Alberta rolls out plan for 2017 wildfire season
Alberta’s wildfire plan for 2017 includes longer contracts for water tankers hired to fight fires and increased fines for abandoning campfires or burning during bans.
Lifesaving apps launched in Florida
Orange County Fire Rescue recently launched two lifesaving apps that encourage citizens with CPR training to respond to sudden cardiac arrest incidents near them. The apps, PulsePoint Respond and Pulse Point AED, notify users through their mobile devices that someone nearby is in need of CPR and direct them to the nearest pubicly accessible automated external defibrillator.
February in fire history – Black Saturday bushfires
Australia’s all-time worst bushfire disaster took place in February 2009, when an exceptional heat wave sparked 400 fires in the state of Victoria. One hundred seventy-three people died and 414 were injured. February 7 has become widely referred to in Australia as Black Saturday.
Dubai launches rapid response jetski with a firefighter on a jetpack
Hamilton will not charge user fees for waterfall rope rescues
After Hamilton’s fire chief warned a user fee could deter people from calling for help city officials have decided not to charge for rope rescues at local waterfalls. Instead they will look into creating a map of trouble spots on the Niagara Escarpment, where numerous rope rescues took place last year.
Langley Township Fire Chief honoured
In recognition of his longstanding dedication to public service and public safety, the Justice Institute of British Columbia will confer an honourary Doctor of Laws degree upon Stephen Gamble, the Township of Langley’s Fire Chief. Gamble has spent 38 years in the fire service, starting as a volunteer firefighter, and last year received the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs Full-time Fire Chief of the Year award.
After 24 years arrests made in L.A. fire that killed 10, including 7 children
Los Angeles police have arrested several suspects in a fire that swept through a crowded apartment building in May of 1993, killing ten. Among the dead were seven children. More than 100 residents were displaced and 40 were injured. Three of the suspects apparently have ties to a notorious gang which, at the time of the fire, was terrorizing residents of the neighbourhood.
NFPA issues safety bulletin on firefighter protective hoods
Because firefighter protective hoods do not stop soot and chemicals from depositing on a firefighter’s neck and head a new NFPA bulletin recommends that fire departments establish practices for care and maintenance of this piece of equipment.
- here for the full bulletin.
Tenants reminded to ensure their landlords provide working smoke alarms
After a house fire in Vancouver killed a toddler, tenants’ advocates are reminding renters that they need to ensure their homes have working smoke alarms. Provincial guidelines require landlords to install smoke alarms and keep them in good working condition but there is nothing specific in B.C.’s Residential Tenancy Act about smoke alarms.
Sleep health program can reduce injuries and disability in firefighters
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital developed a sleep health program incorporating sleep health education and sleep disorder screening. Findings of their study showed a nearly 50 percent reduction in long term disability days among those who participated, as well as a reduction in risk of injury among firefighters who attended sleep health education programs.