Friday, April 23
Administration of Codes
The administration of codes through the building and safety department or fire prevention division is critical to the overall community enforcement for all codes. Administration can be viewed as the adoption, use, deputies, and how we enforce codes or standards. Many of us can look at our first chapter of the adopted building or fire code for guidance on the “administration of code.”
A nice discussion and links to various check-sheets from Inspector911.com. To read the rest of the article, click the link above.
Thursday, April 22
Wednesday, April 21
ENERGY: Solar fire raises questions about panel safety
A small house fire caused by a solar panel in San Diego last week exposed a potentially dangerous flaw in the building codes of many cities across California, which is pushing for tens of thousands of homeowners to install the generating systems on their rooftops.
Experts say that in most cities, installers are not required to place a switch on the roof to cut power from panels in an emergency ---- leaving firefighters unable to put out certain fires and helpless to stop dangerous amounts of electricity from flowing along wires as long as the sun is shining. Temecula, which requires a separate shut-off, appears to be the sole local exception.
Amy Pavis had a solar-powered electrical fire on her Lake Murray-area home on Wednesday, and it wouldn't go out.
Fed by electricity from her rooftop solar panels, the fire smoldered for hours despite repeated applications of a household fire extinguisher and the efforts of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Only after an electrician arrived to cut the wires leading from the panels were the flames put down for good.
Three Oakland firefighters injured in apartment blaze - Inside Bay Area
OAKLAND — Two firefighters were sprayed in the face and eyes with paint from spray cans that exploded during a fire cleanup and a third crew member suffered a back injury after an apartment blaze this morning in the Eastlake district.
Fire Department Batallion Chief William Towner said there were about three dozen spray paint cans in an apartment at the corner of East 11th Street and Ninth Avenue because the occupant works for a paint distributor and had older products and samples stored there.
Some of the cans exploded during the fire, but it was during the fire mop-up that the two firefighters were without protective eye gear and were injured. They were taken to a hospital, treated and released. The third firefighter, who suffered the back injury fleeing from the exploding cans, was treated at a hospital and sent home, Towner said. No one else was injured.
Fire officials said 22 firefighters responded to the 10:35 a.m. blaze in the top floor of a two-story, seven-unit apartment building. One apartment on the top floor was gutted before the fire was controlled about 11 a.m., officials said. There was some smoke and water damage to other units as well. Towner said the total preliminary damage estimate is about $250,000.
The cause of the fire, which started in the kitchen of the unit with the paint cans, is under investigation. It was not deemed to be arson, Towner said.
S.F. firefighters' water marvel seeks repairs
It's a system that was cutting-edge when it was built nearly a century ago - and remains so cutting-edge, it is the only one of its kind in the entire country.
It's the city's auxiliary water supply system, a network of storage systems and pipes that allows firefighters to access streams of incredibly high-pressure water to battle major blazes like one that could occur following a devastating earthquake.
"A lot of people call it the architectural underground marvel of San Francisco," said Michael Thompson, assistant deputy fire chief. "It's like if there was an underground Golden Gate Bridge, this would be it."
It was the brainchild of Dennis T. Sullivan, the city's fire chief in the early 1900s. The city had already burned to the ground five times before the 1906 earthquake and fire, and insurance companies were drastically raising their premiums for property owners because of the fire danger - magnified by the city's topography, winds and high density.In 1903, Sullivan proposed an underground emergency water supply system that would store vast amounts of water and use gravity to deliver it in high-pressure streams around the city.
The idea was that because San Francisco is largely surrounded by water, it can't rely on adjacent cities to send water in an emergency and should store its own.
Pipes that deliver water from Hetch Hetchy for both the city's regular tap and firefighting uses, as well as its emergency water system, cross fault lines and could be jeopardized during a quake. (That system's seismic retrofitting is already under way.)
But like many City Hall proposals, it took years to come to fruition - during which the April 18, 1906 earthquake cracked water pipes around the city. San Francisco burned for three days, destroying 22,000 buildings and killing as many as 3,000 people.
"The 1906 earthquake caused a great deal of damage, but people often forget that it was the days of fire that followed that truly destroyed much of the city," said Mayor Gavin Newsom, who sponsored the bond measure along with Board of Supervisors President David Chiu.
"This system is worth its weight in gold, but it needs to be maintained," she said.
Friday, April 16
Close the Door!!
Friday, April 2
Federal safety regulators recommend Chinese drywall fix |
U.S. Fire Administration Firefighter Fatality Notification - Tucson, AZ
Please reply to this message if you are experiencing technical difficulty. For all other inquiries, please Contact USFA.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:
Name: Dennis Robinson
Rank: Captain
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 26
Date of Incident: 03/30/2010
Time of Incident: 1500hrs
Date of Death: 03/31/2010
Fire Department: Three Points Fire District
Address: 11200 S Sierrita Mtn RD, B328, Tucson, AZ 85736-1434
Fire Department Chief: John Williams
Fire Department Website: www.threepointsfire.org
Incident Description: A few hours after participating in roof ventilation training on the fire department’s portable burn trailer, Captain Robinson fell ill at Three Point’s Station 92. He was transported to Saint Mary’s Hospital, but succumbed to his injury the following day. The nature of the fatal injury is still under investigation.
U.S. Fire Administration Civilian Fire Fatality Notification Update - April 1
Please reply to this message if you are experiencing technical difficulty. For all other inquiries, please Contact USFA.
You are subscribed to the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA) Civilian Fire Fatality Notices e-mail list. Notices have recently been added and are now available.
Thursday, April 1
The Nation's news media is reporting the following residential fire (non-arson) fatalities:
- 1 dead – Junction City, KS (Topeka, KS) – A 50-year-old woman was killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
To find out more about any of the reported incidents, please contact news media in the vicinity where the fatal fire occurred. USFA does not have any additional information other than what is listed here.
QUICK RESPONSE EVENT UPDATE
The victim who succumbed to injuries sustained in a home fire that occurred Sunday, 3/21 in St. Albans, VT was identified as a 73-year-old man. The fire was caused by a propane heater placed too close to combustibles.
Thursday, April 1
EMT struck & killed during response
SAN DIEGO — A Pacific storm moved through the county Thursday morning and brought along with it chilly temperatures, high winds, snow and heavy showers that made for a treacherous drive on the freeways.
Dozens of accidents were reported throughout the morning, including one that killed an emergency medical technician who was responding to a crash.
Esteban Behana, 24, had arrived at a collision on state Route 163 just north of Washington Street about 7 a.m. and was putting out flares when he was hit, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said.
Click the link for full story.
U.S. Fire Administration Civilian Fire Fatality Notification Update
Please reply to this message if you are experiencing technical difficulty. For all other inquiries, please Contact USFA.
You are subscribed to the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA) Civilian Fire Fatality Notices e-mail list. Notices have recently been added and are now available.
The Nation's news media is reporting the following residential fire (non-arson) fatalities:
Wednesday, March 31
-
2 dead - Occurred Tuesday, 3/30 - New Madrid, MO (Paducah, KY – Cape Girardeau, MO – Harrisburg, IL): An 82-year-old man and his 45-year-old son were killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. -
1 dead - Occurred Wednesday, 3/31 - Prentiss County, MS (Jackson, MS): A person was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. -
1 dead – Occurred Wednesday, 3/31 – Pittsburgh, PA: A 42-year-old man was killed in home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. -
1 dead - Occurred Tuesday, 3/30 - Homewood, IL (Chicago, IL): An elderly man was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. -
1 dead - Occurred Monday, 3/29 – Statesboro, GA (Savannah, GA): A 78-year-old woman was killed in a home fire. The fire was caused by an overloaded extension cord. -
1 dead - Occurred Sunday, 3/21 - St. Albans, VT (Burlington, VT – Plattsburgh, NY): On Monday, 3/29 an elderly man succumbed to injuries sustained in a home fire that occurred on Sunday, 3/21. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The United States Fire Administration recommends everyone should have a comprehensive fire protection plan that includes smoke alarms, residential sprinklers, and practicing a home fire escape plan.
U.S. Fire Administration Firefighter Fatality Notification - Independence, OH
Please reply to this message if you are experiencing technical difficulty. For all other inquiries, please Contact USFA.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:
Name: Edward Teare
Rank: Lieutenant
Age: 53
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 30
Date of Incident: 03/31/2010
Time of Incident: 1400hrs
Date of Death: 03/31/2010
Fire Department: Independence Fire Department
Address: 6305 Selig DR, Independence, OH 44131-4926
Fire Department Chief: Peter Nelson
Fire Department Website: http://www.independenceohio.org/fire/index.html
Incident Description: Lieutenant Teare complained of not feeling well after a training session, lied down and was found by crew members in cardiac arrest a short time later.