Federal Partners Continue to Support Response to Western Fires

USDA, DOI, FEMA Provide Firefighters, Aircraft, and Federal Grants to Support Local Partners Combating Fires

WASHINGTON— Federal partners are working closely with first responders and firefighters from local, state, and tribal agencies to combat and monitor wildfires in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming as well as other states. Through the National Interagency Fire Center, which coordinates resources from the US Forest Service, Department of the Interior and other federal agencies, firefighters, incident management teams, airtankers, helicopters, fire engines and other resources are being provided to supplement state and local resources as teams continue to respond to fires across the West.

Today, 19 active large fires are burning in nine states, including one of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history and one of the largest wildfires in Colorado history. To help fight these damaging fires, federal agencies have made approximately 4,500 firefighters available to aid in efforts to suppress and contain the fires.

Yesterday, the Forest Service announced the agency has mobilized eight additional aircraft to its firefighting fleet to ensure that an adequate number of airtankers are available for wildland firefighting efforts. With these additional airtankers, the Forest Service has 16 large airtankers and one very large airtanker available immediately for wildfire suppression. The Forest Service has the capability to mobilize an additional 11 large airtankers, should circumstances require it.

Additionally, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior fire agencies can mobilize hundreds of helicopters and dozens of smaller aircraft, called “single-engine airtankers.”

To ensure states have the financial support they need, FEMA has provided Fire Management Assistance Grants to states with active large fires. These grants help cover eligible costs, on a 75 percent cost share basis, and can reimburse state and local costs associated with personnel and equipment used to combat fires. On Saturday June 9th, FEMA authorized the use of federal funds, through the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program (FMAG), to help with eligible firefighting costs for the High Park Fire located in Larimer County, Colorado and the Little Bear Fire located in Lincoln County, New Mexico. On May 26, an FMAG was approved for the Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire located in New Mexico.

While extremely serious fires are burning in several states, to date the season has been below average, meaning that additional resources remain available should they be necessary.

“We continue to support our state, local, and tribal partners as they work to contain and suppress the wildfires burning in the West,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Our fire managers are bringing extensive resources to bear to respond vigorously to those wildfires threatening lives, communities, and cultural and natural resources, and we stand ready to provide additional eligible resources as necessary.”

“We’re bringing the full range of our federal, tribal, state, local and non-governmental resources together to manage these wildland fires and reduce risk to communities,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “We remain vigilant and continue to do all we can to ensure the safety of all firefighters in this challenging wildlife season.”

“FEMA continues to closely monitor the fires in several southwestern states, and is providing financial support through our Fire Management Assistance Grant program to assist efforts, led by firefighters, public safety officers, and emergency personnel, to fight and mitigate the volatile wildfire conditions,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

On average the USDA Forest Service and the Department of the Interior bureaus respond to more than 20,000 wildfires per year. Federal firefighters, aircraft, and ground equipment are strategically assigned to parts of the country as the fire season shifts across the nation. Firefighting experts will continuously monitor conditions and move these assets as necessary to be best positioned and increase initial attack capabilities. In addition, federal agencies are conducting accelerated restoration activities nationwide that will result in healthier forests and will lessen fire risks in years to come.

Federal land managers are also helping communities prepare for wildfire. Federal partnerships with tribal, state, and local agencies strengthen preparedness programs, such as Firewise http://www.firewise.org/ and Ready Set Go! http://www.iafc.org/readySetGo that help families and communities prepare for and survive wildfire. You can also visit FEMA’s Ready.gov http://www.ready.gov, to learn more about steps you and your family can take now to be prepared for an emergency.

For more information, visit www.ready.gov.

USFA Releases Annual Report on Firefighter Fatalities in the United States

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Emmitsburg, MD – The United States Fire Administration (USFA) today released the report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2010 (PDF, 2.5 Mb).  The report continues a series of annual studies by the USFA of onduty firefighter fatalities.  The USFA is the single public agency source of information for all onduty firefighter fatalities in the United States each year.

Eighty-seven onduty firefighters from 31 states lost their lives as the result of 83 fatal incidents that occurred in 2010.  This is the second consecutive year of substantially fewer firefighter deaths in the United States.  During the previous six-year period of 2004-2009, the average number of annual onduty firefighter deaths was 112. Illinois experienced the highest number of fatalities with nine firefighters killed; New York and Ohio had the next highest totals with eight firefighter deaths each.

An overview of the 87 firefighters that died while on duty in 2010:

•           The total breakdown included 56 volunteer, 28 career, and 3 wildland agency firefighters.

•           There were 4 firefighter fatality incidents where 2 firefighters were killed in each, claiming a total of 8 firefighters.

•           11 firefighters died in duties associated with wildland fires.  Along with 11 such deaths in 2007, it was the lowest number of annual firefighter deaths associated with wildland fires in a decade.

•           Activities related to emergency incidents resulted in the deaths of 48 firefighters.

•           22 firefighters died while engaging in activities at the scene of a fire.

•           16 firefighters died while responding to or returning from 15 emergency incidents.  9 of the firefighters killed while responding to incidents died from heart attacks (8) or stroke (1).

•           Heart attacks were the most frequent cause of death with 50 firefighter deaths.

•           12 firefighters died while they were engaged in training activities.

•           15 firefighters died after the conclusion of their onduty activity.

The unique and specific objective of Firefighter Fatalities in the United States is to identify all on-duty firefighter fatalities that occurred in the United States and its protectorates during the calendar year and to present in summary narrative form the circumstances surrounding each occurrence.

For 34 years, USFA has tracked the number of firefighter fatalities and conducted an annual analysis.  Through the collection of information on the causes of firefighter deaths, the USFA is able to focus on specific problems and direct efforts toward finding solutions to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities in the future.  This information is also used by many organizations to measure the effectiveness of their current efforts directed toward firefighter health and safety.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation also maintains a list of firefighters who die in the line-of-duty and are honored during the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend held each October in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  Visit www.FireHero.org for more information about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and their assistance to the families of the firefighters lost in 2010 and beyond.

For additional information on firefighter fatalities, including the annual fatality reports from 1986-2010, 2011 firefighter fatality notices, and the report Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study 1990-2000, please visit the USFA's website.

Focus on Fire Safety: Smoke Alarms

Every year, approximately 2,600 Americans die in home fires. Over half of these deaths (52%) occur between the hours of 10:00pm and 7:00am, when residents are typically sleeping.

Smoke and toxic gases from a home fire are as deadly as heat and flames. Just two or three breaths of toxic smoke can render you unconscious. In addition, smoke obscures vision, decreasing your ability to escape.

Smoke alarms save lives, prevent injuries, and minimize property damage by detecting fires early and alerting residents, allowing crucial time to escape. The risk of dying from a fire in a home without working smoke alarms is twice as high as in a home with working smoke alarms.

U.S. Fire Administrator’s Thanksgiving Message

On behalf of the staff of the United States Fire Administration (USFA), I would like to take this opportunity to wish all firefighters and their families a happy and safe Thanksgiving Day.  We are keenly aware of the missed opportunities of all firefighters to be with their immediate and extended families during this time.  I am also aware that a Thanksgiving meal at a firehouse is simply not the same as one in your own home with family and friends.  As so many of you know, the next three months will be traditionally our busiest months across the nation for fires.  My wife Linda and I will keep you in our thoughts and prayers for the coming week as you continue to protect and serve those families coming together for the Thanksgiving Day observances.

As we enter into these most dangerous months of the year, I am pleased to announce our joint efforts for 2010 and 2011 with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to work under the banner Put a Freeze on Winter Fires.  Given the dangers presented by heating, cooking, smoking, and holiday decorations, it is our sincere desire that all fire departments, local media, and residents of all communities take some time to focus on the dangers of fire during these three months, and take some time to make sure they are protected by smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, and know what to do should a fire occur.  I respectfully call upon all firefighters to join with the USFA and NFPA as we work to not only Put a Freeze on Winter Fires, but also ensure Everyone Goes Home.

In closing, my wife Linda and I join with the staff of the USFA to extend from our families the very best to yours this Thanksgiving.  We members of the USFA have much to be thankful for, and will continue to do whatever it takes to support the demonstrated services of this nation’s firefighters.  As we come together with our families, let us all come together this year to Put a Freeze on Winter Fires.

Glenn Gaines

Acting U.S. Fire Administrator

National Fire Academy Launches Green Initiative

In an effort to reduce paper use and waste, the National Fire Academy (NFA) is pilot testing a program to have student manuals delivered on compact disk.

In the last few years, students have regularly encouraged the NFA to reduce paper usage and to focus on “green” efforts. Excess baggage fees charged by airlines provided added impetus to switch to the electronic option. Often, at the end of each class cycle, NFA staff finds a number of student manuals discarded; of no use to anyone because they’ve been written in or otherwise made unusable.

Students attending the NFA in November will be the first who are able to obtain the entire student manual on compact disk when they arrive at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. They may choose to use their laptop computers in the classroom to capture instructor comments, student interactions and activity outcomes.

Traditional paper-based student manuals will be available in the classroom, and these books will be reused for future classes. Reusing these manuals also will reduce printing costs.

NFA Superintendent Dr. Denis Onieal said that once the results of the pilot are assessed, it may lead to more manuals presentation information being available on line. This has the potential to reduce paper usage, and save the National Fire Academy up to $128,000 per year in production costs. NFA creates approximately 8,500 student manuals each year. Students will see the added advantage of not having to pay excess baggage fees to carry their paper-based manuals home.

“An additional benefit to this method will enable us to keep student manuals more current in response to emerging trends and issues,” Onieal said. “We will be able to provide students the most current data and information by electronically updating the course manuals.”

Documents will be in Portable Document Format (PDF) and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to open them. Students can use the Comment and Markup feature available within Adobe Acrobat Reader to type and save notes. If students elect to do so, they can print paper copies of the materials on their home computers and printers.

Combustible Dust: The Threat to First Responders

On December 19, 2008, Conversations with Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with John Astad and Bob LaPlante on preventing and mitigating fire and explosion from combustible dust. According to OSHA, “any combustible material (and some materials normally considered noncombustible) can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. If such a dust is suspended in air in the right concentration, it can become explosive.

The force from such an explosion can cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. Such incidents have killed scores of employees and injured hundreds over the past few decades.” As an example, “In January 2003, devastating fires and explosions destroyed a North Carolina pharmaceutical plant that manufactured rubber drug-delivery components. Six employees were killed and 38 people, including two firefighters, were injured. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), an independent Federal agency charged with investigating chemical incidents, issued a final report concluding that an accumulation of a combustible polyethylene dust above the suspended ceilings fueled the explosion. The explosion severely damaged the plant and caused minor damage to nearby businesses, a home, and a school.”

Program Date: December 19, 2008
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Combustible Dust: The Threat to First Responders
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2008/12/20/Combustible-Dust-The-Threat-to-First-Responders

About the Guests
John Astad is Director and Research Analyst of the Combustible Dust Policy Institute. At the Institute, John tracks and researches combustible dust related fires and explosions. The results of this business intelligence data can be utilized by a myriad of stakeholders in the public and private sectors in developing cost effective strategies in assessing risk concerning combustible dust hazards in the workplace. John Astad holds a BS Business and Public Administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, with a major in Environmental Management.

Bob LaPlante is the General Manager at United Training Specialists (Phoenix, AZ). He has 29 years of power plant experience in Engineering, Fire Protection and Emergency Response Planning. His responsibility have included developing emergency response plans for power generating plants with regards to meeting OSHA, NFPA and DHS regulations and standards; and, developing emergency response power plant training, facility pre-plans, standard operating procedures and fire protection equipment maintenance and training programs for plant Emergency Response Team members. Bob LaPlante is a member of the NFPA, Edison Electric Institute’s Fire Committee, International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association and the Arizona Fire Training Association.

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, Criminal Justice technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2008/12/20/Combustible-Dust-The-Threat-to-First-Responders

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530