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Portable Smoke Masks: No Go
The Foundation for Fire Safety has taken a stand on the portable emergency, filtertype smoke masks which have been appearing on the market. The masks, supposedly designed to provide safe escape from smoke due to fire, are equipped with only a filter rather than providing a separate source of air or oxygen like those worn by professional fire fighters. The foundation has tested the masks and found that after 2 minutes, 90 percent of carbon monoxide had passed through the filter in one of the masks. Since there is no standard or certification process in existence that permits consistent and scientific analyses of the masks, the Foundation feels that persons should follow standard precautions in fire emergencies rather than rely on the masks. The masks have already been banned in Britain and an effort is underway to ban them in Canada.
Cause of Death: Fire
The Foundation for Fire Safety has initiated a national pilot test to determine the cause of fire deaths. Approximately 8000 lives are claimed annually by fire in the U.S. with toxic smoke accounting for almost 80 percent of the fatalities. The cause of death is usually listed as due to smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide, with little or no testing done to determine the exact cause.
The Foundation and local officials of Seattle-King County, Wash, (one of the three pilot communities) will conduct a year long test of a Post Mortem Protocol for the examination of fire victims. Miami-Dade County, Fl., and another large community will also participate. Cordon Vickery, President of the Foundation says their purpose is to determine what the victims are being exposed to in fires and why they are dying. He also states that the information obtained in testing will allow community leaders to provide greater safety in building construction and furnishings, thus better protecting citizens and fire fighters.
Silent Smoke Detectors
More than 770,000 battery-operated sm’oke detectors will be recalled by Honeywell, Inc. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that 40 percent of the model TC89B and TC89C smoke detectors did not work correctly and would not sound an alarm when smoke is present.
To identify affected detectors, remove the cover from the detector. If the first five characters of the identification number contained on the piece of gray cardboard are TC89B or TC89C, and the date code is any number from 7601 through 7820, the detector should be carefully checked for proper operation in accordance with the instructions below. This action does not apply to Honeywell smoke detectors with date codes of 7821 or higher.
Check the operation of the smoke detector by extinguishing a candle to create smoke near the detector. If the detector does not alarm, check the battery. Since some alarms may sound when the test button is pushed and not when smoke is present due to the manner in which the circuit board was mounted, do not attempt to test the detector using only the test button. If the detector does not alarm with the presence of smoke, call the Honeywell toll free number 800-328-8194 to see if the detector is covered by the recall. Since Honeywell no longer makes residential smoke detectors, the firm will replace affected units with a comparable model produced by another manufacturer.
1350 Victims Share Settlement
MGM Grand Hotels Inc. has paid $140 million to settle remaining claims from a 1980 fire at its Las Vegas hotel that killed 85 people, USA Today reported. More than 1350 victims and their families will share the settlement paid by MGM Grand and 82 other defendents. MGM grand was insured by American Protection Insurance Co.
Another 40 defendants, mainly small companies that supplied plastic products to the hotel, will go on trial to determine their liability in the fire in which 700 people suffered smoke inhalation and other injuries. A spokesman for the plaintiffs said all 85 death claims have been settled.
College Credit
Students of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Fire Academy now may be able to gain college credits for any course they complete in the Academy’s resident program.
Following a recent review by the American Council on Education (ACE), credit equivalencies were recommended for four newly developed resident programs. ACE recommended credit equivalencies for the other 18 Fire Academy resident courses last year.
Through its Program on Non-collegiate Sponsored Instruction, ACE reviews formal training developed outside colleges and universities. Recommendations are published in the “National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs,” which is widely accepted and used by higher educational institutions throughout the country. The credit recommendations are intended to guide university officials as they consider awarding credit for non-collegiate instruction to those who are now, or wish to enroll as students in degree programs. For additional information contact Carolyn Perroni, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D C., 20472.
Vapor Detector
The South Norwalk, Conn., facility of the Foxboro Company recently donated a Century Organic Vapor Analyzer (OVA), an environmental monitoring instrument used in arson investigation, to the Norwalk, Conn. Fire Department. Robert Russo, deputy fire marshal accepted the instrument on behalf of the fire department from Louis Franconi, marketing manager for ambient air instruments, and Linda Kisken, marketing specialist for portable ambient air instuments, representatives of the Foxboro Company.
Technical arson investigation includes on-site chemical vapor anaylsis to locate evidence of accelerant use and to preserve such evidence for subsequent verification by a crime laboratory. The Century Organic Vapor Analyzer is used to survey the area where the fire is suspected to have begun, and detects and identifies vapors emitted from small accelerants such as gasoline, acetone, alcohol, etc., that remain in unburned or charred debris.
