Firewhirl: September 2005 Archives

First Responders Relief Fund

Here is a new foundation called First Responders Foundation dedicated to helping the gulf coast firefighters that were affected by the hurricanes. They have set up a fund called the First Responders Relief Fund.

Here is what they are about:

The first responders in the gulf states need our help. Most, 80% in New Orleans and 50% in Biloxi alone, lost their homes - their families have been separated, forced to evacuate from everything they owned and loved. Still, our firefighters, nurses, EMTs, and the preponderance of law enforcement officers stayed at their stations. They held what ground they could, and helped as many as possible through those terrible days and the aftermath. Now, the Committee below (in formation) has come together to ask your help in relieving these great Americans whose courage and commitment is inspirational:

Here is how to help:

Join our "Put Help in the Helmet" Crusade on the last two days in September and the first two days in October (or any date that might be convenient for you). We are asking every fire department and police department, ambulance service and hospital, to permit their members to go to the shopping malls, churches, and traffic lights in America to pass the helmet or hat for our first responders who have suffered material loss in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. We are asking you to come together in effort to relieve our firefighters, law enforcement officers, nurses, and EMTs - those who have suffered significant material loss, and who have been qualified as "in need" through the listing program of FEMA and their home base departments, services, and hospitals.

I can't say it any better than they did. Let's help those in need. If nothing else, spread the word.

Youths Attack Firefighters

I've read about people attacking firefighters in Great Britain but I've never posted on it. After reading this article I had to say something.

This from the Liverpool Daily Post via FireFightingNews.com:

FIREFIGHTERS were pelted with missiles as a 40-strong gang of hooded yobs attacked while they attended a 999 call.

The mob pelted nine firefighters and two of their £125,000 engines with stones, bottles and bricks while shouting abuse and taunting them.

Specialist firefighting equipment was stolen from the back of one engine.

The youths, aged 13 to 17, kicked the engines and lobbed missiles, leaving the vehicles covered in dents and puncture holes in an unrelenting 20-minute attack.

Reading about this stuff just ticks me off. In the previous articles I've read, the police are trying to put a stop to this but so far it isn't working. It looks like the police may have to be dispatched to all fires just to control these hoodlums.

AFG Round 7 and SAFER Round 1 Awards

Check the list to see if you were awarded a grant in round 7 of the AFG program and round 1 of the SAFER program.

Fire at Montreal Fire Station

Check out this story from CTV.ca.

When the Montreal fire department received a call about a blazing fire, firefighters didn't have to go very far to get it under control.

In fact, they were returning to their own fire hall, where an unattended pot of oil had caught fire atop the stove in the kitchen.

Oops!

In defense of the firefighters, they did try to turn the stove off, but there was a faulty switch and it did not turn off. I'm guessing that next time instead of just turning off the burner, they will take the food off of the stove too.

Topanga Fire Grows to 16,200 Acres

The big news today is the Topanga Fire near Los Angeles. It isn't the biggest fire, the fastest growing fire, or the most damaging fire. However, it is near a huge city with tons of media coverage, so...it is big news.

From Fox News:

"Today is a very critical day for us," he said on NBC's "Today" show Friday. A new system was forecast in the coming days that could again whip up the flames, he added.

Some 3,000 firefighters aided by four airplanes releasing retardant and 11 helicopters dropping water attacked flames and protected ridgetop homes amid the brushy landscape west of the San Fernando Valley (search). By early Friday, the blaze was just 5 percent contained.

There are lots of good pictures with the Fox News article.

Also, check out the pictures and article from Firehouse.com.

Here is the National Interagency Coordination Center's Situation Report for September 30.

UPDATE: Here is the location of the LAFD News and Information blog. Good stuff on the Topanga fire.

National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System

We are starting a new weekly feature here at Firewhirl. Each Thursday we will post on a near-miss report from the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System (listed as NFFNMRS on the sidebar on the right). I'll go through the reports for the last week and pick one. So...here goes:

Here is the link to the report - Crew Integrity Problem.

After reading the report (it's short), I would challenge you to discuss it with some of your fellow firefighters. Here are some questions to get you started.

Could this happen in your department?
What steps should be taken to keep this from happening?
Does your department stress to new firefighters that they need to work in teams?
Whose responsibility is it to ensure that this doesn't happen?

Wildfires Hit Near Los Angeles

It looks like the late summer/early fall wildland fires have hit southern California. Here is a report from Fox News on a fire near Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — A wind-whipped brush fire quickly tripled in size early Thursday to more than 9,300 acres, destroying at least one home and prompting evacuations as a ridge of flames was visible for miles.

There is a pretty cool picture on the Fox News website of this fire. Check it out.

New Blog Links

I've added some new blog links over on the sidebar at the right. They are:

Code, Code World - a blog authored by a software programmer who is also a firefighter. Bill has some great stories that you shouldn't miss.

Knit and Play with Fire - a blog about knitting and firefighting. Mia has put together an interesting combo and writes posts with a sense of humor.

Putting out Fires - an eclectic blog covering lots of topics. Amanda writes posts about firefighting from the perspective of a firefighter's wife.

2004 Firefighter Fatality Report

The USFA has released the 2004 report on firefighter fatalities in the U.S.

Emmitsburg, MD. - The United States Fire Administration today released the report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2004. This report details the circumstances and trends found in the 117 firefighter deaths experienced by the United States in 2004. Firefighters that died on-duty in 2004 represent forty-one (41) states. Pennsylvania suffered the largest number of deaths with 18 firefighter fatalities. In 2004, 36 career firefighters and 81 volunteer firefighters lost their lives serving their communities.

This should be required reading for all firefighters.

10-Codes Still Allowed

From Firehouse.com, it looks like first responders will still be able to use 10-codes and still be in compliance with NIMS.

The Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has announced today that it is no longer necessary for first responders to discontinue using the 10-Code system of verbal communication in order to come into compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

I think this is a mistake. According to the article, this is the reason for the change in direction:

...Chertoff said there was a strong response from the law enforcement community against this proposal. “We had a discussion about it. As a result, I have decided that NIMS compliance will not include the requirement of the abolition of 10-Codes in everyday law enforcement communications”

This may be a case where law enforcement has a requirement for 10-codes, but I don't think the fire service has the same requirements.

USFA Opens Call Center

The USFA has opened a call center:

EMMITSBURG, MD - The United States Fire Administration, at the request of a number of fire service organizations and disaster relief efforts, announces the opening of a national call center to assist fire organizations seeking to help fire departments, firefighters and their families affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The call center has been created to accept calls from departments with equipment to be donated to departments that have lost theirs. The call center will also be taking calls from fire departments needing equipment in the disaster areas, as well as firefighters seeking assistance with their family needs.

...

The USFA call center number is 1-800-250-9036 and the email address is fireaid@dhs.gov. Starting Saturday, September 24, 2005, the center will be open from 7am to 7pm (EDT), seven days a week until further notice.

One of the best ways to help the people of the gulf coast is to help the firefighters. Once the firefighters are back on their feet, they will be much more effective in helping others in that area.

College Degree in Emergency Management

Check out this story from AP (via Firehouse.com). It details the growth of college degree programs in emergency management.

The Higher Education Project sought to change that by persuading colleges to offer degree and certificate programs in emergency management, aimed at producing a new breed of professionals who could assume posts often held by ill-equipped appointees.

Students scattered across the country go through research-based courses in subjects like quarantine and epidemiology; disaster-specific instruction for floods and earthquakes; lectures on politics, planning and leadership; and onsite experience in everything from community emergencies to the Asian tsunami.

"What, ultimately, all of us hoped was that by making this a degree program, we would start churning out and educating emergency managers who had a broader perspective," said George Haddow, a deputy chief of staff for FEMA during the Clinton administration who is now a private emergency management consultant. "Just, generally, professionalize the discipline."

Blanchard says there were four college programs in emergency management in 1994, but today there are 121 and 110 more are under consideration. They're becoming so popular there is a shortage of qualified professors.

I didn't realize there were so many of these programs out there already. I think this is a good thing. However, I think the emergency managers will need field experience in addition to a college degree to be effective.

Fire at South African Fire Station

Occasionally, you will see an article about a fire at a fire station here in the U.S. Well, it happens all over the world. Here is an example from South Africa (from the Independent Online via FirefightingNews.com).

What do you do when you see a building on fire? You call the fire department, of course.

However, it gets a bit more complicated when it's the fire department that's on fire.

This is exactly what happened when the Fish Hoek Fire Brigade was contacted by a neighbourhood resident who bluntly told them their station was on fire.

Had it not been for the vigilant resident the whole fire station could have gone up, causing untold embarrassment to the fire brigade.

The fire was contained to an apartment upstairs and the firefighters in the article seem to have a pretty good sense of humor. Read the whole thing.

PS. What is with all of the fire stories from South Africa all of a sudden?

Wildfire Benefits Wilderness

This is a great article about the benefits of wildland fires on the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

Now that roughly 22 percent of the land base in "the Bob" has burned over the last two decades, Wirt says fire is finally resuming its natural role in the wilderness.

...

The change has introduced diversity, regenerating fire-dependent vegetation. It has led to browse growth, providing benefits for wildlife. And perhaps most significantly, the burns of the last 20 years have actually improved the Forest Service's ability to manage future fires in the Bob.

I've posted on these types of articles before, but I'm going to keep posting them until the public finally understands the problem we have created by suppressing all fires in the forests.

Poll Results - September 27, 2005

We aren't getting many votes in the weekly polls. I'm not sure if it is just because we don't have a ton of readers yet, or if the questions are lame. If you have suggestions for poll questions, please e-mail them to me. Thanks.

More Details on South African Fires

Here are some more details on the wildfires in South Africa (from News24.com). There have been human and animal deaths as a result of these fires. The article has lots of details.

Johannesburg - Wildfires began claiming lives - both human and animal - on Monday as they ran unabated across the hot, dry countryside, fanned by high winds.

A six-year-old girl, Bonakele Ngema, burnt to death in a house where she was trapped in Mntanenkosi reserve, KwaZulu-Natal.

...

Three elephants - aged two, seven and 15 - had to be destroyed, because they had been so badly burnt in a fire at Pilanesberg National Park, in North West.

The website I saw this on has several other articles about the fires too.

National Disaster Coordination Plan

Here is a pretty good article from the AP (via Firehouse.com), that discusses the possibility of a national plan to coordinate response to major disasters.

Military officials told President Bush on Sunday that the U.S. needs a national plan to coordinate search and rescue efforts following natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

Bush said he is interested in whether the Defense Department should take charge in massive national disasters.

"Clearly, in the case of a terrorist attack, that would be the case, but is there a natural disaster of a certain size that would then enable the Defense Department to become the lead agency in coordinating and leading the response effort?" Bush asked. "That's going to be a very important consideration for Congress to think about."

I'm not sure its a good idea to have the Department of Defense in charge of a disaster, however, we should find ways to get them involved and utilize their resources.

Firefighter Related Blogs

Check out this post from the Roanoke Firefighters blog. It has lots of links to other blogs that are related to firefighters.

Firefighter Fitness

As a volunteer firefighter in a small town, I can honestly say that I'm not in the kind of shape that I want to be. I can also say that there are a lot of firefighters that are in much worse shape than I am.

This piece from the Ogden Standard-Examiner got me to thinking about this subject.

The Ogden Fire Department is working with physical trainers, medical staff, the firefighter's union and legal teams to come up with set requirements for the test, which may involve sit-ups, push-ups and treadmill exercise. It could also include a firefighting simulation.

...

"Not meeting the standard eventually will (result in firing), but we're talking about a three-year period," Owen said.

"We're not trying to fire anybody because they don't meet the standard."

Instead, firefighters are more likely to face specific mandates in workout activities if they don't meet the standards, which have not yet been set.

I'm not familiar with fire department policies on fitness. We don't have a fitness policy in Miller, but I think we probably should. Does your department have a fitness policy? What does it consist of? Please send an e-mail or post a comment. Thanks.

Happy Ending for SC Firefighter

Remember the firefighter from South Carolina that was fired because he became the son-in-law of another firefighter which violated a city policy? Well, it looks like things a turning out fine according to this story from tuscaloosanews.com.

The Rock Hill firefighter who lost his job after marrying the daughter of a fire captain at another station in the city has found work, as a firefighter in his hometown of Findlay, Ohio.

Matt Cooper, 25, was fired in July after a judge refused to let him keep his job while he challenged Rock Hill's anti-nepotism policy. The policy bans relatives, including in-laws, from working in the same department.

Findlay, Ohio, a city of about 40,000 people about two hours of Lake Erie, doesn't have such a rule. Cooper's father, Robin, works as a captain in the Findlay Fire Department.

Wildfires in South Africa

SABC News has an article about wildfires that are burning up South Africa.

The estimated cost of the wildfires over the weekend in four provinces is mounting. More than 20 000 hectares of grassland in the Potchefstroom area of the North West alone was destroyed. At R5 000 per hectare, this amounts to over R100 million.

Fifteen houses belonging to farm workers were destroyed and at least 23 herds of cattle had to be put down. In the province's Pilanesberg National Park, a major tourist attraction, about 20 elephants were burned and one had to be put down. In the eastern Free State, Malcolm Procter, a control forester with the water affairs and forestry department, says damage to grazing land has been extensive.

These must be fast moving fires to burn cattle and elephants. For reference, a hectare is 2.47 acres and R100 million is about US$ 15.7 million.

I think it is interesting to read about fires in other countries. It would be cool to be able to travel to these countries to see how they fight fires.

Round 6 of AFG Program Announced

Check here to see if your department was awarded a grant!

More Info on Female Firefighter Ban

This story from the St. Petersburg Times sheds a little more light on the ban that was implemented and then lifted that kept female firefighters out of structure fires. Previous posts here and here.

The women who said they were threatened are now unwilling to cooperate in an investigation into the allegations, city officials said Wednesday. In a release, city officials said the investigation will continue but they found no evidence of an immediate threat. Geer lifted his order, returning the women to full duty.

Union leaders questioned the allegations and the timing of Geer's order, saying it overshadowed a Tuesday union vote indicating no confidence in Geer. A majority of union members said Geer is unable to head the 215-person department, the union reported.

...

Geer has ruffled feathers in the department since he took over 13 months ago.

He overhauled the department's administration, reclassified medic positions and is reshaping the department's command structure. In a recent report card to city leaders, he gave his department a "D" for fire suppression and a "C" for special operations.

"I still have the complete support of the city and the city manager and elected officials," Geer told the Times late Tuesday, after the results of the union vote were announced.

Hmmm. Looks like some serious friction between the chief and the firefighters at this department.

No Fit Test with Beard in Philadelphia

From an article in Newsday.com, a judge has ruled that the fire department does not need to do a fit test on a bearded firefighter. Instead, they can rely on their current policy that bans facial hair.

De Veaux, 25, sought to be tested with the mask to try to prove the seal over his short beard met safety standards.

He argued that the testing was the "least restrictive" way the city of Philadelphia could meet the state's Religious Freedom Protection Act, but Common Pleas Judge James Murray Lynn disagreed.

"Directive 13 (the facial-hair ban) ... is the least restrictive means of furthering its compelling interest in maximizing safety for its members," Lynn wrote in his order.

I don't think we have heard the end of this issue. There was a similar case in Washington, D.C. recently.

Last month in a similar case, a federal judge ordered officials in Washington, D.C., to test three Muslim firefighters with their masks. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents De Veaux, also represents those plaintiffs.

Abdul Majeed Potter, a plaintiff in the Washington case, said he and another plaintiff passed the tests this week. The third man's test were inconclusive, a plaintiffs' lawyer said.

If it is true that two of the firefighters in Washington, D.C. passed the test with their beards, that may be sufficient to get an appeal in the Philadelphia case.

What really makes this a tough issue is that the bearded firefighters are not simply risking their safety, but the safety of their fellow firefighters. If a bearded firefighter goes down in a structure fire their partner's safety is compromised. Additional firefighters will then be required for the rescue.

Bus Fire on Dallas Highway

Apparently there was a bus fire on a Dallas highway that has killed a bunch of people (from Fox News).

DALLAS — A bus filled with Hurricane Rita evacuees caught fire early Friday on gridlocked Interstate 45, killing possibly up to 20 people.

KFAA-TV reported that 20 people had been killed and 12 injured, but that could not be confirmed.

Since this has been reported so quickly, I would caution against taking the numbers as fact.

09/22/2005: False Alarm at Nursing Home

Yesterday, at 2:30 PM, we were paged to a fire alarm at the nursing home here in town. About 30 seconds later, the fire chief told us over the radio that it was a false alarm and that we were to stand down.

We have these false alarms to the nursing home several times every year.

Female Firefighters Back into Structure Fires

From ABC Action News (via FirefightingNews.com), the chief of the department that prohibited female firefighters from structure fires has rescinded his order. Imagine that. Here is my original post on this.

Wednesday, he announced that the threat no longer remains. However, he would not say why, adding that an internal investigation continues.

This chief keeps digging himself into a hole. This looks like he is trying to hide something. In his defense though, he may not be able to give many details because of city policies.

Old Engine Back on the Road

Here is a pretty good write-up about the restoration of an old fire engine (from the Kansas City Star).

“When you hit the start button it fires right up and it purrs like a kitten,” he said. “It’s just kind of fun. It has a loud exhaust, and it really just gurgles and fires up perfectly.”

Be Prepared

Here is another article (this one from the Sequim Gazette) that encourages people to be prepared to take care of themselves in a disaster.

There's only so much an individual can do in a disaster. Emergency professionals - the firefighters, paramedics, police and others - will be stretched thin in a major catastrophe. Should an earthquake, tsunami or major winter storm strike it likely will be up to citizens to take care of themselves and their neighbors until help arrives … and that could be a while if the disaster is really big, experts say.

We all need to work together, said Steve Vogel, fire chief of District No. 3, which covers the Sequim area. The biggest thing is we've got to get people to stop looking to government and take care of themselves, their family and their neighbors.

...

"It all boils down to the old Boy Scout motto: be prepared," Tarbuck said. "The best thing is to look in on your neighbor and be able to help each other."

Emphasis added by me.

That emphasized sentence says it all. I'm going to keep posting on this subject because I think that a lot of the pain and suffering in New Orleans could have been prevented if people had been ready to take care of themselves. It may sound a little hard-hearted, but I think it needs to be said anyway.

Related posts to personal responsibility are here, here, and here.

Bill's First Fire

I've been keeping my eye out for firefighting blogs. Bill Coupe has a blog called Code, Code World. He is a computer programmer, but he is also a firefighter.

Here he relates the story of his first fire. It is great reading. Here is an excerpt:

As I came in the door, he starts yelling at me to jump in the front line pumper and drive it to the scene and he'll drive the tanker.

Now, I remembered, from my one drill, that the chief wanted the trucks to roll fully ‘loaded’ with personnel, and with qualified operators, but Pete’s insistent, and says “There’ll be ‘somebody’ there to run the truck, just get it there”. So, in deference to his long standing in the department, and his role as a fire commissioner, I fire that truck up and head out.

Hehehe - has anyone else been in that situation?

San Francisco Hydrants

I've known that some cities have different types of hydrants and hose threads. I haven't considered this issue in light of the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Here is an article from the San Francisco Chronicle (via FirefightingNews.com). It discusses the problems that may arise in San Francisco because other city's firefighting units won't be able to hook up to San Fran's hydrants.

If a big earthquake hits San Francisco and flames spread through the city, firefighters rushing in from elsewhere to help will encounter what could be a major problem -- their hoses will not fit the city's hydrants.

It has been 14 years since a similar predicament contributed to the spread of the Oakland hills fire, in which 25 people died and 2,699 homes were lost. After dozens of firefighters from surrounding agencies found that their hoses couldn't be attached to Oakland's hydrants, state lawmakers required that all cities in California adopt a standard connection size by 1994.

San Francisco, however, successfully lobbied to be exempted from the law, and city fire officials say they have no plans to change their hydrants to fit the state's standard size. Instead, they are following a model that caused problems in the 1991 Oakland fire, planning to hand out adapters to out-of-town fire crews so they can connect their standard 2 1/2-inch hoses to San Francisco's 3-inch hydrant openings.

This could really be a big problem. It seems a little shortsighted of the city since they have already had troubles in Oakland in 1991.

Fire-safe Cigarettes May Reduce Fire Deaths

This story from Firehouse.com is about the effects that fire-safe cigarettes may have in New York.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Fewer people have died in smoking-related fires since New York last year became the first state to require that tobacco companies sell self-extinguishing cigarettes, according to records released Tuesday.

State officials were optimistic about the data, but said it was too early to draw conclusions.

...

Last year 28 people died in fires in New York blamed on cigarettes. Deaths from such fires totaled 43 in 2000, 44 in 2001, 38 in 2002, and more than 30 in 2003, for which the state has incomplete data.

This looks encouraging, but we need to be cautious until there is more data. This is just one year in one state. If I had to guess though, I would guess that fire-safe cigarettes will reduce fire-related deaths significantly.

09/21/2005: Dispatched to Controlled Burn

A little after 8 PM last night, the MFD was paged to a structure fire. It was about 9 miles east of Miller on Highway 14. The dispatcher mentioned that it was reported by a passing motorist.

The location of the fire actually placed it closer to the Wessington Fire Department so our emergency manager suggested that the dispatcher page them too.

At the same time, we had a crew out hose testing. Apparently, they had just finished, but still had lots of hose to load back on the truck. Some of them stayed to finish the job and others headed for the fire hall.

The land is fairly flat here and we could see the smoke and flames from about 7 miles away. We could tell it was a big fire. When we arrived, the structure had already collapsed. The Wessington FD arrived at the same time.

That was when we learned that the fire was actually a controlled burn. Usually, when a controlled burn is called in, the sheriff's office announces it over the radio so all emergency units know about it. Well, in this case there was a breakdown somewhere. Either the land owner didn't call it in, or the sheriff's office didn't announce it. I'm not sure which. I do know that the deputy sheriff and the police were busy last night with traffic stops. They may not have had time to announce the burn.

Oh well. On the bright side, I got to ride in the big red truck with the lights and sirens on.

Static Electricity From Clothes Starts Fire

This is weird! From a story in The Australian, a man started a fire from static electricity that built up in his clothes.

A man in rural Victoria built up a 40,000-volt charge of static electricity in his clothes as he walked, leaving a trail of scorched carpet and molten plastic and forcing a fire brigade to evacuate a building.

Frank Clewer, who was wearing a woollen shirt and a synthetic nylon jacket, was oblivious to the growing electrical charge that was building up as his clothes rubbed together.

When he walked into a building in Warrnambool, the electrical charge ignited the carpet.

I'll have to check the little tags on my clothes to make sure they won't cause this type of problem - heh.

Texas Prepares for Hurricane

From the Fort Worth Star Telegram (via Fire Engineering), Texas has begun to make preparations for Hurricane Rita.

With evacuees from Hurricane Katrina still living in shelters across the state, Texas is bracing for the possibility that a hurricane could hit near Galveston by the end of the week.

Gov. Rick Perry recalled Texas emergency personnel and equipment from Louisiana on Monday, and Galveston officials called for a voluntary evacuation of their island city as Tropical Storm Rita battered south Florida and headed for the Gulf Coast.

Hopefully, Rita doesn't do as much damage as Katrina.

Females Barred From Structure Fires

This isn't good (from theledger.com via FirefightingNews.com).

CLEARWATER -- Female firefighters no longer will be allowed to enter burning buildings amid threats that their male colleagues won't protect them, the Clearwater fire chief said Monday.

Fire Chief Jamie Geer said the threats were made because some of the city's nine female firefighters had discussed leaving the city's fire union. The women were displeased with the union local's leadership, the chief said.

News of the discussion made it to other union members, who relayed messages to the women that if they resigned their membership, they may not make it out of their next structure fire, said City Manager Bill Horne. Geer said he does not think the threats were based on gender. The seriousness or extent of the threats is unknown, and an internal investigation is under way. In the meantime, Geer has ordered all nine women in the 179-person department away from structure fires for the time being.

There must be a lot of information that isn't being released because this really seems wacky. I can't imagine a firefighter allowing another firefighter's safety to be compromised. If they did, it would be because of some serious problems between those individual firefighters.

If there was a problem between firefighters, why not transfer the threatened firefighter instead of barring all of the females from structure fires?

This just doesn't make sense.

Go Ahead - Add Your Comments

At the end of the post below, you'll note that I ask for comments from the readers.

Go ahead and add your comments.

This blog should be a place where you can add your thoughts and comments to the posts. It should be a community of people that have an interest in firefighting and who feel comfortable in letting their thoughts be known. So don't be shy, let it fly!

Once you put in a comment, I'll get an e-mail notifying me. I'll review your comment, and as long as it uses appropriate language and follows common decency, I'll approve it. Then it will show up on the website. However, I reserve the right to refuse to post a comment at my discretion.

Have fun!

Homeowners as Firefighters

Here is a short article from the Australian Broadcasting Corp. It is about allowing homeowners to stay and protect their homes from fires instead of evacuating.

The ACT Volunteer Fire Brigades Association says healthy, well-prepared people should be allowed to stay and defend their homes from bushfires.

The Government has rejected a call by Civil Liberties Australia to change laws that make it an offence for people to stay and defend their homes when ordered by police to leave.

The association's Pat Barling says many houses were saved during the 2003 bushfires by home owners who stayed behind.

I've never really put much thought into a question like this. Here are a few things that come to mind:

1) People need to realize that if they stay behind to protect their property, the fire service can't guarantee their safety.

2) Firefighters spend many hours preparing themselves and their equipment to meet the challenges of wildland fires. How much training will the homeowners have and will they be prepared? My guess is that most of them will not be trained or prepared.

3) Will people that stay behind cause problems that will impact the safety of the firefighters?

If a homeowner has some training, has purchased the proper equipment and PPE, and has prepared their property to mitigate fire damage, then I don't see why they couldn't stay to protect their property.

Any thoughts from the readers?

UPDATE: Here is a post from a blog called debitage on this subject. Read it.

NVFC Administers Relief Funds

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is administering two relief funds in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The first fund, called the Emergency Relief Fund, is to provide relief to fire departments in the affected areas. The second fund, called the Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund, is to provide funds to individual firefighters in the Gulf Coast region.

Poll Results - September 20, 2005

Here are the results of last week's poll. We set a record with the number of responses to the poll question. It still isn't a big number, but it's growing!

Don't forget to vote in the new poll at the top of the sidebar on the right.

Round 5 of AFG Program Announced

Round 5 of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program was announced on Friday. Click here to see who received grant awards.

Radio Problems on Wildland Fires

An in-depth article by the Oregonian details the serious radio problems that firefighters routinely encounter when fighting wildland fires.

Oregon firefighters had trouble communicating with aircraft and one another at critical times this summer. Dispatchers in Montana lost track of a helicopter flying over a national forest. Crews have complained of having to beg for and borrow workable radios, telling higher-ups of "junk being furnished to the field," government reports show.

We have radio problems in South Dakota as well. It isn't an easy problem to solve either. Take a problem that requires technical expertise and then throw in a bunch of government bureaucracy and things get really difficult.

New Orleans Chief Speaks

You need to read this article from Firehouse.com. Chief Charles Parent tells it like it is:

In describing those weeks, Chief Parent said, “You can’t ask me about days. We now have no concept of time. Everything happened so rapidly we don’t exactly know when it happened.”

...

“That’s pretty much what happened. Our firefighters, often on their own, continued to do their duty.

...

“I am happy with the plan because all of the firefighters survived. If we tried to evacuate the city we knew we couldn’t do that and still be victims so we knew we had to keep our firefighters in place.

The rest of the article has tons of details about how the fire department has fared through the disaster as well as the actions they took. Good reading.

Disaster Preparedness and CERT

Here is another article on disaster preparedness and CERT from Fire Engineering.

That's where CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training comes in. It's a FEMA program offered locally that trains citizens how to help themselves and others. At the end of each nine-week program, a disaster drill is held to test what students have learned.

"Being a CERT member is making sure you and your family are prepared," Daniell said. "If you're not, you can't go out and help other people, and we all know that when a disaster happens, average citizens are initially the first-responders in the first few minutes."

This article highlights the concept of personal responsibility during a disaster. Personal responsibility will be a recurring theme over the next few months as various inquiries sift through the details of the Hurricane Katrina.

Burning Toilet Paper Lands Camper in the Poo

Hah! When I read that headline, I cracked up. It's from a story on an Australian news website called The Age.

WHEN the call of nature caught Tanya Lange on bush camping trips, she used to bury the evidence in the ground.

But this summer, Lange decided to burn the soiled toilet paper instead. The smouldering heap soon became a bushfire that blazed for two days.

The simple mistake burnt 100 hectares of state forest and a $14,400 hole in Lange's pocket.

The reporter that wrote the headline and story has a great sense of humor.

Fireworks Factory Blaze Kills At Least 32

From the Mercury News (via FirefightingNews.com), a fireworks factory fire broke out in India yesterday. Apparently, some of the dead were children.

AT least 32 people including children were killed overnight when a blaze at an eastern Indian fireworks factory set off explosions so powerful that the building collapsed, an official said.

Thirty-two bodies were pulled from the wreckage of the factory in Khusropur village, 35 km east of the Bihar state capital Patna, district magistrate B. Rajendra said.

"We expect to recover more bodies when we clear the debris," Mr Rajendra said.

...

Fires are common at firecracker factories in India due to lax safety standards. Children are often employed as cheap labour even though Indian law forbids it.

Groups fighting child labour say India's firecracker industry employs at least 50,000 children.

I don't have a clue how to fix something like this, but it is a shame that kids are allowed to work in dangerous conditions like these factories.

New Orleans Fire Response

Check out this article on a small fire in New Orleans from the Tuscaloosa News:

A small fire Thursday night at a downtown building got a big response from firefighters, with about 40 engines showing up for flames from a basement transformer that were extinguished in minutes.

Wow! It would be something to see 40 engines respond to a fire. The response included firefighters New York, Chicago, and other cities that have traveled to New Orleans to help out.

Last week, firefighters battled blazes around the city when the water pressure was too low to fight fires, requiring water to be trucked in. On Thursday, firefighters were able to use water from hydrants.

That reminds me of how many fires are fought here in Hand County. If the fire is out of town, the water has to be shuttled in with lots of trucks.

San Diego Evaluates Readiness

The San Diego Union-Tribune has a great story on San Diego's preparedness for a major disaster. Here are the parts that caught my eye:

"You'd better look out for yourself because you have to assume nobody else will." That warning comes from someone who should know, Mike Workman, spokesman for the county government.

...

Officials say civilians should be ready to survive without the services of law enforcement and other response agencies for 72 hours.

...

We can talk about it and can warn and predict, but the bottom line is people have to be accountable for themselves."

This sounds reminiscent of a post I wrote a few days ago.

However, it isn't all doom and gloom. Read this quote from the Union-Tribune article:

Many residents here already are aware that they may have to rely on themselves and not on government agencies in the wake of a crisis. But it doesn't have to be "every person for him or herself."

Evoking images of World War II block wardens, hundreds have signed up to join local citizen response teams and have undergone training to respond to disasters at the neighborhood level. Classes that started last week in the city of San Diego were full, and the county has trained more than 2,000 volunteers in the past two years.

I think they are referring to a program called Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This is a good program. Our local CERT team has been training over the past couple of weeks and they should be good to go if we ever need them. Check out the CERT website.

Busy Day Yesterday

If you were wondering why there was only one measly post yesterday, it was just a busy day. During my "posting" time yesterday morning, I got sucked into some actual work and then didn't take the time to continue with posting.

I'll try to do a little better today.

FDNY Releases Reports on Fatality Fires

An article from the New York Times gives some details from the reports released by the FDNY on two fatality fires that occurred on January 23, 2005.

As flames enveloped the Bronx apartment, whipping around the room where Lt. Curtis Meyran stood with his men on a cold, windy Sunday morning in January, the lieutenant seemed not to realize the level of danger. A voice on his radio asked if the flames had reached him; he answered that there had been a "slight extension" - meaning that the fire had grown, and gotten closer, but not by much.

But that was wrong: the fire was all around and beneath him. The question was asked again. "Slight extension, slight extension," the lieutenant replied.

As usual, the reports are not available on the FDNY website (or anywhere else). As soon as the reports are available I'll post the link.

UPDATE: Here is a second article from the NY Times.

Recommendations touch on the failures that undercut the rescue effort, and the authors - a panel of five fire chiefs - suggest a number of steps, including improved evacuation training, the use of personal escape ropes, better discipline, better preparation to deal with water loss and putting weather forecasts on daily fire schedules.

Shirts Off Our Backs

This is a cool idea. Read it. Do it if you can.

If you and/or your fire department can spare some new (unused) FD T-shirts of varied sizes, please join in on the firefighters 'THE SHIRTS OFF OUR BACKS' plan to provide as many fire department T-shirts from the USA, Canada and from all over the world so they can see some immediate relief ... and KNOW how much FIREFIGHTERS take care of FIREFIGHTERS.

Fire Service Approves of Paulison

Here is an interesting article from Firehouse.com about the appointment of R. David Paulison as acting director of FEMA.

The appointment of R. David Paulison as the new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) put smiles on the faces of Fire Service Industry leaders across the country.

The roller coaster ride taken this last week by former FEMA head Mike Brown sent the White House scrambling to put a new top on a department that was widely criticized for failing in hurricane Katrina’s preparedness. Brown’s resignation Monday and Paulison’s appointment soon after was widely viewed in the industry as something that should have happened much earlier, a fire service presence at top levels.

As I said before, this bodes well for the fire service.

Runaway Fire Truck

Oops - here is the firefighter version of the Keystone Cops (from the Daily Herald in Everett, WA):

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE - There are runaway brides, runaway trains and runaway juries.

Firefighters and neighbors near Mountlake Terrace's Station 18 saw the domino effect of a runaway firetruck Tuesday evening, Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said.

Just before 6 p.m., an unmanned firetruck rolled out of the station's bay, across 228th Street SW and into the driveway of the house across the street.

The firetruck hit a minivan parked in the driveway and pushed the van forward into the home's garage.

When the van plowed into the garage, it bumped a car parked there, and the car crashed into the garage's back wall.

I'm glad nobody was hurt and I feel for the homeowner, but this made me laugh.

Shots Fired at Firefighters

Cripes! As if firefighting wasn't dangerous enough, some clown starts shooting at the firefighters (from FirefightingNews.com).

(PA) September 14, 2005 - In Schuylkill County rescue crews ran into an unexpected wave of violence while trying to fight a fire Tuesday night. Just after 7p.m. police in West Penn Township spotted flames. When fire crews got to the scene, a man began firing shots at the responders.

New Fire Truck Museum

A fire truck museum is under construction to house antique American LaFrance apparatus. However, American LaFrance is in the process of being sold and the plant near the museum will be closed (from Tuscaloosanews.com)

City officials say they still plan to go ahead with a $6.2 million fire museum despite the fact that the company that makes fire trucks plans to close it nearby plant.

"It's still in full play. It will not have any negative impact on that at all," North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said Monday. "They have a contract, and it will be honored. All of their equipment will stay with us."

The museum will house about two-dozen antique fire trucks that are part of American LaFrance's corporate collection. The parent company of American LaFrance said last week it would eliminate about 250 jobs as it closes its plant in Ladson.

Good for them. I think the museum will do fine.

09/09/2005: MFD At Miller Speedway

The Miller Speedway had their second set of races this year and the MFD was there to provide fire suppression services. Fortunately, there were no fires on this night.

One cool thing about this is the firefighters and their families get in free to the races!

Paulison Replaces FEMA Director

R. David Paulison will be the new director of FEMA assuming the appointment and confirmation process goes well. Paulison most recently headed the USFA. He is a former firefighter and chief. Having someone with tons of fire experience as the head of FEMA will certainly be good for the fire departments across the country.

Here is the article from Firehouse.com.

Here is Paulison's bio from FEMA.

Poll Results - September 13, 2005

Gulf Coast Firefighters Impacted by Katrina

The firefighters on the Gulf coast have been hit hard by Katrina just like the rest of the residents in those areas. The IAFC has this article:

Aid to firefighters from firefighters is flowing into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama from around the nation. “No matter where this happens in the country, this is what we do. We take care of our communities, then we take care of ourselves. That's why I'm proud to be part of America's fire service,” said Chief Bill Killen, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

...

More than 70 percent of City of New Orleans firefighters lost their homes, according to Fire Superintendent Charles Parent. Their families are somewhere else, among the evacuees. From preliminary figures provided by the Louisiana State Emergency Operations Center, the IAFC estimates nearly 3,000 firefighters, fire officers (both career and volunteer) and their families have been affected by the tragedy in the New Orleans area. Five parishes and 47 fire departments were hit hard.

Lend a helping hand if you can.

Protecting Homes from Wildfire

Are people starting to change their attitude about protecting their homes from wildland fires? Perhaps. Read this from the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

Despite the imminent threat, the decision to thin trees — a service the fire district provides for free — replace the roof and do all the work necessary to lessen the extreme fire danger did not come easily.

“We thought maybe it would be better for a fire to burn the whole thing and just take the money,” Rose said, although he and Maria Glowatsch, who lives with him, “finally tipped over to trying to save the house.”

Such reluctance is puzzling to fire officials and insurance industry representatives, who are finding increasingly persuasive ways to change mountain residents’ attitudes.

“Anyone that’s ever gone through losing their home to wildfire would never say that,” said Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. “First, the personal loss, the memories, the nostalgia — it’s a difficult process to rebuild. ... And you’d better make sure you have enough insurance.”

The rest of the article is good. It mentions that insurance companies are beginning to reduce insurance premiums for those homeowners that take steps to protect their homes from fires.

I think as more and more people move to the wildland urban inteface, firefighting agencies will take a tough stand with homeowners that don't try to protect their homes.

If the homeowner doesn't take the appropriate steps, why should firefighters put their lives on the line? Good question. Any thoughts from the readers?

Irish Firefighters Remember 9/11

This is a simple and short story from Ireland Online, but it hits pretty hard if you take a moment and think about it:

Firefighters exhausted from dealing with loyalist rioting in Belfast today stood in silent tribute to 9/11 terrorist attack victims in New York.

On the fourth anniversary of the devastating strike on New York’s twin towers, crews were flat out dealing with burning vehicles hijacked across the city.

...

Mr Thompson added that his crew decided their own memorial to the 9/11 attack should take place amid the debris they had just dealt with.

“We’re standing with a backdrop of cars strewn across the road and a burnt out lorry,” he said.

“We just thought it would be appropriate to do this at the fire ground, especially for all the firefighters that lost their lives four years ago.”

This really shows that we were all deeply affected by the events of 9/11 regardless of what country we live in. It also shows how strong the ties are within the firefighting community.

Don't Forget to Vote in the Poll

Just a quick reminder that we host a weekly poll over on the right side of the page. The poll results will be posted and a new poll started on Tuesdays.

1883 Cistern Pumper

This Medford Mail Tribune article details some pretty cool history regarding an 1883 cistern pumper in Jacksonville, OR.

The event was held in conjunction with the 1937 Oregon fire chief’s convention in Medford. For demonstrative purposes a shack was hastily built behind the Medford fire station, soaked with kerosene and set ablaze. Once the flare-up was deemed sufficiently threatening, a hand-picked crew rushed in to extinguish the inferno using the Jacksonville Fire Department’s vintage 1883 cistern pumper.

Southern Oregon’s oldest living resident at the time, a man named Philander McEntyre, was outfitted with a vintage fire helmet for the newsreel film crew. McEntyre issued commands to the pumper crew in the same manner of fire chiefs of old — by blowing a trumpet. Things went slightly awry when the crew started pumping. Naturally the crew had the expectation water would blast out and beat down the flames when they commenced pumping. Much to their surprise it did not — at least not immediately.

Read the rest of the article to see how this story ends.

Lessons Learned from Katrina

Here is a story regarding the review of disaster plans in the Washington D.C. area (via WVEC.com).

Shaken by what they view as a slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina, regional leaders are reviewing their disaster plans in hopes of avoiding a similar catastrophe.

Metropolitan areas across the country would be well-advised to review their plans too.

In the upcoming months there will be tons of "lessons learned" lists. Here is one from Instapundit.

My two cents: Everyone needs to take personal responsibility for their own safety. It isn't the local, state, or federal governments' job to protect us from every possible danger. Be prepared with extra supplies, money, and transportation.

Report on New Orleans Responders

This article from Firehouse.com does a great job of detailing the situation of the first responders in New Orleans. Here are some snippets:

In a televised press conference this morning, New Orleans Fire Chief Charles Parent reported that they had 11 reported fires, six of which were inaccessible because of water. Three large buildings were lost on a college campus.

He said there were still about 100 New Orleans firefighters in the city but he was trying to get them out for R&R and with their families. To fill in he had over 800 firefightes from other states including New York and Maryland.

...

According to the Statement: "New Orleans officials are reporting that 150-200 firefighters are self-dispatching daily to the city and surrounding areas. There are currently 1,000 firefighters at the staging area in Algiers, They are set up for 500 and can not logistically support additional personnel. Please do not self-dispatch to Louisiana."

...

Other reports indicated firefighters and fire departments are swamping state and local emergency management agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi directly with offers to help and that is tying up phone lines. Officials reiterated that departments should go to the emergency management agencies in their own state first.

...

Captain Patrick Claunch of the Glen, Mississippi Fire Department, said many departments in that state are significantly impacted. Claunch and other members of his department spent a day in Gulfport, and said they have lost three of their 12 stations. The Pass Christian Fire Department lost its headquarters ( see pictures, right. "There is nothing left but a slab," he said. Firefighters there constructed a make-shift shower out of a CPAT push-pull station (Pictured, bottom right photo).

Emphasis added by me.

Even though the article is lengthy, you'll want to read the whole thing.

Round 4 of AFG Program

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program has announced the round 4 winners (check the list here).

There were also supplemental grant awards to last year's grant program announced today. Fifty-four additional grants for the 2004 program are listed here.

09/08/2005: Controlled Burn at Landfill

The MFD was paged yesterday about 1 PM to a controlled burn at the landfill. Apparently, the landfill employees burned one of their rubbish piles, but it got a little too hot. That wasn't in itself a big problem, except that the rubbish pile was fairly close to a large pile of tires. Now that was a problem.

The landfill folks decided that they didn't want the tires to catch fire, so they called us out to help cool things off. We sprayed a little water and foam and then the landfill workers buried the rest of the rubbish with bulldozers. The tire pile was safe and sound :-)

The big excitement for the nozzle operator was trying to spray a rat that kept poking his head out of the rubbish pile. I was on the pump, so I didn't see if he was successful.

Article Highlights Coordination Difficulties

This article (from cbs2chicago.com) is about some Chicago firefighters that have been delayed in helping out the firefighters in New Orleans.

The fact is things are very difficult here, with the orders of evacuation being given, the city is on virtual lockdown. We had to pass through four different checkpoints just to get here to this spot in the French Quarter.

...

But in another example of the bureaucracy getting in the way of people to help, these Illinois firefighters are stopped 80 miles short of New Orleans and have been for the past 24 hours, throwing footballs instead of fighting fires.

I don't think people outside of emergency services realize the amount of coordination that needs to happen to effectively utilize all of the responders at an incident of this size. You can't just send them all in and say "Get to work".

Each and every responder needs to be tracked in case something were to happen to them - its called accountability. The responders themselves have needs such as food, water, and shelter that have to be arranged. Accurate reports from the incident need to be received so that proper deployment of responders can take place. All of these things take time but it helps insure the safety of the responders.

I wish the media reports would include some of this type of information instead of just barking about the slowness of emergency response - grrr.

3rd Round of AFG Program Announced

Sheesh - I'm a little late on the third round of the AFG program. They were announced on September 2nd, but I missed it. Check here to see who received grants.

Katrina Q & A

There are some notable facts in a Q & A article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution via Fire Engineering. Read the whole thing - it's short.

Big Range Fires in 2005

Forest fire acreage was down while range fire acreage was WAY up according to this story in the LA Times.

BOISE, Idaho -- Wildfire experts have come across a seeming contradiction this summer: While the number of acres charred across the West is almost double the 10-year average, the blazes haven't been as big or devastating as those in past years.

Experts say that's due to the unusual moisture patterns in the region earlier this year, which favored big grass fires on the open range. Timber in the mountains got more moisture than usual well into the summer, keeping forest fires small.

...

With the 2005 wildfire season two-thirds over, the number of fires is down -- about 46,000 compared to the 10-year average of 63,000 -- and the number of firefighters suppressing the blazes has been lower than in recent years. Yet the total acreage burned is nearly double the 4 million acres that burned on average through late August over the past decade.

This article has lots of interesting data. It correlates to what I've seen around South Dakota this year. There was only one sizable fire in the Black Hills and quite a few good sized grass fires in the rest of the state.

American LaFrance to be Sold

From an article in Today's Trucking, it looks like Freightliner will sell off its American LaFrance business unit.

PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 7, 2005) -- Freightliner LLC will divest its American LaFrance fire and emergency services manufacturing business unit. The company is currently in discussion with a number of parties who have expressed an interest in acquiring the assets of ALF. Several organizations have emerged as likely investors, Freightliner says, adding that further details will be released as the company reaches a final deal.

A total of 528 direct and salaried jobs will be affected.

Based in Ladson, S.C., American LaFrance was acquired by the Freightliner organization in 1995 as part of a corporate expansion. Freightliner, a DaimlerChrysler subsidiary, controls Freightliner Trucks, Sterling, and Western Star commercial vehicle units.

ALF is the fifth largest fire and emergency services vehicle producer in the US, with a heritage dating back 173 years. It makes chassis, aerials, ambulances, pumpers, rescues and tankers.

This is a company with a rich history of producing fire apparatus. It will be interesting to see who buys it. I'll keep an eye out on this one and post updates.

FEMA Explains Firefighter Disaster Volunteer Effort

FEMA has taken some heat for the jobs they have assigned to firefighters in the Katrina disaster relief effort. Here they explain (via Firefighter Blog):

The hiring of Community Relations disaster employees occurs at every disaster. This time, due to the constraints of doing background investigations when we hire private citizens, we made the decision to hire firefighters that already have gone through a criminal background investigation. We desperately needed 2000 people who could be hired as federal employees and deployed quickly.

These people will not be performing firefighter duties. They will become temporary FEMA Community Relations personnel, doing a job we do in every disaster.

At least they have come out with an explanation, but a little more info at the beginning may have averted some hard feelings.

Firefighters Face Lack of Water Amid Flood

The media is finally coming out with some reports from New Orleans about firefighting. In this story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the New Orleans FD is having trouble finding water that they can use to fight fires.

NEW ORLEANS -- Firefighters battling blazes caused by everything from natural gas leaks to candle accidents are paradoxically struggling with a shortage of usable water in the flood-ravaged city.

It could take weeks or months before the city regains water service and electricity, meaning people will continue burning candles to light their homes.

"I'm sure there's going to be a lot more fires," Fire Capt. Scott Chappuis said Tuesday.

Unclean river and flood water can be used to fight fires but only as a last resort. The contaminates and debris damage the pumping systems, fire officials said.

I think departments all over the country run into this once in awhile. If we run short of water here, we end up drafting from stock dams and dugouts (drinking water for cattle) to fill out tanks. It just seems out of place in an area that is so badly flooded.

Update on Theatre Fire in Egypt

From the New York Times, the theatre fire in Egypt that I posted about yesterday actually killed 32 people, not 29. The theatre performance was part of a theatre festival and many of the audience were festival participants.

Historic Roanoke Station to Remain Open

Good news (via IAFF Local 1132) for the folks that wanted to keep Roanoke Station #1 open. The city council voted to keep it open and to scrap consolidation plans. Look here for my original post.

09/03/2005: MFD at Miller Speedway

Well, it was a big night last Saturday (September 3) in Miller. Races were held at the Miller Speedway for the first time in years. There was a good crowd of about 2,000 people (in a town of only 1,500), and around 75 cars.

The Miller Fire Department provided fire protection during the races. We will continue with providing this service for a few more races this year, and then every week during next year's race season.

There was only one car fire Saturday night, and the pit crews put it out before the fire trucks were able to get there.

Poll Results - September 6, 2005

IAFF Stories about Katrina

Firehouse.com has a cool page dedicated to posting stories from the frontlines of Hurricane Katrina. It is set up similar to a blog. The stories come from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). It looks like they update it regularly with interesting stuff.

A-10s as Air Tankers

Here is a website dedicated to making the A-10 an effective air tanker for wildland firefighting.

I didn't have time to go through the entire website, but it looks pretty interesting.

Theatre Fire in Egypt

From Fox News, a fire in a theatre in Egypt has killed 29 people.

BENI SUEF, Egypt — A fire that began when an actor knocked over a candle on the set of a play ripped through a crowded theater in this central Egyptian city late Monday, sparking a stampede of audience members and killing at least 29 people, survivors and officials said.

The fire spread quickly across the set, which was made entirely of paper and had been ringed with candles. Panicked audience members trampled each other trying to get out the one available exit door, which at one point was partially blocked by a piece of wood that fell during the blaze, survivors said.

Open flame, highly flammable set materials, and one exit. Someone should have recognized that this was a problem waiting to happen.

Emergency Relief Fund for Fire Departments

The National Volunteer Fire Council has started a relief fund for fire departments that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. From their website:

The NVFC Emergency Relief Fund was established to aid volunteer and combination fire departments that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. The NVFC is working with its state member fire associations to identify departments in need. The Fund will focus relief efforts toward equipment and facility repair and replacement to allow departments to become fully operational in a timely manner.

If there is any way you can help, please do.

Hiring Policy Under Scrutiny

This is an interesting story via the New York Times about the FDNY's use of "stipulation agreements" to hire firefighters with minor drug and alcohol convictions:

The New York Fire Department acknowledged yesterday that it has been making increasing use of hiring agreements that allow firefighters with minor drug and alcohol convictions to join the ranks as long as they agree to random substance abuse tests.

The use of so-called stipulation agreements came into the spotlight on Wednesday when the father of a firefighter who had been hired conditionally was arrested and charged with offering thousands of dollars in bribes to employees of a Brooklyn medical laboratory to help dispose of his son's urine samples that had tested positive for cocaine, the authorities said.

Fire officials called the stipulation agreements smart policy, and said they were intended to forgive youthful mistakes, including minor drug or alcohol arrests, and to more closely monitor firefighters with a history of such problems. Stipulation agreements allow the department to fire those who fail substance abuse tests.

As long as well-qualified people are hired and then monitored closely from the start of their employment, I don’t see a problem with this policy.

Firefighting Compound May Replace Halon

This article (from AINonline) describes a new firefighting compound that may end up replacing Halon. Apparently, it is lighter, more effective than Halon, and doesn't damage the ozone layer. The major market will be in aircraft fire suppression systems.

Announcing the new fire-suppression system at EAA AirVenture in late July, Eclipse president and CEO Vern Raburn said, "We are committed to changing the status quo in aviation by pioneering and applying new technologies to aircraft design and manufacturing, and PhostrEx is another significant result of our efforts. Our customers will benefit from a dramatically improved fire-suppression system. On a global scale, due to our extensive testing and work with government agencies, including the FAA and EPA, the world finally has a replacement for Halon that is lighter, more effective, maintenance-free and environmentally friendly."

Will Roanoke Station #1 Close?

I ran across this while I was surfing this morning. The City of Roanoke wants to close Roanoke Fire Station #1. The Roanoke Fire Fighters Association has put together a compelling case to keep it open. This station is the oldest operating fire station in Virginia and one of the oldest in the nation.

Interesting reading.

Claiming my RSS Feed at Feedster

No Need to Click Here - I'm just claiming my feed at Feedster

Housing Project on Fire

I just saw on Fox News that a housing project in New Orleans is on fire. I'll follow up with more posts, once I know more.

UPDATE: I haven't seen anything on the web yet and no details from the TV. From the video I've seen, it looks like a couple of houses, but I can't tell if it is a bigger incident than that. At this point, I would caution against assuming anything about the fire.

UPDATE 2: The fire must not have been that big of a deal. I haven't seen any additional coverage on the news or on the internet. When I first saw the footage on TV, it reminded me of the terrible fires that hit Grand Forks, ND, when that city was flooded back in 1997 or 1998.

Harry Carter's Column on the Disaster

I've enjoyed reading Harry Carter's columns for a long time. Here is his column focused on the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Think about it my friends. Those folks on the fire department reported to work from a wide variety of locations. When they left for work they had homes. They remained on duty, diligently working to ease the suffering of their fellow citizens. While the winds ripped around them, they stood fast in the face of nature's devastation. Many now have no place to go.

Now they are faced with the challenge of rebuilding not only their lives, but their homes and their city as well. More than that, they were just one of the many places that were obliterated by the forces of nature. All up and down the coast reports of devastation continue to flow in.

How many smaller fire departments have been completely destroyed? How many fire stations have been wiped out? How many of our brother and sister firefighters have been left with nothing? How many communities now have little left to protect themselves and their communities?

As Harry points out later in the article, let's be ready to lend a hand.

Firefighters Needed For Katrina Disaster

FEMA is asking for 1,000 two-person teams of firefighters to aid in the recovery effort in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. From the IAFC:

Due to FEMA/DHS policies and requirements, the initial teams will be limited to career firefighters and must be selected and approved by the chief of the department. Teams will need to be physically fit and capable of working in very austere conditions for an extended period of time – sleeping on the ground, eating MRE’s. They will need to pack carry-on baggage only – backpacks are recommended. Teams will be working for at least a 30-day period.

If you want to lend a hand, read the whole press release.

I'm betting that FEMA will issue additional calls for firefighters as this recovery effort continues. They will need people for an extended period of time. If you think you may want to help, start making plans now so that you can go when they issue additional calls for help.