News In Brief

Sobering thoughts about rapid intervention

The following information pertaining to rapid intervention crews is based on research done by the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department (PFD) and taken from “Rapid Intervention Reality—from Phoenix” by Michael Ward, head of the fire science program at Northern Virginia Community College.

The Phoenix Fire Department’s Deployment Committee has this message for its firefighters operating in large buildings, such as a 7,500-square-foot warehouse: “If you extend an attack line 150 feet, get 40 feet off the line, and then run out of air, it will take us 22 minutes to get you out of the structure.” The lesson to remember is not to get off the fire attack line.

This statement was based on 200 rapid intervention drills the PFD conducted as part of its recovery process after Firefighter/Paramedic Brett Tarver died in the March 14, 2001, Southwest Supermarket fire. One thousand one hundred forty-four department firefighters participated in the drills; their activities were monitored and timed. An Arizona State University statistician analyzed the data. Findings were as follows:

Rapid intervention is not rapid: It took 2.50 minutes for the rescue crew to be in a ready state, 3.03 minutes from Mayday to RIC entry, and 5.82 minutes for RIC to make contact with the downed firefighter. Each RIC team spent 12.33 minutes inside the building. It took 21 minutes to effect the rescue.
Three consistent ratios were revealed: (1) It takes 12 firefighters to rescue one firefighter; (2) one in five RIC members will get into some type of trouble; and (3) a 3,000-psi SCBA bottle has 18.7 minutes of air (±30 percent).

The results of the RIC drills reflect the experience Phoenix had during the efforts to rescue Tarver. A dozen Maydays were sounded during the rescue effort. One PFD firefighter was removed from the supermarket in respiratory arrest.

[The Phoenix experience is not unique. Houston (TX) Fire Chief Chris Connealy reported the following at a panel discussion on the unsuccessful attempt to rescue Engine 2 Captain Jay Jahnke during an October 13, 2001, residential high-rise fire. On their way to the fifth floor, where Jahnke was, two members of the RIC team, rescue company firefighters, became disoriented and low on air and had to rescue themselves instead. An engine company captain and firefighters ran out of air and collapsed on the fire floor.]

As a result of the RIC drills, the PFD is changing its approach to rapid intervention crews in three procedural ways:

It will increase the number of suppression units assigned to RIC. The PFD uses a scalar approach to RIC dispatch assignments. For a “3-1 Assignment” (three engines and one ladder), a fourth engine and an EMS transport (rescue) are added to the assignment to function as the rapid intervention team. For a first-alarm assignment, two engines, one ladder, one rescue, and a battalion chief constitute the RIC team. A second alarm includes an additional two engines and a ladder for RIC. Beyond a second alarm, the incident commander can call additional companies as needed.
The PFD will increase the number of command officers on the fireground. A company officer core competency is to command a fire company. A core chief officer competency is to command fire companies—this is a function of the fire department hierarchical structure, not of personality. A captain filling in as a battalion chief would do a better job as a West Sector officer than commanding Engine 2 AND being in charge of the West Sector. Company officers are required to wear two hats at the sector level of the incident management system. There are too many levels of tasks.

The PFD suggests it would be more effective to send more command officers to a fire to function as sector and division commanders and to allow the company officers to command their companies. It is a waste of talent and experience to allow command officers to stay in their fire stations while a low-frequency, high-risk event such as a structure fire is occurring in the city.

The RIC process should consist of two phases. Many of the RIC team members ran out of air during the training evolutions. The drills showed that a 3,000-psi SCBA bottle was good for 13.09 to 24.31 minutes of air. The average SCBA time was 18.7 minutes. The average time from Mayday to removal was 21 minutes. RIC teams were running out of air during the firefighter removal phase. In addition, it was taking a crew of 12 firefighters to remove one firefighter. During Phase 1, the RIC would be sent to locate the firefighter in trouble. Once the firefighter is located, a second RIC would enter to remove the firefighter (Phase 2).

Source: www.thewatchdesk.com.

McCain new chair of Congressional Fire Services Caucus

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) will succeed Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) as chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus during the 108th Congress. McCain is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has oversight of the United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

He brings to the position a background of involvement with the nation’s fire service. He was original co-chairman of the Fire Caucus and one of 11 members of Congress cited by the Congressional Fire Services Institute for his efforts on behalf of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. He has spearheaded legislation to benefit the fire service in the areas of interoperability of public safety communications and proper placarding when transporting hazardous materials.

Congress approves $750 million for FIRE Act Grant Program

The $397 billion FY 2003 Omnibus appropriations bill signed by President Bush in February includes $750 million for the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE Act) Grant Program. Also included are the following: $90 million for clinical examinations and long-term health monitoring of emergency service personnel who responded to the World Trade Center on 9-11-01 ($25 million of this is specifically for current and retired firefighters); $2.1 billion for wildland fire management and an additional $825 million for 2002 emergency suppression costs; $228,109,000 for hazardous fuels treatment; $8 million for fire science research in support of the Joint Fire Science Program; $46,555,000 for state fire assistance; and $8,240,000 for volunteer fire assistance.

NIOSH certifies Scott Air-Pak 4.5 SCBA for CBRN protection

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health approved in January the Scott Model Air-Pak 4.5 respirator for occupational use by emergency responders against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents. The self-contained breathing apparatus is manufactured by Scott Health and Safety, Monroe, North Carolina.

The action allows the manufacturer to label the SCBA as NIOSH-certified for occupational use by emergency responders. NIOSH tested and evaluated the device under certification criteria announced in December 2001. All approvals are posted at www.cdc.gov/niosh.

NIOSH certifies Interspiro SCBA models for CBRN protection

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health approved in January Interspiro Models Spiromatic S3 and Spirotek S3 9030, 6630, and 4530 SCBA, manufactured by Interspiro USA Inc., Branford, Connecticut, for occupational use by emergency responders against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents. The action allows the manufacturer to label the SCBA as NIOSH-certified for occupational use by emergency responders.

Spiromatic Models 9030, 6630, and 4530 were approved in May 2002. NIOSH tested and evaluated the devices under certification criteria announced in December 2001. All approvals are posted at www. cdc.gov/niosh.

FEMA study identifies service gaps in fire departments

The Needs Assessment Study of the U.S. Fire Service, conducted by the National Fire Protection Association for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and United States Fire Administration (USFA), found that some 15,500 fire stations (32 percent of the estimated 48,500 total fire stations) are estimated to be at least 40 years old, roughly 27,500 fire stations (57 percent) have no backup power, and nearly 38,000 fire stations (78 percent) are not equipped for exhaust emission control.

Other findings in the report follow.

An estimated 792,000 firefighters serve in fire departments that have no program for maintaining basic firefighter fitness and health; most of them are volunteer departments serving communities with a population of less than 5,000.
Half of all engines (pumpers) are at least 15 years old: a little over 13,000 (16 percent) are 15 to 19 years old; 17,000 (21 percent) are 20 to 29 years old; and just over 10,000 (13 percent) are at least 30 years old.
An estimated one-third of firefighters per shift do not have self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA); nearly half of SCBA units are at least 10 years old.
An estimated 57,000 firefighters—most in departments serving communities with a population of under 2,500—lack personal protective clothing; an estimated one-third of personal protective clothing is at least 10 years old.
In general, fire departments do not have enough portable radios to equip more than about half of the emergency responders on a shift; most radios lack intrinsic safety in an explosive atmosphere and are not water-resistant.
An estimated 40 percent of fire department personnel involved in hazardous materials response lack formal training in those duties; most serve in smaller communities.

The complete report is available on the USFA Web site at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/ downloads/pdf/publications/fa-240.pdf/.

NFPA calls meeting to address codes for places of assembly

At press time, the National Fire Protection Association Technical Committee on Assembly Occupancies was to meet at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts, to review safety issues related to public assembly buildings. The meeting was prompted by the tragic nightclub fires that occurred in Chicago, Illinois, and West Warwick, Rhode Island, during the third week in February.

The E-2 nightclub fire in Chicago, in which 21 patrons died, occurred on February 17. The fire in The Station nightclub in Rhode Island occurred on February 20 and claimed the lives of 97 patrons.

According to the NFPA, “Several core components of a total system of building safety” have been revealed through these incidents. NFPA Executive Vice President Arthur E. Cote, P.E., notes that enough is known about these tragedies, even though the reports have not been completed, “to warrant a serious review and scrutiny of the future direction of codes and standards, and their enforcement locally.”

The following issues addressed or affected by NFPA codes will be reviewed during the meeting: the minimum thresholds for requiring automatic fire sprinkler protection, allowable interior finish and decorations, adequate egress, exiting arrangements, retroactive application of code requirements, and inspection and permitting. n

New Jersey’s North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue cited in Congress

Congressman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) recently read a statement before the House of Representatives complimenting North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue (NHRFR), which serves the New Jersey communities of Union City, Weehawken, North Bergen, West New York, and Guttenberg.

Menendez cited NHRFR for “outstanding performance … in support of their Fire Department of New York and New Jersey-based colleagues on 9/11, and each and every day preceding and following that horrific tragedy.”

He shared with his colleagues “Planning and Managing Technical Rope Rescues,” written by NHRFR’s Anthony Avillo, which appeared in the December 2002 issue of Fire Engineering. Menendez requested that the article, which he said provides “a window from which to view all of the complexities involved in planning and managing technical rope rescues,” be included in the Federal Register. “Though the NHRFR team might regard this operation as ‘just another day at the office,’ the techniques employed in their dramatic rescue of a man who had fallen 100 feet off the Palisades cliffs should conjure up images in the minds of my colleagues about the application of these highly specialized technical skills in disaster site settings,” Menendez explained.

Menendez also congratulated NHRFR for winning the New Jersey State League of Municipalities 2002 Innovation in Governance Award for its Quantitative Safety Project, which the National League of Cities added to its national research database of “best practices” models.

Menendez took this opportunity also to ask for funding for specialized training for first responders: “Mr. Speaker, specialized training for our local fire and rescue first responders is a key area where there is a critical need for additional federal funding ….” He noted: “The mission of our local fire and rescue first responders has expanded exponentially [since 9-11], and is now elevated to the level of a national defense imperative …. Regrettably, the President’s words about providing resources for first responders have not yet been matched with funding that our local fire and rescue teams desperately need for upgraded equipment and specialized training to meet the growing challenge of post-9/11 terrorist attack scenarios.”

Failure to provide the funding, Menendez added, “imperils the safety of the American public and endangers the very lives of the heroic men and women whose job it is to run toward the danger and help to save their fellow human beings.”

Frederick County (MD) officials discontinue firefighting training

New firefighters in Frederick County, Maryland, most likely will obtain their training outside of the county. In January, county officials stopped firefighter training within the county. Factoring into the decision were the costs of running the training facility and the fact that a 23-year-old recruit had collapsed and died while running at the training facility last July. The county has been investigating the possibilities for sending recruits to academies in other jurisdictions.

Senate defeats proposal to fund firefighter health initiatives

By a vote of 45 to 51, the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment offered by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) that would have provided hundreds of millions of dollars to protect first responders who receive the smallpox vaccine. It also would have made millions available to study the effects of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on New York City firefighters. Byrd had proposed that $850 million be appropriated for these objectives. He offered the amendment during the Senate’s consideration of the omnibus appropriations bill for FY’03.

Arson arrest prompts background checks on prospective firefighters

As a result of a volunteer firefighter’s arrest on charges of setting 21 arson fires in Maryland and West Virginia, several Frederick County (MD) fire companies will now conduct criminal background checks on prospective members. The checks, which are not legally mandated, will be performed by the Maryland Fire Marshal’s Office.

Installers of oven implicated in fatal fire charged with homicide

Three counts of criminally negligent homicide were filed against two men who installed an oven implicated in a fire that killed three Coos Bay (OR) firefighters. The fire occurred at the Far West Truck & Auto Supply warehouse. Firefighters Randy Carpenter, Chuck Hanners, and Jeff Common were killed when a section of the roof near the oven flue fell on them as they were fighting the fire from a mezzanine in the center of the building.

Reportedly, codes allegedly were violated when the high-temperature oven used to vaporize grease and oil from engine parts was installed. Fire officials pinpointed a flue connected to the oven as the cause of the fire. A grand jury indicted the men, who could be sentenced to five years in prison and/or fined up to $1000,000 for each count.

Tim Birr, division chief, Tualatin (OR) Valley Fire & Rescue, sees the filing of criminal charges as a significant development. “The indictments have gotten the attention of Oregon’s fire service,” he says. “While civil litigation is all but expected in a tragedy like this, the filing of criminal charges is a significant development.”

Reference: “Coos County charges 2 with negligent homicide in deaths of firefighters,” Wendy Owen, OregonLive.com, Jan. 28, 2003.

Colorado Springs City passes Class A roofing ordinance

A citywide Class A roofing ordinance became effective in Colorado Springs City, Colorado, on January 1. According to the Colorado Springs Fire Prevention Division, the ordinance requires all residential occupancies to install a Class A roof covering (excluding solid wood roofing products) at the time an application is filed for a roofing or reroofing building permit within the city limits. A minimum Class B roof covering is to be installed on remaining occupancies at the time the permit is filed. The Class B roof covering is not to replace Class A where it is already required.

The ordinance applies to all new roof installations and when reroofing greater than 25 percent of the total roof area. All types of solid wood roofing products, including treated and untreated wood shake/shingle materials, are prohibited. The ordinance supersedes all applicable Colorado Springs Home Owner Association Covenants.

The City Council had directed the fire marshal to research the feasibility of an ordinance requiring a higher level of protection in roofing materials before the nearby 137,760-acre Hayman Fire (July 2002) was contained. The city had recently adopted a wildfire mitigation plan that specifically called for an ordinance requiring noncombustible roofing.

For additional information, contact Cathy Prudhomme, Wildland Risk Management Office, at cprudhomme@ci.colospgs.co.us, or Vernon Champlin, fire protection engineer, at vchamplin@ci.colspgs.co.us.

New Jersey increases pension for survivors of volunteer responders

The state of New Jersey recently ap-proved a new pension benefit for survivors of certain New Jersey volunteer responders. The widow (widower) of a member of a volunteer fire company or first aid or rescue squad killed while responding to, preparing for, or returning from an emergency while under orders from a competent authority will receive a $15,000 annual pension. Eligibility for the pension will be determined by the municipality’s governing body.

The money would be paid to the child or children if there is no surviving widow or if the widow dies. Should the widow remarry, the child or children would receive $10,000 annually. If there is no surviving spouse or children, the worker’s parent or parents would be paid $5,000 annually.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Stephen M. Sweeney, is retroactive to January 1, 2000. Other primary sponsors were Senator John J. Matheussen, Assemblymen Robert J. Smith II, John J. Burzichelli, and Joseph J. Roberts Jr.

Firefighting Research and Coordination Act reintroduced in Congress

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI) have reintroduced the Firefighting Research and Coordination Act in the 108th Congress; it had been introduced in the previous Congress. The legislation would authorize the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to work with state and local fire service officials to establish nationwide and state mutual-aid systems for responding to national emergencies. In addition, it directs the USFA to develop a plan for establishing a national credentialing system and authorizes the National Fire Academy to offer courses in building collapse rescue, the use of technology in response to terrorist attacks, and deploying new technology for fighting wildfires and fires in coastal ports.

At its 2002 fall meeting, the CFSI National Advisory Committee unanimously passed a resolution in support of this legislation.

General Schwarzkopf, Chris Matthews to speak at NFPA conference

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf (re-tired), who served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews and the Chris Matthews Show, will be keynote speakers at the 2003 NFPA World Safety Conference and Exposition™ at the Dallas Convention Center, May 18-21.

Matthews will present a commentary on American politics on May 18. Schwarzkopf’s May 20th presentation will be focused on leadership in difficult times.

Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus launched amid calls for increased security

The bipartisan, bicameral Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus was established to provide a consensus-building forum to elevate issues surrounding 9-1-1 services and implement an agenda that will strengthen our country’s ability to better respond and communicate in times of local and national emergencies. The Caucus is comprised of members of Congress and public safety organizations.

E9-1-1 Caucus co-chairs are Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and John Shimkus (R-IL). The co-chairs are recruiting other lawmakers to join the Caucus.

Among the goals of the Caucus are the following:

Ubiquitous deployment of enhanced 9-1-1 services and systems. Enhanced 9-1-1 automatically provides a callback number and the location of the caller.
Advancing 9-1-1 as the emergency number for use by the public.
Promoting the education of members of Congress and their staffs about 9-1-1.
Working with 9-1-1 leaders in members’ congressional districts and states.
Promoting citizen-activated emergency response systems.
Ensuring 9-1-1 systems, networks, and operators are properly funded.
Elevating emergency communications issues within all branches of government at the federal, state, and local levels.

The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) has offered its support and assistance. The E9-1-1 Caucus will support public policy forums, Congressional tours of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), technology demonstrations, roundtable discussions, briefings and tutorials, media events, and education programs.

Indiana State Treasurer Tim Berry, chairman of the Indiana Wireless E9-1-1 Advisory Board and who has positioned Indiana as a national leader in E9-1-1 implementation, has stated his support for the initiative. More than half of Indiana’s 92 counties are equipped with Phase II technology, in which calls from at least one carrier can be located from wireless phones.

Americans must strengthen its communication system, Berry says: “It is critical that citizens are able to reach 9-1-1 dispatchers in emergency situations when every second matters.”

FEMA/USFA urges first responders to join Citizen Corps initiative

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA) are urging that the fire and emergency services participate in the Citizen Corps initiative.

R. David Paulison, USFA administrator, says Citizen Corps already has begun to get Americans involved in actively supporting their first responders through several major national initiatives that are underway. Information on these initiatives is available at www.citizencorps.gov/; additional specific information for first responders is available at the USFA Web site www.usfa.fema.gov/.

The Citizen Corps provides opportunities for people to participate in a range of activities that can help make their families, homes, and communities safer from the threats of crime, terrorism, and all types of disasters. FEMA coordinates the Corps and, in this capacity, works closely with other federal entities, state and local governments, first responders and emergency managers, the volunteer community, and the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps.

Line-of-Duty Deaths

February 1. Firefighter George A. Walker, 62, of the Clarksville (IN) Fire Department: A heart attack while working a residential structure fire.

February 1. Engineer Robert John Moseley, 52, of the Santa Barbara County (CA) Fire Department: An apparent heart attack while clearing brush in an area to be used by a training class.

February 12. Trainee Wayne K. Clark, 46, of the Dallas (TX) Fire-Rescue Department: Collapsed and died from a cause still to be determined while participating in exercises at the department’s training facility.

Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration