"We will take action against any company that fails to follow these laws that protect emergency responders and the public in the event of an accidental release," said Daniel Meer, EPA's assistant Superfund director for the Pacific Southwest region.
A new CDC-funded study in the October issue of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness says medical professionals, emergency departments, and hospitals aren't trained sufficiently to respond to a radiological attack.
The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have completed a report--titled "Technical Note 1499, Performance Metrics for Fire Fighting Thermal Imaging Cameras – Small- and Full-Scale Experiments"--that provides information on the research conducted as part of a project partnership on Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC) imaging performance metrics and test methods.
The U.S. Fire Administration has issued a special report titled "Highway Vehicle Fires," as part of its Topical Fire Report Series, which examines the causes and characteristics of highway vehicle fires. An estimated 258,500 highway vehicle fires occur annually resulting in 490 civilian deaths, 1,275 civilian injuries, and $1 billion in property loss.
In response to the low rates of influenza immunization among health care personnel, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has announced its support for requiring flu immunization for health care workers who have direct patient contact as well as ancillary staff.
Although communities commonly use sobriety checkpoints and increased police patrols to detect drivers under the influence of alcohol, a new review by the Colorado Injury Control Research Center and the Colorado School of Public Health reports there is not enough evidence to say definitively that these efforts to cut down the number of accidents and deaths from drunk driving.
A national poll conducted by the Heart Rhythm Society found nearly 40 percent of respondents didn't realize most people who die from sudden cardiac arrest have no outward warning signs, and only one-third of respondents knew SCA victims need CPR or a shock from an automated external defibrillator within 4-6 minutes to have a chance of surviving.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has released a new 23-minute safety video, titled "Half an Hour to Tragedy," based on the deadly propane gas explosion at the Little General convenience store in Ghent, W.Va., in January 2007.
"The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are more than 21.2 million people who have mobility impairments and by understanding their special evacuation needs, safety can be improved in the workplace and home," said Paul Tobin, president of The United Spinal Association.
"It is our intention that our efforts through the Academic Research Initiative, combined with the support efforts of other federal agencies, to help cultivate the nuclear scientists and engineers of the future," said Vayl Oxfod, director of the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.
As part of the initiative, firefighters this week are giving students a full demonstration of the fire truck and imparting practical fire safety tips they can use to make sure they have fire-safe homes. The experience will be capped off with a fire-safety poster contest.
Created by researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the imaging system--when attached to a helicopter--can create a detailed picture of an area devastated by a hurricane or other natural disaster. The resulting information can be used to estimate the number of refugees and assess the need for health and humanitarian services.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has released a new technical report titled "Chemical Fire in Apex, North Carolina." This report examines the response of the Apex Fire Department, the value of pre-planning efforts, and the impact of a well coordinated response in the worst of conditions.
The annual commemoration of National Fire Prevention Week begins today with the theme "Prevent Home Fires."
The United States Fire Administration has completed a project with the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Educational and Scientific Foundation to study and evaluate the latest trends and technologies related to municipal water supply systems to enhance effective fire protection.
The findings of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in World Trade Center workers are similar to those encountered in U.S. war veterans returning from Afghanistan, researchers say.
Look around: Automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which give life-sustaining defibrillation therapy to a sudden cardiac arrest victim, are popping up all over the world.
"Facilities that use toxic chemicals must provide complete and accurate information about these chemicals so residents and emergency responders are aware of possible chemical hazards in the community," said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems director for EPA's Pacific Southwest region.
The agency says its facilities experience an average of one sudden cardiac arrest per year among more than 46,000 employees. In the next three years, 97 percent of those employees should have AEDs at their disposal at work, according to the new plan.
The product, Gotham Compact Fluorescent Downlights, was manufactured in the United States and China between Nov. 1, 2007, and July 31, 2008, and sold by electrical distributors and sales representatives nationwide through July 2008 for between $250 and $350.