NFPA study: Some firefighter fatalities were known to have heart problems
As many as 75 percent of U.S. firefighters who died of cardiovascular disease in the line of duty between the years 1995 and 2004 went to work with heart conditions they were aware of or that were detectable, according to a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report.
Over the 10 years covered in the study, 440 (43.7 percent) of the firefighters who died on the job during that period suffered sudden cardiac death (heart attack or other heart-related sudden death). An average of 97 firefighters died overall in the line of duty in each of these 10 years.
Based on an analysis of the medical information pertaining to 308 of the 440 firefighters, the NFPA found that 134 had previously suffered a heart attack, had undergone a coronary bypass, or had angioplasty/stent placement. Most of them were known to have heart disease but were not on restricted duty. Severe blockage of the heart’s arteries was apparent in 97 of the firefighters, but it is not known if the firefighters were aware of the blockage before their death.
Since sudden cardiac death is generally the result of stress or exertion, the NFPA says firefighter lives can be saved by promoting health, scheduling health screenings, placing those at probable risk for a heart attack on appropriate job restrictions, and treating the conditions.
The NFPA notes that unfit firefighters pose a danger to themselves, their fellow firefighters, and the public if they become incapacitated during emergency response. The full study is available at http://www.nfpa. org/fatalityreport. ■
Initiative would employ higher- education resources in emergencies
A $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been applied to the “Ready Campus” program. The program, according to Jim Roberts, College of Misericordia, strengthens emergency management principles and practices in the state’s colleges and universities and neighboring communities. According to Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, the Ready Campus program eventually will help higher education institutions across the country to collaborate with communities and relief agencies to ensure the safety and public health of American citizens in emergencies. More than 80 colleges, universities, emergency management agencies, and government organizations participated in training sessions held in the Pennsylvania cities of Dallas, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. Participants shared information pertaining to using campus facilities, faculty, and staff volunteers during an emergency and integrating emergency management principles and practices into academic courses.
The program also funded individual college and university projects, including Keystone College’s local American Red Cross chapter, which will prepare the campus as an evacuation site; Kutztown University, which held a workshop for campus and community leaders; Carnegie-Mellon University, host of a workshop for area agencies; Duquesne University; the University of Pittsburgh; and the Pennsylvania College of Technology, which is working with the Red Cross to offer training to the campus community.
A final version of a Ready Campus training manual, developed and revised during the training sessions, will be available this summer. Misericordia President Mike MacDowell conceived the idea for the program. The college had served as a valuable community resource during the 1972 Hurricane Agnes floods. MacDowell wasn’t at the college then, but he reviewed the history of that period and says he believes the college could have made an even greater contribution to the region than it did in 1972. ■
Suspicious activities and possible terrorists
This is a follow-up to the warning in last month’s News in Brief concerning suspicious visitors/imposters to health care institutions and hospitals.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reported the following in its May 19, 2005, INFOGRAM:
Recently, an emergency medical services (EMS) organization contacted local law enforcement to report suspicious electronic mail. The e-mail requested that the rescue squad host the message sender for an internship to study and learn about American response and rescue operations. Using the information provided in the e-mail, the FBI found that the individual matching that name, age, and place of origin had been refused entrance into the country, and is unwelcome based on his suspected affiliations.
Therefore, emergency organizations should be alert for and cautious about similar inquiries or activities. Those intending to harm our nation and its people will try very creative ways to exploit existing vulnerabilities for their terrorist plans and actions.
The EMR-ISAC again encourages emergency sector departments and agencies to report suspicious inquiries or activities to the National Infrastructure Coordination Center (NICC) in addition to local law enforcement. The NICC can be contacted by voice at (202) 282-9201, e-mail at [email protected], or facsimile at (703) 487-3570. ■
New San Diego region incident management team receives training
The newly established San Diego (CA) all-hazards incident management team received training through the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in May. Developed by the National Fire Programs Division of FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), the program trains state and regional teams to function under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) during a large incident or major event.
The San Diego team, comprised of incident management personnel from throughout the region, will support local jurisdictions and response agencies in managing large or complex emergency incidents or other events and support California’s state response agencies when multiple major emergencies occur simultaneously. The team will provide support in areas such as operations, planning, resources, and administration.
The seven-day customized training course featured numerous exercises and simulations and concluded with a simulated scenario/incident that might occur in the future. After the course, the IMT members received position-specific training for the individual functions they will perform at an incident; they will work with experienced incident management personnel at major national incidents such as wildland fires and other disasters to acquire hands-on experience. Information about the USFA All-Hazards IMT Technical Assistance Program is available at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/subjects/incident/imt/, or contact the program office at [email protected] or (301) 447-7888. ■
DHS announces fire prevention and safety grants
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced in May that 82 grants, totaling $4,825,127, were awarded to fire departments and national, state, and local organizations in the seventh round of the Fire Prevention and Safety grants, also part of the Fiscal Year 2004 Assistance to Firefighter Grant program (AFG). These grants give priority to projects that focus on preventing fire-related injuries to children. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is administered by the Department’s Office for Domestic Preparedness in cooperation with the Department’s United States Fire Administration. ■
IAFF and other unions withdraw from DoD “meet and confer” process
Harold Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), AFL-CIO/CLC, has charged that the Department of Defense (DoD) has launched “an outright attack on its workers.” The IAFF, some AFL-CIO/CLC locals, and three other unions withdrew from talks involving “massive changes in the National Security Personnel System” proposed by the DoD, the IAFF release said.
“Firefighters are true patriots. We have a clear stake and strong belief in the protection of our great country. If lives can be saved and our country can be safer by making some adjustments to the National Security Personnel System, we will assist the DoD in making the necessary changes,” Schaitberger explained. In fact, he said that the union coalition provided to DoD “fair and equitable” proposals that were “rebuked by DoD and the administration.”
The DoD, Schaitberger asserts, is using national security as an excuse to drastically eliminate employee rights. Calling the actions “illegal,” Schaitberger says the union will fight them with “every legal avenue available.” The IAFF is among 10 labor unions representing 300,000 civilian employees of the Department of Defense that filed a federal lawsuit against Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on February 23 for refusing to negotiate changes in its labor management system. The lawsuit maintains that although the DoD has the right to establish changes in the department’s labor relations systems, by law those changes must be done in collaboration with employees. ■
Chicago Fire Department’s SERT to strengthen response at special events
The Chicago Fire Department’s new Special Events Emergency Response Team (SERT) “will work to strengthen existing services,” according to Fire Commissioner Cortez Trotter.
Since city events are growing larger every year, regular ambulances, trucks, and engines are finding it more difficult to maneuver through the crowds to treat injured victims or address a fire or haz-mat situation, Trotter says. The SERT will use six Segways, mini response vehicles (MRVs): two medical vehicles, staffed by paramedics, which will serve as life support medical units and mini ambulances; a mini pumper equipped with a 60-gallon water and foam tank for fire suppression and hazardous materials incident responses; two special operations units for support for emergency incidents; and a universal unit that can be converted for EMS or suppression functions.
A Rehab, Emergency Shelter, and Triage Tent (REST), a fully equipped triage, treatment, and rehab area for injured civilians, will be used in conjunction with the department’s first-aid trailer; it will also serve as the SERT home base. ■
College fires
• An apartment fire near Illinois State University displaced about 80 students; none were injured. Fire spread through all three floors of the 30-unit, privately owned apartment building, which is two blocks from the campus. The fire started on the second floor and burned through the roof. The fire department was investigating the incident at press time. www.chicagotribune.com, article 1,7631196, May 5, 2005
• A kitchen fire in a Northwestern University dorm was extinguished before the fire department arrived. University police put out the first-floor fire with a fire extinguisher at about 1:40 a.m. The cause of the fire had not been determined at press time. Students were allowed back in the building after extinguishment was confirmed by the Evanston (IL) Fire Department and the smoke had been cleared through ventilation. Amy Hamblin, www.dailynorthwestern.com, May 18, 2005.
Distribution system for bioterrorism funds criticized
• Rural areas. Federal grants for bioterrorism preparedness must be made available to rural areas, says the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Center for Health Preparedness in its “Preparing for Public Health Emergencies: Meeting the Challenges in Rural America” report. Sponsored by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and four other public health schools, the report says that urban areas are more vulnerable and need more resources. Coauthor of the report Joshua Frances, a research assistant at HSPH and the Center for Public Health Preparedness, notes that rural areas are perceived to be just farmland, plains, and dense forest, but, in reality, much of the nation’s water and food supply and many critical industries (power plant and water-treatment facilities) are located in these areas. The 2006 Homeland Security budget will allocate $2 billion out of $3.5 billion on the basis of an area’s risk hazard. Some politicians representing rural areas are maneuvering to try to bring more federal funds to their areas. www.thecrimson.com, Jeffrey D. Wilf, March 2, 2005
• State allocations. In the meantime, criticisms have been leveled against the way homeland security funds are allocated to states. One study, by the think tank American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, reported that Wyoming, the least populous state with 494,000 residents, receives eight times more money per person than the most populous state of California, with 34 million people-$37.74 per person in Wyoming and $4.97 per person in California. The report’s author, Veronique de Rugy, asks, “Do all Americans get their money’s worth?” She is referring to the $50 billion allocated for homeland security this year. The money, she says, seems to be allocated without risk and cost-benefit analyses.
Among the top 10 state and local governments receiving grants, the report says, only the District of Columbia appears on a list of the top 10 most-at-risk places. Among examples of how the money is “wasted,” according to the report, were $98,000 spent on training courses no one attended in a Michigan fire department and $22,800 spent in the state of Washington to buy six radios that are incompatible with other county radios. The DHS says 14 audits of its department found no evidence of any systemic cases of fraud or abuse. Legislators had introduced bills asking that the funding formulas be based on the degree of threat potential. www.infozine.com, article 7144, (Lauren C. Rivera also contributed to the article) April 14, 2005
• Unspent funds. The Washington Post reported in April that Washington, D.C., although designated a high-risk area, had not spent $120 million of the federal aid it received between 2002 and 2004, according to the DHS. Local authorities reportedly said they needed more time to coordinate plans with Maryland, Virginia, and 16 suburban jurisdictions.
Rep. Christopher Cox (CA), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, attributes the problem to what he sees as a “major flaw in the homeland security grant funding system-giving the money first and then requiring plans.” Cox is proposing legislation that would award more money to certain jurisdictions based on threat assessments and would require that states and regions coordinate plans before applying for aid. The DHS, responding to critical reports by Congress and the inspector general, streamlined grant procedures last year and set deadlines for spending, required approved checklists for equipment purchases, and increased state reporting requirements. www.washingtonpost.com, April 10, 2005 ■
DHS Secretary Chertoff to first responders: “You should not be alone …”
Noting that the motto of the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) is, “So that first responders are never alone,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff told attendees at the CFSI-sponsored annual dinner in Washington, DC, in April, that the motto perfectly captures not only the mission of the CFSI but the philosophy of the DHS as well. “You should not be alone, and we will be there with you.” Chertoff’s remark drew applause.
Among the other remarks Chertoff offered in his presentation were the following:
• As long as he is secretary of the DHS, he and the people who manage and lead the department will listen to the fire-emergency services.
• In every way, as in the past, the DHS looks forward to working with the fire-emergency services in the common goals of “protecting us, protecting our families, and, when necessary, rescuing us from peril.” ■
IAFF: Do cell phone towers pose health hazards for firefighters?
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is seeking funding for a study to determine if using fire stations as bases for cellular phone antennas and towers is hazardous to station members’ health.
IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger says no good scientific studies on this topic are available. Until the results of such studies are available, he says, no additional cell towers or antennas should be positioned on or near fire stations. The IAFF, he explains, is concerned about the effects of living directly under these stations for a considerable stationary period of time and on a daily basis.
The IAFF and its medical team want a study that contrasts firefighters assigned to stations with towers with firefighters without a similar exposure to determine if there are any effects of radio frequency radiation on the central nervous system and the immune system.
The IAFF notes that some studies have identified epidemiological evidence of serious health effects at “non-thermal” levels, where the intensity of the radiation was too low to cause heating. These effects included increased growth of brain cancer cells, changes in tumor growth, more childhood leukemia, changes in sleep patterns, headaches, neurological changes, decreased memory, retarded learning, increased blood pressure, and other health hazards.
A full copy of the IAFF report on the potential risk of cell tower radiation is at www.iaff.org. ■
Weldon, Harman reintroduce bill for broadcast spectrum access
Congressman Curt Weldon (PA), vice chair of the Homeland Security Committee, and Congresswoman Jane Harman (CA), ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, reintroduced the Homeland Emergency Response Operations (HERO) Act that would ensure that first responders have greater access to shared broadcast frequencies for interoperable radio communications. The Act establishes January 1, 2007, as the firm date by which the Federal Communications Commission is to provide public safety agencies sole access to the broadcast spectrum Congress had set aside in 1997. It also removes the digital television threshold requirement Congress enacted that made the transfer of the spectrum to public safety agencies contingent on the provision that 85 percent of American households have digital television. At present, only about 2 percent of households have digital television. Various fire service- and government-related organizations support the bill. ■
Legislation would pay PSOB to junior firefighters killed in the line of duty
The Fallen Firefighter Apprentice Act (H.R. 1456), introduced by Congressman Curt Weldon (PA), would make junior firefighters killed in the line of duty eligible for the same Public Safety Officers Benefits (PSOB) as firefighters. Three years ago, Christopher Kangas, a 14 year-old junior firefighter with the Brookhaven (PA) Fire Department, was killed while responding to a fire. The Department of Justice denied full firefighter status to Kangas. Weldon, founder of the Congressional Fire and EMS Caucus, a former junior member of his local department, and a former volunteer fire chief, said he was “distraught” that Kangas “was refused the right to be a firefighter” and said the Justice Department “inappropriately rewrote the law and narrowed the definition of firefighter to exclude individuals based on age.”
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Borough of Brookhaven awarded the Kangas family Public Safety Officer Benefits, recognizing his death occurred in the line of duty as a member of the fire department. ■
Line-of-Duty Deaths
April 2. Firefighter William Poage, 51, Pintlala Volunteer Fire Department, Hope Hull, AL: collapsed (cause unknown) at scene of single-vehicle motor vehicle accident.
April 3. Firefighter/Trainee Justin M. Wisniewski, 18, Southington (CT) Fire Department: a fall from a 24-foot ground ladder during Firefighter I training class on April 2.
April 18. Firefighter Sally Reneé Clark, 49, Pleasant Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, Laurel, MS: apparent heart attack while participating in pump operations training and a fund-raiser at the fire station on April 16.
April 20. Pilot Captain Brian Bruns, 47, Aero Union Corporation, Chico, CA: aircraft crash during training/qualification flight checks in preparation for upcoming wildland fire season.
April 20. Driver/Operator David Wayne O’Conner, 38, Memphis (TN) Fire Department: heart attack while driving pumper back to the station following a false alarm for a fire call.
April 20. Pilot Captain Paul Cockrell, 52, Aero Union Corporation, Chico, CA: aircraft crash during training/qualification flight checks in preparation for upcoming wildland fire season.
April 20. Pilot Captain Tom Lynch, 41, Aero Union Corporation, Chico, CA: aircraft crash during training/qualification flight checks in preparation for upcoming wildland fire season.
April 30. Firefighter Justin P. Faur, 23, Andover (IA) Volunteer Fire Department: of injuries sustained while attempting to rescue a victim from a liquid manure pit on April 16.
May 3. Safety Officer James Michael Ratcliffe, 62, Metuchen (NJ) Fire Department: cerebrovascular accident suffered on April 11 while operating Engine 4 in a funeral procession honoring a retired former chief.
May 7. Assistant Chief Michael T. Childress, 48, Level Cross Fire Department, Randelman, NC: heart attack while sleeping at station.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
FEMA Courses
• Introduction to Hazardous Materials course
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)/ Emergency Management Institute has added the Independent Study (IS) 5, An Introduction to Hazardous Materials, an awareness-level course. The following subject areas are covered: the roles of federal, state, local, and tribal governments in reducing hazardous materials risks through health and environmental regulations; the two major hazardous materials identification systems used within the United States; the identity of possible terrorist targets for which industrial chemicals might be used as weapons; the locations where hazardous materials are commonly found and how to determine their potential health effects; basic terms relating to hazardous materials exposures; interpreting a material safety data sheet (MSDS); how hazardous materials enter the body; contamination of the environment; and ways communities can increase their emergency preparedness to respond to hazardous materials incidents and identify steps individuals and communities can take to protect themselves during a hazardous materials release. The course is available at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp/.
• Introduction to All-Hazards NIMS ICS for Operational First Responders, a Web-based, self-study, interactive course equivalent to NWCG I-100 (based on standard learning objectives), and Basic All-Hazards NIMS ICS for Operational First Responders, a Web-based, self-study, interactive course equivalent to NWCG I-200 (based on standard learning objectives) are available at FEMA Virtual Campus http://training.fema.gov/; click on “Online Training (NETC Virtual Campus),” upper left.
Emergency Response Assistance
• Hurricane Response: DHS’s EMR-ISAC
The hurricane season is upon us. To help the emergency services sector (ESS) plan for and achieve uninterrupted mission-essential task performance during and immediately after manmade and natural disasters-in this case, particularly hurricanes-the EMR-ISAC has summarized some time-efficient and resource-restrained “best practices” in the INFOGRAM available at the following link: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/subjects/emr-isac/infograms/ ig2004/igsep0204.shtm/.
• WMD Response: Department of Defense and U.S. Army ECBC
“The Dispatcher’s Guide for WMD Incidents,” prepared by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) with input from fire departments, 911 centers, and law enforcement agencies, may be viewed and downloaded at http://www.edgewood.army.mil/.
• First Responders and Field Stress: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The two-hour Web cast, aired in April, includes an overview of the physical, emotional, and mental stressors faced by first responders when responding to technological or manmade disasters and haz-mat incidents. “Surviving Field Stress for First Responders” can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtn/ webcast/stress-05/.
• 800 MHz band reconfiguration: Federal Communications Commission
“Quick/Reference Guide” provides an overview of the 800 MHz Band Reconfiguration and the steps licensees on the band must consider when preparing to relocate to lower segments of the band, as directed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated reconfiguration. The 18-page document may be downloaded at http://www.800ta.org./
• Interoperable Communications: IAFC
Handbook “Top Priority: The Fire Service Guide to Interoperable Communications” is available at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Web site at http://www.iafc.org/hoje/nextel_handbook/.
News Glimpses
Emergency e-mails treated as spam by AOL in one FL county. Florida’s Indian River County’s emergency management office was thwarted in its efforts to get notices about hurricanes, tornadoes, and other weather emergencies to subscribers to its e-mail service. The messages, because of the quantity sent, have been identified as spam by AOL and, consequently, have not been forwarded to the addressees. The county was working with AOL at press time to resolve the problem. In the meantime, residents who want the weather bulletins were instructed to add the county’s e-mail account to their address book so their computers will accept the e-mail.www.floridatoday.com, May 2, 2005
Outside experts evaluate Cincinnati (OH) Fire Department. An evaluation of the Cincinnati (OH) Fire Department by SPC/TriData, of Arlington, Virginia, has been underway since January and is expected to be completed in July. The city requested the evaluation following an internal investigation pertaining to the 2003 death of Firefighter Oscar Armstrong III. Experiencing budgetary problems, the department has had to resort to taking out of service on a rotating basis fire trucks in seven city neighborhoods and other practices that have the department “running on a ragged edge,” according to Chief Roert Wright. According to a report in Cincinnati’s The ENQUIRER, SPC/TriData is also evaluating fire departments in Salt Lake City, UT; Chicago, IL; Fort Worth, TX; and Trenton, NJ. The ENQUIRER, http://news.concinnati.com, May 15, 2005
Chicagoland fire departments awarded more than $500,000. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company’s Fireman’s Fund Heritage (SM) program will award more than $500,000 to 29 fire departments in Cook, Lake DuPage, and Will counties (the Chicago area) in Illinois for equipment, training, community fire safety education, fire safety tools, and community emergency response programs. Additional awards will be made throughout 2005 through agent and employee-directed grants and volunteer support.
Robert Bosch Tool Corp. recalls circular saws. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that the company is voluntarily recalling 69,000 of its circular saws and that consumers should stop using the recalled saws immediately unless otherwise instructed. The lower blade guard can malfunction, creating a risk of injury as severe as amputation. The firm had received at press time three reports of malfunctioning lower guards; in one case, an amputation occurred. The recall includes the BOSCH CS10, CS20 and CS20-XC models. The recalled models do not have an asterisk (*) in the serial number box. The circular saw uses a 71⁄4-inch blade and has a blue handle and motor enclosure and a metal guarding system. The units were sold nationwide at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, and through independent hardware retailers and industrial distributors from February 2004 through April 2005. Consumers should contact the company at (800) 856-9683 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the BOSCH Web site at www.boschtools.com/. The company will provide a repair kit. The complete recall notice is at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ prhtml05/05177.html/.
Outdoor stove fuel containers pose leak hazard. Cascade Designs, Inc. (Seattle, WA) is recalling about 8,500 containers of its Superfuel Liquid Fuel because a manufacturing defect in the can’s seam and an insufficiently applied fuel cap can cause the can to leak and pose a fire hazard. No incidents or injuries have been reported. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Cascade Designs have found 41 leaking cans in Cascade’s distribution center. The recalled “32-fl. Oz./1 quart/946 liter” fuel containers are red metal cans and have “MSR SuperFuel” on the label. The fuel was sold at sporting goods stores nationwide from March 2005 through April 2005. Owners of these cans are to remove leaking cans from ignition sources and transfer the fuel to an approved fuel container; Cascade Designs Inc. will provide the container and a funnel. The manufacturer’s hotline is (800) 527-1527.
Arizona to receive an additional $26 million for bioterrorism and other health emergencies. The funds will come through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for strengthening public health and from the Health Resources and Services Administration to help hospital responders deal with mass-casualty events. The funds are part of the $1.3 billion made available for states, territories, and metropolitan areas and will be distributed through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). They are to be used to upgrade infectious diseases investigations, enhance the readiness of hospital and the health care system to deal with casualties, and to expand public health laboratory and communications capacities. The HHS said it would provide resources for Arizona and other states bordering Mexico for implementing a program for effectively detecting and investigating infectious disease case reports along the border. www.allamericanpatriots.com, Arizona news, May 17, 2005
