For ICS instructors please be advised that the Opscan forms 95-9 and
95-9a are no longer valid. You must order new forms (95-23) from the
following address

http://training.fema.gov/is

Fire State Aid Forfeiture Deadline

The Office of the State Auditor is pleased to announce that all but two volunteer fire relief associations submitted their 2008 reporting year forms prior to the forfeiture deadline on November 30. State law requires automatic forfeiture of fire state aid for relief associations that do not file all reporting information by November 30.

We would like to thank the relief association trustees, municipal representatives, accountants and members of the Pension Division team, who worked right up to the deadline to ensure that reporting forms were submitted.

 

A former member of the Grand Lake Volunteer Fire Department is going through the St Paul Fire Department Academy.

 

Full story here; http://www.twincities.com/ci_13922337

 

Follow his blog at http://saintpaulfirechief.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

*** REMINDER ***

 

53rd Annual Chaska Fire Department Fishing Contest

January 30th, 2010

1:00pm to 3:00pm

 

The Chaska Fire Departments contest will be held on Saturday, January 30th from 1:00 to 3:00.

 

Check out our website for the prize list.

http://chaskafire.org/fishing.htm

 

 

============= Important Update from Hybrid Hazards Co. ============

 

2010 Prius with new solar panel option on the roof..

Safety Concern - Heads Up!

The solar panel creates approx 27v of electric during the day light, even if there is 'very little sunlight' / cloudy day, etc.

That electrical current is routed from the solar panel on the roof down thru the C PILLAR in the same harness as the Air Bag wiring.

So even after shutting down 12v ('READY' indicator) the 27volts created by the solar panel is still LIVE traveling down thru the harness in the C PILLAR (as long as sun light is hitting the solar panel)

So be aware that if you were to cut thru the C PILLAR in an attempt to remove the roof there's an arc potential there to be concerned with which could very well jump across or short out with the Air Bag wiring thus deploying Air Bags.

There are 2 solutions to this issue..

1) Cover the roof solar panel with a blanket or tarp folded in half to prevent all light from entering the solar panel.

2) Remove the inner headliner material just above the rear / driver side / seat position / look up and locate then disconnect or cut either the 'red or blue' wire you see there.

Once either of those procedures are done you will have shut down all electrical flow in C PILLAR instantly.

If you haven't done so, please go to our website and get on our mailing list to 'Get Notified' of upcoming Training events across the USA and Online Interactive Webinars.

 

Take care and stay safe out there!

Respectfully,
Patrick Bonanno / President
Hybrid Hazards Co.
Hybrid Vehicle Safety Awareness Training
High Voltage / SRS Shut Down Procedure Guides
http://www.hybridhazards.info
http://www.hybridvehicletraining.com

 

Emergency Vehicle Visibility and Conspicuity Study

This partnership with the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), produced a study on emergency vehicle visibility and conspicuity, and expanded fire service efforts in these areas, to enhance emergency vehicle and roadway operations safety for firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other emergency responders.

Areas such as retroreflective striping and chevrons, high-visibility paint, built-in passive light, and other reflectors for law enforcement patrol vehicles, fire apparatus, ambulances and other EMS vehicles, and motorcycles were examined. Best practices in emergency vehicle conspicuity, including cutting edge international efforts, were reviewed.

IFSTA researched new technologies in the area of emergency vehicle conspicuity and visibility and collaborated on current USFA studies and projects in the areas of emergency warning lighting, traffic incident management, and roadway operations safety.

Emergency Vehicle Visibility and Conspicuity Study (PDF, 2.2 Mb)

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/fa_323.pdf

 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Precision Indoor Personnel Location and Tracking for Emergency Responders

 

As we approach the ten year anniversary of the 1999 warehouse fire in Worcester, which claimed the lives of six firefighters who could not find their way out of the building, led a team of WPI researchers to develop a locator system that uses sophisticated signal processing and geolocation technologies to pinpoint the location of first responders in buildings, giving them a global view of their situation, and enabling them to find a safe exit or be found by rescuers in an emergency.

 

 

 

About the Technology

The system employs principles from orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which transmits high-speed data via wired and wireless channels and integrates well in the radio spectrum, as well as super resolution techniques as used in synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which can extract great detail from radar signals. Customized OFDM signals are emitted continuously by transmitters worn by each first responder. Receivers located on emergency vehicles are able to decipher the signals, determine their distance from the transmitters, and sort out a multitude of straight-line and reflected signals to determine the exact location of the transmitters in three-dimensional space.

 

Video Clip

http://www.necn.com/Boston/SciTech/Firefighters-test-out-new-technology/1218066141.html

 

Project details

http://www.ece.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/PPL/PPL_Flier_Apr08.pdf

 

Project website

http://www.ece.wpi.edu/research/PPL/

 

This is a special invitation to you.

 

 

 

 

2010 Fire Service Educators and Professional Development Conference Brochures Are In The Mail and Posted Online!!!!

 

January 30-31, 2010

                        

Kelly Inn and St Cloud Civic Center

St Cloud, Minnesota

 

For more information on the fire school, go to: http://www.fitoam.org/2010_conference.html

 

There are 26 workshops and 4 opportunities to take a certification exam.

 

Register online today to make sure you get the workshops you want.

 

 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

 

Be Safe!!

 

Fire Instructors and Training Officers Association of Minnesota

 

 

National Fire Academy Second Semester Application Period - Open through December 15

 

 

National Fire Academy
Second Semester Application Period

The National Fire Academy’s Fiscal Year 2010 second semester application period is open NOW through December 15. The second semester includes classes running from April 1 through September 30, 2010. Interested applicants are urged to submit their completed FEMA Form 75-5, General Admissions Application right away!

For complete application information and Course Schedule information, please visit our website at:
www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/about/attend/apply.shtm

Additionally, there is a helpful document that you are encouraged to read prior to your completing the FEMA Form 75-5 application. You can download Eight Tips for Completing a Successful NFA Application from the above mentioned website.

If you have specific questions, please contact the person listed for the course you are interested in or submit a question through the comment form by clicking on the ‘Contact Us’ link at the top of any of the above mentioned pages.

Don’t delay! Send in your application now. Classes that have less than the minimum number of qualified applicants will be cancelled!

 

2009 Wisconsin Act 28 - Discourages Cuts to Fire Departments

 

A new state law that is giving special protection to emergency services such as fire and police. Under the new law, dubbed "maintenance of effort for emergency services," municipalities and counties risk reductions in shared revenue from the state if they cut spending for emergency services below 2009 levels. But some city administrators are unhappy, saying the law prevents them from tackling wasteful spending at some fire departments.

 

What is maintenance of effort for emergency services?

2009 Wisconsin Act 28 requires counties and municipalities, beginning in 2010, to maintain their 2009 level of spending on emergency services. If a county or municipality fails to comply, DOR may reduce that county’s or municipality’s payment of shared revenues by an amount determined by DOR. (See Sections 79.07, 79.035 and 79.043, Wis. Stats.)

http://www.revenue.wi.gov/faqs/slf/act28faq.html

 

79.07      
79.07 Expenditures for emergency services.  

79.07(1)      
(1) Except as provided in sub. (3), beginning in 2010, the amount that each county and municipality spends each year for emergency services, as defined by the department of revenue to include only emergency services funded from payments received under ss. 79.035 and 79.043, shall be no less than the amount that the county or municipality spent in 2009 for emergency services, not including one-time expenses and capital expenditures. Each county and municipality shall report the amount it spent for emergency services in 2009, and the amount of its one-time expenses and capital expenditures, to the department of revenue at the time and in the manner prescribed by the department.

79.07(2)      
(2) The department of revenue may adjust any amount reported under sub. (1) to more accurately reflect the amount that the county or municipality submitting the report spent for emergency services and to ensure that excluding one-time expenses and capital expenditures as provided in sub. (1) does not compromise the level of service for providing emergency services.

79.07(3)      
(3) A county or municipality may decrease the amount it spends for emergency services below its 2009 amount, with the department of revenue's approval, if the decrease in expenditures is a result of operating more efficiently, as determined by the department. For purposes of this section, any decrease approved under this subsection shall permanently decrease the base amount of expenses for emergency services provided in the county or municipality requesting the decrease by the amount of the decrease.

79.07(4)      
(4) If a county or municipality fails to comply with this section, the department of revenue may reduce the county's or municipality's payment under ss. 79.035 and 79.043, in an amount determined by the department.

 

Federal OSHA issues compliance directive to address flu prevention for health care workers

OSHA issued a compliance directive
<http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02_02-075.pdf>

 

OSHA issued a compliance directive Nov. 20 to ensure uniform procedures when conducting inspections to identify and minimize or eliminate high to very high risk occupational exposures to the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus. The directive closely follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Interim Guidance on Infection Control Measures for 2009 H1N1 Influenza in Healthcare Settings, Including Protection of Healthcare Personnel.
<http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidelines_infection_control.htm> "

 

To learn more, read news release Compliance Directive.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=16749

 

Enforcement Procedures for High to Very High Occupational Exposure Risk to 2009 H1N1 Influenza. 20 Nov 2009
http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02_02-075.pdf

Note: Link to compiled list of flu resources/guides:
http://www.ynhhs.org/emergency/pdfs/Flu_References.pdf

 

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

This Instruction establishes agency enforcement policies and provides instructions to ensure uniform procedures when conducting inspections to minimize high to very high occupational exposure risk to the virus identified as 2009 H1N1 influenza of workers whose occupational activities involve contact with patients or contaminated material in a healthcare or clinical laboratory setting.

Scope: This Instruction applies OSHA-wide.

 

References:

 

A. OSHA Instruction CPL 02-00-148 Field Operations Manual (FOM), November 9, 2009.

B. OSHA Notice 09-05 (CPL 02) Site-Specific Targeting 2009 (SST-09), July 20, 2009.

C. OSHA Instruction CPL 02-00-120 (CPL 2-0.120) Inspection Procedures for the Respiratory Protection Standard, September 25, 1998.

D. Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance for Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Employers, OSHA Publication 3328, 2007 (reprinted 2009).

E. Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic, OSHA Publication 3327, 2007 (reprinted 2009).

F. CDC Guidelines, Interim Guidance on Infection Control Measures for 2009 H1N1 Influenza in Healthcare Settings, Including Protection of Healthcare Personnel (October 14, 2009).

Abstract - 1

G. National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan, Homeland Security Council, May 2006

 

Cancellations: None.

State Impact: Notice of Intent and Equivalency is required. See Section VI.

Action Offices: OSHA National, Regional and Area Offices, State Plan and State Consultation Offices.

Originating Office: Office of Health Enforcement.

 

Contact:

Directorate of Enforcement Programs

Office of Health Enforcement

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20210

202-693-2190

 

NFPA 1600 and 14 NFPA first responder codes and standards receive DHS designation as “Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology”

 

NFPA 1600, Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs and 14 other NFPA codes and standards have been designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as “Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology” (QATT) under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (SAFETY Act). This is the first block of standards to receive this designation by DHS. Under the provisions of the SAFETY Act, these standards were also certified as “Approved Product(s) for Homeland Security”.

 

In September of 2008, NFPA was the first standards development organization to receive this designation for its codes and standards development process.

 

According to DHS, the SAFETY Act encourages the development and deployment of new and innovative anti-terrorism products and services by providing liability protections. Designation as a QATT and certification as an approved product for homeland security under the SAFETY Act provides legal protections for the NFPA codes and standards development process and now these 15 individual codes and standards as applied to anti-terrorism.

 

The 15 standards are listed below. They address emergency preparedness, first responder competencies and professional qualifications, personal protective equipment and specialized tools. NFPA 1600 is also one of three standards that DHS has announced it intends to adopt for application to the PS-Prep Program, a voluntary private sector preparedness program designed to improve the ability of private sector entities to withstand and recover from disasters including terrorism.

 

NFPA 472            Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents

NFPA 473            Standard for Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents

NFPA 1006          Standard for Technical Rescuer Professional Qualifications

NFPA 1600          Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs

NFPA 1851          Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting

NFPA 1852          Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)

NFPA 1936          Standard on Powered Rescue Tools

NFPA 1951          Standard on Protective Ensembles for Technical Rescue Incidents

NFPA 1971          Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting

NFPA 1981          Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services

NFPA 1982          Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS)

NFPA 1991          Standard on Vapor-Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Materials Emergencies

NFPA 1992          Standard on Liquid Splash-Protective Ensembles and Clothing for Hazardous Materials Emergencies

NFPA 1994          Standard on Protective Ensembles for First Responders to CBRN Terrorism Incidents

NFPA 1999          Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations

 

“NFPA is pleased to have these standards recognized as anti-terrorism technologies which are important in protecting first responders to terrorist events and also in improving the ability of our infrastructure to mitigate and recover from such events while protecting people and property”, said James M. Shannon, NFPA president.

 

Federal protections under the DHS designation and certification are retroactive and recognize NFPA’s technologies “earliest date of sale” as September 11, 2001.

 

All NFPA safety codes and standards are developed through a process accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The more than 250 technical committees responsible for developing and updating all 300 codes and standards include approximately 4,000 volunteers, representing enforcing authorities, installers and maintainers, labor, research and testing laboratories, insurers, special experts, consumers and other users.

 

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org

 

 

The Fire Instructors and Training Officers Association is seeking applications for the 2010 Curtis M. “Bud” Holter Instructor of the Year Award and 2010 Cleo Keiper Training Officer of the Year Award.

 

They are asking that people nominate two individuals; “the instructor and also a training officer who has influenced or taught you the most about our profession!” Nominations are due by Dec. 1, 2009.

 

Applications can submitted online also at;

http://www.fitoam.org/annual_awards.html#Nomination_Forms

 

Nomination forms are also attached to this email.

 

Awards Committee Chair

awards@...

 

 

Dale Specken

Fire Chief

Hopkins Fire Department

952-548-6451 (Office)

952-548-6470 (Fax)

952-210-2068 (Cell)

dspecken@...  (E-mail)

 

 

 

 

Ramon Edward "Ray" Age 50, of Roseville. Retired St. Paul Firefighter

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/startribune/obituary.aspx?n=ramon-edward-hain-ray&pid=136071342

 

Hain, Ramon Edward "Ray" Age 50, of Roseville. Retired St. Paul Firefighter. Passed away peacefully on November 14, 2009, surrounded by family and friends, after recent complications of heart failure. Preceded in death by mother, Beverly Hain. Survived by wife, Gail; daughters, Rachel (14) and Sara (12); father, Edward Hain; sisters, Sherry (Norbert) Duval and Karen (Greg) Sitzmann; brother, Steve (Jan) Hain; dog, Abby; and many other close relatives and friends. Ray graduated from college and worked for many years in the business world. Not one to sit behind a desk for long, he made a career change to realize his "calling" to become a St. Paul Firefighter/ EMT. He thrived on the adrenaline rush of fighting fires and trying to save lives. He had deep respect and appreciation for all the firefighter "brothers and sisters" he had the honor to work with. In 1998, Ray was the miraculous recipient of a heart transplant. After that, his priority was family and friends. He spent many generous hours volunteering for his daughter's school and activities, and also for his church and others. Ray was an accomplished woodworker, and he gifted many people with beautiful pieces of wood furniture, intarsia art, and his own original Christmas nutcrackers and ornaments. Ray loved being outdoors-camping, hiking, and going on mini "adventures" with his family. He also loved to travel, especially to the National Parks. Just this past year, he enjoyed trips to the Great Smoky Mountains and Alaska. A memorial service to celebrate Ray's life will be held at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, 1660 W. Cty Rd. B, in Roseville, MN on Saturday, November 21 at 4:00 pm with visitation from 2:30-4 pm and soup supper after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to St. Michael's Lutheran Church, St. Paul Firefighters IAFF Local 21, Roseville Gymnastics Booster Association or Roseville Youth Basketball Association. Roseville Memorial Chapel 651-631-2727

 

The AFG Spotlight is Coming to the AFG Website

This fall a new feature called the AFG Spotlight will be introduced on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Website. Each month the Spotlight will highlight a different topic related to the Program. With this feature we want to put a face on the AFG Program and explain in clear language what the AFG brings to our communities and the Nation as a whole.

To kick off this feature, the first article will cover where we are right now with all of the AFG's 2009 funding programs, including the SAFER Grant Program and the Fire Station Construction Grants.

Send your thoughts about our new feature and your ideas for future topics to firegrants@....

The AFG Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration.

 

Finding the laws that govern us
11/17/2009 09:05:00 AM

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/finding-laws-that-govern-us.html

As many of us recall from our civics lessons in school, the United States is a common law country. That means when judges issue opinions in legal cases, they often establish precedents that will guide the rulings of other judges in similar cases and jurisdictions. Over time, these legal opinions build, refine and clarify the laws that govern our land. For average citizens, however, it can be difficult to find or even read these landmark opinions. We think that's a problem: Laws that you don't know about, you can't follow - or make effective arguments to change.

Starting today, we're enabling people everywhere to find and read full text legal opinions from U.S. federal and state district, appellate and supreme courts using Google Scholar. You can find these opinions by searching for cases (like Planned Parenthood v. Casey), or by topics (like desegregation) or other queries that you are interested in. For example, go to Google Scholar, click on the "Legal opinions and journals" radio button, and try the query separate but equal. Your search results will include links to cases familiar to many of us in the U.S. such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education, which explore the acceptability of "separate but equal" facilities for citizens at two different points in the history of the U.S. But your results will also include opinions from cases that you might be less familiar with, but which have played an important role.

We think this addition to Google Scholar will empower the average citizen by helping everyone learn more about the laws that govern us all. To understand how an opinion has influenced other decisions, you can explore citing and related cases using the Cited by and Related articles links on search result pages. As you read an opinion, you can follow citations to the opinions to which it refers. You can also see how individual cases have been quoted or discussed in other opinions and in articles from law journals. Browse these by clicking on the "How Cited" link next to the case title. See, for example, the frequent citations for Roe v. Wade, for Miranda v. Arizona (the source of the famous Miranda warning) or for Terry v. Ohio (a case which helped to establish acceptable grounds for an investigative stop by a police officer).

As we worked to build this feature, we were struck by how readable and accessible these opinions are. Court opinions don't just describe a decision but also present the reasons that support the decision. In doing so, they explain the intricacies of law in the context of real-life situations. And they often do it in language that is surprisingly straightforward, even for those of us outside the legal profession. In many cases, judges have gone quite a bit out of their way to make complex legal issues easy to follow. For example, in Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court justices present a fascinating and easy-to-follow debate on the legality of internment of natural born citizens based on their ancestry. And in United States v. Ramirez- Lopez, Judge Kozinski, in his dissent, illustrates the key issue of the case using an imagined good-news/bad-news dialogue between the defendant and his attorney.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of several pioneers, who have worked on making it possible for an average citizen to educate herself about the laws of the land: Tom Bruce (Cornell LII), Jerry Dupont (LLMC), Graham Greenleaf and Andrew Mowbray (AustLII), Carl Malamud (Public.Resource.Org), Daniel Poulin (LexUM), Tim Stanley (Justia), Joe Ury (BAILII), Tim Wu (AltLaw) and many others. It is an honor to follow in their footsteps. We would also like to acknowledge the judges who have built this cathedral of justice brick by brick and have tried to make it accessible to the rest of us. We hope Google Scholar will help all of us stand on the shoulders of these giants.

Posted by Anurag Acharya, Distinguished Engineer

 

NFPA Launches new Web pages to Streamline Access to Technical Document Information

For immediate release  

Contact:          Lorraine Carli

                        Public Affairs Office: +1-617-984-7275

publicaffairs@...

NFPA launches new Web pages

to streamline access to technical document information

Details on more than 300 codes and standards available

November 16, 2009 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) introduced improved document information Web pages to make finding information on its more than 300 codes and standards easier. This project was developed based on feedback received from a survey of NFPA’s technical committee members, the volunteers responsible for developing and revising NFPA documents, and other participants in the process.

“The new ‘Doc Info’ pages provide one central location for all the information that pertains to each of our more than 300 NFPA technical documents,” said Chris Dubay, NFPA’s vice president of codes and standards and chief engineer. “This major advancement is part of a continuing effort to use technology to enhance our code development system as well as make it easier for people to find the information they’re seeking.”

In addition to new search capabilities, users will be able to navigate and find additional details by selecting one of three tabbed sections:

• Document information
  Document scope, archived revision information on current and previous editions, and the ability to view ("read-only") and purchase current and previous editions.
• Next edition
  Information about the current revision cycle, Report on Proposals (ROP), Report on Comments (ROC), Notices of Intent to Make a Motion (NITMAMs).
• Technical Committee
  Committee name and scope, NFPA staff liaison, list of committee members, information on how to apply to a committee. 

More improvements planned in the near future will include information on upcoming Technical Committee meetings as well as agendas and minutes. 

See full list of NFPA documents. (Document information pages can be viewed by clicking on any document.) 

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.

 

Menahga Fire Department gets call from state auditor

This year’s Menahga Fire Relief pancake feed fundraiser was incorrectly advertised, resulting in an anonymous call to the Office of the State Auditor. The annual event, held in October, is a fundraiser for the Fire Relief Association.

By: Riham Feshir, Park Rapids Enterprise

http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/event/article/id/20744/

This year’s Menahga Fire Relief pancake feed fundraiser was incorrectly advertised, resulting in an anonymous call to the Office of the State Auditor.

The annual event, held in October, is a fundraiser for the Fire Relief Association. But this year’s flyers insinuated that the fire department hosted the event, by inadvertently eliminating the word “relief.”

Fire Chief Dave Kicker indirectly implied that one of the council members reported the mistake at Monday night’s meeting.

“It didn’t make us very happy,” he said. “The council should have been behind us.”

Councilwoman Maxine Norman said she wasn’t the one to report the incident.

“I didn’t send it in,” she said. “And if anyone in this town is accusing me of that, they are wrong.”

That’s why she requested last month that a letter from the council be sent to the fire department reminding them to include the Fire Relief Association sponsorship in all flyers, posters and notices for those types of events, to avoid an OSA investigation in the future, Norman said.

One way a fire relief association differs from a city or town fire department is that a volunteer fire relief association is required to maintain control of its own funds, according to the OSA.

It receives and manages public money to offer retirement benefits for those providing firefighting and emergency first response services.

“They know what should happen, they told us it was an oversight,” State Auditor Rebecca Otto said in an interview. “They said the person who prepared the flyer made a mistake … it will not happen again.”

Read more here

http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/event/article/id/20744/

 

Duluth Firefighters Union boots 3 firefighters for volunteering

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/151974/

FOX 21 News: Union boots firefighters

After Bob Noldin built a home in Hermantown last year, the 23-year veteran of the Duluth Fire Department decided he should serve on his new community’s volunteer fire department.

“I thought it would be nice to help them, and they’re short [of] firefighters up here,” he said.

Noldin volunteered for Hermantown along with fellow Duluth firefighters Sandy Merritt and Brian Black. But when the Duluth Fire Union found out, the three were asked to resign their union memberships early this year. Noldin said he took that route rather than stop volunteering for Hermantown.

Under state law, the three are still technically union members and have to pay dues, but they don’t have a voting stake in union activities.

Merritt and Black could not be reached Friday for comment.

“I don’t feel that anybody should be able to tell a person what they can do in their days off for a community,” Noldin said.

The fire union disagrees. Union President Erik Simonson acknowledges the three were asked to resign their memberships, saying that volunteering for another department is strictly prohibited in union bylaws. Simonson said his union is following the rules set out by the International Fire Union.

“This is primarily over concern for the safety of our members,” Simonson said. “They are doing a job that is risky. If they were to get hurt, if something happens to them, they wouldn’t be covered under the city liability coverage.

“In my mind, this issue was resolved internally a number of months ago,” he added.

Simonson notes that Duluth firefighters aren’t barred from any other work or volunteer activity when off-duty.

Noldin said he was told the forced resignations were in part due to another reason: fear that volunteers will take over full-time firefighting jobs.

“I don’t think that will ever happen,” Noldin said. “[Hermantown] has enough problems getting firefighters of their own.”

Noldin said the fire union wanted to go further than the resignations and sought to fire the three. He said the union voted to insert language into the next contract that would have allowed the city administration to fire any firefighter who served on a volunteer department.

However, Noldin said he was told by Simonson on Friday that the union “wouldn’t push” that language.

“He said there are more important issues to work on in the contract at this time,” he said.

The provision didn’t seem likely to make it into the contract, anyway.

“We continue to oppose this position and will not agree to it in any form,” Duluth Mayor Don Ness said when asked for comment on Friday.

Simonson declined to comment on any effort to change contract language. As for firing employees who work as volunteer firefighters, he said “there are other locals that have a similar type of provision.”

“If we were, and I’m not saying that we were, we would not be breaking any new ground,” Simonson said.

The president of the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters Union, Tom Thornberg, said he was aware of only one other union in the state that would fire employees for volunteering: St. Paul.

But the president of that union, Mike Smith, said the contract changed in early November after receiving a federal grant. Under the terms of that grant, “we can’t discriminate against any employees volunteering on another department,” Smith said.

The St. Paul union still has restrictions on firefighters serving on volunteer departments, including the ability to ask that employees be fired if they don’t receive permission from the union to volunteer.

Smith said his union is following the stance of the International Fire Union, and their restrictions are meant to punish firefighters who serve on volunteer departments in the Twin Cities area.

“We believe that if a city can afford a full-time police department, they can afford a full-time fire department,” he said.

====================

 

MFSN Editors Note;

 

Looks like Duluth will not be eligible for the valuable SAFER awards.

 

Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2009SAFERguidance.pdf

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) should also be reviewed on the grant program’s website (www.firegrantsupport.com).

 

Appendix 2

Grantee Responsibilities

http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2009SAFERguidance.pdf

Page 32

(9) Not withstanding any provision of other laws, firefighters hired under these grants shall not be discriminated against for, or be prohibited from, engaging in volunteer activities in another jurisdiction during off-duty hours.

 

Update:  Fire Relief Association Working Group

The Working Group held its fifth meeting on Tuesday, November 10. The Group continued its discussion on a proposal to change the order of payment for survivor benefits. Several changes to the proposal were suggested, and the Group agreed to gather more information from affected plans and revisit the topic at the December meeting.

The Group also decided to work on creating a general record retention schedule for volunteer fire relief associations that will be presented to the Records Disposition Panel for review. The record retention schedule will provide guidance for relief associations on the maintenance of records, and would also provide authority for certain types of records to be destroyed after designated periods of time. Currently, Fire Relief Associations must retain all records.

The final scheduled Working Group meeting of the year is Tuesday, December 8. Working Group agendas and meeting materials are available at:

http://www.auditor.state.mn.us/default.aspx?page=reliefworkinggroup.

 

Serino Seeks to Raise Profile of EMS

Posted: November 12th, 2009 06:44 PM EDT

By Ed Ballam
EMSResponder.com News

DURHAM, N.H. -- There should be little doubt that the nation's emergency medical providers have a friend in a very high place.

Richard Serino, the newly appointed deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told a group of about 100 providers at a conference in New Hampshire that he fully intends to use newly acquired political clout to get more funding for emergency medical service.

FEMA has about $7 billion to give away annually, Serino told the gathered providers.

With that comment someone in the audience called out; "How about sending some more to EMS?"

"Do you know what, I think I will," Serino responded, noting that it was a priority on his list. His response drew spontaneous applause.

Serino, the former chief of Boston Emergency Medical Services, is a newly minted presidential appointee, having left his gig in Boston on Oct. 8, 2009. The 35.5-year veteran of EMS said he was pleased with his new position and was anxious to raise the profile of emergency medical services.

Serino was speaking at the inaugural conference of Focus EMS, sponsored by McGregor Institute of EMS, a non-profit organization providing education to the public and to healthcare providers in pre-hospital emergency medicine in New England. It's based in Durham, N.H.

The deputy's presentation, which was planned long before he took the appointment, was on the topic of "EMS at the Intersection of Public Health and Public Safety." He focused on the unique position EMS providers have in their mission and with the agencies with which they work. Providers not only provide emergency care, they can also be pro-active, sponsoring illness and injury prevention education like child seat safety checks and events to promote the use of bicycle helmets and discourage use of drugs and abuse of alcohol.

"To improve the health of the people of our community -- that's what we do," Serino said. "...We need to work on putting ourselves out of business someday. That really should be the goal."

Serino said he was honored and humbled by the appointment. "I got into this to help people and working for FEMA is an extension of the same thing," he said.

To be sure, he will be a strong advocate for EMS.

"We will be looking to enhance funding for EMS over the next several years," Serino said, noting that FEMA funding dedicated to EMS is currently about 4 percent.

He also said he plans to carry on the mantra he's been following for his entire career as an EMS provider and administrator.

"Take care of the patients and do the right thing," Serino said. "That's the way EMTs and paramedics do things."

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Visit EMSResponder.com daily for the latest industry news, commentary, features and more.

 

** High Priority **

 

December 10, 2009

Flyer    Registration Form

http://www.mr.mnscu.edu/customized_training/ACCEPTIntro1.pdf

 

http://minnesotafireservice.com/whatsnewtrainingnews.html

  A.C.C.E.P.T.
A conference designed to bring
heightened awareness and
practical solutions for addressing
or responding to emergencies
within any community or
organization ...

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

All persons and agencies involved with emergency preparedness, management and response, including: public safety personnel, hospital, financial and school employees, physicians, nurses, city and county employees, health workers and anyone who plays an important role in critical incidents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

Steve Flaherty

Fire Program Manager

Mesabi Range College

(218) 749-7770 (Office)

(218) 780 6705 (Cellular)

(218) 749-7782 (Fax)

 

Check out this link to our recent training video!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/reducedl#play/uploads/0/43u2sZAX6rI

 

www.mr.mnscu.edu/customized_training/ff1.htm

 

"Select leaders for accomplishment -- not for affection."

 

 

*** HISTORY PASSING ***

 

Pioneer smokejumper Earl Cooley dies in Mont.

Montana’s News Station

http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=11491963

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Earl Cooley, the smokejumper who took the Forest Service's first leap into a flame-riddled wilderness, died Monday in Missoula. He was 98.

Cooley made the jump into the Nez Perce National Forest on July 12, 1940. His chute nearly failed to open and he landed 140 feet above ground, stuck in a spruce tree. Still, Cooley and fellow jumper Rufus Robinson had the fire under control by the next day.

In 1958, Cooley was named the smokejumper base superintendent in Missoula. He retired from the Forest Service in 1975 to start Cooley Realty.

Cooley also helped found the National Smokejumper Association and served as its president for three years. In 1984, he chronicled much of the Forest Service's early smokejumping history in his book "Trimotor and Trail."

 

NIOSH has recently released the following Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports:

F2009-18	Aug 03, 2008	Volunteer fire fighter dies after suffering a head injury while operating a platform aerial ladder - Rhode Island http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200918.html
F2009-16	Dec 08, 2008	Lieutenant suffers a fatal cardiac event after completing live fire training – Wisconsin http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200916.html
F2009-10	Jan 02, 2009	Career fire fighter dies when backed over while spotting an apparatus - New Jersey http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200910.html
F2009-07	Feb 19, 2009	Volunteer lieutenant and a fire fighter die while combating a mobile home fire - West Virginia http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200907.html
F2008-08	Mar 05, 2008	Volunteer fire lieutenant killed while fighting a basement fire – Pennsylvania http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200808.html
F2007-32	Aug 29, 2007	Two career fire fighters die while making initial attack on a restaurant fire – Massachusetts http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200732.html

 

*** REMINDER ***

 

Maximum of 60 spots … still have room for  a few. Seats are filling fast so register today.

 

Grain Elevator and Feed Mill Fire Fighting and Bin Rescue Workshop

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Best Western Kelly Inn

St. Cloud, Minnesota

 

Hosted by: The Minnesota Grain and Feed Association

In cooperation with: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

Fire/EMS/Safety Center and South Central College

 

Sponsored by: Ag Products, Inc., BNSF Railway, Inc., CoBank, Lowry Mfg. Co., Michigan Millers Mutual Insurance Co., & Sioux City Inspection & Weighing Service Co.

 

Each year, grain storage and milling facilities are damaged or destroyed by fire or experience other safety and health related situations. Fortunately, through aggressive safety efforts in the industry, the incidents of fire and explosion have dramatically decreased, but the incidents of bin related accidents have increased. However, when an incident occurs, and, in too many instances, lives are lost. The resulting loss can be staggering. In hundreds of Minnesota communities, the local elevator is the main business and the principal risk for the fire department and rescue personnel.

 

Grain Elevator and Feed Mill Fire Fighting and Bin Rescue Workshop

The Minnesota Grain and Feed Association, which represents the interests of nearly 400 country grain elevators and feed mills in Minnesota, has scheduled a Grain Elevator and Feed Mill Fire Fighting and Bin Rescue Workshop for Saturday, November 21, 2009 at the Best Western Kelly Inn, St. Cloud. The workshop is designed to alert fire fighting personnel to ways and means of preventing and controlling a fire and explosion at a grain elevator and feed mill. In addition, attendees will learn about the hazards associated with grain storage bins and the right approach to rescuing a person from an entrapment situation. The workshop will be taught by safety professionals who have special knowledge, skills and expertise in preventing and fighting a grain elevator or feed mill fire or responding to a grain bin entrapment. The workshop will be conducted in a classroom fashion so turn-out gear is not required.

 

The workshop will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The cost will be $75 per person and includes pertinent handouts, lunch and breaks. NOTE: Vouchers cannot be used to cover registration but will be available for (Minnesota) fire department personnel reimbursement. To register, complete the enclosed registration form and return it, along with a check, to the Minnesota Grain and Feed Association. A confirmation will be sent to the department of the registrants. Cancellations will be accepted up to 72 hours in advance. After that time, a full refund is not guaranteed.

 

Grain Elevator and Feed Mill Fire Fighting and Bin Rescue Workshop

Saturday, November 21, 2009, 9:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

Best Western Kelly Inn – St. Cloud, MN

 

REGISTRATION FORM

 

http://grainnet.com/pdf/Fire_Workshop_Registation.pdf

 

House lawmakers seek to remove FEMA from Homeland Security

By Katherine McIntire Peters kpeters@... November 6, 2009

On Thursday the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved legislation that would remove the Federal Emergency Management Agency from the Homeland Security Department and return it to independent, Cabinet-level status.

The 2009 FEMA Independence Act (H.R. 1174) was first introduced in February by Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., and has 29 co-sponsors. The idea of returning FEMA to the independent status it held in the 1990s, before the formation of Homeland Security in 2003, gained traction after the government's bungled response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Full story at

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=43991&dcn=e_hsw

 

Best Practices for Protecting EMS Responders

during Treatment and Transport of Victims of Hazardous Substance Releases

 

http://osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3370-protecting-EMS-respondersSM.pdf

 

OSHA 3370-11 2009

 

Acknowledgements

Numerous individuals, agencies and organizations assisted in the development of this publication. OSHA wishes to express its deepest appreciation to the following for their significant contributions to this guide. Hennepin County Medical Center, Dept of Emergency Medicine was among the stakeholders that were reconvened in 2006 to provide input regarding this document.

 

OSHA releases Best Practices for Protecting EMS Responders during Treatment and Transport of Victims of Hazardous Substance Releases

From the Executive Summary:

In 2005, OSHA published the Best Practices for Hospital-Based First Receivers guide that provided guidance for those healthcare facilities that receive and treat victims of hazardous substance releases. At the request of stakeholders that participated in the development of that guide, OSHA has developed a similar guide for emergency medical service (EMS)responders who provide medical assistance during an incident involving a hazardous substance release. This guide is intended for employers of EMS responders and discusses the measures these employers need to take to protect their EMS responders from becoming additional victims while on the front line of medical response.

Scope

EMS responders are broadly defined here as the individuals who provide pre-hospital emergency medical care and patient transportation. Some EMS responders are also assigned duties that support patient care, including patient decontamination. For the purpose of this guide, the term EMS responder refers to all levels of emergency medical personnel involved in incident response (e.g., emergency medical technicians [EMTs], paramedics, and others who perform similar duties). While many EMS responders are cross-trained(e.g., EMT and firefighter), this guide applies to these workers only when they are functioning as EMS responders.

The document can be downloaded at:

http://osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3370-protecting-EMS-respondersSM.pdf
<http://osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3370-protecting-EMS-respondersSM.pdf>

This document is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. It contains recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that employers to comply with safety and health standards promulgated by OSHA or by a state with an OSHA-approved state plan. In addition, the Act’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Employers may be cited for violating mandatory safety and health standards or other OSH Act requirements, including the General Duty Clause.

 

 

*** FREE TRAINING MATERIAL ***

 

 

Active Shooter and 4th/5th Generation Warfare PPT, video materials and references for law enforcement:
http://www.officer.com/posa/index.jsp?siteSection=30
 
AND
 
Preparation for and Response to Mass Shooting Events
http://www.ffsupport.org/training.html

Mass shooting events are becoming more common, and the response to them involves every public safety agency for miles around. This program details the actions that fire and EMS agencies can take to prepare themselves for this all-too-likely event, and the actions they can take when the event occurs.

It covers:

·         Multi-agency planning and preparation

·         Creating a prevention environment

·         Command, command post and crowd control issues for this kind of event

·         An overview of the tactics that agencies should be familiar with

This program is available in two formats. The 40+ PowerPoint slide presentation covers the material thoroughly, while the 45-minute video program is a verbal presentation of the PowerPoint material.
http://www.ffsupport.org/training.html