On December 13, 2002, President Bush made public some details concerning a national smallpox vaccination program. It has two components: a military plan, which will be directed by the Pentagon and will be implemented immediately, and a civilian plan, which will be implemented in three phases (outlined below). State and local public health departments will develop the appropriate plans and implement the vaccination programs. All civilian inoculations will be voluntary, including those being made available to first responders.
- Phase I: This phase was expected to begin near the end of January (after press time) and to take about one month to complete. The vaccine would be available to about 500,000 public health investigators and hospital workers designated by state public health departments. This group would conduct the initial investigation and treatment of a suspected smallpox case and initiate measures to control the outbreak.
- Phase II: It is anticipated that this segment will begin March 1 (this date is tentative and likely will vary from state to state). The vaccine will be offered to fire service and other emergency responders, who have a higher risk of exposure to smallpox because of their occupation. State and local health departments will organize and implement the vaccination programs.
- Phase III: The vaccine will be made available to the general public. It is anticipated that sometime in the spring, a plan will be in place for making the vaccine available to adults of the general public who do not have medical contraindications and insist on being vaccinated. The administration is not recommending that the members of the general public receive the vaccine.
Fire Service Perspectives
On the fire service front, The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) have been investigating the issue of smallpox vaccination from multiple aspects, including the health of responders and the people with whom they come in contact, various types of economic considerations, administrative aspects, and protection of the general public.
One of the primary areas of concern is the smallpox vaccine itself. Because it is a live-virus vaccine, the smallpox vaccine has much higher levels of side effects associated with it than most modern vaccines prepared from dead viruses. In addition, the virus used in the vaccine can be cultured from the vaccination site beginning at the time a papule (a small, usually conical, elevation of the skin) develops (two to five days after vaccination) until the vaccination scab separates from the skin.
IAFC. The IAFC has formed the Smallpox Vaccination Working Group, made up of fire service EMS, haz-mat, and terrorism specialists, who will interface with various federal agencies on the critical issues surrounding the vaccination of fire service personnel. The group held it first meeting in Washington, D.C., December 6-7, 2002. During the first meeting, the group achieved the following:
- Identified several unique characteristics of the fire service that could complicate a smallpox vaccination program and developed a list of questions to be sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
- Passed a motion asking the IAFC Board of Directors to consider revisions to the IAFC policy on smallpox vaccination for the fire service that would be submitted at the January 23-24 meeting (after press time).
- Identified key topics to be covered in an upcoming IAFC “white paper” that will provide fire chiefs with a reference guide on smallpox vaccination and the involved administrative aspects.
Also, the IAFC Smallpox Vaccination Working Group is developing a comprehensive guide for the fire service on a wide range of smallpox vaccination issues. It was expected to be available to all IAFC members in mid-January (after press time).
The IAFC will continue to monitor the issues. IAFC President Chief Randy R. Bruegman says that group updates and additional information will be provided through “IAFC Member Alerts” and the IAFC Web site, www.iafc.org, and industry publications.
IAFF. On December 24, the IAFF issued its “Smallpox Vaccination Program Guidance for Fire Fighters” document, which applies to paramedics and other first responders as well. The IAFF says that individual firefighters and other first responders must decide for themselves whether they should be vaccinated after they have reviewed the pros and cons of the smallpox vaccination contained in the IAFF report. “The information we are providing on smallpox vaccination strikes a balance between protecting our members from this disease and protecting their rights,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “Our goal is to educate our members on the issues so they can make an informed and educated decision.”
The IAFF’s position is that employers should make smallpox vaccinations available to all firefighters and emergency medical personnel while on duty and at no cost and that the employer, not the employee, is responsible for any adverse effects that may occur as a result of inoculation. It also reserves for the firefighters the right to decline the vaccination with the option of receiving it at a later date if desired.
The IAFF, Schaitberger says, “thoroughly reviewed the risks to individual IAFF members and the steps that employers should take to ensure that firefighters receive medical monitoring, training, and appropriate treatment should there be an adverse reaction to the vaccine. The vaccine poses medical risks even if the program follows all government and IAFF recommendations.” Schaitberger looks on the recommendations in the IAFF guidelines as “a first step for the IAFF’s response to smallpox.” He adds: “We are in uncharted waters and cannot predict the precise effects of these vaccinations, this disease, or any other threat terrorists might unleash on our people.”
The IAFF professional and medical staff has committed to monitoring this issue and will publish updates as they become available. The full text of the IAFF guidelines and other related information are posted at www.iaff.org.
The January Health Beat column on our fireengineering.com Web site summarizes some of the health and health-associated issues to consider before making a decision on the smallpox vaccination.
Department of Homeland Security established
The newly established Department of Homeland Security, which President Bush signed into law on November 25, 2002, represents the largest reorganization of the federal government since World War II. It will involve the consolidation of 22 agencies and some 170,000 federal employees. Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge is the President’s choice to head the agency.
The department will be comprised of the following four divisions. Listed under the divisions are the agencies that will be under that division and, in parentheses, the agencies’ previous designations.
- Border and Transportation Security: Immigration and Naturalization Service (Department of Justice), Customs Service (Dept. of Treasury), Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (Dept. of Agriculture), U.S. Coast Guard (Dept. of Transportation), Federal Protective Services Police (General Services Administration), Transportation Security Agency (Dept. of Transportation), Office of Domestic Preparedness (Dept. of Justice), and National Domestic Preparedness Office (FBI).
- Emergency Preparedness and Response: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Response Assets (Dept. of Health and Human Services); Domestic Emergency Support Team (Interagency Group); Nuclear Incident Response (Dept. of Energy).
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures: Civilian Biodefense Research Programs (Dept. of Health and Human Services), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Dept. of Energy); National Biological Weapons Defense Analysis Center (a new agency); and Plum Island Animal Disease Center (Dept. of Agriculture).
- Informational and Analysis and Infrastructure Protection: Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (Dept. of Commerce), Federal Computer Incident Response Center (General Services Administration), National Communications System (Dept. of Defense), National Infrastructure Protection Center (FBI), and National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (Dept. of Energy).
The U.S. Secret Service (Dept. of Treasury) will also move to the Department of Homeland Security. It will stand alone.
The new arrangement would provide state and local agencies with one point of contact for homeland security issues.
Under the new setup, antiterrorism training for state and municipal first responders will be shifted from FEMA to the Border and Transportation Security division of the Homeland Security Department. During deliberations of the bill, Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) and other members of the Senate had negotiated to have the Office of National Preparedness, formerly under FEMA, brought under the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP), which will be moved from the Justice Department to the Border and Transportation Security Division of the Homeland Security Department. The White House had wanted to move the first responder programs to FEMA’s Office of National Preparedness. Senate members, however, preferred to have the ODP, which has been distributing grants for equipment to states since 1997, distribute federal assistance to first responders. FEMA reportedly was not involved in the final negotiations.
On the other hand, FEMA, under the House-passed bill, will absorb Health and Human Services’ Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP), which distributed $1.1 billion in grants earlier this year to state public health departments to help them prepare for bioterrorism attack response. The OEP will continue to coordinate the federal government’s response to terrorist attacks.
Sources: Govexec.com (Government Executive is a monthly business magazine serving senior executives and managers in the federal government); CNN.com; NVFC Legislative Update, 11/25; CFSI Legislative, 11/27/02
Ridge names Homeland Security committee; four IAFC members included
Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge has named the following to serve on the Emergency Services, Law Enforcement and Public Health and Hospitals Senior Advisory Committee to the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council. The advisory committee, established by Executive Order 13260 on March 19, 2002, will advise the Homeland Security Advisory Council on how to increase America’s security.
Richard Andrews of California, a former director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, will chair the new committee. He is the principal consultant on emergency management for the National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination, a division of the Candle Corporation.
James Moore of Florida will serve as the committee’s vice chair. He is the commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In addition to his law enforcement responsibilities, he will serve as the incident commander of any terrorist attack that might occur in Florida.
The following International Association of Fire Chief (IAFC) members have been named to the committee:
- Chief P. Michael Freeman, Los Angeles County Fire Department, who chairs the IAFC Terrorism Committee and previously was assistant chief of operations of the Dallas (TX) Fire Department.
- Chief Edward P. (Ed) Plaugher, Arlington County, Virginia, immediate past president of the State Fire Chiefs of Virginia and the incident commander at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
- Gary Scott, chief and administrator of the Campbell County (WY) Fire Department, a board member of the IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section, and a member of the IAFC Program Planning Committee. He previously was chief of Laramie County (WY) Volunteer Fire District #2.
- Chief William N. Gaughan, district fire chief for Peters Township, Pennsylvania, who also serves as vice president of E-Business and Information Technology for the polymers and chemical divisions of the Bayer Corporation. He has 30 years of firefighting, hazardous-materials, and terrorist incident response experience.
Completing the committee roster are the following:
- George F. Brown, chief of counterterrorism, New York City Police Department. He will be responsible for planning and directing the Police Department’s efforts in detecting, preventing, training for, and responding to acts of terrorism within the city.
- Michael S. Carona, sheriff of Orange County, California, who is the County’s emergency manager.
- Ellen Gordon, administrator of Iowa’s Emergency Management Division, who also serves as Iowa’s Homeland Security advisor. She was a member of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism (The Gilmore Commission).
- Phil E. Keith, chief of police, Knoxville, Tennessee, under whose leadership the Knoxville Police Department became nationally accredited and was selected to serve as a national demonstration site for community policing.
- Scott Lillibridge, director of the Center for Bio Security, University of Texas, who previously was the director of the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Paul M. Maniscalco, adjunct assistant professor, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, who was the EMS incident commander at the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
- Judith M. Mueller, director of public works, Charlottesville, Virginia, who is immediate past president of the American Public Works Association.
- Jane Perlov, chief of police of Raleigh, North Carolina, who previously served as the secretary of public safety for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
FEMA/USFA: 5,500 out of 19,500 fire departments will receive 2002 grants
More than 19,500 departments applied for 2002 Assistance to Firefighters grants. The Federal Emergency Management Agency/United States Fire Administration (FEMA/USFA) anticipates being able to fund 5,500 departments. Of the $360 million funded in 2002, $235 million had already been awarded to more than 3,700 fire departments at press time.
A list of all current award recipients is posted on the USFA Web site at www. usfa.fema.gov/grants. Future grant recipients will be listed as awards are made.
FEMA Director Allbaugh announces retirement
Joe M. Allbaugh will retire from his position as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on March 1, 2003. Until that time, he will oversee the transition of FEMA into the new Department of Homeland Security. In addressing the FEMA family, Allbaugh stated, “Change is never easy, so be patient and continue to focus on our core mission: leading America to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from disasters. Our nation needs each and every one of you.”
FEMA announces state grants for homeland security activities
The Office of National Preparedness (ONP), part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is offering fiscal year (FY) 2002 supplemental funds to states for state and local all-hazards emergency operational planning ($100 million), Citizen Corps activities ($25 million), and the development or improvement of Emergency Operations Centers ($56 million). The funding was appropriated under the second FY 2002 supplemental appropriations bill (P. L. 107-206).
States will be allocated funds based on population; there is no cost share. State grantees will be required to pass at least 75 percent of the amount received to local governments. The funds may be used to update emergency operations plans for all hazards, with special emphasis on incidents of terrorism including use of weapons of mass destruction; incorporate interstate and intrastate mutual-aid agreements; facilitate communication and interoperability protocols; establish a common incident command system; address critical infrastructure protection; conduct state and local assessments to determine emergency management planning priorities; address state and local continuity of operations and continuity of government; and provide for the coordination and effective use of volunteers in response to preparedness activities.
Citizen Corps. The inaugural meeting of the National Citizen Corps Council was held on December 4 at the White House. The council is comprised of leaders from first responder groups, emergency management agencies, volunteer service organizations, state and local governments, and the private sector. Its objective is to engage citizens in homeland security and promote community and family preparedness across the nation. (Among charter members are the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Volunteer Fire Council.) Member organization leaders and their counterparts at the state and local levels will work to create local Citizen Corps Councils and to promote the mission of the Citizen Corps. Additional information on the Citizen Corps is available from Debbie Wing, FEMA Office of Public Affairs at (202) 646-4600 or at www.citizencorps.gov.
These funds may be used to establish Citizen Corps Councils, to support the oversight and outreach responsibilities of the councils, and to expand Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. Of the $25 million, $4 million will be used for grants related to Citizen Corps Councils, $17 million for grants related to CERT training, and $4 million by FEMA for activities essential for developing the Citizen Corps initiative. Each state will be allocated a base amount of not less than 0.75 percent of the total amount available. The remaining funds will be allocated on the basis of population and added to the base amounts. There will be no cost share.
EOC funding. Funding for EOCs will be awarded in two phases. In Phase 1, each state will be allocated a $50,000 grant, which should be used for making an initial assessment of local EOCs. There is no cost share for Phase 1 grants.
Phase 2 grants will apply the remaining funds to address the most immediate EOC deficiencies nationwide. These grants will require a 50 percent non-Federal cost share.
Applications will be evaluated according to the following order of national priorities: physical modifications to the EOC to support secure communications equipment; new EOC construction where new construction is the most cost-effective action; corrective construction to address deficiencies determined by the risk assessment; architectural and engineering services for EOC projects in FY 2003 and out years; creation of a State Alternate EOC at an existing building for continuity of operations; physical modifications to enhance security, but not hiring guards; retrofits of existing EOCs with collective protection systems for chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) agents; redundant communications; and other projects to increase the survivability of existing state or local EOCs.
For additional information, contact Gil Jamieson, FEMA, Office of National Preparedness, at (202) 646-4090 or by e-mail: [email protected]. n
HHS offers rural AED grants
The Office of Rural Health Policy in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is administering the grant money appropriated as part of the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Grant program. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson has announced the availability of $11.9 million in grants for states. The funds are to be used to buy automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and train emergency personnel in rural areas in their use. Additional information is posted at www.ruralhealth.hrsa.gov.
The National Volunteer Fire Council encourages rural fire departments and rescue squads to contact the grantee agency in their states to determine how the funding will be distributed and if they will be eligible for any funds.
The funding for these grants is part of the Secretary’s Initiative on Rural Communities, aimed at improving access to health care and social services for rural areas. Also funded under this initiative was $26.7 million in grants for small rural hospitals.
One-stop Web site for disaster response and recovery data in pilot test
Disasterhelp.gov, intended to be a one-stop portal for the exchange of disaster preparedness and response information, has entered its pilot launch phase, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Joe M. Allbaugh. During this phase, Disasterhelp.gov will be evaluated for its ability to maximize the availability of information to first responders so that the effects of a disaster can be minimized. The project is part of the Disaster Management Initiative, one of the President’s three primary electronic government initiatives. FEMA will be the managing partner agency of disasterhelp.gov; there will be 26 other partners.
It is intended that, in time, disasterhelp.gov will focus on interoperability between first responders; the capability (scalability) to support more than four million members of the first responder community; and collaboration applications to assist in disaster prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.
Mineola firefighters get tax break
Members of the Mineola (NY) Fire Department, who reside within Mineola, will get a 10 percent tax exemption on the assessed valuation of their homes. The maximum benefit for a firefighter under the New York State law that authorized the tax break is $90 a year.
To be eligible for the discount, the firefighters must have at least five years of active service and the home must be the firefighter’s primary resident. If the property is for residential and other purposes, the exemption would apply only to the residential portion. Fire department members who have served 20 years will be granted a lifetime exemption. On the firefighter’s death, the exemption would be passed along to the spouse.
Deputy Mayor Lou Santosus, a former chief of the Mineola Fire Department, made the motion to adopt the tax exemption, which was passed unanimously. The state law also applies to emergency service workers; however, since the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps is not a department of the village (as it would be if it were part of the fire department), the village cannot offer the exemption to Corps members.
Source: Mineola (NY) American, in NVFC Legislative Update, 12/20/02
FDA approves AED for home use
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a version of the automated external defibrillator (AED) for home use. According to the National Safety Council, which applauds the FDA’s decision, recent studies show that up to 70 percent of victims of sudden cardiac arrest might survive when AEDs are accessible and used within three to four minutes, and it generally takes six to 12 minutes for the average U.S. emergency medical services (EMS) team to arrive at the scene of a medical emergency.
New York City adopts NFPA National Electrical CodeT
New York City has adopted NFPA 70, National Electrical CodeT (NECT), with localized amendments. By adopting an amended 1999 NEC, the city will be advancing its code in areas such as low-voltage systems, fiber optics, digital control systems, and solar and fuel cell technology.
University of Maryland students staff fire stations
More than 19 University of Maryland students volunteer at the College Park fire station, and approximately 40 are members of Prince George’s County volunteer stations within a five-mile radius of the campus.
Many of the student firefighters live in the fire station and commute to campus for class. They take calls in the evenings and on weekends, freeing paid firefighters. Many of the students are enrolled in the university’s Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) program. Others do it for the camaraderie of the fire station or because they were volunteers in the fire departments of their hometowns before coming to the university.
A university chemistry professor started the College Park Volunteer Fire Department in 1925. The university gave the land for the current College Park station and provides $350,000 annually to help support the station, which answers 50 percent of its fire calls on campus.
The University’s Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) was started also in 1925, as an arm of the engineering department’s fire service extension. Today MFRI, headquartered across Rt. 1 from the university, is the state’s fire and emergency service training agency.
Students who live at the College Park department must be full-time students in the University System of Maryland, maintain at least a 2.0 grade average, rotate coverage of the 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, and complete a minimum of 100 hours of firefighting and 120 hours of EMT training at MFRI.
Recalled products pose fire, safety hazards
The following products are being recalled because they may pose safety/fire hazards, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):
- Tecumseh Products Co., Tecumseh, Michigan—A misrouted fuel line in the engines of some 25,000 outdoor power appliances can become damaged and allow gasoline to leak out. The engine model numbers involved are HMSK 80 through 110 and HM 80 through 100. Engines that have a yellow dot painted on the fuel line have already been inspected or repaired and are not included in this recall. The engines were included in the following appliances:
- Snow throwers sold under the brand names Snow King Ariens, Simplicity, Snapper, and Toro sold at Home Depot, Ariens Dealers, Blaine’s Farm and Fleet, Simplicity Dealers, Snapper Dealers, and Toro Dealers.
- Chipper-shredders sold under the brand names MTD Yard Machines, Mighty Mac, Merry Mac, Baker, Earthquake, and Simplicity through Menards, Northern Tool, Home Depot, Mackissic Dealers, Northern Tool, Ardisam Dealers, Simplicity Dealers.
- Generators under the brand names Coleman Powermate and North Star sold through Menards and Northern Tool.
- Pressure Washers under the brand names Tilton Aqua-Stripper and Tilton Hydra Storm, sold through Tilton and Hydra Storm dealers.
- MTD Yard Machines Wheeled Leaf Blowers sold at Home Depot.
- Sears, Roebuck & Co. distributed a limited quantity of these recalled products under its Craftsman brand name. Owners will receive direct mail notice from Sears about this recall.
The products were sold from June 2002 through November 2002.
For additional information or for a free engine repair, contact Tecumseh at (888) 271-4048 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday to schedule a free engine repair or log onto the company’s Web site at www.tecumsehpower.com.
Scuba regulators. Oceanic USA, of San Leandro, California, is recalling about 24,700 Oceanic CDX first-stage regulators used for scuba diving. Extreme vibration within the regulators can cause air to leak underwater and, consequently, result in divers running out of air and drowning. The units involved have serial numbers 9200001 to 9205622, 9800013 to 9801711, 0200001 to 0213294, 0D0001 to 0D3046, or 9D0001 to 9D3273. The regulators were sold with Alpha 7, Delta 3, Gamma 2, and Zeta second-stage regulators worldwide from May 1999 through October 2002.
Any authorized Oceanic dealer will repair the regulator without cost. Other repairs or normal maintenance performed in addition to the recall repair will incur a charge. For more information, contact Oceanic at (866) 723-2642 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.OceanicWorldWide.com.
Circular saws. Makita U.S.A. Inc., of La Mirada, California, is recalling about 180,000 circular saws. The lower blade guard of the saw can become jammed, which can result in the user’s contacting the blade and suffering a serious injury.
The recall involves 71/4-inch circular saws with the model number 5740NB. They were sold in home centers, hardware stores, and industrial suppliers nationwide from April 1998 to November 2002. Any 5740NB circular saws with an “N” preceding the serial number on the nameplate and a blue dot on the shipping carton are not involved in this recall.
Makita will repair the saw without charge. For more information on how to return the saw or to locate the nearest Makita factory service center, contact Makita U.S.A. Inc. at (800) 462-5482 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
$75 million in cuts proposed for FDNY
New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloom-berg, struggling with a deficit estimated to be more than $5 billion, has proposed a $1 billion spending cut for the city. The Fire Department of New York has been asked to cut $75 million from its 2003 budget. (The Police Department reportedly has submitted a plan for cutting about $250 million.)
Among actions proposed for the fire department are closing 24 fire stations at night, cutting the number of fire marshals by more than half, closing eight fire companies housed in stations that have two companies (at press time, it was reported that these companies will be retained), and decreasing the number of firefighters in some engine companies from five to four.
The city has delayed the hiring of 300 firefighters until later in 2003.
Source: “Budget-Cutting Struggles Sting an Already-Pained Fire Dept.,” Michael Cooper and Kevin Flynn, The New York Times, Oct. 25, 2002
Academy trains youth in firefighting
Students at the co-ed, grades 7-12 Mawa Academy in French Gulch, California, have had the opportunity to take the elective Fire Technology course since 1994. The course provides hands-on training in basic wildland firefighting; a fully equipped Type III wildland fire engine is used. Students are taught comprehensive wildland firefighting skills, site management, safety, the basics of structural firefighting, and vertical and swiftwater rescue. “My primary goal is not to produce career firefighters but rather well-rounded responsible young adults,” says Ben Sundoen, fire chief and the academy’s vice principal, who has been teaching students fire technology since 1984. He has worked with the United States Forest Service and the Shasta County and Redding City fire departments and is a volunteer with Shasta County Search and Rescue.
Principal Jan Kells notes that the fire technology course encompasses many areas of the traditional academic curriculum. “Students often don’t realize just how many English, math, and science concepts are incorporated into their daily fire tech classes,” she explains.
Students laud the lifelong skills and abilities they acquire, such as teamwork and leadership, and also come to appreciate what firefighters do and the amount of work it takes to do it.
Modified JCAHO standards reference 2000 Life Safety CodeT
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), a national health care standard setting and accrediting body, recently modified its Environment of Care standards in all of its accreditation manuals to reference the 2000 edition of NFPA 101, Life Safety CodeT. JCAHO had been using the 1997 edition of the code for accreditation surveys and visits to gauge the fire and life safety performance of health care occupancies.
The Life Safety CodeT sets minimum building design, construction, operation, and maintenance requirements for protecting building occupants from dangers caused by fire, smoke, and toxic fumes. The Life Safety CodeT also addresses prompt escape requirements for new and existing buildings, including health care occupancies.
Among the revisions in the 2000 edition of NFPA 101 are clarifications of issues that affect new and existing hospitals, including new criteria for locking arrangements; field-applied protective plates on doors; and conditions under which standard response sprinklers can remain in use, allowing for construction modifications normally permitted only when quick-response sprinklers are installed.
A significant change in the 2000 code is the introduction of detailed goals and objectives for fuller evaluation of proposed equivalencies in certain circumstances when code compliance would not otherwise be readily achievable. The 2000 version of the code stipulates that it must be demonstrated that the Code’s goals and objectives have been met when the performance-based design option is used.
The Life Safety CodeT is a key component of the Comprehensive Consensus Codes™ (C3) set. For additional information, log on to www.nfpa.org.
OSHA revises standard for means of egress
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revised its standards for means of egress. The OSHA Final Rule, which became effective December 7, 2002, permits employers to comply with NFPA 101, Life Safety CodeT, 2000, to meet means of egress standards.
An electronic copy of the final rule is available on www.osha.gov.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
November 25. Lieutenant Randall E. Carpenter, 46, Coos Bay (OR) Fire Department: explosion and subsequent roof collapse at a fire in an auto body shop.
November 25. Firefighter/Engineer Jeffery E. Common, 30, Coos Bay (OR) Fire Department: explosion and subsequent roof collapse at a fire in an auto body shop.
November 25. Firefighter/Engineer Robert Charles (Chuck) Hanners, 33, Coos Bay (OR) Fire Department: explosion and subsequent collapse at a fire in an auto body shop.
December 4. Firefighter Kerry G. Neis, 31, Fort Rucker (AL) DPS-Fire and Emergency Services: struck and killed by fire apparatus while participating in a training evolution related to extinguishing aircraft fires.
December 5. Firefighter Dennis Harris, 43, Mt. Vernon Volunteer Fire Department, Tellico Plains, Tennessee: cardiac arrest while operating a pumper at a structure fire.
December 5. Captain Michael Lee DePauw, 51, Dallas (TX) Fire-Rescue Department: preliminary cause was “heart attack”; official cause pending.
December 7. Chief Henry James Wissel, 55, Heidelberg Fire Department, Carnegie, Pennsylvania: collapsed while operating the water pumps at an automotive garage/residence fire. His death was attributed to a heart attack.
December 12. Firefighter Jonathan Myron Lamphear, 23, Boyd (MN) Fire Department: injuries sustained in a traffic accident while driving in his vehicle to a fire response.
December 13. Firefighter Shawn Michael Espinoza, 29, Ranger (TX) Fire Department: an apparent heart attack while training.
January 2. Assistant Chief Michael Peter Killian, 34, Windom Fire Company, Orchard Park, New York: collapsed and died from a massive myocardial infarction while performing routine maintenance at the fire station.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, U.S. Fire Administration.
