The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has approved the following participants for the 2018 Fire Service Executive Development Institute, a year-long leadership development program for new and aspiring chiefs. The members met in December 2017 for their first six-day session; two other sessions will take place in 2018, six months apart. The program is funded by a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation.
“Motorola Solutions Foundation recognizes that these challenging times require a new breed of leader to head our local fire departments and national fire service,” says Matt Blakely, director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation. “The Foundation is dedicated to helping support the education of these leaders to ensure they have the skills necessary to meet these complex and emerging issues confronting our communities.”
The participants are Assistant Chief Laura Baker, Tucson (AZ) Fire Department; Chief James M. Cullinan III, Spotsylvania County (VA) Dept. of Fire, Rescue & Emergency Management; Assistant Chief Clint Fey, West Metro (CO) Fire Rescue; Assistant Chief John F. Flynn, Yonkers (NY) Fire Dept.; Division Chief Kenny Frentress, Tualatin Valley (OR) Fire & Rescue; Assistant Chief Val H. Gale Jr., Chandler (AZ) Fire, Health and Medical Dept.; Assistant Chief Kenneth Hedges, Denton (TX) Fire Dept.; Deputy Chief Richard Higgins, Ames (IA) Fire Dept.; Deputy Chief Raymond Hill, Fort Worth (TX) Fire Dept.; Battalion Chief Marlene Kostyrka, Winston-Salem (NC) Fire Dept.; Deputy Fire Commissioner Gary Edward Loesch, Philadelphia (PA) Fire Dept.; District Chief Greg W. Main, Evansville (IN) Fire Dept.; Deputy Chief James Martin Marugg, San Miguel (CA) Fire & Rescue; Chief Diana J. Matty, West Palm Beach (FL) Fire Rescue; Deputy Chief Marian McDaniel, Rockdale (GA) Fire Rescue Dept.; Chief David Pennington, Springfield (MO) Fire Dept.; Assistant Chief Douglas Riley, Lakeland (FL) Fire Dept.; Chief Brian Schaeffer, Spokane (WA) Fire Dept.; Assistant Chief James David Schultz, McAllen (TX) Fire Dept.; Chief Darin White, Oakland (CA) Fire Dept.; and Division Chief Thomas M. Williams, Portland (OR) Fire & Rescue.
CFSI adds support to passage of EMS legislation
On November 17, President Donald Trump signed into law the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act. The legislation, introduced as H.R. ٣٠٤ by Congressman Richard Hudson (NC), clarifies existing law to allow emergency medical services providers to continue dispensing controlled substances under “standing orders.” Senator Bill Cassidy (LA) introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
The Congressional Fire Services Institute’s National Advisory Committee unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by the International Association of Fire Fighters, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the National Volunteer Fire Council calling for the passage of this legislation.
Union City, New Jersey, supports stronger building codes
Union City, New Jersey, commissioners voted unanimously in December to support the passage of NJ Assembly Bill 5196/Senate Bill 3490. The legislation calls for the installation of an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with National Fire Protection Association 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, measuring the number of stories from the grade plane, using noncombustible materials for construction, and installing a fire barrier that extends from the foundation to the roof with a fire resistance rating of at least two hours.
The legislation is also supported by the New Jersey State Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association and the local New Jersey coalition members of Build with Strength, which includes The Professional Association of Fire Fighters in New Jersey; the New Jersey State Association of County Fire Marshals; the Brigantine Beach Fire Company; the Bricklayers and Allied Crafts—New Jersey; and the Burlington County and West Orange Fire Departments.
Supporters cite major fires in wood-frame apartment complexes in Essex County and Bergen County and “dozens of fires of a similar nature throughout the country over the past several months.” Legislation drafted previously to help prevent additional fires in New Jersey were stalled after groups like the New Jersey Builders Association and the New Jersey Apartment Association voiced their opposition.
A September 2016 poll of 400 New Jersey registered voters found respondents very supportive of the state’s changing building codes following the devastating Edgewater apartment complex fire in January 2015. Additional information is at www.buildwithstrength.com.
PERMA and NY Fire Chiefs announce partnership
New York’s largest self-insured provider of workers’ compensation for public employers, PERMA, has entered into a partnership with the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC) to develop new and innovative risk management programs and safety initiatives for New York’s fire community. The agreement began January 1, 2018.
“PERMA is deeply committed to the safety of career and volunteer fire professionals in New York State,” says Jeff Van Dyk, PERMA executive director. “With this new partnership, PERMA fire departments and districts will receive the benefit of the Fire Chiefs’ century-old educational focus combined with PERMA’s first-class safety training.”
“The NYSAFC is committed to providing education and training for career and volunteer firefighters, officers, and chiefs to ensure their safety in doing a dangerous job,” explains Jerry Deluca, NYSAFC executive director and CEO. “Our partnership with PERMA will provide us with a new mechanism to reduce the risks faced by our members every day. We look forward to working together to prevent injuries in New York State’s fire service.”
Among the benefits of this partnership is the awarding of $25,000 in safety grants to PERMA fire organization members. Additional information will be announced in the coming months.
Sprinkler “trade-offs” lead to drop in fire safety scores
“Since the creation of the International Codes (I-Codes) in 2000, building fire safety scores have measurably decreased,” according to Project FAIL-SAFE, administered by the National Association of State Fire Marshals Fire Research & Education Foundation (NASFM Foundation). The organization used its proprietary Risk Evaluation MATRIX™ tool to determine the interaction between active and passive fire protection systems. The Foundation explains that more work is needed and this information is still preliminary. But, says H. Butch Browning, president of the NASFM Foundation and Louisiana state fire marshal, “The early conclusions indicate an overreliance on sprinklers at the expense of passive fire safety systems endangers both the public and the fire service alike.”
Since the creation of the I-Codes, the Foundation notes, the means for rapidly evacuating occupants has increased while standpipe safety scores have decreased as “the MATRIX measured a notable decline in passive building features such as compartmentation, tenant/dwelling separation, and travel distances. In contrast, there is now an increased reliance on active building features such as fire alarm systems and fire sprinkler systems.”
Additional information on Project FAIL-SAFE is at http://www.firemarshals.org/Project-FAIL-SAFE.
