NEWS IN BRIEF
“Fabulous Fire Truck” contest underway
A fire department in the United States or Canada can win an Emergency One Town & Country Classic Pumper with a retail value of more than $150,000 in the “Win This Fabulous Fire Truck for Your Town” contest cosponsored by Emergency One, Inc. and Navistar International Transportation Corporation. The fire truck will be awarded on September 1.5, 1992, at the International Association of Fire Chiefs convention in Anaheim, California.
Contestants, children 12 years of age or younger as of August 1, 1992, must color a picture of the fire truck to be awarded, complete an entry form (including the name of the fire department to receive the pumper if the child wins the contest), and return them (postmarked) by August 1. T he w inner w ill be chosen in a random draw ing on August 15.
In addition to the pumper, the w inner w ill receive a VIP ride on the grand prize fire truck and an allcxpcnscs-paid three-day, two-night trip for the child and a parent to Anaheim, w here the winner w ill present the truck to the fire chief of the locality designated on the entry form. The trip includes a day at Disneyland for the child and adult.
Obtain rules and entry forms from Emergency One and International participating dealers, or write: E-One Fire Truck Contest, P.O. Box 285, Deerfield, IE 60015. Call Diane Mathes (E-One) at (904) 854-3527 or John McDonald (Navistar) at (312) 836-3666 for details.
OSHA to focus on fire hazards in the workplace
“In the aftermath of the tragedy in a poultry-processing plant in North Carolina, it is apparent that there may be other workplaces with similar fire hazards, regardless of the type of workplace. We will do everything in our power to prevent any added loss of life or injury due to fires. Our emphasis overlaps Fire Prevention Week being held October 6-12,” testified Gerard F. Scanned. assistant secretary for occupational safety and health, at the September 12 House Education and Labor Committee meeting. The session, according to The Speaker, the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s newsletter, was called to discuss H R. 3160 and to hear testimony on the fire that occurred at the Imperial Food Products Plant in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 3 (see News in Brief, November 1991) and the Comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Reform Act. This legislation would expand current OSHA guidelines and assign to the Department of Labor additional powers that would facilitate bringing OSHA agencies at the state level in compliance with federal standards.
Investigators believe that all but one of the 25 deaths resulting from the Imperial fire could have been avoided had OSHA guidelines been followed, the CFSI report said.
FIMA urges evaluation of federal safety standards
Olin L. Greene, U.S. fire administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who recently testified before the House Subcommittee on Science regarding the Federal Fire Safety Act of 1991 (HR 3360), says he supports enactment of the proposed legislation “in order for the federal government to begin to measure up to the building safety standards it as a whole imposes on others.”
HR 3360 would require that all federal buildings be equipped with sprinklers, and Greene says he “agrees wholeheartedly” that including automatic sprinkler systems in new and substantially renovated federal buildings “would, indeed, go far toward reducing the fire risk to federal employees.” Greene adds that he also agrees that research is needed to determine whether equivalent levels of safety can be developed as possible alternatives to automatic sprinkler systems. He says he is concerned about the scope of the legislation “relative to the approximately 7.000 buildings ow ned or which have some space leased by the federal government” and by the “wide disagreement in the firefighting world on what constitutes equivalent levels of safety.”
The I SFA, Green explains, is hoping to receive S2 million in the next fiscal year for more research and the development of an effective, self-contained system for mobile homes and single-family residences in rural areas and regions that have limited water supplies.
Baseball cards teach life safety
The Toronto Blue Jays Fire Safety Card program brought fire prevention and life safety messages to approximately 150,000 youngsters during the past baseball season (May 18 through July 20). Sponsored by the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club, Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General, A & P Dominion stores, and Hershey O’Henry, the program also offered the card recipients the chance to participate in drawings for prizes.
The cards, available in the Province of Ontario through participating fire departments, were designed by the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club, which also promoted the project. The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs provided a list of fire safety facts. A safety tip along with the logos of the sponsors and personal and statistical information pertaining to the player featured on the front of the card is printed on the back of the card.
Additional information on the program is available from Chief Ed Crouch of the Whitby Fire Department (416) 668-3312 or Chief Ken Beckett of the Markham Fire Department (416) 479-7761.
Standard for buildings housing flammable liquids
A third-part) certification system for assessing how well portable buildings can safely and securely store flammable and combustible liquids outdoors has been introduced by the Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC).
Buildings of noncombustible or fire-rated construction with or without explosion-relief provisions can be evaluated. FMRC specifies the classifications of flammable and combustible liquids a building can store according to the building’s explosion-relief characteristics.
Among the features evaluated prior to approval are suitability of construction, proper operation and performance, durability, and reliability. To maintain FMRC approval, the building manufacturer must pass regularly scheduled audits of the manufacturing facilities and quality-control procedures.
Fire-damaged house provides lesson for students
The Hillsdale (NJ) Fire Department provided the opportunity for local students to see for themselves the value of having an operable smoke detector in their homes.
A Hillsdale resident, awakened by a second-floor smoke alarm, smelled smoke and quickly notified the fire department. The fire, the result of a short circuit in an electrical outlet in the upstairs bedroom, was extinguished within minutes. The bedroom in which the fire occurred was destroyed, its contents were burned, and the second floor was black from soot. The fire had burned through the door and scorched the hall walls. The small pile of burnt debris on the lawn and the two smoke-stained windows seen from the outside belied the extent of the damage that occurred indoors.
The Hillsdale Fire Department asked the ow ner of the home if she would allow some schoolchildren to tour the house to see the damage for themselves. The sight, firefighters believed, would enforce the message they had been giving children for years: that fire can cause a great deal of damage in a short period of time and that having working smoke detectors in their homes could save lives. Tours of the house for seventh and eighth graders were organized by Kimberly Hampton, a firefighter majoring in fire science at Jersey City State College, and the students were escorted to the fire scene by a fire engine and firefighters. Groups of four students, wearing helmets for protection, were given a guided tour. As the students took in the sights of the black bathroom and hall walls and melted glass and plastic and smelled the smoke, they were asked questions such as: If a fire were to happen in your home tonight, would you be prepared? Does your smoke alarm work? Do you have a plan of escape should your main exit be blocked by smoke and flame? (Reference: Pascack Valley Community Life, July 3, 1991,)
FEMA awards 25 USAR grants
The 25 U.S. urban search and rescue task forces chosen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to constitute the first national urban search and rescue network for catastrophic disasters will share more than SI.8 million in grants. FEMA is matching appropriations at the local and state levels for the acquisition of equipment for these teams on a 50/50 basis.
Each task force will receive a grant of up to S 100,000 to purchase the equipment, announced FEMA Director Wallace E. Stickney. The USAR task forces will be able to arrive at the site of a catastrophic disaster anywhere in the United States within six hours, according to FEMA.
“Ever since the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. we have been working to build a national-level urban search and rescue capability in this country,” explains Grant Peterson, FEMA’s associate director. The task forces will include search, rescue, and medical and technical elements that will make possible an integrated, self-contained approach to locating, extracting, and treating victims, he adds.
The following teams were selected by FEMA:
- Arizona: Phoenix Fire Department
- California: the fire departments of the City of Los Angeles, Menlo Park. Orange Count)-, Sacramento, Los Angeles County, Oakland, Riverside, and San Diego
- Colorado: State of Colorado
- Florida: Dade County/St. Peters-
- hurg
- Georgia: State of Georgia
- Illinois: Chicago Fire Department
- Indiana: Marion County Fire Department
- Maryland: Montgomery County
- Nebraska: City of Lincoln
- Nevada: Clark County
- New Mexico: State of New Mexico
- New York: New York City Police,
- Fire & Rescue
- Pennsylvania: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Tennessee: Memphis Fire Department
- Utah: State of Utah
- Virginia: Fairfax County and Virginia Beach fire departments
- Washington: Pierce/King Counties.
Extrication competition
The Claymont (DE) Fire Department won third place in the limited-scenario category of the International Vehicle Extrication Competition held in Toronto, Canada, September 16-20. Assistant Chief John Pern’ served as team captain. Perry said it was the first time the department had taken part in the event, which this year was hosted by the Ontario Fire Marshals Association and the Mississauga (Canada) Fire Department.
Twenty-three teams from the United States, Canada, England, and the Virgin Islands participated in the competition. Each team performed in two mock extrication scenarios in which they were given 20 minutes to extricate the “victim” using any assortment of tools (the unlimited scenario) and then using only hand tools (the limited scenario).
U.S. firefighter delegation to visit the U.S.S.R.
The National Volunteer Fire Council is sending a delegation of firefighters to the Soviet Union in March 1992 in response to an invitation from the U S S R. Center for International Projects, located in Moscow. The contingent will participate in a goodwill mission and technical exchange on firefighting and lifesaving techniques. All American firefighters may be part of the delegation.
The group will leave from New’ York City on March 27, 1991, and visit Moscow, Kiev, and St. Petersburg. The 12-day visit will include briefings, meetings, and field visits along with social and cultural activities. Spouses and guests are invited, and special activities are planned for them.
The estimated cost per delegate, spouse, or guest is S3,650, which includes all meetings, activities, transportation, accommodations, and most meals and other incidental costs.
Additional information is available from NVFC Chairman Robert McKeon at (203) 822-9411. Reservations should be made as soon as possible.
Firefighters killed in line of duty honored
A memorial service for the 105 career and volunteer firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty during 1990 was held on October 13 at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The Volunteer Firemen s Insurance Services, Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy, provided live television coverage. Videotapes are available at a modest cost, and local taping and distribution are encouraged.
For additional details, contact Mary Ellis (301) 447-1370 or Linda Hurley (301) 447-1357 at the National Fire Academy or Tamela Monroe of VFIS at (800) 233-1957.
Funding for Fire Forces Mobilization Act questionable
The Eire Forces Mobilization Act, passed by Congress last year, authorized the appropriation of up to S70 million to help forestry agencies and rural volunteer fire departments respond to forest and wildland fires.
Although the legislation was introduced during this session of Congress for appropriation of the funds, “it doesn’t look as though Congress will come up with the money,” according to the National Volunteer Eire Council’s August 1991 newsletter.
Response 91-A: a trial run for a disaster
The first joint federal-state exercise conducted in the Central U.S. Risk Area —Exercise Response 91-A —took place in August. Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the scenario for the maneuver was a simulated earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale occurring at 8 a m. CDT along the New Madrid Fault in northeastern Arkansas. The damage was severe. It affected a 121-county area ranging from northwestern Mississippi to the southern portions of Illinois and Indiana and severely disrupted transportation, telecommunications, energytransmission systems, and medical services.
Objectives of the exercise were to implement the policies and procedures specified in the Federal Response Plan and supporting regional and state plans. Components of the Federal Response Plan addressed during the exercise included responsibilities of the emergency support function, operations of FEMA regional centers, and cooperation between state and federal agencies.
President signs Firefighters Day bill
H.J. Res. 189, sponsored by Representative Curt Weldon (R-PA) and Senator Richard Bryan (D-NV) proclaiming October 8, 1991, “National Firelighters Day,” was signed by President Bush on October 8.
“It is fitting that we honor our firefighters during National Fire Prevention Week,” Weldon, chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, said. “This is a time for everyone to focus on fire safety in America.” He added: “President Bush talks about a thousand points of light.’ Well, we have 1.3 million paid and volunteer firefighters in America, and each of them is a point of light for all of US.”B
