Emergency Response


Missouri Warehouse Firm Ordered to Comply with Hazwaste Storage Laws

The stored materials uncovered by inspections included xylene, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, paint wastes, petroleum distillates, flammable liquids, sodium hydroxide, waste aerosols, and broken fluorescent bulbs, among others.

This photo of the famed Chicago skyline comes from the tourism office of the city.

Act Now to Present at ASSE's Centennial Conference

July 16, 2010, is the deadline for proposals from potential speakers eager to be on the program of the June 12-15, 2011, meeting, which will be in the perfect location: downtown Chicago.

Study Proves Four-Person Fire Crews Faster

The first study to quantify the effects of crew sizes and arrival times on lifesaving and firefighting operations, it was conducted by NIST with help from fire service organizations.

The IAFC EMS Section created an EMS award in 1994 and gave it the following year to James O. Page, a leader in promoting fire service-based EMS.

Top EMS Award Highlights Fire-Rescue Med

Bruce Evans, assistant chief of business and support services at the North Las Vegas Fire Department, will receive the James O. Page EMS Achievement Award during the IAFC event in Las Vegas.

USFA, Partners Conducting Arson Awareness Week

"Community Arson Prevention" is the theme this year. The week begins today and continues through Saturday.

Cal/OSHA shut down 16 work sites in 2009 for imminent heat hazards, and the agency issued nearly $2 million in fines and 1,158 citations for alleged violations of its Heat Illness Prevention Standard.

Heat Season Starts Now

Outdoor workers should be protected against excessive heat exposure, and particularly if they are wearing protective apparel.

Emergency Shower

Hot or Cold? The Basics of Tempered Water

People's reaction to being hit with cold water has been used in comedy routines for many years. Providing it's not you being doused, it can be really funny. But cold water is no joke when used in emergency showers and eye/face washes. While a cold shower might be invigorating, it can be downright dangerous to run un-tempered or cold flushing fluid through industrial emergency equipment.



Seconds Save Lives campaign launches

'Seconds Save Lives' Campaign Focuses on Handling Medical Emergencies

"The most important -- and yet sometimes the most difficult -- thing to do is to keep your composure," said ACEP President Dr. Angela Gardner. "You will be better able to provide critical information to emergency responders and physicians, whether for yourself or someone else."

This photo from the response unified command is a sonar scan of the Deepwater Horizon on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico.

House Energy Panel Turns Up the Heat

Oil from the offshore well reached Louisiana coastal areas today. Calling a hearing for May 12, the Energy and Commerce Committee's chairman asked the leaders of BP America Inc., Transocean Ltd., and Halliburton Co. to testify.

FEMA Accepting 2010 FIRE Act Grant Applications

The application period will close May 28. The grants help fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS units with staffing, training, and equipment.

CSB Outlines Study on Methyl Isocyanate

An additional study on inherently safer process technology may follow this one by the National Academy of Sciences specifically looking at how to reduce the risk of methyl isocyanate at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute, W.Va.

Firefighters' Cancers Studied by NIOSH, USFA

Whether cancer risk rises becasuse of their exposures to smoke, soot, and other contaminants in the line of duty is the point of the study.

Victoria Fire Chief Resigns Ahead of Panel's Recommendations

Russell Rees, who heads the Victorian Country Fire Authority, said the agency will undergo "great change" once the commission hands up its recommendations in July, and a new chief should be in place then.

The strategy will address increasing wildland fire challenges and should be ready by this fall.

USDA, Interior, DHS Form Wildland Fire Partnership

A comprehensive wildfire management strategy will be developed with help from state, regional, local and tribal leaders, the three secretaries -- Tom Vilsack, Ken Salazar, and Janet Napolitano -- announced Wednesday.

Flammable Vapors Lead to Fatality, $127K Fine

Cited violations against the company include failing to provide safe work practice procedures for hot work in a confined space, failing to prevent cutting operations in the presence of explosive atmospheres, and the lack of procedures for summoning resuce and emergency services.

Seven Critically Hurt in Offshore Rig Fire

Eleven workers initially reported found remain missing, the Coast Guard said this afternoon. An explosion and fire occurred on the rig at 10 p.m. Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico.

The fight over home fire sprinklers continues, but NFPA and two allies are moving ahead on developing accreditation programs for their installers.

Big Push Coming for Home Fire Sprinklers

A $746,438 grant to the National Fire Protection Association from FEMA backs the national awareness campaign, "Faces of Fire," to communicate fires' impact. NFPA and two allied groups also are developing accreditation programs for home fire sprinkler contractors.

The COSTHA 2010 Annual Forum & Expo, a gathering of professionals who are experts in the safe movement of hazardous materials and goods around the world.

Hazmat Movers Heading to St. Petersburg

The COSTHA 2010 Annual Forum & Expo, a gathering of professionals who are experts in the safe movement of hazardous materials and goods around the world, begins Sunday.

This BW Technologies by Honeywell photo shows a confined space entrant who is wearing a multi-gas detector.

Canadian Confined Space Standard Nears Approval

CSA Z1006, Management of Work in Confined Spaces, would be the country's first comprehensive national standard on the topic and would solve a puzzling problem: jurisdictions haven't agreed on a consistent definition of "confined space."

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