Cochran said that the fire service is a better service provider today in part because of the many women who have responded to serve their communities.
Read more:
Fire Administrator Recognizes Women’s History Month
As I sat in on last weekend’s Everyone Goes Home Safety Summit, I realized that the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is the perfect organization to lead firefighter safety efforts. The organization honors fallen firefighters and helps their survivors, offering support with job training and scholarships. And by doing that work for so long, it’s easy for the NFFF to notice fatality trends year after year. We all know what the foundation noticed: Annually, more than half of firefighter line-of-duty deaths result from heart attacks or stress-related illness. Vehicle accidents and training accidents are the second- and third-leading causes. In fact, fire fatalities aren’t common. The NFFF created the 16 Life-Safety Initiatives five years ago appear to help prevent such preventable fatalities. As part of that effort, the organization also launched the Everyone Goes Home program to deliver these training initiatives. And the programs seem to be making a difference. With the support of the Assistance to Firefighters grant program and Fireman’s Fund Insurance , the NFFF can deliver the program across the country at no charge. Regional Advocate Manager Billy Hayes oversees the 10 regional advocates , plus state and local advocates. Advocates are the boots-on-the-ground volunteers. In the three-month period between November 2009 and February 2010, they spoke to 733 attendees at 72 sessions. Advocates conducted more than a third (34.7%) of their visits in all-volunteer departments, followed by 26.4% in combination departments and 19.4% in career departments. During the visits, three topics dominated the discussions: incident safety and situational awareness, health and wellness, and emergency vehicle operations/response driving. Former Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson spoke to summit attendees about success of the Everyone Goes Home program. Dickinson recalled his experience in 1995, as the fire chief in Pittsburgh when three firefighters were killed. “It’s a horrible thing to carry as a fire chief, that it could have been prevented,” he said. Are you doing everything you can to make sure everyone in your department returns home safely? Consider investing the time in the Everyone Goes Home program for your department.
See the rest here:
Boots on the Ground
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.
See the original post:
NFPA Updates National Fuel Gas Code
Mike Dubron, founder of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, addresses the current climate surrounding cancer claims, including ways U.S. firefighters are vulnerable to cancer, types of perilous building materials and toxic chemicals and how to best reduce incidents.
Read more here:
Cancer in the Fire Service: Fact or Fiction?
The theme of the three-day summit was “Firefighter Safety: Get Fully Involved,” and attendees included the program’s 10 regional and 75 state advocates.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, laboratories confirmed 11 cases of malaria in the six weeks following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Patients included seven U.S. emergency responders, three Haitian residents and one U.S. traveler. Of the seven emergency responders, six were U.S. military personnel.
More:
U.S. Relief Workers in Haiti at Risk of Contracting Malaria
The current economy has caused difficulties for non-profit organizations. Contributions and volunteer numbers decline when money and time become scarce. But two non-profit fire organizations are receiving some much-needed help. For the second year in a row, Pierce and Harley-Davidson are sponsoring “Full Throttle Support 2,” which benefits the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation . Through March 31, anyone who makes a donation will automatically be entered for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind FLSTF Fat Boy Firefighter motorcycle. The sweepstakes winner will be announced at a special ceremony next month at FDIC. Last year’s “Full Throttle Support” campaign raised $135,000 for the NFFF through donations and sales of officially licensed Pierce and Harley-Davidson shirts, hats and jackets. The Oshkosh Foundation also presented the NFFF a check for $25,000. Also receiving a little help from its corporate friends is the International Fire Relief Mission , which currently is collecting gear and equipment donations for earthquake-stricken fire departments in Chile with major support from Rosenbauer America and donations from GearGrid and Task Force Tips. IFRM President Ron Gruening is appealing to fire departments across the U.S. to donate any used equipment that is still serviceable. The organization plans to ship the gear to Chile next week. The IFRM recently shipped two containers of used gear to Bolivia and another shipment is planned in the fall. And former FIRE CHIEF editor Rick Markley, who is a volunteer with the organization, recently went to Honduras to help with a delivery . Markley said gear items that may no longer be NFPA compliant in the U.S could help fire departments in third-world countries. If you have equipment available to donate, contact Gruening at 612-699-8500 or Markley at 219-730-5155 or 312-840-8446.
Continued here:
Help Where You Can
The current economy has caused difficulties for non-profit organizations. Contributions and volunteer numbers decline when money and time become scarce. But two non-profit fire organizations are receiving some much-needed help. For the second year in a row, Pierce and Harley-Davidson are sponsoring “Full Throttle Support 2,” which benefits the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation . Through March 31, anyone who makes a donation will automatically be entered for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind FLSTF Fat Boy Firefighter motorcycle. The sweepstakes winner will be announced at a special ceremony next month at FDIC. Last year’s “Full Throttle Support” campaign raised $135,000 for the NFFF through donations and sales of officially licensed Pierce and Harley-Davidson shirts, hats and jackets. The Oshkosh Foundation also presented the NFFF a check for $25,000. Also receiving a little help from its corporate friends is the International Fire Relief Mission , which currently is collecting gear and equipment donations for earthquake-stricken fire departments in Chile with major support from Rosenbauer America and donations from GearGrid and Task Force Tips. IFRM President Ron Gruening is appealing to fire departments across the U.S. to donate any used equipment that is still serviceable. The organization plans to ship the gear to Chile next week. The IFRM recently shipped two containers of used gear to Bolivia and another shipment is planned in the fall. And former FIRE CHIEF editor Rick Markley, who is a volunteer with the organization, recently went to Honduras to help with a delivery . Markley said gear items that may no longer be NFPA compliant in the U.S could help fire departments in third-world countries. If you have equipment available to donate, contact Gruening at 612-699-8500 or Markley at 219-730-5155 or 312-840-8446.
Go here to see the original:
Help Where You Can
The gear IFRM collects will be shipped to Chile on March 12. Any fire departments with gear to donate should contact Ron Gruening at 612-669-8500.
Continued here:
IFRM, Rosenbauer Collect Donations for Chile
The Bloomfield Fire Department obtained $3.4 million through a bond issue, using a gross-receipts tax to pay off the bond, instead of property taxes.
Here is the original post:
Energy-Efficient N.M. Station Boosts Response, Morale
National News