Halton Named Fire Engineering Editor
Chief Robert Halton has been named editor in chief of Fire Engineering.
A native New Yorker whose family has deep roots in the Fire Department of New York and the New York City Police Department, Halton began his career in structural firefighting with the Albuquerque (NM) Fire Department in 1984, where he attained national registry as a paramedic; was chief of training; and rose to the rank of chief of operations, a position he held until he retired from the department in 2004. He then became chief of the Coppell (TX) Fire Department.
Halton, a graduate of the University of New Mexico, is actively involved with the National Fallen Firefighters Life Safety Initiatives, serves on the Fire Engineering and FDIC advisory boards, and is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He has served on several National Fire Protection Association technical committees and has done extensive speaking and training for the fire service in the United States and Canada.
“I am humbled to accept the position as the editor of America’s most prestigious fire training magazine and the industry standard for conferences, the Fire Department Instructors Conference,” Halton said. “I will serve the patrons and supporters of Fire Engineering to the best of my abilities and want to thank my friends on the advisory board and the owners and management of PennWell Corporation for this incredible opportunity.”
In his role as chief editor, Halton will oversee the editorial operations of Fire Engineering magazine, the FE E-Newsletter, FireEngineering.com, and all FDIC education-related events. ■
Fallen Firefighters Candlelight and Memorial Services honor 107
One hundred seven firefighters, from 34 states, killed in the line of duty were honored during this year’s National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) memorial services held October 8-9 in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Their names were added to the plaques surrounding the NFFF monument. The honorees included 101 firefighters who died in 2004 and six who had died in previous years.
In addition to the Sunday morning memorial service, which was held at Mount St. Mary’s University because of inclement weather, weekend events included Family Day Events; a Memorial Chapel Vigil; a Family Opening Session; the Red Helmets Ride Ceremony; Small Group Sessions for Families and Coworkers; Escort Events; Honor Guard Events; and a Candlelight Service, held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. ■
Varied events mark Fire Prevention Week
Fire departments across the country observed Fire Prevention Week, October 9-15, with various activities. This year’s theme, “Use Candles with Care,” was incorporated into public fire safety educational programs throughout the country.
Following are examples of how some fire departments marked the observance of Fire Prevention Week:
• Cushing (OK) Fire Department: The department held fire station tours for youngsters and presented educational programs in elementary schools. www.cushingdaily.com, Oct. 13, 2005
• Senatobia (MS) Fire Department: In conjunction with the Tate County SALT Council, the department distributed free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to the public. It also conducted home safety inspections. www.zwire.com, Oct 4, 2005
• Sun City (AZ) Fire District: Some 1,000 kits were given away free to residents. Bank One donated $10,000 for the kits, which included, among other items, a bottle of spring water, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a whistle, emergency tips, and pillboxes. The lightweight kits (nylon bag with handle) were designed with senior citizens in mind. The pillboxes, for example, are inscribed with Braille on the lids and include a paper-thin magnifier and key chain. The bag can accommodate glasses, socks, and a small radio for emergency broadcasts. Residents are advised to keep the bag near their bed, in case of nighttime emergencies, or on their wheelchairs or walkers. Other activities included free blood pressure readings and an expo featuring at least 100 vendors at the town’s recreation center, where free health screenings, water, and ice cream were offered. A vendor was on hand to inspect and charge residents’ fire extinguishers for a fee. A ceremony, in which firefighters from most of the 50 states participated, honored retired and present firefighters. The district’s Honor Guard was introduced to the community. www.newszap.com, Sept. 27, 2005
• Missouri’s Fort Leonard Wood Fire Department: The department presented fire prevention education programs at elementary schools and increased adult public safety education efforts in October. An open house was also held. www.pulaskicountydemocrat.com, Oct 7, 2005
• Holland (MI) Fire Department: A Holland Area Fire Prevention Council parade kicked off Fire Prevention Week; county command vehicles and antique fire trucks were featured. Children visited fire stations during the week, and firefighters visited classrooms. At the parade’s conclusion at one of the stations, visitors could partake of food and beverages provided by the city and firefighters’ union local; discuss with firefighters ways to protect their homes from fire; and observe extrication, technical rescue, and safety presentations. www.mlive.com, Oct. 10, 2005
• Sherman (TX) Fire Department: Firefighters presented fire safety programs to kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students and held open houses at the station, where youngsters were able to spray water from fire hoses and witness a demonstration of personal protective equipment. www.heralddemocrat.com, Oct 10 ■
USFA adds “Chief’s Corner” on Web site
Anew feature, the “Chief’s Corner,” has been added to the U.S. Fire Administration Web site at www.usfa.fema.gov/. According to USFA Deputy Administrator Charlie Dickinson, the new feature will share information on fire prevention and fire safety the USFA staff acquired through discussions with individuals and department leaders throughout the nation.
An example is the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters (NAHF) “Mis Primeros Pasos” program, developed in collaboration with the USFA and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and based on the “Learn Not To Burn” program. It is interactive and addresses the frequency with which Hispanic children are hurt or killed by fire. The program and book are in a lesson plan format. Since its inception, more than 900 teachers in more than 30 states taught some 27,000 children the program. The NAHF has secured additional funds through the Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to expand the program. Additional information is at www.nahf.org.
To submit ideas or items for consideration for the Chief’s Corner to consider, contact the USFA External Affairs at Thomas.Olshanski@dhs.gov/. ■
Metro Fire Chiefs issue recommendations to DHS after hurricanes
The Metro Fire Chiefs/Urban Fire Forum, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), met at the NFPA headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts, at the end of September and reviewed the preparedness for, response to, and post conditions of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Below are Forum recommendations/observations offered to the DHS based on the reviews.
• The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is essential for the successful coordination of all incidents.
• The mandated implementation of NIMS must be accelerated and enforced at all levels of government (federal, state, local) without exception.
• The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must be elevated to a Cabinet level position to ensure that the prevention, response, mitigation, and recovery efforts pertaining to natural and man-made disasters/emergencies receive appropriate commitment and support.
• Qualified individuals with appropriate fire service/emergency management experience must be appointed to the following key positions: FEMA Director, Under Secretary for Preparedness, and Administrator of the United States Fire Administration.
• The American Fire Service developed the Incident Management System and has demonstrated experience in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. The leadership role of the fire service in emergency response and public safety must be used through appointments to key positions in the DHS and FEMA. The Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section will work collaboratively with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the NFPA to develop a list of qualified and experienced individuals for consideration as appointees to these key DHS and FEMA key positions.
Chiefs from the following areas participated in the Forum: Alameda County, Los Angeles, Contra Costa County, San Diego, and Fairfield, CA; Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL; Cobb County, GA; Chicago, IL; Shreveport, LA; Boston and Worcester, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Toronto, Canada; Charlotte, NC; Las Vegas, NV; Minneapolis, MN; and Milwaukee, WI. ■
Gaps in government natural disaster strategy cited
Some disaster experts say the United States still lacks an overall strategy for effectively responding to natural disasters. According to Dennis Mileti, a natural-hazards expert at the University of Colorado, the country is preparing for disasters already experienced, since many of the plans in current use were developed in response to major disasters. Many disaster-specific programs, he notes, have shortcomings that leave the nation more vulnerable than necessary. Among the factors contributing to this vulnerability, he notes, are budgetary constraints, the shutting down of stream gauges that warn of impending floods, the movement of more people into the flood plains, a lack of evacuation plans for tsunami-prone communities, inadequate monitoring of active volcanoes, the decline in community-preparedness boards, and a lack of accurate information concerning the nation’s levees.
Moreover, some disaster experts say that no comprehensive federal effort is underway to assess the gaps in the response/preparedness plans or to encourage experts in the disciplines of science and engineering associated with natural hazards to work together to try to minimize the damage disasters can inflict.
Emergency planners say current strategies are inadequate. For example, says Stephanie Fritts, Pacific County (WA) emergency manager, individuals in the area are encouraged to keep seven days of supplies on hand when preparing for a disaster, not three days, as is recommended by the federal government. Fritts points out that there will be “islands” of people for some time in major disaster areas.
One of the shortcomings in the nation’s preparedness system involves the incident command system, according to the disaster experts. They cite the effectiveness of the wildfire incident command system, which serves as the model for all other federal disaster response efforts. In fact, President Bush issued a decree that mandates that all state and local emergency response agencies adopt the national Incident Management System, a version of the wildfire system, to be eligible for federal homeland security grants. As of October 1, 2006, state and local emergency response agencies must certify that they are implementing NIMS before they can qualify for the grants.
Currently, however, the national system still needs some work, say responders to recent disasters. Wildfire teams called to support Hurricanes Katrina and Rita recovery operations on the Gulf Coast reported that the FEMA system had no way to certify people and was difficult to integrate and coordinate because the incident command structure was not universally used. According to some relief workers in Louisiana, there was no formal command structure in the state’s emergency operations center until a couple of weeks after the hurricane hit, and there was no formal procedure for requesting supplies or services.
The closest thing the nation has to a national vision for dealing with natural disasters is a report issued last June by the National Science and Technology Council, a White House-managed interagency committee. The report laid out six common challenges facing the country, no matter the disaster: (1) The right people need to be warned at the right time; (2) scientists need to understand the causes of disasters; (3) Americans must build their communities to resist natural hazards; (4) the vulnerability of critical infrastructure-water, communications, power, gas, transportation, and sewage-must be reduced; (5) communities must regularly assess their resilience to disasters using standard methods; and (6) people must be educated to make wise choices about risks and disaster preparations. The report’s existence is little known except among the people who helped create it.
Priscilla Nelson, a former National Science Foundation executive, says the federal government must lead in fostering cooperation among agencies. Presently, she notes, the present organizational systems do not promote integration, accountability, or authority.
Hurricane Katrina, the experts say, has led federal, state, and local officials to focus more on how to minimize damage caused by natural disasters. However, if history is any indicator, they add, instead of developing a national integrated policy, our country will continue to adopt policies disaster by disaster, and most people will continue to live life as if a natural disaster will happen to others, not them. The complete article is at www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1005/102805nj1.htm/. Brian Friel and Paul Singer, nationaljournal.com, 10/28/05 ■
NFPA and NIOSH form alliance for emergency responder safety
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pertaining to emergency responder safety and protective clothing and equipment (PPE). PPE used to respond to all emergency incidents is included.
As part of the partnership, NIOSH-NPPTL will collaborate with the NFPA on technical information and standards concerning performance, testing, validation, use, care, and maintenance of emergency responder PPE and on emergency responder and emergency responder organization issues concerning safety, deployment, and operations. It will use the NFPA standards development system and process, when appropriate, for standards for emergency responders or emergency responder organizations that would supplement NIOSH regulations and for PPE evaluations the NPPTL conducts to determine compliance with NFPA standards.
The NFPA will formally recognize NIOSH-NPPTL as the primary federal agency for emergency responder and emergency responder organization personal protection technology (PPT) issues and use NIOSH regulations for emergency responder PPT as an integral baseline for NFPA codes and standards. The NFPA will also provide technical expertise and guidance to NPPTL on its long-term emergency responder technology development programs.
In 2001, Congress charged NIOSH to create a new protective technology program. The NPPTL, which provides world leadership for the prevention and reduction of occupational disease, injury, and death of workers relying on personal protective technologies, was established.
NPPTL’s emphasis has been on developing new performance criteria, testing methods, and certification standards for respiratory protective equipment and protective ensembles used in response to terrorism incidents involving CBRN.
NPPTL also has an active role in the NFPA standards development process for emergency responder protective clothing and equipment that provides protection from physical, chemical, biological, thermal, inhalation, and dermal hazards encountered during emergency medical, law enforcement, hazardous materials, technical rescue, firefighting, and special operations during terrorism incidents. http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i03/03b01601.htm September 9, 2005 ■
Pennsylvania colleges forge emergency plans
Campuses have resources, services, and plans that can benefit the community in times of emergency, but few of the plans are sufficiently integrated with the surrounding metropolitan, regional, and state emergency management agency crisis plans, according to Michael A. MacDowell, president of College Misericordia in Pennsylvania. Eighty colleges and universities throughout the state have participated in Pennsylvania’s Ready Campus program. The College, which served as an area flood-evacuation center in the 1970s, has been working with other institutions of higher learning in the state to help foster this integration.
In 2004, four regional training workshops for public and private two-year and four-year institutions were held. These events provided opportunities for the educational administrators to discuss with community and emergency management officials how their agencies can partner to deliver services to area residents in disasters. Represented at the workshops, in addition to the state’s colleges, were the American Red Cross, the Pennsylvania Campus Compact, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security. The groups suggested ways, including the following, in which colleges could better integrate their crisis and emergency plans with those of their communities.
• Identify community partners, and establish an emergency management committee comprised of students, faculty members, college administrators, and community leaders. Partners might include local representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal government agencies; state agencies such as the Office of Homeland Security, Department of Health, and the Office of Public Welfare; the municipal fire, police, and health departments; nonprofit organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army; and the local Chamber of Commerce and other private-sector groups.
• Be thoroughly familiar with the mission, priorities, and scope of an agency before considering partnering. The committee members from each agency should have the authority to make decisions for their organizations and to commit the institution’s resources (residence hall, campus vehicles, phone banks, for colleges for example) in the planning phase and in emergencies.
• Create a mission statement. Include a specific purpose, a formal plan, target dates, and expected results. Hold meetings to assess community and regional needs and resources, identify services already available, and indicate which resources the institution can reasonably provide. Develop an inventory of campus and community needs, assets, and personal contacts.
• Draft a memorandum of understanding with the community and its emergency management organizations. Include a statement formalizing the scope of the partnership and outlining mutual goals; clearly state expectations for each partner; and define legal liabilities. The top leaders of all the partner organizations should sign the document. A separate memorandum could be created for each partner.
• Prepare campus and community volunteers to work together in an emergency. Schedule training programs and emergency exercises based on the goals in the memorandum. All participants must understand their roles and responsibilities before an emergency occurs.
• Identify potential risks. Work with risk-management and legal professionals to determine risks that might result from the partnership, develop a risk-management plan that covers a wide range of possibilities, and review it regularly.
• Document activities, and keep records. They are necessary for reimbursement for disaster activities, insurance, and legal purposes. Records should include participant sign-up sheets, liability waivers, volunteer contact information, accident logs, and copies of major equipment warranties. Campus risk-management professionals should keep this information and update it regularly. ■
Bernalillo County (NM) Fire & Rescue institutes Fire Corps program
The 12 “citizen advocate” Fire Corps members of the Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue Department in Albuquerque, New Mexico, staff the emergency support trailer, provide firefighter rehab services, conduct life safety education, perform fund-raising and public relations activities, write grants, and perform other administrative functions (nonoperational tasks). The Corps citizen advocates include several former members of the fire service.
The department’s “community ambassador” initiative stipulate that Fire Corps members contribute at least 12 hours of service each month. If all those Corps members’ hours are not needed in a specific period-there may be few big fires during that time, for example-the Corps members assist in a volunteer capacity at other agencies to fill out their time commitment. Corps members wear off-duty shirts that identify them as Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue Department members.
Participants in the department’s Fire Corps program attend the department’s first level fire academy (the second level of training is reserved for those becoming volunteer firefighters). The Fire Corps Academy includes some 130 hours of training over a two-month period, covering everything from the IFSAC’s Introduction to Fire course, hazardous materials awareness, and CPR training to the incident command system (ICS), which helps people working inside the stations to thoroughly understand the system. In addition, Corps members are asked to perform eight hours of documented volunteer service elsewhere in the community before they begin to serve in the department.
Fire Corps, launched in 2004, is a national program partner of Citizens Corps. It represents a partnership among the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, and the U.S. Fire Administration. Its mission is to help career, volunteer, and combination fire departments supplement their resources. The Fire Corps program brings citizens into the fire department in nonoperational roles. Additional information on Fire Corps is at www.firecorps.org/, or call 202-887-4809. ■
Line-of -Duty Deaths
October 4. Fire Police Captain Peter E. Hotaling Sr., 57, Claverack (NY) Fire District-A.B. Shaw Fire Company: apparent heart attack.
October 24. Lieutenant Jeffrey Wendell, 47, Memphis (TN) Fire Department: cause unknown at press time.
October 25. Captain Robert Gallardy, 47, Altoona (PA) Fire Department: burns suffered in a training exercise.
October 25. Firefighter Franklin W. Eubanks, 47, Arlington Volunteer Fire Department, Philadelphia, MS: cause to be determined.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
NEWS GLIMPSES
Dallas (TX) Fire Department name change opposed. A proposed charter amendment would legally change the name of the Dallas (TX) Fire Department to Dallas Fire-Rescue. However, some fire department members oppose changing the name, which they say carries with it 133 years of proud tradition. Among the opponents is Mike Buehler, president of the Dallas Firefighters Association. City leaders maintain that the new name is more in line with the department’s current mission. The name Dallas Fire-Rescue came about during the tenure of a former fire chief. The new name is carried on department-issued clothing, its Web site, and rescue vehicles and newer fire engines and trucks. The traditional DFD logo is on all engines, trucks, and rescues. Buehler and other firefighters are asking voters to defeat the charter amendment. Tanya Eiserer, The Dallas Morning News, Oct. 27, 2005 ●
Chicago (IL) Fire Department resumes firefighter testing. In spring 2006, testing for applicants for the fire department will be resumed. It was discontinued some 10 years ago. Test results will be used to compile a new eligibility list. A federal judge ruled that the former list discriminated against black applicants. Department candidates are still being hired from the list based on the 1995 firefighter exam. The department will offer the written test every three years on a pass-fail basis, said Cortez Trotter, fire commissioner. All passing applicants will be processed randomly for background checks and more testing on skills like physical agility. The firefighters’ local, while in agreement with holding more frequent exams, does not agree with the proposed system of processing all passing applicants randomly for background checks and more testing skills like physical agility. It believes applicants should be ranked by performance. AP, www.nytimes.com, Oct. 27, 2005; Fran Spielman, www.suntimes.com, Oct. 24, 2005 ●
Online program promotes safe operation of emergency vehicles. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) announced in October that the Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations for Volunteer and Small Combination Emergency Service Organizations program is now online. Among its components are the following: an emergency vehicle safety best practices self-assessment, examples of standard operating guidelines, behavioral motivation techniques to enhance emergency vehicle safety, and critical safety issues for volunteer firefighters. This program supports the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives to reduce on-duty firefighter fatalities and ensure that everyone goes home. Additional information on this program and other USFA efforts in emergency vehicle safety is at www.usfa.fema.gov/research/safety/vehicle.shtm. It may also be accessed from the NVFC Web site at www.nvfc.org/evsp/index.html/. ●
UK fire brigade union warns of strike risk. A threat to firefighter pensions and a plan to regionalize fire control rooms that will reduce their number from 46 to nine has prompted Paul Clarke, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) brigade secretary for Cambridgeshire, to warn of a “very high chance” of strikes in 2006 in the face of the government’s acceleration of its modernization program. Under the plan, six East Anglian brigades would be replaced with a single centralized control center, scheduled to be in operation in Waterbeach by 2008. Clarke expressed confidence that the public would support the firefighters if they go on strike. The FBU executive council was to meet in December (after press time) to discuss future plans. Clarke said Cambridgeshire would not go on strike alone but would join a national strike related to this issue. Cambridgeshire’s deputy chief fire officer planned to talk with the county’s FBU representatives about the issue. www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/region_wide, Oct. 20, 2005 ●
NIAID awards $47 million to develop radiological and nuclear medical countermeasures. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has issued these grants, contracts, and interagency agreements as part of a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) research program on Medical Countermeasures Against Radiological and Nuclear Threats. The centers receiving the awards are to develop biodosimetry products to measure radiation exposure, therapeutics to treat short-and long-term symptoms of radiation exposure, and products that can prevent or mitigate the effects of radiation exposure; support projects focused on protecting the immune system from radiation or restoring the immune system after radiation exposure; develop medical countermeasures products; and develop improved DTPA (chemical diethylenetriaminepentaacetate) for Radionuclide Chelation, which can remove certain radioactive compounds from the body, and a way to effectively administer it following a terrorist attack (inhalation, oral liquid or pill, for example). Additional information is at www3.niaid.nih.gov/research/topics/radnuc/.
AFGP AWARDS
Fiscal Year 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) awards:
• Seventh round-487 grants, totaling $44,259,512.
• Eighth round-145 grants, totaling $14,474.088.
• Ninth round-540 grants, totaling $55,698,805.
The funds are to be used for training, first responder health and safety programs, equipment, and response vehicles.
Fiscal Year 2004 AFG program supplemental funds: In October, seven grants, totaling $734,849, were awarded to fire departments and emergency medical services programs for training, first responder health and safety programs, equipment, and response vehicles. In September, 22 grants, totaling $2,130,320, were awarded.
Fiscal Year 2003 AFG program: A summary report is available at www.firegrantssupport.com. More than 8,769 grants, totaling more than $700 million, were awarded.
The AFGP is administered by the Department’s Office for State and Local Government Coordination & Preparedness (SLGCP) in cooperation with the United States Fire Administration. Recipients in the latest round of award announcements are listed at http://www.firegrantsupport.com/awards.
