A video training program, “Highway Safety for Emergency Services,” is available from the CUMBERLAND VALLEY VOLUNTEER FIREMEN’S ASSOCIATION (CVVFA) and its EMERGENCY RESPONDER SAFETY INSTITUTE free from the association’s Web site at www.respondersafety.com. The site also has numerous downloadable reports, policy papers, and standard operating procedures aimed at reducing secondary highway incidents involving emergency responders. The awareness-level tape is designed to improve responder safety for all emergency responders answering calls on streets or highways. A United States Fire Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation grant funded the tape, and VFIS, Firehouse.com, and Firefighter Advantage provided additional support. VFIS produced the video and Firefighter Advantage operates the fulfillment and distribution center for orders. The CVVFA includes members from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The nonprofit FIREFIGHTERS SAVE A LIFE FUND is dedicated to working with local fire agencies to ensure every fire department in the United States has at least two thermal imaging cameras. The organization donates new cameras or provides partial funding toward the purchase of a camera. Donations may be made to a specific department; optionally, donors may donate a camera in their name or that of their organization. For more information, visit the Web site www.fsalf.org or call (209) 523-8579.
The NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION (NFFF) was named Fire Service Organization of the Year by the CONGRESSIONAL FIRE SERVICES INSTITUTE (CFSI) for its vision, leadership, and expertise in honoring fallen firefighters and emotionally supporting their families and colleagues. The NFFF unveiled a section of bricks on its Walk of Honor dedicated to the six members of the Worcester (MA) Fire Department who perished in a warehouse fire in 1999.
Members of the Prince George’s County (MD) Fire and EMS Department donated 115 bricks as a retirement gift to Chief Ronald Jon Siarnicki, NFFF executive director. The new area includes bricks honoring fallen firefighters as far back as 1930. Additional bricks list the names of all department chiefs from 1968 to the present and honor Chairman Charles B. Burton and Chaplain Pierce M. Damewood.
The newest section includes more than 300 bricks for a total of more than 3,500.
Wyoming has adopted statewide the current editions of the following NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) standards: NFPA 54, National Fuel Gas Code; NFPA 58, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code; and NFPA 101, Life Safety CodeT, for new and existing health care facilities, effective July 1, 2003. All of these codes are elements of the Comprehensive Consensus CodesTM (C3) set being developed by NFPA and other leading code developers.In addition to adopting NFPA 54, NFPA 58, and NFPA 101, the legislation stipulates that the requirements of NFPA 70, National Electrical CodeT, will prevail if there is a code conflict in any provision of the other state codes.
The FIRE PROTECTION RESEARCH FOUNDATION name the following trustees: Raymond Grill, senior vice president and engineering manager at Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc.; Steven Wydeveld, chief building official for Will County, Illinois, and a member of the Illinois Building Commission; and Robert Zalosh, professor of fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The new trustees will serve three-year terms on the 12-member board of trustees. The foundation is a charitable nonprofit group studying fire risk and fire safety that is affiliated with the NFPA.
STEWART & STEVENSON’s fire apparatus service and support will soon be available at customer service centers throughout the central and western United States. The company’s EVT-certified fire apparatus service, support, and training capabilities are available in varying degrees at customer service centers in San Leandro, California; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Auburn, Washington; Phoenix, Arizona; and Commerce City, Colorado.
The RECHARGEABLE BATTERY RECYCLING CORPORATION (RBRC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to recycling rechargeable batteries, announced its new battery recycling program in STAPLES stores throughout the United States. RBRC’s battery drop-off boxes are now available in Staples stores, allowing customers to drop off their used rechargeable batteries at boxes located at the store customer service desk. The rechargeable batteries used for many cordless electronic products can and should be recycled when they can no longer hold a charge. In addition to the 1,100 U.S. Staples stores, the RBRC recycling program includes more than 30,000 drop-off sites throughout the United States and Canada. National retailers participating in the free RBRC program include Best Buy, Circuit City, Home Depot, RadioShack, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, and more. Drop-off locations may be found at the RBRC Web site at www.rbrc.org. or by calling (800) 8-BATTERY.
Names In The News
BILL BROWN, a captain with the Indianapolis (IN) Fire Department (IFD), was promoted to battalion chief and named coordinator of 193-member Indiana Task Force 1 (ITF-1), responsible for its day-to-day operations. Previously, Brown was the department’s operations executive officer.
Retired Chief DENNIS COMPTON of the Mesa (AZ) Fire Department received the 2003 CFSI/Motorola Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award from the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) at the CFSI dinner in April. The award recognizes an individual who has been proactive at the local, state, or federal government level in raising the awareness of and support for fire/emergency services and life safety issues. Compton serves on the executive board of the International Fire Service Training Association, is a board member of the National Fire Protection Association, and is immediate past chair of the CFSI National Advisory Committee. A fire service veteran of more than 32 years, he retired last year as chief of Mesa after five years and was with the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department for 27 years. Compton was named a charter member of the Arizona Fire Service Hall of Fame.
SAMUEL G. BONASSO was named acting administrator of the Research And Special Programs Administration (RSPA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. RSPA is responsible for the safe and secure movement of hazardous materials to industry and consumers through all modes of transportation, including pipelines; the coordination of rapid response to transportation emergencies; and the advancement of science and technology for national transportation needs. A former secretary of transportation for West Virginia, Bonasso had served as RSPA deputy administrator since November 2002 and has more than 36 years experience as a professional engineer. Bonasso is also an adjunct professor of civil engineering at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
