United States Fire Administrator Kelvin J. Cochran recently announced the availability of the fifteenth edition of Fire in the United States. This edition covers the 5-year period from 2003 to 2007, with a primary focus on 2007.
NFPA has posted an online toolkit for firefighters to use to inform communities about holiday fire dangers.
NIST and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration expect to have it ready by mid-2010.
The goal of posting at least 1,000 reports this year was achieved this month, and the president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs says this "virtual firehouse kitchen table" is making emergency responders safer.
As the holiday season approaches, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to make safety a factor in holiday decorating. Whether it is careful candle placement or checking the warning label on the holiday lights, simple safety steps can go a long way in preventing fires and injuries this year.
This week's fire started in a unit on the 36th floor of the 51-story building. The 2002 fire on the 14th floor killed one person and caused criticism of the city for not requiring sprinklers in older residential towers.
The department has more than 200 of the units deployed at 102 firehouses and is encouraging all firefighters to obtain level A or B technician certification.
"The need for fall protection was clear and recognized, yet this employer did not provide this basic, commonsense, and legally required safeguard," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex counties.
The agency began a health inspection in June after receiving information that fires had occurred in the Ohio plant, and that large amounts of dust from the manufacturing process had accumulated throughout the worksite.
The Connecticut-based company received citations for working around energized transmission lines that were not grounded and working within the minimum approach distance in a bucket truck that was improperly rated for the work being conducted, OSHA said.
In addition to food, family, and gifts, decorations are one of the reasons that many look forward to the holiday season. While candles, Christmas trees, and other decorations are part of the holiday spirit, they can pose fire and poisoning hazards, especially to curious children.
Among its many functions at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Raytheon MCVC provides the necessary range interface for test plans and test management activities for on-range and environmental testing, and performs processing for Patriot As A Target missiles.
During the past 10 million hours, the company has safely completed a number of major construction projects, from replacing a segment of line underneath the Susquehanna River in Maryland to lifting an underwater line in southern Mississippi to replace block valves, to boring a new line under I-65 near Birmingham while traffic continued above.
The accident investigation, which was conducted by OSHA's Puerto Rico Area Office, resulted in citations for exposing workers to the hazards of hot water and steam condensate, not developing and documenting procedures to prevent the unintended release of hot water and steam, and not training workers on the safe application, usage, and removal of energy control devices.
The new live series of webinars from the agency's Community Preparedness Division are free to the first 500 visitors who enter the Web site at the time of the event.
Fire Safety & Emergency Response
As with any maintenance requirement, the intent of small hose inspection and testing is to ensure that they will reliably operate properly when called upon, which is even more critical for emergency response equipment.
The new system will display the risk of extreme heat stress and time to flashover (the point when all combustible materials in a room simultaneously erupt in flames) on the incident commander's screen, along with the firefighters' locations and vital signs.
Employees and managers should be trained to recognize and
prevent combustible dust fires, and facilities should have a damage
control plan that includes sprinklers, explosion protection systems,
and deflagration venting.
Safety Director Ted Sommer said the company "strives every day to meet our goal of zero incidents through preplanning, training, and open coordination among the trades."
The fees for training and courses provided by the commission's Safety Section take effect Dec. 1 in three categories: per-person specialty courses/workshops, flat-rate full or half days once per month for a year, and hourly rates for as-needed training.