Fire grant program draws 19,000+ applications
The Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA)/U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)] has received more than 19,000 applications from fire departments for grants available under the Assistance to Firefighters grant program. FEMA Director Joe M. Allbaugh found the response “gratifying” and said that it “demonstrates the many needs of our nation’s fire service.”
A series of panels reviewed the applications during May and June and will make recommendations for grant awards to FEMA. All fire departments will be notified of the final action taken on their grant applications by September 30, 2001.
Grant awards will be distributed as outlined in the legislation, explains Ken Burris, acting USFA administrator. Rural, suburban, and urban departments will be considered, and distribution of funds will be weighted to include career, volunteer, and combination departments.
The target allocations for each category in which grants will be funded this year are as follows: Training, $6.5 million; Wellness and Fitness Programs, $6.5 million; Vehicles, $15 million; Firefighting Equipment, $15 million; Personal Protective Equipment, $35 million; and Fire Prevention Programs, $12 million.
Additional information on the grant program is available from the USFA Web site at www.usfa.fema.gov/grants, through the Grant Office’s toll-free information line at (866) 274-0920, or by e-mailing usfagrants@fema.gov.
Revised OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards now in effect
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) bloodborne pathogens standard was revised with the objective of reducing the number of needlesticks among healthcare and other workers who handle medical sharps. The new standard became effective April 18; however, OSHA will mount a 90-day outreach and education program before enforcing the new rules.
The revision, mandated by the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, stipulates that employers are to select safer needle devices as they become available and that employees are to be included in the process of selecting the devices. Employers are also required to maintain a log of workers who may have been exposed to infectious diseases through needlestick injuries from contaminated sharps and to ensure privacy for employees.
The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was passed unanimously by Congress in November 2000.
Jackson confirmed as DOT deputy secretary
Michael P. Jackson was recently confirmed as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). As the department’s chief operating officer, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of 11 modal administrations and the work of the DOT’s 100,000 employees nationwide and overseas.
Jackson served as chief of staff to DOT Secretary Andrew H. Card, Jr., from 1992 to 1993. After that, he was vice president and general manager for business development at Lockheed Martin IMS Transportation Systems and Services and was senior vice president and counselor to the president of the American Trucking Association.
His government experience includes having served as special assistant to the President and executive secretary for cabinet liaison during the first Bush administration and as press spokesman and deputy chief of staff to the secretary of education. He was also a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute and taught political science at the University of Georgia and at Georgetown University.
House members support increased funding for fire grants
As of May 1, 156 members of the House of Representatives have signed a letter addressed to Congressman James Walsh of New York, chairman and ranking democrat of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Veteran’s Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies, asking for increased funding for the Assistance to Firefighters grant program in the 2002 fiscal year. Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Curt Weldon (R-PA), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) have worked with the Congressional Fire Services Institute and the other national fire service organizations to acquire signatures on the letter.
A list of the representatives who signed the letter is on the CFSI’s Web site
Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act introduced in Senate
Senator Bob Torricelli (D-NJ) introduced the Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act (S. 773) in April. The bill, a companion to that introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) in February (H.R. 471), would require disclosure of fire safety standards and measures with respect to campus buildings. The House bill was referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness in March. The Senate bill was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in April.
Among the bill’s requirements are that each institution distribute an annual fire safety report containing information on the following: fire sprinkler or other campus building fire safety systems; statistics concerning the occurrence of fires and false fire alarms in student housing; and information on injuries, deaths, and structural damage caused by fire. The statistics would be submitted to the secretary of education, who would then submit a report to Congress within a year.
Lack of exercise puts firefighters at risk, says Texas A&M study
The sedentary hours firefighters spend in the station house may be as hazardous for them as fighting a fire, according to a study by the Applied Exercise Science Laboratory at Texas A&M University, College Park. The report, “Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Firefighters: A Longitudinal Study,” says that a major reason for firefighters’ high risk for heart attacks may be that they get little or no exercise while on duty.
Wade Womack, a faculty member in the Texas A&M Applied Exercise Science Laboratory, followed 74 firefighters over a six-year period and found that many firefighters are overweight and have higher than acceptable levels of cholesterol. The study was published in Cardiovascular Reviews and Reports.
Womack concludes that firefighters need more exercise. Fighting fires, he explains, is strenuous, stressful, and physically exerting. He notes that firefighters have long periods on duty in which they get little or no exercise. The sudden, intense energy demand needed to fight a fire can put firefighters who are in suboptimal physical condition in grave danger.
A review of firefighter line-of-duty deaths reveals that the majority of them over the age of 45 die from a heart attack and two of every five of those firefighters had documented heart conditions, Womack reports.
The firefighters who took part in the study ranged in age from the early 20s to the mid 60s; the average age was 35.8 years. Their body fat composition was above average, and their cholesterol readings were slightly higher than optimum levels. Moreover, the firefighters’ aerobic fitness level as measured by VO2 max dropped from 41.8 to 35.6 during the course of the study.
As Womack sees it, firefighters’ physical fitness could be viewed as a matter of public safety as well as one of individual health. An out-of-shape firefighter responding to a fire, he suggests, might put others at risk because of his lack of fitness.
Many fire departments have fitness equipment and exercise rooms available to firefighters, but many departments do not have fitness requirements firefighters must maintain, says Womack.
For additional information, contact Keith Randall at (979) 845-4644 or Wade Womack at (979) 862-7726.
(Source:
“Cover the Bases & Strike Out Fire” is Fire Prevention Week theme
“Cover the Bases & Strike Out Fire” will be the theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week (October 7-13) activities, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced. The baseball diamond will be the visual cue, explains Meri-K Appy, NFPA vice president of public education.
Each base on the Fire Prevention Week diamond will represent important safety tips: Kitchen safety will be positioned at first base, heating safety at second base, and electrical safety at third. Home plate will serve to remind children to test their smoke alarms and plan an escape from home fires with parents and caregivers. “Just like baseball, fire prevention is a team game, and we encourage parents to work closely with their children to stay safe,” explains Appy.
Three suffer smoke inhalation in Washington, D.C., fire
Three people were treated for smoke inhalation at a fire that occurred in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on May 9. The fire, which broke out about 1 p.m., was in the suite of Representative Alcee Hastings (D-FL). It apparently started in a trash can in the bathroom. The building was evacuated for almost an hour.
The cause of the fire is under investigation; officials say it didn’t appear to be suspicious. Damage was reported to be minimal.
(Source: Reuters Limited, AP,
Businessman sentenced for part in 1977 fire that killed two firefighters
A Minneapolis man, Victor Cossette, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 10 years probation for his role in bringing about a fire that killed two Minneapolis firefighters in March 1977. The fire occurred in Vic’s Inc. and Vic’s Corvette Parts in south Minneapolis. Cossette owned the establishments.
Arson was suspected at the time of the fire, but no one was charged with the crime. The case was reopened in 1999. Information discovered during this investigation implicated Cossette, who acknowledged that he wanted to have his business set on fire so he could collect insurance money. The individual who actually set the fire died in 1980.
(Source: WCCO Channel4000.com, May 9, 2001)
Company to stop selling chemicals used for illegal fireworks
Springfield (OR) Scientific Supplies, Inc. will no longer sell chemicals used to produce illegal and dangerous fireworks such as M-80s, quarter-sticks, M-1000s, and tennis ball bombs. The announcement was made by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). A consent decree of permanent injunction signed by Springfield Scientific was approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.
The court order follows a six-month investigation conducted by the CPSC, the DOJ, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms into the manufacture and sale of illegal explosive devices. The company will also work with the government to combat the manufacture of these dangerous and illegal explosive devices. Any firecracker with more than 50 milligrams of explosive powder and mail-order kits and components designed to build these fireworks are banned under federal law. n
NFPA’s Asia Pacific operation moves to Hong Kong
Asia Pacific operations of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have been moved from Melbourne, Australia, to Hong Kong. According to the NFPA, Hong Kong was chosen for its fire service leadership, including interest in global best practice.
The NFPA later this year will participate in a program for Chinese city officials at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok; fire prevention methods will be examined and discussed from the perspective of last year’s shopping center fire that killed more than 300 people. Additional information may be obtained from Jeff Godfredson, director, Asia Pacific Operations, NFPA International, at (852) 2119-2615 or by e-mail:
NFPA and Hewlett Packard Company join to prevent children’s injuries
Hewlett Packard Company has joined with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to increase awareness of Risk WatchT, the NFPA’s comprehensive injury prevention program, throughout North America. Hewlett Packard is awarding a $100,000 grant to support the program’s online communications and other technology-related efforts.
The objective of Risk Watch is to prevent injuries in children. More than 7,000 children are killed each year, and more than 50,000 are permanently disabled from such injuries, according to the NFPA.
The NFPA is developing a Web site that will present age-appropriate information to students and parents and provide teachers and safety advocates with the resources and guidance to implement the program locally.
