LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Lessons, not denial
Since our society is based on the reactionary principle “Change the system and codes when the tragedy occurs,” we will continue to have people violate their own safety. From the great Chicago fire to the Bronx social club fire, the lessons for preventing such tragedies have not occurred within our society. Over the years many in the fire service have dreamt of a society where people are formally educated in fire, health, job, and vehicle safety; where human beings will not suffer from needless injuries; and where safety violations are not tolerated by society. The reality is that the fire service has known for more than 100 years that a complete functional building system will minimize fire damage and provide greater life safety for the occupants. The challenge for the fire service is to change the complacency that still breeds in our society.
John J. Murphy Jr.
Fire Official Leonia (NJ) Fire Department
Hearing protection
As I read your May 1990 issue, one article caught my attention —“Hearing Protection: A Sound Idea,” by John Lee Cook Jr. As he shared with the readers, this is and has been an ongoing overlooked area in most manufacturing circles. Though most reputable manufacturers of fire apparatus and emergency response vehicles have or are addressing this safety and health issue, most will provide added soundand heat-deadening material at a price. There are, however, a few of us that have included such items in all of the units that we build.
I would like to mention a very important point that was not addressed by the author that could be overlooked by departments that do insulation “retrofits” themselves. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302 (FMVSS 302) states that “all materials used in any motor vehicle occupant compartments must meet or exceed the requirements for flammability.” EPA takes it a step further and addresses the toxicity of the burning material.
The colored diagram in the article shows the different placements of the material. Caution should be used in the selection of materials and their intended use. Foams and other types of sound-absorbing materials all have their respective EPA material data sheets, which will give the needed information in the selection process. Items used in locations that are subject to possible high heat (such as under the chassis) should be selected for the worst-case scenario and not be impervious to road spray, salts, oils, and so on.
Jim Pharr
Production Engineer Emergency Vehicle Fabricators, Inc. Riviera Beach, Florida
Mourning for humanity
Your editorial “A Lesson in Humanity” (June 1990) went directly into my ‘Save” file —a file that is slim indeed. It was one of the most touching and penetrating pieces I have read about our business and its practitioners, and yes, it brought a misting to these eyes as well.
We’ve all been there. Maybe not to the degree of sheer horror that Chief Frank Nastro faced at the social club, but we’ve been there when all around us were shedding tears of grief and disbelief. Those times we forced ourselves to remain outwardly emotionless in the presence of outsiders. Those times we held ourselves together until we could let it out at the kitchen table at home over an untouched cup of coffee or on a solitary walk through a neighborhood park. Then and only then could we let go and mourn in our own way for the humanity you address.
You’ve paid the fire service a great tribute and at the same time you’ve given the layman a peek at what firefighting is really all about. More than that, you’ve singled out and honored Chief Nastro. He is now a man marked for life, as are all those responders to this recent disaster. They will carry those horrendous fireground moments with them forever, but perhaps their knowing that there are many of use who grieve with them will help ease that burden to some small degree.
Thanks to your editor, Tom Brennan. He is, no doubt in my mind, a firefighter’s firefighter, but also one with the ability to touch the heart.
William C. Richmond
Property Loss Coordinator Hecker Brown Sherry and Johnson Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Please send all correspondence to:
Fire Engineering Park 80 West Plaza Two, 7th Floor Saddle Brook, NJ 07662
