Fire Corps Home Safety Checklist and Smoke Alarms Now Available

 

Fire Corps programs can assist communities in taking preventative measures to avoid home fires. Fire Corps teams routinely educate their communities about home safety practices, and home safety checks are conducted by many programs across the country to reduce the risk of fire or injury.

Fire Corps has created the Home Safety Checklist to help your Fire Corps team implement a home safety check program in your community. The Checklist provides a basic, step-by-step approach to ensure residents in your community are safer and more secure. Use the Checklist to identify hazards in and around the home, as well as hazards that are associated with a variety of household situations, including those where children, older residents, pets, and/or those with disabilities may reside.

To assist your program in providing critical services to your community through home safety checks and other prevention activities, Fire Corps has partnered with First Alert to establish a smoke alarm donation program for registered Fire Corps programs. Your program may apply for these free smoke alarms by filling out the Smoke Alarm Request Form. Please keep in mind that quantities are limited and restrictions apply.

Firewise

New Firewise Resources Available for Download

Firewise, a multi-agency effort designed to reduce the risk of wildland fire by involving community leaders, planners, developers, and homeowners, has released a new publication, Safer from the Start: A Guide to Firewise-Friendly Developments. Written for community associations and developers, it provides information about planning communities with wildfire in mind.

Wildland fire continues to be a major challenge for the nation’s emergency services. Fire Corps and the National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise Communities program recently partnered to develop a Firewise toolkit. Getting Started With Firewise provides information about building and maintaining communities in a way that is compatible with our natural surroundings and can be used by Fire Corps teams across the nation to help protect property and natural resources from the threat of wildland fires. The toolkit is available to all registered Fire Corps programs.

To download Safer from the Start, visit http://firewise.org/resources/files/Safer-From-the-Start.pdf  To order Getting Started with Firewise, fill out the request form and return to Fire Corps at info@firecorps.org or fax to 202-887-5291.            

REQUIRED DECAL COULD WARN FIREFIGHTERS OF STRUCTURAL CONSTRUCTION DANGERS

from www.firefighterclosecalls.com news

REQUIRED DECAL COULD WARN FIREFIGHTERS OF STRUCTURAL CONSTRUCTION DANGERS

A seemingly small addition to certain city buildings may make firefighting a lot safer for the city's volunteer fire department. A public hearing will be held next month on a proposed ordinance that would require a reflective sticker be affixed to buildings built with prefabricated engineered lum...  [  more  ]  

   NIOSH's WARNING STICKER

Supreme Court rules in favor of white New Haven firefighters in Ricci v DeStefano (From Statter 911)

Read Supreme Court ruling in Ricci v DeStefano

New Haven Register coverage

Just alerted by my assignment desk of the ruling in the New Haven, Connecticut case. The Supreme Court says that 20 white firefighters were unfairly denied promotions based on their race.

From the AP:

The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.
The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide, potentially limiting the circumstances in which employers can be held liable for decisions when there is no evidence of intentional discrimination against minorities.
"Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer's reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions," Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the white firefighters "understandably attract this court's sympathy. But they had no vested right to promotion. Nor have other persons received promotions in preference to them."
Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens signed onto Ginsburg's dissent, which she read aloud in court Monday.

More Now

Breaking News: Supreme Court Rules in Favor of White Firefighters in Discrimination Suit

Lt. Gary Tinney poses outside his firehouse in New Haven, Conn, Friday, June 12, 2009. Monday, June 29, 2009, the Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision.
The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.
• Read Full Story

Uncle Jay Explains June 29, 2009

Guns! Sometimes this issue is so frustrating, you just wanna SHOOT somebody! But no, Uncle Jay calmly explains the blast from the big guns at the Supreme Court, and the return fire they're getting. Plus, Bill Gates shuts down his career by clicking "Start." Figures.

Some say you have to be crazy to jump out of an airplane into a forest fire, but smokejumpers can’t wait for the next fire call

 

Smokejumping was first proposed in 1934 by T.V. Pearson, the Forest Service Intermountain Regional Forester, as a means to quickly provide initial attack on forest fires. By parachuting in, self-sufficient firefighters could arrive fresh and ready for the strenuous work of fighting fires in rugged terrain. The smokejumper program began in 1939 as an experiment in the Pacific Northwest Region, and the first fire jump was made in 1940 on Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest in the Northern Region. In 1981, the first woman smokejumper in the nation successfully completed the training program at the McCall Smokejumper Base in Idaho.

Today, Smokejumpers are a national resource. Jumpers travel all over the country, including Alaska, to provide highly-trained, experienced firefighters and leadership for quick initial attack on wildland fires in remote areas. Fire fighting tools, food and water are dropped by parachute to the firefighters after they land near the fire, making them self-sufficient for the first 48 hours. Smokejumpers work from about June 1 through October.

Over 270 smokejumpers are working from Forest Service smokejumper bases located in McCall and Grangeville, Idaho, Redding, California, West Yellowstone and Missoula, Montana, Winthrop, Washington, and Redmond, Oregon. There are also two Bureau of Land Management smokejumper bases - one in Boise, Idaho and the other in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Aircraft commonly used in smokejumper operations include turbine engine DC-3s and Twin Otters. For safety, there is always a spotter on board communicating essential information about, the wind, fire activity and terrain to the pilot and the jumpers.

Smokejumper duties can be hazardous and extremely arduous. They must have extensive previous experience in wildland firefighting, and be skilled in using the tools of the trade. Smokejumpers must be in excellent physical condition and possess a high degree of emotional stability and mental alertness. There are also some height, weight and health requirements.

During the spring training period for new smokejumpers, and refresher training for experienced smokejumpers, they practice the basics of their craft such as aircraft exiting procedures, parachute maneuvering and emergency procedures, parachute landing rolls, timber let-down procedures, parachute and cargo retrieval, and tree climbing. Some training sites even have “virtual reality” parachute jump simulators to provide on-the-ground practice, with an experienced smokejumper at the computer.

After training is complete, and during periods of fire inactivity, smokejumpers are assigned to various natural resource projects away from the base. These may include brush piling, prescribed burning and other fuels management projects, construction and maintenance of facilities, or trail maintenance.

Smokejumpers are evolving to safely meet the challenges of the current fire environment. They are branching out to assist in managing America’s natural resources. Smokejumper training and skills, excellent mobility, and a Safety First attitude will keep the program thriving in decades to come.

From U.S. Forest Service - Fire & Aviation Management
http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/people/smokejumpers/

Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting

by Christopher J. Naum, at 6/25/2009 11:12:00 AM

Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is committed to reducing firefighter fatalities and injuries. As part of that effort, the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival (SHS) Section has developed DRAFT “Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting” to provide guidance to individual firefighters and incident commanders regarding risk and safety issues when operating on the fireground.
The intent is to provide a set of model procedures to be made available by the IAFC to fire departments as a guide for their own standard operating procedures development.
The direction provided to the project team by the Section leadership was to develop rules of engagement with the following conceptual points:
· Rules should be a short, specific set of bullets
· Rules should be easily taught and remembered
· Rules should define critical risk issues
· Rules should define “go” ‐ “no‐go situations
· A champion lesson plan should be provided

Early in development the rules of engagement, it was recognized that two separate rules were needed –one set for the firefighter, and another set for the incident commander. Thus, the two sets of rules of engagement described in this document. Each set has several commonly stated bullets, but the explanations are described somewhat differently based on the level of responsibility (i.e., firefighter vs. incident commanders).
The draft documents are currently open for public comment until the FRI conference in Dallas (August 25‐29, 2009).

The reader may direct comments to Chief Gary Morris, the project lead, at
mercurymorris@hotmail.com.
The originating IAFC Rules of Structural Engagement, HERE
IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section Home Page, HERE

Crash in Baltimore

Crash in Baltimore: Four firefighters were hurt after Engine 46 crashed into two rowhouses in the 4000 block of Bareva Road Thursday afternoon. The driver was the most seriously injured, but a spokesman says those injuries are not life threatening. Engine 46 was responding to a report of a house fire on Lynchester Road. The image above is from WMAR-TV. More in The Baltimore Sun.

A yoga class too hot to handle ends with an EMS building burning. Pictures from Sparta, NJ.

news from STATter911.com

Photos by George Schick.

Watch video and interviews

Story by Rob Jennings at DailyRecord.com:

Up to 20 people, including a yoga class, were inside the Sparta Ambulance Squad building on Monday evening when a fast-moving fire engulfed the service bay area.
Everyone escaped safely but two of the squad's three ambulances were completely destroyed and a Dodge Durango first responder vehicle was damaged, authorities said.
The third ambulance was unscathed because it was out on a call when the fire was reported at 6:10 p.m. according to Mary Hookway, an 18-year volunteer.

The upper portion of the building sustained water and smoke damage. Hookway said a squad member who was inside when the fire broke out raced over to an adjoining room where the yoga class was being held.
"He told everyone to get out,'' she said.
Sparta police said today that their preliminary investigation showed that the fire started onboard one of the ambulances as an oxygen tank was being checked for pressure. There was lightning in the area around that time, prompting initial speculation that the stormy weather played a role, but authorities did not indicate any connection.
Hookway, the ambulance squad's public information officer, was standing outside the charred building at 10 a.m. today with other onlookers as investigators surveyed the damage.
She said that town officials are meeting today to ensure continued ambulance service, with mutual aid anticipated from neighboring Ogdensburg and elsewhere. She estimated that each of the destroyed ambulances, both insured and owned by the town, could cost up to $200,000 to replace.
The service bay area, an addition to the 36-year-old building at 14 Sparta Ave., was built in 1993. The ambulance squad, founded in 1947, has approximately 60 volunteers and owns the building.

Anyone driving in Illinois -- BEWARE!!!!!

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING LEAD FOOTS !.....

Subject: Illinois to start using Photo Radar in July !

Illinois will begin using photo radar in freeway work zones in July.  One mile per hour over the speed limit and the machine will get you a nice $375.00 ticket in the mail.  Beginning July 1st, the State of Illinois will begin using the speed cameras in areas designated as "Work Zones" on major freeways.  Anyone caught by these devices will be mailed a $375.00 ticket for the FIRST offense. The SECOND offense will cost $1000.00 and comes with a 90-Day suspension.  Drivers will also receive demerit points against their license, which allow insurance companies to raise Insurance rates.
This is the harshest penalty structure ever set for a governmental unit involving PHOTO speed enforcement.  The State already has two camera vans on line issuing tickets 24/7 in work zones with speed limits lowered to 45 MPH.  Photos of both the Driver's face and License plate are taken. Pass this on to everyone you know who might be affected!!!
For more info: http://www.dot.state.il.us/press/r033005.html 

Two New Alternative Fuels Training Packages

NEWS RELEASE International Association of Fire Chiefs

The IAFC Releases Two New Alternative Fuels Training Packages for First Responders

Fairfax, Va., June 12, 2009… As the production and use of ethanol and biodiesel fuels accelerates, first responders need new training to prepare them to handle incidents involving these alternative fuels. To address this need, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is offering two new training packages.

The first training package, “Ethanol: Response Considerations,” focuses on responding to ethanol incidents. It was created in partnership with the United States Fire Administration and the United States Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The training package has been updated and revised from the original version released last year. It now also contains a companion training video.

“With the increased production and use of ethanol as a renewable fuel, emergency responders need to understand the chemical characteristics of this flammable liquid and how best to fight any possible fire that results from a hazmat transportation accident or incident,” said PHMSA Acting Deputy Administrator Cindy Douglass. “The ethanol video trains everyone to the current response standards.”

The second training package, “Biodiesel: Response Considerations,” focuses on general biodiesel information and details about biodiesel commercial manufacturing facilities. This package was created through a partnership between the IAFC, National Biodiesel Board, and the United States Department of Energy.

Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board, praised the leadership and cooperation of the IAFC in developing these materials. “With a flash point of 200 degrees, biodiesel is a safe fuel to handle, store and use, and our industry prides itself on a good safety record,” said NBB CEO Joe Jobe. “However, preparing for the worst case scenario is always wise and we applaud the IAFC for being proactive.”

The challenge of responding to incidents involving alternative fuels has received national attention. In his testimony on May 14 on Capitol Hill, the IAFC’s 1st Vice President, Jeff Johnson, chief of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, stated, “Due to federal policy, new breakthroughs in technology and the recent high petroleum prices, there has been a new focus on alternative fuels. In the past two years, ethanol production and use has skyrocketed, and fuel-grade ethanol is the number-one freight rail commodity, by volume, in the country,” he said.

“Fire departments cannot use the same tactics and equipment that they used for petroleum-based fires,” Chief Johnson noted. “Instead, they must be equipped with the right equipment -- including alcohol-resistant foams -- and tactics to respond to alternative fuels incidents.”

The IAFC introduced the new training packages at the IAFC Hazmat Committee’s International Hazardous Materials Response Conference, May 27-31, 2009. The materials include training tools, such as a PowerPoint presentation, instructor guide, participant manual, as well as a video about response considerations.

Both training programs are available on the National Hazardous Materials Fusion Center website at [http://www.hazmatfc.com/Pages/Resources.aspx] along with companion videos available on IAFC TV at www.iafctv.org under “Hazmat.” For more information or to request a copy of the training materials, please email jrist@iafc.org.

New Video Releases, Link Here

CSB Releases Safety Video on Need for Chemical Emergency Preparedness, Based on Findings from a
Decade of CSB Accident Investigations

Federal Agency Offers Free Safety Video on DVD - Targets Fire Fighters and Hazmat Responders

Washington, DC, DATE OF EMAIL 2009 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released a new safety video showing the need for emergency response agencies, companies, and communities to work closely together to prepare for the kinds of tragic chemical accidents the CSB has investigated over the past decade.
The new video, entitled "Emergency Preparedness: Findings from CSB Accident Investigations," uses computer animations, interviews, and news footage to depict a series of chemical accidents that illustrate the need for effective training, communications, and community planning. In some incidents, firefighters and police were overcome by toxic chemicals and forced to retreat from neighborhoods; in others, firefighters and workers were tragically killed and others injured.

The video is available online at www.csb.gov and on YouTube. It can be ordered free of charge on a new two-DVD set of all CSB safety videos by filling out the request form in the Video Room of  www.csb.gov.     

Press One For English - Now played over 11,000,000 times.

http://www.RivoliRevue.com Buy the video on DVD or buy the CD. This is the newest video and song written and performed by Ron and Kay Rivoli of the Rivoli Revue. Please be sure to register with You tube so you can rate and comment on the video. If you have a website we would really appreciate you adding a link to the video. We need your help to spread the word. And folks, that's written in plain ENGLISH. Also check out our myspace at www.myspace.com/RivoliRevue

A Little Dis”Tract”ed

Maybe He Was “Texting”

ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH, railroad enthusiasts and day-trippers travel to Bonsal, North Carolina, to ride on the New Hope Valley R.R., a tourist excursion line operated by volunteers from the N. C. Railroad Museum.

Last week’s riders got a bonus with their ticket when they found out what happens when you don’t “Stop - Look - Listen”

Brian Kielty, 50, of Apex was driving the 21-yr.-old Mercury station wagon and was uninjured.  But his vintage Merc will be off the road for a while.  Kielty had no comment after being ticketed for “failure to reduce speed” by the State Highway Patrol.

Raleigh News & Observer photo

None of the approx. 100 passengers were injured either, but the train car had about $1,000 damage.

The Raleigh News & Observer has the full STORY.
New Hope Valley Railway WEBSITE.

St. Petersburg Florida - 40,000 killer bees and an electrified fence make a house fire very interesting, You never Know What you are going to get

Firefighters in St. Petersburg, Florida had more than their share of obstacles at a house fire on Tuesday. One problem was a fence that had become electrified by a downed power line. Then there was the issue of the killer bees. Read more from the St. Petersburg Times. Here's a summary from the AP:
Tampa Bay-area fighters not only had to fight fire - they had to battle 40,000 bees, too.
The Africanized bees lived in an 8-foot-tall hive in front of 66-year-old Robert Porter's St. Petersburg home. Porter had ignored the bees for years.
Firefighters couldn't ignore the bees Tuesday when Porter's back porch caught fire. As the flames spread through the small house, the bees burst from their hive and tried to gather up their honey.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Capt. Bernie Williams ordered firefighters with bee allergies to get back from the blaze. A beekeeper was called to spray pesticide and remove the burned beehive.

Watch the Story Here - Fox News interviews paramedic and trooper over Oklahoma incident

Brian Wilson at Fox News is on the case in Oklahoma trying to learn more about the confrontation between Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin and the Creek Nation EMS crew. He snagged an interview with Paramedic Maurice White Jr. and even a little bit on camera with Trooper Martin.

Also, OHP now confirms that its investigation has been completed, that the trooper is on administrative leave and that the woman in the police car is Trooper Martin's wife.

Interesting News

Adorable GOP leader *snicker* predicts 2010 "landslide" *snort* (abcnews.go.com)
(60)

If you're naked and drinking a beer, it's a good idea to expose yourself through a hole in a fence to children playing in an adjoining backyard. Knot (sltrib.com)
(23)

Man duct tapes his mom, beats her with bat, and rips her ear. Don't think Hallmark has a card to make up for that (digtriad.com)
(25)

(Some Guy)

Alleged Holocaust Museum shooter had a spat with Tom Clancy. Clancy's beatdown letter is better than anything he's ever published (warning: LGT NSFW hate site) (thebirdman.org)
(90)

♫ I don't practice Santeria, I don't have no human skull, that I keep down in my basement with blood-spattered walls ♫ (courant.com)
(25)

(The Pittsburgh Channel)

Don't want your pet's ashes in a cold, impersonal urn? No problem. Put your pet's ashes in your pillow instead. Your dog does not want to sleep with you tonight (thepittsburghchannel.com)
(24)

Bank deposit bag containing over $8000 found and returned by R. Lee Ermey. Filthy maggots (missoulian.com)
(104)

"Web 2.0" is officially cromulent (reuters.com)
(114)

Peyton Manning is the new spokesperson for the Indianapolis Tourism Board. Visitors can look forward to a few exciting and enjoyable days and then leave in shame and disappointment (chicagotribune.com)
(65)

Astonishing study discovers that, when young women outnumber young men, young men play the field (sciencedaily.com)
(86)

"Alberta man, 77, charges attacking bear, swearing in Cree, and rams branch down animal's throat" (theglobeandmail.com)
(97)

Six publicity stunts that fooled everyone. But not you, because you called shenanigans early on... you just didn't tell anyone (Some pics Not safe for work) (cracked.com)
(185)

Airman facing rape charges after being booked in Middlesex for sex with middle school girl he met on Facebook (airforcetimes.com)
(74)

It turns out that big search and rescue operation in Seattle for a man who fell off a ferry was a bit premature. "What was seen in the water appeared to be log with a balloon attached to it" (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
(26)

Mother and daughter charged with running a brothel. The family that lays together, stays together (wbbm780.com)
(75)

Escaping from North Korea to China is like escaping from a colonoscopy to your in-laws (washingtonpost.com)
(110)

Hiker goes missing in forest. Chopper goes looking for hiker. Chopper goes missing in forest (cnn.com)
(111)

Unabomber going postal over plans to aution his personal effects (upi.com)
(84)

Pentagon employees have received so much free travel from foreign countries, trade groups, and companies, that they might as well have an airplane parked on their lawn (google.com)
(36)

Asthma medication may be a possible cure for the most common type of leukemia. Still no cure for... asthma (bangordailynews.com)
(42)

Neighborhood where long-time pizza man was robbed, raises more than $13,000 for him. He looks forward to being robbed there more often (wbbm780.com)
(20)

French intelligence sources confirm that two of the passengers on AF447 had links to Islamist terrorist groups (dailymail.co.uk)
(217)

"Ugliest House In the City" owner doesn't mind it at all: "I like it this way, it keeps the Mormons away." (southflorida.sun-sentinel.com)
(200)

Protip: when buying a new mattress for your mother-in-law, make sure the old one doesn't have one-million dollars in it before you throw it away (google.com)
(74)

Rod Blagojevich plans a comedy show. This is not a repeat of his administration (msnbc.msn.com)
(54)

Not telling the police where the drugs may be hidden? That's a waterboarding (news.sky.com)
(84)

Finally, someone dares to show how Mickey Rourke's been kept alive all these years (i.gizmodo.com)
(70)

(MaineToday.com)

Homeless couple finally receive their high school diplomas, hope to save up for a wall to hang them on (morningsentinel.mainetoday.com)
(27)

(Some Guy)

20 cat deaths worry Florida communities, crazy old cat ladies (apnews.myway.com)
(121)

Environmentalists appalled at Japan's weak climate target. But Americans have a such biiig climate, and Japanese climate is so small, so so small (news.bbc.co.uk)
(170)

(My Fox Atlanta)

How many bad ideas can you spot in this sentence? "Drunken driver speeds through a police station parking lot and stops his car between two marked cruisers to take a nap." (myfoxatlanta.com)
(25)

(Gwinnett Daily Post)

The Judge may be pleased by your prompt arrival or your suit, but he will not be pleased that you hijacked your girlfriend's car at gunpoint to get to court on time (gwinnettdailypost.com)
(6)

(Some Farker to Some Farkette)

Dear Kate, thanks for saying yes (schoolproposal.blogspot.com)
(197)

(And Finally)

Weird guy sells his dollhouse for a better price than a real home (andfinally.tv)
(42)

Man who stole politician's wig will have toupee for his crimes (stuff.co.nz)
(40)

(Press Democrat)

Woman shotputs a 12-pack of lite beer to take down a thief (pressdemocrat.com)
(94)

Elderly man lives with 8-foot-tall hive containing 40,000 killer bees on his front porch for years. And then things get weird. Cue Benny Hill theme (tampabay.com)
(79)

(Some Guy)

Photoshop these wascally wabbits (snsimages.tribune.com)
(33)

The secret history of beer - intelligent design we can all believe in (legendsofbeer.wordpress.com)
(68)

(Some Guy)

Prince is so hip he needs two more (showbiz411.com)
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(Some Guy)

The most adorable waste of tax-payer dollars ever (izismile.com)
(78)

Honking your horn in front of your neighbor's house is not free speech, no matter how angry you are that he turned you in to the HOA for having chickens in your yard (upi.com)
(49)

Finally, a bailout for taxpayers: House passes a plan to pay consumers $4,500 in exchange for their old, gas-guzzling scraps of metal (news.yahoo.com)
(344)