Happy Thanksgiving!!

If you will be using a turkey fryer this holiday season, be aware of the dangers.  Below is a video from Underwriters Laboratories, demonstrating the hazards associated with these units.

From The Code Coach, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

FACAP

Last week I attended the 2009 Annual FACAP Seminar.  The neat thing about this seminar is that it brings together a diverse group of people/organizations.  It brings together, the fire service, private/public fire investigators, law enforcement, insurance executives, CPA, and attorneys.  These diverse groups are united over the common goal of arson prevention.  The workshops are all geared to a different facet of arson, investigative techniques, applicable codes/laws/standards/guidelines, legal issues, financial motives/concerns, and many others.  This is probably one of the top seminars I have attended this year, and look forward to attending next year!

If you are involved with arson and live in the state of Florida, I encourage you to check out and join the Florida Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention (FACAP).

NFPA 402 -- FREE Training Guide

Get your free copy of, Business by the Book - What NFPA 402 Really Says?

This training guide is developed to serve as an in-service training class that can be led by your own designated department personnel.

Many of us work in small ARFF departments, airport operated departments, or municipal departments responsible for aircraft incident response. In these circumstances, often times, "management" does not understand the complexities of Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting. Sadly, the effects of this "misunderstanding" trickle down to the firefighter responsible for ARFF operations in ways that include, lack of proper certifications, lack of training opportunities, lack of resources, lack of proper guidance. This misunderstanding can lead to incorrect fire ground procedures, and result in unsafe operations on the ARFF scene. To better prepare ourselves for ARFF emergencies, increase our knowledge of proper operations, and to ensure firefighter safety on ARFF incidents we need to understand the foundation of ARFF Operations -- NFPA 402. "Business by the Book -- What Does NFPA 402 Really Say?" serves as in in-service training class that will provide the fundamental components necessary to put this foundation into place.

Click this button to download your FREE copy:  

Dust Explosion

On February 7, 2008, fourteen workers were fatally burned in a series of sugar dust explosions at the Imperial Sugar plant near Savannah, Georgia. This CSB safety video explains how the accident occurred.

Safety Links (FPW 10/6/09)

Below is a list of valuable links, providing fire/life safety information and programs:

• United States Fire Administration

• American Burn Association

• Common Voices

• Fire Safety Features of New Homes

• Shriners Hospital Burn Awareness

• National Fire Protection Association

Electrical Fire Safety (FPW 10/5/09)

From NFPA.org:

U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 52,500 reported home structure fires involving electrical failure or malfunction in 2006. These fires resulted in 340 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilian injuries and $1,447 million in direct property damage.

 

• Forty-six percent of home electrical failure fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment in 2003-2006.

• In 2003-2006, 47% of electrical failure home fires involved other known type of equipment. The leading other known type of equipment involved in home electrical failure fires are fan, clothes dryer and air conditioning equipment.

• U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 25,100 reported U.S. non-confined home structure fires involving electrical distribution or lighting equipment in 2006. These fires resulted in 370 civilian fire deaths, 840 civilian fire injuries, and $776 million in direct property damage.

• Some type of electrical failure or malfunction was cited as factor contributing to ignition for 74% of electrical distribution or lighting equipment home structure fires.

Fire Prevention Week 10/4/09

Every year, the first week of October is designated as Fire Prevention Week (this year, Oct. 4-10).  To celebrate Fire Prevention Week, we will be posting new fire safety facts/hints/tips each day.

Fire Facts

 

• In 2008, U.S. fire departments responded to 386,500 home fires. These fires killed 2,755 civilians. Eighty-three percent of all fire deaths resulted from home fires.
• Someone was injured in a home fire every 40 minutes and roughly eight people died in home fires every day during 2008.
• A fire department responded to a home fire every 81 seconds.
• Almost two-thirds of reported home fire deaths in 2003-2006 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
• About 1/3 of home fires and deaths happened in the months of December, January and February.
• Cooking continues to be the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. 
• Smoking materials caused one of every four home fire deaths.
• The kitchen is the leading area of origin for home fires. However, bedrooms and living/family rooms are the leading areas of origin for home fire deaths.

 

Burns

 

• Burn injuries result in hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits a year. Thermal burns outnumber scalds nearly two-to-one.

 

 

Did You Know...

· Fires kill more people in the United States every year than all natural disasters combined.

· Fire sprinklers can save money for developers, builders, home owners, and communities.

· Installing both smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler system reduces the risk of death in a home fire by 82%, relative to having neither.

· Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire.

· Fire hoses, on average, use more than 8 1/2 times the water that sprinklers do to contain a fire.

· The likelihood that a sprinkler will accidently discharge because of a manufacturing defect is extremely rare.

· Modern fire sprinklers provide unobtrusive protection.

For more information on home fire sprinklers check out http://homefiresprinkler.org/, or contact the Code Coach.