(Editor's Note: On the heals of our sharing the URGENT NIOSH SAFETY ADVISORY with everyone via email last night, today FirefighterCloseCalls.Com has posted another waterway failure - from our own back yard - that we should take as a wake up call. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed this time. PLEASE review the safe operating procedures of aerial waterways and then do a safety check of your apparatus. We don't need a failure of our own to wake us up. Fairfax City is close enough for me!)
(FirefighterCloseCalls.Com) In light of this weeks URGENT NIOSH SAFETY ADVISORY (link below) related to AERIAL WATERWAYS, there has been another aerial ladder waterway failure. While the Fairfax City (VA) FD was performing Driver/Operator training with the ladder truck, the nozzle, fly section of the waterway and associated metal structure separated from the aerial ladder and fell 70 to 80 feet to the ground. Fortunately, no one was in the vicinity and all of these components landed in a wooded area.
Their preliminary investigation indicates possible human error. The device used to secure the nozzle, after moving it from the "rescue position" to the "waterway position," was not correctly secured in either position. It was also determined that the gate valve for the waterway inlet was in the closed position when water was being pumped to the ladder. When it was opened, a significant force of water, under pressure, was introduced to the waterway. This likely provided the energy to eject the waterway and nozzle assembly. A representative from the manufacturer will be in Fairfax City next week to take a look at the device and vehicle. For further information, contact A/C Tim Butters at 703-385-7845.
NIOSH URGENT SAFETY ADVISORY: Improper Set-up of Aerial Ladders with a Locking Waterway May Put Fire Fighters at Risk http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/SafetyAdvisory05052008.html
(Editor's Note: This is yet another area where this Region could do more to protect fire fighters. Is your station equipped with vehicle exhaust removal systems? Are your emergency vehicles outfitted with a "No Smoke" system? How long does the "No Smoke" system filter the exhaust before bypassing the filtering system? How long does your apparatus idle in the station dumping poisonious fumes into our buildings? Are policies in place to guide you in the proper safety direction? Have you received appropriate training on emerging FF safety topics? Think about yourself, protect you co-workers and above all go home safely at the end of your shift! )
A new study suggests that firefighters face higher-than-average risks of several types of cancer, adding to evidence that the job carries hazards beyond the fires themselves.
A number of studies have found that firefighters have elevated cancer rates, though they have not always been consistent in the specific types of cancer.
In the current study, researchers found that professional firefighters had higher-than-expected rates of colon cancer and brain cancer. There was also evidence, albeit weaker, that they had elevated risks of bladder and kidney cancers, as well as Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Dr. Letitia Davis with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues report the findings in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
Firefighters are exposed to many potentially cancer-causing chemicals released from burning materials. At the scene of the fire, toxic substances such as benzene, lead, uranium and asbestos can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Though firefighters wear a breathing apparatus and other protective equipment while battling blazes, they typically do not wear the gear when they're merely in the vicinity of the fire. There can also be health hazards at the firehouse, where idling trucks expose firefighters to diesel exhaust.
For their study, the researcher combed through nearly two decades' worth of data from the Massachusetts cancer registry. Between 1986 and 2003, the registry recorded 2,125 cancer diagnoses among professional male firefighters.
The researchers found that, compared with men in other occupations, firefighters had nearly twice the risk of brain cancer and a 36 percent higher risk of colon cancer. They also showed higher risks of bladder cancer, kidney cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma, but the evidence was weaker due, in part, to the relatively small number of cases.
Other researchers have called for greater efforts to protect firefighters from the toxic substances that may be fueling these elevated cancer rates -- including less cumbersome protective equipment that firefighters can keep on when they are near a fire.
Experts also recommend that firefighters shower as soon as they return to the firehouse, in order to remove contaminated soot from their skin.
SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, May 2008.
On December 31, 2007 the National Fire Protection Association standard 1584, “Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training Exercises,” became effective.
As part of the Department of Defense, the Naval District Washington Regional Fire Department is governed by DoD Instruction 6055.6 which requires all DoD Fire & Emergency Service entities to comply with all NFPA standards. As such, compliance with new NFPA 1584 standard is MANDATORY for the NDW Regional Fire & Emergency Services! However, some five months has passed since the release of this standard without even so much as a single notice or safety bulletin from the Regional Fire Chief’s office. This IAFF Local finds it disturbing that there is a complete lack of any region wide policy on Rehab despite the DoDI 6055.6 requirements directing otherwise.
The absence of the NFPA required standard operating guideline and lack of any training on the new standard further supports this Local’s recent vote of “NO CONFIDENCE” in the Fire Chief.
Certainly, a Fire Chief is duty bound to take all necessary efforts to protect his firefighters from harmful or unhealthy working conditions. Without a doubt, that easily translates into providing a “standardized” region wide policy and training curriculum on Rehabilitation. Clearly, the Fire Chief has failed in this regard!
Like the Captain of a Navy ship, the Fire Chief is solely responsible for the safety of his crew members, in this case that would be ALL of the NDW Regional F&ES dedicated emergency responders. However, despite this obvious responsibility, it is clear to all employees that this is yet another example of the failings of the NDW Regional Fire Chief.
(Editor's Note: The following commentary appeared on "FirefighterCloseCall.Com" and is worthy of posting on our site. Please consider these valid points and then ask yourself how our regional fire departments response activities compare to the commentary below - And I will add a comment or two myself)
Here is a short commentary related to HEAVY 1st ALARM ASSIGNMENTS followed by updates and links re: yesterdays close call in Montgomery County, Maryland. Good "HEAVY" 1st alarm assignments (and rapid transmission of the 2nd alarm) once again proves their value. We recently were told of one FD considering "reducing" 1st alarm assignments to reported structure fires to save fuel and related costs. TO SAVE FUEL?! WTF?!!! (Sounds like something right out of the NDW playbook!)
There is NO MORE IMPORTANT of the most BASIC CORE SERVICES of any Government than to provide a well staffed, well trained, well lead HEAVY 1st alarm assignment when a citizen reports a fire. What is HEAVY? Enough FF’s, command and support officers to perform all POSSIBLE tasks in a simultaneous, coordinated manner, based upon the structure/occupancy type reported to be on fire by the caller (and related pre-plan information). Anything less is blatantly scr*wing the taxpayers (AMEN!!!) ...as well as the 1st due Firefighters who themselves, may also be in need of the immediate rescue services of that HEAVY 1st alarm assignment.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY FIRE INFORMATION STRUCTURAL INFORMATION: We have been advised that this was a 1960’s era wood frame, garden style, apartment building-this was not light weight truss, but did have a common attic.
RADIO TRAFFIC LINK: http://www.dcfirefeed.com/archives/12817twinbrook.wav
UPON THE MAYDAY: You will hear the IC (outstanding IC) transmit back to the MAYDAY: YOUR LUNAR! L Location, U Unit number, N Name, A Assignment, R Resources. (Where are you?, What radio ID are you?, Who are you?, What was your assignment?, What do you need?).
(What is the NDW MAYDAY policy & procedure? Trick question because there isn't a region wide NDW F&ES MAYDAY policy! Hell, the emergency identifiers on many radios are not even programed to work and a recently released SOG contained a "distress code" for F&ES personnel to use but the dispatchers were not even informed of the "secret" distress code - How is that supposed to work???
The National Capital Professional Federal Fire Fighters (NCPFFF) F-121, an affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), has conducted a vote of “no confidence” against Naval District Washington (NDW) Regional Fire Chief Edward Stillwell for not taking the necessary steps to keep the public and fire fighters safe.
Greg Russell, president of the National Capital Professional Federal Fire Fighters IAFF Local F-121, says, “We are still waiting on Chief Stillwell to acknowledge and address serious public and fire fighter safety concerns. IAFF Local F-121 fire fighters believe we had no other choice but to take this decisive action.”
Key issues listed in NCPFFF’s censure resolution include:
Chief Stillwell allows new and experienced fire fighters to answer emergency calls without the necessary up-to-date training;
The chief has not ensured that all fire fighters have proper protective gear for dangerous incidents such as bomb searches;
Chief Stillwell has failed to provide adequate communications equipment. Specifically, the radios NCPFFF fire fighters use are not interoperable among military installations. If a victim becomes trapped or injured in an emergency, radio unreliability puts the lives of fire fighters and citizens at risk;
The chief has not taken steps to follow applicable National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
“Because of these safety concerns, we are losing some of our best fire fighters to other departments,” states Russell. “The National Capitol area deserves the best in fire and emergency protection. It is imperative that we be able to keep our most experienced here. Therefore, these concerns must be addressed immediately.”
National Capital Professional Federal Fire Fighters (NCPFFF) IAFF Local F-121 represents over 200 federal fire fighters who serve at US Navy facilities in the National Capital region. NCPFFF’s mission is to provide the highest level of emergency service to the residents and employees within the National Capital region.
Admiral Earl Gay only arrived to lead NDW about a 8 months ago but he may already be on his way out. The former commanding officer of Oceana Naval Air Station has been nominated for a flag officer post in Washington, D.C.
Capt. Patrick Lorge has been nominated for rear admiral, lower half and assignment as Commandant of Naval District Washington, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday. He currently serves as chief of staff for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.
Lorge, a pilot, spent a year as executive officer and two years as commanding officer at Oceana before leaving last August.
Over six months ago as we began to roll out our region wide EMS program, Secretary/Treasurer Gray and I met with the Fire Chief and Labor Relations to discuss many issues related to the assumption of EMS duties. Protecting you from exposure to Infectious Diseases was one of the topics discussed. At that Sept 07 meeting it was agreed that we needed to take a proactive approach with our Infectious Disease Prevention program. The cornerstone of that program was supposed to be education and PPE supplied by the employer.
On Oct 25, 2007 this was a topic of lengthy discussion at the Regional Safety Committee meeting. Again, education was stressed along with waterless hand cleaner being made available on each apparatus and in each fire station. Along with this was a request that an outside Infectious Disease expert be brought in to lead the training.
Further, we asked that everyone watch an IAFF produced Infectious Disease DVD program supplied by the union at no cost to the employer. Your Battalion VP provided each station within their respective Battalion with a copy of the DVD.
At the end of this topic discussion, it was promised that a regional directive on this matter would be issued shortly.
Today, over six months after the topic was initially discussed, the Regional Fire Chief finally took the time to issue the directive promised in Oct 2007. While I am pleased that the Fire Chief has finally taken the time to consider this matter, I am not impressed with the priority he placed on this important safety topic. Like you, I suspect this matter only received the attention it did because of the spotlight that has been focused on our feeble FD safety program.
You will find the Minutes from the Oct 07 Safety Committee Meeting and the latest Infectious Disease Memo from the RFC posted below.
I will continue in our efforts to draw real attention to improving the NDW FD's overall health & safety posture.
All members are encouraged to visit the secure member's only "Online Voting" section of this website to cast your ballot on the Censure Resolution of Fire Chief Edward G Stillwell. All votes cast in this resolution remain secret, only the tally of the votes will be known. We have no way of attaching a particular vote to a particular member.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 412-0 last week to adopt legislation strengthening the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). H.R. 4847, the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, included key IAFF recommendations to expand and improve USFA’s training activities, improve fire fighter safety and better serve the needs of the modern fire service.
The vote came over the objections of the Bush administration, which sent an 11th hour letter opposing a provision crafted by the IAFF to improve delivery of USFA training programs. Under current law, USFA will pay for training offered at the U.S. Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, or offered by a state training academy. But larger jurisdictions that have their own training facilities have been unable to take advantage of such federally funded training.
To address this concern, the IAFF drafted an amendment that will allow USFA to contract with a national training organization, such as the IAFF, to provide training in localities around the nation. The Bush administration argued that such training was unnecessary because the classes offered at Emmitsburg and state academies meet the needs of the nation’s fire service. House members swept aside such considerations, however, voting unanimously for the bill with the IAFF’s language intact.
The legislation was sponsored by Representative Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), and actively supported by Representative David Wu (D-OR), chair of the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. Testifying on behalf of the IAFF before Wu’s Subcommittee, Bob Livingston, a captain in the Salem, Oregon Fire Department, urged lawmakers to modernize the U.S. Fire Administration. “Today’s professional fire fighter is an all-purpose emergency responder, trained in such specialized disciplines as emergency medical care, hazardous /WMD materials response and high-angle, confined space and water rescue,” Livingtson explained. “But as fire fighters have expanded their duties, responsibilities and capabilities to meet the needs of their communities, so too must the USFA evolve to meet the needs of the 21st Century fire service.”
Based on Livingston’s recommendations, H.R. 4847 directs the Fire Administration to promote compliance with NFPA safety standards and advocate for the use of fire department-based EMS delivery systems. The legislation also authorizes additional federal resources for wildland fire fighting and to improve USFA’s data collection efforts to better identify fire safety trends.
Attention now turns to the Senate where a companion bill to H.R. 4847 is being considered. S. 2606, authored by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), tracks the provisions of the House-passed bill and includes the provisions backed by the IAFF.
Over the past two months the Regional Fire Chief has released a large number of Standard Operating Guidelines that must be followed by all fire department personnel as they perform their emergency life saving duties. Unfortunately, in issuing the SOG’s the Fire Chief appears to have failed in his obligation to take steps to ensure that the NDW fire fighters are protected and made as safe as possible from work place hazards. Equally disappointing was the Fire Chief's guidance that has the potential of placing fire fighters inside structures that has been the subject of a bomb threat or in areas of hostile gunfire. To address these issues and many more, several attempts was made to bring these issues to the Fire Chief’s attention but that was to no avail. He did not agree to meet with the Local's leadership. Subsequently, three grievances was filed with the agency demanding that they immediately take steps to recall the harmful SOGs and immediately take steps to improve the safety posture of the NDW Regional Fire Department to the minimal standards required by NFPA 1500 and other NFPA standards.
For other examples of the harmful or poorly presented SOGs please see the following PowerPoint presentation. Note: the PowerPoint refers to firefighters not performing Decon & Disinfection activities – this is not Gross Decon but rather finite decon or sterilization of biological substances.
(Editor's Note: The Executive Board of this Local is a strong proponent of Fire Fighter Safety issues. To that end, President Russell has filed three grievances with the employer over safety issues since Monday. It is the intent of this Local to provide our members with a safe and healthy workplace and then hold management accountable when they fail to meet the minimal standards set by NFPA)
IAFF priority legislation to enhance fire fighter safety and health has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. On April 2, Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) joined with 17 original cosponsors from both parties to introduce H.R. 5686, the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act of 2008.
The legislation promotes the adoption of national consensus standards for safe fire department operations by fire departments to safeguard the lives and health of their members. H.R. 5686 would require the Department of Homeland Security to determine the level of compliance with such standards among fire departments nationwide, and establish a task force to explore ways that governments can promote the adoption of such standards by fire departments.
“The continued prevalence of avoidable fire fighter fatalities is the most serious problem facing the fire service today,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “I applaud Representative Perlmutter for tackling this problem head-on, and am proud to join with him to ensure that fire fighters nationwide have the tools and resources they need to ensure their safety and the safety of those they protect.”
The IAFF featured the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act as one of its key legislative priorities at the 2008 Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference in March. More than 800 IAFF leaders lobbied their senators and representatives to support fire fighter safety standards and solicited congressional support for H.R. 5686.
Click here to learn more about the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act.
A Navy firefighter, removed for failing a random drug test, could not convince the Merit Systems Protection Board to reverse his firing, and has now lost his bid to convince the appeals court. (Peterson v. Department of the Navy, C.A.F.C. No. 2007-3273 (nonprecedential), 3/7/08)
Peterson's position was designated for random testing under the agency's Drug-Free Workplace Program. He signed a document acknowledging this as well as the fact that the penalty for a first-time offense ranged from reprimand to removal. When he tested positive, he admitted that he had gone to a party, had too much to drink and smoked marijuana. It was his first offense. (Opinion, pp. 1-2)
The agency removed Peterson. The final decision letter spelled out how each of the Douglas factors was weighed and concluded that removal was the appropriate penalty. It pointed out that a firefighter's duties include providing emergency medical assistance as well as fighting fires and "that these duties require good judgment and a high level of public trust." (p. 3)
On appeal, the Merit Systems Protection Board sustained the agency's removal of Peterson. He took his case to the appeals court, but has fared no better there. The court now rules that removal "although harsh…is not grossly disproportionate to an offense of drug use by an emergency responder in the Naval Station's Department of Public Safety." (p. 3)
The court points out that its review of an agency's determination of penalty is "extremely limited….[and] left to the sound discretion of the agency." (p. 2)
Do you own a motorcycle? If so, consider this: The warm weather will be arriving shortly and you will undoubtedly want to "exercise" your bike after the long winter storage. As such, I am sure you want your bike to look the best it can. How better to make you bike look good than to display the IAFF logo on your tags.
Our local is in the process of establishing a motorcycle tag with the Maryland MVA. In order to initiate the order we must have 25 members requesting our "new" tags. Our new motorcycle tags will be identical as the "Red, White & Blue" IAFF logo tags we currently have available for cars and trucks.
If you want to be one of the first, and that means a low number, please President Russell with your name and current tag number. Be sure to put "IAFF Motorcyle Tags" in the subject line. Additionally, include the address you want us to use to mail you the MVA Organization Tag form. You will need to complete that and return it to us with the appropriate fee. As soon as 25 members complete those forms we (MVA) will be ready to issue the tags. This tag is available for Maryland registered vehicles/motorcycles only.
Don't delay, Spring is almost here and I know you want your bike to look it's best by proudly displaying the IAFF logo.
The results of the March 2008 election cycle are in. The results are as follows:
President, 3 yr term: Gregory Russell Secretary/Treasurer, 3 yr term: John E. Gray III
Vice-President (Washington), 2 yr term: Christopher Joseph Vice-President (Annapolis), 2 yr term: Richard Cavey Vice-President (Indian Head), 2 yr term: William Robey Vice-President (Pax River), 2 yr term: Darryl Randall Vice-President (Dahlgren), 2 yr term: William Cain Vice-President (NNMC), 2 yr term: Trenton Massenberg
President Emeritus (until revoked by the Executive Board): Bruce Poore
In accordance with the Local Bylaws, the term of office shall begin on April 1, 2008
The 2008 Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference will be webcast on Monday, March 10 with a brief time delay and will be available for viewing as the Conference progresses.
Mont Co mayday.pps
Infectious Disease Memo.doc
