1 Richard E. Constable III, Commissioner New Jersey Department of Community Affairs William E. Kramer Jr., Acting Director New Jersey Division of Fire Safety Spring 2013 Volume 8 Issue 2 2013 OPERATION 7 SAVE-A-LIFE DIVISION RESPONSE TO SANDY PROVISIONAL FF FATALITY REPORT 10TH ANNUAL JFSC AT MIDDLESEX PAULSBORO DEPLOYMENT ~ IN MEMORIAM ~ ARTHUR MERCURIO PAUL E. HARTSTEIN IN THIS POSTING... Excellence in Public Safety HOTEL PIERRE OPERATION 7 SAVE A LIFE KICKOFF 2013 New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III announced that the Christie Administration is again partnering with Kidde and WABC-TV Channel 7 on the Operation 7: Save a Life smoke alarm distribution campaign, which is now in its 15 th year. As part of the campaign, the Division of Fire Safety will distribute free smoke alarms in communities impacted by Superstorm Sandy, as well as to senior citizens, low-income residents, and households with children in the NJDFS F.I.R.E. BOWL MAY 17 KEAN UNIVERSITY NJDFS OPERATION 7 SAVE-A-LIFE KICKS OFF 2013 SMOKE ALARM GIVE-A-WAY CAMPAIGN
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Richard E. Constable III, Commissioner New Jersey Department of Community AffairsWilliam E. Kramer Jr., Acting Director New Jersey Division of Fire SafetySpring 2013 Volume 8 Issue 2
2013 OPERATION 7 SAVE-A-LIFE
DIVISION RESPONSE TO SANDY
PROVISIONAL FF FATALITY REPORT
10TH ANNUAL JFSC AT MIDDLESEX
PAULSBORO DEPLOYMENT
~ IN MEMORIAM ~ARTHUR MERCURIOPAUL E. HARTSTEIN
IN THIS POSTING...
Excellence in Public Safety
HOTEL PIERRE OPERATION 7SAVE A LIFE KICKOFF 2013
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs(DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, IIIannounced that the Christie Administration isagain partnering with Kidde and WABC-TVChannel 7 on the Operation 7: Save a Lifesmoke alarm distribution campaign, which isnow in its 15th year.
As part of the campaign, the Division of FireSafety will distribute free smoke alarms incommunities impacted by Superstorm Sandy,as well as to senior citizens, low-incomeresidents, and households with children in the
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station's viewing area, which includes North Jersey and muchof Central Jersey. The Division has distributed approximately115,800 free smoke alarms to New Jersey households sincejoining the annual campaign.
“We are always pleased to partner with WABC-TV Channel 7in this unified effort to place these life-saving devices in thehands and in the homes of our most vulnerable residents,”said Commissioner Constable.
“The best way to fight fire is to prevent it, and that is what thiscampaign does every year.”
Operation 7 Save a Life seeks to increase public awarenessabout fire safety and prevention and focuses on how toprepare for and handle emergency situations. The campaignhas helped distribute more than 670,000 smoke alarmsthroughout New Jersey, New York, and Long Island since itsinception in 1999 to individuals who otherwise couldn’t affordthem.
A similar program is led by WPVI-TV Channel 6 the ABC-affiliated station in Philadelphia for the South Jersey region.The smoke alarms are donated by Kidde, a long-time sponsorof Operation 7 Save a Life.
PAUL ELENIO, JOE ERDHARDT AND RICHFARLETTA ARE “CLASS A” ATTENDEES
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This year, Kidde donated more than 16,875 10-year sealedbattery smoke alarms, a portion of which New Jersey willreceive. The next phase of the campaign involves thedistribution of the alarms.
New Jersey has among the lowest per capita fire deathrates in the nation, according to the National Fire Protec-tion Association, citing the state’s model fire code and itsaggressive public outreach and enforcement programs.Nonetheless, state fire data collected by the Division ofFire Safety shows the onset of cold weather coincides withan increase in residential fires.
“The problem of fire in our state remains particularlyconcentrated in one and two-family dwellings,” saidActing State Fire Marshal William Kramer, Jr.
“Seventy-seven percent of our civilian fire fatalitiesoccurred in residential properties in 2011. A workingsmoke alarm is a must-have piece of equipment because itis a family‘s first line of defense against fire.” Krameradded.
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DIVISION PERFORMS MULTIFACETED ROLEIN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE SANDY
Hurricane Sandy now and forever viewed as theworst to ever hit New Jersey was cause for anunprecedented mobilization of state, county andlocal firefighting resources by the Division.
Coordinating with other state response agencies,the Division saw to the 24-7 deployment of over250 pieces of fire equipment and apparatus andover 850 individual firefighters over an intensivethree week period of first recoil, then reconnoiterand finally recovery.
Acting Director Kramer was able to view first handthe center of the storm’s concentrated devastationin Ocean County soon after the massive stormnearly 850 miles across, moved inland.
It became immediately apparent that the stormhad wrecked not only fire company structures butmany of the homes of firefighters as well,complicating the restoration of normal fireprotection to many, many communities in theshort and long term. The damage was significant atthe immediate shore, however inland communitiessuch as Little Ferry in North Jersey suffered facilitydamage as well.
“Certainly in my memory there had never been astorm of this magnitude and certainly never onethat caused as much widespread damage to ourfirefighting infrastructure, which so sadly came atthe expense of the very people we were calling onto respond,” said Kramer.
Along with a FEMA Type-1 Incident ManagementTeam, the Division began an assessment of thedamage to firefighting resources. FEMA officials,fresh from working a devastating early snowstormin West Virginia and some with first handexperience in the aftermath of Katrina, notedimmediately how critical a regional approachwould be.
Division Command Post Ocean County
Ortley Beach-Toms River Township
Route 35 in Mantoloking
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DIVISION PERFORMS MULTIFACETED ROLEIN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE SANDY
That left the Division in good stead with itscurrent use of County Fire Coordinators, as its“boots on the ground” as the storm situationevolved from evacuation to restoration of criticalinfrastructure, symbolized by the location atHerbert Street in Mantoloking where the Oceanmet Barnegat Bay.
With that level of storm intensity, local evacuationcenters quickly filled and themselves became anissue as the widespread power failures—whichbecame an unfortunate hallmark of the storm—caused a fall back to standby power supplies. Thatin turn ultimately threatened the integrity of theshelters themselves by making many of them firecode deficient, as those standby suppliessuccumbed.
A landmark effort was made to collaborate withlocal fire officials to keep the shelters open untilother arrangements, which came to include usingthe vacant billets at Ft. Monmouth as transitionalhousing could be made. The storm destroyed orseriously damaged over 190,000 homes andcaused 91 billion dollars in damage here.
The FEMA Team reached out to over 80 firecompanies to make assessments and invited localchiefs of department directly affected to the TomsRiver Fire Academy to hear firsthand from themas to what needs they had in order to return theirstations to full operability. The Division continuesthat process today via timely conference calls withthat group in an ongoing effort at vettingresponse, readiness and any ongoing problems.
One of those, not unsurprisingly, were not just thehomes that burned in the Normandy Beachsection of Toms River Township outright but anumber of fires that appeared to be intentionallyset.
The Division has begun tracking those reportswithin its Arson Unit, and will compile them in aneffort to establish a shared database. The Divisionalso continues to assist LEAs with issues related tothe inland salvage title vehicle parking lots whichblossomed post storm in what were ordinarilyfallow farm fields , requiring sensible access andspacing to forestall any large scale incident.
Ocean Ave. Ortley BeachThe evidence of the tidal surge
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DIVISION PERFORMS MULTIFACETED ROLEIN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE SANDY
Throughout the storm’s extended aftermath the Division issued public health and welfare advisorieswhich came to include strict warnings about portable generator and portable heater use which hadbecome epidemic as widespread power loss continued.
The Division’s long association with Kidde Corporation through its annual smoke alarm distributionprogram with ABC television stations resulted in the unsolicited donation of 5,000 CO alarms whichwere tagged for distribution in shore area communities.
“Once again the men and women of the Division stepped up, whether for volunteer duty at the RIOC,or for field response, and in doing so joined other state departments and local emergency respondersby answering the call to help their fellow citizens, unselfishly. That’s the best story we can ever tellabout Sandy or any other storm that may likely come our way,” said Kramer.
Looking west out Mantoloking Road at Barnegat Lane. The location ofwhere the Atlantic met Barnegat Bay and what along with the
Star Jet Roller Coaster in the Ocean off Seaside Heightsremain the iconic images of Superstorm Sandy.
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DCA/DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY TO OVERSEEFIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Counting on a personal commitment to promotethe program from Governor Chris Christie himself,Acting Director William Kramer, Jr. is encouragingstorm-impacted firefighters to take advantage ofthe Firefighter-to-Firefighter Assistance Programestablished by the New Jersey Department ofCommunity Affairs’ (DCA) Division of Fire Safety inthe aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
The program anonymouslymatches firefighters who needhelp with other firefighterswho have volunteered theirservices – creating a peer-to-peer network of volunteerassistance— to help address arange of needs and in the endkeep firefighters in their ownhomes and communities.
“During and after SuperstormSandy, I personally saw localfirefighters whose homes were damaged by thestorm putting the needs of their communitiesahead of their own. While these firefighters self-lessly continue to help their communities andneighbors rebuild and recover, a significant numberof them still need assistance rebuilding their ownhomes,” said Governor Christie.
“I want to let these firefighters know that we seetheir need and we are creating an avenue to pro-vide help from within the comfort of their commu-nity – the brotherhood of firefighters. If there is aneed, their fellow firefighters and the New JerseyDivision of Fire Safety stand ready to lend a hand.”
While the initiative does not offer financialsupport, it does provide a broad range of volun-teer assistance including demolition, shoveling,plumbing, electrical work, roofing, waterproofing,and carpentry – one firefighter to another.
The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety will takethe request and find a participating firefighterwho has the needed skill and/or experience to do
the work.
Once a match is found, the Divisionwill call the firefighter requestingassistance to facilitate the initialcontact, and then allow the fire-fighters to work out the necessaryarrangements.
“While the program’s predominantgoal is assisting firefighters, it isalso aimed at helping the hard-hitcommunities they serve by keeping
these Sandy-impacted firefighters in their homesso they can continue to respond to calls in theirrespective towns,” said DCA CommissionerRichard E. Constable, III.
“We have already helped firefighters everywherefrom Seaside Park to Little Ferry and a lot inbetween,” said William Kramer, Jr. Acting StateFire Marshal.
Firefighters interested in participating in theprogram can go to the DCA’s Division of FireSafety website to fill out a form to either seekassistance or volunteer their time for those inneed.
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The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announced aprovisional total of 83 on-duty firefighter fatalitiesin the United States as a result of incidents thatoccurred in 2012, the same number of firefighterlosses as in 2011.
The 83 fatalities were spread across 34 states.Pennsylvania and North Carolina experienced thehighest number of fatalities with nine firefighterdeaths each. New York had six firefighter deaths,including the most recent tragic shooting deathsof two firefighters in Webster. California andTexas, each with five firefighter deaths, were theonly other states with five or more firefighterfatalities in 2012.
Heart attacks or stroke were responsible for thedeaths of 41 firefighters (49%) in 2012. This singleyear total is a near average proportion of fire-fighter deaths from heart attack or stroke overrecent years.
PROVISIONAL ON DUTY FIREFIGHTERFATALITY REPORT REVEALS SAD STATISTICS
This nature of fatal injury has remained relativelyconstant, while others, on average, have beenreduced during the past decade.
Eleven on-duty firefighters died in associationwith wildland fires, the same as 2011 and 2010.
The single cause of injury seeing more than afour-fold increase in firefighter deaths during2012 was vehicle collisions (including aircraft),with 18 deaths.
These 2012 firefighter fatality statistics areprovisional and will likely change somewhat asthe USFA contacts state fire marshals to verify thenames of firefighters reported to have died onduty during 2012. The final number of firefighterfatalities will be reported in USFA's annual fire-fighter fatality report, expected to be available byJuly.
2012 PROVISIONAL FIREFIGHTER FATALITY REPORT
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NEW COURSE OFFERINGS A FEATURE OFNJDFS-KEAN SPRING 2013 CATALOGUE
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NAT’L VEHICLE FIRE STATISTICS MIRRORSTATE REPORTED NUMBERS FOR 2011
Just released USFA statistics from 2008 to 2010,show an estimated 194,000 highway vehicle firesoccur in the United States each year resulting in anannual average of approximately 300 deaths, 1,250injuries and $1.1 billion in property loss.
Highway vehicle fires accounted for 14 percent offires responded to by fire departments across thenation. Highway vehicle fires include fires inpassenger road vehicles (e.g., cars, motorcycles andoff-road recreational vehicles), freight road trans-port vehicles (e.g., dump trucks, fire apparatus andtank trucks), and agricultural and constructionvehicles. Topical reports are posted by the US FireAdministration and drawn from state supplied firereporting addresses the characteristics of highwayvehicle fires reported to the National Fire IncidentReporting System (NFIRS) from 2008 to 2010.
In New Jersey according to NJDFS “Fire in NewJersey 2011” 81 percent of vehicle fires werepassenger vehicles. In 42 cases investigationrevealed that the fires were intentionally set.11 people died in vehicle fires throughout thestate during that year.
USFA TOPICAL SERIES REPORT
FIRE IN NEW JERSEY 2011Request a free copy of “ Vehicle Fires: What to Do” with yourFD Logo or FO Seal:[email protected]
Source “Fire in New Jersey 2011”
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10TH ANNUAL JUVENILE FIRESETTERCONFERENCE SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
The tenth year of the New JerseyDivision of Fire Safety, Kean and the
IAAII sponsored Conference drewover 120 participants, including the
City of Ft. Wayne, the FDNY FireMarshal’s Office and a host of others
to what is now established as the“must attend” event in the field ofJuvenile Firesetter intervention.
Major Chris Eckert NJDFS ArsonUnit chief takes an instructional
turn at the 2012 Conference
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The Conference featured anumber of tributes to Charlie Luxton,
retiring Conference Coordinator, one ofwhich included an overhead of Charlieguiding a horse drawn steam pumper,
evidence of how long his tenure with theNewark Fire Department actually was.
Registrants check in withNJDFS Preparedness Unit
staff members Bruce Tynanand Jim McFadden
Denis Onieal , National FireAcademy chief, our keynoter
Bill Kramer updatesattendees on the ongoing
NJDFS responseTo Hurricane Sandy
10TH ANNUAL JUVENILE FIRESETTERCONFERENCE SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
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PAULSBORO TRAIN DERAILMENT PUTS DIVISIONON SCENE FOR INCIDENT’S DURATION
At the very moment Division PreparednessUnit personnel were being deployed for
various post Sandy assignments, a Conrailfreight train derailment occurred at a
railroad A frame bridge over Mantua Creekin Camden County.
One of four tanker cars, each containing180,000 pounds of vinyl chloride and onecontaining Ethanol, suffered a breach and
allowed the contents to seep into thesurrounding neighborhoods in the form of a
30 foot high cloud of vapor, enveloping anearly 27 block area of the community of
Paulsboro in a chemical fog.
COURTESY US COAST GUARD
COURTESY US COAST GUARD
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PAULSBORO TRAIN DERAILMENT PUTS DIVISIONON SCENE FOR INCIDENT’S DURATION
In addition the Division’s PreparednessUnit Chief Rick Farletta placed two
4,000 gallon foam tenders fromGloucester County, nearby as well asothers on standby. The “Ironman” unitcapable of a 7,000 gpm “deluge” was
also on scene. All tolled all threedeployments meant to handle the
possibility of an ignition of the contentswere in place for about 17 days.
The Division deployed theregional Neptune system as a
precautionary standby insupport to the initial local
response and that by aspecial CSX railroad Hazmatteam as Conrail operates itsfreight consists on trackagethat CSX owns, a common
practice in the railroad industry.
COURTESY US COAST GUARD
COURTESY US COAST GUARD
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Capping a three-year effort by Senator Patrick Leahy(D-Vt.), President Obama has signed into law legisla-tion authored by Leahy that will remedy coveragegaps in the federal program that provides a crucialsafety net for the families of first responders whoare killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.
The measure is Leahy’s most recent effort to closegaps in the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Act (PSOB)that have left some first responders without benefitswhen they are injured or killed in the line of duty.
He first introduced the Dale Long Emergency MedicalService Providers Protection Act in June 2009,naming the bill in honor of the Benningtonemergency medical technician (EMT) who wastragically killed in an ambulance accident.
Leahy had added his bill to the Senate’s version ofthe annual defense authorization bill. Because it wasnot also in the House version, he convincedconferees to keep it in the final bill. The SenateJudiciary Committee, which Leahy chairs, hadapproved the bill in 2010, but further action on thelegislation had stalled due to an objection.
FEDERAL PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER’S BENEFIT ACTNOW TO INCLUDE VOLUNTEER COVERAGE
The President signed the defense bill, with theDale Long Act included in January.
The PSOB program was launched more thanthree decades ago to provide assistance to thesurviving families of police, firefighters andmedics who died or became disabled in the lineof duty.
Under current law, the PSOB program appliesonly to public safety officers employed by fed-eral, state and local government entities.
The Leahy measure will extend the PSOBprogram to cover private, nonprofit emergencymedical services (EMS) volunteers andpersonnel.
The measure also includes provisions to lessenthe length of a currently unwieldy appealsprocess for claimants, clarify the list of eligiblesurvivor beneficiaries, and make those whohave been catastrophically injured eligible forpeer support and counseling programs.
It removes artificial distinctions under currentlaw to include vascular ruptures in the types ofinjuries that would make a public safetyofficer’s survivors eligible for benefits.
Leahy credited the efforts of several publicsafety organizations for their help in buildingsupport for his bill, including the AmericanAmbulance Association, the Fraternal Order ofPolice and the International Association ofFirefighters.
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SOUTH KOREAN FIREFIGHTER DELEGATIONHEARS FROM NJDFS ABOUT FIREFIGHTER SAFETY
South Korea has seen a higher death rate amongfirefighters than Japan or the United States overthe past five years, prompting calls for moresystematic responses to disasters.
According to the data compiled by the NationalEmergency Management Agency, an average ofseven firefighters died each year between 2007and 2011, marking 1.85 deaths out of every10,000 firemen.
As of 2011, there were 37,826 firemen in SouthKorea, with 159,354 in Japan and 344,050 in theU.S., according to the agency. In 2012, sevenofficers died while on duty, with four of themlosing their lives while putting out fires, theagency added.
Japan saw 11.2 deaths among its firefighters peryear on average during the 2007-2011 period, butthe figure represents 0.7 deaths per every 10,000firemen.
For the U.S., the yearly average of the death tollper 10,000 firefighters came to 1.01, the datashowed. (Philippine News Agency)
Kent Neiswender (above) and Rick Farletta metwith a delegation of South Korean firefighters todiscuss various aspects of the support NewJersey firefighters receive from the Division toenhance their safety as a result of training,certification requirements for all firefighters andcontinuing education, as well as, tactical supportand resource pooling for large scale disasters likeSuperstorm Sandy.
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Using his on-the jobexperience as a former
Trenton firefighter, NJDFSPreparedness Unit head Rick
Farletta briefs NationalSouth Korean Fire Corps
members on whatgoverning factors keepfirefighters safe on thefireground anywhere.
The NJDFS in cooperation with the Kean University Fire Safety TrainingProgram hosted a delegation from the National South Korean Firefighter
Corps at Middlesex Fire Academy. The South Korean firefighters havevisited with NJDFS officials before as part of a diplomatic exchangehosted by the Korean Embassy in New York, evidencing the common
scourge fire fatalities and property loss represent internationally.
SOUTH KOREAN FIREFIGHTER DELEGATIONHEARS FROM NJDFS ABOUT FIREFIGHTER SAFETY
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STUDY SHOWS COOKING AS THE NUMBER ONECAUSE FOR HOME FIRES FOUR YEARS RUNNING
On average, an estimated 164,500 cooking fires inresidential buildings occur each year in the US.
Cooking was, by far, the leading cause of allresidential building fires and injuries.
Residential building cooking fires occurred mainlyin the evening hours from 4 to 9 p.m., peaking from5 to 8 p.m. accounting for 26 percent of the fires.
Residential building cooking fires peaked inNovember at 10 percent and declined to the lowestpoint during the summer months .
Confined fires or fires limited within a cookingvessel were 94 percent of residential buildingcooking fires.
Oil, fat and grease (51 percent) were the leadingtypes of material ignited in nonconfined cookingfires in residential buildings.
According to a new report from the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), cooking remains the leading cause ofall residential building fires and injuries for the period 2008-2010. The report, Cooking Fires in ResidentialBuildings (2008-2010), addresses the characteristics of these fires and is based on data from gathered bythe New Jersey Division of Fire Safety and other state jurisdictions and compiled in a national report. Theresearch helps the U.S. fire service increase awareness about fire-safe cooking behaviors in communitiesand provide recommendations for behavioral mitigation strategies that reduce cooking fires and resul-tant injuries and fatalities. Educational video messages, research reports and presentations for public fireeducators are available on the USFA’s website.
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New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA)Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III and ActingState Fire Marshal William Kramer, Jr. caution thatwhile portable heaters are a convenient method toheat homes, especially during cold snaps, it iscritical that people follow the recommended safetyguidelines during their use.
"This week’s bitter cold temperatures may leadsome households to turn to portable heaters to staywarm. This is especially true of families whosehome heating system was damaged by SuperstormSandy," said Commissioner Constable. "Even thoughportable heaters are small in size, they can causetremendous damage and loss of life when not usedproperly. We urge people to recognize the potentialdanger of these heaters and take appropriate pre-cautions to protect themselves."
Last year, the U.S. Fire Administration issued a spe-cial report entitled, "Portable Heater Fires inResidential Buildings (2008-2010)." The reportfound that while only 2 percent of residential heat-ing fires involved portable heaters, these heaterswere involved in 45 percent of all fatal heating firesin residential buildings.
Also, an estimated 900 portable heater fires inresidential buildings are reported to U.S. firedepartments each year, causing an estimated 70deaths, 150 injuries and $53 million in propertyloss.
"The consequences of portable heater fires aresubstantial. But as with most fire incidents, manyof these fires could have been prevented if house-holds took the time to learn about how toproperly use these heaters," said Acting State FireMarshal Kramer.
Turn the heater off when you leave the room orwhen you go to bed.
Keep young children and pets at least three feetaway.
Keep combustible material such as bedding,curtains, and clothing three feet away.
Plug the heater directly into wall outlets and neverinto a household extension cord or power strip.
Only purchase and use heaters with a "tip over"switch that turns the heater off if it’s knockedover.
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USFA AND DOJ ENDORSE HIGHWAY MARKINGGUIDELINES FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), supported by the National Institute ofJustice (NIJ), and in partnership with the Cumberland Valley VolunteerFiremen’s Association’s (CVVFA) Emergency Responder Safety Institute,announces availability of a guide to help emergency services departmentsincrease the visibility of emergency vehicles to motorists in order to keepresponders safe during roadway operations.
"The USFA staff is pleased to release this guide in support of our goal to re-duce the number of emergency vehicle crashes and injuries to allemergency first responders," said U.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell."We are grateful for NIJ’s continued support of this effort and for the workof the CVVFA to the benefit of the fire service, EMS and law enforcementpersonnel at work on our nation’s roadways."
Vehicle Marking and Technology for Increased Highway Visibility – A Refer-ence Guide for Decision-Makers provides information on best practices inthe application of various arrangements of emergency warning devices,creative use of retro reflective decal markings and other innovative designs- all with the intent of increasing the visibility of emergency vehicles tomotorists approaching them. It focuses on emergency vehicles not coveredby existing standards in this area.
"Enhancing the operational safety of law enforcement officers and firefight-ers is a major priority of NIJ," said John H. Laub, Director of the NationalInstitute of Justice. "We place a premium on partnerships like this one withthe USFA because they multiply our ability to prevent accidents and savelives."
"CVVFA is pleased to release the results of this project that will support thedecision makers in local fire, police and EMS departments on ways toenhance the emergency vehicle and roadway operations safety of theirorganizations," said CVVFA President Steven L. Haines. “We are grateful forthe support of both USFA and NIJ in this effort to enhance the safety ofemergency responders."
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FIREFIGHTERS BURN HOUSES TO LEARN HOW TOFIGHT THE FIRE IN THE HOUSES THAT BURN
Fire researchers from the National Institute ofStandards and Technology (NIST) and colleaguesfrom fire service organizations turned an abandonedwood-frame, single-family houses near the site of anold Spartanburg, S.C., textile mill recently intoproving and training grounds for new science-drivenfire-fighting techniques.
The objective of the study is to improve firefightersafety and effectiveness.
Experiments conducted in eight different houses willdemonstrate fire-fighting methods—individually andin combinations—for strategically ventilating andisolating fires to prevent—or at least delay—flashover, the extremely perilous phenomenon thatoccurs when heat builds up in a burning structure’scontents and components to the point that theyburst into flames simultaneously.
In conjunction with the experiments, the Interna-tional Society of Fire Service Instructors (IFSI) will
videotape how firefighters implement size-up,flowpath control, and exterior fire attack, alsoknown as transitional attack. The IFSI will thendevelop training modules that will be availableto firefighters across the country.
Other collaborators in the field experimentsinclude the International Society of Fire ServiceInstructors, the South Carolina Fire Academy,the Spartanburg Fire Department, the SouthCarolina State Fire Marshal’s Office and theSpartanburg Public Safety Office.
The project is funded with a DHS/FEMAAssistance to Firefighters Grant.
In July 2012, in another team effort, NIST fireresearchers gathered data in experimentalburns in 20 abandoned townhouses on NewYork’s Governors Island, about a kilometer fromthe southern tip of Manhattan.
The Spartanburg fire tests are being conductedin an area slated for a major redevelopmentinitiative.
Madrzykowski NIST
The “live burns” are part ofa NIST federal scientificstudy and as such fall
outside the restrictions suchas the Division places on
live burns” for local trainingpurposes in state.
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FIRE SERVICEFEDERAL FUNDING
(From IAFC)
The House of Representatives passed theFiscal Year (FY) 2013 Consolidated andFurther Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R.933). This legislation, which passed theSenate will fund the federal governmentthrough September 30, 2013. Overall, thebill allocates $984 billion for federal non-emergency discretionary funding, which is adecline from $1.043 trillion in FY 2012.
The legislation contains both the enacted5% sequester of nondefense discretionaryspending and an additional rescission forselected agencies.
“In light of the overall environment, whichis focused on reducing the federal deficit,fire and emergency service programs faredpretty well,” said Chief Hank Clemmensen,IAFC president and chairman of the board.
“By working together to demonstrate thevalue of these programs, we were able toavert devastating cuts.”
This bill will allocate the following amountsfor the following fire service programs:
U.S. Fire Administration: $41.96 millionFIRE grant program: $320.31 millionSAFER grant program: $320.31 millionUrban Search and Rescue: $33.39 millionState Homeland Security Grant Program:
$328.95 millionUrban Areas Security Initiative: $474.90
millionU.S. Department of Interior, Wildland Fire
Management: $688.5 millionU.S. Forest Service, Wildland Fire
Management: $1.846 billion
“This is only good news for the fire service inNew Jersey , especially in the wake ofHurricane Sandy,” says William Kramer, Jr.Acting Director NJDFS
The bill continues the existing waivers to therequirements of the SAFER grant program. Inaddition, the bill will charge the 5% to admin-ister DHS grant programs (including the FIREand SAFER grant programs) to the FEMA Sala-ries and Expenses account, which will helpoffset the sequester for the grant programs.
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NEW JERSEY FIRE SERVICELEGISLATIVE TRACKING
(1) Introduced (2) Moving (3) To the Governor
A141/S266 (1)Charitable registration fees
A145 (1)Changes fire district election
date
A266/S507 (3)Firefighter Solar Panel Bill
A824 (1)Move fire district election toNon partisan election date
A1030 (1)Fire Company impact statement
A1044 (1)Fire Department oxygen delivery
notification
A1149 (1)Fire District five year financials
A1187 (1)Fire suppression systems forparatransit and school buses
A1382 (2)Fire Company Utility Co. credit
A1503/S1896 (1)Fire District share of tax appeal
A1555 (1)State fire warden/incident
commander reporting order
A1560 (2)Approve firefighter transfer
from PERS to PFRS
A1570/S2273 (2)Home Fire Sprinkler Bill(Passed the Assembly)
A1843/S1255 (2)Group Home Fire Safety Act
A1881 (1)Requires surplus state police
vehicles go to volunteers
A2113/S2120 (1)Contract arbitration time limit
A2120/S511 (1)“Assistance to Firefighters
Families Act”
A2243 (1)Tenure for FOs after 4 years
A23334 (1)Appoint paid chiefs
A2344 (1)Residency credits on exams
A2348 (1)Fire Commissioners Board/ EMS
A2463/S1650 (2)Revises EMS service credentials
A2511 (1)Workers Comp for
Volunteers on Fire Calls
A2593 (2)Designate a fire command
structure in mutual aid
A2596/S1829 (2)Portable extinguisher one and
two family homes exclusionCONDITIONAL VETO
A2600 (1)Firefighter Exempt status
A2720 (1)Established NJDFS in the DL&PS
A2756/S1469 (3)LODD survivorship benefit
A2823 (1)Upholstered furniture standards
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FIRE FOCUS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY
NEW JERSEY FIRE SERVICELEGISLATIVE TRACKING
(1) Introduced (2) Moving (3) To the Governor
S1255/A1843 (3)Group Home Fire Safety Act
S1299 (1)Fire Commissioner elections
S1356 (1)Fire academy exemption from
Highlands Act
S1397/A2593 (2)Mutual aid fire command
S1423 (1)Fire district election day change
S1469/A2756 (3)LODD survivorship benefit
S1605 (1)Fire Safety seat on the DSPPG
S1774 (1)District elections date change
S1896/A1503 (1)Fire District share of successful
property tax appeal refunds
S1918/A3263 (2)Joint purchase agreements
A2911 (1)Fire District consolidation
A3263 (1)Joint purchase agreements
A3302 (1)Expand PFRS qualifications
A3362/S2256 (1)Fire District tax exemption
SENATE
S500 (1)Municipal building
fire code compliance
S503/A2291 (1)Requires O2 providers to advise
FD when delivery ends
S565 (1)Fire-EMS Crisis Hotline
S914 (1)Apply NYC Bldg. Code to WTC
S921/A1881 (1)State Police surplus vehicles
S1975 (1)Internet site for fire equipment
S2146 (1)Change Fire District voting day
S2183 (1)NJDFS standard for Type 1 tank
S2205/A3302 (1)PERS to PFRS eligibility
S2244 (1)Campus fire reporting
S2256 (1)Fire district tax exemption
S2273/A1570 (2)Home Fire Sprinkler Bill
S2320 (1)Contract arbitration time limit
SCR93 (1)First Responder tax credit
www.njleg.state.nj.us
UPDATES
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FIRE FOCUS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY
USFA POSTS FIRE IS EVERYONE’S FIGHT PSAs ASAS PART OF NEW NATIONAL PREVENTION PUSH
The US lags behind countries such as Japan byhistorically categorizing fire for the most part asan “unfortunate accident.” That has to change.
The debut of a new national and long overdue fireprevention initiative hopes to instill in individualsa sense of personal responsibility for preventinghome fires—so long a part of the successfulSmokey™ campaign— for the places fire codeenforcement cannot currently reach, and, whereironically most fires now occur, single familyhomes and multi-family residences.
In that regard, the USFA and the New JerseyDivision of Fire Safety recognize the power ofpartnership as a critical means of marketing anddriving down accurate, consistent and grassrootssafety messages into the community introduces:
Fire is Everyone’s Fight™
The program is based on social marketingresearch commissioned by the grassroots Vision20/20 fire safety consortium with funding
from an Assistance to Firefighters Grant from theFederal Emergency Management Agency.
NJDFS and USFA are asking our local partners to usethe Fire is Everyone’s Fight™tagline with existing ornew materials. Based on partner resources, theymay implement a number of strategies, such assharing information with staff, organizations,community groups, and other stakeholders.
By leveraging Fire is Everyone’s Fight™resources,supporting dissemination or advertising efforts andsupporting local stakeholders to join in theinitiative, the fire service in our state can present aconsistent, repetitive message that helps diversemembers of our society take action to reduce theirrisk of fire.
This includes support for PSA placements,educational outreach to community organizations,local media relations activities and other activities.
BEGIN YOUR PARTICPATIONBY POSTING THE CAMPAIGNVIDEO PSAs TO YOUR LOCALWEBSITE OR BY PROVIDINGA LINK TO THEM, INCLUDEA LOCALIZED PREVENTIONMESSAGE IN THE PROMPT
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FIRE FOCUS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY
USFA POSTS FIRE IS EVERYONE’S FIGHT PSAs ASAS PART OF NEW APPROACH TO FIRE SAFETY
Here is a list of “must dos” for all career,volunteer, local fire official, local public safety or OEMprevention personnel in New Jersey to make absolutelycertain this effort is recognized by the citizens theyserve as the community fire prevention message.
►Incorporate the theme Fire is Everyone’sFight™into your existing fire preventionmaterials or create new fire prevention andsafety materials with the theme.
► Provide a list of the audiences to which thepartners reach out on a regular basis (olderadults, parents, teachers, local businesses,etc.).
► Provide a list of communications tools thatthe partners have resources and access toproduce (radio PSAs, TV PSAs, newsletters,websites, blogs, etc.).
► Help identify new tools and resources to fillgaps and strengthen outreach efforts.Identify barriers and challenges to addresscollaboratively.
USFA will lead an effort to determine what resourcesare already available to the public as well as fire andlife safety organizations, highlighting those that havebeen evaluated for effectiveness. Once this inventoryof the materials is completed, USFA will work with itspartners to identify the gaps. Where possible, USFAwill develop new resources to meet key needs.
Learn how your fire service organization can supportthe development of this exciting initiative and shareyour ideas with USFA about ways to help it grow incommunities across America.
For more information, contact:Teresa Neal at (301) 447-1024 or
Art Mercurio long serving member of the New Jersey Fire SafetyCommission, representing The New Jersey State Volunteer Fireman’s
Association, answered the last call on January 16, 2013.
Art served in the United States Navy during WW II. He was employed byRCA in Camden and in Moorestown, New Jersey.
Residing in Collingswood, New Jersey since 1947, Art was a 50 yearmember of the Collingswood Fire Department and a Past President of
the New Jersey State Volunteer Firemen's Association.
Those of us who knew him and called him friend will recall his kindconcern, his caring manner and his advocacy for firefighters statewide.
Our Brother and our Good Friend
Arthur Mercurio
Rest in Peace
FIRE FOCUS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY
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FIRE FOCUS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY
Chief Fire Marshal Paul E. Hartstein began his career with the Camden County Fire Marshal’sOffice in December of 1981. Paul started out as a Deputy Fire Marshal serving in that position forten years, of which his duties included working in the fire investigation unit and code enforce-ment. In 1991, Paul was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief Fire Marshal where he wouldserve for the next four years ultimately being promoted to the distinguished position of Chief FireMarshal where he served out the balance of his career for the next sixteen years.
Paul started his career in the fire service when he joined the Audubon Volunteer Fire Departmentin 1966. Paul served as Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief and Chief of the Audubon FireDepartment. Paul also belonged to many organizations including the New Jersey Association ofCounty Fire Marshal’s, New Jersey State Firemen’s Association, the Camden County Firemen’sAssociation, the Camden County Fire Chief’s and Fire Officer’s Association, New Jersey StateVolunteer Firemen’s Association, the International Association of Arson Investigators,International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Burn Foundation of Philadelphia, the Camden CountyHero Scholarship and the New Jersey State Fire Safety Commission.
On November 30, 2012, Paul received an award from the New Jersey State Juvenile FiresettersCouncil on behalf of the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety and the New Jersey Chapter of theInternational Association of Arson Investigators. The award was given to him for his tirelessefforts and dedication in support of juvenile firesetter awareness and intervention throughout theState of New Jersey. On February 2, 2013, Paul was presented an award by the Audubon FireDepartment for his dedication and for gratefully serving the Borough of Audubon the past 40years.
Paul proudly resided in Audubon, and leaves behind his wife, Annette, and two children, Jennifer& Paul. He retired May 1st 2011 as Chief of the Camden County Fire Marshal Office followingthirty years of service to the County of Camden.
Our Brother and our Good Friend
Paul E. Harstein
Rest in Peace
1951-2013
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Acting Director/State Fire Marshal 609-633-6106Inspections 609-633-6132Legislative Affairs 609-984-1947
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