From NFPA.org:

Let’s celebrate fire and life safety educators! Educators are key to the success of NFPA’s programs. That’s why NFPA’s “Educator of the Year” Award is so important. It gives educators the recognition they deserve for playing the lead role in making their communities safer.

Apply for the 2012 NFPA Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award (PDF, 615 KB). Deadline is February 24, 2012.

We are looking for fire and life safety educators who:

• work for a local fire department.
• use NFPA’s  Risk Watch®,  Learn Not to Burn®,  Remembering When^TM or Fire Prevention Week materials.
• use NFPA materials in a consistent and creative way.
• demonstrate excellence and innovation, reaching out to the community with NFPA materials.
• view NFPA as the source for safety information.

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Richard Marinucci
For Fire Apparatus

Part of any system involving firefighter safety improvement must include adjustments to training programs. Firefighters must learn the proper way to use the equipment, how to wear it, and how it may affect their tactics. The mere fact of having the equipment will not change outcomes. It begins with the simple premise that when a department issues new equipment, there must be a lesson on proper use and maintenance of it. How often do you and your organization distribute new equipment to firefighters without taking the time to review its features or the manufacturer’s recommendations? For example, a helmet may be issued. Often, all the manufacturer’s instruction and warnings are immediately discarded without any review. The firefighters continue to use the equipment just as they had previously, even if there are added features.

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As a world leader in personal protective equipment for first responders, LION is excited to announce that BullEx Digital Safety and HAAGEN Fire Training Products, global leaders in fire and safety training systems and centers, are joining the LION organization. Together the Albany, New York-based BullEx and The Netherlands-based HAAGEN companies form the world’s largest provider of fire training systems and centers as a new division within the LION organization called the LION Training Resources Group. This group will benefit from the strong synergy within the LION organization, especially with the LION Safety Resources Group, which develops and manufacturers PPE for fire, military and police personnel. Together LION, BullEx and HAAGEN now offer the most complete array of highly differentiated products and services to ensure that first responders are truly ready for action.

“LION has a legacy of offering first responders unprecedented innovations critical to preparing them to do what their jobs require because they are safer, healthier, more comfortable and more functional”, said LION CEO Steve Schwartz. “With BullEx and HAAGEN as part of the LION group, we offer another critical aspect of readiness — effective training equipment to make sure first responders are more knowledgeable, more proficient and more prepared to do their jobs.”

BullEx and HAAGEN offer Smart Tools for Real Training. The companies’ product lines include fire, safety and hazmat training tools, systems and centers which are used by fire departments, corporations and governments worldwide. BullEx fire extinguisher training systems have become the industry standard and have been used by thousands of organizations to train millions of people how to properly use a fire extinguisher. BullEx now offers a total solutions product line for firefighter training, fire prevention public education and corporate safety training. HAAGEN has built some of the largest and most advanced fire training facilities around the world including the Safety Center Holland, Dortmund, Germany Fire Training Facility, the Saudi Arabia Civil Defense Training Facility and the SDIS 74 Fire Training Complex in Tours, France. Projects currently being constructed include the SDIS 95 Fire Training Facility in Val-d’Oise, France, The Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Training Center in Glasgow, Scotland and the Shanghai Fire Training Center in China.

“The addition of BullEx and HAAGEN to the LION group of companies is a natural fit,” said BullEx CEO Ryan O’Donnell. “Not only do the companies share a culture of innovation, but they have a commitment to enhancing first responder readiness. The LION organization provides BullEx and HAAGEN with a tremendous foundation which will enhance our ability to develop, market, manufacture and service cutting-edge training systems and centers for our global customer base. Becoming a part of the world leader in PPE will also give our organization valuable insight into and understanding of this critical element of firefighter safety, which will undoubtedly enhance our ability to build world-class training equipment.”

Check out this short YouTube video that demonstrates the LION/BullEx/HAAGEN synergy in action:

You can read the full press release here.

For more information about LION, BullEx or HAAGEN, contact Hayley Fudge, LION marketing director, at 937.415.2808 or hfudge@lionprotects.com.

Visit LION online at www.lionprotects.com, or stay in touch with LION on its Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/lionconnects.

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As posted on Fraunhofer’s Research News

Firefighters often put their lives at risk during operations, so it is essential they have reliable tools to help them do their job. Now, a modular simulation kit is set to help develop new information and communication technologies – and ensure they are tailored to firefighters’ needs from the outset.

It takes the highest levels of concentration for emergency workers to fight their way through smoke-filled buildings wearing breathing apparatus and protective suits. What is the location of the casualties? Where is the nearest exit, in case the crews need to get to safety? Up to now, they have used ropes to retrace their steps, but these can get caught up or wrap themselves around obstacles. Chalk is used to mark which rooms have already been searched, but these markings are often difficult to see through the smoke. What is needed are new technologies such as sensor-based systems to support the emergency crews during operations where visibility is limited. But such systems, too, carry their own risks: having too much information to hand might confuse crews and be a hindrance. That is why researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT in Sankt Agustin have now developed a set of special simulation methods and tools. These will allow emergency services to test technologies in a realistic environment while they are still in the development phase, so they can tailor them to their specific requirements long before they are needed in earnest. It also gives crews the chance to get used to unfamiliar sources of information while on safe ground. The FireSim method kit is made up of four simulation modules.

To read more about the modules and the FireSim method kit, click here.

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By Lt. Michael Swiman
Wake Forest (NC) Fire Department
For LION Connects

Why?  This is something that I have learned to ask in the fire service. Most of the upper command staff, even line officers hate this question due to the fact that they feel that they are being infringed on.  I look at it as a way to understand and learn what is coming from the command staff.  Now asking why does not have to be a bad thing, it can be used as a learning moment in various situations such as incident management, or returning to the basics (which everyone should do).

Asking why questions should be done tactfully. Lord knows that sometimes that this is not done and can get you in trouble. But if done with a learning intent I have found that you can obtain a lot of learning information from your command and line officers and then they will be more willing to share the information with you.  As for line personnel asking why, line officers should take the moment as a teaching moment and answer those questions or play devil’s advocate and see what your personnel are thinking (who knows their answers may be the one you’re looking for, or be a better solution to the problem at hand).

With the retirement of some great Chief’s and seasoned firefighters, the newer generation of firefighters need to ask why things are done and how they are done. We all know that we are seeing less and less of firefighting and more EMS calls, it’s just nature of the beast. But when the opportunity arises and these seasoned personnel come by the station or have a seminar/class in your local area, take the opportunity to sit and listen, ask and learn.

I take the opportunity and ask my firefighter’s why I do things the way I do. I like to receive their input. I also ask them why they did what they did. I have all faith in my crew, but I try to encourage them to think outside of the box and have them keep several back-up plans in their minds besides what they currently have in front of them.

Take the moment, learn what you can, ask those questions. Keep training; learn something new every day, return to the basics. Have a safe and joyous holiday.

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By Ed Brouwer
For Firefighting In Canada

Chimney fires should never be considered routine. A chimney fire can burn with such explosive intensity that it can be – and often is – detected by neighbours or passersby. Flames may shoot several feet from the top of the chimney. People in the house report being startled by a low, rumbling sound that reminds them of a freight train. Do not respond thinking, “It is only a chimney fire.” Think structure fire and respond accordingly.

Traditionally, chimneys were solid structures that were constructed of heavy stone, block or brick. The chimney either was an integral part of the overall building structure, or was connected to the structure by a series of ties between the chimney and the outside wall of the structure. The flue was constructed of firebrick, clay, slate or tile. Few chimneys are built this way today because they are extremely expensive and there is a shortage of experienced, capable masons.

Most modern chimneys are prefabricated from steel tubing or pipe. This double- or triple-walled pipe is extended from the heating device through an insulated thimble in the wall and up the exterior of the structure. The chimney is fastened to the exterior wall by a series of metal brackets. The inner wall of the pipe serves as the actual flue. All chimneys should be equipped with a spark-arrester screen and a cap on the top.

A common cause of chimney fires is the ignition of residue within the flue. This residue is formed when fires are routinely burned at less than free-burning levels. This may be due to an insufficient oxygen flow to the firebox, or when large logs are added to a small fire. Incomplete combustion produces low heat levels and large amounts of fire gases. As these gases travel up the flue, they begin to cool and behave much the same way petroleum does as it is separated at a refinery. When the gases reach their condensation temperature, the liquid clings to the inside surface of the flue. This substance is called creosote. Creosote is black or brown and has a crusty or flaky consistency. It can be tarry, drippy, sticky or shiny. When it is hardened it is highly combustible. If the buildup of the volume of creosote is sufficient, a chimney fire is possible.

Read the full article on FireFightingInCanada.com

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By Mark van der Feyst
for FireRescue1.com

Whenever we arrive at a working fire, time is running against us in terms of executing an interior attack and achieving a quick and effective knockdown of the fire.

Certain delays caused by human, mechanical or unknown error can arise, which handicap the efforts of our interior fire attack.

Some of these handicaps are attributed to our personal protective equipment malfunctioning right at the time of our operation.

A basic part of our personal protective equipment is the self contained breathing apparatus. This piece of equipment is an integral part of our personal protection as it provides for protection against heat, smoke, toxic gases and other products of combustion from entering into our respiratory system.

Knowing SCBA inside and out is vital to the survivability of the individual using it. Knowing the limitations, the mechanical operation and being able to troubleshoot problems as they arise will benefit the user and remove any handicaps.

Read the full article on FireRescue1.com.

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According to the Nation Fire Protection Association, NFPA, planning ahead can help make this Halloween a fire-safe one. Taking simple fire safety precautions, like making sure fabrics for costumes and decorative materials are flame-resistant, can prevent fires.

During the four-year-period of 2003-2007, NFPA estimates that decorations were the item first ignited in an estimated average of 1,240 reported home structure fires per year. These fires caused an estimated average of seven civilian deaths, 53 civilian injuries and $20 million in direct property damage per year.

Check out this video by Judy Comoletti, NFPA Division Manager of Public Education, in which she talks about how planning ahead can help make this Halloween a fire-safe one.

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With research showing that 40 percent of victims involved in building collapses suffer from crush injuries, Dr. David Tan describes some important tips for treating these injuries and examines crush injuries in the USAR setting.

FlashoverTV is powered by FireRescue1.com

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From the Salem News

Oregon National Guard, 102 Civil Support Team, conducted a joint training exercise at the Port of Portland, and in Astoria, Ore., Sept. 27-29.

The 102 Civil Support Team trained with multiple federal and local agencies in Exercise Columbia Crest, which was designed to test their ability to respond to potential Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) threats.

The exercise also supported essential interagency coordination and partnered with first responders.

Also participating in the exercise was the Job Corps’ tug M/V IUKA with full crew from Job Corps. The 103-foot tug was commanded by Captain Patrick Albers.

Some of the agencies which participated in the training exercise were; FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, TSA, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Vessel Boarding Security Team (VBST), a MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter Crew from Air Station Astoria US Coast Guard, Port of Portland Fire & Police, Portland Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit (MEDU), Port of Portland Marine Security, Oregon State Radiation Protection Services, HAZMAT 07, HAZMAT 11, Department of Energy RAP 8, Oregon National Guard’s 102 Civil Support Team (CST).

The mission of the Oregon National Guard’s 102 Civil Support Team is to provide support to community and state authorities in the event of a natural or manmade chemical, biological, radiological, or weapons of mass-destruction incident.

Click here to see some excellent photos of the LION CBRN garment being put to the test by the Oregon National Guard.

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