The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has announced that Pierce is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 ARROW XT, DASH CF, QUANTUM, AND VELOCITY emergency vehicles manufactured from October 13, 2010, through February 8, 2012, and equipped with Detroit Diesel DD13 EPA 2010 engines.
The engine shutdown software generally provided to protect the engine and vehicle may not have been disabled on engines intended for emergency vehicle applications. If the vehicle operator receives and ignores multiple warnings indicating the need for operator intervention, the engine may shut down unexpectedly and could hamper rescue operations and place the public at risk.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
February 28. Firefighter/EMT Gerald “Jerry” R. Wetherell, 74, Denton Township Fire Department, Prudenville, MI: cause yet to be reported.
February 29. Captain Mark G. Ratledge, 35, Cottonwood (CA) Fire Protection District: struck and killed by a vehicle while working at the scene of a traffic collision.
March 4. Lieutenant Mark W. Morrison, 53, St. Lucie County (FL) Fire District: discovered unconscious in the firehouse; cause to be determined.
March 4. Lieutenant/EMT Jamison Kampmeyer, 34, Colby (WI) Fire Department: injuries sustained when a roof collapsed at a movie theater fire.
March 5. Chief Nolan “Goat” Pittman, 45, Centreville (MS) Volunteer Fire Department: cause to be determined.
March 14. Senior Captain Thomas “Bill” Dillion, 49, Houston (TX) Fire Department: cause to be determined.
March 19. Firefighter Jonathan D. Myers, 54, Norfolk (VA) Fire-Rescue: cause to be determined.
March 19. Captain Donald L. Jones, 56, Jacksonville (AR) Fire Department: injuries sustained when struck by a motor vehicle at a vehicle accident.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
IAFC position statement on national drug shortage
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is asking the American fire service to set as a top priority the addressing of the national critical drug shortage fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies have been experiencing relative to “drugs used to save the lives of patients who may be suffering from trauma or a medical emergency.” The IAFC Board of Directors’ position statement on this issue is available in a pdf on the IAFC Web site (www.iafc.org). The IAFC EMS Section presented the position to the IAFC leadership following extensive research and discussions with local and national stakeholders.
“A solution must be found; paramedics must have the crucial and necessary drugs to save the lives of their patients,” says Chief Gary Ludwig, chair of the IAFC EMS Section. “The ability to administer the appropriate pharmaceutical products to patients in the field can be the difference between life and death. We all know that rapid intervention is essential in these situations; waiting to administer life-saving drugs until the victim reaches an emergency room—at least 10 to 15 minutes after we have begun care—creates a serious and unnecessary risk.”
The number of drug shortages has tripled in just five years, and shortages are becoming more severe and more frequent. Although there is no comprehensive data on the specific impact caused by drug shortages on fire-based EMS, many of the risks identified in the research (e.g., delay in care, human error, prohibitive expense, and so on) are easily extrapolated to the EMS environment, according to the IAFC EMS Section.
The IAFC position statement includes three components:
- An educational component on the national drug shortage including associated risks, identification of factors contributing to the national drug shortage, and fire department impact.
- An outline of the IAFC positions on issues relating to federal investment and processes, national laws and regulations, and improved interagency collaborations.
- Suggested actions for fire and emergency service leaders.
“The national drug shortage is having a major impact on fire-based EMS, but it is also a larger public safety issue,” notes IAFC President Al Gillespie. “Even if your department does not provide EMS, the repercussions of shortages in your community can negatively impact your ability to successfully save lives and the ability of others to help responders in need of emergency care.” All fire service leaders, he says, “should educate themselves on this issue and become a part of the solution.”
Dress uniforms for firefighters killed in line of duty
The Fallen Fire Fighter Dress Uniform Program was established in 1995 in response to a firefighter line-of-duty death (LODD) in the Hanna Township (IL) Volunteer Fire Department. It makes available a Class A dress uniform to families who have lost a firefighter in the line of duty and do not have a dress uniform in which to bury their loved one. There is no cost to the family. You can access the program from http://www.lighthouseuniform.com/fallenffprogram.
Some firefighters’ deaths do not meet the criteria of a “qualified” LODD, according to Steve Cohen, president of the Lighthouse Uniform Company, home of the Fallen Fire Fighter Dress Uniform Program. Cohen explains that “a whole generation of firefighters, mostly retired now, who dedicated their lives to the fire service, never owned a dress uniform and are beginning to pass away. Their families want to give them a ‘fireman’s funeral,’ and they don’t ‘qualify’ for the Fallen Fire Fighter dress uniform.” Cohen stresses that this doesn’t mean that these firefighters and their families don’t deserve a uniform. He says it, instead, exposes the need for a different program.
Cohen says its Bereavement Uniform Program can help ensure that families who need the free dress uniform will receive one. An overview of the program is at http://blog.lighthouseuniform.com/?p=1885.
Cohen is asking that fire departments send any surplus dress uniforms to Lighthouse. The uniforms will be cleaned, refurbished, and reranked as necessary and made available to families who request one, at no cost. Those wishing to donate a uniform may call (800) 426-5225 (PST) or e-mail steve@lighthouseuniform.com. The Lighthouse will acknowledge on its Web site individuals and departments that contribute to the program. On request, donors will be sent a shipping call tag so there will be no “out of pocket” cost involved for participating departments.
USFA releases report on civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings
“Ninety-two percent of all civilian fatalities in residential building fires involve thermal burns and smoke inhalation,” according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) special report “Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2008-2010).” The report, developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center, is based on 2008 to 2010 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). It analyzes the characteristics of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings.
Among other findings in the report were the following:
- Fifty-five percent of civilian fire fatalities occurred in the bedroom.
- Fifty percent of civilian fire fatalities occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Also during this period, 47 percent of fatal fires occur.
- At the time of their deaths, 36 percent of fire victims were trying to escape; an additional 35 percent were sleeping.
- Unintentionally set fires, careless actions, and smoking each accounted for 16 percent of the fires.
- Approximately 44 percent of civilian fatalities in residential building fires were people between the ages of 40 and 69. Thirteen percent were younger than 10 years old.
The report is part of the Topical Fire Report Series. For additional information regarding other topical reports or programs and training available from the U.S. Fire Administration, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.
DHS announces PS-Prep™ certification
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that AT&T, Inc. has become the first private sector company to be certified under the PS-Prep™ program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The program, a partnership between DHS and the private sector, makes it possible for private entities to be certified in emergency preparedness and to enhance their capabilities for planning, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters and other threats.
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is a PS-Prep™ program-accrediting body. In that role, ANAB has accredited National Quality Assurance (NQA) USA as a PS-Prep™ certification body. NQA USA performed the certification audit of the AT&T Business Continuity Management System and declared the system as PS-Prep-certified.
DHS plans to expand the list of early participating entities in the PS-Prep™ program in the coming year. Additional information on PS-Prep™ is at http://www.fema.gov/privatesector/preparedness.
ASTM approves deck structure fire test response standard
Subcommittee E05.14 on External Fire Exposures, part of ASTM International Committee E05 on Fire Standards, is developing ASTM E2726/E2726M, Test Method for Evaluating the Fire-Test-Response of Deck Structures to Burning Brands, which addresses the protection of exterior portions of structures during fires.
According to Paul Hough, manager of product fire performance, Armstrong World Industries, and an E05 member: “This standard will assist building code officials, manufacturers, and homeowners in assessing the fire performance of decking materials.” The test in the new standard simulates a deck exposed to burning embers on the upper horizontal surface.
Hough explains that the standard originated from a standard that has been included in California regulations and “is in response to the growing urban wildland fire concern in many states.”
He invites all interested parties to join the subcommittee in its work of developing standards for other external building assemblies. Additional information is at astm.org/sn-construction or Twitter @ASTMBuildings.
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