Finalized after "worldwide" comments, the report on the collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center building 7 in Manhattan concludes fires on multiple floors "caused an extraordinary event. Heating of floor beams and girders caused a critical support column to fail, initiating a fire-induced progressive collapse that brought the building down."
Today is Public Health Thank You Day, a day to thank friends and colleagues working in public health for all they do.
The latest grant listed by the Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. program was $7,500 last month to the volunteer Fort Washington Fire Company of Pennsylvania, which used it to buy new extrication equipment that was soon put to use.
Two requests for comments by Jan. 15 or 16 are important to users of SCBAs and other protective respirators, and to the manufacturers. NIOSH may create a new subpart to the 42 CFR Part 84 standard for the suits.
Y.A. Tittle, who quarterbacked the New York Giants from 1961 to 1964, partnered with Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. to give a $27,500 check to the FDNY Chiefs' Smoke Alarm Initiative.
His announcement suggests an ongoing role for the 31-member panel, but there is a politically symbolic purpose, too: Gov. Rick Perry continues to complain his state hasn't received sufficient help from FEMA and Washington, D.C., after this year's hurricanes.
Aircraft parachutes carried for emergency use now must have been packed no more than 120 days previously, but after Dec. 19, 180 days will be permissible.
The U.S. Fire Administration recently announced that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has added its logo to the National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge 100 Percent Participation Certificate. USFA said this endorsement of the seat belt campaign, by NIOSH Acting Director Dr. Christine Branche, reinforces the importance of wearing these safety devices to the American Fire Service.
"Home fire season" has started, and the U.S. Fire Administration is working to make this year's cold months safer than last years--when there was a dramatic increase in home fire deaths. According to USFA, during the "home fire season" of Oct. 2007 to March 2008, there was a 68 percent increase in the number of fatal home fires and a 67 percent increase in the number of people killed in home fires, compared to the warmer months.
The Northeast's rate of 4.9 injuries per 100 fires was more than twice the rate for the rest of the country, according to a summary published in the NFPA Journal's November/December issue.
The data will help the NRC review its regulations and guidance related to emergency preparedness and determine if changes need to be considered to existing protective action strategies.
According to a new survey released today by Kimberly-Clark Professional, 89 percent of safety professionals polled at the 2008 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress have observed workers failing to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when they should have been.
A full wardrobe of stylish gear is ready for the Nov. 24 effective date of the FHWA rule requiring high-visibility apparel (such as this OccuNomix International, LLC outfit) for those working in highway work zones, including emergency responders.
"Because exposure to high levels of copper, lead, and zinc compounds causes a wide range of illnesses and environmental damage, communities need to know if and when these chemicals have been released," said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems Division director for EPA's Pacific Southwest region.
The BSA alliance with Cardiac Science means more than that, however; scout units will be urged to coordinate service projects to distribute AEDs in their communities.
FEMA worked out a pilot project with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and two library organizations, choosing southeastern Massachusetts for its vulnerability to major storms.
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public hearing on the safety of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services operations. The three-day hearing will begin on February 3, 2009.
Two days ago, the American Red Cross also announced the Measles Initiative is helping the Chinese government inoculate 7.3 million children against measles in provinces hit hard by the May 12 earthquake.
NFPA is publishing details of a report on the 71 large-loss (more than $5 million in property damage) fires of 2007 in its journal this month.
Released today at a special price through Dec. 19, the offering includes an Instructor Package with an enhanced DVD and a choice of a print or digital book for students.