Software tracks exposures to potential health threats
Through a National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)/VaultRMS partnership, NVFC members will be able to track their exposures to possible carcinogens over the course of their careers at a discounted rate of $1 per month for the first year and $2 per month thereafter. Firefighters will be able to use the VaultRMS Exposure Tracker Program to document exposures to carcinogens and communicable diseases and record injuries, providing evidence firefighters need to qualify for sickness/disability benefits in the case of an illness or injury. “All too often, firefighters face a bureaucratic challenge to get timely benefits if they can’t provide documentation on the exposures they’ve gotten,” explains Chris Memmott, founder of VaultRMS.
Exposure Tracker enables firefighters to log the number of fires they’ve fought, the duration of their exposure, their role at the fire, and the ages of the burning structures they enter. This information is critical to getting the benefits they deserve and providing data for further research.
A large part of VaultRMS’s mission is to donate the anonymized datasets to cancer researchers to further the fight against cancer in the fire service. Members can take advantage of the special NVFC member rate for Exposure Tracker by visiting the Members-Only section of the NVFC web site http://www.nvfc.org.
PERMA members learn about PTSD
“A socially supportive environment can help public safety employees maintain their psychological health and combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” mental health experts said at a seminar for members of the Public Employer Risk Management Association, Inc. (PERMA) in March. Dr. William McIntyre and Dr. David Kelley of Public Safety Psychology led the program on the causes, symptoms, and management of PTSD in police and firefighters.
Dr. Kelley explained: “PTSD is caused by a defect in the ‘flip and reset’ function of individuals who serve in the line of duty. While on duty, police and firefighters have to be ready to protect and fight. When they are off duty, they must flip and reset to a less vigilant mode to function properly in civilian life. However, exposure to multiple traumatic incidents can make one less able to reset on a daily basis and become more susceptible to PTSD.”
He also noted that often, a department’s administration is identified as the members’ primary source of stress and that supervisors should be aware of each member’s workload and should promote a peer support system. “The message can be boiled down to three words: ‘You’re not alone,’ ” Dr. Kelley advised.
Attendees also learned the following:
- Early detection of PTSD symptoms and intervention are key to prevention.
- Peers and supervisors should watch for abrupt shifts in behavior in every aspect of a member’s day-to-day life, and they should refer affected members to the appropriate support program as soon as possible. If for some reason this cannot be done, then the member with advanced symptoms of PTSD should be removed from duty and referred to treatment.
PERMA is the largest workers’ compensation pool for public entities in New York State and has provided benefits to municipal employees for more than 30 years.
NFPA certification for health care professionals
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has introduced the Certified Life Safety Specialist (CLSS-HC) (http://www.nfpa.org/clss%20%20%20“>http://www.nfpa.org/clss) for health care facility managers. The program is based on the 2012 edition of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®. The credential focuses on the individual’s advanced knowledge of the many life safety challenges within a health care environment and the strategies needed to keep the facilities in compliance with the NFPA code.
The CLSS-HC designation, developed in coordination with diverse subject matter experts in safety and facility and building management, includes an extensive 100-item examination and a set of recertification requirements that must be completed within a three-year time period following the initial certification. Among the subjects candidates are tested on in the exam are the following: protection, means of egress, operating features, building services, general requirements, and special provisions. Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent to take the exam.
Health care facilities to comply with 2012 ed. of NFPA 101, NFPA 99
By July 5, 2016 (after press time), health care facilities in the nation that participate in federal reimbursement programs were to be in compliance with the 2012 editions, instead of the 2000 editions, of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101, Life Safety Code®, and NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities Code, as mandated by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). According to the NFPA, the federal rule-making process to recognize the 2012 NFPA code edition requirements for the two codes was published in 2014, and more than 350 public comments were received when the draft rule was published.
In anticipation of this final rule, NFPA has created a resource page at http://www.nfpa.org/cms that includes information on code requirements, training, webinars, and other relevant content users can use as they transition from the 2000 to the 2012 versions of these two codes.
LINE-OF-DUTY DEATHS
March 20. Firefighter II Christopher Gene Ray, Conway (SC) Fire Rescue: fall off an engine, which then ran over him.
March 20. Fire Technician/Industrial Firefighter Kenny Ray Jr., 32, Timken Steel Fire and Security, Canton, OH: nitrogen exposure suspected; incident under investigation.
March 23. Driver/Engineer Marco Davila, 45, Dallas (TX) Fire-Rescue Department: nature and cause of injury to be determined. March 31. Cadet Steven Whitfield II, 32, Houston (TX) Fire Department: collapsed while training; cause of death under investigation.
April 2. Firefighter Charles M. Tucker, 56, Lynn (AL) Fire and Rescue: injuries sustained in a vehicle collision on March 30 while returning from a grass and woods fire with his son, a junior member of the department. His son is recovering from his injuries. The accident is under investigation by the Alabama Highway Patrol.
April 15. Lieutenant John “Skillet” Ernest Ulmschneide, 37, Prince George’s County (MD) Fire/EMS Department: gunshots by the resident who allegedly believed the home was being broken into; incident under investigation.
April 17. Lieutenant Rodney Eddins, 57, Memphis (TN) Fire Department: collapsed on April 16 from a fatal injury still to be determined.
April 30. Firefighter Richard Sheltra, 20, The Pineville-Morrow Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue, Inc. Pineville, NC: injuries sustained while operating on the interior of a commercial structure fire at a strip mall.
May 2. Firefighter Theodore A. Stafford, 73, Sag Harbor (NY) Fire Department: died at home from a fatal injury still to be determined.
May 5. Firefighter/Fire Warden Steven Lapierre, 58, Georgia Volunteer Fire Department, Saint Albans, VT: injuries sustained from a heart attack while operating at a brush fire on April 27.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
Fire Engineering Archives
