NEWS IN BRIEF

Female firefighters decline affirmative action promotions

NEWS IN BRIEF

Denise Kyle and Elisa Nissen of the Omaha (NE) Fire Department were among the first five women hired by the department under an affirmative action plan five years ago, but the two firefighters recently declined to invoke affirmative action to obtain promotions. The test for fire apparatus engineer was the first one Kyle and Nissen were eligible to take under department seniority requirements. Kyle ranked seventh and Nissen 24th on a promotion list of 49.

They arrived at their decisions to be promoted to the apparatus engineer position on the basis of merit separately, the two firefighters explain They agree that affirmative action is needed to obtain the position of firefighter because of the differences in physical strength between men and women, but once a woman is part of the department, they agree, they all have the same opportunities for promotions. “The information is there for all to study,” notes Kyle. “There’s no reason we can’t compete with our fellow coworkers.

“1 have felt since 1 was a kid that what’s fair is fair,” says Kyle. “This sounds almost hypocritical, but in the past political considerations have kept women out of the fire department even though mentally we were as qualified as other department members Kyle moved up to the apparatus engineer position in February when seven openings were filled.

“There hasn’t been one female firefighter in the department who has not proved she can do the job,” observes Nissen, who is a state-certified fire medic II and “three classes away from an associate’s degree.” Nissen says she declined affirmative action considerations w ith regard to her status on the apparatus engineer promotion list because she wants to be “as competent as she can be” in her duties and welcomes the opportunity to keep acquiring driving experience until a position opens.

Female firefighters, Kyle and Nissen agree, must be strong physically and emotionally and earn the respect of all department members. Overall, they say, the respect is there. They add that they will continue to pursue promotions as they become eligible.

Spontaneous combustion a laundry-related threat

The potential for fire associated with laundered dish towels used to wipe or drain large quantities of vegetable or salad oil has led the Whirlpool Corporation to include with its washers and dryers the follow ing warning. “Do not wash or dry items that are soiled with vegetable or cooking oil. These items may contain some oil after laundering. Due to the remaining oil, the fabric may smoke or catch fire by itself.”

Reports on three fires, each involving a load of freshly laundered terry towels taken from dryers and left in a pile, were presented at a meeting at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) headquarters. Representatives from the International Fabricare Institute, the Whirlpool Corporation, the National Fire Protection Association, the National Association of State Fire Marshals, and the American Textile Manufacturers Institute were present. The first two fires discussed occurred in laundry baskets, and the third on a chair. Analyses conducted by the Whirlpool Corporation showed that the towels in the third fire contained up to 30 percent vegetable oil by weight.

Whirlpool introduced at the meeting a study that showed that freshly washed vegetable oil-contaminated towels dried and kept in a pile for a period of time could produce a spontaneous combustion due to an “exothermic reaction.” The study showed that once the exothermic process starts, the temperature rapidly increases and that a vegetable oil-contaminated fabric specimen exposed to a constant temperature of 212°F can build up dangerous levels of heat within two to three hours. Even linedried, oil-contaminated washed towels when folded and stored at a temperature of 120°F can produce an exothermic reaction within 29.5 hours, the study also showed.

Spontaneous combustion from oilstained fabrics, studies show, also can be initiated by heat from the sun or heat that builds up in garages, closed rooms, attics, and even in the clothes dryer.

Some explanations for the combustion phenomenon include washing fabrics with cold or warm—instead of hot —water (a common practice used to save energy). This may contribute to the fire hazard, since less oil is removed during the washing process. Residual detergents may play a role in the combustion as well, since detergents contain oxidizers.

Among the safety tips fire safety experts recommend for reducing the hazards of spontaneous combustion involving oil-containing towels and other linens are the following:

• Dispose of cloths or paper towels used to wipe up vegetable oil spills, drain foods c)ked with vegetable oil, or refinish furniture. (Oils in beauty
• and other commonly used products also should be handled the same way.) Do not pack them tightly in the trash container, and place the container in a ventilated area away from excessive heat such as direct sunlight or a space heater, oven, or stove.
• Use open-sided laundry baskets or containers made of fire-retardant material. Commonly used plastics are insulators and help trap the heat. Spontaneous combustion has been found to occur in laundry washed at home and dried at a coin-operated laundromat; the laundry was put into plastic garbage bags and brought home and placed on the bed in the bedroom. The bags of laundry began to give off a strange, noxious odor. The fire department was called, and firefighters had to use air packs to enter the room and remove the clothes, which began to smoke and then ignited after being brought outside. (Some commonly used plastics have the same energy content, or heat of combustion, as gasoline.)
• Do not leave laundry in the dryer overnight.
• If warm towels and linens must be kept in a cart overnight, dig a donut hole in the middle of the load so that heat can escape from the center.
• Be sure that laundry’ is allowed to proceed through the cool-down cycle before taking it from the dryer.

Additional information is available from Don Robison; McClure Industries, Inc.; 9051 S.E. 55th Ave.; Portland. OR 97206; (800) 52-2821.

Security bars threaten safety during fire

Hie increased use of security bars on residential doors and windows are fire safety threats and can increase fire deaths, warns the National Fire Protection Association’s Learn Not To Burn® Foundation A California woman recently died in her burning home because security bars delayed firefighters’ entrance into the building to rescue her, the Foundation reports.

Die Foundation’s Technical Advisory’ Council met recently to discuss this problem and has issued the following safety recommendations:

• Windows should open easily and fully enough to allow individuals inside the house to escape.
• The key should be kept near every locked or barred door; everyone should be able to find and use it.
• All security-barred windows needed for escape should have quickrelease devices that can be opened by everyone.
• Residents should practice exit drills in the home during which they should identify and correct obstructions of the doors and windows needed for escape.

The NFPA reports that home fire deaths involving gates and bars have been increasing: Four deaths were attributed to illegal gates and bars during the six-year period from 1980 to 1985, while an average of 15 per year were reported for the years 1986 to 1989.

Weed Abatement Program helps curb wildfires

Some 3,000 property owners in the unincorporated areas of Orange County, California, have been given 45 days to remove vegetation and debris from their property or the combustible materials will be removed by the county under contracted services and the costs for the cleanup will be added to their tax bills. Inspections are made by members of the Hazard Reduction and W ildland Management Division of the Orange County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Bureau.

Ninety percent of the propertyowners are complying with the program. reports Captain Dan Young, Orange County Fire Department public information officer. To assist them, the fire department has instituted Operation Clean Sweep, which provides for curbside pickup of the weeds and debris every Monday from April 6 through June 1. Orange County Jail inmates who have been trained as Type 1 firefighters participate in this program under the supervision of members of the fire department.

The Weed Abatement Program effectively has eliminated ignition sources and fire spread conditions. “Dust fire season, only three fires occurred in the urban-wildland interface areas covered by the abatement program,” Young says, “and none of them exceeded 300 acres.” The department has 300,000 acres of wildland within its jurisdiction. It protects 170,000 of these acres under contract with the California Department of Forestry and 50,000 acres that are part of the Cleveland National Forest under a mutual-threat contract with the U.S. Forest Service.

FIMA requests $819 million for 1993 budget

Congress has been asked to appropriate S819 million for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the fiscal year October 1. 1992 to September 30, 1993. The 1993 budget request represents the following proposed changes from the 1992 budget: a 10 percent reduction for the Civil Defense program; slight increases for the Disaster Relief Administration, Flood Insurance and Mitigation, Technological Hazards, and Federal Preparedness programs; and minor technical adjustments for the National Earthquake, training, and fire programs.

Proposed budget requests include the following:

• Civil Defense. SI42.6 million, representing a S16 million decrease from 1992. The decrease, according to FEMA Director Wallace E. Stickney, is attributed to a “pause” in the purchase of radiological instrumentation and control and warning equipment, pending completion of a program requirements study. He adds that the requested budget funding will be enough to allow the program to continue “its emphasis on development of dual-use capabilities.”
• National Earthquake Program and other hazards. SI9.9 million. This figure represents a S2.6 million reduction due to a one-time increase in 1992 for construction of an earthquake laboratory at the University of Nevada.
• Technological hazards (Radiological Emergency Preparedness, or REP, and Hazardous Materials) programs. SI2.3 million. A net increase of one million dollars will fund REP, concerned with off-site emergency planning around nuclear sites. FEMA will collect fees from utility licensees to cover 100 percent of the program cost in 1993.
• Federal preparedness. S 1 50.9 million, reflecting a net increase of S2.3 million and a decrease of 15 positions.
• Training and fire programs. S28.8 million. This figure incorporates an increase of 5240,000 in the salary and expense account but a net decrease of S8 million in the overall category, due largely to the elimination of SARA Title 111 training grants and one-time renovation adjustments at the National Emergency Training Center.

FEMA’s current budget is about SI.6 billion, which includes an S800 million supplemental appropriation to replenish the President’s Disaster Fund. Demand for federal disaster aid in 1991 was nearly double the rate of a “normal” year. FEMA paid out some S232.1 million to 24 states and four U.S. Pacific Ocean jurisdictions for 43 declared major disasters. In terms of the amount of dollars expended, hurricanes and typhoons led the list of disaster types, with storms and flooding, severe winter weather, tornadoes and flooding (combined), wildfires (in California and Washington states), and tornadoes, respectively, completing the list. The 1993 budget request includes S292 million for disaster relief.

FIMA taps experts for urban wildfire project

Experts from the public and private sectors have been named to a task force that will work with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) to attack the problem of wildland fires that occur in or near urban areas.

The Operation Urban W ildfire project, explains FEMA Director Wallace E. Stickney, is a response to the increase in the number of tragic fires that have occurred in urban wooded areas during the past decade. Such fires, he adds, are not restricted to the West but have been experienced from coast to coast. The committee held its reorganization meeting February 5-7 at the FEMA National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Man -land. The next meeting, at which some recommendations will be issued, will take place in a month or so (June or July), according to FEMA spokesperson Dave Martin.

The task force is cochaired by U.S. Fire Administrator Olin L. Greene and FEMA Associate Director for State and Local Programs and Support Grant C. Peterson. Among Operation Urban Wildfire’s goals are to reduce the fire problem, encourage the implementation of urban wildfire codes and strategies, and work with state and local officials to implement regulatory controls.

Firefighters win Yvorra Leadership scholarships

Marcus H. Billington, operations officer for the Corona (CA) Eire Department; Bernard D. Dyer, acting deputy chief of the Philadelphia Eire Department; and Kevin M. Taylor, a lieutenant with King County (WA ) Eire District #10 recently were awarded S 1,000 scholarships by Yvorra Leadership Development, Inc. (YLD) of Alexandria, Virginia. They were selected from a field of 13 applicants.

The awards are named for the late Jim Yvorra, a deputy chief with the Berwyn Heights (MD) Volunteer Eire Department and nationally known author and editor in the fields of fire, hazardous materials, and emergency medical services. Yvorra was killed in January 1988 when he was hit by a car while investigating an accident scene on Interstate 95 near Washington, D C. The scholarship program is designed to promote leadership development, explains Michael S. Hildebrand, president of YLD, a nonprofit organization.

“Leadership is the ability to help individuals or organizations surpass themselves and their abilities,” Billington notes. “1 believe leaders develop visions for their organizations and ‘road maps’ on how to get there and view roadblocks only as hurdles to overcome and continue on and remain on course.”

Dyer describes his philosophy of leadership as a “simple” one: “Namely, treat everybody as you like to be treated, listen to your people, set the example, and let subordinates make decisions—but be ready and willing to make the hard decisions.”

Taylor’s leadership approach “involves creating an environment where the employee can excel.” He explains: “The employee who is able to participate in decision making and to manage ‘sections’ of his or her job is happiest.”

More information on YLD is available from Michael Hildebrand at 246 Azalea Lane, Port Republic, MD 20676.

Other nations ahead of U.S. in fire safety policies

Public awareness and legislation enforcing fire safety have resulted in lower numbers of fires and fire-related deaths in some European and Asian countries than in the United States, where every year 8,000 Americans die in fires and 5 1 28 billion is lost as a result of fire damage. In Japan, for example, says the Northern Illinois Chapter of the National Eire Sprinkler Association, individuals causing a severe fire by “grave negligence” can be imprisoned for life; in the Netherlands, building codes and insurance laws dictate that every room have two exits; and apartment buildings in Hong Kong must appoint fire marshals.

W’hile a good deal of money is spent to teach fire safety in grammar schools in this country, the association says U.S. adults must take a proactive approach to fire safety. Among the actions fire safety experts say these adults should take are checking the home and workplace for fire hazards, installing smoke detectors and fire sprinkler systems in residential and commercial properties, and preparing an escape plan.