Firewhirl: October 2005 Archives

Firefighter Game

Mia over at Knit and Play with Fire found a firefighting game that you can play on the internet.

The game is located here.

My score: 15,380.

Good luck!

Air Tanker Photo

Wow! Check out this photo of an air tanker beginning its drop (courtesy of Firefighter Blog).

This is a great photo. What an opportunity to see an air tanker up close and putting the hammer down on a fire...HOWEVER, why are the other people in the picture (and the photographer) that close! If the pilot had a problem and had to drop his load off target, these folks would be pancaked.

I know - leave it to me to throw a wet blanket on something cool like this picture.

Slow Evacuation on Airplane Fire

Check this out (from CTV.ca).

Some Alaska Airlines passengers are furious they weren't evacuated sooner after fireballs erupted under the starboard wing before takeoff from Calgary.

Passengers told CTV Calgary on Sunday that it took several minutes for an emergency evacuation, even though the aircraft's cabin was filling with smoke.

Here is how long it took to begin the evacuation:

An Alaska Airlines spokesperson said the crew followed procedure.

"The elapsed time that they estimated for that to occur was about two minutes," said Caroline Boren.

"And at that time, because of the smoke in the cabin, they determined that as a precaution, they should go ahead and deploy the emergency evacuation slides."

I realize that the crew needed to size-up the situation before deciding to evacuate the plane, but it shouldn't take two minutes, especially with smoke filling the cabin. Thank goodness nobody was injured or killed.

Bark Beetles near Mount Hood

Bark beetles are having an impact across the country. Here is an article about them infesting forests near Mount Hood (via the Seattle Times).

PARKDALE, Ore. — On the pine-covered slopes of Mount Hood, a rice-size beetle larva is turning pines to a rusty red, killing them by the thousands.

The squirming, white, bark beetle larvae are chewing through tissue that carries nutrients up the tree. The beetles are nothing new, but are showing up in unusually huge numbers.

The Black Hills in South Dakota have struggled with bark beetle infestations for at least a decade now. In the short term, all of those dead trees create a nasty fire hazard. In the long term, it is probably good for forest health as it thins out the trees.

Smithsonian Acquires Firefighting Pieces

The Smithsonian Museum has acquired a big collection of firefighting artifacts (from U.S. Newswire).

The almost 4,000-piece collection of art and historical artifacts dates back more than 250 years and is a gift from CIGNA Corp. and its predecessor companies. This unparalleled private collection of firefighting and maritime history objects increases the museum's firefighting collection tenfold and represents one of the most extensive holdings of early firefighting materials from the mid-1800s.

One more reason to visit the Smithsonian if I ever get to Washington, D.C.

Canadian Firefighters to get Monument and Benefits

The Canadian government is finally taking steps to help out the families of fallen firefighters (via the National Union of Public and General Employees).

OTTAWA - The House of Commons has passed a motion calling for a Canadian firefighter's monument to be constructed in a prominent position in Ottawa and for a national benefit system to be created the families of fallen and injured firefighters.

...

In Canada, the vast majority of fire departments do not provide benefits for the families of fallen or disabled firefighters. This means that families are saddled with financial hardship and uncertainty after their loved ones have given their lives to save others.

It's not clear how the government will respond to the motion or what level of benefits may ultimately be established.

Hopefully, things work out for the best for our northern brothers and sisters.

Round 9 of AFG Program Announced

Check here to see if your department was awarded a grant in round 9 of the AFG program.

Firehawk Monitors for Wildland Fires

Technology is impacting how we fight fires. Someone from South Africa has a great idea. It's called Firehawk - remote cameras that scan for wildfires (from KGO-TV San Francisco).

Sept. 30 - It's only been on the job for a month, but already a high tech fire detection camera seems to be working. It's the only one of its kind in the country and it's helping firefighters in northern California get an early jump on wildfires.

...

The California Department of Forestry is the first in the country to try a brand new system called Fire Hawk. It's a digital camera mounted high above the trees that keeps an eye out for columns of smoke. It automatically rotates 360-degrees, or firefighters can manually scan for miles with a joystick. So far, its detected one fire.

Here is the link to the Firehawk website so you can learn more about this system.

Will this mean the end of manned fire lookout towers? I doubt it. I see this system supplementing the manned towers that are still in use today.

New Blog Link

There is another blog on the sidebar (at right) that deserves reading on a regular basis.

43 Firefighter - a blog authored by a firefighter in Effort, PA. Tim posts pictures of the calls that he is dispatched to. Great site!

Head on over and check it out.

Near Miss: Roof Collapse Ignites Room

This is a little longer near miss report, but it is worth the reading:

I advised the crew that I was going to check the room for any occupants. I went down the hall alone still w/PPE and SCBA and entered the room. As I was on the far end, I heard a freight train sound and all of a sudden, I was standing in a fully involved room, roof collapse. I knew the door was to my left so I dove for the doorway but went headfirst into the wall. I knew there were two windows in the front of the room that faced Side A of the building. Even though I was on the #3 floor and would suffer injuries, I decided to dive for the windows because I was burning up. When I dove for the windows, I went head first into a dresser. After this, the pain was getting so bad, I was getting very confused, and I thought it was over.

This firefighter made it out OK, but it was a very close call.

Working alone, even for that short period of time, was probably a mistake, but how many times has this happened at one of your incidents? Do you always work with a partner?

Having his PPE on properly probably saved him a lot of pain and rehabilitation. Do you always don your gear properly before beginning operations?

This report would be a great 10 minute training session at your next coffee break.

Detention Center Fire Kills 10

It wasn't long ago that I posted about a fire in a prison in Argentina. Well, this time prisoners perished in a detention center fire in the Netherlands (from Reuters).

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A fire broke out at a detention centre at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport overnight, killing 10 people and injuring 15, Dutch police said on Thursday.

The story didn't have many details so I'm not going to assume anything. However, the questions I asked in my previous post about the Argentina prison fire still apply.

Prescribed Fire Use in Spain

Spanish forests are similar to U.S. forests in an important way - neglecting to use prescribed fires and suppressing wildland fires has resulted in a huge build up of fuel. Well, firefighters from Spain regularly visit Baker City, Oregon, to receive training on the use of prescribed fire. This from the Baker City Herald:

This is the ninth straight autumn he has escorted a group of his colleagues to the West to study how American foresters wield fire — planned, controlled fire, like Monday's blaze near Sumpter — as a tool that can reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the future.

"At home they say to me, ‘when fall comes, the birds fly south and you fly west,' " Castellnou said as he smiled.

His annual migrations have proved to be worthwhile, he said.

"We are adapting the skills we learn here to our own prescribed fire program," Castellnou said.

This is the part that got my attention:

Until the early 20th century, for instance, the country's Basque sheepherders burned forests every year to clear the ground and to invigorate the grass that fattened their flocks.

Castellnou said his grandfather used fire for the same purpose.

But starting in the 19th century many Basques emigrated to the United States, including Eastern Oregon, where they looked after some of the hundreds of thousands of sheep that roamed the region in those days before the federal government managed livestock grazing.

Also, many Catalonian farmers moved to cities, Castellnou said.

"As a result, we lost our forest culture and our fire culture," he said. "Our grandfathers knew about prescribed fire, but we lost that knowledge."

Emphasis is mine.

This is exactly what has happened in the U.S. and over the last few years the fire service and researchers have been trying to redevelop our own fire culture and fire knowledge.

Hybrid Fire Department

Four cities in the Salt Lake Valley are consolidating their fire departments - kind of (from the Salt Lake Tribune).

Fire departments in four Salt Lake Valley cities - Sandy, South Jordan, South Salt Lake and West Valley City - are banding together to form the Metro Fire Agency. "It's a hybrid. There's none other like it in the United States," agency spokesman Steve Foote said Tuesday. "We're reconstructing how we deliver service and will achieve a new level of cooperation."

The agency differs from Salt Lake County's Unified Fire Authority - which acts as a single fire department serving several municipalities and unincorporated areas - because each of the group's municipal fire departments will retain its autonomy.

"We'll have all the advantages of cooperation, but it still leaves each city in control of its own fire department," said Sandy Fire Chief Don Chase. "The biggest benefit will be sharing."

This sounds almost like mutual aid on steroids. The department will be governed by a board of directors (the mayors) and a board of operations (the chiefs).

We'll have to keep our eye on this one to see if it works out.

Captain is Gold Leaf Artist

This is an interesting article about a captain that decorates fire trucks with gold leaf (via ContraCostaTimes.com).

For 24 years, he has decorated the district's fire trucks, by hand, with gold leaf. He does it when he has free time between his regular duties, and the intricate work helps make for a mighty spiffy fleet.

"It's a very difficult process. It's beautiful and almost something to envy," said fire commissioner Ken Sandy, of the intricate scrollwork, pinstriping and lettering done by Turman.

Gold embellishments and designs on old pumpers and fire trucks from the 19th century are a source of inspiration for the fire captain, who has researched the age-old craft.

There are a couple of nice pictures too.

Gwinnett County FD Museum

When I see that another fire museum is opening, I can't help but post on it. If you live anywhere near Gwinnett County, Georgia, plan on visiting the new fire museum when it is finished. This from the Gwinnett Daily Post:

NORCROSS - The Gwinnett County Fire Department's history is rooted in Norcross, and soon it will be planted there too. The county will open a small fire service museum in a new station to be located on Lawrenceville Street. Officials from the city and the county broke ground on the facility Tuesday. "All of us can think about the past as well as the future," Commission Chairman Charles Bannister said of the new station and museum.

Best of luck to the new museum.

LEGO Fire Truck Challenge

I ran across an internet game, the LEGO Fire Truck Challenge. Check the speedometer on this ladder truck!

UPDATE: I got through all five levels with a score of 108,320. Let's see if anyone can better that score. I wonder if I can get training hours for playing this game - hmmm.

1998 Chevrolet K3500 Brush Truck

Check out our recently completed 1998 Chevrolet K3500 Brush Truck. This is a nice rig and it's ready to go to work.

Predicting the Path of a Fire

This is cool (from Firehouse.com). NOTE: You'll want to read the whole thing.

The desk-bound helicopter pilot has devised a computer-driven mapping process that can predict where a brush fire is likely to burn -- and how fast it will get there. It can also tell how many people are in the path of a potentially dangerous chemical cloud or might be trapped in rubble after an earthquake.

Robinson's fire forecaster was put to its first test last month during the 24,175-acre brush fire that burned from Chatsworth to Thousand Oaks.

Fire officials say the system accurately predicted the fire's path and burn rate, allowing authorities to evacuate thousands from residential neighborhoods on Sept. 28. A day later, the forecasting system helped firefighters stop the blaze before it could cross a major freeway and burn toward Malibu and the ocean, as previous wildfires have done.

Bravo to Steve Robinson. This type of technology will really change how we fight fires and deal with other large-scale disasters.

After reading the whole article, its pretty clear that integrating all of the technologies and setting things up in the computer will be extremely expensive. However, with all new technology, the cost will come down and then more departments will be able to afford it.

Home Defibrillators

I never really thought about having an AED in the home, but what a good idea. This from Fox News:

The devices have been popping up on airplanes and in airports, schools, offices, houses of worship, police cars, fitness centers and other public places for the past decade, but just last year, the Philips model was approved for over-the-counter home use without a prescription. The current price is $1,495. Other companies, including Zoll Medical Corp., Samaritan and Defibtech LifeLine, make AEDs that are available with a doctor's prescription.

“Nearly 80 percent of cardiac arrests happen in the home,” said Brian Packard, business director of the Philips HeartStart line. “The key to survival is early access to a defibrillator. If you don’t get a defibrillator shock in the first five minutes, your chance of survival is virtually nil.”

This will really take off if the price comes down so regular folks can afford one. Of course, there will be incidents where they are used improperly, but overall, lives will be saved.

New Poll for Volunteer FFs

I apologize to those career firefighters out there, but this week's poll focuses on volunteers. This question has come up in discussions around our fire department and I wanted to see what others from around the country thought.

Please vote - the poll can be found on the right at the top of the sidebar.

Thanks.

Poll Results - October 25, 2005

Back Up the Badge

According to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, there will be a telethon to raise money for law enforcement officers and firefighters that lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina. This effort is called Back Up the Badge.

Hurricane Katrina robbed many of Mississippi's first responders of almost everything — homes, cars and time with families after perhaps the worst natural disaster ever to befall the state.

Now, state officials and others are planning a telethon in hopes of raising money to give something back to those who wear a badge. The fund-raiser is planned Thursday on the statewide public television network.

The two-hour special will feature the personal stories of some of the men and women who fought through crushing losses to serve others during the Aug. 29 storm that flattened the Gulf Coast and left extensive damage well inland.

The telethon is August 29 starting at 8 PM.

NPF and Firewhirl Reach 1,000 Visitors

We have reached our first internet landmark this afternoon. Officially, 1,000 visitors have come to the Northern Plains Fire and Firewhirl sites. Woo hoo!

Thanks for visiting and we hope you return again to read about the newest developments in the firefighting community.

Robots and Virtual Simulators

Over at Firefighter Blog, there is a post that contains the 12 needs of the FDNY had after September 11, written by retired Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn.

It is a great list, but two of them really caught my eye.

5. The fire service needs robots for firefighting.

...

11. The fire service needs a computerized- virtual- simulator for firefighting training.

The technology is available now to make these two things happen. Law enforcement agencies and the military use both of these things effectively.

Firefighting robots could really help reduce the safety issues that firefighters face and they would improve firefighting tactics. Imagine if firefighters had a robot that could locate the seat of the fire, assist in extinguishment, locate injured people, or simply carry firefighting equipment.

The computerized virtual simulators would really have a big impact for those firefighters that don't face many structure fires. They would be better prepared for that situation and they could repeat training at regular intervals to stay sharp.

FD Gallery on Display

If you live near Mercer, PA, there is a new display about firefighting (from Vindy.com).

MERCER, Pa. —There was a time when fire marks, or plaques, adorned houses with fire insurance and firefighters raced to burning homes on horse and buggy.

Some of those artifacts, as well as more recent innovations in firefighting, are now on display at the Mercer County Historical Society's fire departments gallery.

"These people are often the unsung heroes of our county. You don't think about them until you need them, and then you are happy to see them," said Bill Philson, executive director of the Mercer County Historical Society. "We feel it is important to celebrate these people in a meaningful way."

More details about what is on display in the article.

County-wide Fire Departments

Here is an article about the county around San Diego consolidating their fire departments into one county-wide fire department (from the San Diego Union-Tribune).

Lurking in the background is the issue of consolidating the region's firefighters. A fragmented command scattered among 65 fire agencies – 35 of them in the unincorporated portions of the county – was pointed out in later critiques as a major weakness during the Cedar fire.

The county, pushed by Jacob, is looking for ways to combine many of those smaller rural fire departments into a unified entity. A county report due in December is supposed to identify options for doing that, and spell out what each would cost.

The idea faces possible opposition from fire agencies in the more affluent unincorporated communities, where consolidation is viewed as a way to get rich communities to pay for fire protection in poorer ones.

I had a discussion just yesterday about this very subject about a county in South Dakota.

There are some definite advantages to this approach. Equipment can be optimized to serve the entire county. Fire protection across the entire county would probably improve. The fire departments would work together better at large incidents. There are some disadvantages too. Individual fire departments would lose some local control. Paid personnel would be needed to lead a large, county-wide organization. Funding could be a problem.

Are county-wide fire departments becoming more prevalent? If you've heard anything on this, I'd appreciate it if you would drop me a line.

Fuel Reducing Goats

Laguna Beach has a novel idea for reducing fuel around the city (from Bloomberg.com).

Laguna Beach, a seaside town with California's highest median home price, has avoided wildfires that have consumed 200,000 acres in the state this year. Fire Department Battalion Chief Kris Head's best defense? Goats.

The town pays $200,000 a year to goat ranchers for the services of 750 animals that form a fire break around the city by munching brush, Head said. Demand for fire goats rose after record rains this year caused an explosion of weeds, increasing the threat, said Dan Barnes, owner of the EZ Bar goat ranch.

Good for Laguna Beach. At least they are taking fuels reduction seriously. As long as you don't mind goat pellets everywhere. Hehehe.

Rioters Attack Paramedics

I've read a bunch of articles about this type of thing happening in Great Britain. I get angry just reading about it. Now it has happened in the U.S. (article from Firehouse.com).

TOLEDO -- It's one of the most haunting images of Saturday's riots in North Toledo. Paramedic Aaron Frisch and his partner, Kathy Zeller, were attacked by a mob.

They were on their way to help at the scene when the crowd started running toward them. "They were still quite a distance away when the rocks and bricks started hitting. I was in a momentary state of shock until the rocks continued to hit and continued to hit and continued to break the windshield and break my rig," says Frisch.

If you follow the link to the reporting TV station, there is some video to watch too.

Near Miss: Defensive Driving

Good description of a response by an apparatus with two near misses. Here is the money quote:

It is our responsibility to always drive defensively with complete due regard for the public without exception. Never expect citizens to do what you think they should, despite the laws and rights. The few seconds lost by taking a cautionary approach can save hours of grief. When confronted with the decision to yield to emergency traffic or continue on their original path, some people will make the wrong choice.

Every apparatus operator should carry this in their wallet and read it once in awhile. I know that some of the volunteers on our department need to remind themselves of this concept.

Take a moment and think about how you drive when responding to an emergency. Do you drive with "complete due regard for the public without exception"?

Fires Impact People and Community

This is an excellent article from a reporter that routinely covers fires (from the Oroville Mercury-Register).

A major structure fire is not just about the estimated damage to the building and how many acres of surrounding vegetation was consumed by fire. It is not just about how the fire got started (but, of course, this is a critical part of what happened and people should learn about the various causes of fires, so they can learn to prevent them). It is not just about how many minutes it took to "knock-down" the fire and how many fire engines and water tenders were at scene. It is not just about who first reported the fire and what time the first engine arrived on scene. No, it is about much, much more than that.

It is about people and community.

Read the whole thing. It might make you rethink your perspective and place within the community at large and within the firefighting community.

More Wildfires in the Future

A researcher believes that there will be more wildfires in our future (via the Bozeman Daily Chronicle).

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. - Wildfires are going to happen more often in the mountain West, and dealing with them is going to be increasingly difficult, according to a professor of fire ecology.

"We can expect more fires, not less," said Bill Romme, of Colorado State University.
And the demand to protect lives and private property constrains the ability to let fire play a natural role, even though ecosystems depend on periodic fire.

Here is the kicker:

Wildfire isn't going away, and when conditions are right, the fires will get huge, the panel agreed.

And when they get big enough, there isn't much that can be done.

"Technology has its limits," Barbee said.

Most wildland firefighters know this, but large portions of the general public don't.

Harvesting Can Result in Fires

This article spells out what we do here at the Miller Fire Department every fall (from the WCF Courier via Firehouse.com).

HUDSON --- Farmers love warm, breezy days in the fall. They speed harvest and corn naturally dries in the field, cutting expenses.

But the tinder box-like conditions also spark equipment and field fires. And local volunteer fire departments have already responded to plenty of them.

...

Mix extremely dry, combustible materials like corn stalks and dust, along with hot moving parts and that's a recipe for fire. If Monday's weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture Crops and Weather Report is any indication, the recipe is getting even more volatile. The report indicated conditions --- while spurring harvest and saving farmers money in corn drying costs --- are finally getting to the point that farmers have future soil moisture concerns.

The article originates in Iowa so they don't talk much about sunflowers. Here in South Dakota, we have plenty of sunflowers. Think about what they use sunflowers for. Yup, you guessed it - sunflower oil. Nothing burns like a sunflower field that is ready for harvest!

President Signs Bill for 2005 DHS Funding

IAFC has a thorough article on all of the details regarding the appropriations bill that will fund the Department of Homeland Security for 2006 (via FireFightingNews.com).

Today (Oct. 18), President Bush signed into law the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (HR 2360), worth $31.9 billion. The law decreases funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, increases funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Act, and provides a first-ever direct appropriation to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). The law also implements Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff’s “second stage review,” which would move a number of department functions, including the USFA, into a new Preparedness Directorate.

There is a ton of stuff in this story. If you want to stay up on what is happening with out nation's fire service, you'll want to read this.

One of the things that really jumped out at me was that the USFA will have it's own line item in the appropriations process. This may seem like a little thing, but it is really a big deal. It raises the level of importance of the USFA to the point that it will get individual consideration during the funding process.

The other thing that I liked is the NIMS Integration Center (NIC). This should help all of the first responder agencies get better at implementing the NIMS system when a big disaster hits.

Female Firefighters in Iran

It was surprising to read that there are female firefighters in Iran (from the Christian Science Monitor).

KARAJ, IRAN – The rewards are great - and the disappointments as powerful as any felt by firefighters around the world. But at Station No. 9 in Karaj, west of Tehran, a small unit prides itself on being like few others: the only squad of women firefighters in the Middle East.

Not every rescue requires a feminine touch. But in the Islamic Republic, which tolerates little public mixing of the genders, the 11 women here are breaking new ground and creating a model for cities across the country. They also represent a strain of pragmatic progressivism in Iran that is rarely matched elsewhere in the region.

...

"I've seen them in action and they are good, they are strong - sometimes they are better than the men," says Mr. Aghayari.

Maybe this shows how little I know about Iran, but I thought that last statement was great. Hopefully that attitude spreads to the other countries in the region that don't allow women to be firefighters.

Miller Press Covers NPF

The local newspaper, the Miller Press, has put together an article covering my new business, Northern Plains Fire.

Fiala said he will specialize in purchasing heavy-duty, good used pickups, refurbish them, and outfit them with new brush truck equipment. He hopes to complete a couple of trucks a month.

Each pickup will be completely overhauled, and must pass his 156-point inspection. It will be outfitted with a 200-gallon water tank, a 10-gallon foam tank, a 20 horsepower motor, and a 200-foot hose. The truck will pump 120 gallons of water per minute, and can be used on grass, brush and forest fires.

"It will be good equipment, but it will cost substantially less than a brand-new brush truck," Fiala said. "Volunteer fire departments need affordable equipment." He estimates his brush trucks will cost approximately $20,000 less than a new model.

The company's motto is, "Good used trucks, great new fire equipment."

This is the first press coverage we have had and it is in conjunction with out open house that will be held on Thursday, October 20, from 1 PM to 6 PM. I'd like to thank the Miller Press for printing the article.

If you are in the area, stop by and have some coffee and cookies, and check out our brush truck.

I'll have more details on the brush truck posted on the NPF website soon.

GPS to Aid in Dispatch

Cool idea from the fire service in New Zealand (from Stuff.co.nz via FireFightingNews.com).

The Fire Service plans to trial GPS units in some of its 800 fire engines in January, allowing it to track their location by computer.

...

The GPS data from appliances will be sent to the Fire Service's dispatch centre, which should speed up response times by letting it quickly identify which vehicle is closest to an incident.

Do we do anything like this in the U.S.? If so, drop me a note.

Forest Fire Destroys 1,300 Year Old Temple

Interesting story about a wildland fire in South Korea (from the Seoul Times).

A raging forest fire fanned by dry and strong winds destroyed a thousand-year-old Buddhist temple in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, on Tuesday afternoon, after forcing thousands of residents to evacuate overnight, Yonhap News said.

Naksan Temple, one of the most renowned temples in South Korea with 1,300 years of history, was widely damaged, they said. Out of its 20 ritual halls, eighteen were completely destroyed, including the Hall of the Great Veneration where the image of Buddha is enshrined.

There are some really good pictures too. Check it out.

Poll Results - October 18, 2005

Wildfires and Coastline Erosion

From UPI:

NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A Duke University scientist says the retreat of coastlines due to rising sea levels might be accelerated by wildfires.

Benjamin Poulter, a researcher at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, said without such fires, forests can slow the encroachment on coastlines.

Poulter will provide more details on his research on Thursday. I'm interested in following this because I'm not sure I buy into what he is suggesting. If he is talking about catastrophic fire that destroys the forest, I understand. If he is suggesting that a low-intensity prescribed burn will accelerate coastal erosion, I'm not sure I agree.

UPDATE: Here is another article that has a lot more detail (from AScribe).

NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- The retreat of coastlines due to rising sea levels may be accelerated by wildfires, a Duke University researcher has discovered. In the absence of such fires, forests can slow the encroachment, he found. At such fire scenes, though, finger-like patches of marshlands can extend into former forest by as much as several hundred yards. The result is a "punctuated" near-shoreline landscape, the scientist said. Such punctuated advance of the sea is in sharp contrast to the widespread belief that coastal change would be gradual due to sea-level rise.

The rest of the article provides all of the explanation I need. At least it makes sense to me now. Good stuff!

Safe Operation of Emergency Vehicles

The USFA and the NFVC have a new online program regarding the safe operation of emergency vehicles (from the USFA).

WASHINGTON, DC. - The Department of Homeland Security's United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) announced today the Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations for Volunteer and Small Combination Emergency Service Organizations is now available on-line. This innovative, web-based educational program includes an emergency vehicle safety best practices self-assessment, standard operating guideline examples, and behavioral motivation techniques to enhance emergency vehicle safety. As crashes from privately-owned vehicles are the leading cause of volunteer firefighter on-duty fatalities responding and returning to emergencies, this program also discusses critical safety issues of volunteer firefighter safety in them.

I haven't read through the training material, but I will. We have some drivers on our department that should go through this training.

Prison Fire Results in Multiple Deaths

We don't even have a jail here in Miller, so I haven't spent much time thinking about a fire in a prison, but this was a disaster (from Fox News):

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A fire set by feuding inmates raged through a cellblock at a prison southeast of Buenos Aires early Sunday, killing 32 inmates and leaving two jailers injured, authorities said.

All the deaths appeared to have been caused by asphyxiation after inmates were overcome by smoke, said Justice Minister Eduardo Di Rocco of Buenos Aires province, where the prison is located.

Do you have a facility in your jurisdiction that houses inmates? Do you have plans in place on how to effectively fight the fire? Have you met with the law enforcement personnel at the facility to discuss the evacuation of the prisoners?

Native Perspective of Wildland Fire

This is a good article regarding the Native American perspective on the use of wildland fire to maintain healthy forests (from the Missoulian).

Wednesday, Nov. 14, 1792: Traveling the borderland between modern Montana and the endless expanse of what's now known as southern Alberta.

Still smoking all around, the explorer notes: ”grass having been lately burnt,“ ”grass nearly all burnt,“ ”grass yet burning.“ For days, his journals are filled with fire, no end in sight.

Yet there hadn't been a lightning strike in who knows how many weeks.

When Hudson's Bay Co. fur trader Peter Fidler first laid eyes on the wide wild West, it seemed to him a pristine wilderness, a garden shaped from on high and never yet bent beneath the clumsy hands of men.

”But it's a myth,“ said Germaine White. ”This idea that it was a ‘natural' forest, that you can restore ‘natural' fire, it's a myth. For thousands of years, this has been a landscape formed by native people.“

It's a long article, but well worth the time to read it.

FDNY Put Ropes on Hold

The FDNY has apparently put their escape rope program on hold due to a training incident that frayed one of the ropes.

Check out this entry from Firefighter Blog and this article from Firehouse.com

Near Miss: Extrication Tool Mishap

It's time for our next near miss post from the Near-Miss Reporting System.

This is a great description of an event that could have seriously injured the firefigher. Here is an excerpt:

Fortunately that day I was wearing full protective gear, including a helmet with full face sheild. The tool struck my face shield and the brim of my helmet. The mounting brackets for the face shield were knocked backwards and the helmet outer shell cracked due to the force. Had I not been wearing my helmet and face shield I would have surely received a serious head injury. I also feel that had I been wearing just extrication goggles and my lighter extrication helmet, instead of my fire helmet, that I could have received facial injuries as well as possible head trauma.

Print this story and the next time a firefighter fails to wear their PPE, let them read it.

Candle Fire Safety Advocates

Read the summaries of what four safety advocates are doing to educate people about the dangers of candles (from Firepreventionweek.org).

When fire safety advocate Tim Szymanski learns of a candle-related fire in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area, the first thing he does is contact local newspapers, TV and radio stations. “I alert the media through a paging system, and when there is a candle fire, I usually meet the media while the incident is going on and talk to them about "another candle incident."

These four people are making a difference in their communities. Does your department have someone educating the public about using candles safely?

Safety Tips for Candles

Here is a list of safety tips when using candles. This one is my favorite:

Never leave a burning candle unattended. Extinguish all candles when you leave the room or go to bed. Almost half of all home fires started by candles begin in the bedroom. NFPA discourages the use of candles in the bedroom and other areas where people may fall asleep.

It would be a bummer to wake up and see that your bedroom is on fire! I guess that would be better than the alternative though - not waking up at all.

Sporadic Posting This Week

I'm out of the office this week, so the posts may be a little sparse. I'll be sure to post at least once every day. Next Monday, it will be back to normal.

Fires Near Moscow

Here is a story about some forest and peat bog fires near Moscow, Russia (from the Moscow Times via FireFightingNews.com).

A total of 165 fires are raging over 4,300 hectares in Russian forests and peat bogs, 18 of them in the Moscow region, the Emergencies Situations Ministry said Monday, evoking memories of the fires in 2002 that engulfed areas of Moscow in clouds of acrid smoke.

It's interesting to note the tone of the article. The writer seems more concerned with the air quality levels in Moscow than the damage the fire could be doing to the forest, peat bogs, and homes.

CDF Fire Museum

There is a new fire museum opening in San Bernardino, CA (from the Los Angeles Daily Bulletin).

Five years ago, a group of retired firefighters stepped up to save the day. They didn't pull people out of a burning building or stop the forest from going up in smoke.

What they did wasn't that attention-grabbing or heroic.

But it was historic.

On Thursday, those firefighters got to see their efforts rewarded, as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection opened its first museum specifically dedicated to the history of the department.

The museum, housed in CDF's former command center on Sierra Way in San Bernardino, features two rooms full of tools, equipment, clothing, photographs and other memorabilia covering the department's 100-year firefighting history.

I love going to museums, but I've never had the opportunity to go to a firefighting museum. If I ever get to San Bernardino, you can be assured that I won't pass up the chance to check out this new museum.

Poll Results - October 11, 2005

Here are the results from last week's poll:

Candle Fire Stories

As part of our coverage of Fire Prevention Week, I would like to highlight some snippets about fires started by candles. This comes from the NFPA Fire Prevention Week website.

Louisiana (2005) One of the deadliest fires in state history killed 11 members of a single family, including seven children, and it was started by a candle. The family had just moved into their two-story townhouse in Marrero, and with the electricity in the home not yet turned on, they were using tea-light candles for lighting purposes. On March 10, 2005, a candle on a window sill ignited bedding on the top floor of the townhouse. In a desperate attempt to put out the fire, family members moved the burning mattress down the stairs, placing it on top of a pile of cardboard boxes, while they tried to open the front door. The burning mattress quickly ignited the boxes, producing too much fire and smoke to escape through. After a family member managed to get out of the home and kick down the front door, the resulting eruption of flames quickly engulfed the front of the house.

Investigator Dennis Guidry says that the fire deaths offer a tragic reminder of the dangers in using candles for lighting. "These candles were tea candles, meaning that they had no globe or base, they were just sitting on the window sill," he said. "At some point in time, the candle burns all of the way down and the results can be deadly."
- As reported by the Jefferson Parish Arson Investigation Unit, Jefferson, LA.

There are several more stories on the webpage. Read them all.

Grant Funding for FY2006

The bill setting the budget for the Department of Homeland Security is going to President Bush for his signature (via Firehouse.com). This bill sets the amounts for the SAFER and AFG grant programs.

The numbers of interest are $110 million for SAFER and $545 million for AFG, which is a total of $155 million more than the President’s original request.

The U.S. Fire Administration, a unit of FEMA in DHS also had its budget cut for next year by about $11 million to $44,948.000, according to figures from the Congressional Fire Services Institute.

Funding for SAFER is up $45 million and funding for AFG is down $105 million. Total funding for both programs together is down $60 million. Another funding cut is troubling:

The U.S. Fire Administration, a unit of FEMA in DHS also had its budget cut for next year by about $11 million to $44,948.000, according to figures from the Congressional Fire Services Institute.

Fees and Fires

I can't believe this actually happened (from the Duluth News Tribune via FireFightingNews.com):

Carl Berg failed to pay a$25 annual fee for rural fire protection and, as a result, firefighters let his house burn to the ground last month near International Falls.

You need to read the whole article, but here are key points.

The firefighters apparently responded and pumped some water to make sure the fire didn't spread beyond the house, but they didn't extinguish the fire. It then rekindled, and they didn't return to put the fire out for good.

The fire was in a mobile home, so I'm not sure how much of the house or contents would have been salvageable, even after the initial blaze.

The firefighters and government officials should be ashamed for letting a funding problem affect the service they provide to the public.

I agree with this sentiment from the article:

A retired suburban Chicago fire chief, Billig said, "I could not respond to a fire and not put it out. I'll put the fire out and then worry about the money situation."

Keys to Success at Topanga Fire

This is a great opinion piece about the successful firefighting effort on the recent Topanga wildfire in California (from the Ventura County Star).

The overall success of this historic incident can be attributed to three key areas: proactive prevention efforts; an effective organization system; and dedicated people.

Don't miss this article - read it.

Use Candles With Care

Fire Prevention Week is October 9 – 12. The theme is Use Candles with Care. I'll try to have a post each day this week to promote the safe use of candles and to promote Fire Prevention Week.

Here is the official website. There is tons of info there so take some time and do a little reading.

Take note of some quick facts about candle fires in the U.S.:

* Over the last decade, candle fires have tripled. In 2001 alone, an estimated 18,000 home fires started by candles were reported to fire departments, an all time high. These fires resulted in 190 deaths, 1,450 injuries and an estimated property loss of $265 million.

* Forty-one percent of U.S. home candle fires begin in the bedroom, causing 24% of the deaths resulting from these fires.

* A special study found that the candles were being used for light in one-third of the fatal home candle fires, generally because power to the home had been shut off due to nonpayment (24%) or as a result of a temporary power outage (7%).

* December had almost twice the number of home candle fires of an average month.

* Seven out of 10 households in the U.S. now use candles, with younger adults more likely to use them than older adults.

Rapping for Fire Safety

Here is another great idea to promote fire safety (from nbc10.com via Firehouse.com).

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Fire Department is unleashing a rather unusual tool to help prevent fires.

They are releasing a special song -- a rap song with a message behind the music.

Philadelphia fireman Rodney Jean-Jacques is also a rapper and he and his fellow firefighters put together the rap DVD called "Take It Outside." The DVD urges people who smoke to do so outside their homes, just like they do outside an office building or where they work.

Kudos to Firefighter Jean-Jacques and the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Nursing Home Fire Safety

I ran across an article about fire safety in nursing homes (from USA Today via Fire Engineering).

Fires in nursing homes are relatively common -- about 2,300 are reported each year, roughly one fire for every seven facilities. Yet, guides on how to choose a nursing home, published by consumer and industry groups, often fail to suggest checking a facility's fire safeguards.

The federal agency that regulates nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also does little to help consumers when it comes to fire safety. The CMS Nursing Home Compare website lists all citations a facility gets for deficiencies in patient care. But it fails to list fire safety violations or show which facilities have sprinklers and other basic protections.

What jumped out at me was the stat that there is one fire for every seven nursing homes! That is unacceptable. Especially, in a building where there are a lot of residents and evacuating them is difficult.

I also found a related article at USA Today.

More than half the nation's 16,000 nursing homes violate federal fire safety standards each year, and government regulations let thousands of older facilities operate without the sprinklers or smoke alarms often required in buildings used by the public.

When inspectors do come across fire safety violations, they rarely impose fines or other penalties that might prompt a home to fix its problems, a USA TODAY investigation shows. Four of every five nursing homes that have had fatal fires over the past five years had gotten waivers from regulators that allowed them to keep doing business despite fire safety deficiencies.

Not only is there a fire safety problem in our nursing homes, but inspectors let them off the hook when a violation is found. Until our state governments and inspectors get tough, we will continue to have fatality fires at nursing homes.

We have a nursing home here in Miller and we have actually discussed how we would deal with a fire there. After reading these articles though, I don't think we have done enough to prepare ourselves.

Is your department ready for a fire at the nursing home in your jurisdiction?

AFG Round 8 and Supplemental Awards

More grants awarded today. Check here for round 8 of the AFG program and check here for some supplemental grants for the 2004 AFG program.

Free Pizza for Working Smoke Detector

The Des Moines FD has a great way to help people remember to check their smoke detectors (from KCCI.com).

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Des Moines firefighters know smoke detectors can save lives, so they used pizza as an incentive to check residents' smoke detectors on the city's east side.

Those who ordered pizza Wednesday night got more than a pie.
The Des Moines Fire Department came along to check smoke detectors for homeowners. A group called Project Safe is behind the special delivery program.

...

Homeowners who had working smoke detectors got free pizza and others also got free batteries.

Free food has always made me sit up and take notice, so I guess it works on some other folks too.

Near Miss: Apparatus Struck by Vehicle

Here is the second installment of our Near Miss feature. Read this short report on an apparatus that was struck by a vehicle.

I think it is fine that the apparatus was hit. It did some damage, but better the truck than a firefighter.

Discussion:
Does your department position apparatus at a vehicle accident to protect the firefighters at the accident scene?
Do you position the apparatus far enough away from the accident scene?
What other traffic control measures does your department take at an accident scene?
Are those traffic control measures sufficient to ensure a safe working environment?

New NIOSH Reports

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) has released a bunch of new fatality investigations. Here is the page with all of the reports.

I'll highlight a new report each day until we get through them all.

I'll also add a NIOSH link to the sidebar.

UPDATE: I'm swamped today, so I'll read through these reports and post on them next week.

Driver Hits Fire Station and Truck

This from the Rapid City Journal:

About 9:20 p.m., Viereck, driving a 1988 Ford Bronco II, turned off First Street into the alley and was traveling east when he accelerated rapidly. His vehicle crashed through a fence, struck two parked vehicles and hit a trash container, according to the news release. The vehicle then crashed through a garage door leading to the truck bay at the fire station and hit a fire truck.

This guy must have really had the pedal down to hit all of that other stuff and still come through the garage door of the fire station and hit a truck!

By the way, if you read the rest of the article, it mentions Sgt. Brad Booth of the Rapid City Police Department. He was the state trooper based in Custer, SD, when I lived there. We served together on the Custer Fire Department. I haven't seen him for 12 years so it was cool to see his name in the article.

NIOSH Report on 2004 Houston Night Club Fire

NIOSH published a report a couple of weeks ago on the fatality of a firefighter in a Houston night club in 2004. Here is the summary, but you should read the whole thing.

On April 4, 2004, a career fire fighter (the victim) died while fighting a night club arson fire. Crews were dispatched at 0555 hours to a reported truck fire (hazardous material incident), but arrived on the scene to discover a structure fire. Engine 50 was the first to arrive on the scene. The Captain and two crew members (a fire fighter and the victim) initiated a “fast attack.” District Chief 5 arrived on the scene and assumed command. Ladder 38 arrived shortly after Engine 50, and the Ladder 38 crew entered the building to assist the Engine 50 crew.

Fire fighters decided to exit the building as conditions were deteriorating. It is believed that the victim became separated from his crew at this time. The Incident Commander called for operations to go defensive at the same time the crews were making their way out of the building. A fire fighter from Ladder 38 reentered the building after realizing that his Captain had failed to exit with the crew. He found and dragged the Engine 50 Captain (unconscious) to safety before returning and assisting the Ladder 38 Captain (semi-conscious) out of the building. The victim failed to exit the building and was later found in the debris.

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend

Don't forget about the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend coming up this weekend. Here is the official website. There will be a reception, a Family Day, a Candlelight Service, and a Memorial Service. Check it out.

Departments Will Share Chief

Here is an interesting cost-saving idea - have one fire chief for two departments (via the Muskegon Chronicle).

In what might eventually lead to the merger of two fire departments, Muskegon Township's fire chief will simultaneously hold that position in Egelston Township starting next week.

Egelston Township Fire Chief Jim Elenbaas submitted his resignation last week to take a new position as an inspector in the state's Office of Fire Safety in Marquette. His last day on the job is Sunday, and he will be replaced at least temporarily by Muskegon Township Fire Chief Dave Glotzbach, beginning Monday.

...

Glotzbach said the contract gives the neighboring townships a chance to experiment with sharing a fire chief and consider whether a merger of the two departments makes sense. There is pressure on local communities to cut costs by sharing services as state funding for local government dwindles, Glotzbach said.

This is a good idea and should save both townships some money. Neither of the departments are large and they probably have worked together on large fires in the past.

San Francisco Ponders Hydrant Retrofit

San Francisco is checking into the idea of retrofiting their hydrants with adapters (from the San Francisco Chronicle). I posted on this a few days ago - check here for the original post.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is skeptical that the city's hydrants can be retrofitted to conform to hoses used by firefighters outside the city for as little as $800,000, but has asked the Fire Department to do a cost analysis on the idea, a spokesman said Monday.

At the same time, however, Newsom spokesman Peter Ragone said the mayor would take the "expert advice and analysis" of Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White and other fire officials when it comes to planning for a catastrophic fire that could require outside aid. The cost research, he said, is just to test the "veracity" of a bid garnered by The Chronicle.

Hayes-White has already rejected the idea of retrofitting 8,000 fire hydrants in San Francisco in favor of recommending that any out-of-town firefighters who had to respond to a major blaze pick up adapters for their hoses on their way into the city.

Well, at least they are looking into the idea. When a catastrophe hits the city, they may not have the time or resources to hand out adapters are out-of-city units respond.

Firefighter Memorial Broadcast

The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Memorial Service will be broadcast on TV (from Firehouse.com)

Emmitsburg, MD-The United States Fire Administration will join on October 8th and 9th, with the production crews of WITF Studios of Harrisburg, PA for a live broadcast feed of the 2005 National Fallen Fighters Candlelight and Memorial services. As firefighters from around the nation come together to remember the firefighters lost in 2004, the firefighters and media are invited to view this broadcast feed.

However, it looks like you will need to contact your TV provider to try and convince them to carry the broadcast. Read the end of the article to get more details.

Phoenix USAR Team Suspended

From azcentral.com (via FireFightingNews.com):

The Phoenix Fire Department's Urban Search and Rescue team has been suspended from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for deploying armed police officers to protect firefighters in violation of the agency's rules.

As a result, Phoenix officials now are threatening to refuse some of the most dangerous deployments in the future or possibly even pull out of the federal agency altogether, unless the rules are changed to allow teams to bring their own security, even if that means police with guns.

I know very little about USAR teams so its a little difficult to comment on this. From my perspective, FEMA either needs to allow USAR teams to bring their own police protection personnel, or provide the personnel to the teams. They can't expect the USAR teams to deploy with no protection.

I'm sure this will take some time to sort out and I'll try to stay on top of new developments and post them.

Volunteer Department Gets New Members

I read lots of articles about volunteer departments having a difficult time recruiting enough members. Here is an article (from citizensvoice.com) about a department that is actually growing their membership.

Two years ago, the Honey Pot Fire Company had a difficult time attracting enough members to form a quorum for company meetings.

Today, fire company association president Chester Kopco has a hard time finding enough equipment for all the people volunteering to serve on the fire company. Not that he is complaining.

Read the rest of the article to find out how they are getting new members.

Parishes Face Firefighter Layoffs

Yet another effect from Hurricane Katrina (from USA Today):

BATON ROUGE — Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Monday that many of the Louisiana's parishes devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are "on the verge of financial collapse" and may need to lay off scores of police officers and firefighters.

Blanco appealed to the Bush administration and to Congress to amend or suspend a U.S. law that prohibits the use of federal money to cover basic expenses of local governments, including the payrolls of public safety and health departments.

This is really a tough situation. I feel bad for the firefighters (and other city employees) that may lose their jobs. However, I'm not sure that it is the federal government's place to pay salaries of city/county/parish employees - even in a situation like this.

It's a difficult thing to contemplate, but these local governments may be forced to move from a paid fire department to a volunteer fire department. At least until their town is rebuilt and they have the tax revenue available to go back to a paid department.

Poll Results - October 4, 2005

Here are the results of last week's poll:

None of the voters are in a department that has a fitness program or policy. Granted, there are only three votes, but I bet there are relatively few departments across the nation that do have fitness programs or policies. No wonder that the leading cause of firefighter fatalities is heart attacks.

Would-be Chaplain Resigns

This happened over the weekend and I didn't get a chance to post on it, but here we go.

An imam was scheduled to become a chaplain for the FDNY, but he made some disturbing comments and eventually resigned. From Fox News:

The imam, Intikab Habib, had suggested a broader conspiracy may have brought down the World Trade Center, put a hole in the Pentagon and left about 3,000 people dead.

Here is what he said:

"I've heard professionals say that nowhere ever in history did a steel building come down with fire alone," he told Newsday. "It takes two or three weeks to demolish a building like that. But it was pulled down in a couple of hours. Was it 19 hijackers who brought it down, or was it a conspiracy?"

He did say that the attack was a "tragic incident" and that he sympathizes with the families who lost loved ones.

"Whoever did it, it was a very wrong thing. It's always wrong to take an innocent human life," he said.

Sheesh!

Forest Service Challenges

If you want to do a little reading, the Denver Post has a story regarding the challenges the U.S. Forest Service is facing.

Born of conflict, saddled with an impossible task of balancing demands, and apparently fated to an existence of controversy, the U.S. Forest Service celebrated its 100th year this summer while sizing up its toughest challenges ever.

Lengthy article, but good reading.

Katrina Affects Wildfire Evacuation

Newsweek has a pretty good article about how Hurricane Katrina affected the evacuation effort on the Topanga fire.

A month after Americans watched the terrible images of stranded New Orleans residents struggling for their lives, many Californians who lived in the path of the wildfire chose to get out before they faced a similar fate. Fires in the West are more common than hurricanes in the South, and in the past, plenty of homeowners refused to leave, trying to fend off the flames themselves by dousing their roofs with garden hoses and hoping for the best. But this year cops and firefighters say it's been much easier to persuade people to pick up and leave. "They've been great," Assistant Los Angeles Fire Chief Tony Varela says. "Because of those current events, they knew they stand to lose more if they don't go."

This is probably a short term change. The memory of the Katrina disaster will start to fade, and in a few years the public will not evacuate so easily. I hope that isn't the case, but I bet it will be.

09/24/2005: MFD at the Races

I'm a little late on this one.

The Miller Speedway held their final races of the year and the MFD was on hand just in a case of a fire.

Well, there wasn't a fire, but there was a heck of a pile-up. One car ended up facing the wrong way and causing the rest of the wreck. Ten or eleven cars were taken out of the race they were so badly damaged; about half of the field.

The MFD personnel assisted the ambulance crew and help sort out the wreck. Luckily, nobody was seriously injured.