NVFC seeks to ensure that VRIPA covers LOSAP payments

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) will meet with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to attempt to have Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) payments qualify for tax exemption under the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA). The IRS had rendered the following opinion in a letter to a member of the U.S. Congress (name withheld):

Payment received from a retirement program is for services performed in prior years. These payments are neither reductions nor rebates of state and local taxes, nor amounts received for emergency response services performed during the year. Therefore, amounts received from a retirement program do not qualify for the exclusion from income under Section 139B.

The NVFC says it believes that Congress intended that LOSAP payments should qualify under VRIPA. Depending on the outcome of a meeting in August (after press time) with the IRS, staff from Congressman John Larson’s (CT) office, representatives of other national interest groups, and the NVFC, the NVFC says it “may pursue a legislative fix to ensure that LOSAP is covered under VRIPA.”

 

Line-of-Duty Deaths

 

August 14. Firefighter Paul Warhola, 47, Fire Department of New York: cerebrovascular accident.

August 15. Chief Jimmie Zeeks, 54, Marion Township (IN) Rural Fire Department: apparent heart attack.

August 20. Pilot David Jamsa, 45, U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management-Nevada State Office, Reno: air tanker crash while dropping fire retardant on the Hoyt Fire, Churchill County, Nevada.

August 24. Lieutenant Charles “Chip” McCarthy, 45, Buffalo (NY) Fire Department: trapped when the main floor collapsed while he was searching a burning commercial structure.

August 24. Firefighter Jonathan Croom, 34, Buffalo (NY) Fire Department: trapped when the main floor collapsed while he was searching a burning commercial structure.

August 30. Captain Tedmund “Ted” Hall, 47, Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department: fatal injuries sustained when the apparatus in which he was riding fell off the side of a treacherous road in the Mt. Gleason area, south of Acton, in heavy wildland smoke and fire conditions. Accident under investigation.

August 30. Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones, 34, Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department: fatal injuries sustained when the apparatus in which he was riding fell off the side of a treacherous road in the Mt. Gleason area, south of Acton, in heavy wildland smoke and fire conditions. Accident under investigation.

August 30. Firefighter Kenneth Frizzell Jr., 55, Charleston (VT) Volunteer Fire Department: vehicle collision.

Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database

 

Researcher to explore the dust explosion phenomenon

 

How does the size of dust particles, their chemical makeup, the density of dust clouds, and the heat of combustion affect how likely a dust cloud is to ignite, how rapidly it will burn, and how the fire will spread? These are some of the questions Ali Rangwala, assistant professor of fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), intends to address in a five-year study funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant.

Dust buildup is among the most serious and common fire and explosion hazards in a range of industries, explains Rangwala, but little is known about how dust ignites or how a dust explosion propagates. He cites the example of a massive explosion and fire that occurred at the Imperial Sugar Co. in Port Wentworth, Georgia, on February 7, 2008. Thirteen people were killed and 40 were injured. The cause of the disaster was dust that had been shaken loose by employees pounding on a silo; a cloud of sugar dust drifted toward a moving conveyor belt, which ignited it. Many industries including coal mines, saw mills, and factories that produce plastics to corn-based ethanol to pharmaceuticals are subject to the hazards posed by dust accumulations. According to Rangwala, WPI will be creating a new experimental platform that will make it possible “to look at the mechanics of fire phenomenon.”

Funds from the CAREER award will be used also to establish educational programs at the college and pre-college levels, among them a three-week summer program that will enable high school students to explore fire safety and learn about fire and explosion phenomena through laboratory exercises. Also, WPI and Edinburgh students and universities in France and India will work cooperatively on projects in fire research at an undergraduate project center that will be established at the University of Edinburgh, U.K.

 

IMF issues myeloma prevention guidelines

 

The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) reports that newly published data may show a possible genetic link between environmental toxins and bone disease in multiple myeloma (a cancer of cells in the bone marrow that affects production of blood cells and can damage bone). The IMF notes that the disease is increasingly being diagnosed in patients under 45 years of age, including some of the early responders to the 9/11 World Trade Center site. Brian G.M. Durie, M.D., lead author of the study and chairman of the IMF explained: “This is a hypothesis-generating study … that is supportive of the notion that genetic factors affecting toxin breakdown may be related to the development of myeloma. This gives us an important starting point for further studies.”

The study’s findings also support a study published earlier this year that suggested a link between certain pesticide exposure in agricultural workers and a precursor to multiple myeloma. Previous studies have also shown an increased risk for myeloma among firefighters, for whom the IMF has issued the following guidelines for reducing the risk of multiple myeloma.

 

 

  • Have turnouts professionally cleaned routinely, and avoid wearing or storing turnouts in fire station living areas. The frequency of cleaning depends on the level of activity. Turnouts in living quarters or private cars can spread the contamination.

     

     

  • Shower as soon as you return from each fire to remove the soot and ash. An immediate shower can limit the exposure to toxins and reduce the risk.

     

     

  • Review and update guidelines for the use of personal protective equipment. You may not always perceive a danger, but risks may lurk where you least expect them. When in doubt, follow department guidelines.

     

     

  • Equip fire engines with an exhaust removal system; if one is not available, avoid idling the engines indoors without adequate ventilation. There is some evidence that chemicals in diesel fumes may be linked to cancer; multiple exposures in closed quarters can increase the risk and leave potentially toxic residues behind.

     

     

  • Pursue and complete annual medical exams. Discuss possible cancer risks with your physicians.

     

     

  • If diagnosed with myeloma, seek expert medical care. The IMF can provide information.

     

    The guidelines were developed in cooperation with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.

     

    FCC considers petitions for public safety networks

     

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received petitions from four state governments and more than 12 cities and counties for waivers for authority to establish immediately local and regional public safety networks in the public safety bandwidth (700 MHz). The FCC, in 2007, had designated the Public Safety Spectrum Trust as the license holder for 10 MHz of bandwidth in the 700 MHz band. In 2008, the FCC unsuccessfully attempted to find a buyer for the spectrum that would agree to share control with the Trust and make the spectrum available to public safety crews in emergencies. The FCC has been preparing for additional rule making for the public safety network and is also preparing a general National Broadband Plan under the economic stimulus law.

    The District of Columbia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and North Dakota as well Boston, New York City, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, and several other cities have petitioned for the public safety networks. They say they have enough funding to deploy the networks and can do so before the FCC completes its proposed nationwide network.

    The Trust, in August, was conditionally supporting several of the petitions, provided that sufficient safeguards were in place to ensure integration of these networks into the FCC’s nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network. Alice Lipowicz, FederalComputerWeek, http://fcw.com, August 25, 2009

     

    Disaster plans do not address needs of those with disabilities

     

    According to the National Council on Disability, “Significantly more needs to be done to improve disaster response for people with disabilities.” The Council’s report “Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities and People with Disabilities” notes that people with disabilities are “largely ignored in emergency planning” and “are rarely consulted when emergency management officials make disaster preparedness plans.”

    The Council noted that often people with disabilities are “lumped into one large group without plans for the specific communication needs of a person who is hearing impaired, for example, or the evacuation needs of a person with a physical disability.”

    Other considerations cited by the Council are lack of accessible transportation, disruption of caregiver networks, and difficulty getting insurance or federal assistance to pay for disability-specific needs after those with disabilities return home after a disaster.

    The report recommends that federal emergency managers work to improve emergency communication, consider service animals in planning, and hire regional disability coordinators for emergency management. States, the report says, should establish a point person for coordinating disability disaster preparedness and work with local disability groups and state disability offices in planning. Local governments should review all emergency plans from the perspective of people with disabilities and train emergency responders accordingly. www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/08/12/emergency-preparedness/4576, August 14, 2009

     

    USFA issues reports

     

    “Fire Departments and Maritime Interface Area Preparedness” addresses fire department preparedness for incidents in maritime areas. The report, part of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Technical Report Series, also stresses the importance of establishing a multiagency response that includes law enforcement; the U.S. Coast Guard; port authorities; the private sector; emergency medical services; emergency management agencies; other appropriate federal, state, and local governments; commercial private-sector entities; and labor organizations. The report can be downloaded from the USFA Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov/.

    The USFA, in partnership with the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), has released the “Emergency Vehicle Visibility and Conspicuity Study.” It covers the results of a U.S. Department of Justice-National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-supported project undertaken to foster safety in emergency vehicle and roadway operations for firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other emergency responders.

    The report, which covers best practices in emergency vehicle visibility and conspicuity, addresses retroreflective striping and chevrons, high-visibility paint, built-in passive light, and other reflectors for law enforcement patrol vehicles, fire apparatus, ambulances and other EMS vehicles, and motorcycles. The study and additional information on USFA’s emergency vehicle safety projects are available at the USFA Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/research/safety/vehicle.shtm/.

    “Northern Illinois University Shooting” covers the February 2008 shooting at Northern Illinois University. A former graduate student walked onto the stage of a large lecture hall and began firing on students and faculty. The 28-year-old male had a history of mental illness. He killed five students and wounded 18, some critically. He shot himself at the end of the brief attack.The DeKalb (IL) Fire Department, the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Department of Public Safety, the Kishwaukee Community Hospital, and other mutual-aid responders were prepared for this incident. They had practiced emergency drills together and coordinated their planning. They formally incorporated the incident command system into their plans. The fire/EMS, university police, and university event management partners had worked together frequently in planned and unplanned events. They studied official reports on the Virginia Tech shootings and had integrated those lessons learned into the emergency response plans of the university and the City of DeKalb. Information on this report, and other USFA Technical Reports, is at the Publications section of the USFA Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov/.

     

    NIOSH releases Firefighter Fatality Investigation Reports

     

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released the following reports covering line-of-duty deaths:

     

  • F2008-09, April 8, 2008: “A career captain and a part-time firefighter die in a residential floor collapse—Ohio,” http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200809.html/.

     

     

  • F2008-07, March 7, 2008: “Two career firefighters die and captain is burned when trapped during fire suppression operations at a millwork facility—North Carolina,” http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200807.html/.

     

     

  • F2009-08, February 23, 2009: “One Fire Fighter Dies and Another is Severely Injured in a Single Vehicle Rollover Crash—Georgia,” http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200908.html/.

     

     

    WHO update on H1N1

     

    The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a “briefing note” at the end of August concerning what it terms “the second wave“ of the H1N1 influenza “pandemic.” WHO released some “tentative conclusions about how the influenza pandemic might evolve in the coming months.” Countries in the northern hemisphere are advised to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread, as well as countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere. Countries in temperate parts of the southern hemisphere “should remain vigilant,” WHO explains, because “localized ‘hot spots’ of increasing transmission can continue to occur even when the pandemic has peaked at the national level.”

    The briefing note also included the following information:

     

  • Evidence from multiple outbreak sites shows that the H1N1 pandemic virus has rapidly established itself and is now the dominant influenza strain in most parts of the world.

     

     

  • Studies have not detected any signs that the virus has mutated to a more virulent or lethal form.

     

     

  • Large numbers of people in all countries remain susceptible to infection. The impact of the pandemic during the second wave could worsen as larger numbers of people become infected.

     

     

  • Presently, only a handful of pandemic viruses resistant to oseltamivir have been detected worldwide even though many millions of treatment courses of antiviral drugs have been administered. All cases have been thoroughly investigated, and no instances of onward transmission of drug-resistant virus have been documented.

     

     

  • Those most frequently infected during the pandemic are generally younger than those affected during seasonal epidemics of influenza. The most severe cases and deaths have occurred in adults under the age of 50; deaths in the elderly have been comparatively rare.

     

     

  • Clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, seen rarely during seasonal influenza infections. The virus, in these patients, directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays.

     

     

  • An increased risk during pregnancy is now consistently well documented across countries. Certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal illness, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and immunosuppression. Some studies have shown that minority groups and indigenous populations have a four to five times higher risk than the general population.

     

     

    •••

     

    At press time, an article in The Washington Post reported that more than half of the nation’s colleges and universities tracking swine flu cases were reporting infected students. There were more than 1,600 cases within the first weeks of class, according to the American College Health Association. Of the 165 institutions surveyed, 55 percent reported a total of 1,640 cases as of the week of August 22-28. One student was hospitalized, and no deaths were reported. “Many Colleges Reporting Swine Flu,” Rob Stein and Aaron C. Davis, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090202818_pf.html/.

     

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