2 BUCKS CO. FIRE NEWS
BUCKS COUNTY FIRE NEWS
January 2013
A PUBLICATION OF THE BUCKS COUNTY FIRE CHIEFS’ & FIREFIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION
WWW.buckscandff.com
2 BUCKS CO. FIRE NEWS
The next meeting of the Chiefs’ & FireFirefighters’ Association will be held at Training Center on January 21st.
7 PM Food
7:45 PM Meeting Start
The February meeting will be held at Station? on February 20, 2013. Anyone interested in hosting the meeting please contact President Kreuter .
Highlights of the December Meeting:
The Fire Service was the only organization to submit questions to be asked of the candidates being interviewed for the County Emergency Manager position.
We need a representative from the fire service from lower Bucks to sit on the Bucks County Public Safety Committee. Anyone interested contact President Kreuter.
BucksCountyPublicSafety.com
President Kreuter reported a very positive meeting with Bucks County Community College President Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt. She will speak at a future meeting.
The Fall graduation ceremony will be held at the College on Dec. 19th.
A motion to purchase a table at the PA Fire & Emergency Service Dinner in November in Camp Hill passed.
Chief 60, Jim Walter, announced that draft copies of policies on EMS rehab, Inclement weather, and Accountability should be available at next month’s meeting.
There was considerable discussion about the failure rate of students taking the FF1 final exam. The training center was asked to provide failure rates for the past two years. No mention of the amount of study from the manuals.
Steve Cronin gave a presentation on the Recruiting & Retention Program. $116,750 has been spent from April to Dec. 2012. 253 people have been entered into the system as of 12/17. These include people of all interests (Fire & administrative). For info use . 42 Bucks companies have signed up for the program. To sign up:
For materials:
For Issues and concerns:
Two engine companies are need for the homeland security task force Contact Chief 29
Questions about radio ordering contact Glen Baun
Hurricane Sandy – There was no request from New Jersey for Fire apparatus. In order for PA apparatus to go to NJ they must be sworn in by the NJ Attorney General. No Mutual Aid agreement exists. This is also true for agreements with MD, DE, Ohio and NY. There is a lot of bureaucratic red tape, but it must get done.
A vote was made and passed to donate $1000. To the National Volunteer Fire Council to support the firefighters who lost their homes to Hurricane Sandy.
2012 Scholarship Recipients
Justin Brewer: Upper Makefield Fire Company
Active: Firefighter
Virginia Commonwealth University: Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness
Steven Buonomo: Warwick Township Fire Co. No. 1
Active: Firefighter.
Villanova University: Mechanical Engineering
Lauren E. Kramer: Lower Southampton FD
Active: Firefighter
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM): Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
David C. Reinhart: Quakertown Fire Co. No. 1
Active: Firefighter
Penn State (Altoona):
Rail Transportation Engineering (RTEAL)
Robert Woram: Tullytown Fire Company
Active: Firefight & EMT
Millersville University:
Occupational Safety & Environmental Health
Awards were issued December 19, 2012 at BCPCTC’s FF1 & FF2 graduation held 7pm at the BCCC Library Auditorium in Newtown.
Scott T. Foster has been hired as the new County Emergency Management Director. He has previously worked for PEMA for the past decade.
The National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC)Volunteer Firefighter Support Fundprovides a stipend of $250 to volunteer first responders whose homes have been impacted by a large-scale disaster. The stipend helps these firefighters and emergency personnel meet their basic needs in the aftermath of the disaster. However, the requests received in the wake of Super Storm Sandy exceeded the availability of funds.
Interesting statistics:
From 2002 to 2011 -
2% of the world’s fires occurred in the U.S.
70% of the world’s fires occurred in Africa
An underground coal fire has been burning in Australia for 6000 years.
On average, 1,200,000 acres of woodland burns in the U.S annually.
Smithsonian Mag. Dec. 12
NASA scientists are especially excited about the potential applications for a bizarre, unprecedented type of combustion they observed in space this past spring. When certain types of liquid fuel catch fire, they continue to burn even when the flames appear to have been extinguished. The fuel combustion occurs in two stages. The first fire burns with a visible flame that eventually goes out. But shortly afterward, the fuel reignites, taking the form of “cool flames” that burn at lower temperatures and are invisible to the naked eye.
Scientists do not yet have an explanation for this phenomenon. But engineers say that if this chemical process could be duplicated on earth, the result could be diesel engines that use cool flames to produce fewer air pollutants.
Station 35, Lingohocken, will be hosting the Bucks County Fire Chief’s and Fireman’s Association Parade on Saturday, June 8, 2013. The Association and the Lingohocken Fire Company will both be celebrating their 100thAnniversary.
Station 26, Sellersville, will celebrate their 125th Anniversary on June 15th, 2013 with a parade. www.sellersvillefd.com
Jack Stanford of Station 21/22 is looking for anyone who may be interested in participating in the “Firefighter Combat Challenge”.
Interested? 267-393-0071 or or Saturday, Jan. 26th at 9:30AM at the Lower Bucks Training Center.
Firefighterchallenge.com
FDNY has placed and order with KME for 91 Engines with 2000GPM pumps for delivery over the next 3 years.
Camden County, NJ’s upgraded communication system will include the ability to accept 911 text messages. This service will be useful to those with speech or hearing problems or where individuals make be afraid to speak while seeking help. The new technology will let dispatchers identify the exact location for phones equipped with global positioning software. The FCC is encouraging officials across the country to receive TEXT message by 2014. It will still be best for people to call 9-1-1 so that other important information can be gotten quickly.
The Firemen’s Assoc. of the State of PA will host a Recruiting and Retention Workshop in King of Prussia. Date to be announced.
Long before a firefighter dies in the Line of Duty, other firefighters faced the same type of dangerous situation. Again and again. Over and over. These acts are close calls. When we learn how to minimize close calls, we can minimize Line of Duty deaths. www.firefighterclosecalls.com
The “anti’s” argue that installing residential sprinklers should be up to the homeowners. That is like saying speeding limits on highways should be up to drivers. Billy Goldfeder
In 2011, firefighters in the U.S. responded to an estimated 1,389,500 fires, 386,000 of which occurred in residential structures and 98,500 in non-residential structures. These fires accounted for 3,005 deaths, 2,550 of which occurred in residential structures, 90 in non-residential structures and 365 in fires outside structures.
Space heaters account for about 1/3 of home heating fires and almost 80% heating fire deaths.
History 1 – On the 150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Campaign in 2013, June and July 1863, the PA National Fire Museum plans doing research on PA firefighters who participated in the Civil War.
Dave Houseal
History 2 – In the days of horse drawn fire apparatus it was necessary to wipe, dry or wash the horses after a “Run”. They also needed to be watered, feed, their stalls cleaned and they needed constant exercise. Firefighters who took care of the horses were distinguishable by their odor. “Run” is a term that is still used by the fire service to describe their response to a fire.
“On returning from an alarm, horses' mouths and nostrils must be sponged out, and may be given a few swallows of water, and, if warm, must be scraped, rubbed dry, and blanketed. Sweat should be removed from around the eyes and under the tail with a damp sponge. Horses must never be given grain while hot after a run or exercise.” LA Fire Dept. Rule book.
A Christmas morning fire severely damaged a Hilltown home and displaced a family. A garage and two vehicles parked in front of the home were fully engulfed in flames, said fire Chief 27, Ray Brennan. The home was heavily damaged by smoke and water, but wasn’t a total loss because its sprinklers had activated, he said. Sprinklers are not required in the garage by NFPA 13D.
The “Dan McIntosh” Public Safety Officers Benefits measure was signed into law. It provides death benefits to the families of non-profit ambulance rescue squad members who die in the line of duty. “Thank you” to Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick for making this legislation happen.
Pennsylvania’s Yellow Dot Program was created to assist citizens in the “golden hour” of emergency care following a traffic accident when they may not be able to communicate their needs themselves. Placing a yellow dot in your vehicle’s rear window alerts first responders to check your glove compartment for vital information to ensure you receive the medical attention you need.
www.yellowdot.pa.gov/Internet/yellowdot.nsf/yellowDOThome?Open Form
Albert Einstein had a definition of insanity that is frequently used these days: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Along those lines, it could be argued that nothing has really changed in regards to the contributing factors of LODDs and that the fire service is continuing to do the same thing over and over again.
I believe there are some in the fire service who say one thing but do another; they're just giving lip service to safety. Even worse, I think there are some who don't even give lip service to safety—they're just unsafe because that's the acceptable thing to do within their culture. There are some fire service personnel who believe it's OK to die in a fire and even die just to save property.
Don't believe me? Take a group of firefighters and ask them how many of them love to fight fire. Hopefully all their hands will rise. Then ask how many of them believe in firefighter safety; hopefully all their hands will raise again. Now for the real test: ask how many believe or support the need to place fire sprinklers in every structure around the country.
I bet you won't get the same 100% compliance rate as when you asked the first question. Then ask why they didn't raise their hands to support fire sprinklers. What kind of answers will you receive? I've asked that question on numerous occasions and hear the same answers: "There won't be as many fires." "It will take all the fun out of the job." "That's not why I got into this line of work." "There won't be a need for as many firefighters."
I get it.
But then ask them the next question: "So, if you don't want to put sprinklers in every structure, does that mean you don't care about firefighter safety?" IAFC On Scene Dec. 2012
The Problem: Home Escape Times Are Reduced to Three Minutes. Modern homes contain a large quantity of synthetic furnishings which ignite and burn faster than natural materials such as wood and cotton. The National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted full scale fire tests and concluded that
escape time in flaming fires can be as little as three minutes, as compared to 17 minutes in tests conducted in the 1970s. Early smoke detection and alarm notification is needed so occupants can escape before conditions become untenable. Interconnecting smoke
alarms allows for faster notification of occupants in areas remote from where initial ignition occurs in the home.
Conclusion
The existence of working smoke alarms in a residence constitutes the most cost effective way to save lives of both occupants and firefighters. This is especially true today as most newly-constructed homes, due to the use of engineered lumber and the increased flammability of modern furnishings, burn hotter and can experience flashover in as little as three (3) minutes.
Although the optimal solution is for homes to be protected by multiple interconnected smoke alarms located in all code-required locations, it is recognized that installing even a single, working smoke alarm in a home that previously had no working smoke alarms increases the level of fire safety.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs, through its Fire & Life Safety Section
(FLSS), is adopting this position paper on residential smoke alarms
Firefighter Code of Ethics - The Fire Service is a noble calling, one which is founded on mutual respect and trust between firefighters
and the citizens they serve. To ensure the continuing integrity of the Fire Service, the highest standards of
ethical conduct must be maintained at all times.
Developed in response to the publication of the Fire Service Reputation Management White Paper, the purpose of this National Firefighter Code of Ethics is to establish criteria that encourages fire service
personnel to promote a culture of ethical integrity and high standards of professionalism in our field. The broad scope of this recommended Code of Ethics is intended to mitigate and negate situations that may result in embarrassment and waning of public support for what has historically been a highly respected profession.
Ethics comes from the Greek word ethos, meaning character. Character is not necessarily defined by how a