United States Fire Administration (USFA) News

Cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters, and research suggests firefighters are at higher risk of certain types of cancers when compared to the general population. Educating fire service members To educate fire service members about this problem and empower them to take steps toward detection, treatment, and prevention, there are several new resources available from: The Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) - In partnership with the International Association of Fire Fight...

The tragic loss of life from the 19-story apartment building fire that occurred in New York City on Jan. 9 reminds of the fire and life safety challenges that tall buildings present to the emergency services and to the occupants who live or work in them. Challenges and features Because of the inherent nature of tall buildings and a series of historic fires, the practice of protecting the people who live and work in high-rise buildings has evolved over the years. Very specific sets of precautio...

Wildland firefighting is a physically and mentally demanding job, with many stressors that can take their toll on a wildland firefighter's mental health. To address this issue, a new module, Wildfire Mental Health, has been added to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) RT-130: Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR). The new module The new module emphasizes the importance of asking for help, offers information about accessing mental health care resources, and provid...

The adoption and implementation of hazard-resistant building codes is the most effective community mitigation measure against hazard risk. According to FEMA's Building Code Save Study, 65% of counties, cities, and towns across the United States of America (USA) currently have not adopted modern building codes. Getting community ready FEMA's new Building Science Resource Library, launched in October 2021, contains materials focused on creating disaster-resistant communities, including detailed...

Notices were recently posted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the National Personal Protective Technology Library (NPPTL) concerning the safety and quality of 2 types of personal protective equipment (PPE) used frequently by emergency medical services personnel: medical gloves and N95 particulate filtering facepiece respirators. Medical gloves notice Medical gloves notice is issued by the FDA on Oct. 29, 2021. Thi...

To help the community better understand the risk factors contributing to fires in an area, consider using multimedia in the online presentations to engage residents and encourage their participation. Encouraging participation Multimedia tools can bring to life stories about fire safety improvements and organization's successes in responding to fires and supporting fire safety initiatives, such as using adopted codes to require residential fire sprinklers, sponsoring a wildfire safety project t...

While most U.S. emergency communications centers (ECCs) use a CAD system to dispatch 911 calls and facilitate records management, few CAD system components are uniform across vendors. This can create problems transferring emergency calls and associated data, such as caller location information. It can also create problems with the transfer of call information to first responders in the field via public safety broadband networks. These transfer functions are important capabilities for enhancing...

One alarming aspect of the opioid crisis is the frequency first responders encounter synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Fentanyl and related compounds present a safety hazard for first responders — including emergency medical and law enforcement personnel at all levels — if they are not adequately prepared with proper protective equipment and reliable detection. In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) funded and provided s...

The goal of Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW) is to reach out to every emergency responder, every driver, and every passenger to educate them on how to play their part in ensuring safe responses at roadway incidents. CRSW’s important Emergency responders (police, fire, medical, etc.) risk being killed or injured by passing vehicles when on the scene of a roadside emergency. 50 responders so far this year have been killed when struck by a vehicle while responding to a roadway incident, a...

The goal of Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW) is to reach out to every emergency responder, every driver, and every passenger to educate them on how to play their part in ensuring safe responses at roadway incidents. Why is CRSW important? Emergency responders (police, fire, medical, etc.) risk being killed or injured by passing vehicles when on the scene of a roadside emergency. 50 responders so far this year have been killed when struck by a vehicle while responding to a road...

USFA highlights National Fire Academy (NFA) online learning opportunities for fire and building code officials.  Some of the courses offer International Association for Continuing Education and Training continuing education units (CEUs) for officials who need to maintain professional certification. Recommended online courses Alternative Water Supply Planning and Implementing Programs (Q0217) 0.6 CEUs: This course is designed to assist anyone with planning responsibility for alternative...

During Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 3-9) and throughout the year, let caregivers in the community know that pre-teenage children may not wake up to a high-frequency tone smoke alarm. Smoke alarms manufactured specifically to awaken pre-teenage children are not commercially available. When caregivers create their home fire escape plans, they need to consider this and make sure someone is assigned to wake pre-teen children.  high-frequency tone alarms Research indicates high-frequency tone a...

Wildland firefighters are exposed to many of the same naturally occurring respiratory hazards as structural firefighters. They are also exposed to many of the same man-made respiratory hazards, especially when fighting fires in or near the wildland-urban interface. However, unlike structural firefighters, wildland firefighters are unable to use the current standard respirator systems. They are heavy and bulky, taking up valuable carrying capacity needed for the tools and supplies required for w...

Hotter, drier climates in the western United States are causing larger and more frequent wildland fires. Smoke from western wildfires can span a much larger area, significantly impacting air quality across the entire United States. The spread of wildfire smoke highlights how important it is to have up-to-date information on air quality hazards. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released updates in 2021 to the popular AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. The map...

Since 2015, the United States has averaged 100 more large wildfires every year than the year before, creating conditions in which wildfires overwhelm response capabilities. wildfire management  On June 30, 2021, the White House released a statement summarizing the actions it is already taking, and those it intends to take once the FY2022 budget is passed, to address the growing wildfire threat. The statement acknowledges that the management of wildfires is a multi-agency effort,...

Many restaurants around the world are suffering from loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation has made fire prevention a lower priority. Fire authorities should work with restaurant owners and associations to address this issue and offer guidelines and training to increase awareness in the community. Restaurant fires account for about 6% of all non-residential building fires reported to fire departments each year, according to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS...

Local community fire departments have an important role in wildfire prevention and prevention messaging. Did people know that almost 90% of wildfires in the United States are human-caused according to the Insurance Information Institute's statistics? The importance of reducing human-caused wildfires Wildfires do not stay within artificial boundaries, and a wildfire burning in a natural area can quickly spread to areas where people live. According to Verisk's Wildfire Risk Analy...

Fire and EMS departments are eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) of their costs, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A streamlined project application process eases the burden of applying for the program, but support documentation is required. Tracking costs For COVID-19 recovery Many departments do not apply for the money because they perceive reporting requirements as too difficult, and record-keeping as too big a challenge. To help, the U.S. Fir...

Studies have shown that local wildfire smoke is associated with increased hospitalizations for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and some cardiovascular health outcomes. However, less is known about how harmful smoke is as it travels and becomes long-range smoke. long-range smoke impact For the study Differential Cardiopulmonary Health Impacts of Local and Long-Range Transport of Wildfire Smoke, researchers separated out the health effects of local wildfire smoke from the hea...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had a successful year of research and development in the area of detecting and predicting the impact of wildfires and wildfire smoke. NOAA's Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO) continues to improve its Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product with the latest fire and smoke monitoring methods and satellite data available. The product provides near real-time maps, fire data statistics, and data sets for mo...

USFA highlights reasons why builders and fire departments should advocate for residential fire sprinklers in local fire and building codes. Residential fire sprinklers date back to the early 1970s. Sprinklers can save lives and money when properly installed and maintained. residential sprinklers The International Residential Code (IRC) requires residential fire sprinklers to be installed in 1- and 2-family homes. The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Fire Code (NFPA 1) a...

Explaining the need for fire and building codes to business owners and property managers can sometimes be difficult or even confrontational. Business owners, for example, may be hesitant to make necessary changes that meet code requirements due to financial reasons. Property managers may be forced to balance scheduled maintenance costs against additional costs for code compliance. working of code of compliance  One thing that will help users with their conversations during inspections is...

The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is researching the impact of COVID-19 on first responder organizations and asking for your help. The START project hopes to measure the impact of COVID-19, identify and share best practices, and identify ways to strengthen first responder organizations for future pandemics. Research This research is part of a larger study funded by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorat...

InciWeb is an interactive mapping resource available from the U.S. Forest Service to show where wildfires are burning in areas close to a location, allowing users to better prepare their community for wildfire safety. It is a trusted reporting tool for public affairs specialists and a single source of incident-related information for the public. Official announcements include evacuations, road closures, news releases, maps, photographs, and basic information on an incident. web-based program...

In 2016, the fast-moving Chimney Tops 2 Fire in Tennessee killed 14 and injured over 200 people. This type of wildfire is not common in the region. The community was largely unprepared to respond or evacuate. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) surveyed affected residents of Sevier County, the county most impacted by the fire, to identify factors related to their decision to flee or stay behind. The survey looked at risk perception, gender, warnings from trusted...

September is National Preparedness Month, a time to promote family and community disaster planning. Severe weather can happen at any time, in any part of the country. That's why it is important for the community to be ready for severe weather events and to understand the fire risks that can come with them. Many residents will be surprised to learn that besides the wind and water damage, severe weather also brings the risk of fire. Fire can occur due to: Lightning. Portable...

Volunteer fire departments are ineligible to obtain funds from the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program because of their dependence on bingo games and raffles for fundraising. With the COVID-19 crisis destroying the ability of volunteer departments to raise funds, access to the EIDL program could provide needed assistance during a time of economic crisis. Under current rules, the assistance is unavailable. Economic Injury Disaster Loans program As the U.S. Small Business Administrati...

Wildfire smoke occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic can increase susceptibility to the virus and other infections by irritating the respiratory system, resulting in altered immune function. Populations vulnerable to smoking, including those with compromised immune systems, children under 18, pregnant women, adults 65 and over, and outdoor workers need to be aware of this risk. How to reduce risk from wildfire smoke Inform the community about these actionable steps that t...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has announced hosting a webinar titled ‘Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Preservation and N95 Respirator Decontamination and Reuse’, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Fire Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. PPE Preservation webinar The webinar will focus on the current research and best practices for preserving and decontaminating personal protective equipment and use of the Battelle Decon...

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is funding research to find ways to significantly reduce the cost of retrofitting existing homes with lifesaving residential fire sprinkler systems. USFA hope to reduce both the amount of water needed and the complexity of installing sprinklers while providing time for occupants to escape a fire in their home. Obstacles to retrofitting homes More than 80% of fire deaths occur in homes. Residential fire sprinklers are a proven technology that reduces th...