On December 20, 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued Safety Alert No. HC-2012-4 warning consumers considering the purchase of retail welding kits that the compressed gas cylinders in the kits are not authorized for use in the United States and do not meet U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) specification. The cylinders, DOT explains, have not been inspected or tested for safety. The cylinders were made in China.
The Alert also reminds consumers that filling unauthorized cylinders is punishable by civil penalty or criminal prosecution.
Among the characteristics of the unauthorized welding kit cylinders are the following: The cylinders do not have markings that identify their type or service pressure, and they are similar in appearance to DOT 3A or 3AA and DOT 8A (steel) cylinders, which would commonly contain oxygen and acetylene used in oxyacetylene welding; however, they do meet requirements for maintenance, retest, and certification.
The Alert was sent directly to more than 300 purchasers who obtained the equipment through an online buying service between July 2011 and August 2012.
APCO publishes ANSI-approved standard
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International released, in December 2012, the Public Safety Communications Common Incident Type Codes for Data Exchange, APCO American National Standard (ANS) 2.103.1-2012, approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
It provides a standardized list of Common Incident Type Codes that will facilitate effective incident exchange among Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1), public safety answering points, and other authorized agencies-a critical component of public safety interoperability. If an agency is receiving information about an incident, a basic level of incident classification will be required to ensure it understands the type of situation. The agency is not required to change the codes it uses internally; the intent is to have each agency map its internal codes to the standardized list. The standard may be downloaded at www.apcostandards.org.
Line-of-Duty Deaths |
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December 2. Firefighter Timothy P. Jansen, 45, Santa Fe Fire Protection District, Bartelso, IL: struck and killed by a fire truck at the scene of a house fire. |
USFA changes NFA EFOP selection criteria
Students applying for the National Fire Academy (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP) now may have bachelor’s degrees from nationally accredited colleges and universities as well as regionally accredited institutions, U.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell recently announced. Changes will be implemented over the next two years.
- EFOP candidates wanting to enroll in Fiscal Year 2014 must submit their application packages by June 15, 2013. A copy of their baccalaureate degree diploma certificate from an institution whose accreditation and status are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must be included with the application. The other selection criteria such as rank, position, responsibilities, and so on have not been revised and still apply.
- EFOP candidates after June 15, 2013 (participation in EFOP commencing in FY 2015 and beyond), will have to submit an official transcript from the educational institution. A copy of the diploma will not be accepted.
The NFA will provide a review of the selection process and criteria to the Board of Visitors (BOV) at the end of each year. Based on that review, the BOV may recommend additional changes. The specific requirements and standards associated with these revisions are available on the USFA’s Web site at www.usfa.fema.gov/nfa/efop/selection.shtm.
NIOSH releases report
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has recently released the following Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation report: F2012-08, March 04, 2012: “Volunteer lieutenant killed and two fire fighters injured following bowstring roof collapse at theater fire-Wisconsin”; http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201208.html.
9/11 Health and Compensation Act signed two years ago
January 2 marked the second anniversary of the signing into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, Public Law No. 111-347. The health program is dedicated to the care of the responders and survivors whose health was adversely affected by the toxins at Ground Zero and reopened the Victims Compensation Fund.
The program was completely reorganized under the direction of Dr. John Howard on July 1, 2011. Almost 2,000 more responders and survivors than the 62,000 already receiving medical monitoring and treatment have been added.
