Fire chiefs explore strategies for controlling wildfires at Summit
It is time to act to control the devastation caused by wildfires, was the consensus among fire chiefs from across the nation who met at Wildfire Summit 2004. The event, held in San Diego, California, was presented by Fire Engineering/FDIC/FDIC West/FDIC East and sponsored by the California Fire Chiefs Association and the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
The chiefs noted that the solutions necessitate coordinated efforts involving the public, legislators, government agencies, environmentalists, insurance companies, builders, zoning officials, and city planners as well as firefighting departments and agencies. The emphasis must be on fire prevention, keeping neighborhoods fire safe, and better management of urban sprawl, attendees stressed. The solutions are obvious, some pointed out; what is missing is the commitment and will to employ them.
A White Paper containing recommendations approved by this year’s Summit attendees will be developed and ultimately presented to Congress. Last year’s White Paper contained 30 recommendations. Some attendees opined that if only some of last year’s suggestions had been acted on, the number of problems California faced during the Fall 2003 wildfires would have been significantly reduced.
California’s Blue Ribbon Fire Commission, which is critiquing the fires that ravaged the state last year, also met during the Summit.
NFFF initiates National Summit on LODD
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) held the first National Line-of-Duty Death Prevention Summit March 10 and 11 in Tampa, Florida (after press time). More than 100 representatives from fire service organizations were expected to attend. In January (at press time), the Foundation extended an open invitation to fire service and emergency personnel to participate. The objective of the Summit was to explore strategies for reducing firefighter fatalities within the next five to 10 years. Presently, nearly 100 firefighters die in the line of duty each year.
“We hope to foster both a dynamic dialogue as well as a resounding commitment to enhancing training, improving equipment, and taking other measures to increase firefighter health and safety,” explained Chief Ron Siarnicki, NFFF executive director.
Among topics addressed were how to prevent heart attacks and vehicle accidents, which account for the majority of fatalities, and decreasing the number of fires in this country, which would naturally reduce the potential for firefighter injuries and fatalities.
For more information, contact Torrey Wasserman at (202) 955-1247 or twasserman@kamber.com.
USFA offers fire and emergency services IMT assistance
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced a training “roadmap” for the fire and emergency services that wish to develop local and regional/metropolitan incident management teams (IMTs). The initiative is the product of a 2002 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Fire Chiefs/National Fire Protection Association Metropolitan Chiefs. The MOU does the following:
- Establishes metropolitan area IMT regional overhead teams based on the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) models.
- Develops IMT capability.
- Develops and trains IMTs to support command.
- Provides mutual-aid staff unified command training and development.
- Uses the Integrated Emergency Management System.
This IMT training roadmap also supports Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) for establishing “a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management.”
An all-hazards IMT consists of emergency service officers from appropriate disciplines (fire, rescue, emergency medical, hazardous materials, law enforcement) trained to perform the functions of the command and general staff of the incident command system (ICS): command, operations, planning, logistics, and administration/ finance, as well as safety, information, and liaison. For more information regarding the IMT efforts, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.
APCO wireless E9-1-1 post deployment symposium series
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International has announced a Wireless Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) Post-Deployment Symposium series for public safety answering point (PSAPs) managers and policy makers.
The series will include two two-day sessions, beginning in May, and will be strategically located to accommodate those facing wireless post-deployment challenges across the nation. Specific dates, locations, and agendas will be released at a later date (after press time).
Topics will include the following: Lessons Learned in Wireless Deployment; Technical Testing, Reporting, and Documentation; Training Issues and Managing Public Expectations; Interfaces and Network Planning; Call Trace Procedures; Consistency in ALI Presentation; and Learning New Languages and Handling Misrouted Calls. For additional information, contact Courtney McCarron at (202) 833-9600 or mccarron@apco911. org/.
SF exercise catalyst for assessing terrorism response preparedness
The staged “Terrorist in the Water” scenario/response exercise held in November in San Francisco involved a “response” by some 200 firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement officers, and national guardsmen—members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force for the Bay Area. The scenario was that of a “terrorist’s” shooting of a Coast Guard marshal and holding the dead marshal and his live partner hostage on the ship.
The exercise, according to Peter Byrne of sfweekly.com, brought to light that the area is not yet ready to respond to large-scale terrorist attacks. Byrne noted that city emergency officials said they did not have “proper plans, equipment, and training to cope with the devastation and chaos of a chemical, radiological, or biological assault.” The reasons given for this, according to the report, included a need for each of the following: an updated written emergency operations plan; equipment and training to prepare law enforcement to contain crowds of panicking people; a plan to orderly evacuate large numbers of citizens; and resources that would enable the Health Department to decontaminate and medically treat numerous casualties of a chemical, biological, or radiological weapon. Also cited was the need for city government to prepare for protecting and repairing vital infrastructures. Source: “Surprise! …,” Peter Byrne, sfweekly.com, Jan. 21, 2004
Home Safety Council initiates Expert Network
First responders and other safety experts who join the nonprofit Home Safety Council’s newly formed Home Safety Council Expert Network qualify for free safety education resources that promote safety in the home. They will also have access to home safety advisories and new data and survey results compiled by the Home Safety Council. Additional information is at www.homesafetycouncil.org/expertnetwork.
Department of Transportation to inspect truck container chas
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) at press time announced it would outline in a few weeks specific details and a timeline for a notice of proposed rulemaking on inspecting truck container chassis. The safety inspection program for intermodal container chassis (flat trailer beds that haul cargo containers) will help ensure that the trailer beds truckers use to haul cargo containers are safe. Intermodal container chassis are the flat trailer beds that cargo containers are loaded onto when being transported by truck. Cargo containers hauled by rail and shipping companies are regularly transferred to trucks before final delivery.
The new inspection program will be modeled on the compliance review program already in place for the nation’s trucking community. Chassis providers will be required to obtain a USDOT number and display it on their chassis. The Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will apply the same penalty structure and enforcement actions for equipment, including issuing out-of-service orders and revoking USDOT numbers when needed.
Intermodal container chassis have been subject to routine safety inspections and review during federal and local enforcement actions. Most are not owned by trucking companies and are not included as part of the existing compliance review process for truck operators.
Preparedness guide for Homeland Security advisory system available
The Fire and Emergency Services Preparedness Guide for the Homeland Security Advisory System provides suggestions for activities that may be appropriate for the five Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) levels. The document, prepared by the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC), should assist the heads of fire and EMS agencies in developing and implementing appropriate agency-specific preparedness measures, according to the agency. However, U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison explains: “The preparedness actions recommended are not all inclusive, nor do they reflect all the variations in local conditions, agencies, and operations.” He added: “They provide a good place to start development, or enhancement, of agency-specific plans. Agencies need to balance cost versus benefit of various proposed measures to determine the most cost-effective ones.”
To obtain a complete copy of the guidelines, visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/cipc/cipc-jobaid.shtm/.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
January 8. Lieutenant Leslie W. Gant, Jr., 46, Winslow Township Fire Department, Sicklerville, NJ: complications of a stroke.
January 15. Lieutenant Derrick T. Harvey, 45, Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department: injuries sustained at a residential fire after falling through the first floor into the basement, where the fire originated.
January 22. Firefighter/Paramedic Charles “Charlie” T. Hatch, 48, West Bridgewater (MA) Fire Department: apparent heart attack.
January 24. Chief Kevin M. Shea, 54, Elsmere (NY) Fire Department: apparent heart attack.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration.
Assistance to Firefighters Grants update
Firefighters in almost 8,100 fire departments have received more than $651 million in round 31 of the 2003 fiscal year Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The AFG program is administered by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Contact AFG program staff at (1-866) 274-0960 or by e-mail at usfagrants@fema.gov.
News Glimpses
Mobile infrared transmitters pose hazards for responders. Also called “signal changers,” the invisible high-intensity strobe light these transmitters emit can change traffic signals from red to green in three seconds at a distance of about 300 yards. Police departments in some states report that civilian drivers are using these devices at intersections, posing dangers for first responders. In at least one instance, the device was used to change a signal light against an emergency vehicle. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) notes the need for strictly enforced state legislation making it a serious crime for retailers to sell these devices to nonemergency personnel and for civilians to use them. USFA Critical Infrastructure Protection INFOGRAM, Jan. 22, 2004.
Seattle Haz Mat team receives NFPA grant. The Seattle (WA) Haz Mat Response Team will attend the June International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference sponsored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs on the $2,500 NFPA 2004 Warren E. Isman educational grant it was awarded. Information on NFPA scholarship grants is available at www.nfpa.org.
FEMA offers Citizen Corps publication. The U.S. Fire Administration/Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering to leaders of the first responder organization the FA-263 “Citizen Corps Opportunities for America’s First Responders” brochure. It describes some citizen advocate/volunteer activities that can potentially assist local fire and EMS departments. It may be ordered at www. usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/.
DOT, USFA, SAE research emergency vehicle warning lighting systems. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office are partnering with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to determine the effects of emergency warning lights on motorists and strategies for overcoming any negative effects. All types of emergency lighting [incandescent, halogen, strobe, and light-emitting diode (LED)] systems will be assessed for their effects on normal, impaired, and drowsy drivers (also known as the “moth effect”). Findings from the studies may eventually become part of safety standards. Additional information is available at www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/research/vehicle.shtm.
Thousands pay homage to fallen firefighters. Some 4,200 people visited the National Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial in 2003, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The memorial is located at FEMA’s National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend will be observed October 1-3, 2004.
Missouri implements public safety radio channel. Implementation of the MTAC public safety radio channel enables Missouri’s law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and other first responders to communicate through wireless means at incidents where interagency communication is essential.
