LODD

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Eastman, GA

Jay C. Brown of the Gresston Volunteer Fire Department in Eastman, GA has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-06-27  Firefighter Davis passed away from an apparent heart attack shortly after completing a tour of duty that included several emergency responses. 

LODD Notice From USFA

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Mesa, WA

Chet Bauermeister of the Franklin County Fire District 4 in Mesa, WA has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-06-23

Jun 22, 2010

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Oswego, NY

Scott W. Davis of the Oswego Fire Department in Oswego, NY has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-06-19

From Your USFA

Smoke Alarms:  On-call 24/7 Only When Properly Maintained

Summertime means cookouts, vacations and family time, but as you are well aware, the risk of fire is always present and does not discriminate based on day, time, place, or person.  If conditions are right for a fire, it will happen.  Are residents in your community prepared with properly installed and maintained smoke alarms?

A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke.
The USFA now recommends that every residence and place where people sleep be equipped with:

• both ionization AND photoelectric smoke alarms, OR
• dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.

Address the importance of having properly installed and working smoke alarms by including the website to USFA’s Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign in your newsletters, on your fire department’s website and at community meetings.  Ask residents to go to www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms (English) or www.usfa.dhs.gov/detectoresdehumo (Spanish).  Residents can read more information about smoke alarm installation and maintenance as well as find facts about residential fire sprinklers.

If your smoke alarm was installed before June 2000, it needs to be replaced.

An important part of maintaining a smoke alarm includes replacing it after 10 years of service.  It’s a fact: all hardwired or battery- operated smoke alarms, installed before June 2000 should be replaced now…June 2010!  Be sure to tell everyone you know that the few minutes it takes to replace a smoke alarm can save the lives of roommates, family members, neighbors and yes….the men and women of the Fire Service.

Does your fire department or company have a website? The USFA invites you to add this free  smoke alarm installation widget to your website. The widget is a convenient, automatic and effortless way to remind your audience to change smoke alarms that are older than 10-years-old.  Go to www.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/smokealarms/widget.shtm to download the widget.  Once you’ve added the widget to your website, please send a quick e-mail listing the website that is displaying the widget to quickresponse@hagersharp.com.

USFA Focus on Fire Safety: Fireworks

Every year in the United States, we celebrate the Fourth of July with community parades, picnics, barbecues, and fireworks - the things of which happy memories are made. But sadly, Independence Day also includes tragic events resulting from the use of fireworks. The safest way to enjoy them is through public displays conducted by professional pyrotechnicians hired by communities. Learning fireworks safety tips can help ensure that everyone has a happy and safe summer holiday.

By the Numbers: Fireworks

• 30,100 Estimated number of fires caused by fireworks each year
• 7,000 Estimated number of injuries caused by fireworks in 2008
• 7 Fireworks-related deaths occurred in 2008
• $34 million Amount of direct property loss caused by fireworks

Sources: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Who is at Most Risk?

In 2008, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 7,000 people for fireworks-related injuries. Seventy percent (70%) of these injuries occurred between June 20 - July 20. Of these:

• 46% of injuries were to the extremities and 36% were to the head.
• 56% were burns, while 21% were contusions and lacerations.
• Two of 5 people injured by fireworks were under the age of 15.
• 62% of injuries were to males; 38% were to females.
• Devices such as sparklers, fountains, roman candles, and novelties accounted for 40% of injuries; firecrackers caused 18% of injuries.

How and Why Do These Injuries Occur?

• Availability: In spite of federal regulations and varying state prohibitions, many types of fireworks are still accessible to the public. Distributors often sell fireworks near state borders, where laws prohibiting sales on either side of the border may differ.
• Fireworks type: Among the various types of fireworks, some of which are sold legally in some states, bottle rockets can fly into peoples' faces and cause eye injuries; sparklers can ignite clothing (sparklers burn at more than 1,000°F); and firecrackers can injure the hands or face if they explode at close range.
• Being too close: Injuries may result from being too close to fireworks when they explode; for example, when someone leans over to look more closely at a firework that has been ignited, or when a misguided bottle rocket hits a nearby person.
• Lack of physical coordination: Younger children often lack the physical coordination to handle fireworks safely.
• Curiosity: Children are often excited and curious around fireworks, which can increase their chances of being injured (for example, when they re-examine a firecracker dud that initially fails to ignite).
• Experimentation: Homemade fireworks (for example, ones made of the powder from several firecrackers) can lead to dangerous and unpredictable explosions.

What Can I Do?

• The best way to protect your family is not to use any fireworks at home — period. Attend public fireworks displays and leave the lighting to the professionals.
• Kids should never play with fireworks. Sparklers can reach 1,800° Fahrenheit (982° Celsius) — hot enough to melt gold.
• Steer clear of others — fireworks have been known to backfire or shoot off in the wrong direction. Never throw or point fireworks at someone, even in jest.
• Don't allow kids to pick up pieces of fireworks after an event. Some may still be ignited and can explode at any time.
• Think about your pet. Animals have sensitive ears and can be extremely frightened or stressed on the Fourth of July. Keep pets indoors to reduce the risk that they'll run loose or get injured.

For more information go to: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/fireworks.shtm

Firefighter Tactics Under Wind Driven Conditions is Available

 

This DVD set includes a video presentation called, Understanding, Surviving, and Fighting Wind Driven Fires, presented by Battalion Chief Jerry Tracy of the Fire Department of New York City, Peter Van Dorpe of the Chicago Fire Department, Stephen Kerber now with Underwriters Laboratories, and Daniel Madrzykowski of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  It provides an overview of the wind driven research that was conducted and portrays it's findings in a very easy to use, and training ready format.  It includes a video overview, The Firefighting Tactics Under Wind Driven Conditions: Seven Story Building Report, The Firefighting Tactics Under Wind Driven Conditions: Laboratory Experiments Report (both are also located here), a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the results, training videos, and video documentation of all of the experiments.

The object of this research was to document the impact of wind on fire spread through a structure and examine the capabilities of positive pressure ventilation (PPV), wind-control devices (WCD), and externally applied water to mitigate the hazard.  This DVD set includes the videos from the 8 lab experiments performed in a simulated apartment at NIST and 14 experiments performed in a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island, New York.  To request a copy of the dual-disk DVD set please email Dan at madrzy@nist.gov.

Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial, Inc. Dedication Ceremony

Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial, Inc.
http://www.wsfm.org/

Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial, Inc.

Dedication Ceremony - June 19^th, 2010 - 11:00 A.M.

Make Plans to attend the dedication of OUR State Memorial to those that have served our communities and state.

Located on STH 54 and 73 in Wisconsin Rapids.
Please visit site and register: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1167290513&success=1#!/event.php?eid=113489558692609&ref=mf

Food and Beverages will be available on-site.

This is our Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial built by donations of money, labor, material and LOVE!

Dedicate to those have given their lives serving in the Line of Duty and to those that have served as firefighters and Emergency Medical responders.

In February of 2009, the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial Building was officially completed.  The Memorial Building final cost came in at $379,000 with the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial, Inc. putting down $120,000 toward the project.  The outstanding loan is $260,000, which the WSFM is pushing to pay off within 5 years.  The loan was taken out on the project to offset the rise in construction costs versus attempting to raise all the funds needed for the building before construction would ensue.  It became more cost effective to take out a short-term loan.  We thank Wood Trust Bank for their confidence in the project, especially during these economic times.

The Memorial Building on site was designed and built to closely resemble a turn of the century Fire Station.  The building was constructed with a brick facade and corner enhancements.  Though it resembles a two-story structure, it is a one-story structure with visitors accessing the visitors center via the front door or the rear access doors.  Once the memorial center is open to the public, visitors walking through the front door will be greeted with the Wisconsin State Firefighters Logo emblazened in the floor.  The ceiling of the memorial center takes on the appearance of the old-time tin ceiling.  To the right of the visitors there is a large apparatus room that will be for display purposes only.  Visitors again will be able to view fire and memorial related displays.  To the rear of the center there are restrooms. 

The main room will contain display cases and other memorabalia pertinent to the Memorial; along with a Kiosk that will contain the names of Firefighters from across this great State who are serving or have served their respective communities.*

* The names in the Kiosk will come from all 860 plus departments across the State.  Each department will have the responsibility to send the WSFM their rosters of personnel who have served their department and are serving presently.  We anticipate being able to have the capacity to have a picture, and a short biography of each Firefighter.  So we need each department to have at least one individual collect this information and get it into the WSFM.

The memorial center also houses a maintenance room.  This room contains all the equipment needed to take care of the memorial park.  Very soon we will be adding a wish list to the news from the memorial. 

This summer then we will continue landscaping the new area around the memorial center.  Fill needs to be brought in and sidewalks need to be constructed before the new center can open.  Plans call for at least three new benches being placed around the memorial center, along with some additional old-time street lights and trees and shrubbery.