Emergency Response


Exit Access, Fire, & Crushing Hazards Add Up to $233K Fine for NY Retailer

"It's been 99 years since the fire at The Triangle Shirtwaist Co. in New York City took the lives of nearly 150 workers. . . . Blocked fire exits can be deadly. It is that simple," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.

Coast Guard Station Receives New Rescue Airboat

Currently, USCG members must walk -- carrying all of their equipment -- to any ice rescue scenes, which can take valuable time in rescue efforts. With the airboat, which goes over ice and water, rescuers will be able to reach more incidents and get there faster.

This image depicts the operation of the international Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system, called COSPAS-SARSAT.

Alaska Tops in 2009 Satellite-Aided Rescues

With 49, the state was ahead of Florida in rescues assisted by NOAA’s search-and-rescue satellites and Russia’s Cospas spacecraft. In all, the system helped to rescue 195 people last year in the United States and surrounding waters.

In the World of Hearts, users can create their own avatars, including one that looks similar to this image, and track and compare scores in the Heart Trek Experience with other users.

Teen CPR/AED Campaign Nears Finish Line

Jan. 31 is the deadline for the Medtronic Foundation's $1,000 grants to schools' staffers to help fund CPR and AED training. The foundation funds the American Heart Association's Be the Beat campaign to educate teens about sudden cardiac arrest.

Women's Health Provider Settles Hazwaste Violations

The company offers in vitro diagnostic kits, and analyte-specific, general purpose, and research-use-only reagents for nucleic acid analysis. EPA said the company failed to obtain a hazardous waste storage license, among other things.

text mesaging with a cellphone

New Group Raising Awareness of Distracted Driving

FocusDriven is a nonprofit organization created by the National Safety Council and supported by both DOT and Vernon F. Betkey Jr., chairman of the Governors Highway Safety Association.

a firefighters hat

Mutual Aid, SAFER Grant Applications Due

The International Association of Fire Chiefs is creating Go Teams -- two-person teams of skilled chief officers -- in each of the 10 national FEMA regions to support mutual aid. Those application are due Thursday. Friday is the deadline for 2009 SAFER grants from DHS.

Violating hazmat regulations for packaging and handling lithium batteries can bring a maximum civil penalty of $50,000, $100,000 if serious injury, death, or substantial property destruction results.

HazCom Changes Proposed for Transporting Lithium Batteries

For aviation, unless the cells or batteries are transported in a container approved by the FAA administrator, they would have to be stowed in crew-accessible cargo locations or locations equipped with an FAA-approved fire suppression system.



IOSH says the most powerful Buncefield explosion is thought to be the largest ever in peacetime Europe. This photo is posted on the site of MP Mike Penning.

Gasoline Terminals May Yet Fall Under CFATS

The Department of Homeland Security has not agreed to exempt them, and it published a new request for comments today about the models it is using for vapor cloud explosions and pool fires. The industry asked to be exempted.

AT&T Offers Winter Storm Tips, Advises Families to Have Communication Plan

Have a family communications plan in place. Designate someone out of the area as a central contact, and make certain that all family members know whom to contact if they become separated. Most important, practice your emergency plan in advance.

New OSHA Videos Put Respirators, Facemasks in Starring Roles

The videos also explain how workers can perform a user seal check to test whether a respirator is worn properly and will provide the expected level of protection.

Researchers found the frequency of serious injury from dispatcher-aided bystander CPR among non-arrest patients is low.

Study Supports Safety of Dispatcher-Aided CPR

Writing in the latest issue of Circulation, authors from Public Health Seattle–King County’s Emergency Medical Services Division and the University of Washington Department of Medicine report the frequency of serious injury related to dispatcher-assisted bystander CPR among non-arrest patients was low.

National Influenza Vaccination Week Kicks Off Today

On Tuesday, HHS and CDC will host a webinar with the American Diabetes Association, the American Lung Association, and the American Cancer Society. Other activities are planned all week, focusing on the importance of continuing the tide of flu vaccinations.

FAA Sets Safety Conditions for 787's Crew Rest Compartments

Boeing's second Dreamliner completed its first flight on Dec. 22 from Everett, Wash., to Seattle. The first production aircraft will be delivered next year to Japan's All Nippon Airways.

DHS to Host Free Webinar on Critical Infrastructure Resiliency

Presenter Rand Beers, under secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, will discuss the infrastructure protection mission and “The Next Frontier in Homeland Security.”

Fire Safety

Ensuring Industrial Lone Workers' Safety

This article focuses on the issue of lone worker safety in the industrial workplace in industries both large and small. The first point of order is to define just what is meant by a "lone worker."

‘Helping Heroes’ Program Offers Training for Fire/EMS Pros in Need

"Maintaining EMS certification has real costs -- I am honored to have this opportunity to help lighten the financial burden of EMS professionals who are out of work," said Greg Friese, a paramedic and president of Emergency Preparedness Systems, one of three companies behind the initiative.

This DoD photo taken by USMC Cpl. Jason Ingersoll shows the damaged Pentagon minutes after a hijacked airliner struck the building on Sept. 11, 2001.

2000-2009: The Decade in Safety & Health

The H1N1 pandemic was 2009's biggest safety and health story, but OSHA also grabbed the spotlight last year with a blockbuster $87 million fine. For all of the attention paid to tower crane safety, combustible dusts, crumbling infrastructure, and a jobless recovery, the biggest story of 2000-2009 was Sept. 11, 2001.

In 2004, 11 U.S. communities were prepared for a tsunami through the TsunamiReady program, but now 72 communities are considered ready.

Five Years After Indonesian Tsunami, Readiness Improved

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it received $225 million since that Dec. 26, 2004, disaster for expanded detection and warning systems, research, community education, and a global warning network and technology transfer program.

The Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act created BARDA within HHS and made it the hub of federal efforts to develop and acquire medical countermeasures to protect the U.S. civilian population against CBRN and naturally occurring threats to public health.

Contracts to Develop Field Tests for Radiation Exposures

The nine contracts worth up to $400 million have been awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and can lead to prototype devices for responders.

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