VARIOUS AND SUNDRY
BY BILL MANNING
Perhaps the largest fire issue looming in 1996 is that of a single national fire code. This would be most welcome. Numerous groups, most notably the model code groups, the NFPA, chiefs organizations, and others, have been working to make this a reality. Unfortunately, the issue has become tainted with politics. I implore all groups involved in this effort to work together and, most especially, obtain substantial input from the often forgotten “end-users” of the fire codes–those dragging lines into and searching burning buildings, those managing the firefight, and those out on the streets with the unenviable task of enforcing the codes. And end-users: You`ve got to be in it to win it. A single national fire code, if properly constructed and relatively politics-free, could be the single most important step the fire service can take in reducing the number of firefighter and civilian deaths and injuries in years to come. More to come on this subject.
The Journal of Light Construction reports in its August 1995 issue that we can expect to see a rise in the use of wood I-joists floor assemblies in new construction. New technology has opened the door for producing these assemblies at a significantly lower cost than previously. One member of the industry predicts the I-joists will be competitive with, and in some areas undersell, the traditional sawn joist.
This is not great news to the fire service, since these structural elements are known to fare quite poorly under fire conditions–worse in comparison to our friend the lightweight metal-gusseted wood truss. The only way firefighters will know if they`re working on these wood I-joists is to conduct neighborhood surveys during construction and use these preplans. Perhaps the light construction industry should be forced to notify the fire department of every building in which an I-joist assembly is installed. Better yet, how about a marking system such as that employed by many jurisdictions to warn firefighters of the presence of lightweight trusses? Would a skull and crossbones be too drastic?
Speaking of trusses, the TrusJoist Macmillan Company has for some time taken an active role in Operation Life Safety by promoting the use of both residential and commercial sprinklers for lightweight engineered wood products. The company`s stated motto, adapted from The Three Little Pigs children`s tale, is “Build a Better House, or Die!” Does anyone see just a slight contradiction here? Just a touch of irony? How would you take it if a big environmental polluter went about its merry way promoting tap water filters? Still, as the construction industry`s goal of lighter and lighter weight components appears to be as unassailable and inalienable a right as that of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it`s no doubt better, a pragmatist would reason, to have a well-sated wolf in your house than a hungry one outside blowing it down.
As of this writing, the budget impasse in Washington continues. The National Fire Academy managers and staff have been included on the “nonessentials” list–another swift kick in the fire service pants by Washington–and all programs are at a standstill. To add insult to injury, there is considerable talk about including the Federal Fire Programs in drastic budget cuts. The fire service must at every opportunity–and must create opportunities to–stress a vital point: The fire service is a national (not a special) interest. How many bombings, earthquakes, hurricanes, collapses, wildfires, train wrecks, air crashes, etc. (not to mention all the “little” multiple-alarm disasters every day) must we endure before the fire service finally is recognized for what it truly is, namely, America`s first line of defense in the critical first hours of every disaster/emergency?
The New Jersey state legislature is considering a bill requiring that all newly appointed police officers under a state civil service system possess four-year college degrees. This is in sharp contrast to the state`s prolonged trend toward the “dumbing down” of the fire service, helped in some cases by our social engineers at the U.S. Justice Department. In many places, it`s still your time in the 50-yard dash rather than what you possess upstairs that counts. Or it`s two weeks of standardized training and get into that fire building, Jack. How can we be so silly as to think of firefighting as a thoughtful art based on scientific principles?
Is anyone but me bothered by the incongruity of the words “10-year veteran and Chief of Operations for a career department”?
The January 1996 issue of the newsletter Fire Control Digest reported on the controversy surrounding the hiring of a female assistant chief of American-Indian descent from Tallahassee, Florida, as the new chief of the Madison (WI) Fire Department. The chairwoman and members of Madison`s Police and Fire Commission said, according to the report, that the new chief “had the best combination of attributes, including vision, community involvement, and experience as a firefighter and administrator. The commission also was impressed by her rise through the ranks in 13 years… [italics added].”
Have you noticed that some not-for-profit fire organizations seem to make a lot of profit?
One of Bill Clark`s last communications to me before he died contained this observation: “Both print and TV media are reluctant to identify firefighters as such. They are referred to as `rescue workers` or just plain `workers.` There is no doubt that the guys working their asses off in Oklahoma City are firefighters who belong to OCFD and FEMA`s search and rescue program, but how many of the millions of viewers and readers are aware of this?”
Over the past decade many chief fire executives have stressed the need for fire departments to adopt certain management practices formerly “reserved” for the private sector. Would a car manufacturer hire an engineer right out of high school? Would you consult a medical practitioner who didn`t attend medical school? Or, dare I ask, would you hire an editor with a sixth-grade reading level? Why, then, should prehire fire training be the exception rather than the norm in most areas of the country for the skilled position of firefighter? Answer: Lack of vision and the politics of “business as usual.” For that matter, merit-based incentives between ranks would be a sure and swift way to improve the overall quality and productivity of the fire department at minimum cost.
The Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department recently completed an interesting survey of 242 predominantly city fire departments. Ninety-one percent of the respondents were career departments; the rest, combination. One item that caught my eye says that, on average, approximately 65 percent of all structure fires are confined to the room of origin. Extrapolating from the most recent NFPA fire data, this would mean that approximately 290,000 residential structure fires in 1994 were confined to the room of origin, while nearly 160,000 residential structure fires were not–a scary statistic, coupled with the fact that 3,425 civilian fire deaths and 20,025 fire injuries occurred in the home in 1994.
We need your petitions (December issue) and your reader surveys (January issue) as soon as possible! (Petitions with more than one or two names are appreciated.) Thanks.
