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October 16th, 2009
In this Edition:
Around Montana
New IM Outreach Schedule
Billings Structure fire at 807 North 26th
H1N1 Precautions
Lundby Fundraiser Correction
Around the Nation
NFPA and Johns Hopkins to study how best to teach children about fire safety
New Proposed AFG Changes Spare Smallest Departments, Reward Largest
We have 2 more hose testing failures, and 1 with Firefighter injuries
AZ Firefighter Burned
WE HAVE A CREW BUT NO DRIVER
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Around Montana
New IM Outreach Schedule
Thanks Ian M
TUESDAY, OCT. 20--KALISPELL:
10:30 a.m.--Flathead County Courthouse Annex, 800 South Main St. (Commissioners meeting room)
1:30 p.m.--Kalispell City Hall, 201 1st Ave. East (City manager's office)
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21--EUREKA & PABLO
9:00 a.m.--Lincoln County Annex Building, Eureka (On MT Hwy 37 just west of the junction with U.S. 93 north of town)
2:00 p.m.--Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribal Complex, 18 Complex Blvd., Pablo
(downstairs in the older building on the east side of the complex)
THURSDAY, OCT. 22--MISSOULA & HAMILTON
9:00 a.m.--Room 201, Missoula County Courthouse Annex, 200 W. Broadway, Missoula
2:00 p.m.--Ravalli County 9-1-1 Center, County Courthouse, 205 Bedford, Hamilton
Ian Marquand
Public Affairs & Outreach
Interoperability Montana
2717 Skyway Drive
Helena MT 59601
Cell: (406) 529-6494
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Billings Structure fire at 807 North 26th
On 10/14/2009 at about 4:30 p.m., a structure fire was reported at 807 North 26th. The fire caused minor smoke damage throughout the house. The building is insured. There were no injuries. The estimate of fire and smoke damage to this house is $2000.
The cause of this fire is classified as accidental. The fire started in the furnace area.
If you have any further questions, please contact me at the following:
Brett DiPasquale
Deputy Fire Marshal
Billings Fire Department
2305 8th Avenue North
Billings, MT 59101
657-8425
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H1N1 Precautions
STAY HEALTHY EVERYONE!
Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist)
having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions
like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial
etc.. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid
clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). The
following message given by him.
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global
epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1
inspite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so
much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1
infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and
development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully
highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of
focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official
communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part
of face (unless you want to eat, bathe).
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/
nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple
gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has
the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected
one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful
preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti
(very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose
hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm
salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
(Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C
tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking
warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse
direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the
stomach where
they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
I suggest you pass this on to your entire e-list. You never know who
might pay attention to it - and STAY ALIVE because of it.
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Lundby Fundraiser Correction
Leonard’s fundraiser will be held at the Vaughn Fire Department and not the Manchester Fire Department on November 14, 2009 at 4 PM.
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Around the Nation
NFPA and Johns Hopkins to study how best to teach children about fire safety
First time groups work together to enhance fire safety education
October 13, 2009 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) announced a joint project titled Strengthening the Impact of Fire and Life Safety Messages on Children. The goal is to determine the best way to communicate fire safety messages to children ages 3-9. Each year approximately 290 children ages 3-9 die as a result of fire in the U.S. This project is made possible by funding from FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, AFG Fire Prevention and Safety Grants.
“Fire departments and other safety educators reach out to millions of children each year to help them learn how to keep themselves safe from fire and other hazards,” said Judy Comoletti, NFPA’s division manager of public education. “As safety educators, it is vital that we understand and continually review what types of messaging have the greatest impact on children when encouraging them to practice safe behaviors. Resources being developed through this project will guide us and others interested in ways to best reach this young audience and their families with life-saving information.”
Through this project, the two organizations are seeking to increase safety behaviors among children. Children will be asked to observe video vignettes that vary how safety content is communicated and how safety messages are framed. Researchers will evaluate what they learn, which types of messages have the most impact on children and how their parents react to the program.
“The outcomes of this study will contribute to understanding how children and their parents react to safety messages,” said Andrea Gielen, ScM, ScD, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. “Despite the fact that injuries are the number one cause of death for children in the U.S., little is currently known about how best to reach them with safety information.”
To ensure the outcomes of this study will impact future health education work, a guide for developing educational materials will be developed to help others involved in fire and life safety programs. The guide will be available on NFPA’s Web site for use by any fire department or other fire safety organization. The project is slated to be completed by July 2010.
About the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy
The Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy is comprised of a team of multi-disciplinary scientists, teachers and practitioners committed to reducing the burden of injuries through research, education, and service. Using a public health approach in which science informs practice, and practice questions science, the Center has been able to save lives and reduce the burden of injuries. Visit the Center’s Web site at www.jhsph.edu/InjuryCenter.
About NFPA
NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.
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New Proposed AFG Changes Spare Smallest Departments, Reward Largest
BY SUSAN NICOL KYLE of Firehouse.com News
http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/Funding-and-Finance/New-Proposed-AFG-Changes-Spare-Smallest-Departments--Reward-Largest/12$66107
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Under a new proposal -- set for Congressional review tomorrow -- small departments applying for FIRE Act grants will be able to keep their current matching requirement, while the largest departments will see a steep decline.
Fire departments serving populations of 20,000 or fewer will be required to pay a five percent match under the proposal, while all others will have a 10 percent match.
Currently, departments with populations between 20,000 to 50,000 already have a 10 percent match while the country's largest departments currently have a 20 percent match.
The largest departments also stand to get the most grant money, while the smallest jurisdictions will be eligible for the least.
Earlier this summer, fire service organizations were at odds when a proposal to require a 15 percent match across the board surfaced. Some fire officials contended that it would have desperately hurt the neediest departments.
Part of the initial proposal that also sparked some concern divided the pot, giving 30 percent each for career, combination and volunteers, with the remaining 10 percent up for grabs by all departments. The revised proposal divides the pot, giving 25 percent each for career, combination and volunteers, with the remaining 10 percent still up for grabs.
The remainder -- after three percent for administrative fees -- will be divided up with 10 percent minimum for firefighter safety research; three percent maximum for fire service training academies and two percent maximum for volunteer non-fire based EMS and rescue.
Under the new proposal, departments also may ask for a waiver of the match for financial hardship although guidelines for this have not been established yet.
Tomorrow afternoon, members of the House Committee on Safety and Technology will have a mark-up session of the proposal, according to committee spokesman Alex Snider.
While the public may attend the hearing, no testimony is allowed. Amendments and changes to the proposed guidelines will be discussed.
The measure has been signed by all major fire service organizations including the IAFF, IAFC, NFPA, CFSI and NVFC.
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We have 2 more hose testing failures, and 1 with Firefighter injuries
Thanks Billy G from The Secret List @ www.FireFighterCLosecalls.com
A Seminole County (FL) Firefighter, testing fire hose was struck in the head Wednesday afternoon, lost consciousness and was flown by helicopter to an Orlando hospital. The fire department did not release his name, and his condition was not immediately available. The incident happened about 1540 Wednesday at county Fire Station 42
In Decatur Twp. (IN) Tuesday during annual hose testing, they had a 100' section of 5" hose fail catastrophically. Early information is that shortly after the hose was charged to the NFPA recommended testing pressure, crews heard a loud bang and witnessed the aftermath of the failure. Fortunately crews had just past the spot of failure en route to rack hose and no one was close to the site. When the one section failed, it cut another 5" section laying close by in half, pieces of the coupling were found 94 feet away. The section that failed was thrown 75 feet.
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AZ Firefighter Burned
Thanks Billy G from The Secret List @ www.FireFighterCLosecalls.com
A Buckeye (AZ) Firefighter who was operating at a trailer fire has been hospitalized with serious burns but is expected to make a full recovery. 26-year-old Firefighter Marcus Haynes was searching for possible occupants in a large travel trailer at midmorning yesterday when the fire flashed over him and he was burned. FF Haynes was transported to the burn unit at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix and he suffered second-degree burns on his hands and one arm. Haynes has been a firefighter for three years. We wish him a rapid recovery.
Follow up…
As an update to the item we sent our earlier related to the Arizona Firefighter who was burned yesterday, check this video. Another example of why our PPE matters, why we MUST take care of it, why your PPE specs are as important as your apparatus specs (if not more) and....that we must operate with no exposed skin and never breathe that crap.
Not during initial and continued firefighting operations.
Not during overhaul (where smoke can be at it's worse). Never breathe it.
In this case, full use of PPE probably saved this Firefighters life:
http://www.kpho.com/video/21300180/index.html
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WE HAVE A CREW BUT NO DRIVER
Thanks Billy G from The Secret List @ www.FireFighterCLosecalls.com
It is no secret that some volunteer or call fire departments have trouble getting a crew on the road. And in most cases, when they don't it's no a surprise-perhaps except for "who" called 9-1-1. Generally VFD's know if they may-or may not get a crew on the road depending on the type of run and the time of day. Generally.
While there are many leadership solved solutions from recruitment, to proper funding (or use of available funding) to aggressive auto-mutual aid first alarm assignments, the bottom line must be that if we say we are a fire department, then we should be able to provide the service-at least to get a well staffed company to the scene within accepted time frames, along with a heavy 1st alarm assignment behind you. Duty crews, career personnel, aggressive automatic mutual aid- - -whatever.
The debate can last forever. The bottom line is that when folks dial 9-1-1 (and the community fiscally supports that local FD thru taxes, fund raising or whatever source of revenue they use) the bottom line is that they needed us 10 minutes ago. We have to remember that it's not "our" fire, it's "their" fire, so what's best for the folks having the fire should be the primary focus. Response. Trained Firefighters. Rescue. Water on the fire. Whatever may be needed based upon planning ahead and what is reported to the dispatcher.
An recent example is in Onondaga County (NY) where the South Bay FD, as good as they are and as much as they tried-like so many VFD's, had a fire and then had a crew turnout-but no driver, at least not in a reasonable amount of time. The FACTS are as follows:
9:12 p.m.: Wife calls 911 to report the house fire, which dispatches the South Bay FD to her home.
9:16 p.m.: Owner and the police arrive. At the same time, a South Bay deputy fire chief (away from the area) asks the dispatcher to dispatch Bridgeport and Cicero FD's for mutual aid.
9:17 p.m.: Six firefighters show up at the South Bay firehouse but none can drive the truck. 911 puts out a second call, this time for a driver.
9:24 p.m.: South Bay engine responds.
9:25 p.m.: 911 dispatcher notes that, 13 minutes after the call, there are no fire units on the scene.
9:28 p.m.: South Bay engine arrives.
9:42 p.m.: The fire is out.
Volunteer fire departments in so many areas are well staffed, well trained, well lead and well funded. Many of those fire departments understand that they must change-with the support of the community-to meet growth and related service challenges. 'Pretty much do whatever it takes to handle the worst emergency-and do it as if it were "our" own emergency. HERE is an example of a department that experienced a turnout problem-and the results of that "short" response:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/cicero_family_watches_house_bu.html
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