspectors knowledgeable enough to enforce these codes. Firefighters are expensive. I wish we could afford to have them all trained as certified inspectors. Experience has proven that if you do not work with these codes daily and stay on top of all the changes, the mistakes incurred in enforcing them will override the good intent applied.
LETTERS TO TOE EDITOR
Another major factor has been the frequent transferring of firefighters from various duties such as EMS training, firefighting, and even fire prevention. Promotion also plays an important role in this scenario. Usually when a firefighter becomes eligible for promotion he has to transfer out from his duties as an inspector.
With today’s codes it is very costly to train inspectors and have them become experienced and knowledgeable in the application of fire codes, only to lose them because of another professional path they wish to pursue. The bottom line has been that it is not cost-effective for cities to train firefighters to be state-certified inspectors unless they are able to utilize them in that capacity for a specified period of time.
Many years ago the city of Miami experienced the identical problems mentioned in your article. At one time all of our inspectors were uniformed firefighters. Being assigned to the bureau was a voluntary assignment. A differential pay was given as an incentive to try to retain these trained individuals as inspectors. But over the years, as the hours of shift work was reduced, it became very difficult to keep these individuals in the bureau. Requests for transfers back to fire suppression became a constant management problem. We would get an individual trained, only to lose him for whatever reason and have to start over again.
In response to this dilemma, the city decided to hire civilian personnel and train them as inspectors. We certainly understood the dissatisfaction of the firefighters’ union when this was brought about. The program has proven to be highly successful. There are no more requests for transfers, as these individuals are hired for this specific purpose. We presently have some of the most knowledgeable and trained inspectors in the South Florida area. We have a mix of firefighters and civilian inspectors. Those firefighters that wished to stay have been allowed to do so. AH of our inspectors are dressed alike in the fire department uniform. The civilian fire inspectors work the same hours as the firefighters. The pay scale is somewhat lower for the civilian than the firefighter. Additional cost savings are realized in their benefit package, as they are not members of the firefighters’ union.
The above change did not come about easily. Firefighters felt that civilian inspectors would not apply the same concern to fire safety issues because of not having experienced fire problems. This has not proven to be a fact. The change being contemplated by the inspector from Hollywood, Florida is one that is being brought about throughout the state. Budget restraints and stringent code requirements are mandating a new approach to the inspection of buildings.
EJ. Lutes
Fire Marshal City of Miami, Florida
When to cut the seat belt
I read with interest George Howard’s Training Notebook, “A ‘Strapping’ Problem,” in the April 1990 issue. In the brief, well-written article he brought us up-to-date on the latest advances in seat belt technology and how they could possibly affect us and the accident victim on the scene of an extrication.
One item that I felt was not sufficiently focused on was the issue of timing in relation to when the seat belts should be cut. I am in agreement that the scene manager should assign someone the task of checking and cutting the belts to ensure a smooth operation, but the point at which this becomes necessary may not always be immediately on arrival.
For the medical personnel on the scene a seat belt may, at times, act as a third pair of hands—helping to. keep the victim in place, providing support, and even keeping the restless patient seated until proper precautionary measures are in place. A member should be placed inside the vehicle to assess, among other things, the location of the belt and how it is affecting the patient. Indiscriminate cutting of seat belts, without medical personnel firmly in control of the patient, may do more harm than good.
Gregory S. Hatzis
Firefighter/EMT-B
Orangeburg (NY) Fire Department
Leadership we can trust
When Tom Brennan took over the helm at Fire Engineering, he brought with him a wealth of hard-earned fire protection knowledge. His experience in both the career and volunteer sectors was awe-inspiring.
With this background, Tom has set out to focus the magazine on the many topics of interest to the fire service. One of his goals for the magazine has been to ensure that the readers always take something away from an article they read—something they can use on the fireground or in the firehouse.
Still, Tom has been able to keep an eye on the “big picture.” Through his editorials and editing, he has tackled the issues of major concern to the fire service. He has called the concerned (and not so concerned) to action by documenting the present and anticipating the future. In a period of great transition in the fire service, it’s good to know that Tom will be leading Fire Engineering through the ever-shifting currents of change.
So here’s a tip of the helmet to you, Tom. Thanks for bringing together the lessons learned and reinforced in America’s fire departments. I’m looking forward to many more years of your continued commitment to the fire service.
Glenn P. Corbett
Administrator of Engineering Services
San Antonio, Texas Fire Department
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