The Round Table
departments
“Life safety is the most critical issue in fire protection today.” This according to the NFPCA which themed Its 4th Annual Conference in October to that issue. Conferees were challenged then in a summary session to “Improve Life Safety Throughout the Nation.”
This challenge has always existed, of course, but within the last four years, what has your fire department specifically done to improve life safety in the areas of human behavior (fire prevention), pushing for automatic detection and suppression (laws and codes), EMS, and protecting the fire fighter—in any way?
Robert J. Veit, Chief, Grand Rapids, Mich.: The Grand Rapids Fire Department, through the past years, has been endeavoring to protect its fire fighters the best way it possibly can. Self-contained breathing apparatus has been furnished in abundance so that every fire fighter at the scene can have self-contained breathing apparatus.
Our clothing has been updated by furnishing each fire fighter with a 7 ½-ounce weight, Nomex fire coat, each with a winter liner and two vapor barriers, cushioned shoulder pads; and each coat is equipped with 4-inch stripes of lime-yellow Scotchlite displayed on the coat like the New York style. We are improving our helmets by providing Bjork eye shields and Zero hoods for winter wear. Our fire boots have safety toes and safety insole protection, and double protection in the knee area.
Whenever possible in speaking to a group of citizens, we try to pass the word on to install smoke detection equipment in their homes.
Cortez Lawrence, Chief, LaG range, Ga.: In the spring of 1978 the LaGrange Fire Department caused the upgrading of our fire codes which had last been revised some eight years before. Our old code, basically the AIA code 1970, plus some special ordinances was found to be incomplete in coverages of some target hazards and we had an ISO recommendation that we adopt a more current code. Finding no one code to cover all the situations we had had experience in and wanting to stay away from a multiplicity of special ordinance, we favored adopting the NFPA standard 101 Life Safety Code 1976 and the AIA 1976 Fire Prevention Code. We also adopted by specific reference NFPA Standard 1, Fire Prevention Code 1975; BOCA 1975 Basic Fire Prevention and the 1976 (Southern) Standard Fire Prevention Code. We added a resolution article to cover conflicts and the city council passed our recommendations.
We had some special problem areas that were not covered by these codes. A case in point was what our Department of Human Resources call a group home. This might be an occupancy where small numbers of trainable mentally retarded persons are housed in local communities and are allowed certain outside activities. It neither qualifies as a dorm, boarding house or any other category we can find so we passed a special ordinance for their standard of fire protection in our community.
As you well know, the NFPA standard 101 requires smoke detectors, not only in new construction but retrofitted as well. Due to the political economic ramification, to date we have not been in a position to require retrofitting, but work closely with our building department in requiring them installed in existing structures as they change hands or occupancy type.
The department has a public safety education officer who works at public relations/ information and constantly emphasizes fire safety, EDITH, home fire safety inspections and smoke detectors. Our department also has a weekly article in the local paper that pushes fire safety. The subject may vary from week to week on everything from industrial fire safety to safety rules for a baby sitter. We do perform home fire safety inspections and chimney inspections upon request.
Our community has supported private enterprise in the ambulance field and has received excellent service from this company. We of course, respond to calls they might need our assistance on. All our fire fighters have been trained in CPR and first aid. The protection of the fire fighter is an area of great concern to us. All personnel are being fitted with the best protective gear available for structural fire fighting. Gloves that are substantially fireproof are now being used. All personnel are now provided with steeltoed and shanked protective boots. Nationally, smoke inhalation accounts for 25 percent of all fire fighter injuries. We have more breathing apparatus in service now (two additional units), plus two more on the way, which should preclude any person in fire suppression from not having sufficient breathing apparatus available. The training division is currently engaged in refresher training in breathing apparatus use and the use of breathing apparatus is encouraged by all officers.
Of further note is our belief in fire fighter physical fitness. Our fitness program is well under way with most personnel now running 3 miles a day and performing the Travelers Insurance “Are You Ready” exercise program. While our data is not sufficient to relate to fire ground injuries, our performance has substantially improved.
