The NFPA recently announced that its Standards Council has approved the development of a test for open-flame sources, such as candles, matches and lighters. NFPA believes that the test will give furniture manufacturers a clear marker for determining fire resistance of upholstered furniture and will hopefully provide consumers with an important layer of fire protection.
Fourteen people, including five firefighters, were injured when two fire trucks collided sending one careening across a sidewalk and into a restaurant. One of the victims is in critical condition, officials said.
http://www.castanet.net/news/World/113279/Firetruck-slams-into-restaurant
Public safety may be priceless, but the same probably can’t be said for long about fire inspections intended to protect it. “We were charged (by council) to look at what other municipalities are doing, and more often than not they charge for inspections,” Fire Chief Amy Biggs said. “We tried to come up with a blend that is representative of our area. Our fees are conservative in nature and take into account the time it takes to do what we do.”
The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association (TPFFA) has launched a petition to protest the city’s planned removal of four pumper trucks from fire stations. The TPFFA says the removal will compromise safety in the communities surrounding the stations by impacting response times and will result in the permanent loss of 84 firefighter jobs. The association points out that the cost of keeping the trucks in service would be only $8 year a person.
A paid-on-call firefighter was astonished to read a letter to the editor calling for reduced numbers of firefighters in Langley City. He said he is not an IAFF member but has been a paid-on-call (POC) firefighter for 33 years. He goes on to say, “The minimum four-man staffing is not only industry-standard but essential. I have responded to calls on apparatus with two and three personnel, and I can tell you that you quickly find yourself short of manpower for almost anything. You become almost ineffectual”.
More than half of the keys that Phoenix Fire Department uses to access commercial buildings throughout the city have gone missing, officials said. The keys open lock boxes attached to the exterior walls of retail businesses, office buildings, apartment complexes, banks and the like, and are commonly referred to as “Knox-Boxes.” Each lock box contains a key specific to the building that firefighters can access in the event of an after-hours emergency.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/04/14/phoenix-fire-missing-keys/7724577/
A team of experts holed up in trailers set up at a wildfire base camp in Arizona helped the fire managers and crews on the front lines. They were the actual “intelligence” behind the fire. Computers inside the mobile command post were giving officials “real time” information they could relay to the men and women on the front lines.
Recent changes in the US exchange rate have increased the price of American apparatus significantly. The value of the Canadian dollar has gone down which has caused a significant price increase on top of the normal manufacturer’s price which purchasers now have to take into account .
http://www.whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/cost-of-new-fire-truck-could-go-up-by-65000-council-tol/
The US National Volunteer Fire Council Foundation’s Volunteer Fire Department Cost Savings Calculator will help you determine your department’s contribution to the community and provide data for municipalities who fund those departments. A 2013 report by the National Fire Protection Association estimates that the monetary value of donated time from volunteer firefighters is $140.7 billion.
Cost Saving Calculators
Titanium alloy golf clubs can potentially ignite dry brush when the lightweight metal is swung and struck against a rock, researchers said Wednesday. The study conducted by scientists at the University of California, Irvine, found that under the right conditions, titanium clubs can create sparks that can heat to more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit for long enough to ignite dry foliage.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/03/19/uci-study-titanium-alloy-golf-clubs-pose-brush-fire-risk/