USFA releases heating fires in residential buildings topical report
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announced in a report regarding heating fires in residential buildings that between the years of 2002 and 2004, an annual average of 49,100 heating fires occurred in residential buildings. These fires were responsible for an estimated 125 civilian fire deaths, 575 civilian fire injuries, and $232 million in property loss.
“Each year an unacceptable number of American citizens lose their lives in heating related fires,” said Acting USFA Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson. “With the winter months quickly approaching, it is important to take the necessary safety precautions to prevent heating fires in the home. Many of these fires can be prevented through proper use and maintenance of heating systems and equipment.”
Heating is the second leading cause of all residential building fires (behind cooking fires), which are most prevalent in the winter months when the use of central heating systems, portable heaters, and fireplaces is most common. More than one quarter of residential building heating fires result from improper maintenance of heating equipment, specifically the failure to clean the equipment.
The report, Heating Fires in Residential Buildings, was developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center as part of its Topical Fire Research Series and is based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for 2002-2004. The report examines the causes and characteristics of heating fires that occur in residential buildings. A copy of the topical report can be downloaded from http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/reports/pubs/tfrs.shtm ■
House asks President Bush for “robust” funding for WTC health needs
A group of 27 members of both parties in the House of Representatives is urging President Bush to include in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget proposal “robust funding for comprehensive medical monitoring and treatment of those made sick by the toxic air around Ground Zero,” according to a joint release from Representatives Carolyn Maloney (NY) and Vito Fossella (NY), who are spearheading the movement. As of press time, 27 House members, representing both political parties, cosponsored the letter of request sent to the President. The legislators also asked the President “to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a plan for the federal response to the 9/11 Health Crisis.” ■
Congress should act now to improve emergency care: ACEP (LA) president
Dr. James Moises, president of the Louisiana Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), said Congress should strengthen the emergency care safety net based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) “The Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System” reports. Dr. Moises was testifying before the IOM’s regional workshop on the emergency medicine reports in New Orleans in November.
The IOM reports, which covered in-hospital care, emergency medical services, and pediatric emergency medicine, described the American emergency care system as “fragmented, stretched to the breaking point, and severely compromised in its ability to handle natural disasters or terrorist attacks.”
Congress should act immediately, Dr. Moises said, considering these reports and Louisiana’s “ongoing experiences as the state works to recover from Hurricane Katrina.” He described the IOM reports as “a thoughtful case study into the issues facing emergency medicine along with a terrific list of recommendations.”
Among the reports’ key recommendations are the following: ending the practice of “boarding,” wherein patients wait for hours or days for a hospital room to become available once they’ve been admitted to the hospital; significantly increasing federal resources for emergency preparedness; and improving coordination among hospital emergency departments and the emergency medical services system. ■
Denver firefighters win Quaker Smart Heart Challenge
Fire Stations 8 and 23 in Denver, Colorado, had the highest average cholesterol drop among firehouses in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco and have won the Quaker Smart Heart Challenge. The Denver Local 858 firefighters lowered their cholesterol an average of 15 points. The average drop in cholesterol among the nation’s participating firefighters was 12 points. All firehouse teams were supported by a nutrition coach and a variety of Quaker products during the Challenge period. (The risk of heart disease is decreased by about 1 percent for every point drop in cholesterol.)
Participants had their cholesterol tested at the beginning of the Challenge, ate a good-sized bowl of oatmeal every day for 30 days, and then had heir cholesterol tested again. Additional information is at www.quakeroatmeal.com. www.foodfit.com/iaff/articles/quaker.asp, Nov. 6, 2006
NVFC Board sets priorities at annual fall meeting
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Board of Directors has voted “to incorporate EMS into all aspects of the organization’s strategic plan” (2007-2011) at its fall meeting. In addition, the Board reaffirmed the NVFC’s legislative priorities (see www.nvfc.org) and is urging all states to require worker’s compensation for volunteer fire and EMS personnel while responding at home or out of state in an official capacity. The board also voted to dissolve the NVFC Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund, created to assist volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who had suffered losses as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The remaining funds will be equally distributed among the volunteer emergency personnel in the Gulf Coast who originally received a stipend from the fund as they continue to rebuild after the storms. ■
Mobile broadband technology proposed for public safety
Mobile wireless technology, specifically broadband high speed packet access (HSPA) technology, will be ready shortly to serve American public safety needs, according to 3G Americas, a wireless trade association promoting the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) family of technologies.
At an October 2006 mobile broadband wireless technology briefing with demonstrations focused on public safety, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Robert M. McDowell delivered a keynote address. The event featured wireless experts. A replication of “real life” public safety scenarios demonstrated by 3G Americans showed how various emergency and planning teams-from local to federal-can interoperate and transfer critical voice and data information using different devices in any field location.
In one scenario, a fire at a nuclear facility, control of the fire, facility evacuation, medical assistance, and broader community evacuation were handled by local fire, police, medical services, and state police with support from various federal agencies. www.govtech.net, Oct. 20, 2006 ■
NETC offers two online ICS review courses
Two new incident command system (ICS) review courses are now online through the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) Virtual Campus. The scenario-based courses are intended as a review of fundamental ICS concepts and principles for students prepared to take intermediate or advanced-level ICS training or those needing a refresher in ICS.
The U.S. Fire Administration, the Emergency Management Institute, and the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, in cooperation with the NIMS Integration Center, jointly developed ICS 100 through ICS 400 courses based on standard learning objectives. ICS 300 and ICS 400 are classroom-based courses. All of the ICS courses are considered equivalent in terms of meeting NIMS requirements. Information concerning the National Fire Academy (NFA) versions of ICS 300 and ICS 400 are available through state fire training agencies.
New ICS courses now available are Q-464-Fundamentals Review for ICS 300, and Q-464-Fundamentals Review for ICS 400. Both can be used as a precourse module or as remedial training for the classroom version of ICS 300 and ICS 400, respectively. Neither course meets the training requirements for ICS 400.
These courses can be found at http://training.fema.gov/. Click on “Online Training (NETC Virtual Campus)” upper left. ■
Hundreds in Oklahoma exposed to TB
In September, hundreds of patients and hospital workers at Integris Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City may have been exposed to tuberculosis through a health care worker who was diagnosed with the disease in August. As of press time, 10 people were diagnosed with the disease. The Oklahoma City-County Health Department sent a letter to some 1,650 patients and 350 workers at Integris warning of the potential exposure and asking that they get skin tests to determine if they are infected. www.npr.org, story 6100299, Sept. 19, 2006 ■
ACEP board elects officers
Cherri D. Hobgood, MD, FACEP, associate professor of emergency medicine and the associate dean for curriculum and educational development at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, was elected chair of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Board of Directors. Nicholas J. Jouriles, MD, FACEP, an attending physician and core faculty at Akron General Medical Center’s department of emergency medicine and emergency medicine residency program, was elected vice president; Angela F. Gardner, MD, FACEP, an assistant professor for emergency medicine at the University of Texas medical branch, will serve as secretary-treasurer. Dr. Brian Keaton of Munroe Falls, Ohio, previously had assumed the office of president. All will serve a one-year term.■
NFPA seeks comments on respiratory standards for wildland firefighting
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is considering developing new respiratory standards for wildland firefighting. The NFPA is soliciting comments on this proposed document. They are to be submitted in writing and should include information on resources of the subject matter, whether you would like to serve on the committee (if one is established), the names of other organizations actively involved with this subject, and if you think there is a need for such a document. Send the information to Codes and Standards Administration, NFPA, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169-7471. If you would like to serve as a member of a standard committee or submit proposals for certain committees, consult NFPA NEWS, Vol.10:11, Nov. 2006 at www.nfpa.org (click on Publications). ■
Chicago welcomes bomb-diffusing robots
The city of Chicago will receive three bomb-diffusing robots; a fourth is to come. The police department has two of the 350-pound, remote-controlled robots, each with a movable arm. O’Hare International Airport has one, and the fire department was to get one at press time. The robots, which cost $135,000 each, were paid for with federal grant funds. www.wqad.com, Nov. 16, 2006■
Fire service champions defeated in November election
Congressmen Curt Weldon and Mike DeWine lost their reelection bids to Congress in the November election. Both are staunch supporters of the fire service. Weldon founded the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and was the recipient of the first National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Legislator of the Year Award. DeWine and Weldon worked tirelessly to introduce, support, and have passed the Fire Grant program, SAFER, and numerous other bills that have benefited the fire service. Fire Caucus Co-Chairmen Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (NY) and Senator Paul Sarbanes (MD) are retiring at the end of the year. Senators Joe Biden (DE) and John McCain (AZ) and Representatives Rob Andrews (NJ) and Steny Hoyer (MD) will continue to serve as Caucus co-chairmen in the next Congress. ■
Troy-Bilt Craftsman Chain Saws pose laceration hazard: CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and MTD Southwest Inc., of Tempe, Arizona, are voluntarily recalling about 76,000 Troy-Bilt and Craftsman brand gasoline chain saws. The plastic front handle could break while operating, posing a risk for lacerations. Two reports of injuries had been received at press time. Four Troy-Bilt models-41AY00AR966, 41AY60AR766, 41AY90AR766 and 41AY08AR966-and one Craftsman “Incredi-Pull” model-a 55cc two-cycle gasoline engine with an 18-inch bar and model number 316.350840-are affected. The Troy-Bilt chain saws were sold at independent retailers and home improvement and hardware stores nationwide from January 2004 through June 2006. The Craftsman saws were sold at Sears and K-mart stores nationwide from January 2004 through June 2006.
The saws should not be used until the condition is corrected. MTD is offering a free service kit with a replacement handle and installation instructions. Sears customers will be mailed a free service kit with a replacement handle and installation instructions. Additional information is available from MTD toll-free at (888) 848-6038 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or from the company’s Web site at www.troybilt.com. Sears customers should call Sears at (800) 659-7026 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
November 1. Firefighter Gregory A. Cloud, 33, Kent Volunteer Fire Company, Madison, IN: smoke inhalation at a residential structure fire.
November 3. Captain Joseph S. Pagano, 52, Middletown (CT) Fire Department: apparent heart attack.
November 12. Probationary Firefighter Kyle Weisbrich, 22, Melrose (MN) Fire Department: injuries received while responding on his motorcycle to a call for a motor vehicle accident.
November 16. Firefighter/EMT Michael Timothy Browne, 25, Acme-Delco-Riegelwood Fire and Rescue, Riegelwood, NC: injuries sustained during a tornado.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
