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    - 2004
    - 2003

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# USFA Newsletter

October 2003 | Volume 1

## In this issue:

    - Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Application Period Now Open
    - Take a Moment to Enroll in the USFA Distribution Listserv
    - Change your Clock, Change your Battery Campaign
    - Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative Report
    - Revision and Update of the USFA Firefighter Autopsy Protocol
    - USFA and ISO Join to Encourage Fire Department Participation in the National Fire Department Census
    - EMI Announces New Course to Better Brepare Small Business
    - Free CD Roms Available on Juvenile Fire Setting and Senior Safety Programs
    - Eliminating All Residential Fire Deaths by 2020 Possible
    - USFA Supports International Association of Fire Chiefs 2003 Hazardous Materials Roundtable
    - NFIRS Project Overview
    - Seventeenth Redmond Symposium on the Occupational Health and Safety Hazards of the Fire Service to be Held
    - Two US Fire Administration Officials Earn International Awards for Service
    - Upcoming Events

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### Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Application Period Now Open

Go to  for more information.  Application closes November 14th.  Watch the web site for further information.

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### Take a Moment to Enroll in the USFA Distribution Listserv

The most current grant, program and training information is always sent to your e-mail as it occurs.  Visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/listserv/usfamail.cfm to sign up.

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### Change your Clock, Change your Battery Campaign

Letters and a one-pager with 3 radio public service announcements (PSAs) were sent to 30,000 fire departments across the nation on October 17th. The letter was sent to remind fire departments that the IAFC and Energizer campaign, titled, "Change Your Clock. Change Your Battery." occurred last weekend along with the change back to Standard Time. Fire departments were also asked to encourage their local radio stations to use the PSAs this week to remind everyone to check smoke alarm batteries. In addition to this mailing, an e-mail advisory was sent to the state fire marshal offices with information on the letter sent to fire departments and on the campaign. Thank you for all of your assistance this past weekend.

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### Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative Report

The last project meeting for USFA's Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative was held and the resulting report is expected later this year. The meeting was the final phase of the project, intended to reduce the number of firefighters killed and injured while on duty from vehicle crashes and being struck while operating on the roadway. The Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative is a partnership effort between the USFA and the Department of Transportation (DOT)/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the DOT/Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. Twenty-seven subject matter experts attended the meeting, representing 23 national-level fire service organizations and allied federal agencies.

Participants focused on finalizing the recommendations developed by last year's meeting and from the "best practices" evaluations of several fire departments throughout the United States that have developed innovative emergency vehicle safety mitigation techniques and technologies. Such recommendations discussed at this meeting centered around three primary areas of concern: legislation, standards and standardized operating procedures and training, and technology.

For more information on emergency vehicle safety, please see http://www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/research/safety/vehicle.shtm.

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### Revision and Update of the USFA Firefighter Autopsy Protocol

Almost a decade ago, in the process of researching firefighter deaths, it was determined that there was no standard protocol in forensic medicine that would assist a coroner or medical examiner in determining the cause of a firefighter death. Responding to this concern in 1993, the USFA initiated a project to develop a standard firefighter autopsy protocol. Experts in forensic pathology, toxicology, epidemiology, and medico-legal aspects of autopsy, as well as representatives of several national fire service organizations, were invited to serve as members of a technical advisory committee providing guidance, consultation, and review during the development of the protocol.

The consensus of the committee is reflected in the protocol, which is intended to provide guidance to medical examiners, coroners, and pathologists on uniform recommended procedures for investigating the causes and contributing factors related to firefighter deaths. The protocol recognizes and addresses those attributes of firefighters casualties, which distinguish them from the general population, as well as from civilian fire casualties. These differences include the use of protective clothing and equipment, prolonged exposures to the hazardous environment, and specialized training and duties.  From this project, the USFA Firefighter Autopsy Protocol (FA-156, May 1995) was developed.

The USFA's Office of Fire Data and Analysis has prepared a report analyzing firefighter fatalities from 1990 through 2000 - Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study 1990-2002 (FA-220, April 2002).  In addition to the current Firefighter Autopsy Protocol, this report will be provided to all members of the committee. 

In the last decade, several high-profile incidents involving firefighter fatalities have brought national attention to the issue of firefighter mortality in the United States. While the attention from the national media has been fleeting, the awareness of the continued high level of fatalities has changed the fabric of the fire service and prompted many organizations and fire departments to initiate programs to protect firefighters.

This analysis sought to identify trends in mortality and examine relationships among data elements. To this end, data were collected on firefighter fatalities between 1990 and 2000. Using this analysis, better-targeted prevention strategies can be developed in keeping with the USFA's goal to reduce firefighter deaths 25 percent by 2005. In contrast to the annual USFA fire-fighter fatality reports, this analysis allowed for comparisons over time to determine any changes in firefighter mortality, with a depth of scrutiny not present in earlier analyses.

Through research, study, training, improved operations, development of new technologies, the appropriate use of staffing, and other factors, it should be possible to significantly reduce firefighter line of duty deaths.

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### USFA and ISO Join to Encourage Fire Department Participation in the National Fire Department Census

The USFA recently established a partnership with the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) to inform and to encourage participation in the National Fire Department Census.  Over the next few months, fire departments will receive a letter describing the National Fire Department Census from the ISO through its community outreach program. The letter will explain how fire departments can register or make changes to their existing census data record on-line.

This partnership with USFA supports ISO's commitment in providing up-to-date information about a municipality's fire protection services. As the national clearinghouse of public protection classifications this effort will allow for a more complete picture of fire departments and capabilities throughout the United States.

For more information about the National Fire Department Census, go to: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/fdonline/about.cfm.

A current listing of the fire departments registered with the census can be found at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/fdonline/. Please limit the search criteria to the zip code only or part of the fire department name.

Fire departments not registered with the census may register on-line at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/fdonline/register.cfm or download the census form from the same web page and fax it to (301) 447-1049.

Fire departments registered with the census may update their census data at the following USFA web page: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/fdonline/change.cfm.

Please send any questions or comments regarding the census by e-mail through the census feedback form: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/feedback/census.jsp.

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### EMI Announces New Course to Better Brepare Small Business

The Emergency Management Institute is introducing a new course to raise awareness in communities for the need to reduce the consequences of disasters on small businesses. Small- to medium-sized businesses provide nearly 80 percent of the jobs in an average community, but are at great risk for failure after a disaster.

Small businesses are the economic backbone of communities across the nation, but they are often unable to reopen after a disaster but 30 to 40 percent never reopen after a disaster. Experience has shown that advance planning and mitigation can significantly increase the likelihood that these small businesses can survive a disaster, keeping a community economically viable and helping to fuel the recovery.

In order to meet this need and help prevent business losses, the course is being offered in conjunction with the Economic Development Administration. The course brings together state and local officials, economic development leaders, emergency managers and other stakeholders to develop business loss prevention strategies, share concerns and raise awareness of each other's priorities. The course will be offered at the National Emergency Training Center, in Emmitsburg, Md., only twice in 2004 - from April 12-16 and August 23-27.

Details can be found at http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/EMICourses/e464.asp.

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### Free CD Roms Available on Juvenile Fire Setting and Senior Safety Programs

Fire departments interested in developing or implementing education and prevention programs for seniors and juvenile fire setting should know of a free resource available thanks in part to a grant from FEMA and the National Fire Academy. West Metro Fire Rescue in Colorado has completed development of two interactive CD-ROMs containing all the materials necessary to implement the programs.

The juvenile fire setting CD has all the components necessary to teach juvenile fire setting programs (videos, multi-media presentations, assessment tools, lesson plans, handouts and activity sheets), and a newly developed Arson Consequences and Liabilities Program. This interactive presentation combines lecture, audio-visual, discussion and participation to educate and empower eighth grade students about the laws and consequences of arson.  It teaches students the importance of making proper choices and explains how individual actions may have an impact on their own futures as well as the futures of their families - specifically in the area of criminal justice and civil court systems.

After learning about the legalities and civil liabilities associated with arson, students are empowered to use decision-making and problem-solving skills to evaluate and respond to scenarios involving arson and/or fire play. Many middle school students do not understand the legal consequences of the misuse of fire, and often they do not fully understand their own vulnerability and the potential devastation that can develop from their irresponsible choices. This presentation helps students realize the impact of fire setting on not only themselves, but also the long-term effects on their community and family. The materials include a pre-presentation poem and video to begin the thought process prior to firefighters arriving at the school; a lesson plan with handouts; a PowerPoint presentation/lecture to review the legalities and consequences of arson; a case study and discussion exercise; a participatory empowerment and peer-pressure exercise; and evaluation materials.

The Safety for Seniors CD ROM includes information about targeting this at-risk population and providing fire and injury prevention information. The CD includes information on how to implement a home safety inspection for independently living seniors, the innovative File of Life (a refrigerator magnet with a form to record contact and medical information for Emergency Medical Service providers to use in a medical emergency, and safety presentations. Issues addressed include: 
    - Awareness of increased fire and fall risks for older adults
    - Appropriate actions to take during an emergency
    - How to use and update the File of Life
    - Identifying fall and fire risks
    - Motivating seniors to take control of fire and fall prevention in their places of residence

To receive a FREE copy, contact Cindy Matthews, PIO/West Metro Fire Rescue, 303-989-4307 ext. 523 or [email protected].  Be sure to indicate which one, or both, you'd like.

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### Eliminating All Residential Fire Deaths by 2020 Possible

Eliminating all residential fire deaths by 2020 is possible if the nation works together, according to the Fire Safety Council (FSC). The FSC is comprised of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the USFA, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and other non-governmental organizations that are working together to reduce the pain and suffering that results from residential fire-related deaths and injuries. 

How bad is the problem? Each year in this country, nearly 20,000 people are killed or injured in residential fires. Some other startling facts:
    - Smoke alarms decrease the chances of dying in a house fire by 40-50 percent, but about one-quarter of U.S. households lack working smoke alarms.
    - On average, a person (not including firefighters) dies in a fire nearly every 3 hours, and someone is injured every 34 minutes.
    - Residential fires accounted for 77 percent of fire-related injuries and 84 percent of fire-related deaths.  
    - More than 396,500 home fires claimed the lives of an estimated 3,140 people, and injured another 15,575. 
    - Children ages five years and younger and adults 65 years and older are at the greatest risk for fire-related injuries. African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, rural dwellers, and people living in substandard housing or older manufactured homes are also at increased risk.

The FSC will launch a new fire safety campaign to reach older adults, children, and firefighters-those at highest risk for residential fire-related deaths and injuries. This includes research to learn about behavioral and environmental factors that increase risk for residential fire-related injury.  It will also expand CDC's smoke alarm installation and fire safety education project to reach more communities throughout the country.

Twelve states are conducting volunteer-based Civilian Fire Safety Corps sponsored by the FSC. Members of the corps coordinate community-based fire safety education programs in schools, senior centers, and other public centers.

The FSC is launching a web site-FireSafety.gov-to provide up to date information about program activities, and prevention tips everyone should know. The site will also host a special interactive page for children to learn about fire safety.

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### USFA Supports International Association of Fire Chiefs 2003 Hazardous Materials Roundtable

The USFA supported the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the IAFC Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Committee by conducting a Hazardous Materials Roundtable of fire chiefs in Fairfax, Va., on July 29 - 31, 2003. One special focus of this year's roundtable was a HAZMAT Education Curriculum Outreach Forum in which the HAZMAT training programs offered by the USFA were reviewed to provide insight on additional training programs that may need to be developed or expanded.

This roundtable discussed critical and emergent issues related to fire and emergency service HAZMAT preparedness and response. A comprehensive report detailing all the recommendations from the roundtable will be released by the IAFC in the near future.

This initiative was conducted as part of the long-term Fire Service HAZMAT Preparedness and Response partnership between USFA and IAFC. Further information can be found at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/hazmat/hazmat-partner.shtm.

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### NFIRS Project Overview

The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (PL 93-498) authorizes the National Fire Data Center in the USFA to gather and analyze information on the magnitude of the nation's fire problem as well as its detailed characteristics and trends. The act further authorizes the USFA to develop uniform data reporting methods, and to encourage and assist state agencies in developing and reporting fire data. In order to carry out the intentions of the Act, the National Fire Data Center established the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) in 1976.

NFIRS was created at a time when the magnitude and nature of the fire problem was not well documented nor widely disseminated. Key goals for NFIRS were to quantify of the magnitude of U.S. fire problem (in terms of total numbers of fires, deaths, injuries, and direct dollar loss) and to encourage and promote fire reporting in state and local jurisdictions. These goals were further refined to include an understanding of the causes and demographics of fires - who is affected, where, and how - as well as the use and effectiveness of fire protection features. Much of what we know about the nature, frequency, casualties, and causes of fires has been derived from the two-plus decades of NFIRS data. As a data collection tool in the fire world, it is virtually unparalleled and has been used internationally as an example data collection vehicle for fire data collection.

NFIRS collects fire incident data from state fire data systems. The state systems, in turn, collect data from their individual fire departments. State participation in NFIRS is entirely voluntary and the guidelines for departmental participation within each state are determined by the state fire marshal's office or the equivalent agency. These guidelines can vary significantly from state to state. In most states reporting of local departments is not mandatory; the departments who report are those willing to participate and who can afford the additional commitment necessary to collect the data.

Within the NFIRS states, participating local fire departments fill out the incident and casualty reports as fires occur. They forward the completed incidents via paper forms or computer media to their state reporting authority where the data is validated and consolidated into a single computerized database. Feedback reports are generated and forwarded to the participating fire departments. Periodically, computer media containing the aggregated statewide data is sent to the National Fire Data Center at the USFA to be included in the National Fire Database. This database is used to answer questions about the nature and causes of injuries and deaths resulting from fires. This information is disseminated through a variety of means to states and other organizations.

The USFA relies on state and local governments to collect and forward fire incident records to the National Fire Data Center. It further relies on a cooperative agreement with the National Fire Information Council to provide system support and training though volunteer and cooperative efforts with the USFA.

In 1989, in a partnership with states and fire departments, USFA began identifying enhancements for a major revision of NFIRS. Functional requirements for the revised system were developed with assistance from state, local and national level users of the NFIRS. New codes were developed with cooperation and assistance from the NFPA. After 10 years of development, NFIRS 5.0 began implementation in 1999.

The revised NFIRS expands the collection of data beyond fires to include the full range of fire department activity on a national scale. It is an all-incident reporting system. Additionally, it includes much expanded utility for users of the system at both the state and fire department levels. The addition of an emergency medical services module, a wildland fire module and the ATF-sponsored arson module to the system, along with the inclusion of new department apparatus and personnel modules, ensures greater usefulness of the system.

Currently the overall NFIRS data collection effort encompasses 49 states and 38 metropolitan jurisdictions with a yearly average of about 13,000 fire departments participating throughout the nation.

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### Seventeenth Redmond Symposium on the Occupational Health and Safety Hazards of the Fire Service to be Held

The Redmond Symposium on the Occupational Health and Safety Hazards of the Fire Service was held October 5-9, 2003, in San Francisco, Calif., with approximately 1,000 participants. This symposium provides a forum for detailed presentations and discussion of topical firefighter health and safety issues. In addition to plenary sessions, a multitude of workshops were conducted.  Major topics addressed areas such as firefighter fatality investigations, fitness and wellness, protective clothing and equipment, and human factors in decision-making and situational awareness. Presentations also included medical studies as well as case studies on fire ground and emergency incidents.

The Redmond Symposium was established at the International Association of Fire Fighters' Convention in 1958.  It is a biennial event and has been partially funded by FEMA and the USFA in 1975, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001.  FEMA senior leaders have been keynote speakers at past Redmond Symposiums.

The funding for this program was provided under the auspices of FEMA/USFA's National Fire Data Center Applied Technology and Research program.

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### Two US Fire Administration Officials Earn International Awards for Service

U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison and his deputy administrator, Charlie Dickinson, were presented with prestigious international fire service awards at the annual conference of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs, part of the National Fire Protection Association.

Paulison received the Life Time Achievement Award for his history of accomplishments, contribution to fire safety and demonstrated leadership. Dickinson received the Chairman's Award of Distinction for his contributions to the firefighter community. Both awardees came to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), after long careers on the front line of the fire service.

Paulison, who has been fire administrator since 2001, has 30 years of fire rescue experience, including serving as chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. His emergency experience includes Hurricane Andrew, the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th. As Fire Administrator, Paulison supports state and local fire service programs and implements initiatives to enhance emergency readiness and firefighter training and equipment, and to reduce the toll of fire on people and property.

Dickinson joined USFA in April 2002 after 30 years in fire service. He served first in the Hayward, Calif., Fire Department, where he also served as the city's emergency service coordinator, responsible for disaster preparedness, emergency planning and preparedness exercises. Later, he took a post in the Pittsburgh, Pa., Fire Bureau, where he held the position of chief for 10 years. His current responsibilities at USFA include oversight of the National Fire Data Center, National Fire Programs Division and the National Emergency Training Center, in Emmitsburg, Md.

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### Upcoming Events

    - National SAFE KIDS Leadership Conference, Oct. 25-29

For more information regarding the above items or other USFA programs and projects, please visit the US Fire Administration http://www.usfa.fema.gov or contact the USFA Press Office at 301-4471853, or [email protected].

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Last Updated: June 23, 2004 12:40 PM

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