NEWS IN BRIEF
Florida mandates sprinklers for new structures
Buildings of three or more stories, excluding oneand two-family houses, “of which the construction contract was let after January 1, 1994,” must be fully protected by automatic sprinklers under Florida statute Sect. 553,895. House Bill 1647 mandating this action went into law on May 15, 1993, according to Bill Sutton, senior attorney, Division of the State Fire Marshal. The division and the state’s fire service organizations supported the measure.
Study: Integrate emergency care system tor children into EMS
A two-year study on emergency care for children released in 1993 by the Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medical Services, of the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Science, has highlighted the need for incorporating into the entire emergency medical services system an emergency medical services system for children (EMS-C system). The system, the committee stresses, must recognize children’s unique needs in terms of anatomy, physiology, and psychology; have equipment and instruments designed for children; and vary the doses of different drugs for children.
To ensure that the children’s needs will not be lost while developing the larger emergency medical system, the committee suggested that specific agencies be created to oversee and coordinate EMS for children in state and federal governments.
Citing the need for communications, the committee suggested implementing a public education campaign that focuses on the prevention of childhood injuries, basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. and the proper and appropriate use of the EMS system. The committee endorses efforts to incorporate essential elements of pediatric emergency care into the initial and continuing training of providers who care for children. Some of this material, it says, should be included in training programs for all providers.
In responding to the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine report, specialists in emergency medicine warned that EMS must be a priority for the nation if inadequacies in the system are to be addressed.
“Doctors and members of the public should not assume that their local emergency care system is the same as it was even 10 years ago, nor should they assume it’s as good as it possibly can be,” stressed John B. McCabe, M.D.. president-elect of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and chair of the department of emergency medicine at SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York.
The ACEP has published minimum pediatric equipment guidelines for emergency departments and ambulances, training materials for medical professionals, and public education materials on emergency care. For copies or more information, contact Jane Howell at the ACEP (202) 7280610. More information is available from the National Emergency Medical Services for Children Resource Alliance at (310) 328-0720. A free brochure. What You Should Know About Emergency Care, is available from Emergency Brochure, 307 W 36th St.. Eighth Floor, New York, NY 10018: enclose a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope.
References: AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Emergency Services Newsletter, March!April 1994; ICHIEFS Electronic Bulletin Board.
NFPA sets public review period for proposed disaster management stan-
The National Fire Protection Association’s proposed new standard on disaster management, NFPA 1600. Standard for Disaster Management, will be available for public comment from August 5, 1994, until 5 p.m. eastern standard time on October 14, 1994.
The proposed standard establishes minimum criteria for managing disasters and offers guidelines private and public sectors can use to develop a program for effective disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
For a copy of the document, call (800) 344-3555 and request the “1995 Annual Meeting Report on Proposals.”
“Make the Right Call” launches campaign for children
Make the Right Call, a national public education campaign sponsored by the United States Fire Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, kicked off its campaign for children on May 16 in Washington, D.C.
The children’s campaign, sponsored also by the American College of Emergency Physicians, includes a national poster contest, educational videos, and public service announcements. All materials are free to educators.
Deadline for the poster contest, open to students in grades three to six, is September 30, 1994. The poster must be original art. It can be any size but must focus on at least one of the following messages:
- What is EMS? What do EMS members do?
- When should EMS be called?
- How do you call EMS?
- What should be done until help arrives?
Poster entries must have the following information on the back: name, full home address, grade, school, and name of the local EMS department. They should be sent to Make the Right Call Poster Contest at the address below.
Femo, Laerdal Medical Corporation, and Hanson Industries will provide prizes to the winning school and local EMS partner. Femo will donate S3,500 in EMS equipment to the student’s local EMS department: Laerdal will provide $2,500 in cash to the winning school and 30 Laerdal Family CPR Trainers™ to the parent-teacher organization; and Hanson will contribute $2,5(M) in equipment to the winner’s local RMS department.
For contest applications and Make the Right Call materials, write to RMS PIER Campaign, 1901 L Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036.
New Jersey law grants full death benefits to paid firelighters killed while serving as volunteers
A bill that will allow full death benefits to families of full-time firefighters killed while serving as volunteers was signed into law in New Jersey in April. The action was a result of efforts of paid and volunteer firefighters in northern New Jersey to help the family of a full-time firefighter crushed to death under a falling chimney while fighting a fire in his hometown, where he had served as a volunteer for 24 years. The fire also claimed the life of a civilian.
Prior to this new law, survivors of firefighters could receive benefits only if firefighters were killed while working at their paid jobs.
Source: “New law gives full death benefits to paid firefighters who volunteer.” Ivette Mendez, The Star-Ledger. April Id. 1994.
NIOSH issues respirator user notice
The mask-mounted regulator (MMR) may inadvertently separate from the face piece on Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) SCBA and combination airline/SCBA that have regulators with quick-disconnect mechanisms. advised the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in a Respirator User Notice issued February 23. 1994.
These regulators are used on MMR SCBA with the following certification numbers: TC-13F-256 (30-minute lowpressure SCBA), TC-I.3F-257 (30-minute high-pressure SCBA), TC-13F-258 (60minute high-pressure SCBA), and TC13F-302 (45-minute high-pressure SCBA). These affected regulators have a quickconnect mechanism and are designated as MSA part number 492488. The regulators are also used on TC-1.3F-266 and TC-13F267 combination airline/SCBA, designated as MSA Model #7-1047-1.
NIOSH has accepted a neck strap/regulator-retainer kit developed by MSA. When properly installed, the retainer provides a lock for the regulator-to-face piece connection. This retainer must be installed on all MSA MMR respirators used at temperatures below 32″F to maintain the NIOSH approval.
Although not required at temperatures above 32″F, continual use of the retainer will prevent further occurrences of inadvertent regulator/face piece separation, should the quick-disconnect mechanism fail to lock properly when inserted into the face piece.
Use of the neck strap/regulator retainer is not a substitute for following the manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance and use. Failure to properly lubricate the face piece adapter O-ring can increase the force necessary to insert the MMR. Failure to properly clean and maintain the quickdisconnect mechanism can cause dirt and debris to build up in the locking mechanism. Both of these conditions can prevent the regulator from properly locking onto the face piece, thus making inadvertent regulator/face piece separation likely, even at temperatures above 32-’F. NIOSH has requested that MSA distribute the neck strap/regulator retainer to all end users of MMR SCBA and to provide it on all new purchases.
The recommendation made by NIOSH in the February 23 Respirator User Notice that MMR SCBA not be used at temperatures below 32″F in the presence of water spray does not apply to respirators with the neck strap/regulator retainer properly installed. All field-deployed MMR SCBA used at temperatures below 32eF must have the neck strap/regulator retainer properly installed.
For specific details regarding the availability of the neck strap/regulator retainer kit, contact Mine Safety Appliances Company, PO Box 439, Pittsburgh, PA 15230, (800) 672-5555.
Report separations or any other failures involving any SCBA to NIOSH. Contact Tim Merinar, NIOSH, Div. of Safety Research, Certification and Quality Assurance Branch; 944 Chestnut Ridge Road, Morgantown, WV 26505-2888; (304) 284-5713.
Scotsman home ice cube machines pose potential fire risk
Scotsman Group, Inc., of Vernon Hills, Illinois, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is conducting a voluntary retrofit program for about 121.000 Scotsman Model DC33 home ice cube machines sold nationwide and manufactured before September 1991. Several code numbers are involved.
The company received up to 10 reports of the machines’ catching on fire. No injuries were reported, but some incidents resulted in damage to the ice machine, minor water damage from severed water lines in the unit, heat damage to surrounding walls or cabinets, or smoke damage.
For more information, contact Scotsman at (800) 733-5383.
New Hampshire legislature seeks information on truss roof emblems
The state of New Hampshire is seeking information concerning a building-emblem program for designating structures with truss roofs or floors. Fire departments from states that have implemented such a program are invited to contact Veronica Kenary, senior researcher for the New Hampshire Legislative Services, at Room 109, State House, Concord, NH 03031; (603) 271-3326.
Study says evidence does not support parking garage code principles
“In many cases, code-required fire protection measures bear no relationship to realworld fire causes, fire spread and life safety record in parking deck fires,” according to a research study issued in 1992 by Parking Market Research Co. (PMRC) in McLean,Virginia. “The crux of the issue,” according to Dale Denda, PMRC’s director of research, “is that most of these fires, which are relatively benign, are occurring within vehicles. This kind of fire does not occur within any other type of building. Very little, if any, evidence exists that garage building codes…mitigate life safety hazards or property loss.”
Among the code requirements in question by PMRC is that of mandating that sprinklers be installed in higher levels of parking structures. Denda says there is no access problem—most of these fires do not even approach spreading enough to deny access, and firefighters can use the stairs or elevators.
Denda adds that damage to garages and fixtures averages $275 per fire at or above level six and $306 per fire on levels one through five. “We found that sprinklers played no role in any of the fires at these upper levels. The height requirement is irrelevant,” says Denda.
Larry Church, manager of Carl Walker Engineers Inc., a parking deck design firm in Oak Brook, Illinois, and then the chairman of the Fire in Parking Structures Committee, a subgroup of the National Parking Association’s Consultants Council. notes that although the three major U.S. code-writing bodies do not require sprinklers for aboveground open and midrise parking structures, local rules required his firm to sprinkler all levels of two six-level open parking structures the firm constructed in a major metropolitan area. The committee is evaluating data that appear to reveal some overregulation and is preparing its own research paper. At press time (mid-May), the committee, under a new chairman, was meeting to discuss the study findings and proposed changes. The committee, Church notes, does not want to oppose fire protection where it’s really needed, but it doesn’t want to spend resources where they are not needed. “We’re against the kind ol mentality that demands arbitrary and expensive variations from national codes. We favor a more rational approach that puts some specific reasoning behind local code variation,” he explains.
The fire sprinkler industry has opposed any easing of codes requiring sprinklers. Ed Miller, director of technical services for the American Fire Sprinkler Association (ASFA), explains that sprinklers are needed for belowground parking spaces because “you can’t drive a fire truck underground to get at a fire.” In addition, he says, “Codes generally require any building over 65 feet to be sprinklered because in general a hook-and-Iadder can’t reach any higher.”
PMRC researchers gathered information for the study through a detailed survey form coupled with fire incident reports from local officials and personal interviews with firefighters and garage owners: 404 parking garage fires that occurred in more than 100 cities in 30 states were evaluated; 110 of the garages had sprinklers. Among other findings in the PMRC study are the following:
- Statistical evidence does not support the premise that less “openness” on the building perimeter prompts more injuries, more evidence of smoke, or greater property loss.
- The overall frequency of the spread of the fire was found to be identical between open garages and enclosed ones.
- The report labels as a “myth” the belief that certain structural systems, such as exposed steel frames, are inherently unsafe in fires and require code measures to mitigate the danger of damage or structural failure. No structural damage occurred in 390 of the fires studied. Three incidents involved “relatively severe” damage. One garage experienced concrete cracking, and two had damage between $15,000 and $30,000. One had damage in the $1,000to-$5,000 range. Loss was negligible for the remainder of the fires in the study.
- Lateral propagation of the fire was not found to be a problem in terms of serious exposure damage to the garage frame. The problem is dead load slab strength above and below the point of origin. The study cites the need for further analysis of concrete cover over the reinforcing steel and of the load of combustibles before code measua-s can be defended based on fact. These findings are based on a sample of more than 250 garages of all structural types.
Copies of the 153-page original study are available for $195 each; contact Dale Denda, Parking Market Research Co., 1311 Dolley Madison Blvd.. Suite 2B. McLean, VA 22101.
Source: Engineering News Record. Aug. SO. l993.pp.P-l4. 15. 16. IS.
CPSC to begin rulemaking on upholstered furniture flammability
Acting on a petition (FP 93-1) submitted by the National Association of Stale Fire Marshals (NASFM), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted on May 12 to direct staff to prepare an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR), the first step in agency rulemaking. related to upholstered furniture fires caused by small open flames front sources such as matches and cigarette lighters.
In making the announcement, the CPSC noted that “industry compliance with mandatory standards in place in California since the 1970s gives preliminary evidence that a mandatory federal standard may be technically and economically feasible.”
Upholstered furniture is the consumer product category responsible for the greatest number of fire deaths, according to the CPSC. For the year 1991, residential fires involving upholstered furniture accounted for an estimated 700 deaths, 2,000 injuries, and $300 million in property damage.
The NASFM petition also requested mandatory standards through agency rulemaking to reduce the risk of upholstered furniture fires caused by cigarettes and large open flames. The CPSC deferred a decision to direct staff to prepare an ANPR dealing with upholstered furniture fires caused by cigarette ignition but directed its staff to report to the commission on the effectiveness of and industry compliance with the existing voluntary standard. The Commission also voted to deny the section of the NASFM petition requesting a mandatory standard for large open flame ignition of upholstered furniture.
No mandatory nationwide standards addressing the risk of upholstered furniture fires exist at present.
For more information, contact Kathy Kaplan at the CPSC at (301) 504-0580, ext. 1187.
NFPA standard on dean agent fire extinguishing systems available
The first edition of NFPA 2001, Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems, became available on May 15. It addresses the design, installation, testing, inspection, operation, and maintenance of engineered and preengineered clean agent fire extinguishing systems and covers the following new clean agents:
NFPA 2001 is consistent with the final rule on the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program under Section 612 of the Clean Air Act of 1990. The SNAP program provides a list of acceptable and unacceptable substitutes for CFCs, halons, and methyl chloroform. It provides the necessary criteria for individuals considering these clean agents for new installations, but it does not provide approval or imply acceptability on the use of any particular clean agent, the NFPA explains.
NFPA 2001 is entering a new revision cycle; public proposals will be accepted until July 15, 1994. To purchase NFPA 2001, contact the NFPA Customer Service Department at (800) 344-3555, fax: (617) 984-7507.
NIOSH relocates central headquarters
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has relocated its central headquarters from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. The address is as follows: Hubert H. Humphrey Building; 200 Independence Ave., SW; Washington, DC 20210. Dr. Linda Rosenstock, NIOSH director, can be reached at (202) 4016997.
IFSAC developing accreditation criteria for degree programs
The International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) held its fourth annual conference in Austin, Texas, April 14-18. During the conference, the second IFSAC Degree Assembly was established and proposed an outline of the process to be used to develop accreditation criteria for fire-related degree programs.
The Degree Assembly operates parallel to the Certificate Assembly of programs involved in the delivery of NFPA standards-based, noncredit certificate programs. Each assembly has a board of governors elected by its members. Representatives from both assemblies elected a new council of governors to serve in a liaison and coordinating role between the assemblies.
A concurrent meeting of the boards of governors from both assemblies is scheduled for September 24-26, 1994, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
For more information, contact the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress at (405) 744-8303, fax: (405) 7448204. A copy of the document describing the proposed accreditation process is available from Bill Westhoff, manager; IFSAC; Oklahoma State University; Fire Pub. Bldg; Stillwater, OK 74078-0118; request the IFSAC Handbook.
