Some relevant news from Fire Chief Magazine

Spring Cleaning

from Mutual Aid by Janet Wilmoth

Even though in Chicagoland March is going out more like a wet cat than a lion, the turn of the calendar to April always inspires me to get organized. While cleaning up my desktop, I found several calls-to-action for the upcoming weeks.
Leather helmet. The deadline for the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. American fire service survey is March 31. Though only 10 participants will win collectible leather fire helmets, the survey ultimately will benefit all firefighters.
Danielle Cagan, Fireman’s Fund’s director of community relations, told me the organization plans to use the survey results to better educate the public on what the fire and emergency services does and how the economy is affecting fire departments.
Free equipment. Could your department use $5,000 worth of equipment for free? FEMSA now is conducting its Sixth Annual State of the Fire Service survey. In previous years, the chances of winning were one in less than 2,000.
Capitol trip. The 21st Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Seminars and Dinner will be held next week in Washington, D.C. The seminars are led by leading fire service and administrative officials, and the fund-raising dinner helps the Congressional Fire Services Institute educate Capitol Hill on the work of U.S. fire and emergency services and keep departments nationwide appraised of what’s happening in Washington.
If you make it to Washington, consider joining the CFSI Associates Club. You can support CFSI efforts (and receive a tax deduction) for as little as $25. Each level of membership receives different perks, and all levels receive annual reports of CFSI efforts on the Hill.
Research study. Dr. Lisa Lit and Dr. Julie Schweitzer of the University of California–Davis are examining occupation-linked traits in first responders. Their goal is to identify adolescents well-suited to first-responder careers. They have created a brief questionnaire to collect data for analysis. Participation in the survey is voluntary and confidential.
Scream for ice cream. The third Baskin-Robbins® 31-Cent Scoop Night will take place April 29 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. If your department is interested in a sweet fund-raiser that helps increase community support for your department at the same time, connect with a local shop today by going to or e-mail and ask to be matched with a Baskin-Robbins store.
New revenue. Phoenix Fire Department Deputy Chief Ken Leake is looking for other fire departments that are charging for response to auto accidents. If you have experience with auto accident revenue, e-mail Leake.

Another oldie

From the past, a training film, glad we don’t do like this any more, what were we thinking?

Mistakes from the past, Thanks to the use of accelerants in lighting some of these fires. This demonstration is at the South Park Fairgrounds in Allegheny County, PA.

NORTH CAROLINA FIREFIGHTER LINE OF DUTY DEATH-CARDIAC

Sunday, March 22, 2009

We regret to advise you that Salem VFD (Nash County, N.C.) Firefighter Greg Cooke has passed away in the Line of Duty at Wake Medical Center. Firefighter Cooke was operating at a woods fire several days ago and apparently suffered a cardiac arrest on scene. He was eventually transported by air to Wake Medical Center in Raleigh where he died in the Line of Duty, yesterday. Saturday, March 21st. As always, our sincere condolences. Here is their website: http://www.freewebs.com/salemvolunteer/index.htm

Federal LODD death Report

A federal report says the lack of fire department guidelines contributed to the accident that killed a fire captain.

http://www.wnep.com/wnep-scr-federal-report-critical-firefighting,0,7920073.story

Scranton Fire Captain James Robeson was electrocuted in January, 2008 when the bucket truck he was in came close to some high-voltage power lines.
A new federal report is now out and it criticizes the fire department and how it handled that fire.

The federal report listed six factors to the cause of Captain James Robeson's death, among those lack of training and procedures for fighting fires so close to power lines.
Fire crews were called to a home on Ash Street that went up in flames that day in January, 2008. A man and his wife died in that fire. Captain Robeson died fighting that fire.
The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health investigated. Federal investigators reported that among other things, incident command was suboptimal. There were no standard operating procedures or specific training for that type of fire fight and there was a lack of verification over whether there was power in the line.
"Everything that was in that report was discussed with the city years before that incident happened last January. It's hard to take. It really is hard to take. Our guys work real hard. They do a lot of research," said Lieutenant Dave Gervasi, vice president of the Scranton firefighters union.
He said ever since Captain Robeson was killed, firefighters have taken their own steps to a safer workplace.
"So we've all been really watching each other's backs at this point. There's a lot of people within our structure that have stopped towers from going up before we knew things were off. This has happened four or five times since that happened. We're doing all we can. The city needs to implement the proper structure," Gervasi added.
Mayor Chris Doherty said the city was waiting for the federal report's recommendations to develop and enforce guidelines for all fire fights, especially those near powerlines, to ensure a safety officer is present and to consider all power lines live.
"You look at how you can make things better so you can prevent something like this from happening in the future and we will hope to implement all of the recommendations that they will give to us," Doherty said.
An attorney representing Captain Robeson's family said Robeson was a highly trained and decorated firefighter.

Joe Biden said Monday the Obama administration is committed

Vice President Joe Biden said Monday the Obama administration is committed to getting firefighters the equipment, training and additional staffing they need to do their jobs. They're not just puffed up platitudes," Biden told members of the International Association of Fire Fighters. "This is your new government taking bold action to ensure that as a community of firefighters you are as strong as possible."

Biden spoke to the group at its legislative conference in Washington. The association represents more than 292,000 full-time professional firefighters and paramedics.

"I understand we can't make an inherently dangerous profession safe," he said. "But we certainly can make an inherently dangerous profession safer than it is."

Biden said a lack of firefighters is putting the lives of other firefighters at risk. He said that would change with the new administration.

He also said President Barack Obama would sign legislation to give firefighters and other public safety officers the right to collective bargaining. The measure was stalled in the last Congress, and it is pending again this year.

Biden told the group that he and his family owe the first responders who saved his two young sons after a car accident in 1972. His first wife and infant daughter were killed in the accident. Both boys recovered fully.

"To you, it's a job. To us, it's our lives," he said. "And we owe you. And I just want you to know that it is something that everyone in my family fully understands."

From AP  Full text here from AP

News you didn’t know you needed

Mar 14, 2009 (2 days ago)

Lady puts tanning bulbs into pub lights.
People got sunstroke inside a pub - after the manager accidentally put in bulbs from a tanning machine.
Emma McLean replaced the blue strip lights behind the bar with high-powered ultraviolet tubes.
Unsuspecting workers and regulars stood underneath the lights for hours and some needed hospital treatment.
Barman Morgan Smith suffered severe burns to his neck at the pub in Buckie, Banffshire.
His sister Emma, 21, said: "He was really badly burnt and had sunstroke.
"He was all dizzy and couldn't see because of the brightness of the lights.
"His neck started peeling and was in a right state.
"Nobody could believe he got sunstroke from standing behind a bar."
"The lamps are only supposed to be used for a few minutes at a time.
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Carpool Dummy Gets Ticket
You forgot to buckle up, the dummy!
A commuter who put a homemade dummy in the passenger seat to sneak into the car pool lane was caught Wednesday near Seattle. But it wasn’t because a cop realized the passenger was fake.
Instead, the State Patrol trooper noticed the dangling belt buckle on the passenger side and suspected a seat belt violation.
Patrol spokeswoman Christina Martin said that the driver acknowledged trying to beat traffic by using the HOV lane.
He created his passenger by draping a rain jacket over plasticpiping, topping it off with a Halloween mask of Gandalf, the "Lord of the Rings" wizard, a beard and a baseball cap.
The trooper issued a $124 ticket and confiscated the dummy.
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Woman Puts Drugs In Boss's Coffee So He'll 'Chill Out'
A woman is in jail after police say she drugged her boss. Police say an employee from the Reynolds Road Animal Clinic slipped a Valium into one of the veterinarian's cups of coffee sending him to the emergency room.
Shortly after Dr. John Duckett had some, coffee he knew something was wrong. Employees at the clinic tell police they thought he was having a heart attack, but it turns out he had been drugged by one of his own. There are certain things you expect to find in your morning cup of Joe like sugar and creamer, but not drugs.
Veterinarian Dr. John Duckett knew something didn't feel right while working Tuesday morning at the Reynolds Road Animal Clinic in Bryant. That's when someone from the clinic called 911.
"He knew he hadn't taken any medication, he hadn't taken any prescription pills. He had suspected that he had been poisoned at his office," says Todd Crowson with the Bryant police.
Now 24-year-old Erin Kelly is behind bars after telling police she drugged Duckett because, "he needed to chill out." "She came in this morning and we talked with her and she ended up telling us what happened, pretty much confessing," Crowson said. "She actually admitted to putting a substance in his coffee which turned out to be a Benzodiapine." Benzodiazepines, like Valium, are tranquilizers. They can reduce inhibitions, typically used for reducing stress or anxiety. We're told Kelly worked at the clinic cleaning cages. Now she's in one.
VIDEO
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Man Unwisely Tries to Rob a Tae Kwon Do Studio
A robber gets more than he bargained for when he targets a Tae Kwon Do studio in suburban Milwaukee.
The robber thought he could quietly slip in and out of David Kang's studio in Fox Point with some loot.
What he didn't realize is that he would encounter a Tae Kwon Do master who wasn't about to let him off the hook. Kang was giving a private lesson Tuesday and heard someone in his office. Kang found the man going through his closet, grabbed him by the neck and sat him down while he called police.
The robber took off and Kang gave chase, finally catching up with the man and holding him by the neck until police arrived.
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Recommendations from a recent NIOSH report

Does Your Fire Department Stack Up Well? http://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/FIRE/reports/face200718.html
Here are recommendations from a recent NIOSH report released on a Line of Duty Death. How does your department stack up?
ensure that fire fighters conducting an interior search have a thermal imaging camera
ensure ventilation is coordinated with interior fireground operations
ensure that Mayday protocols are developed and followed
ensure the Incident Commander receives pertinent information during the size-up (i.e., type of structure, number of occupants in the structure, etc.) from occupants on scene and that information is relayed to crews upon arrival
ensure that fire fighters communicate interior conditions and progress reports to the Incident Commander
develop, implement, and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for fireground operations