Help your community know what to do if there is a wildfire

April is traditionally the start of the wildfire season. But, many would argue the risks are high throughout the year. Megan Fitzgerald-McGowan wrote a blog, Wildfires and preparedness aren’t limited to a season, that you may find interesting and helpful.

Whether you are just gearing up or have been sharing information for weeks, USFA would like to help. Below are three social media cards explaining steps a community member can take before, during and after a wildfire.

USFA has also created a downloadable and customizable flyer you can share with your community about leaving the area if an evacuation is announced.

Saturday, May 5 is Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. The National Fire Protection Association has resources you can use to promote this annual event.

Did you know…

USFA has a YouTube channel! Subscribe and be informed of all our new uploads.

Join the fight!

Have you joined Fire is Everyone’s Fight?

Fire is Everyone’s Fight is a national initiative to unite the fire service, life safety organizations and professionals in an effort to reduce home fire injuries, deaths and property loss. The goal is to change how people think about fire and fire prevention.

Join the Fight and use the materials to educate your communities about the importance of fire prevention.

If you have any questions email  Teresa Neal.

Department of Homeland Security Resources for Campus Safety

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen earlier this month reiterated the Department’s actions and resources for protecting our nation’s schools against gun violence and other threats. The Secretary’s statement highlighted several U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resources, exercises, and preparedness activities offered by the Office of Academic Engagement (OAE).

Campus Resilience Program Resource Library Now Live

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Academic Engagement (OAE) launched the new CR Program Resource Library this week.

The free, online repository offers a variety of resources to empower practitioners and campus leaders to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from various threats and hazards relevant to the academic community. The resources included represent a variety of federal, state, local, private-sector, emergency management, and academic association entities.

OAE will continue coordination with its federal, private sector and academic partners to add new resources to the CR Program Resource Library in the near future.

Charlottesville Regional Tabletop Exercise Opportunity

You are invited to register for the Regional Tabletop Exercise (RTTX) for Institutions of Higher Education hosted on Monday, June 11, 2018, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. This one-day event will focus on a soft target incident, specifically campus unrest caused by a controversial speaker.

Exercises throughout the day will explore and test the campus resilience and emergency preparedness efforts of the participating colleges and universities through moderated scenarios. For more information about RTTX Charlottesville visit the event page including frequently asked questions.

For more information on DHS and OAE resources tailored toward the academic community, visit the OAE main page or contact our office at AcademicEngagement@hq.dhs.gov.

Have you heard about Fire is Everyone’s Fight™?

Fire is Everyone’s Fight™ is a national initiative to unite the fire service, life safety organizations and professionals in an effort to reduce home fire injuries, deaths and property loss by changing how people think about fire and fire prevention.

Partnerships are critical to deliver accurate and consistent safety messages to the community. We invite fire departments, life safety organizations and fire and life safety professionals to partner with us. Once you join, use the Fire Is Everyone’s Fight graphic and tagline on your existing and new materials.

Join the fight.

To help you spread the word, we have created a community outreach guide. There are dozens of ways you can use Fire Is Everyone’s Fight to help teach people in your city or town to be safer.

Our community outreach guide shares just a few ideas to help you get started. It offers suggestions for engaging people in the community. This guide will help you:

·       Integrate Fire Is Everyone’s Fight content into your existing media and community outreach programs.

•  Reach out to organizations to arrange speaking opportunities.
•  Use social media to get the word out about fire safety and prevention.
•  Know what to say and how to say it simply and effectively.
•  Put together an event that attracts the audience you want to inform.
•  Create opportunities to get the word out.

We have also created PowerPoint slides to cover the essential home fire safety information for any community presentation. In addition, there are audience-specific slides for:

• Caregivers of babies and toddlers.
• Older adults.
• Caregivers of older adults.

Finally, check out the fire prevention and safety digital media library

The old adage is true: “A picture’s worth a thousand words.” Showing a prevention tip, like practicing a fire escape plan, is much more effective than just talking about it. The photos, social media images and videos on this page are free for you to use in your materials. They show fire-safe behaviors and fire prevention best practices, and include ideas for accompanying safety tips.

Social media toolkits

Key messages, cards, hashtags and videos for your social channels.

Pictographs

Pictographs can help overcome literacy barriers by communicating fire safety messages with pictures.

Photos

Free, high resolution public domain photos for your use.

Video footage

Broadcast quality, high definition b-roll footage showing smoke alarm safety demonstrations with diverse populations.

Audio PSAs

Broadcast quality fire safety public service announcements.

Copied from Email sent from FEMA

There’s a new alternative to plywood for boarding up vacant and abandoned buildings that can help prevent arson: clear board.

For as long as there have been damaged doors and windows that need to be secured, boarding up vacant and abandoned buildings has been achieved using relatively inexpensive plywood, nails and carriage bolts.

An alternative to plywood is clear boarding. It is used to fortify abandoned structures to keep out squatters, thwart criminal activity, and prevent arson. Transparent coverings allow law enforcement and first responders to look inside these vacant buildings, exposing illicit activity.

Plywood

Clear board

The products are composed of polycarbonate. They are designed to look like conventional windows, are practically indestructible, and are weather resistant. Demonstrations show that hammers are no match for these clear-boarding systems. Plywood can be pried off, allowing transients, vandals and criminals to enter the building for illegal activities. Nothing announces a vacant property like boarded up windows and doors. Real estate developers and communities agree that buildings boarded up with plywood are an eyesore and cause property values to plummet.

In November 2016, a federal mortgage loan company, Fannie Mae, changed its policies, urging servicers to use clear boarding instead of plywood for pre-foreclosure and post-foreclosure properties. In January 2017, the state of Ohio banned the use of plywood to board up vacant and abandoned properties and prohibited its use in homes that meet “expedited foreclosure” guidelines. In May 2015, the city of Phoenix, Arizona, required that sheets of polycarbonate must be used to cover the windows in abandoned homes.

The market will eventually adjust, and with additional legal backing, clear boarding will no doubt grow in popularity. The fire service will adapt and prevail: tactics and equipment have evolved to meet challenges much greater than this one.

Official Link: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/current_events/041718.html

Diabetes and Women

Recommend on Facebook Tweet

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn
• Email
• Digg
• Add this to your site

Women with diabetes have more to manage. Stay on track by checking your blood sugar often, eating healthy food, and being active so you can be your healthiest and feel your best.

How is diabetes different for women than it is for men? Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease(https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/) (the most common diabetes complication) by about four times in women but only about two times in men, and women have worse outcomes after a heart attack. Women are also at higher risk of other diabetes-related complications such as blindness, kidney disease, and depression.

Not only is diabetes different for women, it’s different among women—African American, Hispanic/Latina, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander women are more likely to have diabetes than white women.

How you manage diabetes may need to change over time depending on what’s happening in your life. Here’s what to expect and what you can do to stay on track.

Yeast and Urinary Tract Infections

Many women will get a vaginal yeast infection(https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/genital/) at some point, but women with diabetes are at higher risk especially if their blood sugar levels are high.

More than 50% of women will get a urinary tract infection(https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/community/for-patients/common-illnesses/uti.html) (UTI) in their lifetime, and your risk may be higher if you have diabetes. Causes include high blood sugar levels and poor circulation (which reduces your body’s ability to fight infections). Also, some women have bladders that don’t empty all the way because of diabetes, creating a perfect environment for bacteria to grow.

What You Can Do: To prevent yeast infections and UTIs, keep your blood sugar levels as close to your target range as possible. Other ways to prevent UTIs: drink lots of water, wear cotton underwear, and urinate often instead of waiting until your bladder is full.

You can’t go wrong with the basics: check your blood sugar regularly, eat healthy food, and be active on most days.

Make Friends With Your Numbers

Sometimes having high blood sugar can feel like a test you didn’t pass. But numbers are just numbers. Think of them instead as information. Did a certain food or activity make your levels go up or down? Armed with that knowledge, you can make adjustments and get closer to your target range more often.

Menstrual Cycle

Changes in hormone levels right before and during your period can make blood sugar levels hard to predict. You may also have longer or heavier periods, and food cravings can make managing diabetes harder. You may notice a pattern over time, or you may find that every period is different.

What You Can Do: Check your blood sugar often and keep track of the results to see if there’s a pattern. If you use insulin, you might need to take more in the days before your period. Talk to your doctor about changing your dosage if needed. Being active on most days, eating healthy food in the right amounts, and getting enough sleep can all help too.

Sex

Diabetes can lower your interest in sex and your ability to enjoy it. For some women, vaginal dryness can make intercourse uncomfortable or even painful. Causes can include nerve damage, reduced blood flow, medications, and hormonal changes, including those during pregnancy or menopause.

What You Can Do: Be sure to talk to your doctor if you’re having any sexual issues. He or she can let you know your options, from using vaginal lubricants to doing exercises that can increase sexual response.

Birth Control

It’s important to use birth control if you don’t want to become pregnant or if you want to wait until your blood sugar levels are in your target range, since high blood sugar can cause problems during pregnancy for you and your baby. There are many types of birth control methods, including intrauterine devices (IUDs), implants, injections, pills, patches, vaginal rings, and barrier methods like condoms and diaphragms. Choosing the right option for you will depend on whether you have any other medical conditions, current medicines you take, and other factors.

What You Can Do: Talk with your doctor about all your birth control options and risks. Continue checking your blood sugar, track the results, and let your doctor know if your levels go up.

Getting Pregnant

If you know you want to have a baby, planning ahead is really important. Diabetes can make it harder to get pregnant, and high blood sugar can increase your risk for:

• Preeclampsia (high blood pressure)
• Delivery by cesarean section (C-section)
• Miscarriage or stillbirth

A baby’s organs form during the first 2 months of pregnancy, and high blood sugar during that time can cause birth defects. High blood sugar during pregnancy can also increase the chance that your baby could:

• Be born too early
• Weigh too much (making delivery harder)
• Have breathing problems or low blood sugar right after birth

What You Can Do: Work with your health care team to get your blood sugar levels in your target range and establish good habits such as eating healthy and being active. Your blood sugar levels can change quickly, so check them often and adjust your food, activity, and medicine as needed with guidance from your doctor.

During Pregnancy

Gestational diabetes(https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/diabetes-gestational.html)—high blood sugar during pregnancy—can develop in women who don’t already have diabetes. It affects 2% to 10% of pregnancies in the United States every year. Any woman can have gestational diabetes, but some are at higher risk(https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/risk-factors.html), including those who are overweight or have obesity, are more than 25 years old, or have a family history of type 2 diabetes(https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type2.html). Careful management is important to ensure a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.

What You Can Do: If you’re diagnosed with gestational diabetes, your doctor will work with you to create a treatment plan to help keep your blood sugar in your target range by eating healthy food in the right amounts and being active most days of the week. You may need diabetes medicine or insulin shots to keep you and your baby healthy.

Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born. However, about 50% of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes. It’s important to get tested for diabetes 4 to 12 weeks after delivery and continue to get tested every 1 to 3 years to make sure your blood sugar levels are in a healthy range. Ask your doctor about participating in the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program(https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/lifestyle-program/experience/index.html), which includes a lifestyle change program scientifically proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people at risk.

Menopause

After menopause, your body makes less estrogen, which can cause unpredictable ups and downs in blood sugar. You may gain weight, which increases your need for insulin or other diabetes medicines. Hot flashes and night sweats may disrupt your sleep, making managing blood sugar harder. This is also a time when sexual problems can occur, such as vaginal dryness or nerve damage.

What You Can Do: Ask your doctor about ways you can manage menopause symptoms. If your blood sugar levels have changed, you may need to change the dosage of any diabetes medicines you’re taking. Heart disease risk goes up after menopause, so make heart-healthy choices(https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/what_you_can_do.htm) that also help manage your diabetes, such as eating healthy food and being active.

Official Link: https://www.cdc.gov/features/diabetes-women/

Recent study highlights the importance of SOPs in preventing firefighter fatalities

Posted: April 26, 2018

Eighty to 100 firefighters die in the line-of-duty each year, in most cases from either cardiovascular events or traumatic injury. Researchers recently looked at National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) firefighter fatality reports to try to identify factors that tended to contribute to preventable line-of-duty deaths.

The study authors first focused on fatal incidents involving personal protective equipment (PPE), seat belts and poor physical condition. For these incidents, they looked at how several demographic factors or incident characteristics may have played a role. These included age, gender, years on the job, weather conditions and type of department.

In a second comparison, the authors looked at firefighters who lacked training, medical clearance or experience versus those who did not have those factors implicated in their deaths. In these comparisons, the authors looked at whether the department had appropriate protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place or not.

Research takeaways

• Firefighters are more likely to die in potentially preventable incidents during periods of clear weather and with more years on the job. The authors suggest this may come from complacency and a false sense of security owing to good conditions and past experiences. In inclement weather conditions, firefighters are more careful.
• Years on the job, but not age, correlated with greater mortality. Carelessness, again, is presumed to be the cause of this and volunteer firefighters were more prone to this than career firefighters.
• Firefighters who worked in departments without SOPs for respirator fit testing, PPE, recruit fitness testing, communications equipment, vehicle maintenance, mayday operations or incident command were more likely to have lack of training or experience implicated in the fatality.
• Though not entirely conclusive, this study pointed to the likelihood of fatigue playing a factor in preventable deaths as measured by whether or not the firefighter had already answered one other call while on shift.
• Lack of physical fitness testing and medical clearance of recruits was a statistically significant factor and likely points to carelessness in departments.

These preventable line-of-duty deaths require firefighting leaders to ensure that standardized protocols are in place and followed and that firefighters are safety-conscious in all conditions and circumstances.

Learn more about this research

This research article is available through our library by contacting netclrc@fema.dhs.gov. Interested readers may be able to access the article through their local library or through the publishers’ websites.

Kahn, S., Palmieri, T., Sen, S., Woods, J., Gunter, O. (2017). Factors Implicated in Safety-related Firefighter Fatalities. Journal of Burn Care & Research: Vol 38 (1), e83-e88.

Official Link: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/current_events/042618.html

Anyone who has watched a building under construction can appreciate its complexity and sophistication. Occasionally, inspection and testing requirements occur that the local code official may not be qualified or experienced to address, so third-party assistance is needed.

The model building codes address this need through a specific requirement for structural tests and “special” inspections. A special inspection can be required for materials, installation, fabrication, erection or placement of components and connections where special expertise is needed. The cost of the special inspection is covered by the project owner or the registered design professional.

Special inspections

The following table identifies some of the special inspections required by the codes. It is not an exhaustive list, so be certain to check your locally adopted code for required special inspections.

Inspection	Inspection function (examples)
Steel construction	Verify integrity of framing welds, joints and high-strength bolts, locations of bracing and stiffening materials.
Concrete construction	Check reinforcing steel, connecting bolts, application technique, strength, required design mix and curing maintenance.
Masonry construction	Assess mortar joint construction, grout placement, reinforcement welding and prestressing techniques.
Wood construction	Check high-load diaphragms, framing members at panel edges, nail or staple diameters and length.
Pile and pier foundations	Evaluate materials, sizes, lengths, placement, plumbness, diameters and embeddedness.
Soils	Test soil classification, bearing capacity, fill quality and density.
Sprayed fire-resistant materials	Measure thickness; density; and bond strength to floors, walls and structural elements.
Mastics and intumescent coatings	Establish compliance with Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industries standards.
Smoke control	Verify performance, operation and interaction with other systems and controls.
Special cases	Validate unusual designs, materials that must be installed to manufacturer’s specifications, alternate methods and materials.

May is Building Safety Month

	Week 1 May 1-5 Partnering with code officials to build stronger, safer communities
	Week 2 May 6-12 Advancing Resilient Communities Through Science and Technology
	Week 3 May 13-19 Protecting Communities from Disasters
	Week 4 May 20-26 Safeguarding Our Water
	Week 5 May 27-31 Improving Education and Training Standards for a Safer Tomorrow

Follow our Coffee Break Bulletin series during the month of May for featured content related to Building Safety Month’s five weekly themes.

Subscribe to Coffee Break Bulletins

Official Link: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/training/coffee_break/050118.html

Press Office

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Press Release

May 7, 2018

Contact:  USFA Press Office (301) 447-1853

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY’S UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION

2018 ARSON AWARENESS WEEK:  REDUCING ARSON AT VACANT AND ABANDONED BUILDINGS

USFA Announces the 2018 Arson Awareness Week Theme

Emmitsburg, MD – The theme for the 2018 Arson Awareness Week is Reducing Arson at Vacant and Abandoned Buildings. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) is pleased to announce first-time partner: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

USFA will also partner with an important group of organizations comprised of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, International Association of Arson Investigators, National Volunteer Fire Council, National Fire Protection Association, Coalition Against Insurance Fraud and the Insurance Committee for Arson Control.

The week of May 6 to 12 will be used to focus on the importance of a cooperative effort with fire and emergency service departments, law enforcement and public works to help prevent the horrendous crime of arson at vacant and abandoned buildings.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Incident Reporting System, at 34 percent, intentional actions were the leading cause of vacant residential building fires.

The ATF’s Bomb Arson Tracking System, reported there have been an average of 550 incendiary/arson fires per year at abandoned and vacant properties for the 10-year period from 2007 to 2016.

“Unsecured vacant or abandoned structures create an inherent risk to the courageous firefighters that respond to these fires,” said USFA Administrator Keith Bryant.

HUD Community Development Block Grants have provided grants to communities that suffered from foreclosures and abandonment.  HUD purchased and redevelop foreclosed and abandoned homes and residential properties assisting in the rejuvenation and revitalization of communities nationwide.

For more information regarding the 2018 Arson Awareness Week, visit the USFA website.

Do wildland firefighting safety zone separation distances need to be increased to reduce the risk of injury or death? A team of researchers recently examined this issue to see if current models provided the best recommendations. Study results indicate that firefighters may want to consider slight increases in separation distances.

What was learned

This was the first study to confirm that the use of fire shelters significantly lowers the likelihood of fatal and non-fatal injuries during an entrapment situation. The empirical data also support the belief that vehicles can be used as places of refuge or as shields.

It confirms that slopes limit the effectiveness of fire shelters to the extent that each percent increase in slope steepness increases the odds of a fatal injury by 3 percent without the aid of a fire shelter.

The study proposes a safety zone separation distance that accommodates not only radiant energy transfer but also the convection of hot combustion gases and excessive smoke exposure.² The empirical data from past entrapments would suggest that safety zone separation distances should be larger than the distances currently recommended by the physically based models, for example “4 x the flame height.”

Brush fuel types were the most dangerous in terms of causing non-fatal injuries.

Many research studies have focused on firefighter mental health challenges due to a single traumatic event. But what about repeated exposure to such events?

Today’s Current Issues and Events article details findings from a research project that studied the impact of repeated exposure trauma on firefighters.

Across the country, firefighters are responding to fewer fires but are increasingly called upon to provide Emergency Medical Services (EMS), perform search and rescue, and react to hazardous materials incidents and natural disasters. They come across a wide variety of tragic situations that play out in or around their homes, along highways, and in every other conceivable part of their communities.

RET — the cumulative effect of regularly caring for the broken bodies and wounded minds of victims and their families — is thought to have a negative psychological impact on firefighters’ own mental health. Previous studies have looked at firefighter mental health challenges in the context of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), which relies on assessment instruments attuned to one particular traumatic event.

Takeaways from previous studies

• Evidence shows that rates of depression among fire and EMS personnel are higher than in the general population.
• Firefighters have higher rates of alcohol use and binge drinking compared to the general population. There is a possible connection between risky drinking behaviors and PTSD.
• Firefighters experience “secondary trauma” or “compassion fatigue” from repeated exposure to trauma. They may not be diagnosed with PTSD, but clearly suffer from symptoms such as sleep disorders, avoidance behaviors, and feelings of helplessness that are associated with PTSD.

Takeaways from this study

FIREFIGHTING AND MENTAL HEALTH: EXPERIENCES OF REPEATED EXPOSURE TO TRAUMA

• It is more common for firefighters to experience a negative mental health impact from a series of traumatic events rather than from one single event.
• Symptoms of RET for most firefighters include desensitization, irritability, cynicism and intrusive flashbacks.
• Many firefighters appear to effectively manage their emotional response to trauma. Future research should explore their protective coping methods and resiliency.

Learn more about this research

The research article is available through our library by contacting netclrc@fema.dhs.gov. Interested readers may be able to access the article through their local library or through the publisher’s website.

¹ Jahnke, S. A., Poston, W. S., Haddock, C. K., & Murphy, B. (2016). Firefighting and mental health: Experiences of repeated exposure to trauma. Work, 53(4), 737-744. doi:10.3233/wor-162255