Friday, May 16, 2008
IAWF Backs Fire Legislation
The International Association of Wildland Fire is supporting three pieces of wildland fire legislation currently pending before the U.S. Senate....
S.C. Reduces CFD Fines
Almost three months to the day after nine Charleston, S.C. firefighters died fighting the Sofa Super Store blaze, the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration slapped the city with $9,325 in related fines. A new deal struck between the city and SC OSHA cuts those fines by a third and exonerates the city from blame....
Tricks to Help Find, Keep Good Volunteers
[ Scott Davis ]
There are ways to strengthen and empower volunteers so that the product you receive is a member who is experienced and trained and who you can keep for upwards of 20 years....
At a Premium
By Janet Wilmoth
Charleston's Class 1 rating has raised many questions about ISO's rating system. Vice President Mike Waters has some answers....
It's Foolish to Ignore the Lessons of Proximity
[ Ronny J. Coleman ]
The American service knows very little about what is killing individuals, while it continues to add to the inventory of codes and ordinances trying to prevent that....
Weigh the Options
Janet Wilmoth janet@firechief.com
With fire calls at an all-time low and EMS calls the bulk of responses, a chief can't afford to become complacent because of a low number....
Free Speech Doesn't Preclude Playing Nice
[ David Comstock ]
While limited constitutional protection may exist for employees, chiefs still have the right to discipline those employees who go public with criticisms that result in great harm to the department....
IRS Publishes Instructions on HELPS Benefit
The Internal Revenue Service has published new instructions on how retired firefighters can take advantage of the Healthcare Enhancement for Local Public Safety benefit on their 2007 tax returns. ...
Cochran Hired as Atlanta's New Fire Chief
Shreveport (La.) Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran is leaving his position to take over as chief in Atlanta. His last official day on the job is Dec. 31 and his first day as Atlanta’s fire chief is Jan. 2....
House Passes Tax Relief for Volunteers
The U.S. House passed the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax (HEART) Act, which excludes from taxable income all property tax benefits and up to $360 per year of any other benefit paid to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel by state and local units of government. ...
New Fire Chiefs Hired
Virginia Beach, Va., searched for four months before hiring Steve Cover as its new fire chief....
NSEFO Elects Officers
The National Society of Executive Fire Officers elected its officers and regional representatives at the NSEFO annual Leadership Conference...
Making Changes
By Rick Markley
A long list of recommended changes for the Charleston Fire Department is complete; the hard job of implementation remains. ...
The 'I' in Team
By Jeff Alter
Working as a cohesive group often takes individualized training. Start by knowing what each generation of firefighter brings to the table....
Fresno Plans for Pub-Ed, Growth
The Fresno (Calif.) Fire Department recently was named a finalist for the 2007 Fire Service Award for Excellence for its strategic community outreach and public education campaign. The department’s goal is to educate the community as a whole via public service announcements, innovative signage and local media....
A View from the Far East
By Rick Markley
IFE president and retired Hong Kong Fire Chief Charles Man-Chun Chu talks about how to improve the fire service globally. ...
OSHA Seeks Comments on Fire Regs
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is requesting public input to determine what changes, if any, to make to its emergency response and preparedness standards....
Breakthrough on Hometown Heroes?
Department of Justice officials who administer the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program said the department is overhauling the way it determines eligibility for heart attacks and strokes....
Ensure Fire Loss Report Glass Always is Half Full
[ Mike Chiaramonte ]
Deducting an accurate loss statistic from an accurate pre-incident value would reflect what was saved. In most cases that figure will be larger than the loss....
Firefighter Aid Is Key Factor in Reports
John Tippet
The National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System is asking what motivated its participants to submit their reports. Eighty-three percent of the firefighters...
Put to Task
By Janet Wilmoth
Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas talks about moving forward after tragedy with the recommendations of a fire assessment task force....
Sprawl is a Growing Concern for Fire Service
[ Ronny J. Coleman ]
The number of people per square mile, in many cases, has a very significant impact on a local community’s ability to provide fire and life-safety services....
Force in Solicited Aid Not Always a Violation
[ Philip Stittleburg ]
Qualified immunity from constitutional violations does not mean no lawsuit or no recovery. There still can be a negligence claim....
A New Direction
By Janet Wilmoth
The new chief of the progressive Phoenix Fire Department is looking even further ahead with a new strategic plan....
Begin with a Spark
By Alan Tresemer
Though many fire service traditions are valuable, others are dangerous. Ideas that compel change should be encouraged....
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