The National Institute Of Occupational Safety And Health (NIOSH) notified SCOTT HEALTH & SAFETY that the Scott Air-Pak self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) models meeting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus for the Fire Service—1977, can be upgraded to the new NIOSH voluntary standard for respiratory protection against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents. This standard is designed to ensure that first responders receive the best possible protection from respiratory threats in an attack involving weapons of mass destruction. Scott Health & Safety is currently pursuing NIOSH approval for NFPA 2002-compliant SCBA models to be upgraded to meet the voluntary NIOSH CBRN standard.
MSA’s FireSlayerT of the Year Award is given to a firefighter or a group of firefighters who embody courage, dedication, and bravery. Full or part-time firefighters are eligible if they have performed a selfless act of bravery and served as a role model of commitment and integrity to fellow firefighters during 2003. The deadline for nomination submissions is January 31, 2004. For details and a nomination submission form, visit the Web site www.MSAFire.com.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD, recognizing the heroic efforts of California’s firefighters and other emergency workers who helped save lives and homes during the recent firestorm disaster, is offering two free annual passes to all firefighters, law enforcement officials, paramedics, Red Cross employees, and 911 personnel from now through March 31, 2004.
The program extends this special gift to badged and other credentialed emergency personnel, redeemable by showing identification at the theme park’s box office. All personnel with current photo employee identification are eligible. The annual pass will be issued on the date of arrival any time before March 31 and will be effective for a full year following that date. For more information, call (888) 777-2397 or visit the Web site: www.universalstudioshollywood.com.
An online game from the FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA) tests children’s disaster knowledge. The interactive Web-based Disaster Discovery board game tests children’s knowledge about safety practices in disasters. It is available at www.fema.gov/kids/games/board/; the game can also be downloaded. The site, created for fourth- through sixth-graders, also features some sections suitable for younger children. There is a separate section for parents and teachers.
The NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) has established a new office in Sacramento, California. The staff will work with state agencies to make state-specific amendments to the NFPA’s model building and fire codes. The California Building Standards Commission has selected NFPA 5000™, Building Construction and Safety Code™, and NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code™, as the bases for the 2004 California Building Code and California Fire Code. The new office’s manager is Karen Stein; the address is 1107 9th Street, Suite 680, Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 440-1060.
WEST METRO FIRE RESCUE in Denver, Colorado, offers two interactive CD ROMs with all materials necessary to implement juvenile fire setting and senior safety programs. For a free copy of one or both, contact Cindy Matthews, PIO, West Metro Fire Rescue, at (303) 989-4307, ext. 523; or by e-mail at cmatthews@westmetrofire.org. The programs were funded in part by a grant from FEMA and the National Fire Academy.
SMITH & WESSON HOLDING CORPORATION, the parent company of handgun maker Smith & Wesson Corp., has issued the exclusive worldwide right to manufacture, market, and distribute automated external defibrillators (AED) featuring the Smith & Wesson name to PRIDE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GROUP. Marketing efforts for the Smith & Wesson HeartBeat AED will focus initially on the approximately two million first responders and five million businesses located across the United States. The Community Access to Emergency Devices Act passed last June mandates $30 million in federal grants in the first year of the five-year program. The grants are available to applying states and localities for the purchase and placement of AEDs in public places where sudden cardiac arrests are likely to occur.
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE (WPI) and commercial/industrial property insurer FM GLOBAL announced a memorandum of agreement that will increase their cooperation on fire research and fire protection engineering graduate education. According to the agreement, FM Global will provide more than $570,000 in financial and equipment contributions to WPI. Funding will support a WPI fire protection engineering professor designated as the FM Global Scholar and the work of graduate students. Additionally, FM Global is donating two state-of-the-art fire propagation apparatus for use in WPI’s Fire Science Library.
The 9-1-1 Communication and Information Services Group for the City of Dallas, Texas, has installed an ELLIPSYS TECHNOLOGIES 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Monitoring System. Dallas has one of the largest PSAPs/call centers in the state of Texas. The Ellipsys Technologies 911 PSAP monitoring service is designed to meet the specialized needs of enhanced and basic 9-1-1 (E-9-1-1/B-9-1-1) service centers/ PSAPs. Today’s 9-1-1 communications systems have become more technically sophisticated and involve multiple vendors and service providers so problems have become harder to troubleshoot. In many cases, the Ellipsys 911 PSAP monitoring service can locate a potential problem and alert network staff to take corrective action before the call taker is even aware a problem exists. Ellipsys Technologies’ solution for these specialized 9-1-1 networks is called the 911 Supplementary Trouble Analysis Reporting Service (911 STARS). In Dallas, the Ellipsys 911 PSAP monitoring system is an important piece of background equipment for the city’s 9-1-1/ 3-1-1 system. It is used to scan the PSAP trunks and automatically find troubles and anomalies. It also monitors the system’s analog and ISDN 3-1-1/Admin lines. For more information about Ellipsys Technologies, visit the Web site www.ellipsys.net or call (818) 678-1888.
The Vermont State Police has selected WRIGHT LINE’s Profile™ Communication Console Solution, which will be used in the state’s latest communication center in Derby. The Profile Communication Console is part of a statewide upgrade to enhance the 9-1-1 operations that bring emergency services to the citizens of two counties in northeast Vermont. Vermont State Police Communication Centers are the first contact that the public has with law enforcement and dispatch the the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Motor Vehicles, several county sheriff departments, municipal police departments, and numerous fire and rescue agencies. The Profile Communication Consoles offer a fully integrated console that can be configured to meet facility design requirements and house multiple CRT and flat screen monitors and computers. The Profile features an electronic height adjustable work surface and adjustable monitor arms and keyboard platforms so personnel can comfortably see all the equipment at once. For more information, contact Wright Line at (800) 225-7348. Web site: www.wrightline.com.
