June 15-21 has been designated Safety and Health Week. Firefighters are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activity during this week to focus on safety and health training and education. The theme will be “Train Like You Fight!” The focus will be on (1) safety on the training ground and reducing training-related injuries and deaths and (2) the importance of adequate training in preparation for safe fireground operations.
The National Volunteer Fire Council and the International Association of Fire Chiefs are providing information on and resources for the event at http://bit.ly/1aMWhfv. Upload these resources using the form available on the Event Planning page of the Safety and Health Week Web site. Departments are encouraged to submit links to additional resources, articles, and standard operating procedures that can help other departments.
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2013 December 9. Chief Matt Frantz, 42, Rice Lake Township Volunteer Fire Department, Duluth, MN: heart attack. 2014 January 8. Firefighter Cosmo Paris, 59, Cliffside Park (NJ) Fire Department: heart attack suffered on January 6. |
IRS: Employers do not have to provide health insurance for volunteer firefighters
Mark J. Mazur, assistant secretary for tax policy for the U.S. Treasury Department issued, in January, a clarification that states that fire departments will not have to provide health insurance to volunteer firefighters. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), at press time, was expected to release its ruling, which, according to the IRS, “generally will not require volunteer hours of bona fide volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency medical personnel at governmental or tax-exempt organizations to be counted when determining full-time employees (or full-time equivalents).” The fire service had sought the clarification because of the provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires an employer with 50 or more full-time (30 hours or more per week on average) employees to offer affordable and adequate healthcare coverage to its employees. The IRS had ruled that volunteer firefighters were full-time employees. Additional information is at http://bit.ly/1eFB9sr.
PHMSA issues safety alert for Bakken crude oil
Recent incidents involving Bakken shale oil have led the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to issue a safety alert (http://1.usa.gov/JE3Pao) to the public and emergency responders warning of the high volatility of crude oil being shipped from the Bakken oil shale patch in Montana and North Dakota. Three recent incidents (http://strib.mn/1f9CVmm) have raised concerns about the safety of transporting the Bakken shale oil. The incidents occurred in 2013. On December 30, a train carrying the oil derailed and exploded in North Dakota, necessitating the evacuation of an adjacent town. In November, a train carrying the oil derailed and exploded in Alabama; more than 749,000 gallons of oil were released. In July, a train carrying this type of crude oil derailed and exploded in Quebec, Canada, causing the deaths of 47 people.
The PHMSA says that this matter should be of concern to all communities with nearby commercial rail traffic. As the production of the oil in the region increases, PHMSA points out, so does rail traffic across the country as the raw crude oil is transported to refineries. The preliminary results of studies are expected soon, but the agency is urging extreme caution in regions where this type of crude is being transported because of the possibility that Bakken crude oil is unpredictable and volatile. The Association of American Railroads Web site has information to assist first responders, including the following: a map of freight rail in the country (http://bit.ly/1l20jaD); freight rail industry snapshots by state (http://bit.ly/1g5cRvu); and a list of rail company representatives by state (http://bit.ly/1hP1XaU).
Congress approves spending bill
The U.S. Senate approved H.R. 3547, the fiscal year 2014 omnibus spending bill, at press time, according to the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI). The House of Representatives had previously approved the measure, which now will go to the President for his signature.
The $1.1 trillion spending package, which funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year, provides the following:
- Department of Homeland Security: $39.3 billion in discretionary funding, a reduction of $336 million from fiscal year 2013.
- Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) Grant Program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant Program: $340 million for each program, an increase of $2.5 million each over last year.
- United States Fire Administration (USFA): $44 million, the same as for 2013. A proposal by the Administration to transfer the State Fire Training Assistance Grant from the USFA to the FIRE Grant Program was denied.
- Urban Search and Rescue System: $35.18 million, the same as for 2013.
Approach for post-disaster reunification of children
Post Disaster Reunification of Children: A Nationwide Approach presents “a baseline foundation and whole community approach for reunifying children separated from their parents or legal guardians in the aftermath of a disaster.” The document, released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the American Red Cross, was developed to assist local, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments and others (educational, child care, medical, juvenile justice, and recreational facilities) responsible for the temporary care of children to update the reunification elements of existing emergency preparedness plans or develop new all-hazards reunification plans.
The document is at http://1.usa.gov/ 1co4UN1.
FSF releases ICS training program
The Firefighters Support Foundation’s (FSF) newest training program, ICS: Rightsizing for Each Event, addresses the misconceptions surrounding the incident command system (ICS) and demonstrates the practicality and advantages of ICS and the reasons it should be used at almost every scene and event, from the smallest to the largest. The 40-minute video and an accompanying 34-slide PowerPoint® presentation feature August Vernon, emergency management trainer, and demonstrate how ICS can be scaled to incidents of any size. The program is free for members of public safety and emergency management agencies. It can be downloaded at www.ffsupport.org.
Anthrax remedy for first responders
First responders can have ready access to the medication doxycycline for their personal use should an emergency involving anthrax occur. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have made available information related to the medication and details for obtaining it in advance of a public health emergency involving anthrax. A letter about this issue from HHS and DHS is at http://bit.ly/1at7DHO, and an information sheet for first responders is at http://bit.ly/LZK5iI.
Fire Engineering Archives
