By Mary Jane Dittmar, Firelink.com

That there may be a connection between air pollution and sudden cardiac death is not news. What is news, however, is that at least one study has found that “pollution-related cardiac arrests occurred when particulate levels were high but still below the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety threshold of 35 micrograms per cubic meter of air,” according to a study published in the September 20 online American Journal of Epidemiology. The research was conducted by the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. In a previous column, for example, it was reported that exposure to ultrafine particles during fire suppression should be considered a potential contributing factor for coronary heart disease in firefighters. The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Aug. 2010.

The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System study looked at more than 8,000 people who suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in New York City between 2002 and 2006 in relation to air pollution levels during that time. The number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests rose four to 10 percent with each 10 microgram per cubic meter of air increase in small-particle air pollution. The eye-opening finding here, as cited above, was that these cardiac arrests occurred when particulate levels were still below the EPA safety threshold. This study adds to the growing body of research that suggests air pollution is bad for the heart. Earlier this year, the American Heart Association issued a statement noting that evidence is growing that air pollution is a risk factor in heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health, has funded a number of studies on the association between airborne particles, such as sulfur dioxide and other fossil fuel emissions, and the risk of early death from cardiovascular disease. The studies found a strong relationship. One of these studies was the Six Cities Study, conducted in 1974, at Harvard University. It initiated a long-term study on residents of the cities to assess the effects of common air pollutants on respiratory and cardiovascular health. More than 8,000 subjects were studied over a period of 14 to 16 years. The focus was on the health effects of gaseous pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide (the result of coal burning), and fine particle air pollution (that comes from motor vehicle exhaust and power plant emissions). Subjects living in the more polluted cities were found to have a higher risk of hospitalization and early death from pulmonary and heart diseases as compared with those living in the less polluted cities. Fine particle pollution was proven to have a stronger association with mortality than the gaseous pollutants.

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Donald “Donnie” Adkins, a 32-year-old volunteer fire fighter of Kanawha County, W.Va., drowned March 13 last year after the boat he was riding in crashed into a bridge and capsized, according to a NIOSH firefighter fatality report released Tuesday.

At the time of the crash, all three firefighters on board were wearing a 3-mm neoprene wetsuit, which consisted of a sleeveless jumpsuit with a 2-mm neoprene full front-zippered wetsuit jacket.

Investigators noted a key recommendation: ensure that fire fighters wear the appropriate PPE for the environment encountered. This incident underscores the need for proper risk assessment in all responses. Spring can bring flood scenarios to many areas, so the lessons learned from the March 13, 2010 tragedy may prove invaluable.

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From the USFA site

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report today examining the details of firefighter injuries sustained on the fireground or while responding to or returning from a fire incident. The report, Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to NFIRS (PDF, 945 Kb), was developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center and is further evidence of FEMA’s effort to reduce the number of firefighter injuries through an increased awareness and understanding of their causes and how they might be prevented.

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Currently, Congress has two separate budget proposals for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) and SAFER grant. The first proposal is centered around the current fiscal year 2011 in continuing funding for the balance of the FY11 year, ending September 30, 2011. The second budget proposal is for FY 2012 to the AFG and SAFER grant programs. Below is the e-news alert released on February 14, 2011 from FAMA/FEMA depicting the each grant budget proposal.

FY 2011 Current Year Funding

Over the weekend the House Appropriations Committee released its Continuing Resolution (CR) appropriations bill for the current fiscal year, FY 2011. The Committee is seeking to make cuts in addition to those announced earlier last week. The Committee’s appropriations bill would fund the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) equipment program at $300 million, a cut of $90 million from the FY 2010 level of $390 million. The SAFER hiring program would receive no funding for FY 2011 under the House bill, compared to its $420 million level in FY 2010. The House plans to take their appropriations bill to the House floor this week.

The President’s FY 2012 (Next Year) Budget

The President released today his FY 2012 budget proposal to Congress. The President would fund the AFG equipment program at $250 million (a cut of $140 million over FY 2010 levels) and the SAFER program at $420 million.

Click here to read the entire news alert.

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What happens when firefighters who have lived the value of team above all else promote to the position of officer?

 By Linda Willing, FR1

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From the NFPA’s news release

March 18 marks the 60th birthday of Sparky the Fire Dog®, the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), who has been teaching children, parents and teachers on fire prevention and public safety for the past six decades. To kick-off this year-long celebration, today, the NFPA is launching a “Voice of Sparky” contest to find one special firefighter to be the voice behind this iconic Dalmatian spokesdog.

From February 1 through February 16, career and volunteer firefighters as well as other fire department employees can submit videos of themselves giving their best Sparky impersonation on www.nfpa.org/SparkysBirthday. A panel of NFPA judges will select three finalists, and America will get to choose the winner by voting for their favorite video submission on Sparky’s new Facebook page, between February 21 and February 28.

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By Todd D. Meyer
for FirefighterNation.com

The cook who supports the cattle drive. The pit crew that supports the race car driver. The administrative assistant at Station #51 who keeps the BCs inline. The ground support crew that keeps the fighter jets in the air. My wife who puts up with me and allows me to come home. Behind any good outfit is a competent support system. And the extrication scene is no exception—we must have a tool cache manager! (more…)

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Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires during the winter months. In fact, half of all home heating fires occur in December, January, and February. According to NFPA’s Home Fires Involving Heating Equipment (PDF, 723 KB) report, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 66,100 reported home structure fires in 2008, resulting in 480 civilian deaths, 1,660 civilian injuries, and $1.1 billion in direct property damage.

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NFPA Journal®, January/February 2011
By Fred Durso, Jr.

It’s a weekday afternoon in July, and a small group of parents and children is watching cartoons at a research facility in Towson, Maryland. On a large screen at the front of the room, an orange, orb-shaped character named Orbie enters his kitchen and begins frying eggs. He touches the pan’s hot handle and screams, his red hand fluttering in the air. He contemplates applying either a stick of butter or cool water to his burn before choosing the water. The cartoon then shows Orbie, having made the right choice, happily playing video games with his friend.

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By Vicki Smith, LION TotalCare®

“Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” is no longer just a phrase uttered to children as a bedtime tradition. After near eradication in the USA, the bed bug has made an amazing comeback. In 2010, every major metropolis reported infestations! The bed bug has returned as a nuisance because the effective but toxic pesticide DDT is no longer used and they have become resistant to currently available pesticides. Also, increased domestic and international travel, and the importation of goods means bed bugs and their eggs have plenty of opportunity to journey from place to place.

Although the bed bug of lore is associated with unkempt beds and dirty homes, the fact is that bed bugs are little hitchhikers that hitch rides in handbags, clothes, luggage, planes and even ambulances. They hide in dark, protected places like folds of fabric, upholstery, wood, paper and even in the cracks of walls. However they are nocturnal parasites that live on blood and their preferred meal is human blood. So they can potentially be found at almost any public place – schools, stores, homes, hotels, churches and the firehouse.  And your bed is their dining place.

Adult bed bugs are brown to reddish brown in color. They have a flattened oval appearance and a beaklike piercing – sucking mouth. Typically they are 3/16 to 1/5 inches long.

Since they are nocturnal, they feed mostly at night when the host is asleep. They inject their sharp beak into the host and will feed from 10 – 15 minutes. Their bite is painless, so it is possible to receive hundreds of bites without waking up! However each feeding site will display a small, hard, white welt and the welts are generally clustered. They can become irritated and inflamed, and itch for several hours or several days depending on your sensitivity.

Firefighters and paramedics can provide bed bugs a convenient mode of travel simply because you enter the public places where they reside. The unwary firefighter can bring the pests back to the firehouse.

Click here to download LION TotalCare’s bed bug presention. Share it with your colleagues, family and friends.

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