Emergency Response

“Sh_t happens” is what I was told when I inquired about a recent training accident at a State Fire Academy.  Professional firefighters were running a scenario involving an aircraft prop.  What they ended up doing was spaying jet fuel/water mixture onto the fire via an emergency shutdown system and hand lines, causing two minor injuries…...

NIOSH is revising its policy on the use of Emergency Breathing Support Systems (EBSS), also known as “Buddy Breathers”. This policy change is being made coincident with the addition of requirements related to the use and operation of these devices in the NFPA 1981, 2013 edition. This policy change will be applicable ONLY to SCBAs…...

Anyone that is “into” fire protection has seen the videos of the airplane hanger foam systems discharging.  They are quite amazing to watch; however, now we have a fatality as a result of a discharge.  Results are sketchy right now and investigators are trying to determine what caused the tragic incident that killed one man and injured…...

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 requires MSHA to update these criteria every five (5) years. One of the criteria for a mine operator to certify the qualifications of a coal mine rescue team is that team members are properly trained annually. MSHA has updated the prescribed instruction guides for…...

What’s changed in MARPLOT 4.2.4? Recently, the Get Address feature broke in all MARPLOT 4.x versions, because the Google web service that MARPLOT was using was discontinued. The MARPLOT 4.2.4 release fixes the Get Address feature, which now uses a newer version of Google’s Reverse Geocoding tool to find the address at a click point…....

Who is covered by OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard? The Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER) applies to five distinct groups of employers and their employees. This includes any employees who are exposed or potentially exposed to hazardous substances — including hazardous waste — and who are engaged in one of the following operations as…...

They’re everywhere on the Internet: seemingly legitimate organizations offering “instant” CPR or first aid certification for busy people who are required to hold current certification. And it often says right on those websites that online-only CPR or first aid certification is “nationally accepted“. It is not. No major nationally recognized training program in the United…...