FEMA to pay firefighters’ overtime
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will repay the Jefferson Parish (LA) Fire Department for more than $540,000 in overtime pay for its members’ work during the first two weeks after Hurricane Katrina. The agreement between U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (LA) and FEMA covers only Jefferson Parish, but Landrieu is asking FEMA to work with other Louisiana fire departments. She is working with FEMA to develop new reimbursement guidelines for future disasters.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, firefighters must be paid for every hour they are on duty. FEMA had reimbursed Jefferson Parish only for half of the accrued overtime pay because it assumed that firefighters were sleeping eight hours a day, and its policy is to limit overtime reimbursement to eight hours. However, the firefighters had worked 24 hours a day. www.printthis.clickabilit.com March 26, 2008, Joe Gyan Jr. “FEMA to pay all of firefighters’ overtime.”
Line-of-Duty Deaths
February 29. Fire Engineer Roger Dennis Jr., 55, San Antonio (TX) Fire Department: apparent heart attack.
March 3. Lieutenant Rafael Vazquez, 42, Palm Beach County (FL) Fire-Rescue: shot and killed at a Wendy’s restaurant by a deranged gunman during a lunch break from a department-mandated training session.
March 5. Firefighter Brad Holmes, 21, Pine Township Engine Company, Grove City, PA: injuries sustained in a structural fire on February 29.
March 5. Lieutenant Nicholas V. Picozzi II, 35, Lower Chichester Fire Company, Linwood, PA: entrapment in basement during a fire in an unoccupied single-family residential structure.
March 7. Firefighter Victor Isler, 40, Salisbury (NC) Fire Department: injuries suffered while on a hoseline battling a multialarm fire at Salisbury Millwork.
March 7. Firefighter Justin Monroe, 19, Salisbury (NC) Fire Department: injuries suffered while on a hoseline battling a multialarm fire at Salisbury Millwork.
March 9. Firefighter Raymond Barrett Sr., 62, West Milford Township (NJ) Fire Department: collapsed at a working fire; cause is under investigation.
March 17. Captain John Delaney, 44, Mesa (AZ) Fire Department: cardiac arrest.
March 17. Firefighter Terrance Crockett, 48, Kansas City (MO) Fire Department: collapsed during overhaul; cause to be determined.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
USFA adopts official position on residential fire sprinklers
U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade told graduates of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program in March that residential fire sprinkler systems provide powerful protection and all homes should be equipped with them. He said he would like this message to be sent to members of the fire service, homeowners, home builders, and other interested parties.
More than 300 people lost their lives in home fires in January and February 2008 alone, Cade noted. “We protect our businesses from fire; what actions do we take to protect our families, our homes, and our possessions from fire?” Cade asked. “Smoke alarms in homes,” he added, “can only alert the occupants to a fire in the house; they cannot contain or extinguish a fire. Residential fire sprinkler systems can.”
Although in the year 2006, 19 percent of all reported fires occurred in one- and two-family structures, they were responsible for 66 percent of fire deaths (more than 2,100 people) in the United States, according to U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) statistics. Cade noted that approximately 25 firefighter deaths occur during responses to residential fires each year. These statistics may have improved over the past 30 years, Cade said, but they are still “appallingly unacceptable.”
Cade lamented that only a few jurisdictions have mandated the installation of fire sprinklers in new construction and none have mandated the retrofit of existing one- and two-family housing stock. Cade said that the Center for Fire Research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has studied the impact of smoke alarms and sprinklers in residential occupancies and estimates the following:
- When fire sprinklers alone are installed in a residence, the chances of dying in a fire are reduced by 69 percent.
- When smoke alarms alone are installed in a residence, a 63 percent reduction in the death rate can be expected.
- When both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers are present in a home, the risk of dying in a fire is 82 percent lower than in residences without either.
Other points Cade made in the graduation address were the following:
- The annual number of fire deaths in residential occupancies continues to decline but at a slower rate over the past 10 years than in the period 1977 through 1995.
- Full-scale fire tests in residential settings suggest one explanation for this slowing in the rate of decline in residential fire deaths: The available time to escape a flaming fire in a home has decreased significantly, from 17 minutes in 1975 to only three minutes in 2003. This decrease in escape time has been attributed to the difference in fire growth rates of home furnishingsin short, a fire involving modern furnishings grows faster than a fire involving older furnishings. Smoke alarms alone may not provide a warning in time for occupants to escape a home fire.
- The USFA’s official position is that all Americans should be protected against death, injury, and property loss resulting from fire in their residences. All homes should be equipped with smoke alarms and automatic fire sprinklers, and families should prepare and practice emergency escape plans. The Fire Administration also favors including the requirement of automatic sprinklers in all new residential construction in the International Residential Code.
Additional information on residential fire sprinkler systems is at the USFA Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s Web site at www.homefiresprinkler.org.
NIOSH lowers estimates for cost of 9/11 health programs
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) original estimate for processing 9/11-related health care and medical monitoring programs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 has dropped to $218.5 million from $230 to $283 million in FY 2007, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO report says that NIOSH’s cost estimates for this fiscal year are improved because they are based in large part on the average actual costs of screening and monitoring exams conducted in FY 2007.
President Bush approves National Response Framework
The National Response Framework, which replaces the 2004 National Response Plan, was officially adopted by the federal government in March. It contains instructions for federal, state, and local authorities; the private sector; and nongovernmental organizations. Department of Homeland Security officials say the new plan does a better job of incorporating procedures of the National Incident Management System. Training for the new response plan has already begun.
Dennis Schrader, deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Preparedness Directorate, points out, however, that to reach its maximum potential, computer systems at all levels of the government must be able to communicate. www.washingtontechnology.com. Ben Bain, “Feds issue disaster plan blueprint.”
USFA announces video version of Coffee Break training
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has released Coffee Break training presentations in video format. Coffee Break training provides technical training in fire protection systems, building construction, codes and standards, inspection techniques, hazardous materials, and administrative tips. The training is targeted toward fire and building inspectors, who generally are busy and don’t have time to attend skill-enhancing training sessions.
Coffee Break bulletins have been posted on the USFA Web site in Portable Document Format (PDF) weekly since November 25, 2005. The audio version is now also available at the USFA Web site and YouTube. Additionally, you can subscribe to a Coffee Break podcast on iTunes. The first two video training presentations, Fire Sprinkler Inspectors Test and Fire Sprinkler Main Drain Tests, are co-produced by the USFA’s National Fire Programs Division and the National Preparedness Network (PREPnet).
The bulletins are one page long. More than 100 Coffee Break bulletins can be downloaded from the USFA Web site. Emergent issues that require urgent or special coverage and focus are issued as Hot Coffee! bulletins. Every three months, the USFA provides a self-assessment tool for students to evaluate how much information they have retained. Continuing education units (CEUs) soon will be offered for the quarterly exams. The USFA will continue the weekly PDF versions and, as time and budgets allow, is planning two additional video presentations each month. Information on Coffee Break training or other USFA programs is at www.usfa.dhs.gov.
FCC raises $16 billion in auction of wireless airwaves
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) auction of wireless airwaves raised $16 billion. The sole bid for the D block of spectrum was far below the minimum price originally set by the agency.
Verizon Wireless and AT&T were the successful bidders. Smaller carriers won licenses in regional markets. Verizon reportedly has agreed to deploy a nationwide network that will provide more ways for consumers to use their cell phones and other wireless devices. Verizon said that it could begin testing devices with Global Positioning System or mapping capability by June. AT&T, winner of 80 percent of the airwaves auctioned, pledged $6.6 billion for licenses in many local markets.
Lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups are calling for regulatory enforcement of the openness conditions. Public-interest groups and a key lawmaker are requesting that there be a review of the auction. Rep. Edward J. Markey (MA), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications, has called for a hearing to become acquainted with the requirements for the public safety network and penalties should the winning bidder fail to complete the network. The committee would also determine if the auction gave new companies opportunities to compete. According to the FCC, winners of the auctions for the other four blocks (in addition to the D block) of spectrum met the minimum price targets.
Critics say the revenue received for the D block is not enough and suggests that the FCC may have to remove some of the requirements placed on the successful bidder. On the other hand, a telecommunications industry lawyer considered the minimum price for the D block too high, since it would take an estimated $5 billion to $7 billion to complete it.
The proceeds of the auction will be deposited in the U.S. Treasury by June 30 and used for education on the transition to digital television.
The portion of the airwaves that was to be auctioned to a company that would build a nationwide network for public safety groups was not sold. The FCC plans to re-auction this spectrum possibly by the last quarter of this year. Cecilia Kang, Washington Post Staff Writer, March 19, 2008; D01; “FCC Names Winners of Wireless Auction,” Cecilia Kang, www.washingtonpost.com, March 21, 2008
USFA releases fire-related firefighter injuries report
Twice as many firefighters are injured each year performing fireground duties as civilians are injured in fires, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) report Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries in 2004. In 2004, an estimated 36,880 firefighters were injured on the fireground. The USFA’s National Fire Data Center developed the report, which is based primarily on analyses of the 2004 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Version 5.0 data.
The report presents the details of firefighter injuries sustained at a fire incident or while responding to and returning from the fire scene. Additionally, the report examines firefighter injury rates and fire-related injury characteristics. Eighty-nine percent of firefighter injuries reported to NFIRS in 2004 were associated with structure fires. Of these injuries, 76 percent occurred on residential properties. Injuries to the upper and lower extremities accounted for 30 percent of all reported fire-related injuries. An additional 20 percent of injuries were to the head, neck, and shoulder areas. Sprains, strains, cuts, and wounds accounted for 34 percent of the reported injuries. An additional 11 percent were burns.
House endorses “National 9-1-1 Education Month”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 537 recognizing the importance of 9-1-1 education and directing the Administration to establish a National 9-1-1 Education Month. The resolution was sponsored by Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Anna Eshoo (CA) and John Shimkus (IL) and 56 House co-sponsors.
The following organizations have joined to advance 9-1-1 education: the E9-1-1 Institute; the National Emergency Number Association (NENA); 9-1-1 For Kids®; the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA); the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO); CTIAThe Wireless Association®; and COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance.
Each of the groups adopted similar resolutions establishing April as National 9-1-1 Education Month. They are asking public safety officials, schools, government officials, and industry leaders to join in a national effort to educate children, seniors, and the general public about the importance of and appropriate use of 9-1-1. During the month of April, these organizations conducted a special outreach to build on existing state and local 9-1-1 education efforts to raise the nation’s awareness of 9-1-1.
USFA releases rehabilitation manual for emergency responders
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), working with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), has issued an updated and revised Emergency Incident Rehabilitation manual; the last one was issued in 1992. It examines critical topics such as operations, human physiology, weather, and technology and advocates that emergency responders wear proper protective equipment and use improved tactical procedures. Fireground rehab is to include monitoring of vital signs, rehydration, and nourishment and rest for responders between assignments, the manual stresses. Additional information is at www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/research/safety/incident.shtm.
USFA releases new Firefighter Autopsy Protocol
The Firefighter Autopsy Protocol manual is an extensive revision of the 1994 U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) protocol. The manual addresses additional areas of information and considers emerging issues and new technologies for conducting autopsies.
“It is intended to advance the analysis and understanding of the causes of firefighter deaths and contribute to the future development of improved health and safety standards, operational procedures, and technology for our nation’s firefighters,” according to U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade.
To download the Firefighter Autopsy Protocol, and for further information about this project, access the USFA Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/research/safety/.
CA firefighters can obtain discounted, online paramedic training
As a result of the partnership among the National Paramedic Institute (NPI), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and the California Professional Firefighters, California firefighters and fire departments affiliated with the IAFF can obtain online training for recertification and other firefighter, EMT, and paramedic training needs at a discount. NPI’s continuing education (CE) “Medic Monthly” modules, case-based scenarios showcasing professional fire-based EMS providers across the country, will serve as course material. Each course includes a pretest, a 20-minute video, a post-test explanation and review, and a quiz. The Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services has approved the modules for 1.5 CE credits in all 50 states. You must be a registered member of the IAFF Web site to participate in the program. Information is at www.iaff.org/npl.
