Tuesday, December 2, 2008
When Will We Start Listening?
By Dave Malinow
It was Wednesday, June 21 — Safety Stand Down Day. I stood before a group of emergency responders, preparing for the presentation I was to give. But all that was on my mind was the thought that in the previous 72 hours, five emergency responders had died in motor vehicle accidents....
HSC Recognizes Fire Safety Products
Four companies manufacturing fire safety products have received Commendation Awards from the Home Safety Council for their efforts to advance consumer safety in and around the home....
USFA Releases 2005 Firefighter Fatality Report
The U.S. Fire Administration has released a report detailing the 115 firefighter fatalities it classifies as on-duty deaths that occurred in the United States in 2005....
Dead on Wednesday … Home by Friday
The patient started sweating profusely, complaining of increasing pain. The monitor displayed a change in cardiac rhythm to ventricular tachycardia, a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia. The crew realized they had a bad situation, and it was getting worse. ...
Separate but Equal
By Brian A. Crawford
The U.S. Fire Administration reported 106 firefighter on-duty or line-of-duty deaths in 2005. To the majority of the public, hearing a firefighter has...
Thousands Stand Down
Fire departments from Gainesville, Fla., to Siloam Springs, Alaska, took action against line-of-duty-deaths by answering only emergency calls and participating in the International Firefighter Stand Down 2006 on June 21, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs...
Organizations to Conduct Safety Stand Down Survey
In a follow-up to the 2006 International Firefighter Safety Stand Down, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, its Volunteer and Combination Officer’s Section, and the International Association of Fire Fighters will be conducting a joint survey to measure the level and type of stand down participation....
Stand Up and You May Not Have to Stand Down
The subject of FIRE CHIEF Editorial Director Janet Wilmoth’s editorial in last week’s Command Post was this week’s Safety Stand Down. She shared a story featuring a real-life chief (Robert Creecy) from a real-life department (Richmond, Va.). We thought it only fair, in return, to allow him to share his memo to his department with Command Post readers....
Cancers Being Found in 9/11 Responders
Since Sept. 11, 2001, 283 World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers have been diagnosed with cancer, and 33 have died of cancer, according to an attorney representing 8,000 World Trade Center responders...
Safety Stand Down Schedules Available
The 2006 International Firefighter Safety Stand Down is scheduled to begin June 21. Organizers are urging all fire departments in the United States and Canada to suspend all non-emergency activity beginning on that date and instead focus entirely on firefighter safety and continue until all personnel and duty nights have been covered...
Here We Go Again
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
It's time again for another Stand Down for Firefighter Safety. But who's got time for this stuff? Last year, estimates showed that not even half of fire departments participated in the stand down. Besides, will one day really make a difference?
If that's your attitude and you still haven't made any plans for a stand down on or about June 21, let me share a story with you....
USFA Offers Mayday Training CD
The U.S. Fire Administration has released two mayday courses — Calling the Mayday: Hands-On Training for Firefighters and Firefighter Safety: Calling the Mayday — on a single CD-ROM...
NIST Software Provides Fire Gear Selection Insight
Firefighters know that protective turnout gear can save their lives. Yet because there are several different attributes of protective performance, choosing the turnout gear system that best matches desired performance can be complicated. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have released a free software tool designed to help...
NFPA Study Finds Significant Drop in LODD
Eighty-seven on-duty firefighters died in the United States in 2005, a sharp decrease from the 103 firefighter fatalities that occurred in 2004 and the third-lowest death toll since the National Fire Protection Association began tracking this information in 1977, according to a new report released by NFPA...
Memorial Day in Emmitsburg
Chesterfield County (Va.) Fire & EMS electronically publishes a daily newsletter for its personnel. The responsibility for the Daily Business Plan, as it's called, rotates among the four operational battalion chiefs on each shift. At the end of each edition is an opportunity for the author to add a personal comment.
This past week, Bttn. Chief Mark Sacra wrote of his experience on Memorial Day, which he spent in a National Fire Academy classroom until the day's events changed.
I was so touched by what Sacra wrote that I asked to reprint a portion of his article...
Utah to Study Public Safety Worker Health Risks
The Utah Labor Commission is taking steps to determine if firefighters and police officers with cancer and other ailments developed the diseases because of hazards associated with their jobs....
Who's Counting?
As fire departments across the nation prepare for the Second International Firefighter Stand Down on June 21, a conversation I had last week raises an interesting question...
Mann Receives NFFF Life Safety Award
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation presented its Firefighter Life Safety “Seal of Excellence” Award to Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann in a May 19 ceremony at the Pennsylvania Fire Expo in Harrisburg....
Personal Responsibility
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
A Fire Apparatus Safety Meeting was held as part of FDIC in Indianapolis last week. Anyone interested in apparatus safety was welcome. It was meant to be an informal meeting to discuss firefighter safety issues that are related to the design of fire apparatus. Unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out as expected....
Stress Tests
By Linda Willing
The death of a seemingly fit veteran firefighter prompted this Colorado department to re-examine its existing fitness program and seek a little professional help....
Best of the Rest
By Gary Morris
Despite technological advances and fewer fire responses, American first responders suffer an alarming rate injuries and line-of-duty deaths. What lessons can we take from other countries?...
Asleep on the Job: Narcolepsy and the ADA
By Philip Stittleburg
He began falling asleep during the day. He would fall asleep while driving and performing sedentary activities, and he once fell asleep while driving his riding lawn mower....
Buckled Up
By Jim Weiss & Mickey Davis
Fire departments can increase the survival rate of children in motor vehicle crashes by conducting safety seat inspections....
Safety Works
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
The announcement this week from the U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Fire Fighters about their new online Emergency Vehicle Safety Program is welcome, isn't it? ...
USFA, IAFF Launch Vehicle Safety Program
The U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Fire Fighters have announced the launch of an emergency vehicle safety program designed to instill firefighters with a greater awareness of safety issues when riding on fire apparatus and operating at emergency roadway scenes....
| Commentary | Special Reports | Station Style |
|---|---|---|
|
Mutual Aid is a blog of news and views from FIRE CHIEF staff and industry experts — a virtual conversation about the issues important to you as a fire service leader. |
In Service provides information on fleet management, apparatus specifying and maintenance. Keep abreast of new trends and changes to emergency vehicle apparatus. |
Station Style focuses on the architectural design and needs of fire and emergency stations today. See the latest in design trends and learn about the Fire Station Design Awards. |
