CPSE updating accreditation model
The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) has begun work on the 10th Edition of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) model, which will encompass current and anticipated challenges affecting fire and emergency service agencies. The 9th edition was published in 2015.
The CFAI model guides fire and emergency service agencies around the world through an accreditation process that focuses on performance measurement, self-assessment, and quality improvement. More than 250 agencies maintain CFAI accredited status, according to the Center. CPSE President Allan Cain, CFO, public safety director in Cary, North Carolina, notes: “We look forward to engaging with fire service colleagues, stakeholders, and community members at all levels and receiving their ideas and feedback throughout this process.”
The anticipated schedule for the project is as follows:
- Summer 2019: a draft of the 10th Edition is expected to be released for public comment.
- Winter 2019: The new model will be approved and published.
- Early 2020: Implementation will begin.
- Spring 2022: Agencies will be able to receive accreditation under the new model.
Additional information will be available on cpse.org/cfai10.
Internet neutrality rules repealed
Congress voted to repeal the Internet neutrality rules before its adjournment for the 2018 holiday recess, a move lauded as a victory by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai, who described the rules as “heavy-handed Internet regulation.” According to a report from Jon Brodkin of Ars Technica, Democrats had enough votes to reverse the repeal in the Senate but did not have enough votes in the House of Representatives (182 voted for the repeal; 218 votes were needed).
Fight for the Future and other entities campaigned to have Congress reverse the repeal. “The fight is far from over,” asserts Deputy Director Evan Greer of Fight for the Future. He cited the departure from the House of anti-net neutrality members and that the House Energy & Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC, will have as its new chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who reportedly has said he and other Democrats will work to pass a new neutrality law.
Also, a group including state attorneys general, consumer advocacy groups, and tech companies has filed a lawsuit against the FCC. Oral arguments at the District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, at press time, were scheduled for February 1, 2019.
Source: Jon Brodkin, senior IT reporter, Ars Technica; https://arstechnica.com/author/jon-brodkin, 02 Jan 2019. https://bit.ly/2safqq6; https://bit.ly/2HutTTj/.
CPR training kiosks increase bystander intervention
“People who participated in a free four-minute kiosk session with practice and feedback were able to perform Hands-Only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) similarly to those who participated in a 30-minute classroom exercise and both groups showed superior skill to those who only watched a video,” according to a study by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
“For a person with little or no medical training, Hands-Only CPR training kiosks can teach life-saving skills in just minutes,” said Debra G. Heard, PhD, consultant with the American Heart Association (AHA) and lead study author. “These kiosks have the potential to lower barriers to training, increase the likelihood a bystander would perform CPR, and positively impact the likelihood of survival from cardiac arrest outside of a hospital,” she explains. In addition, Hands-Only CPR removes concerns about mouth-to-mouth contact. Less than half of adults experiencing cardiac arrest outside of a hospital receive CPR, according to the AHA, which funded the study with the Anthem Foundation.
According to the study report, Hands-Only CPR training kiosks are now available in public places, such as airports. In 2013, the AHA installed a kiosk in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Visitors could learn and practice Hands-Only CPR using a touch-screen video program and practice session. With no advertising, the kiosks attracted more than 23,000 visitors in nearly three years. These kiosks are now available in 16 airports and 14 other public areas, and more than 100,000 people have completed the training.
Source: American College of Emergency Physicians. “Hands-only CPR training kiosks can increase bystander intervention, improve survival.” ScienceDaily, 13 November 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181113141823.htm>.
Grants for upgrading 911 call centers
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have created a model for assessing the funding needed to make critical upgrades to 911 call centers nationwide. The model is included in a study Congress requested. The U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Commerce are jointly managing a $110 million grant program to help states, territories, tribal organizations, and the District of Columbia upgrade their 911 call centers to Next Generation 911 centers. Final rules for the program, announced in August, are at https://bit.ly/2ON6Yap/. Information on how to apply for a grant is at https://bit.ly/2NMIAUy/.
U.S. DOT FRA issues final rule for rail operations
In November, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) established modern, performance-based safety standards for railroad passenger equipment that the agency says “paves the way for U.S. high-speed passenger trains to safely travel as fast as 220 miles per hour” (mph).
FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory explains: “The final rule defines a new category of high-speed rail operations and makes it possible for high-speed rail to utilize existing infrastructure, saving the expense of building new rail lines. These new ‘Tier III’ passenger trains can operate over this shared track at conventional speeds, and as fast as 220 miles per hour in areas with exclusive rights-of-way and without grade crossings.” The final rule, “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,” a deregulatory action under Executive Order 13771, also establishes minimum safety standards for trains.
The final rule continues to define Tier I as trains operating in shared rights-of-way at speeds up to 125 mph and Tier II trains as those traveling between 125 and 160 mph, an increase from the previous 150-mph limit.
In December, the FRA awarded more than $46 million in grants for 11 projects in 10 states for implementing positive train control (PTC) systems. Additional information on the grants awarded is at https://bit.ly/2AlD2wh/. A description of PTC systems and their objectives can be found at https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0358 and https://www.fra.dot.gov/ptc.
