IAFC calls for 100,000 uniformed fire personnel for Oct. 6 memorial service
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has issued a “first notification” to its membership that 100,000 uniformed fire service personnel are needed to form a Procession of Honor immediately prior to the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation (NFFFF) Memorial Service on Sunday, October 6, 2002, in Washington, DC.
Information relative to the time of the procession, staging, and other details of the event will be forwarded to interested departments as the details become available.
The NFFF memorial event was moved from Emmitsburg, Maryland, to Washington, DC, this year because of the huge crowd anticipated. The NFFF has scheduled a formal family service for 3 p.m. on Sunday at the MCI Center in downtown DC, but seating in the center is limited. Therefore, the service will be open only to dignitaries and the immediate families of firefighters lost in the line of duty during 2001. The Procession of Honor was conceived to enable fire service personnel from across the nation to participate in this historic event.
“We would like to have a solid wall of firefighters representing every facet of the fire service-from every town and community-as far as the eye can see,” said IAFC President John M. Buckman III. “It would be the greatest collective gesture of respect we could make as a profession to honor our own.”
Personnel who attend must be in dress uniform. All personnel will march “en masse” but will be allowed to group together as departments. No apparatus will be allowed in the procession.
The IAFC stresses that the purpose of this “first notification” is to alert IAFC members of the coming event and to “solicit indications of participation from interested departments.” The IAFC will develop a list of departments and provide details on the procession as they become available.
Please note that all travel and lodging will be the participants’ responsibility. Neither the IAFC nor the NFFF will be able to assist departments in obtaining such arrangements, and no hotel rooms are being held for this purpose. However, the resources below should assist in securing arrangements:
- Capital Reservations (DC Convention/Visitors Bureau) 1-800-VISITDC (1-800-847-4832) 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
- Visit DC Web site: http://www.washington.org/.
- Any travel/destination Web site such as www.travelocity.com, www.orbitz.com, and www.expedia.com/.
To express your interest in participating in the Procession of Honor, e-mail: [email protected]; provide your department’s name, a contact name and phone number, and the number of personnel who will attend. Please do not call the IAFC or the NFFF for information at this time. More information will be provided as it becomes available. n
Firefighter death rate steady since 1970s despite safety advances
Despite scientific, technical, and safety code advances, firefighters are dying in structure fires today at the same rate as their counterparts did in the 1970s, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This finding is based on an analysis of on-duty firefighter deaths from 1977 to 2000.
According to the NFPA, some of the factors that may have kept firefighter fatalities at the same level while the number of structure fires has dropped include the following: not enough equipment and staff at the fire scene, inadequacy of firefighter training, the role of modern building construction in fire development and collapse, and the rapidity with which building furnishings and other contents burn. Another factor might be that firefighters believe that personal protective equipment (PPE) can provide more protection from fire than it actually does.
The steadiness of the fatality rate despite technological advances indicates that improvements are needed in training, equipping, and supervising firefighting personnel, the report states.
The report recommends that personnel accountability systems that track personnel by location and function be used so that incident commanders can immediately locate firefighters at emergencies. In addition, the NFPA notes, firefighters should be aware of how far they have traveled into a burning building, identify escape routes before entering, and make sure those escape routes have not been compromised. In addition, firefighters must note and heed danger signs such as fires in the basement and indications of a potential collapse, a flashover, or a backdraft; must immediately respond to low-air alarms on self-contained breathing apparatus; and must activate their PASS devices. The report also noted that “attention to personal fitness and health are tantamount” and that “there [should] be adherence to state-of-the-art firefighter occupational safety standards.”
Fire departments request nearly $2.2 billion in FEMA/USFA fire grants
Fire service volunteers have completed their evaluation of fire departments’ requests for grants under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/U.S Fire Administration (USFA) 2002 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The reviewers’ assessments have been forwarded to the FEMA/USFA staff for final processing and selection of grant recipients. The grant program was funded at $360 million for this year. Applications (19,500) for nearly $2.2 billion in assistance have been received. The request for funds were in four general categories:
- Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety: 58 percent of the applications.
- Firefighting Vehicles: 37 percent of the applications.
- Fire Prevention Programs: 3 percent of the applications.
- Emergency Medical Services: 2 percent of the applications.
In accordance with the authorizing legislation, grants will be awarded to paid, volunteer, and combination departments; departments located in communities of varying sizes; and departments located in urban, suburban, and rural communities. The first grants were awarded in June; awards will continue to be announced through the summer and fall until all of the appropriated funds are awarded.
Applicants who did not make the peer review level will be notified of the final status of their submissions. Departments whose applications were peer reviewed but who did not receive funding will be notified later this year.
FEMA/USFA cannot respond to requests for information on the status of specific applications. However, regular updates on the grant program are posted on the FEMA/USFA Web site at www.usfa.fema.gov/grants/.
IAFC completes survey on homeland defense security advisory system
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) recently polled its members concerning the color-coded Security (Threat) Advisory System proposed by Tom Ridge, director of the President’s Office of Homeland Defense. Nearly 1,000 of the 12,600 IAFC members participated in the Web-based survey. The most significant findings of the survey follow.
- Nearly 75 percent of respondents say the color-coded alert system may benefit the public in some way but would likely be of little value to the fire service.
- Many respondents questioned the format of the alert system and wondered why an additional color code was added to the numerous scales now in place. These scales range from the F-0 to 5 tornado scale to the colorized national weather maps and familiar Department of Defense “DefCon” threat alert levels.
- Most respondents voiced concern about how the threat level information would be conveyed: How would such alerts be communicated? Through whom or what? How quickly? Who would analyze the information? How accurately would the information be transmitted?
The IAFC forwarded a formal report containing an analysis of the survey findings to the Department of Justice on April 26 as part of the open public comment period before implementation of the Ridge program.
The full survey report is on the IAFC Web site
National Fire Academy Alumni Association membership nearing 14,000
The number of members in the National Fire Academy Alumni Association (NFAAA) was 13,600 in April, NFAAA Administrator Ron Kanterman reported at the organization’s meeting held during the Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis in April. New members have been signing up at a rate of about 10 per day, he explained.
Treasurer John Buckman III, chief of the German Township (IN) Fire Department and president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, reported that the NFAAA has cash assets of $12,329.67 and that an Excel spreadsheet is posted on the NFAAA Web site at www.nfaalumni.org. Cresleigh Bancorp officials presented the organization with a check for $4,500; this is the second year of the bank’s support. Cresleigh employees also raised $8,000 after the September 11 attacks; the money was donated to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).
Dr. Denis Onieal, superintendent of the National Fire Academy (NFA), urged NFAAA members to contact their peers and to advise them of the educational and training opportunities available through the NFA. He reported that 8,000 individuals attended classes on the NFA campus last year.
Ron Siarnicki, executive director of the NFFF, reported that an alliance between the NFAAA and the NFFF was being formed.
NFPA launches Web site for Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-13
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has launched its Fire Prevention Week (FPW) Web site (www.firepreventionweek.org) to assist fire departments in preparing for Fire Prevention Week, October 6-13. “Team Up for Fire Safety” is this year’s theme.
Fire departments will be able to download classroom materials, artwork, and sample media materials from the new site. Major components of the FPW campaign include installing/testing smoke alarms, practicing home escape plans, and hunting for home hazards. “The success of the FPW grassroots campaign relies on local fire departments and first responders who put the program into action,” notes Meri-K Appy, NFPA vice president for public education.
Antiliano D. Estrella, assistant deputy fire marshal of the Providence (RI) Fire Department and an NFPA Risk WatchT Champion, will prominently appear on all FPW 2002 official artwork and the Web site. “Estrella serves as a symbol of the hard work and dedication firefighters tirelessly put into FPW each year,” notes the NFPA.
Bill would have CPSC stop sale of flammable children’s sleepwear
The Children’s Sleepwear Safety Act (S. 2208, H.R. 730) would revoke the 1996 amendments that relaxed the standards for the flammability of children’s sleepwear. The current Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulation allows manufacturers and retailers to sell flammable clothing for children up to size 14 if it is not marketed as sleepwear.
In 1996, the CPSC exempted all sleepwear for infants nine months or younger and tight-fitting sleepwear in children’s sizes up to 14 from the flammability standards. Members of the fire service are urged to contact their senators and representatives and ask them to become cosponsors of these bills. Legislators’ contact information may be obtained from http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials, or by calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Jury finds fire official guilty in live burn death
An Oneida County (NY) jury found Alan G. Baird III, 30, of the Lairdsville (NY) Fire Department guilty of criminally negligent homicide in connection with a live burn training exercise in which a firefighter trainee was killed and two firefighters were injured. Baird is to be sentenced July 8 (after press time). Baird was assistant chief at the time of the incident, which took place in a vacant farmhouse.
The victim died of asphyxia brought about by smoke and superheated air.
First District Attorney Michael Coluzza, head prosecuting attorney, said he believes there should be compulsory state-mandated standards governing live burns.
“This verdict should awaken the fire chiefs, training officers, and instructors across the country to the fact that they may be held liable if they fail to properly lead, organize, and control training incidents that result in an injury to firefighters,” said John M. Buckman III, chief of the German Township (IN) Volunteer Fire Department in Evansville, Indiana, and president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs said in a recent interview.
(Reference: Ken Little, Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, May 23, 2002, http://www.uticaod.com/news/ daily/verdict.htm)
NFPA supports Joseph Moakley Memorial Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 2002
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced its support of the Joseph Moakley Memorial Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 2002, sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin (IL) and Representative Edward Markey (MA).
The legislation would establish a federal fire-safe cigarette standard. If adopted, this act would make fire safety standards for cigarettes more stringent, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) would establish the standard by which cigarettes could be regulated relative to their propensity to start fires.
The late Congressman Joseph Moakley, of Massachusetts, was instrumental in having Congress pass legislation in 1992 that ultimately led to the development of a standard test method for assessing cigarettes’ ignition resistance so that an engineered solution to cigarette ignition could be implemented.
Unfortunately, notes the NFPA: “Smoking materials, primarily cigarettes, remain the number one cause of fatal fires in the United States.” According to its 1998 “The U.S. Smoking Material Fire Problem” report, fires caused by smoking materials resulted in more than 900 civilian fire deaths, nearly 2,500 civilian injuries, and about $410 million in direct property damage. About 25 percent of all residential structure fire deaths are caused by smoking materials, says the NFPA.
Plan offers college tuition to New York State firefighter recruits
In an effort to bolster the dwindling ranks of the state’s volunteer firefighter and ambulance corps members, the New York State Senate has proposed offering recruits money toward college. Fire officials say the number of volunteers has dropped by at least 11,000 over the past five years to about 109,000.
The Senate plan would commit $2.5 million in the 2002-2003 state budget to pay college costs for up to 1,500 volunteers. They would qualify for $3,400 a year each-the cost of tuition at State University of New York campuses-though the recruits could attend private colleges. To be eligible, recruits must have served for at least one year and must continue to be active in a volunteer fire or ambulance company in New York while attending college.
The Senate made the same proposal last year, but it did not make it into the final version of the 2001-02 state budget.
Automotive chargers recalled
About 18,000 Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation Power Plus automotive chargers (some in wrench kits) are voluntarily being recalled because they may pose a fire hazard. The chargers plug into automotive cigarette lighters and are used on job sites to charge power tool batteries. When used under low-voltage conditions, the chargers can overheat.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation have received six reports of the chargers’ overheating. No injuries or property damage has been reported.
The recall includes the following Power Plus automotive chargers and Impact wrench kits: Charger catalog number 48-59-0184, serial numbers all serial range; wrench kit catalog number 9079-23, serial numbers 241A401520001 through 241A402080126.
The chargers and wrench kits were sold nationwide through home centers, hardware stores, and industrial distributors from March 2000 through April 2002.
Items with these catalog/serial numbers should be sent to the nearest Milwaukee factory service center or an authorized power tool service center. For information concerning replacement options, contact Milwaukee Electric Tool at (800) 414-6527 between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday. To locate the nearest service center, visit www.heavydutytool.com.
Low voltage can increase false alarms in life safety systems
Fire marshals and the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) say life safety systems can be rendered inoperable not only by lightning but also by power surges from brownouts, blackouts, grid switching, and large equipment draw.
“Lightning storms rendered too many fire alarms inoperable, especially in multibuilding complexes connected with cable,” says Whitney Crahen, the veteran fire protection specialist who reviews fire alarm plans for the city of San Antonio, Texas. “When lightning hits, it can spread hundreds of feet until it finds the path of least resistance-all too often the highly conductive copper wiring that feeds into life safety alarm systems.”
Crahen’s solution has been to actively enforce NFPA 70, National Electrical CodeT, which requires surge-suppression devices on circuits that extend between buildings. “Proper surge protection for fire alarms is a requirement, and enforcing it will eliminate many future problems,” says Crahen.
The NBFAA also recommends surge protection. In its May 2000 brief titled “Surge Protection = Fewer False Alarms,” it states, “False alarms caused by lightning strikes are controllable through power and phone line protection. Surge protection has been used to protect sensitive electronics for many years. This protection can protect burglar or fire alarm panels from damage and prevent many false alarms.”
As system complexity and intelligence increase, requiring that parallel systems such as sprinklers, environmental controls, and critical condition devices be monitored, the probability of introducing damaging transients increases. Components are requiring voltages that are reaching new lows; this further increases the components’ susceptibility to transient damage and malfunction. A RS-485 data circuit running at three volts, for example, may be damaged or cause problems in the system when relatively small overvoltages are introduced. In contrast, the simpler analog components used in previous decades may not even have activated until the voltage reached 10 times that amount.
The power surges from brownouts, blackouts, grid switching, and large equipment draw can also wreak havoc with life safety systems mandated nationwide in stores, schools, offices, hotels, hospitals, and public spaces of all types, possibly subjecting these occupancies to increased scrutiny and fines from fire inspectors.
“Unmonitored systems could be unoperational for months-until they are discovered by a fire marshal or an alarm contractor,” says Craig Torrey, a fire inspector for the city of Anchorage, Alaska. Torrey notes: “Since a downed property without a life safety system would be at increased fire risk, the owner might be directed to fix the system in as little as 24 to 48 hours and may have to establish a continuous 24-hour firewatch by qualified personnel, such as off-duty firefighters in the interim, or face shutdown.”
Power fluctuations may also become more commonplace as a result of electrical deregulation, as was exemplified by the rotating outage numbers recently assigned to California Edison customers. The fluctuations may develop as supply and transmission issues are worked out in the “marketplace.”
David Burke, a senior executive at DITEK, a manufacturer of commercial, industrial, and residential surge protection, notes that when you see your VCR flashing 12:00 or your microwave giving the message “PF” (for power failure), that means there was a voltage spike large enough to reset your system. Also, Burke points out, if the lights dim and then return to full brightness when the building next door tests its backup generator, that’s a power spike as well. Air-conditioning units and other large equipment cause power fluctuations of a larger magnitude. For example, Burke recalls an Orlando, Florida, convention at which there was a 20-volt overcurrent each time the air-conditioner chillers kicked in. A demo unit with an audible alert and built-in surge counter registered the overvoltage each time the HVAC service cycled through. Even when systems continue to work properly, Burke explains, transients will take a toll on sensitive electronics over time and reduce the system’s life by as much as 30 percent.
Is it necessary to add aftermarket surge protection when most panels have the devices built into the control board? According to the May 2000 NBFAA brief: “By installing a surge protection device at the electrical outlet where the transformer is plugged in, the damaging transient can be bypassed to ground before it gets to the control panel, thereby greatly reducing the potential for false alarms or damage to the control board. The same is true when you install surge protection on the phone line prior to its entering the panel.”
The brief recommends that surge protection be added on both the AC (electric power line) and the phone line. “Many panels are zapped when transient voltage jumps the phone company’s lightning protector and sends 100s or 1000s of volts where only 48 volts normally reside,” according to the brief.
According to Burke, putting a surge protector on the AC power does not provide adequate protection. Only 30 to 40 percent of all damaging transients actually come in on the AC circuit, he says. “Most enter through the phone or data/communication circuits that run from building to building. Any wiring to the panel is a possible entry point for transients that should have adequate surge protection,” he explains.
What is adequate surge protection?
- To start, surge suppressors should be UL-listed and installed a minimum of three feet from the control panel for a margin of safety. This usually requires aftermarket surge suppression. While most built-in protection meets minimum UL requirements, this usually takes the form of a small fuse or metal oxide varistor. Built-in protection allows damaging transients inside sensitive panels, which can disrupt function, including ground faults, trouble alerts, and communication failures. And if the voltage dissipation isn’t adequate, the damaged equipment may have to be replaced, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars in severe instances.
- Use “surge protectors that self-restore after dissipating the surge harmlessly to ground,” recommends the NBFFA. This will prevent a false alarm, the NBFFA says. According to the NBFFA, “Self-restoring surge protectors wait for a predetermined voltage to be achieved; they then clamp the overvoltage, shunt it to ground, and automatically reset themselves to passive mode until it happens again.” These self-restoring protectors can stop hundreds of surges.
- Buy the proper surge protector for your application; fire panels have different circuits that follow specific protocols. Using a generic model designed for scores of applications likely won’t work as well for your specific application.
Burke warns against using the wrong surge protector on a circuit. He says, for example, that “a high-voltage surge protector used on a low-voltage circuit might not clamp until 30 volts or higher, at which point the circuitry will already be destroyed. Alternately, if you put a low-voltage surge protector on a high-voltage device, such as a horn/strobe circuit,” Burkes says, “the normal operating voltage of the horn/strobe may be seen as hostile current by the protection device. That’s a recipe for false alarms or ground faults.”
- Choose surge suppressors that meet the latest codes, as fire codes at the national, state, and local levels may vary and are subject to change. At times, to meet specialized codes or mandates especially at the local level, Burke notes, it may be necessary to work with a manufacturer to build customized surge protection features.
- Keep up with technological advances. “For convenience and continuous protection after a catastrophic surge, replacement smart module technology is worth looking into,” adds Burke. “This technology was originally developed for school and government use, where multiple buildings or campus-style system designs are common. It quickly identifies any sacrificed protectors with a red failure diagnostic light, which eliminates time-consuming, on-site troubleshooting. Its two-piece modular design enables quick replacement with no tools or test equipment: Just pull out the bad module, snap the new one into the base assembly, hit ‘acknowledge-reset,’ and the system is back in operation and fully protected.”
- To protect data and video production devices from surges and “ghosting,” look into the new technology that protects the circuit from surge and isolates suppressor components from the circuitry of the system protected. The technology combines silicon avalanche diodes (SAD) with a diode bridge integrated into one component, providing protection and isolation in one package. With fewer components to fail and less circuitry on the PC board, this improves reliability in a more compact suppression design than typically available.
This article, written by technical writer Del Williams, was condensed. For additional information, e-mail [email protected].
Nebraska adopts 2002 Electrical Code
The state of Nebraska has adopted National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70, National Electrical CodeT (NEC). The code focuses on the proper installation of electrical systems and equipment to protect people and property from the potential dangers of electricity. The NEC is revised every three year to update technologies and installation safety practices.
NFPA membership approves Building Code
Members attending the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) World Safety Conference & Exposition voted to accept NFPA 5000, Building Code, during the Technical Committee Reports session. If the NFPA Standards Council issues the code at its meeting on July 16, it will be available for adoption immediately.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
May 3: Captain Derek Martin, 38, of the St. Louis (MO) Fire Department, died while trying to rescue a trapped firefighter inside a burning two-story brick refrigeration company building.
May 3: Captain Robert Morrison, 38, of the St. Louis (M) Fire Department, died while trying to rescue a trapped firefighter inside a burning two-story brick refrigeration company building.
May 4: Junior Firefighter Christopher Kangas, 14, of the Brookhaven (PA) Fire Company, died of injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle while responding to a fire on his bicycle.
May 8: Firefighter Thomas W. Kickler, 38, of the Laurens County (SC) Fire Department, died of a massive heart attack after returning home from a mobile home fire. He was also a career assistant chief with the Pelham-Batensville Fire Department.
May 8: Firefighter Joseph Michael Tynan Jr., 55, of the Brookline (MA) Fire Department, died of complications resulting from injuries sustained in the line of duty when he fell from an apparatus while responding to an alarm on November 23, 1982.
May 14: Firefighter Jeremy Brown, 27, of the Screven County Fire Department in Sylvania, Georgia, was responding to a call in his private vehicle when he was involved in a one-car accident.
May 22: Firefighter Sekou Turner, 28, of the Alameda County (CA) Fire Department, suffered a heart attack while working an EMS incident.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration.
