Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Covering the Bases
By Richard Miller and Glen Rudner
Ensuring safe ethanol transfer and handling operations requires thorough and complex planning....
MRSA Occurrences Higher in Firehouses Than General-Public Buildings, Study Finds
By Mary Rose Roberts
Researchers found the highest prevalence of MRSA bacteria on the couches, classroom desks and commonly touched office surfaces. ...
The Real Deal
By Dave Downey
The carnage unleashed by the powerful earthquake that struck Haiti in January was stunning, even for seasoned first responders. Here's what one search-and-rescue team experienced and what they learned along the way....
Lack of Unified Command Hurt Efforts to Clean Up BP Oil Spill, Gulf Coast Chiefs Say
By Mary Rose Roberts
Gib Hixon said fire chiefs offered BP equipment and knowledge and, in return, asked for the chemical make-up of leaking materials "so we could train our people to safely handle it, but we got no response whatsoever."...
The Invisible Flame
By James McLean & Dryver Huston
Hydrogen fires create new — and hard to detect — hazards for responders. But a new take on thermal imaging can help....
Haiti: Close to Home or a World Away?
By Adam K. Thiel
Local emergency management authorities and local fire departments often have similar, and sometimes overlapping, charters, missions, and legal mandates....
Faster than the Speed of Government
By Pete Piringer
When it comes to releasing public information, timing is everything and sooner always is better....
Command at the Ready
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
Incident command goes mobile and high tech — and takes rescue and hazmat with it....
Blocking and Tackling
By Lawrence S. Schultz
The skills that firefighters and emergency medical personnel use every day provide the basis for effective disaster response in the nation's capital....
FDNY Invests in Radiological, Nuclear PPE
By Mary Rose Roberts
FDNY’s Hazmat Company No. 1 was one of the teams to deploy Demron, specifically the two-ply Radiation Torso Vest, W High Energy Nuclear/Ballistic IED RDD RED Shield and Crew Protection Blanket. ...
What's That Smell?
By Mary Rose Roberts
A revision to the fire-protection standard that addresses indoor use of fuels brings chemical handheld detectors back into focus....
Ahura Gets New Name, Adds to FirstDefender Line
By Mary Rose Roberts
Thermo Fisher Scientific, formally Ahura Scientific, recently released two new handheld chemical detectors used to identify unknown solids from toxic industrial chemicals: the FirstDefender RM and the RMX....
NFPA Updates National Fuel Gas Code
By Mary Rose Roberts
The action followed recommendations issued by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) in the wake of the 2009 ConAgra Slim Jim plant accident in Garner, N.C....
Hazmat Apparatus: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
By Michael Virnig
An eye toward future growth will extend the life of your hazmat rig....
Bugaboo No More
By Ed Nied
Follow these tips to keep contamination from being a scary proposition....
DOT Pipeline Safety Grant Application Period Ends Jan. 18
The program will provide grants up to $50,000 for technical assistance related to the scientific analysis of pipeline safety issues or used for public-information and -education programs. ...
Chances in Disguise
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
Fire service leaders saw opportunities in some unlikely places: aging baby boomers, the greening of emergency services, inexperienced young officers — and baseline budgets....
In the Line of Fire
By Robert R. Rielage
The successful response to the recent mass shootings at Fort Hood and in Orlando may change the policies that will govern similar incidents in the future....
First Line of Defense
By Mary Rose Roberts
It will take the DOD at least four days to gather resources after a disaster hits. Here's what to do in the meantime....
RadioSTAT Offers Lost Piece of Interoperability
By Ronny J. Coleman
RadioSTAT uses portable road signs to instruct motorists to tune to a special AM frequency when there is critical information. The signs can be placed in strategic locations and can advise the public on very specific behaviors....
Chicago Unveils Mobile Hazmat Lab
By Mary Rose Roberts
The Chicago FD recently retrofitted a semi-trailer for use as a mobile laboratory to test and identify hazardous materials, said Chief Daniel O'Connell, who oversees the CFD's hazmat operations....
DOE Criticizes Los Alamos County
By Mary Rose Roberts
A report released this month by the Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General tongue-lashed the Los Alamos County (N.M.) Fire Department for inadequately training its firefighters after the agency paid 100% of the county fire department's $135 million operations under a cooperative agreement. ...
Ohio County Issues Safety Alert after Hazmat Suicide
By Janet Wilmoth
Following the death of a 29-year-old man found in his car, the Ada County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Office issued a safety bulletin regarding a “detergent suicide,” named so for the mixture of ingredients that produces deadly hydrogen sulfide gas. The detergent recipe is available on the Internet and uses chemicals that are available readily. ...
Q&A with USFA's Gaines About National Preparedness Month
By Mary Rose Roberts
September is National Preparedness Month. Glenn Gaines, the U.S. Fire Administration's deputy assistant director, and Chuck Burkell, training specialist for the USFA's executive development program, share core lessons learned about recent disasters to hit U.S. soil....
Help is a Call Away
By Frank Reiner
A nationwide program offers assistance for chlorine-accident response....
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