NFPA National Study Finds Some Improvement, Yet Ongoing Needs Persist In America’s Fire Departments

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced on March 15 the results of a second comprehensive study examining the needs and response capabilities of the nation’s fire service and accompanying reports on each state in the country. The studies, completed for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), also compared the needs reported from the first assessment, conducted in 2001, with the resources requested under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program and looked to see if the needs identified in the first survey had been substantially reduced as a result of the special funding.

“NFPA was pleased to conduct these follow-up studies as a way to illustrate not only the challenges facing today’s fire service, but what steps can be implemented for safer and more effective responses,” NFPA President James M. Shannon said. “The reports show only slight improvement and that is simply not good enough. The Fire Act grants have been well targeted, as the studies show, but they are dwarfed by the size of the needs. It is essential we provide the nation’s fire service with the tools to protect themselves and all of us in both traditional and extraordinary situations.”

Homeland Security Preparedness

The survey asked whether the fire department’s responsibility included a building collapse scenario and a scenario involving release of chemical or biological agents, each with a defined number of casualties or occupants in need of rescue. If the answer was yes, the survey asked whether the department could address such emergencies with local trained personnel and specialized equipment and whether the department had a written agreement to coordinate any non-local resources that might be needed in response.

• None of the homeland security related equipment needs showed marked improvement, nor did any of the personnel needs related to those situations.
• There was improvement in the existence of written agreements to coordinate the use of outside personnel and equipment in a homeland security response.
• The overall percentage of departments with written plans for a building collapse scenario increased by 7 percentage points (from 19 percent to 26 percent).
• The overall percentage of departments with written plans for a biological or chemical agent scenario increased by 9 percentage points (from 21 percent to 30 percent).

Safe and Effective Firefighting

Many of the estimated needs for personal protective equipment — self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), personal alert safety system (PASS) devices, and personal protective clothing – were reduced but there continues to be a need for additional personal protective equipment.

• The percentage of departments without enough SCBA to equip a shift declined by 8 percentage points (from 36 percent to 28 percent).
• The percentage without enough PASS devices to equip a shift declined by 13 percentage points (from 42 percent to 29 percent).
• The percentage where not all firefighters have personal protective clothing was 8 percent, but nearly 100,000 firefighters serve in those departments.
• The majority (53 percent) of departments that provide structural firefighting have not provided formal training to all their personnel involved in structural firefighting, and 42 percent of U.S. firefighters serve in these departments.
• Formal training also has not been provided to all involved personnel in the majority of departments providing emergency medical service (53 percent), hazardous material response (71 percent), wildland firefighting (74 percent), and technical rescue (88 percent).
• Despite modest progress, three-fifths to three-fourths of the nation’s fire departments still do not have enough fire stations, or the firefighters to staff them, to achieve widely recognized response-time guidelines and lack key equipment, prevention programs and training. More specifically, the estimates are 61 percent of fire departments protecting communities of 50,000 to 99,999 population do not have enough fire stations, as do 65 percent to 75 percent of fire departments protecting communities of 0 to 49,999 population or 100,000 to 499,999 population. For the small number of fire departments protecting communities of 500,000 population or more, the estimate is that 82 percent to 92 percent of those fire departments do not have enough fire stations.

Regardless of the type of need — equipment, training, apparatus or personnel — the needs are greater in smaller communities and are greatest in rural America (communities under 2,500 population).

The full national reports “Four Years Later — A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service” and “Matching Assistance to Firefighter Grants to the Reported Needs of the U.S. Fire Services” — and individual state reports are available at www.nfpa.org/needsassessment. The Website also has information on NFPA codes and standards of use in homeland security preparedness and the assurance of firefighter health and safety.

Fire Kills Again – Steps to Fire Safety for the Future
By: Albert Zorn, NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist
Ph: (773) 539-7831 City Wide Fire Equipment Company - www.citywidefire.com

On Thursday, March 08, 2007, the headlines tell of a sad, fear-provoking story about fire consuming the lives of a family including 8 innocent children in the Bronx section of New York. The children ranged from infants to 10-year-olds.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke for the nation when he stated “It just seems
more painful and unfair when children die. Everyone around them dies a little bit, too.”
First comes the period of mourning as we all reflect on the situation and lives lost. When
the mourning period ends, we must review the events that led up to the tragedy. We must do everything possible to prevent such a loss in the future.

News reports mentioned that fire raced up the stairs of the building and trapped residents on the second floor. Early investigations show possible signs that a space heater or an overloaded power strip may have caused the lethal fire.

When reviewing the scenario, what could have averted fire, entrapment and death?
Unfortunately, not all people have the resources to be well equipped, but the truth is the
proper fire safety preparedness equipment could have saved all of the lives that had been lost.

The question is … who is responsible for furnishing these items? Should the law make
landlords responsible for providing more fire safety and evacuation equipment or should
tenants be required to supply a minimum list of such equipment? The answer is
definitely to be debated. There are limits to what responsibility landlords can take for
occupants. Yet, somebody has to do something about fire deaths as they happen
regularly and far too often in this country.

You might ask, “What can I do to protect my home and my children provided I have the
financial resources to do so?”

Following is a list of “must-have” items to have available on each level, in the garage and in sleeping areas of your living space:

• Emergency Escape Ladder
• Fire Extinguisher
• Smoke Escape Masks for Each Resident
• Automatic Emergency Flashlights.
• Smoke Alarms
• Carbon Monoxide Alarms
• Child Finder Reflective Decal System (such as Kids-N-Here)

In addition to outfitting your home with the proper equipment, have an electrician review your electrical system for safety annually, and don’t overload circuits. Never leave space heaters or cooking devices unattended as fire can start and spread rapidly without warning.

Practice evacuation procedures, especially with small children. The drill should include
everything except use of escape ladders. Practice hooking the escape ladder to the
window sill, but do not deploy the ladder as they are specially packed to guarantee
effective single-use deployment.

In a real emergency evacuation, if an infant needs to be evacuated, plan on packing a
wearable baby carrier or sling with each ladder to assist in evacuation. Small children
should be assisted by an adult when evacuating. Most escape ladders are tested to
1,000lbs capacity.

A new item called the “Kids-N-Here Child Alert Rescue Kit” was created by a
Professional Firefighter/Paramedic to help save your child and provide vital information to emergency personnel. The same light reflecting technology rescue personnel use to mark their own equipment was put to use to help identify the most important bedroom door in your home. Since most doors inside a home look alike, the Child Alert Rescue Decal clearly identifies your child’s bedroom door from all others inside your home. The low placement location is ideal for a firefighter crawling along the floor to clearly see below the smoke in the house. Every kit also includes an Emergency Contact List, an EMS Quick Look Medication List, and a Notification Card to be mailed to your local Fire Department. This kit is becoming increasingly popular and could truly save a child’s life.

Unfortunately, fires will still result in deaths…this isn’t the end for sure. If we prepare,
practice and educate, I’m sure we can save lives. For now, all we can do is pray for the
souls of those lost in the Bronx fire and hope that the lessons this tragedy teaches will
save the lives of others in the future.

Editors Note: Albert Zorn is NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist and the owner of “City Wide Fire Equipment Company”. Mr. Zorn has 20 years of experience in fire training, equipment, programs and systems. He is a featured writer of the Illinois Safety Council Newsletter. He may be contacted at (773) 539-7831 Website: www.citywidefire.com Consider assisting your employees to be safe at home by purchasing the “Kids-N-Here Child Alert Rescue Kit” at : www.safetysupercenter.com.

OSHA to Require Employers to Pay for Personal Protective Equipment  

In response to a lawsuit filed by the AFL-CIO and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), OSHA has agreed to issue a final rule on employer payment for personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees. In 1999, OSHA first proposed a PPE rule that would require employers to pay the costs of protective clothing, lifelines, face shields, gloves and other equipment used by an estimated 20 million workers to protect them from job hazards.  

On January 3, 2007, the AFL-CIO and UFCW filed a lawsuit against the Bush Administration over its failure to finalize the payment for PPE rule. The court ordered the Bush Administration to respond to the lawsuit by March 19. On March 14, the Secretary of Labor filed papers with the court committing to issue a final rule in November 2007.  

The rule was first announced in 1997 and proposed in 1999 by OSHA after a ruling by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission that OSHA’s existing PPE standard could not be interpreted to require employers to pay for protective equipment. The rule proposed in 1999 did not impose any new obligations on employers to provide safety equipment; it simply codified OSHA’s policy that employers, not employees, have the responsibility to pay for it.  

In 1999, OSHA promised to issue the final PPE rule in July 2000. But it missed that deadline.  

The summer months are just around the corner, we hope.  Every year one of the most frequent causes of employee injury or illness is Dehydration and Heat Stroke. 

Here is some information from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
The danger of dehydration and heat stroke:
Dehydration and heat stroke are two very common heat-related diseases that can be life-threatening if left untreated.

What is dehydration?
Dehydration can be a serious heat-related disease, as well as being a dangerous side-effect of diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Children and persons over the age of 60 are particularly susceptible to dehydration.

What causes dehydration?
Under normal conditions, we all lose body water daily through sweat, tears, urine and stool. In a healthy person, this water is replaced by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water. When a person becomes so sick with fever, diarrhea, or vomiting or if an individual is overexposed to the sun, dehydration occurs. This is caused when the body loses water content and essential body salts such as sodium, potassium, calcium bicarbonate and phosphate.

Occasionally, dehydration can be caused by drugs, such as diuretics, which deplete body fluids and electrolytes. Whatever the cause, dehydration should be treated as soon as possible.

What are the symptoms of dehydration?
The following are the most common symptoms of dehydration, although each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

• thirst
• less-frequent urination
• dry skin
• fatigue
• light-headedness
• dizziness
• confusion
• dry mouth and mucous membranes
• increased heart rate and breathing

In children, additional symptoms may include:

• dry mouth and tongue
• no tears when crying
• no wet diapers for more than 3 hours
• sunken abdomen, eyes or cheeks
• high fever
• listlessness
• irritability skin that does not flatten when pinched and released

Treatment for dehydration:
If caught early, dehydration can often be treated at home under a physician’s guidance. In children, directions for giving food and fluids will differ according to the cause of the dehydration, so it is important to consult your pediatrician.

In cases of mild dehydration, simple rehydration is recommended by drinking fluids. Many sports drinks on the market effectively restore body fluids, electrolytes, and salt balance.

For moderate dehydration, intravenous fluids may be required, although if caught early enough, simple rehydration may be effective. Cases of serious dehydration should be treated as a medical emergency, and hospitalization, along with intravenous fluids, is necessary. Immediate action should be taken.

How can dehydration be prevented?
Take precautionary measures to avoid the harmful effects of dehydration, including:

Drink plenty of fluids, especially when working or playing in the sun.
Make sure you are taking in more fluid than you are losing.
Try to schedule physical outdoor activities for the cooler parts of the day.
Drink appropriate sports drinks to help maintain electrolyte balance.
For infants and young children, solutions like Pedialyte will help maintain electrolyte balance during illness or heat exposure. Do not try to make fluid and salt solutions at home for children.
What is heat stroke?
Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency. It is the result of long, extreme exposure to the sun, in which a person does not sweat enough to lower body temperature. The elderly, infants, persons who work outdoors and those on certain types of medications are most susceptible to heat stroke. It is a condition that develops rapidly and requires immediate medical treatment.

What causes heat stroke?
Our bodies produce a tremendous amount of internal heat and we normally cool ourselves by sweating and radiating heat through the skin. However, in certain circumstances, such as extreme heat, high humidity or vigorous activity in the hot sun, this cooling system may begin to fail, allowing heat to build up to dangerous levels.

If a person becomes dehydrated and can not sweat enough to cool their body, their internal temperature may rise to dangerously high levels, causing heat stroke.

What are the symptoms of heat stroke?
The following are the most common symptoms of heat stroke, although each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

• headache
• dizziness
• disorientation, agitation or confusion
• sluggishness or fatigue
• seizure
• hot, dry skin that is flushed but not sweaty
• a high body temperature
• loss of consciousness
• rapid heart beat
• hallucinations

How is heat stroke treated?
It is important for the person to be treated immediately as heat stroke can cause permanent damage or death. There are some immediate first aid measures you can take while waiting for help to arrive.

• Get the person indoors.
• Remove clothing and gently apply cool water to the skin followed by fanning to stimulate sweating.
• Apply ice packs to the groin and armpits.
  Have the person lie down in a cool area with their feet slightly elevated
• Intravenous fluids are often necessary to compensate for fluid or electrolyte loss. Bed rest is generally advised and body temperature may fluctuate abnormally for weeks after heat stroke.

How can heat stroke be prevented?
There are precautions that can help protect you against the adverse effects of heat stroke. These include:

• Drink plenty of fluids during outdoor activities, especially on hot days. Water and sports drinks are the drinks of choice; avoid tea, coffee, soda and alcohol as these can lead to dehydration.
• Wear lightweight, tightly woven, loose-fitting clothing in light colors.
  Schedule vigorous activity and sports for cooler times of the day.
• Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, sunglasses and using an umbrella.
• Increase time spent outdoors gradually to get your body used to the heat.
• During outdoor activities, take frequent drink breaks and mist yourself with a spray bottle to avoid becoming overheated.
• Try to spend as much time indoors as possible on very hot and humid days.

If you live in a hot climate and have a chronic condition, talk to your physician about extra precautions you can take to protect yourself against heat stroke.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety and independent trucker have been at odds over safety issues for the past decade.  The Chicago Tribune recently printed an article, Bone-Weary Haulers Raise Stakes on Road, which reported trucking incidents and deaths are on the rise.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in cooperation with its partners and customers, strives to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.  They have initiated many safety projects.

Some of the more recent changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49CFR parts 40,380,382,383 and 390-399) include:

• Cargo Securement
• Drug and Alcohol Program
• Inspection Levels
• Driver Training
• Hours of Service
• Brake Regulations

One area that is requiring more study is the affect of sleep apnea on commercial truck drivers. Many drivers fit the typical of a sleep apnea patient:

• Overweight
• Short Neck
• Male
• Short sleep cycle
• Snore
• High blood pressure

A few years ago, I was working with the Teamster’s Union in Chicago to screen truck drivers for sleep apnea.  First performed an initial at home sleep study.  Those patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea were referred to a hospital sleep lab for further study.  About 70% of the driver’s tested exhibited some form of sleep apnea.  Many were put on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine.  I was not able to do follow-up research.

The Compliance Resource Center has a 12-module training session that includes:

• Introduction to FMCSR
• Transportation safety
• Driver Requirements
• Driver Knowledge
• Driver employment screening and background checks
• Testing; Drug, Alcohol and Medical
• Hours of Service
• Log books
• Truck Inspections
• Introduction to hazmat
• Loading and unloading hazmat
• Load securement

Companies can mix any of these modules for a 1/2-day, 1-day or 2-day ON-SITE training class.  Call 847-298-3063 or info@thecrcetner.com for more information or a quote.

ISEA Petitions OSHA to Improve Hearing Protection Regulations

ARLINGTON, VA — The International Safety Equipment Association has petitioned the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to reduce the level of noise to which workers may be exposed without putting noise-control measures in place.

“The current U.S. regulation for occupational noise exposure was promulgated over 20 years ago, and was based in large part on research conducted in the 1960s,” ISEA President Dan Shipp told OSHA in a Jan. 26, 2007, letter. He noted that significant research findings in the intervening 40-plus years indicate that OSHA’s existing noise-control regulations are “insufficient to protect workers from the effects of workplace noise.”

OSHA’s current permissible exposure limit (PEL) for noise controls is 90 decibels (dBA), although the applicable regulation (29 CFR 1910.95) also requires employers to have hearing conservation programs in all workplaces where noise levels exceed 85 dBA. Since the existing rule was promulgated 1974, however, research has shown that workers exposed at between 85 and 90 dBA face significant risk of hearing loss. ISEA asked OSHA to reduce the PEL to 85 dBA for an 8-hour, time-weighted average (TWA), consistent with the hearing-conservation requirement.

ISEA, which is the trade association that represents manufacturers of safety equipment, including hearing protection, commissioned a review of current workplace noise conditions by a leading hearing conservation authority. Dr. Alice Suter of Ashland, Ore., concluded that despite current OSHA regulations, “it is clear that a great many American workers are still losing their hearing… (And) in spite of the widespread use of hearing protection devices, many of today’s hearing conservation programs are inadequate, with deficiencies in audiometric testing and training, as well as in other program areas, especially in small and mid-sized companies.”

In addition to petitioning OSHA to lower the PEL, ISEA asked the agency to reduce the exchange rate from 5 to 3 dBA. This number represents the increase in noise exposure that can be permitted if the duration of the exposure is halved. A 3-dBA exchange rate would be consistent with current research findings and requirements in most of the world, Shipp noted.

“The United States is one of two countries still employing the 90-dBA PEL, and one of three using the 5-dBA exchange rate,” Shipp added. “It is clear that workers in nearly all of the rest of the world receive protection from noise greater than that offered by U.S. regulation, and we believe that it is time that U.S. workers be afforded the same degree of protection.”

Since ISEA delivered its petition to OSHA, the association has asked more than 20 other hearing conservation stakeholders, including the American Industrial Hygiene Association and National Hearing Conservation Association, to write OSHA in support of the petition. Organizations interested in supporting ISEA’s petition may contact Technical Director Janice Comer Bradley at 703-525-1695 or jbradley@safetyequipment.org. ISEA’s petition and Dr. Suter’s report also are available by contacting Ms. Bradley.
 

FIRE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS
 
 
What do you need to do to be ready?
Fire department inspections occur on a regular basis. Depending on your type of business, or “occupancy” as the fire service might say, you may see an inspector as frequently as every year, or maybe just every other year. If you are remodeling, building, changing the chemicals or hazardous materials and wastes that you store, requiring a permit, a fire inspector may be involved in that process. Unless you are what OSHA considers a high hazard occupation or experience a number of occupational injuries and illnesses, it is much more likely that you will see a fire inspector more often than you would an OSHA inspector. Since the visit from the fire inspector is more likely, what should you do to prepare for it? (more…)

With more than $500,000 in grant funding, UConn is one of six public universities in New England that is benefiting from a national focus on “green chemistry” as a way of preserving resources while reducing waste and the generation of hazardous materials.  A past aticle on this site, 10 Corps Call for Environmental Reform also deals the Environmental Reform.

Green chemistry is well beyond the research stage, at next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, people will use throwaway eating utensils able to be composted without harming the environment, even though they may not be biodegradable.

The EPA’s Green Chemistry Mission is to promote innovative chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products.  In addition, the Royal Society of Chemistry now has a Green Chemistry Journal.

It’s Not Easy Being Green!

Workplace Violence

When a gunman shot and killed three executives, critically wounded one other and killed himself in a Philadelphia board room on Feb. 12, American workers everywhere were reminded that violence can erupt without warning when business decisions and personal emotions intersect. While Philadelphia police are still investigating the murders, preliminary findings suggest the shooter was unhappy with recent events within the company, Watson International.

“Here we have an extreme case of a business relationship gone bad, which is something that happens every single day, in varying degrees, across the country,” said workplace expert and employment attorney Robin Bond. “The fury and desperation of the shooter in this case is experienced by many when they feel unjustly wronged or betrayed by people they trusted with their livelihood.

“This case raises a number of questions about business loyalty, revenge, and the disturbing realities of workplace violence in any form,” Bond continued. “Organizations have an ongoing responsibility to protect their employees, and to educate and prepare them for the possibility of workplace violence.”

Bond offers these tips for employees and managers seeking to ensure safety in their places of business:
In any dispute, it’s important to first try to resolve the problem through a third party mediator. Another option is to have all sides get their own legal representation so that the personal feelings can be kept out of the discussion and all parties can focus on the business issues at hand.
Whenever you fire someone, have a witness, but in a private place, with positive feelings about the contributions that employee made to the company while they were there. Alert building security and have someone nearby who can react quickly if the situation gets out of hand.
To best avoid liability and to protect employees, have a zero-tolerance workplace violence policy and program with dedicated financial resources and time for training to ensure that all employees know whom to contact in the event of a threat or violent act.
Employees who feel mistreated by coworkers or managers are advised get help outside the company immediately, preferably from an employment lawyer who can give an unbiased opinion on the situation. Keep all relevant documentation, including performance reviews, e-mail correspondence, client feedback and company policy handbooks — this is all evidence that will be reviewed by human resources, an arbitrator, or even a judge and jury.

For additional information, see OSHA’s safety and health topics page on workplace violence at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence.