Shootings underscore heightened risk of violence for EMS responders
Two incidents involving the shooting of emergency medical responders in February jolted the emergency services community and prompted some soul-searching relative to standard operating procedures (SOPs) for responding to incidents that have a high potential of risk for responders.
On February 13, the Lexington (KY) Fire Department responded to a call for domestic violence and the firing of shots at a woman. When the first-arriving units arrived, a woman was lying facedown in the backyard of a home. As Firefighter-Paramedic Lieutenant Brenda Cowan and Firefighter Jim Sandford were approaching the house to render medical assistance to the victim, they were fired at by the victim’s husband, who had barricaded himself in the house. It was later learned that the victim in the yard was his wife, whom he had shot in the head.
Cowan, 40, was killed. She was a 12-year veteran of the department and had only received her promotion days earlier. Sandford was not seriously wounded.
After hours of negotiations between the police and the shooter, the man finally exited the house. He was charged with two counts of murder, his wife and Cowan, and one count each of attempted murder and assault.
On February 23 in South Kansas City, Missouri, an apparent sniper fired shots at first-arriving firefighters and emergency workers responding to a call for a residential structural fire involving two houses. Reportedly, the first responders were met with sniper fire emanating from the woods behind one of the homes. The firefighters called for help; police and additional emergency crews responded. A female paramedic from the Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust was shot and seriously wounded. She was reported to be in stable condition following surgery. The sniper’s actions prevented firefighters from approaching the intensely burning house to begin extinguishing operations. An explosion had occurred at the other house when police fired at the suspect standing beside the building.
Four of the department’s apparatus had been subjected to heavy gunfire. All the tires were shot out. A search for the suspect was underway at press time.
In critiques of these two incidents, fire and public safety officials noted that responders must be given as much information as possible by the dispatcher and the civilian making the initial call concerning the incident scene and environment, and responders must be trained in scene assessment.
The issue of instituting SOPs for responses to potentially violent calls has also surfaced. Lexington has no policy that says firefighters and paramedics should wait for the police to arrive and secure the scene in these cases, as do some of the neighboring fire departments. Battalion Chief Billy Goldfeder, Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department, says since these two incidents have occurred, members of fire departments have contacted him about the availability of sample SOPs. Some are available at his Web site, www.firefighterclosecalls.com (click on SOP/SOG) and at www.ci.phoenix.az.us/FIRE/20512.HTML.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs has issued the following recommendations for responses to these events:
- Fire departments should review their SOPs and standard operating guidelines for responding to domestic violence situations.
- All command officers should discuss these two incidents and then discuss them with company members.
- Review resources such as When Violence Erupts, a survival guide for emergency responders, available through Jones and Bartlett. It is available to IAFC members for $25. (800-832-0034 or e-mail [email protected]).
WKYT 27 NEWSFIRST & WYMT Mountain News, www.wkyt.com; “Firefighter Slaying Prompts Policy Review,” Evansville Courier & Press, Feb. 16, 2004; “Firefighter’s Death Raises Safety Concerns,” Evansville Courier & Press, Feb. 19, 2004; “Firefighter Shot, Killed,” Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com, Feb. 14, 2004; “Response policy is questioned,” Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com, Feb. 15, 2004; www.firefighterclosecalls.com communications Feb. 13, Feb. 15, 2004.
Survey identifies major challenges facing fire departments in 2004
An International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) survey among 7,377 departments (863 responses) indicates that fire departments are experiencing budget shortfalls and staffing shortages. IAFC President Chief Ernest Mitchell says, “Fire departments around the nation are in trouble and don’t have enough money or people to do their jobs.”
Respondents cited the following concerns (in priority order): budgets and finances, staffing, increased demands for services, training, equipment needs, and personnel/labor relations. The report is available at www.iafc.org/downloads/challenges_survey.pdf.
Among the staffing issues listed were the following: recruiting and retaining personnel; hiring new firefighters to replace retirees; a lack of funds to hire needed additional personnel; motivating and providing incentives for employees; layoffs while demand for services increase (EMS in particular); and meeting minimum staffing requirements for everyday operations.
In addition to a lack of money and time for training, respondents said they especially are in need of officer development training, succession planning, and training for specialized needs such as hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction training.
Some respondents noted a need for new equipment ranging from replacements for apparatus and gear to specialized equipment for technical rescue and homeland security response.
Department of Homeland Security adopts NFPA standards for equipment purchases
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has adopted the following National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for personal protective equipment for first responders: NFPA 1951, Standard on Protective Ensemble for USAR Operations; NFPA 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus for Fire and Emergency Services; NFPA 1991, Standard on Vapor-Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Materials Emergencies; NFPA 1994, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Chemical/Biological Terrorism Incidents; and NFPA 1999, Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations. State and local procurement officials will use these standards as guides when selecting first responder equipment protective against chemical, biological, and other hazards.
DHS also adopted National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards for respirators to protect against chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear environments.
The NFPA standards are available in read-only format at www.nfpa.org.
National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner May 5
The 16th Annual Fire and Emergency Services Dinner will be held on May 5 at the Washington Hilton and Towers. The theme will be “Preparing for the Alarm.” Workshops on Capitol Hill on many of the issues facing the fire services will be presented throughout the day of the dinner. For more information, call (202) 371-1277.
NVFC joins FEMA in promoting heart health
The National Volunteer Fire Council’s Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, made its debut at Fire-Rescue East in Jacksonville, Florida, in January. Nearly 300 attendees had their cholesterol tested without charge at the Heart-Healthy booth. Within 10 minutes, attendees received the test results. All received a NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Kit, which includes information on firefighters and heart disease, cholesterol, fitness, nutrition, and resource information.
Link between alcohol abuse and residential fire fatalities identified
“Up to 40 percent of residential fire death victims are alcohol impaired,” according to the National Fire Data Center special report “Establishing a Relationship Between Alcohol and Casualties of Fire.” The Center is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s U.S. Fire Administration. The special report identified a “significant link between alcohol abuse and residential fire deaths and between alcohol and the risk of unintentional injury, including car accidents, falls, drownings, homicides, and suicides.”
These findings “underscore an often overlooked connection between alcohol abuse and fire injuries and death,” said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, FEMA’s parent organization. Brown says the objective is to make fire officials and the public aware of the problem so that they can institute public education campaigns.
A copy of the full report can be downloaded from http://www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/nfdc/pubs/tfrs.shtm>.
Legislators and firefighters urge Bush to restore funding cuts
The House leadership of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, led by House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD), asked President Bush in a letter in February to reconsider the “significant” funding reduction for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program (FIRE Act). Proposed funding for the program in the fiscal year 2005 budget is $500 million, down from $750 million.
The letter, signed also by Reps. Curt Weldon (R-PA), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), and Nick Smith (R-MI), states: “Considering that nearly $3 billion in applications were submitted for the current program year, and also taking into account the recent Council on Foreign Relations report which highlighted the underfunding of our fire departments, a $250 million reduction in funding is unacceptable.”
The legislators also voiced concern “about the recommendation that the Office of Domestic Preparedness ‘place greater emphasis on the unique role of Federal funds, particularly for terrorism preparedness.’ ”
“Our communities are more vulnerable today than they were when the Department of Homeland Security was established in March 2003,” says International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO (IAFF) General President Harold Schaitberger. “Our nation’s firefighters and emergency medical personnel are still operating with too few staff; outdated equipment; and the need for training to appropriately and safely respond to all of the emergencies, disasters, and possible acts of terrorism we need to be prepared for today.”
The IAFF has also asked President Bush to restore funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program and cited the elimination of initiatives for EMS, wellness/fitness, fire code enforcement, station renovation, and education from the FIRE Act programs; reduced state and local programs for homeland security purposes; and the recommended elimination of funding for the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Act, which the President signed into law in November; it would support the hiring of up to 75,000 firefighters over the next seven years.
Native American tribes protect against wildfire
The Tribal Forest Protection Act, introduced in the Congress by Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-CA) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), would make available to Native American tribes conservation and protection tools that facilitate participating in the new Healthy Forests law.
Last summer, fire from adjacent federal public forestlands had spread to at least 18 reservations. Eleven reservations were burned in the southern California fires; two burned completely. A number of lives were lost.
Under the legislation, the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior would establish agreements with tribes for conducting land-management activities on government lands that pose fire, disease, or other threats to adjacent Indian trust land and Indian communities.
H.R. 2696 forest restoration bill passes House
The Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act, H.R. 2696, authored by Congressman Rick Renzi (R-AZ), passed the House of Representatives in February. It helps forest management agencies and local communities design effective forest restoration treatments to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and also directs the Forest Service to establish the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University (NAU) and two other Institutes, in New Mexico and Colorado, to research, design, and implement effective forest health restoration treatments. The bill was awaiting approval in the Senate at press time.
The bill will help land managers and communities use the best available science to restore our forests, Renzi explains. “Over the next 10 years, the federal government will be treating thousands of acres of forests to reduce the risk of wildfire.” Establishing the Ecological Restoration Institute at NAU, he adds, “is intended to transfer practical, operation-oriented science to land managers, collaborative community groups, and others who implement forest restoration treatments.”
Weldon proposes amendment to wildfire firefighting bill
The amendment to H.R. 1292, Remote Sensing Applications Act, proposed by Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA), a former volunteer fire chief and the founder of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, would authorize grants for pilot projects using satellite, aviation, and remote sensor technologies for detecting, analyzing, and observing wildfires. Also, agencies would submit to Congress their recommendations for implementing technologies that would create an effective wildfire-fighting infrastructure.
Weldon notes that even though advanced technological equipment has been available, it is not being used to avert “highly preventable disasters,” He adds that if the proper technology were in place, the more than 22 million acres of forests lost to fires since 2000, and the lives and property resulting from these wildfires, could have been “easily minimized.”
A recent Government Accounting Office report has recommended establishing an interagency geospatial strategic plan that would coordinate and enhance the efforts of government agencies.
Communications factor in San José Santana Row fire property losses
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has released a technical review of an 11-alarm fire that occurred in San José, California, in October 2002. More than $90 million in property damages were sustained, and many families were left homeless.
The fire originated at the 42-acre Santana Row construction site and spread to nearby residential properties. “While the San Jose Fire Department was able to manage the incident without any fatalities and only minor injuries, there is much to be learned from the fire,” observes Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, FEMA’s parent agency.
The report notes that San José fire officials cited the need for countywide radio/data interoperability, for additional radio frequencies, and to review the mutual-aid plan as lessons-learned factors in the incident.
Specifically, according to USFA Fire Administrator R. David Paulison, “the communication systems were quickly overloaded. The call volume pushed the fire department’s system to the brink, even with police department assistance. Radio traffic also exceeded the capabilities of the fire department’s system. These issues have been recognized by senior fire officials and were included in a formal post-incident evaluation done locally.”
Ultimately, 119 firefighters and 31 pieces of apparatus responded to the construction site fire; 102 firefighters and 34 pieces of apparatus responded to the secondary fire that burned through nearby residential units. The full report is at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/techreports/tr153.shtm.
Fiscal year 2005 budget proposes $500 million for AFG program
The fiscal year 2005 federal budget contains a request for $500 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program (the FIRE Act). Priority will be given to applications that enhance terrorism preparedness, and there is a cap of $2 million for populations over 500,000. The President’s budget requests funds for only four of the categories covered under the AFG program: equipment, training, apparatus, and personal protective equipment. To view the budget proposal, visit http:// www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/.
IAFC offers ricin resources
In light of the ricin scare in the U.S. Senate Dirksen building in Washington, D.C., in February, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has developed “Model Procedures for Responding to a Package with Suspicion of a Biological Threat.” This standard operating guideline provides a decision matrix for managing a package with a suspicious substance. It covers identifying and assessing biological threats, responder procedures, decontamination guidelines, and resources. The information may be downloaded at www.iafc.org.
Ridge meets with IAFC board
Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge met informally with the International Association of Fire Chiefs Board of Directors, chaired by IAFC President Chief Ernest Mitchell, in January. Among items discussed and information relayed by Ridge at the meeting were the following.
- Board members “made their point” concerning the FIRE Act grant program.
- The department is consolidating the management (process, “not grants”) of its first responder grant programs, including those managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP).
- The Office for Domestic Preparedness and the Office for State and Local Programs will be merged. Sue Mencer, the current head of ODP, will lead the new organization.
- The Department of Homeland Security is working with state and local governments to develop a better distribution program of grant funds from the states. Ridge was meeting with governors at press time to ask their assistance in designing a distribution strategy and template. Ridge referred particularly to the problems related to the pre-purchase of equipment; he said many chiefs do not know they can order the equipment and may be reimbursed prior to receiving the equipment without cash layout.
- Ridge said he would discuss the issue of placards on railcars with first responders.
9-1-1 experts named to FCC panel
David Jones, director of emergency services for Spartanburg County, South Carolina, and second vice president of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and Jenny Hansen, manager of the Public Safety Services Office for the State of Montana, Department of Administration, and an active NENA member, have been appointed for a two-tear term to the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Board. The board held its first meeting February 13 to discuss internal organization and start setting future work priorities.
The advisory committee is composed of 15 elected and appointed officials of local, state, and tribal governments. The panel will address topics including homeland security and rural telecom issues. For more information, visit http://www.fcc.gov/statelocal/.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
January 15. Board Member/Driver Richard Allen Jones, 65, Maryland Line (MD) Volunteer Fire Protective Association: heart attack.
January 22. Firefighter/Paramedic Charles “Charlie” T. Hatch, 48, West Bridgewater (MA) Fire Department: apparent heart attack.
January 22. Captain Keith Alan Firment, 35, Marguerite Volunteer Fire Company, Latrobe, Pennsylvania: apparent heart attack.
January 27. Firefighter/Paramedic David Andrew Mackie, 35, Orange City (FL) Fire Department: heart attack while training.
January 31. Firefighter Jean L. Nuckols, 47, Navy Regional Fire Rescue, Norfolk, VA: cause to be determined.
February 3. Firefighter Michael Lynch, 32, Penrose (CO) Volunteer Fire Department: struck by an automobile while directing traffic at the scene of a motor vehicle crash.
February 13. Lieutenant Brenda Cowan, 40, Lexington (KY) Fire Department: killed by gunfire while responding to an EMS call for domestic violence.
February 15. Captain/EMT Robert “Bobby” Heminger, 39, Wood River (NE) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department: injuries sustained in roof collapse while searching a burning building for an occupant.
February 16. Fire Police Captain Ernest Heatherman, 45, Brisben (NY) Fire Department: heart attack.
February 17. Captain Kenny Woitalewicz, 38, Wood River (NE) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department: injuries sustained in a roof collapse while searching a burning residence for an occupant.
February 18. Firefighter Steve Fierro, 40, Carthage (MO) Fire Department: cause undetermined at press time.
February 22. Fire Commissioner Elliott Davis Jr., 51, Gloster (MS) Rural Volunteer Fire Department: apparatus accident en route to a grass fire.
February 23. Firefighter Rich Gabrielli, 70, George G. McMurtry Volunteer Fire Department, Vandergrift, PA: cause to be determined while performing police functions at the scene of an industrial fire.
February 23. Firefighter Eddie Conricote, 55, Liberty Township Fire Department, Youngstown, Ohio: cause to be determined, while working a residential structure fire.
February 23. Deputy Fire Chief Bret Eugene Neff, 37, Harford (NY) Fire Department: severe internal trauma resulting from accidentally being pinned between a water tanker and an apparatus.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration.
Assistance to Firefighters Grants update
Firefighters in almost 8,500 fire departments have received more than $679 million in round 34 of the 2003 fiscal year Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The AFG program is administered by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). AFG program staff may be reached at (1-866) 274-0960, or by e-mail at [email protected].
News Glimpses
NIST: home smoke alarms provide sufficient escape time. A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) study says that ionization and photoelectric types of home smoke alarms consistently provide enough time for people to escape most fires. However, occupants must respond immediately to an activated alarm. The study showed individuals have an average of three minutes from the alarm’s first warning to escape a flaming fire (as opposed to a smoldering fire). The results of a two-year study are available at www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/smoke_detectors.htm/.
Families of firefighters who died at WTC sue Motorola and NYC. The families of 12 firefighters killed in the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse have filed suit against Motorola Inc. and New York City for $5 billion. Attorney Barry Cohen of Tampa, Florida, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the families. The suit alleges that the firefighters’ deaths could have been prevented had the radios worked more efficiently inside the WTC on 9/11. www.nynewsday.com, Jan 21, 2004.
IAFC has “new” Web site. The International Association of Fire Chiefs has enhanced its Web site, www.iafc.org, to make it easier to navigate, according to IAFC Executive Director Garry Briese.
ODP/USFA Assistance to Firefighters grant program guide. The 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Program Guidance document is now available for download from the U.S. Fire Administration Web site at www. usfa.fema.gov or from the Office of Domestic Protection (ODP) Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp. The application period was to open March 1, 2004 (after press time). Other documents will be posted as they become available.
FEMA and USFA announce availability of new job aid for first responders. The Emergency Response to Terrorism Job Aid is available from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The document will assist emergency response personnel (including line personnel, unit officers, and initial incident commanders) in identifying a possile terorist/weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incident and in implementing initial response and recovery actions. The document is not a training manual but a tool for those appropriately trained and prepared to employ the tactics presented. A complete copy may be downloaded at www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/c-terror/download-jobaid.shtm/.
TV firefighter series. Comedian Denis Leary, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, and a cousin of one of the six firefighters killed in the 1999 Worcester warehouse fire, will star in the television series “Rescue Me.” The 13-episode one-hour drama, which will be aired on FX (dates to be announced), revolves around a group of New York City firefighters. Leary will star as a firefighter who is coping with the fears associated with his job after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. www.learyfirefightersfoundation.org; www.fxnetworks.com/ main.html.
FEMA/Department of Interior promote electronic mapping in tribal governments. The use of electronic mapping (GIS) in tribal communities will be promoted as the result of an agreement between the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Interior. The technology would enable tribal governments to inventory resources and identify deficit areas in emergency operations for protecting their communities against all hazards.
