Nov 26, 2014
A man who set his house on fire then ambushed the first sheriff’s deputy who responded, fatally shooting the deputy and wounding another before he was killed by a police officer who lives nearby, a law enforcement official said. The man’s name and address had been entered into a law enforcement computer system because of previous threats, but the dispatcher entered the address of the neighbor who reported the blaze, so the alert wasn’t activated.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-sets-house-fire-kills-florida-deputy-ambush-n254181
Nov 26, 2014
Health Canada is warning about the potential risks of “vaping” after an unidentified Quebec resident receiving oxygen therapy was injured by a fire sparked by an electronic cigarette. The federal department says similar incidents of fires started by e-cigarettes in the presence of an oxygen source have been reported in other countries.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/patients-on-oxygen-therapy-risk-fire-injury-from-e-cigarettes-1.2117498
Nov 26, 2014
MSA Safety Incorporated announced that its long awaited G1 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) has received U.S. government approval from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and certification from the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) as compliant to the 2013 Edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 1981 and 1982 performance standards.
http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/minesafetyappliances/Literature/Corporate%20Documents/Press%20Releases/2014/G1%20Approval%20Release%20-%20EN.pdf
Nov 26, 2014
A new program is helping the victims of house fires begin the difficult process of getting back on their feet, and firefighters are the ones making it possible. The gift cards are provided to victims who sustain 25 percent or more damage to their property. The program is available to victims of fire, flood and natural disasters. The money for the gift cards comes from donations made by firefighters to the California Fire Foundation. SAVE organizers hope more donors and fire departments will enroll in the program.
http://abc7.com/society/new-program-provides-gift-cards-to-fire-victims/403350/
Oct 15, 2014
This TV news report and video demonstrates the rapid fire development of new synthetic materials versus old cotton and wool fabrics. The cubicle on the right is full of older or antique furniture, made of cotton, wool and down. The room on the left is a typical home with newer, synthetic furniture made with chemicals like polyurethane and hydro-carbons.
In one minute and thirty seconds the newer furnishings reached flashover. The old furniture took more than 13 minutes to reach flashover.
http://abc7chicago.com/home/faster-fires-why-your-home-could-burn-8x-faster/334723/
Oct 15, 2014
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing made changes to the Ontario Building Code this week to raise the height of wood frame buildings from four storeys to six storeys high. But Scott Marks with the International Association of Fire Fighters said firefighters are concerned the changes that allow Ontario builders to erect taller wood frame buildings will pose a greater safety risk.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/taller-wood-frame-buildings-raise-fire-risk-firefighter-group-says-1.2778608
Oct 15, 2014
The city’s assistant fire chief gives much of the credit to an education campaign boosted by a federal grant and money from the city. The department bought and distributed almost 8,000 DVDs on fire prevention. They came in four languages — English, Spanish, Somali and Russian — and were given to apartment-building managers to hand out to tenants.
There were also 5,400 “butt buckets,” a safe place to discard cigarette butts, and almost 1,000 StoveTop FireStops, a passive fire extinguisher that fastens with a magnet to a range hood and is activated by flames.
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/277535091.html
Oct 15, 2014
Edmonton’s Windermere condo development was still under construction in March when security cameras caught someone breaking into the building and setting fires inside. A 28-year-old construction framer has been charged with arson and numerous other offenses. He is also facing an unrelated arson charge in connection with a 2011 fire at a residential building site where he had been working.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/2-men-charged-6m-windermere-171428736.html
Oct 15, 2014
In May 2013, four Houston firefighters lost their lives while battling a massive hotel fire. Problems with radio communications are among the findings of a report by the Houston Fire Department that investigated the fatal fire that killed four firefighters. It was the deadliest accident in the history of the Houston Fire Department.
http://abc13.com/news/cause-of-deadly-hotel-fire-still-not-known/290137/
Oct 15, 2014
Since Yarnell, any measurable changes in the systems of wildland firefighting have been hard to grasp. Teams still train, operate and dispatch in the same ways. Equipment, from the national fleet of flying tankers down to the standard-issue foil fire shelters that could not save the Granite Mountain team from the fire, remains largely the same.
Officials at fires elsewhere are likely to offer the same answer. Although they will not forget the loss of the hotshot crew, they don’t make a direct connection between last year’s deaths and any actions this year.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/2014/06/25/yarnell-hill-arizona-wildfire-crews/11344517/
