NIST releases World Trade Center analysis on tower collapses
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released, in April, its analysis of the World Trade Center (WTC) tower collapses on Sept. 11, 2001. Shyam Sunder, lead investigator, explained at a press briefing in New York City that the buildings withstood the initial impact of the aircraft. The resulting fires, he said, spread through the towers, weakening support columns and floors that had had their fireproofing dislodged by the impacts. This eventually led to collapse as the sagging floors pulled the perimeter columns inward, causing the columns to buckle.
In its “FACT SHEET-Findings on Structural and Life Safety Factors,” NIST observed that “the building would likely not have collapsed under the combined effects of aircraft impact and the subsequent jet-fuel ignited multifloor fires if the fireproofing had not been dislodged or had been only minimally dislodged by aircraft impact. The existing condition of the fireproofing prior to aircraft impact and the fireproofing thickness on the WTC floor system did not play a significant role in initiating collapse on Sept. 11, 2001.”
Recommendations for improving building and fire codes, standards, and practices were to be released this month, along with the draft of the final investigation report and drafts of 27 project reports. All NIST reports are at http://wtc.nist.gov. ■
Mayor’s haz mat directive feeds FDNY-NYPD tension
Peter E. Hayden, chief of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), was to testify before the City Council on May 9 (after press time) relative to a dispute between the council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg involving command at hazardous materials emergencies. In early April, the mayor had signed an order giving police command at these incidents “until terrorism or crime has been ruled out.” There had been some allegations that the Bloomberg administration originally would not permit Hayden to testify before the council. The council had threatened to subpoena Hayden; the mayor’s office said that Hayden was never prohibited from appearing.
Hayden reportedly considers the plan “a recipe for disaster” and one that would prevent the city from responding to a terrorist attack more efficiently than on Sept. 11. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, in a memo to the Office of Emergency Management, said the mayor’s plan endangers the public.
Bloomberg maintains there should be no safety concerns. He says the fire department is still in charge of the life safety response; he said he simply added an investigative phase. According to a NY1 News report, Bloomberg noted that the city has 1,000 police officers devoted to counterterrorism and intelligence and that they would complete their investigation and then the fire department would “take over and do the cleanup.”
Hayden and other fire officials say the Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS) protocols do not conform to the Department of Homeland Security national model because they do not call for shared command by the police and fire departments at some large-scale emergencies and because they place the police in command in some situations involving hazardous materials releases that are customarily handled by fire departments. The city had been cited by federal and independent investigations for not having a command structure with clearly defined roles for the two departments on Sept. 11.
In a memo, FDNY described what it termed a “mishandling” of a potentially hazardous tanker-truck accident on one of the borough’s expressways several months ago. According to the memo, the police kept the highly trained and well-equipped FDNY Haz Mat 1 from stopping the leak of an unidentified liquid from the tanker for 90 minutes.
FDNY is advocating a combined police-fire command structure at the scene of hazardous materials incidents.
www.ny1.com, April 22, 2005; www.nynewsday.com, William Murphy, April 26, 2005; William Murphy, April 28, 2005; Dan Janison with William Murphy, April 29, 2005; NY Post, April 29, 2005 ■
USFA/SAE begin phase 2 of emergency vehicle lighting systems study
Phase 2 of the study on emergency warning lighting systems will assess the impact of factors such as the color of lighting and the visibility of emergency vehicles on motorists’ behavior. This study, conducted by the United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), is a follow-up to phase 1, initiated in 2003.
All emergency lighting systems, including incandescent, halogen, strobe, and light-emitting diode (LED), will be examined. Study results will be shared with national-level consensus standards and other organizations and may be used to develop relevant/related standards. Additional information is available at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/research/safety/vehicle.shtm. ■
CFSI honors Congressmen Cox and Pascrell Jr.
The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) has named Congressmen Christopher Cox (CA) and William Pascrell Jr. (NJ) 2005 Legislators of the Year. The awards were presented at the CFSI’s 17th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner in Washington, DC, in April.
Both have persistently worked on behalf of the fire services. Pascrell, the original author of the FIRE Act, has been a tireless advocate for the fire and emergency services and continues to fight for full funding of the FIRE Act and to maintain its intent of addressing the basic needs of local fire departments, according to the CFSI. Cox, as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, “has made a personal commitment to engage the fire service on homeland security initiatives,” the CFSI points out.
Cox has reintroduced the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act (H.R. 1544), which passed the House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously. It changes the formula under which funds from the State Homeland Security Grant Program, the Urban Area Security Initiative, and the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program are distributed. Instead of distributing funds based solely on population and each state’s receiving a base of 0.75 percent of appropriated funds, each state would received a minimum of 0.25 percent of appropriated funds (0.45 percent for states with an international border or waterway). The remaining funds would be allocated on the bases of risk and threat. Similar legislation, the Homeland Security Grant Enhancement Act of 2005 (S. 21), authored by Senators Susan Collins (ME) and Joseph Lieberman (CT), was approved unanimously by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It contains many of the same provisions as H.R. 1544; however, the distribution formula is slightly different. The base for each state would be between 0.55 percent and 3 percent of appropriated funds depending on the population density of the state. Remaining funds would be distributed according to risk and threat. Neither bill will affect the distribution formulas for the Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program or the SAFER Grant Program. ■
Fayetteville (NC): State University and city partner to deliver fire services
The $3.4 million fire station No. 14, which will be completed in October 2005, is evidence of a partnership that will fulfill several of the needs of Fayetteville (NC), according to Chief Benny Nichols. “There was an overwhelming need for a fire station in the Fayetteville State University (FSU) area, there was an overwhelming need to develop a career-mentoring program for women and minorities, and there was an overwhelming need for the fire department to recruit, train, and maintain minority firefighters,” he explains.
The station will serve as a residence for FSU interns who will attend classes and received hands-on training from firefighters as part of FSU’s new fire science curriculum. The students will live at the station for 12 weeks. The station will also have a meeting room and work space for the city’s police department so that officers can meet with residents at that site instead of the residents’ having to go downtown to the police administration building.
Fayetteville, the sixth largest municipality in North Carolina, has a population of 130,762. The city has long had a need for a fire station northwest of downtown, an area in which many of the city’s elderly minorities reside. The fire department was having difficulty recruiting and maintaining minority firefighters. Minorities and women make up about 11 percent of the city’s firefighters although the 2000 U.S. Census showed that 51 percent of the population is Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and black.
The idea for the partnership was born in Study Circles seminars hosted by the Human Relations Commission of Fayette-ville-Cumberland County. The seminars brought together city and county officials, residents, and community leaders to discuss ways to improve the city’s race relations and the quality of life for all residents. Nichols facilitated a seminar at which the need for a career-mentoring program for minority students through the school system was proposed. Nichols used this suggestion as the springboard for the proposal in which FSU would develop a fire science curriculum and partner with the city to build a fire station adjacent to the university. FSU and Fayette-ville officials began planning in 1999.
As a result of the partnership, Fayette-ville Technical Community College, the state’s second largest two-year community college, will offer an associate’s degree program in fire protection technology. Students will be able to complete the senior level program toward a bachelor’s degree after completing the associate’s program.
The first class in the FSU fire science program is expected to begin in January 2006. FSU also plans to offer its fire science program online, which would make it possible for current city firefighters to further their education and advance into senior management positions in the fire department.
Source: Yolanda Conrad, public information specialist, City of Fayetteville. ■
DHS supports rail haz-mat placarding
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recommended continuation of the placard system for hazardous materials transported by rail. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff made the announcement at the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner held in April in Washington, DC.
Chertoff said the DHS had completed a review of alternate technologies to the Department of Transportation placard system and that, based on that study and the input of the first responder community, the DHS is recommending that the DOT placard system be retained. Chertoff called the decision “a common-sense approach to risk management.” ■
Line-of-Duty Deaths
March 28. Firefighter Trainee Robert G. Brooks Sr., 42, Montgomery (NY) Fire Department: brain aneurysm while participating in live-burn training.
March 30. Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Scott Phillips, 26, Keller (TX) Fire Department: dissecting aortic aneurysm.
April 11. Firefighter Richard Allen Fast, 49, Midway Volunteer Fire Department, Alum Bridge, WV: cardiac arrest.
April 16. Firefighter Dale A. Monica, 54, Burke (NY) Volunteer Fire Department: apparent heart attack.
April 17. Firefighter Alfred Wohrman, 60, Beekman Fire Company, Poughquag, NY: apparatus accident while returning to station from call for auto accident that was cancelled.
April 18. Assistant Lieutenant Robert Henderson, 38, Evanston (WY) Fire Department: explosion while performing search and rescue operations in a residential fire.
April 18. Firefighter Jacob Cook, 23, Evanston (WY) Fire Department: explosion while performing search and rescue operations in a residential fire.
April 18. Firefighter Sally Renee Clark, 49, Pleasant Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, Laurel, MS: apparent heart attack while participating in pump operations training and a fund-raiser at the station.
April 25. Firefighter Christopher Brian Hunton, 27, Amarillo (TX) Fire Department: fall from the passenger compartment of the apparatus while responding to a fire.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration.
Taking Precautions on the Home Front
The Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) has issued the following warnings.
DHS/EMR-ISAC warns of imposter visits
Emergency services and healthcare sectors have been receiving visits from individuals claiming to be inspectors from official regulatory agencies at increasing frequencies. These individuals identify themselves as doctors, lawyers, chief officers, fire marshals, code enforcers, and the like. They have false identification or do not show any identification at all and demand to see facilities and ask questions concerning personnel, plans, operations, resources, and capabilities. When challenged in any way, they quickly depart. Unfortunately, they so far have left no evidence behind except a visual description.
The EMR-ISAC is urging that your organization train employees to attempt to get positive identification of the visitor and to automatically do as much of the following as possible:
• Request identification and make a photocopy.
• Contact local police before the visitor leaves the premises.
• Obtain an accurate vehicle description and license plate number.
• Preserve any surveillance videotape that may exist.
• Submit a report to the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center [phone: (202) 282-9201, fax: (703) 607-4998, e-mail: nicc@dhs.gov/]. INFOGRAM, April 7, 2005
Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED)
American extremists also pose threats to the nation’s critical infrastructures. These individuals have the skills and materials to construct separate bombs and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.
Also, emergency response personnel should “actively guard against the theft or use of emergency vehicles and property for domestic terrorism,” EMR-ISAC stresses. It refers to a Washington Post report of an incident that occurred in Iraq in April in which two suicide bombers used as their weapon a fire engine packed with propane tanks surrounded by explosives. Emergency responders must be on the lookout for uniforms, vehicles, and equipment that were modified to look genuine or authentic. Terrorists have been using emergency apparatus, uniforms, or emergency equipment for their terrorist actions. INFOGRAM, April 21, 2005
Hybrid Vehicle Hazards
Serious injury may result from electrical shocks at traffic accidents and vehicle fires involving hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles, powered by gasoline engines and high-voltage batteries, pose an electrocution hazard (between 300 and 500 volts of electricity) to emergency responders.
To reduce the risk of injury at incidents involving hybrid vehicles,
• Always assume the vehicle is powered up, even if there are no engine noises.
• Put the vehicle in park, turn off the ignition, and remove the key to disable the high-voltage system.
• Never touch, cut, or open any orange cable or components protected by orange shields.
• Remain a safe distance from the vehicle if it is on fire.
• Consider the electrical system unsafe for a full five minutes after shutting off the ignition. Contact local auto dealerships for more information about their hybrid vehicles. INFOGRAM, April 21, 2005
Resources
NIMS-compliant ICS training guidelines now available
The NIMS National Standard Curriculum: Training Development Guidance will help ensure that training programs meet the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and that incident command system training across the nation is consistent with the concepts, principles, and characteristics of the NIMS ICS training offered by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). Four levels of training-ICS-100, Introduction to ICS; ICS-200, Basic ICS; ICS-300, Intermediate ICS; and ICS-400, Advanced ICS-are covered. For additional information about NIMS ICS, e-mail the NIMS-Integration-Center@dhs.gov, or call (202) 646-3850.
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Free highway safety training videos
Two videos-“Hampton Roads (VA) Highway Incident Management” and “The HATS of Incident Management”-can be downloaded free through the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Web site, advises Jack Sullivan, editor of FireNewz (jack@lionvillefire.org). Note: The files are large (more than 100MB each); the download should be done with the help of a high-speed Internet connection.
To view the tapes, go to http://www.virginia-dot.org/, click on “Programs” (left side of screen), click on “Highway Incident Management (top of right column), right click, and then choose “Save as.”
The videos are available through the special efforts of Jon DuFresne of VDOT operations engineer, advises Sullivan. DuFresne can be reached at Jon.DuFresne@VDOT.Virginia.gov/. ■
News Glimpses
Tire pressure monitors mandated for vehicles. All new four-wheel vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less will be required to be equipped with tire pressure-monitoring systems by the 2008 model year. Passenger car systems would be available by 2006. Passenger cars, sports-utility vehicles, pickups, minivans, and some commercial vehicles (big pickups and SUVs) will be included. Automakers will be required to attach sensors to each wheel to signal if a tire falls 25 percent below the recommended inflation pressure. If any one of a vehicle’s four tires is underinflated, the sensors will set off a dashboard warning light. The government says underinflated tires can increase stopping distances and the potential for tire failure and can lead to skidding on wet surfaces.
The regulation was precipitated by the Firestone tire recall of 2000. Congress had specified the warning systems in The Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act of 2000. http://usatoday.com, Ken Thomas, AP, April 7, 2005 ● CPSC approves first step toward mandatory standard for cigarette lighters. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking under which it will consider ways to prevent most mechanical malfunctions of lighters and reduce lighter-associated fire hazards.
The Commission could pursue one of three options during the rulemaking process: adopt a mandatory standard based on the current voluntary “Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Lighters” (ASTM F-400) or other performance requirements, adopt a mandatory labeling rule, or defer to the voluntary standard. ● Some Ford E-350 and E-450 chassis may have spring tower cracks. If you have a vehicle with a Ford E-350 or E-450 chassis produced between 1998 and 2005, contact your Ford dealer and inquire about TSB 05-1-1, “Weld Repair Procedure for Spring Tower Cracks,” published Jan. 5, 2005.
Some higher-mileage E-350 and E-450 cutaway vans may have cracks in the left or right tower flange. This applies to ambulances, response vehicles, and personal vehicles. Small cracks can be repaired; other cracks may require frame replacement and, in many cases, are not under warranty. Ron Haussecker, www.emsnetwork.org, Apr. 4, 2005 ● WV holds conference on methamphetamines. In April, the statewide “West Virginia Together: Building Meth-Free Communities” three-day conference brought together local, state, and federal agencies to share lessons learned and devise strategies for dealing with problems related to methamphetamine production and use. The topics discussed included environmental risks caused by meth labs, drug-endangered children, effective treatments for addicts, and the national impact of the drug. The state legislature recently passed a bill mandating that stores put products containing pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient for the home-cooked drug, behind the counter and that purchasers sign a form. www.herald-mail.com, April 26, 2005, www.dailymail.com, George Gannon, April 25, 2005.
