The U.S. Fire Administration advised that Spartan Chassis was recalling in early November emergency rescue transport vehicles equipped with an electronic stability control (ESC) manufactured from April 12, 2007, through September 2011. The ESC module may cause the ESC system to activate unnecessarily when the vehicle is driven in a particular manner on certain unique road conditions and may adversely affect the slip angle calculation by the ESC module. This might cause the ESC to perceive an oversteering situation and, therefore, apply the front axle outer-wheel service brake until the vehicle is perceived to be stable by the ESC. These conditions could increase the risk of a crash.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
October 22. Firefighter Horace “Chris” C. Pendergrass, 49, Fairfax County (VA) Fire & Rescue Department: cause to be determined.
November 10. Fire Police Officer Edward Steffy, 71, Rothsville (PA) Volunteer Fire Company: heart attack.
November 16. Captain Jon Young, 50, Roselle (NJ) Fire Department: heart attack while responding to an emergency in his vehicle.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
NFPA: Property loss from large-loss fires down
There were eight fewer large-loss fires in 2010 than in 2009, and associated property losses decreased by more than $298.4 million, according to the “Large-Loss Fires in the United States,” released by the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA).
Large-loss fires and explosions are defined as incidents that cause at least $10 million in direct property loss. In 2010, the United States experienced 17 large-loss fires that resulted in approximately $950 million in direct property losses. The report looked at a relatively small portion (.001 percent) of estimated fires in 2010 that accounted for 5.6 percent of the total estimated dollar loss.
Foundation releases ambulance crash data report
The Fire Protection Research Foundation, the research affiliate for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), recently released “Analysis of Ambulance Crash Data.” The report presents the following key observations pertaining to the collection of ambulance crash data, including fatalities and injuries from all 50 states, and the methods used to collect these data.
- The information collection infrastructure for ambulance crash data, although “relatively well evolved,” could benefit from “future enhancements and improvements.”
- At the national level, the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) program provides well-established guidelines for the collection of EMS data.
- At the national level, the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) program provides well-established guidelines for the collection of emergency responder vehicle crash data.
- Ambulance crash data collection at the state level is significant in quantity.
- From a national perspective, a lack of uniformity exists among and within the states.
- State-based ambulance crash information collection appears to be occurring on two fronts: through the state department of public health, often in collaboration with the state EMS agency, and also through police accident reports typically collected through the state department of transportation.
- In some cases these separate data collection streams are coordinating and sharing information; in other cases, they are effectively independent.
- States should continue to promote and use the MMUCC program guidelines.
- Data gathered among the available multiple sources need to be used with significant care, especially when attempting to address trends in the data which may have been collected in ways that could distort an analysis. Examples given were Delaware, where in one instance ambulance “response” was incorrectly interpreted as ambulance “involvement” in a motor vehicle crash—i.e., the ambulance’s response caused the ambulance to be “involved”—and New Jersey, where data are collected only for licensed providers, which excludes private companies.
This project arose as part of the NFPA’s efforts to develop a national standard for ambulance safety that addresses emergency medical service (EMS) responder health and protection and improved vehicle design and maintenance. The NFPA 1917, Standard for Automotive Ambulances, Technical Committee requested the information on ambulance accidents. A Project Technical Panel of EMS providers, data collection professionals, and other subject-matter experts provided guidance in preparing the report.
The final report takes into account ambulance reportable crashes that cause vehicular property damage or injury to the EMS crew or others and includes recommendations for developing a more comprehensive data collection system that can be used nationally to improve safety for EMS providers and their patients.
NFPA: Firefighter injuries down from 2009
“Firefighters suffered 71,875 injuries in the line of duty last year, an eight- percent decrease from 2009 and a two-decade low,” according to the “U.S. Firefighter Injuries” report issued by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Injuries are categorized by type of duty, exposures to infectious diseases, and how the number of injuries within a fire department is affected by the size of the community.
Key findings from the report include the following:
- An estimated 15,000 injuries, or 20.8 percent of all firefighter injuries, resulted in lost time from work in 2010.
- In addition to injuries, there were 11,200 exposures to infectious diseases and 25,700 exposures to hazardous conditions.
- The Northeast reported a higher number of fireground injuries per 100 fires (sustained from structure fires, vehicle fires, and brush fires) than other regions of the country.
- Almost half (45 percent) of all firefighter injuries occurred during fireground operations. An estimated 13,355 occurred at nonfire emergencies; 4,380 while responding to or returning from an incident; 7,275 during training activities; and 14,190 during other on-duty activities.
- The major types of fireground injuries were strains, sprains, muscular pain (52.8 percent); wounds, cuts, bleeding, bruises 14.2 percent); and burns (5.9 percent).
- Overexertion and strain were the leading causes of fireground injuries (25.7 percent). Falls, slips, and jumps were responsible for 22.5 percent of these injuries.
- The number of fires a fire department responds to is directly related to the size of the population it protects, and the number of fireground injuries incurred by a department is directly related to the number of fires the department attends.
Estimates from the report are based on data collected for NFPA’s Survey of Fire Departments for U.S. Fire Experience (2010).
FDA Web site for safe disposal of “sharps”
The new U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site guides patients and caregivers on the safe disposal of needles and other “sharps” used at home, at work, and while traveling. “Sharps” refer to medical devices that have sharp points or edges that can puncture or cut the skin. Examples are hypodermic needles and syringes used to administer medication; lancets or finger-stick devices to collect blood for testing; needle and tubing systems for infusing intravenous and subcutaneous medicines; and connection needles used for home hemodialysis.
Many sharps end up in home and public trash cans or are flushed down toilets. These means of improper disposal put people, such as sanitation workers, sewage treatment workers, janitors, housekeepers, family members, and children, at risk for needle stick injuries or infection with viruses such as Hepatitis B and C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 3 billion needles and other sharps are used in homes in the United States each year. Sharps disposal guidelines and programs vary by jurisdiction. The guidelines are at: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/Consumer Products/Sharps/ucm20025647.htm; search for “sharps.”
NFA announces that new ACE rules will affect students
The National Fire Academy (NFA) has announced that the American Council on Education (ACE) has new rules that have affected its most recent review (September 25-27, 2011) of the NFA and, consequently, will affect NFA students in the future.
The NFA’s present Pass/Fail system will be changed to a marking system. The NFA will issue grades that reflect the evaluation of a student’s performance and will also be keeping records of how it reached those final grade decisions. The performance of each student on each exercise, quiz, group project, and examination will now be graded. In many classes, such records are already being kept.
Also, the NFA is required to formally evaluate its instructors. The NFA explains that this is nothing new because NFA training specialists have been in classrooms observing instructors since the NFA opened. The only difference, the NFA says, is that it must now have a more formal process with records of performance. The NFA staff is working on plans to accomplish these evaluations in an objective and fair manner that also satisfies ACE requirements and recommendations. The U.S. Fire Administration will be looking for state partners to occasionally assist in evaluating instructors who teach in predominantly off-campus classes.
These new requirements apply to two-day, six-day, and 10-day classes sponsored by the NFA. These changes do NOT apply to NFA courses delivered by the state partners unless that state has sought ACE recommendations on its own.
ACE allows 90 days to implement these changes on the 22 courses ACE has just reviewed. Students and instructors will now see incremental implementation beginning fairly quickly. As courses are developed, revised, or ACE reviewed, the NFA staff will continue to implement these changes until the entire curriculum has been completed.
The NFA subscribes to ACE for academic review of its classes and programs. ACE examines course objectives, outcomes, instructor qualifications, instructional methods, instructor guides, student manuals, other materials, and evaluations of learning. On a rotating basis each year, ACE reviews the NFA curriculum packages and makes recommendations so that other institutions of higher education may consider granting transfer credit for NFA courses. In addition to course credit recommendations, the ACE review serves as an outside objective and independent academic review of all NFA curricula.
Emergency vehicle safety study
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice/National Institute of Justice, has begun a study of emergent topics in emergency vehicle and roadway operations safety to assist in developing and demonstrating best practices for the emergency services. The International Fire Service Training Association will conduct the study.
“USFA is committed to reducing the incidence of vehicle crashes and emergency responders being struck on the roadway, as they are a large cause of on-duty fatalities,” says Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines. “We are grateful for the U.S. Department of Justice’s support of this important initiative, which benefits both the fire service and law enforcement.”
Each year, approximately 25 percent of on-duty firefighter fatalities occur while responding to or returning from incidents; the majority of fatalities result from vehicle crashes. This cause of firefighter fatalities is second only to heart attacks.
