Emergency Response


this photo is displayed on the CSB page summarizing its investigatoin of the August 2008 explosion at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute, W.Va.

Big MIC Reduction Promised at Bayer CropScience Plant

Company officials announced Aug. 26 that the Institute, W.Va., plant will reduce its average inventory of highly toxic methyl isocyanate by 80 percent.

FEMA Issues Report on Personal Preparedness in America

According to the national survey, 30 percent of Americans have not prepared because they think that emergency responders will help them, and more than 60 percent expect to rely on emergency responders in the first 72 hours following a disaster.

U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, 1932-2009, who chaired the HELP Committee

Kennedy, HELP Chairman, Dies in Massachusetts

Tributes poured in today for U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who chaired the Labor Committee and left his mark on tobacco regulation, mental health parity, job training, food labeling, higher education grants, miners' safety, and access for disabled Americans.

Study Finds Disaster Preparedness Need Among Disabled

A paper published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found households in which someone with a transportation-related disability lives have spent more time packing necessary supplies and identifying a safe place to meet, but they’ve done no more to become aware of evacuation routes or to create an emergency plan.

Fire Sprinkler Demos to Light Up Alaska State Fair

The Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety and the Mat-Su Fire Chiefs Association will light two fires at the fair Aug. 29 and Sept. 2 at 6 pm, showing a live audience how fast a home fire will spread.

FCC to Host Webinar on How Broadband Can Enhance Homeland Security

Two panel discussions are planned, covering use of broadband applications by first responders and the impact of the technology on issues such as cyber security, pandemics, bioterrorism, and critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.

this MSHA photo shows a mine rescue team

It's Almost Mine Rescue Season

The national contest starts Aug. 30 in Nashville, while the second annual surface mine rescue competition takes place Sept. 26 at a quarry in New Jersey.

the Contingency Planning & Management logo

Business Continuity Site Has the Goods

The new design of Contingency Planning & Management's Web site makes it easy for visitors to find the latest news about schools' and others' preparations for H1N1 flu, along with resources across the full business continuity spectrum.



Report Explores Best Visibility Options for Emergency Vehicles

The new report highlights the results of a Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice supported project intended to enhance emergency vehicle and roadway operations safety for firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other emergency responders.

Kelvin Cochran, the incoming U.S. Fire administrator

Napolitano to Swear in USFA Administrator Thursday

IAFC says the DHS secretary will swear in Kelvin Cochran, the Atlanta fire chief confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this month, Aug. 27 at FRI 2009 in Dallas.

an EMS ambulance

New Pennsylvania Law Upgrades EMS, Governor Says

The bill signed by Gov. Edward Rendell on Aug. 18 requires all EMS agencies to have a medical director and ambulance drivers and attendants to be certified.

Coast Guard: Boating, Paddling Fatalities On the Rise

"The sad thing about these fatal events is that they're predictable," said Al Johnson, the First District recreational boating specialist. "What is tragic is that most were preventable."

CSB's Ghent Video Wins Educational Award

The safety video about the propane explosion at a convenience store that killed four people in Ghent, W.Va., was honored by MERLOT with the Fire Safety Editorial Board Classics Award.

15,000 from Fire & Emergency Field Set to Respond to Dallas Conference

Featured speakers at the IAFC event will include DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano; FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate; Ltc. Greg Gadson, a decorated Iraq war veteran and double amputee; and recently confirmed U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran.

this image credited to OSHA shows the aftermath of 9/11 in New York City

NIST Asks 9/11 Photographers Whether Images Should Be Withheld

The National Institute of Standards and Technology received thousands of photos and video images from hundreds of photographers as it investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings, and it must release copies to Freedom of Information Act requesters unless those images are exempt.

Massachusetts Responders Line Up for Stimulus Aid

The governor of Massachusetts is acting to boost staffing of fire departments and police agencies across the state as hundreds of agencies file applications for $71 million in federal money by Aug. 21.

Former USS Cole Commander to Keynote 75th Safety Communications Event

Daytona Beach, Fla.-based APCO serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world.

This CSB investigative photo shows the aftermath of the 2005 BP explosion, which killed 15 people

Steelworkers, API Part Ways on Refinery Fatigue Standard

The union and the oil and gas industry's trade association issued press releases Aug. 4 accusing each other of undermining their work on a national standard requested by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board after the BP refinery explosion in Texas City in 2005.

USFA's NIU Report Credits Virginia Tech's Assistance

U.S. college campuses are safer because of the information Virginia Tech shared after its shooting tragedy, and the lessons learned by emergency responders and leaders of Northern Illinois University honed its response to the 2008 NIU mass murder, the report says.

OSHA Inspection Program Targets Air Traffic Control Towers

Investigators will inspect randomly selected towers to determine whether FAA is meeting the requirements of the agency's alternate standard for egress and fire safety.

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