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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stanford University’s research team has designed a lithium-ion battery that contains the flame retardant triphenyl phosphate inside a shell. The shell melts when the temperature reaches 150C, releasing the chemical compound. In tests battery fires were extinguished in 0.4 seconds.
The International Association of Fire Fighters is overseeing a union trail in which four Ontario professional firefighters have been charged with misconduct for also joining volunteer fire departments.Ontario is one of two provinces that does not have legislation protecting a firefighter’s right to volunteer.