Emergency Response


Derailed Train's Brakes Not Applied, Investigators Find

The Feb. 26 VIA Rail accident in Burlington, Ontario demolished the locomotive and killed three crewmen in it.

Do I Really Need 40 Hours? Hazwoper Training Exposed

If you have an active team that either drills regularly or has real incidents, they are continually showing their competency each time they respond.

Rena's Chief Officers Plead Guilty, Sentencing May 25

The names of the master and second officer of the container ship that ran aground on New Zealand's Astrolabe Reef on Oct. 5, 2010, have been suppressed while their case is before the courts.

Rebuilt Fire House Ready for London Games

The $11.9 million Walthamstow Fire Station replaced a 1920s-era station. It houses an additional fire engine and 20 more firefighters than the old building did.

Ocean Radar Improvements Agreed

The Feb. 17 agreement during the World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12) held in Geneva, Switzerland, means better tracking of tsunamis, oil spills, ocean debris, and people lost at sea.

HHS Picks Winners in Facebook App Challenge

First prize and $10,000 went to two Brown University graduates for an app named Lifeline that will be launched prior to this year's hurricane season.

Advisory Reminds Pipeline Operators About Post-Incident Testing

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued the new bulletin in response to NTSB's report on the San Bruno, Calif., explosion.

Concept Boat Answers Women's Concerns

It may not be flashy, but the All aboard boasts a combined water slide and rescue ramp and an integrated gangway in the side of the boat. Interviews with 1,000 women helped designers come up with it.



Biodiesel Plant Busted for Process Safety Management Deficiencies

After receiving a complaint, OSHA opened an inspection focused on the agency's process safety management standard for facilities that use hazardous chemicals. Proposed fines total $76,500.

Study: Cognitive Performance Suffers Following Natural Disasters

The researchers’ findings may point to potentially serious complications arising from post-disaster performance in daily life and work tasks. These findings also suggest that police, emergency responders, and others working in the aftermath of the disaster may also experience cognitive disruption, which can interfere with their ability to perform rescue-related tasks.

Helicopters' Versatility Stands Out at 2012 Heli-Expo

An example is a new "super-medium" category unveiled Feb. 12 by Bell Helicopter with its Bell 525 Relentless, a 16-passenger aircraft designed for mission configurations including oil & gas, search & rescue, EMS, and VIP/corporate transport.

Kentucky Labor Cabinet Rolls Out Online Training

The agency's new training website offers training materials based on its regulations and developed in house. And in the future, the agency will offer training curricula that allow users to earn certificates of completion.

Three Groups Release Statement on Fire Service Suicides

The International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Volunteer Fire Council, and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation urge firefighters and their loved ones to familiarize themselves with tools and resources that can help.

Winter Weather Patterns Can Increase Risk for Flooding, FEMA Says

Across the country, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, heavy snowfall, ice jams, rapid snowmelt, and intense rainstorms caused by fluctuating temperatures can all increase the likelihood and the severity of localized flooding.

NYC's Mayor Proposes Pension Reform

Saying city-funded pension costs have risen from $1.3 billion in FY2002 to $8.0 billion in FY2013, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for action to address "a ticking time bomb in rising pension costs."

Panel Urges Adaptable Next-Gen Public Safety Communications Network

The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology, which makes policy recommendations to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, also said leadership is needed by a non-profit organization devoted to this goal.

The requirement to address all 13 elements of a SEMS plan is a new challenge for some offshore operators. (BP photo)

Coming to Grips with SEMS

Requiring offshore operators to submit and then audit a Safety and Environmental Management Systems plan means their training and safety management elements will stay current.

Council Unanimously Backs New Minneapolis Fire Chief

John Fruetel starts March 1. He spent 31 years as a Minneapolis before retiring as assistant chief in 2010 and serving at the city's emergency preparedness training manager.

Rebirth of Damaged Joplin Hospital Under Way

The first wrecking ball struck the exterior of St. John’s Regional Medical Center on Jan. 29 as the job of clearing five tornado-damaged buildings from its site began.

Drownings Soar in New Zealand

Water Safety New Zealand, a safety educational group in existence for 62 years, reports 123 drowned in the country last year, a 41 percent increase from the previous year.

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