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

Our latest Current Issues and Events article highlights findings from recent research into how station design of dormitory location and the time of day of the emergency affect turnout times.

Key finding: Time of day had the greatest impact on response times. Station design was not the main factor in turnout time.

Station design can play a very big role in turnout times, right?

Well, maybe not quite as much as previously thought.

While many research studies have emphasized that station design is a big factor with direct impact on turnout times, another recent study suggests that incident time of day is actually of much greater importance.

Daniel Scheller, Ph.D., co-author of “Fire Department Turnout Times: A Contextual Analysis¹,” says that:

Recognizing the interaction of station design and the time of day of an incident is crucial to understanding turnout times.

Research takeaways

Key findings from this study on turnout times and the impact of time of day include:

• Time of day had the greatest impact on response times. Station design was not the main factor in turnout time.
• Graveyard shift response times were longer regardless of station design. Graveyard shift was defined as midnight to 6 a.m. for this study.
• Dormitories located above the apparatus garage or in a separate facility had longer response times during the graveyard shift.
• There was no significant difference in turnout times between different station designs, except during the graveyard shift where above garage dormitories had longer turnout times (10.7% longer than during the day).
• Walking downstairs or sliding down a fire pole to the apparatus garage took longer because those activities require more wakefulness than walking through a door.

This study doesn’t suggest abandoning above garage dormitories, but there may be more cost effective ways to reduce turnout times. Fire service leaders should look at special training or protocols to lessen the impact of station design.

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 Reglen, D., & Scheller, D. S. (2016). Fire Department Turnout Times: A Contextual Analysis. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 13(1). doi:10.1515/jhsem-2015-0015

Link to article:

Turnout times: How important is time of day?

Have you ever been asked to give a public education safety presentation to a local community group? Have you ever questioned whether your messages are accurate and up-to-date? You are not alone and there is a resource out there to help you.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) created the Educational Messages Advisory Committee that meets annually to review educational fire-safety messages. These fire-safety experts provide recommendations to NFPA public education staff for updating and revising the messages. The messages are influenced by NFPA codes and standards.

You can find these messages in the NFPA’s free Educational Messages Desk Reference, 2017 Edition. The messages are intended to be used by members of fire and emergency services, fire- and life-safety educators, and other fire-safety advocates, so that accurate and consistent language is used when relaying safety information to the public.

Desk Reference is easy to use

The reference is divided into three sections. Educational messages arranged by topic are found in the first section. Each topic area is self-contained and written so that all the information needed on a certain subject is provided within that category. There are 20 chapters, and the topics covered include:

• Home smoke alarms.
• Home fire sprinklers.
• Carbon monoxide.
• Candles.
• Portable fire extinguishers and firefighting.
• Medical oxygen.

The second section provides educational messages for children — specifically for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and grades 1 and 2. The third section provides educational messages that are easy to read and are designed for people with limited English understanding.

Desk Reference is updated each year

The messages are reviewed every year by fire safety experts. A recent change to the 2017 edition was related to the placement of smoke alarms and sleeping with a door closed. The committee is recommending that more research be done to find out the following: whether a closed door delays early warning from a smoke alarm that is placed outside the sleeping room, and if fire deaths differ when the fire begins in the room where the door is closed.

Link to the Desk Referance: 2017 Edition 

As a firefighter, you know that firefighting activities can lead to chemical contamination. But do you know what steps you can take to reduce exposures? This understanding is critical as different fireground activities have different types and levels of exposure risk. If your fire department hasn’t already done so, it needs to develop or refine its policies for decontaminating gear and skin after live fire responses to reduce the potential risk of cancer.

In 2014, the largest cohort study to date found an increased mortality and incidence risk for all cancers among firefighters. A follow-up study one year later found further evidence that points to a causal association between the time directly engaged in live fire assignments and lung cancer and leukemia incidence. Chemicals formed as byproducts of combustion are thought to be responsible for this elevated risk but the role of contamination on personal protective equipment (PPE) or skin called for more study.

Study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other chemicals

A study published in 2017¹ focused on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for PPE surface and skin testing. PAHs may go through or around PPE or cross-transfer later from the PPE to the skin during removal. This study also looked at volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hydrocyanide (HCN) which may off-gas from contaminated gear and represent another possible exposure pathway.

In this study, three crews of twelve firefighters completed six fireground job assignments that included inside, outside and overhaul tasks. Researchers took samples of their PPE and skin exposure pre- and post-fire, as well as post-decontamination. Here’s what they found:

Research takeaways

• PPE, neck skin, and hand skin were most prone to PAH contamination during firefighting.
• The amount of contamination varied by work assignment.
  • Inside Attack and Inside Search experienced the most PPE and skin contamination and hand skin was more contaminated than neck skin.
  • Inside Search team had more hand skin contamination. This was possibly due to time spent crawling on contaminated floors. The exposure around gloves was likely aided by sweat or water.
  • Outside Vent team had the highest frequency of detectable PAH on their necks. This was possibly due to inconsistent use of hoods by those crews.
• Wearing Nomex hoods, even while working on exterior assignments, was important to reduce neck skin exposure.
• Decontamination using dish soap, water and scrubbing was the most effective method for removing PAH from turnout gear while still in the field. It was more effective than dry or air-based decon.
• Infrequent cleaning of firefighter turnout gear allows toxic substances to accumulate. Contamination on turnout gear increased with each fire response if not decontaminated.
• This study showed first-ever evidence of the value of cleansing wipes. Cleansing wipes removed PAH contamination from neck skin, reducing PAH levels by about 54 percent. Not all cleansing wipes are equally effective. Firefighters should follow up with more thorough cleansing such as showering or hand washing as soon as practicable after the fire.
• Turnout gear was contaminated with VOCs and HCNs but off-gas levels largely dissipated within 24 minutes. Still, firefighters could inhale chemicals in the period immediately following a fire response. There are also other off-gassing chemicals not included in this study that could pose a longer term hazard.
• Commercial laundering of PPE per NFPA requirements may still be the most effective cleaning method. Departments might want to consider prioritizing laundering for gear based on a firefighter’s response assignment.

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.

¹ Fent, K., Alexander, M., Roberts, J., Robertson, S., Toennis, C., Sammons, D., Bertke, S., Kerber, S., Smith, D., Horn, G. (2017). Contamination of firefighter personal protective equipment and skin and the effectiveness of decontamination procedures. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene: Vol 14 (10), 801-814.

More information on cleaning PPE

• PPE use and unsafe actions by firefighters
• Flame-retardant contamination of PPE a potential health risk
• Safety alert: Take care to clean protective hoods

Link for more information:

Clean your PPE and skin post-fire to reduce chemical exposure risk

Home fire fatalities Mar. 18-24, 2018

70 home fire fatalities were reported by the U.S. news media for Mar. 18-24.

Information on home fire fatalities is compiled through a daily Internet search (Monday-Friday) of U.S. news media reports. The primary purpose of this information is to help raise awareness about the danger of fire and the frequency of home fire deaths.

826 fire fatalities have been reported in 2018

36 – Male

19 – Female

15 – Gender unreported

4 – Children 14 and under

7 – Adults 65 and older

7 – Number of multiple fatality incidents

19 – Number of deaths in multiple fatality incidents

28 – Number of states with fatalities

58 – Total number of incidents reported

We gather home fire fatality information from U.S. news media reports published within 24-48 hours after a fatal fire. These early reports provide only basic information about what happened, such as how many fatalities, when and where the fire happened, and the type of home, for example, a house, apartment or mobile home. Most fires require investigations that can take weeks or months to complete. For this reason, the information found on this page should be viewed only as preliminary, especially as it relates to the cause of the fire and the presence or absence of working smoke alarms.

Link from U. S. Fire Administration : Home Fire Fatalities 

Information on home fire fatalities is compiled through a daily Internet search (Monday-Friday) of U.S. news media reports. The primary purpose of this information is to help raise awareness about the danger of fire and the frequency of home fire deaths.

29 civilian home fire fatalities reported by U.S. news media between January 1, 2018 and February 28, 2018, for criteria = All causes, All residential building types, for the states of New York

Link for information:

https://apps.usfa.fema.gov/civilian-fatalities/incident/reportList
anger of fire and the frequency of home fire deaths.

The January Meeting for the Suffolk County Fire Safety Educators will be held on January 26, 2018
The location will be the Central Islip Fire Department
The address for the Central Islip Fire Department is
97 Carlton Avenue Central Islip, NY
Dinner will be at 7pm
Meeting to follow

Any questions please contact me at 631-229-5169

The next meeting of the Educators will be on Aug 24 at the Nesconset Fire Department

The address for the Nesconset Fire Department is 25 Gibbs Pond Road, Nesconset, NY

As always the dinner will begin at 7:00pm and the Meeting will be at 8:00pm

2017 Antique Apparatus Photo Shoot, June 11, 2017, Heckshire state park field 8. Trucks arrive at 9:00 am for individual posed pictures (in a secured area) by professional photographers from multiple firematic publications from across north America. Upon individual pictures completed apparatus will go into a static display where all attendees can take pictures, talk history, get vehicle info, and enjoy the festivities of the day. Open to General Public 11:00 am. Parking in Parking Field 7. Shuttle service provided to Field 8. Only Admission is NYS park admission $8.00 for private vehicles. Official Fire/Ems Vehicles are exempt. Schedule will be posted when finalized

Follow the Link for Further information:

Photo Shoot