October 15, 2007
Volume 21 Number 18
Fire Prevention Week: What’s the Story?
By Steven F. Sawyer
E
ach October, the fire service takes action to raise
awareness for fire prevention and safety by observing Fire Prevention Week. It’s Sparky the Fire
Dog’s busiest season—during this time he’s as popular as turkey on Thanksgiving Day—and he can be
spotted alongside his masters conducting firehouse
tours, participating in fire-safety lessons in classrooms, monitoring school fire drills and taking part
in a wide variety of community events.
But why is Fire Prevention Week and the month
of October a time when everyone comes together to
focus on this important issue? What’s the story?
It was a tragic fire that began on a day in October
136 years ago that is remembered each year with the
observance we know today as Fire Prevention Week.
It has long been rumored that a cow was to blame for
the blaze.
The Great Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871,
killing more than 250 people, destroying more than
17,400 structures and burning more than 2,000
acres. Most of the destruction from the fire occurred
inside
On Scene
Fire-Prevention
Rapid Intervention
Teams
Page 3
100% Seat Belt
Pledge Compliance
Page 4
Fire Corps:
Bridging the Gap
Page 5
2006 DoD Award
Winners
Page 7
Near-Miss
Reporting
Page 8
Sprinkler Corner
Page 2
Announcements
Page 6
on October 9 and so Fire Prevention Week is always
observed on the Sunday through Saturday in which
this date falls.
Fire Prevention Week, sponsored by the National
Fire Protection Association, is the longest-running
health and safety observance on record, according to
the National Archives and Records Administration
Library Center. The president of the United States
has issued a proclamation designating a national observance during that week every year since 1925.
What’s the story on fire prevention week this year?
People are at greatest risk from home fires. The
theme, “It’s Fire Prevention Week – Practice Your
Escape Plan,” is about encouraging the public to be
prepared to escape from a fire in their home.
The message this year and for the last few has
centered around fires in the home because, simply
put, they are the most deadly. According to NFPA
reports, in 2006, 2,580 people died from home fires.
These fires accounted for 80 percent of all fire deaths
last year and averaged seven deaths per day.
The good news—the news that highlights the urgent need to educate the public on the importance of
fire prevention—is that most of these fires are preventable. The brave men and women of the fire service deal with the public every day and part of their
call to duty is preaching prevention.
A commitment to education and community outreach that is conducted to introduce and reinforce
fire safety is extremely valuable. The members of the
fire service have first-hand experience dealing with
the results when fire safety hasn’t been considered
and tragedy ensued. They also have the rewarding
experience of realizing when prevention and safety
messages work well and outcomes are positive.
On occasion, they may even be able to take a
positive outcome and trace it back to a safety message that proved to be a life-saving factor, like
when family members escape safely because of an
escape plan.
Activities that have higher risk associated with
them can help determine where to target safety messages, encouraging community members to practice
specific safe behaviors. Cooking and heating are the
leading causes of home fires and there are many safety tips that can help prevent these fires from starting
in the first place.
Prevention is ideal, but if a fire does occur, having
an escape plan that has been practiced will make it
more likely that occupants will survive a fire.
What’s the story? Focusing on fire prevention in
October or anytime can save lives.
The NFPA’s website (www.nfpa.org) offers free
materials for download during Fire Prevention Week
and all year long to help you in your important efforts to promote prevention.
Steven F. Sawyer is a senior fire service specialist, executive secretary of IFMA and executive secretary of the fireservice section of the NFPA.
Fatigue and the Potential
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
By Dr. Kerry Kuehl
F
irefighters and EMS responders are at increased risk for
on-the-job injuries, and firefighters have the highest on
the job heart attack rate of any occupation. It may not be a
coincidence that these same medical problems also are associated with chronic sleep deprivation.
Lack of sleep can cause mental fatigue and reduce work
performance; it can also lead to an increase in cardiovascular
disease and fatigue-related accidents and injuries. How much
of these health risks are due to the chaotic sleep patterns
associated with firefighting and EMS work?
Over the past year, the IAFC and USFA, with help from
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), have been
working on a project to answer that question and to develop
a training module designed to assist firefighters and EMS responders in combating unpredictable sleeping patterns and
the effects of sleep deprivation.
As a nation, we are sleeping less and working longer hours
than any other country. Firefighters and EMS responders are
no exception, and their shift schedules may present unique
challenges. Firefighting is one of the few professions with 24hour workdays, and within that general structure more than
20 different three- or four-platoon schedules exist, reflecting
local preferences, needs and tradition.
Superimpose variability in call number and workload
among fire stations and EMS units, and it becomes difficult
to generalize conclusions about the impact of different schedules and chronic sleep deprivation.
However, a few facts are clear. Most people need an average
of six to eight hours of sleep a night. Insufficient sleep reduces
job performance and over time impairs mental and physical
health. Studies demonstrate that fighter pilots, physicians,
ship captains, rocket scientists, firefighters and EMS responders are all adversely affected by chronic sleep deprivation.
Catastrophic events, such as the Exxon Valdez and
Challenger disasters, as well as more than 100,000 traffic
crashes each year, are related to sleep deprivation. In fact,
Please see “Sleep Deprivation,” Page 7
Fire Sprinklers: The Means, Not the End
By Azarang (Ozzie) Mirkhah, PE, EFO, CBO
O
ctober is National Fire Prevention Month, but fire prevention must be our
priority year around.
The multiple-fatality fires that have plagued us this year demonstrate that
smoke alarm and residential fire-sprinkler system technologies have significant
life-safety value and in conjunction with systematic public-education efforts
are of utmost importance in reducing fire fatalities. By the end of August, we
had 322 fatalities in 81 multiple-fatality fires; 57 percent of those killed were
children.
The 1973 America Burning is an invaluable document and part of America’s
heritage. Addressing the importance of fire prevention in our country, it states,
“Fire departments … need to expend more efforts to educate children on fire
safety, to educate adults through residential inspections, to enforce fire prevention codes, and to see that fire safety is designed into buildings … The commission recommends that local governments make fire prevention at least equal
to suppression in the planning of fire department priorities.”
The book Public Administration in America by George Gordon says budgets
“represent the priorities of those who formulated them.” So it is fair to say that
based on available statistics, fire prevention is still not a high priority for our
country’s fire service. We in the fire service have still not fully achieved the
goals and implemented the recommendations of the 1973 America Burning
report.
Fire prevention deserves a lot more attention and a much higher priority if we
are indeed committed to address the fire problem in our country. I believe in
the three Es of fire prevention that were first discussed in the 1947 President’s
Conference on Fire Prevention: education, enforcement and engineering.
Education is most important, since it focuses extensively on the primary contributors to the fire problem and the main benefactors of our mitigations efforts: our communities’ civilians.
Enforcement reminds us of the consequences of our failures and the associated liabilities. The recent catastrophic fires in Charleston and New York underline the importance of code enforcement, during both new construction and
system maintenance of existing buildings.
Engineering tries to minimize the risks and decrease the consequences of
failure, thus reducing the magnitude of the damage by limiting the fire growth
and progression.
Today, most of our resources are allocated to suppression efforts; until that
changes, our ability to educate and enforce is very limited, simply because we
don’t have the resources to better address the fire problem. So it makes sense to
focus more on the fire-prevention parameter we have some control over—engineering. It provides the opportunity to better protect our citizens and our
firefighters without the need for drastic fiscal shift of department resources.
Realistically, I don’t believe that in the foreseeable future, we will see a major shift for allocating more resources to fire prevention. The Assistance to
Firefighters Grants statistics prove the high demand for and scarcity of available
resources, so I don’t believe that nationally the allocations for fire prevention
can be expected to change.
We need to live within our means and yet accomplish our objective of reducing fire fatalities. Here is where reliance on technology and engineering
solutions could be of tremendous value without requiring fiscal realignment in
our departments. Simply stated, focusing on the engineering aspect of fire prevention may save lives and reduce property losses without allocating additional
funding. By engineering, I am not referring only to fire sprinkler systems, but
to all available passive and active built-in fire-protection technologies. Fire
sprinklers are not the end, but the means.
Fire sprinklers can’t prevent fires, but they can minimize the adverse consequences of failure once the fire has ignited. Focused on reducing fire fatalities
in residential occupancies, the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition claims that “installing both smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler system reduces the risk of death
in a home fire by 82 percent relative to having neither.”
We do indeed know what we should be focusing on and how to significantly
reduce fire fatalities and decrease fire loss. We have the know-how and simple, affordable life-saving technologies, such as smoke alarms and residential
fire-sprinkler systems. Yet, while smoke alarms are now quite common in our
households and 96 percent of homes have smoke detectors installed, residential
fire-sprinkler systems have been installed in only two percent. We must all
strive to change the building codes to require residential fire sprinklers in all
new homes.
Based on the feasibility and availability of current fire-protection technology, automatic fire-sprinkler systems present the most effective means of saving lives—both occupants and firefighters. It is our responsibility to educate
firefighters that fire sprinklers protect them from the hostile fire environment
of interior operations.
We must engrave this message on every single firefighter’s mind, “Fire sprinklers save firefighters’ lives, too.” @
Azarang “Ozzie” Mirkhah, PE, EFO, is a fire protection engineer with Las Vegas
Fire & Rescue and a Fire & Life Safety Section board member.
Blue Ribbon Panel
Sprinkler Corner
During the Code Council’s two-day Blue Ribbon Panel
meeting to address the wildland-urban interface
fire problem, ESRI Health and Human Services
Representative Jennifer Schottke explains the benefits
of GIS mapping systems to address issues such as
evacuation, alternate routes and location of fire
hydrants.
IAFC On Scene/October 15, 2007
Deschutes County (Ore.)
Forester Joe Stuttler presents
Project Wildfire, a program
his department created to
educate homeowners in the
city of Bend about ways to
protect their homes from
wildfire. Oregon averages
452 wildfires each year that
burn more than 38,000 acres.
Supported through grants and
federal funding, Project Wildfire
promotes clearing defensible
space around buildings and
includes free recycling days for
brush, leaves and tree limbs.
Did you know that installing a
residential fire-sprinkler system in
accordance with NFPA 13D would
only cost approximately 1-1.5 per­
cent of the cost of your home?
This is less than the cost of common upgrades offered in homes.
Let’s offer the option of fire safe
homes and protect our families
and communities. It’s time we take
action. Think about it, would you
build a house that could save your
life?
We hope that the answer is YES!
Fire-Prevention Rapid Intervention Teams
By Chief Shane Ray
F
ire-prevention rapid intervention team (RIT)?
What? Sounds like something for the Geek
Squad.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” a recent risk analysis of our community, indicated that 20 percent of
our existing commercial occupancies had code violations similar to those found as contributing factors
in National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) line-of-duty death (LODD) reports. “Command to all companies, we are going to
deploy fire-prevention RITs to mitigate this issue.”
If we think this is fiction, we are probably not being
creative enough to address a serious problem. Why
should we be out in our first-due areas conducting
inspections? Will this save lives in the future, both
firefighters and citizens? I propose to you it will save
lives. I also realize we are going to have to look at it
from a different perspective to make it widely acceptable in our profession.
There are those across this country who teach proactive RIT on the fireground, such as creating secondary means of egress and ingress, lighting, trackable relay teams, etc. The truth is that we can’t get
much more proactive than to address these needs in
already existing structures.
Performing inspections that remove the unapproved hardware from the back door of the local
business that traps and ultimately kills firefighters
is the most important. If we want to be proactive
leaders in the fire service, especially as company
officers, we should be conducting strategic pre-incident surveys and tactical inspections in our firstdue areas.
Getting our fire companies into the commercial
occupancies and target-hazard risk areas is something
we should do to prevent firefighter LODDs. You’re
right, doing this isn’t macho. However, after Chief
Dennis Compton spoke on leadership and firefighter
safety, the consensus in the room was that being macho was killing firefighters. Do we really want to be
macho? Not at the cost of firefighter fatalities.
A question was recently posed to a group of fireservice professionals about the interest level of firefighters in fire-inspection issues, such as panic hardware, unapproved locking devices, excessive travel
distances, fire sprinklers, etc. The overwhelming and
almost immediate answer was that most firefighters
cared absolutely nothing about such issues.
While as macho firefighters we tend to express
little interest in fire-prevention activities, especially
when in comes to inspections, we should review the
incidents where we are losing firefighters in building fires. Even at fire companies that are performing
inspections, are we sharing with the other shifts or
personnel our findings? If not, we need to move to
the next level and make sure all our personnel understand the circumstances.
Here is a classic example of how we are no different
than those citizens who believe “it will never happen
to me.” As firefighters, we say it will never be us; we
will never be trapped in a burning building.
I ask you this: What if it is? Are you ready? Do you
know what to do? Are you willing to train and learn
and be prepared? Why not? @
Shane Ray is fire chief of the Pleasant View Volunteer
Fire Department in Tennessee and a board member of
the IAFC’s Fire & Life Safety Section.
Share these important firesafety tips in your community:
• Install working smoke alarms on
every level, inside each bedroom and
outside each sleeping area.
• Develop a fire-escape plan that
identifies two ways out of each room
and a family meeting place outside.
• Make sure your plan allows for any
specific needs in your household. If
everyone knows what to do, everyone
can get out quickly.
• Practice your plan at least twice
every year.
• Some people may not awaken to
the sound of a smoke alarm; they
may need help waking up. Find out
during your drills if anyone in your
house has trouble waking and plan
accordingly.
• If the smoke alarm sounds, go to your
closest exit and if there is smoke
on your way out, turn and use your
second way out. If you must exit
through smoke, get low and go under
the smoke to your exit. Don’t take
time to pick up belongings; just get
out and help others get out. Move
fast but stay calm.
• Consider living in a building with
residential sprinklers or installing
them in your home for better
protection from fire and to allow
more time to escape. @
F i r e P reve n t i o n : S how Me the Money
By Jim Tidwell
A
s I write this article, Fire Prevention week approaches, and it seems there is
no shortage of interest in solving the fire problem in the United States.
With all this energy focused on the problem, the solutions should be right
around the corner, right? Right. The fact is that during my over 30 years in
the fire service, fire fatalities have been reduced by half. The number of fires
has been trending downward for that same period of time and the inflationadjusted value of property damage from fires is following a similar trend. So,
why aren’t we satisfied with that?
Depending on the statistical model used, an unfriendly fire occurs in the
United States every 19 seconds, a member of the public dies every two hours
and this year an average of two firefighters are dying in the line of duty each
week. If these numbers are acceptable to you, stop reading now; if you think
we have more work to do, I have some ideas.
Those of us in the fire service tend to look at the human impact as the greatest problem. We see people up close who are affected by fire; whose loved ones
suffer the losses; whose homes and possessions are destroyed. Our compassion
for the victims drives our passion to stop the carnage.
I submit that this is one of our greatest handicaps when it comes to finding
solutions to the fire problem in the United States.
How could compassion for those harmed by fire be a detriment to solving
the problem? Because it distracts us from looking beyond; from seeing the
issues from other perspectives; from finding the right hook to convince decision makers that it’s worth committing the necessary resources to combat this
enemy.
By decision makers, I mean those who decide where to expend resources—
city managers, mayors, elected boards and commissions—all of those who
represent the community we protect.
Why are they not as committed as we are to reducing the human cost of fire
in our communities? Simple: They don’t see the human cost first-hand. They
only hear us describe it, which simply isn’t the same as looking into the eyes of
a mother who just lost her child.
So how do we get the attention of those who make the decisions? What
drives the decision-making process in most communities? Money. Call it economic development; call it sustainable communities; call it getting reelected.
Whatever you believe is driving the decisions, it can usually be traced back
to money. So to convince decision makers to commit resources to solving the
fire problem in our communities, we must be able to show them the economic
impact of fire.
Dr. John Hall of the NFPA has authored a statistical analysis of available
national data. According to that report, losses from fire in the United States in
2004 (the last year for which loss figures are available) was $11.7 billion dollars. Add in the cost of fire departments, insurance and other costs associated
with fires, and the total cost of fire is estimated to be over $97 billion. Adding
additional indirect costs, such as the value of volunteer hours by firefighters,
human losses, etc., and the cost soars to $250 billion, give or take. That’s over
$850 for every man, woman and child in the United States.
The International Code Council has launched a program to educate the
elected and appointed leaders about the role of prevention as a component
of the public-safety system. Specifically, the effort is to raise the profile of
public-safety officials, such as fire and building code officials and inspectors,
dedicated to preventing fires and other disasters and to limiting the impact of
these events when they occur. By providing factual information to the leadership, we hope to gain more support for prevention as a component of sustainable communities.
For instance, recent studies indicate that the increase in construction costs
to harden structures to disasters (including fire) will return approximately
four dollars for every dollar spent. Would your community planners, politicians and managers be willing to invest a few dollars if they got a four hundred
percent return on the investment? If you haven’t posed the question, maybe
it’s time. @
Jim L. Tidwell is the vice president for fire-service activities for the International Code
Council and a retired chief officer from Fort Worth, Texas.
IAFC On Scene/October 15, 2007
First New National Seat Belt Pledge Certificate Goes to New Jersey Fire Company
E
ast Windsor Volunteer Fire Company #2 in Mercer County, N.J., is the
first organization to receive the new National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge
Certificate for achieving 100 percent participation in the signature campaign.
East Windsor is the first department in New Jersey to have all its members sign
the pledge, promising to wear their seat belts on apparatus.
Chief Gregory Cade, U.S. Fire Administrator, signed the certificate and added the Hot Foot logo representing the USFA. The IAFC’s new president, Chief
Steven P. Westermann, added his signature to the certificate as his first official
act at Fire-Rescue International in Atlanta.
Vehicle crashes are the number-two cause of firefighter deaths. Not using seat
belts is the number-one safety violation in the fire service. These two lethal
facts have resulted in the death of 11 firefighters and countless injuries nationwide since January 2007.
The impact the National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge program hopes to
make is that no firefighter dies in 2008 and beyond just because he or she didn’t
wear a seat belt.
The program’s goal is to have one million firefighters take the
pledge and 30,000 fire departments receive the certificate. So
far, more than 40,000 firefighters have signed the pledge and
over 80 departments have achieved 100 percent participation.
To download the Seat Belt Pledge for your department and
to watch the progress of this initiative across the country,
go to www.trainingdivision.com./seatbeltpledge.asp. Check
back to see how many departments in your state are making
the commitment and work with your neighboring chiefs to
make sure their departments have signed on also.
The IAFC, the U.S. Fire Administration, the National
Volunteer Fire Council,
the National Fire
Protection Association
and the National Fallen
Firefighters Foundation
are committed to firefighter seat-belt safety.
Take the pledge,
encourage your department and your
neighbors to take the
pledge, and buckle Deputy Fire Chief Eric Coran New Windsor
up so Everyone Goes VFC #2; Burt Clark U.S. Fire Administration;
Cathy Hedrick, National Fallen Firefighter
Home. @
Foundation; and Greg Collier, N.J. State
Advocate, Everyone Goes Home.
A Must-Have for Every
Combination Fire Department
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Modeled after the Chief Fire Officer’s Desk Reference
IAFC On Scene/October 15, 2007
Fire Corps is Bridging the Gap in Maryland
S
pend any amount of time on the stretch of the Washington, D.C., beltway that
runs through Montgomery County, Md., and you’ll see the gridlock, people and
noise that makes up urban life. Drive 75 miles northwest to Emmitsburg, Md., and
you’ll find rolling hills and Civil War battlefields. Both areas have pieces of the other:
Emmitsburg and surrounding towns are getting bigger as urbanites escape city life
while a section of Montgomery County remains untouched and very much like the
farmland surrounding Emmitsburg.
Despite the differences and the similarities, the fire and EMS departments that
serve both communities are looking to the same program to help meet their needs:
Fire Corps.
Fire Corps programs utilize the non-operational community support to meet resource-constrained departments’ needs. The Emmitsburg and Montgomery County
Fire Corps programs highlight the flexibility of Fire Corps to meet the needs of the
local department and the growing importance of the community as a resource.
All-Risk Preparedness
Emmitsburg is home to an array of prominent attractions: the preserved fields of Gettysburg, the presidential retreat of Camp David and the U.S. Fire Administration’s
headquarters and training and educational centers: the National Fire Academy, the
National Emergency Training Center and the Emergency Management Institute.
Emmitsburg officially launched its Fire & EMS Corps program on June 30. Due
to the existing structure of its fire and EMS services, the Vigilant Hose Company
(VHC) and Emmitsburg Ambulance Company (EAC) have worked together to create a Fire Corps program that meets the specific needs of both organizations.
With strong support from the community, the program has developed a broad
cadre of community resources. Fire & EMS Corps members range from a professional grant writer to an elderly resident willing to provide homemade pies to support
the departments’ annual fundraising efforts.
In recent weeks, the program has begun to reach out to nearby communities, including the faculty and staff of Mount Saint Mary’s University. All involved believe
that by working together, they can increase the region’s preparedness. Wayne Powell,
advisor to VHC and EAC, believes “Mount Saint Mary’s continuing efforts at preparedness in light of the ever-present range of emergencies and large-scale disasters
that face every community in America, along with VHC and EAC’s efforts to further
upgrade the regions all-risk preparedness in response to possible events, make this
collaboration a perfect fit.”
At a meeting between VHC/EAC and the university, Fire Corps State Advocate
Coordinator Dayna Hilton was on hand to share her knowledge of a Fire Corps program that utilizes student support. Hilton, a firefighter and public fire and life safety
educator from Johnson County RFD #1 in Arkansas, utilizes student support to help
her fire department increase its fire-safety educational programming.
Such information sharing is the backbone of the growing Fire Corps Advocate
Network. The Advocate network is a group of Fire Corps representatives from across
the country charged
with spreading the
message and value of
Fire Corps at the local
grassroots level.
The VHC/EAC Fire
Corps program and the university are working together
to develop a program, the
nature of which is yet to be
determined. “The university has always been very
supportive of both the fire
and ambulance companies
here,” said Powell. “But we
had no idea the Fire Corps
could open so many wonderful opportunities of mutual value to each other.”
Countywide Program
Emmitsburg Fire & EMS Corps members promote
their program at a local community event.
In an entirely different
setting, Chief Tom Carr of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services sees value
in a Fire Corps program for his department. Operating 34 stations with a 1,900member combination department, the average annual call volume is 120,000 runs.
Montgomery County is in the initial stages of developing a countywide Fire Corps
program. Chief Alan Hinde, division chief of Volunteer Services, and Greg St. James,
administrator of the Mobile Volunteer Personnel Corps, have been charged with developing the Fire Corps program.
The county is in the process of identifying its needs and potential resources. With
its large service area and diverse needs, there are many opportunities for Fire Corps
programs.
Montgomery County’s goal is to develop another avenue for community volunteerism by offering non-operational opportunities. “Given the reality of availability for
most these days, Fire Corps will let people fill in areas where they can and where their
time permits,” says St. James.
“We’re adapting Chief Carr’s vision of Fire Corps,” says St. James. “Fire Corps is
the perfect vehicle to be a force multiplier for the fire and rescue services.”
Fire Corps programs offer only non-operational support; in other words, Fire Corps
programs take some of the burden of general and administrative tasks off of the department so that they are better able to meet their operational requirements.
Departments of all sizes are encouraged to start their Fire Corps program by assessing department needs. This list of needs should be prioritized according to the needs
of department and of the community. After priorities are established, departments
must identify where non-operational citizen support could be best utilized.
The national Fire Corps program is operated as a partnership between the IAFC
and the National Volunteer Fire Council, under the oversight of National Advisory
Council (consisting of representatives from every major fire-service group).
Fire Corps programs are encouraged to register at www.firecorps.org; start-up resources and other materials are available on the newly designed site. Once registered,
departments can receive the latest in information via monthly newsletters. @
Fire Corps State Advocate Coordinator Dayna Hilton and Division/VCOS
Liaison Larry Curl contributed to this article. For more information on Fire
Corps, email mhebert@iafc.org.
How Fire Corps Can Help Your
Fire Prevention Week—and Your Year-Round—Efforts
State Advocate Dayna Hilton meets with representatives of the Mount Saint Mary’s University regarding
Fire Corps. Mount Saint Mary’s is located just a few
miles from the National Fire Academy.
Volunteer & Combination
Officers Section
Nov. 1-4, 2007
Sheraton Sand Key Resort
Clearwater Beach, FL
www.iafc.org/vcos
• By utilizing citizen support, you are building an educated
community. A community that understands the importance of
fire prevention (like checking that smoke alarms have working
batteries) is inherently a safer community.
• Taken a step further, a community that is educated to understand
the danger of fire may ultimately realize that installing residential
fire sprinklers can save both civilian and firefighter lives.
• Fire Prevention Week helps fire and EMS departments develop and
maintain its relationship with the community; Fire Corps programs
help maintain that bond year-round.
• An involved community is an educated community and one that has
the increased ability to respond to all types of emergencies.
REGISTER TODAY!
IAFC On Scene/October 15, 2007
ANNOUNCEMENTS
USFA’s Executive Fire Officer Program Receives a Record
Number of Applicants and Makes 2008 Selections
U.S. Fire Administrator Chief Gregory P. Cade recently announced that the
selections for the incoming class to the National Fire Academy’s (NFA) Executive
Fire Officer Program (EFOP) have been completed.
A record number senior fire executives and other key leaderS—425 in all—
have applied, qualifying them to begin the program sometime during FY 2008.
From this pool, 250 were selected and these will soon be scheduled for their first
course.
In making the announcement, Chief Cade said, “As a graduate of the EFOP
myself, I know the value of this professional development program to my own
career and life. The fact we have received the most number of applications ever
in the 22-year history of the program is a testimonial to the fact our fire and
emergency services community increasingly values this program. USFA is working
hard to maintain, if not increase, the quality of the EFOP experience and the
associated applied research activities. We are both encouraged and challenged
regarding this support of our EFOP.”
According to National Fire Academy Superintendent Dr. Denis Onieal, “Each
year, the academic qualifications and professional experience of the applicants
continues to amaze me. Our Key Leaders Program allows us to admit the future
fire-service leaders along with our traditional applicants currently serving as chief
officers. While emergency-services delivery is always demanding, our EFOP
graduates continue to lead America’s fire service, well prepared to meet their
future challenges.”
For more information about the National Fire Academy’s EFOP, go to the
USFA’s webpage at www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/efop/index.shtm. @
I A F C
Volume 21, Number 16
IAFC On Scene is read by 12,000 fire chiefs and company officers, with a pass-on
rate of six to eight additional readers for every subscriber. To advertise, email the
editor at OnScene@iafc.org or call 703-537-4807.
IAFC Board of Directors
Chief Steven P. Westermann
President
Director Alan W. Perdue
Fire & Life Safety Section
Chief Kelvin J. Cochran
First Vice President
Chief Luther L. Fincher Jr.
Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association
Chief Larry J. Grorud
Second Vice President
Chief Richard R. Carrizzo
Missouri Valley Division, Director-at-Large
Chief Jim Harmes
President 2006-2007
Chief Roger Bradley
New England Division
Chief William R. Metcalf
Treasurer
Chief I. David Daniels
Safety, Health & Survival Section
Chief Kenn E. Taylor
Great Lakes Division
Chief Jack K. McElfish
Southeastern Division
Chief Donald F. Warden
Canadian Division
Chief Jerry S. Bower
Southwestern Division
Chief William Walton Jr.
Eastern Division
Chief Fred C. Windisch
Volunteer & Combination Officers Section
Chief John Sinclair
EMS Section
Chief Joseph M. Perry
Western Division
IAFC Executive Director
Mark W. Light, CAE
Communications Director
Jennifer A. Ashley, CAE
Editor & Communications Manager
Jacqueline S. Garnier
IAFC On Scene (ISSN 0893-3936) is an official publication of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
On Scene’s mission: to provide fire and emergency services managers with information to help them make timely and
appropriate decisions. The opinions expressed in the newsletter are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily
represent the official position of the association. Address any questions about this issue and its material to the editor at
703-537-4807.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs, organized in 1873, is dedicated to the advancement of the fire
service. Its mission: to provide leadership to career and volunteer chiefs, chief fire officers and managers of emergency
service organizations throughout the international community through vision, information, education, services and
representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.
© 2007 International Association of Fire Chiefs. Unless otherwise noted, all material in this issue of IAFC On Scene is the
property of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and may not be reproduced without permission.
Publication/Conference Partner: FireRescue Magazine
IAFC On Scene/October 15, 2007
DHS Adopts 11 NFPA Standards for Emergency Responders
The Department of Homeland Security has adopted 11 NFPA standards for emergency responders. These standards will set requirements to help federal agencies
and state and local officials responsible for procuring equipment and services used
by emergency responders. They will provide direction and allow officials to make
better procurement decisions in the following areas: professional qualifications,
occupational safety and health, fire apparatus, personal protective clothing, powered rescue tools, and other equipment.
According to U.S. Fire Administrator Chief Gregory B. Cade, “These newly
adopted standards by DHS further ensure communities have well-informed, welltrained and well-equipped first responders, supported by manufacturers and outside agencies dedicated to protecting the people of this nation.”
The 11 newly adopted standards are
• NFPA 1000, Standard for Fire Service Professional Qualifications Accreditation and Certification Systems
• NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications
• NFPA 1002, Standard for Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Professional
Qualifications
• NFPA 1006, Standard for Rescue Technician Professional Qualifications
• NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications
• NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health
Program
• NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for
Fire Departments
• NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus
• NFPA 1906, Standard for Wildland Fire Apparatus
• NFPA 1912, Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing
• NFPA 1936, Standard on Powered Rescue Tools
The adoption of NFPA standards reflect the continuing support of a program
in DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate to build confidence in homeland
security technologies, products, services and personnel through the development
and adoption of voluntary consensus standards. A list of the standards can be
found on the DHS’s website (www.dhs.gov) and the Responder Knowledge Base
(www.rkb.mipt.org). The standards documents are available from the National Fire
Protection Association (www.nfpa.org ) from ANSI (http://webstore.ansi.org). @
2008 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program
Application Period Opened
Recently, Judy Smith Thill, deputy chief at the Maple Grove (Minn.) Fire
Department, wrote to On Scene (October 1 issue) about her experience in the
Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program. She said, “The experience was
amazing and one that will stay with me throughout my fire service career! I am
honored to have met such a wonderful mix of people and grateful to have had the
opportunity to work with other outstanding chief fire officers!”
The application period for the 2008 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program
has been opened and you have until February 11, 2008, to mail in your application.
The program is once again sponsored through a partnership of the IAFC, the
International Fire Service Training Association/Fire Protection Publications, the
National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Fire Administration. Each
organization will provide the tuition costs for two individuals.
Eight senior fire executives will be awarded fellowships to attend Harvard’s threeweek annual “Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.”
Selected Fellows will be assigned to attend one of the two session dates: June 8-27
or July 6-25. Fellows must be available to attend either session.
You can find more information about the program and about the program’s
application process and forms; go to the program’s webpage at www.usfa.dhs.
gov/training/nfa/higher_ed/degree_programs/harvard.
Deputy Chief Thill expressed her gratitude for receiving this great opportunity
saying, “Your encouragement through this Fellowship Program will no doubt
have a positive influence on the nation’s fire service! Your support is sincerely
appreciated!” @
Need to find another IAFC member?
Check out our Membership Directory under the
“Members Only” link at www.iafc.org.
DoD Fire and Emergency Service Awards Program Winners
The annual Department of Defense Fire and Emergency Service Awards Program is designed to recognize the DoD’s
best people and teams. Each year, the Department of Defense recognizes the preceding year’s premier fire-service
performers in these categories, honoring them at the annual Department of Defense Fire & Emergency Services
Training Conference:
• Large and Small Fire Departments of the Year – Recognizing fire protection’s best teams for achieving the
highest degree of excellence in mission support and fire-protection management.
• Fire Prevention Program of the Year – Recognizing each organization’s best fire-prevention program
• Military and Civilian Firefighters of the Year – Recognizing those individuals who exemplify superior job
performance and have made outstanding contributions to the fire service
• Military and Civilian Fire Officers of the Year – Recognizing individual superior job performance and significant
contributions of fire officers
• DoD Fire Instructor of the Year – Recognizing the finest instructor at the DoD Fire Academy.
• Firefighter Heroism Act Award – Recognizing acts of heroism above and beyond the call of duty
Service components submit their respective nominees to the director of Environmental Readiness & Safety Office
of the Secretary of Defense (I&E). The nominations are forwarded to the IAFC, which selects a peer group comprised
of five senior fire-service professionals to evaluate the submissions.
2006 Department of Defense Fire and Emergency Service Award Winners
• 2006 Large Fire Department of the Year: Army – Fort Bragg, N.C.
• 2006 Small Fire Department of the Year: Marine Corps – Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island Fire
Rescue Division, S.C.
• 2006 Fire Prevention Program of the Year: Navy – Commander Naval Forces Japan Regional Fire Department
Fire Prevention Division
• 2006 Civilian Firefighter of the Year: Navy – Mr. Hideyki Kusaba, Commander Naval Forces Japan Regional
Fire Department
• 2006 Military Firefighter of the Year: Air Force – Senior Airman Keith D. Armour, Vandenberg Air Force
Base, Calif.
• 2006 Civilian Fire Officer of the Year: Air Force – Mr. Daniel A. Ardoin, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
• 2006 Military Fire Officer of the Year: Air Force – Master Sergeant Shawn E. Ricchuito, Robins Air Force
Base, Ga.
• 2006 Heroism Act of the Year: Air Force – Mr. Charles W. Brooks, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; Mr.
John L. Markley, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
• 2006 Fire Instructor of the Year: Air Force – Technical Sergeant Robert D. Johnston, Goodfellow AFB, Tex.
Go to www.iafc.org/awards for more information about the DoD Fire and Emergency Service Award program and
to read more about each of this year’s honorees.
Sleep Deprivation
Continued from page 1
commuting home after a long workday is a particularly vulnerable time for fatiguerelated crashes.
Experts from OHSU, working with the IAFC and USFA, produced a document,
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders and an educational video, available on the IAFC website (www.iafc.org/sleep).
The report, more than 100 pages long, includes a review of normal sleep physiology and a critical review of the effects of acute and chronic sleep deprivation on
health and performance. Information relating specifically to sleep deprivation among
firefighters and EMS responders is presented, along with analogous findings and
lessons learned from fatigue-related adverse events in the medical profession and
transportation industry.
The final section of the report presents science-based recommendations for how to
manage and mitigate the potential adverse effects of long work hours.
The 30-minute educational video reviews highlights of the report and presents
brief interviews with national sleep authorities. Specific countermeasures and mitigation strategies are outlined, including identifying individuals who may be at increased risk, acknowledging the need for sleep and fostering a culture of support. The
last is particularly important, as it is clear that sleep-deprived individuals are least
able to recognize the problem in themselves.
Firefighters and EMS responders are charged with the immediate care of our 24/7
society, which can require long work hours under emergency situations until the job
is done. This places individuals at risk for sleep deprivation, and a significant safety
hazard is present when a person is sleep deprived.
The challenge for firefighters and EMS responders is to minimize the potential
decrements in performance and cumulative adverse health effects that come with
long work hours. Implementing the mitigation strategies and countermeasures outlined in the video and written report will help firefighters and EMS responders continue to meet or exceed existing high-performance standards while maintaining the
health and well-being of these emergency response personnel. @
Kerry S. Kuehl, MD DrPH, is an associate professor of medicine and codirector of the
Human Performance Laboratory Division of Health Promotion and Sports Medicine at
Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.
Member Services
Bulletin
v Do we have your correct
member information on file?
Let us know when you have a
new address, title, email address,
phone number, etc., so we can
keep our records up to date.
v Membership materials are
available for distribution! If
you’re attending division, state
chiefs and other meetings and
can distribute IAFC materials to
the group, let us know. We have
membership applications for
regular, departmental, associate
and affiliate members.
v Help recruit new members by
asking those you know to join
the IAFC today. You’ll receive
a prize for every member you
refer or recruit (www.iafc.
org/recruit).
Contact Member Services at
866-385-9110 to let us know of
any changes to your information
and to request membership and
recruiting materials. @
CLASSIFIEDS
IAFC On Scene is read by 12,000 fire chiefs and company officers, with a pass-on
rate of six to eight additional readers for every subscriber. Classified ads cost $75 per
printed vertical inch per column (ads below span two columns). To advertise, email
the editor at OnScene@iafc.org or call 703-537-4807.
Fire Chief
Bolingbrook, Illinois
The Village of Bolingbrook, Ill., is seeking an innovative and highly
qualified individual for the position of fire chief. Bolingbrook is a diverse,
vibrant community of 72,000, located approximately 30 miles southwest
of Chicago.
The fire chief is a key member of the Village’s executive management
team, overseeing a department of 95 FTEs and an annual budget of $13
million. The fire department responds to +7,200 calls annually.
The ideal candidate will have the background and experience to
effectively oversee a municipal fire department and will possess a thorough
understanding of fire prevention, fire suppression and emergency medical
services in a culturally diverse and growing suburban community. The
candidate will be a flexible and adaptable professional who can effectively
address organization and community needs. The fire chief will work under
the administrative direction of the mayor and must be able to work in
partnership with the executive management team and professionally
represent the Village in a variety of intergovernmental and community
settings. Experience working in a unionized environment and organization
that provides advanced life-support services is preferred.
The successful candidate will possess a bachelor’s degree in fire science,
public administration or related field; 15 years of progressively responsible
fire and EMS service experience in a comparable or larger fire department.
The National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program or graduatelevel degree is a plus.
Bolingbrook residency required within 12 months of appointment.
Salary: $90,000–$115,000 DOQ plus excellent benefits. Submit resume
with cover letter no later than 11/15/07 to Human Resources, Village
of Bolingbrook, 375 W Briarcliff Rd., Bolingbrook, IL 60440 or email
bsievers@bolingbrook.com. EOE.
IAFC On Scene/October 15, 2007
NEAR-MISS REPORTING
More than 1,450 Near-Miss reports have been filed at www.firefighternearmiss.com. Have you filed yours? To receive the Report of the Week (ROTW), visit the website or send an email to
nearmiss@iafc.org, with the word “subscribe” in the subject line. Each week, you’ll get a valuable report like the one below.
chain of events do you think the breakdown occurred?
• Is the breakdown solely the responsibility of one person in this report, or
were there aspects of this response that were not afforded their due regard?
• Did other unsafe acts occur during this response?
• If you were to analyze this report using the human factor analysis (HFACS)
worksheet provided on the Near-Miss resources page*, what unsafe acts or
preconditions for the unsafe acts did you note?
* The worksheet can be found in the Tools Section. A related essay on using
HFACS can also be found in the News Articles and Publications Section.
As a final note, the person that submitted this report thought this could be a
life-threatening situation and believed it could happen again. Has anything like
this ever happened to you?
Submit your report highlighting effective communication to www.firefighternearmiss.com today. There is no statute of limitations on experience. Yesterday’s
memories are today’s survival skills. Note: The questions posed by the reviewers are designed to generate discussion
and thought in the name of promoting firefighter safety. They are not intended to
pass judgment on the actions and performance of individuals in the reports. @
co
w
w.
ire
f
Firefighternearmiss.com is funded by a grant from the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters
Grant program. Founding dollars were also provided by
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company. The project is supported
by FireFighterCloseCalls.com in mutual dedication to firefighter
safety and survival.
w
his month, the On Scene report focuses on effective communication. As you
know, there are three basic parts to good communication. There is the sender, the receiver and the affirmation that the communication was completed.
For the communication to begin, the sender must initiate the dialogue. Once
initiated, the receiver has to understand the information posed to them and respond in a manner consistent with the expectations of the sender. The sender
must then recognize the response as appropriate; this provides the affirmation
needed to realize effective communication.
Report 6-610 is from a paid municipal department in FEMA Region VI. The
causal factors noted by this reporter were situational awareness and communication. A keyword search of www.firefighternearmiss.com identified 116 reports
that include “communication” as a contributing factor.
This is an excerpt from the report:
“…I noticed some light haze but there was no smell or hint of smoke. After walking 75 to 100 yards, I began not feeling right and asked the guard if the building
always smelled this way. He stated that the extinguishing system had gone off
and that was what we smelled. The guard then directed his flashlight beam to a
nearby wall and showed us a group of red tanks. I read that the tanks contained
carbon dioxide and had an asphyxiation placard. I directed my crew and the
guard to immediately leave the building. As we headed toward the door, I began
having difficulty breathing and felt short of breath. It was the suddenness of the
reaction to the carbon dioxide that concerned me most, as I was fearful that we
would not reach the exit…”
• In this report it appears that the breakdown in communication occurs very
early in the response. Although the information is not clear, where in the
fight
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s.
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