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JOURNAL Fire & Rescue A publication of the North Carolina Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal Spring 2010 What’s Hot Inside OSFM Staffers Earn Honors.................................................. 3.........................................Guest Editorial: Preventing LODDs Live Fire Training Revisited: Pennsylvania Fire Academy...... 4-5..................................................................Looking Forward Looking Back:..................................................................... 6-7............................................ Pine Knoll Townes, Raleigh NC Inspection Tips................................................................... 8-9................... Innovative Equipment Spotlight: Wilmington FD Pyrotechnics Operators’ Permitting Requirements in Full Swing During the 2009 legislative session, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 563 and created N.C. General Statute 58-82A-1 aimed at preventing pyrotechnic disasters and tragedies from occurring in North Carolina, like the Fourth of July explosion on Ocracoke Island that killed four operators and injured another last year. The new law requires anyone discharging or operating pyrotechnics or proximate explosives to attend a training course and earn a pyrotechnics operator permit before conducting a pyrotechnics display in the state. Beginning Feb. 1, all pyrotechnic operators in North Carolina must obtain a permit before setting off indoor or outdoor fireworks. “After the accident on Ocracoke Island I was shocked to learn that North Carolina had no permitting process for pyrotechnic operators. I know this was upsetting to the public as well. That’s why OSFM staff immediately began working with members of the General Assembly to craft legislation to resolve this,” said Commissioner Goodwin. “We believe with this new permit, the public and fireworks professionals will be safer in North Carolina.” The new law requires anyone who uses pyrotechnic (outdoor) or audience proximate (indoor) fireworks to submit an application to the Office of State Fire Marshal, attend a safety class and score a passing grade of 80 percent on the permit exam. Any event on or after Feb. 1, 2010 in North Carolina that involves pyrotechnics should be conducted by a properly trained operator with a North Carolina permit. Permit Requirements Depending on the operators’ needs, several permitting options are available; each permit has its own requirements: »» Pyrotechnic Operator’s Permit: Minimum 21 years of age, ATF Letter of Clearance, six pyrotechnic shoots (three as lead operator), three references, training class (APA, PGI, or other substantially equivalent class), passing grade of 80 percent on test administered by OSFM. »» Proximate Audience Operator’s Permit: Minimum 21 years of age, six pyrotechnic shoots (three as lead operator), three references, training class (OSFM approved class), passing grade of 80 percent on test administered by OSFM. »» Pyrotechnic Operator’s Assistant Permit: Minimum 18 years of age, ATF Letter of Clearance, three references, passing grade of 80 percent on assistant’s test administered by OSFM. »» Proximate Audience Assistant Operator’s Permit: Minimum 18 years of age, passing grade of 80 percent on assistant’s test administered by OSFM. There is an application fee of $100, which will cover the examination and permit’s costs. Each permit is valid for three years. There is one additional type of permit designed to accommodate assistants that have not gone through the assistant permitting process with OSFM. This is referred to as “on-site certification.” This process involves downloading the application from OSFM’s Web site, completing the security questions and safety questions on the application. The assistant then must bring photo identification and the application to the local code official at the time of the discharge site inspection. The code official will issue an on-site certification card to the applicant following his review of the application. There is no charge for this process, but the certification will only be valid for that show or group of shows. Courses Scheduled Operators are already taking tests and getting their permits. The first permitting course took place on Feb. 2, in Raleigh and was sponsored by Zambelli Fireworks Internationalle. Other courses have been scheduled in order to give operators working on upcoming events a chance to get permitted. To view the course schedule, visit and click on the “Pyrotechnic Operator Permitting Info.” banner at the bottom of the page. “We have reached out to the pyrotechnic industry to inform continued on page 2... (Inset) A typically constructed paper mortar tube rack, used to launch aerial shalles and salutes into the air. These are very common at fireworks demonstrations. (Above) Detonation of the mortar rack salute shell. Taken from a distance of 225 feet, this picture shows the shrapnel that was later found in a radius of approximately 100 feet from the detonation site. This was caused by a 3 inch salute — one of the smallest in the 1.3 G category. www.ncdoi.com/osfm The Fire & Rescue Journal 2 On July 4, 2009, North Carolina faced a terrible explosion on Ocracoke Island that killed four pyrotechnics operators and injured another. I remember it vividly and resolved then to use my role as State Fire Marshal to help create a safer environment for those watching and participating in pyrotechnic or proximate shows. As you have read in the cover story in this issue of the Fire & Rescue Journal, just a few months later, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 563 and created N.C. General Statute 58-82A-1 aimed at preventing another pyrotechnic tragedy from occurring in our state. The new law requires anyone discharging/ operating pyrotechnics or proximate explosives to attend a training course and earn a pyrotechnics operator permit before conducting a pyrotechnics display in North Carolina, effective Feb. 1. My staff at OSFM has worked extensively to develop a permitting system in consultation with the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission. OSFM participated in the rulemaking process through the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), received public comment from Oct. 31, to Dec. 14, 2009, and after the rule was approved, we got to work publicizing the application rules, exam dates and locations, and information on the proper permitting (state and local) for code official use. This new requirement is a major shift in the way pyrotechnics have been handled in North Carolina, and it will affect countless numbers of July 4th displays, concerts and other public celebrations. We are working very hard to make sure everyone involved across the state is fully aware of the new regulations so that come the Fourth of July, no one is left disappointed. While your departments are not responsible for enforcing the permitting requirements, you are looked to as community leaders and experts in fire safety and protection. In this role, please educate your communities about these new regulations and the ways they make all of us safer. For more information, go to www.ncdoi.com/osfm or call our OSFM staff at 919-661-5880. North Carolina continues to be a model for other states in many areas of fire prevention and safety. Let’s keep up the good work! Pyrotechnics Keep OSFM Busy Wayne Goodwin, Insurance Commissioner & State Fire Marshal Mark Edwards, Assistant Commissioner Tim Bradley, Assistant State Fire Marshal Executive Editor Kristin Milam, Director of Public Information Managing Editor Chris Best, Supervisor, Research and Program Development Editorial Assistant Karen Holder Graphic Designer Trisha Tripp The Fire & Rescue Journal is a quarterly publication of the N.C. Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal 1202 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 Questions, comments or story ideas should be directed to Chris Best at 919-661-5880 x332 or chris.best@ncdoi.gov. To sign up for the mailing list or to submit an address change, contact Trisha Tripp at 919-733-5238 or trisha.tripp@ncdoi.gov. 2,300 copies of the Journal, which is funded through a grant from the North Carolina Association of Insurance Agents, were printed at a cost of $2,074. by Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin JOURNAL Fire & Rescue From the Commissioner’s Desk ...continued from page 1 them of these changes,” said Commissioner Goodwin. “I encourage you to take this information back to your communities and local inspections departments to make sure that they are also aware.” Like with any new requirement, if communities don’t know about it, no one will benefit from the safety precautions, Goodwin added. For more information about the pyrotechnic legislation and requirements, a list of frequently asked questions, course schedules or more, visit www.ncdoi.com/ osfm or call Rob Roegner at 919-661-5880. (Right) Damage resulting from the salute not properly lifting out of the paper tube and instead detonating inside one of the tubes. These pieces of wood and paper tubing are all that was left of the tube rack seen in the inset photo on page 1. Spring 2010 3 OSFM Staffers Earn Honors Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Bradley was recently appointed to the International Accreditation Society (IAS) Board, a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC). The IAS is involved with many aspects of building safety that reaches all of us in some way. The Board has a forward-thinking approach and vision that encompasses growth in many areas; it keeps the ICC abreast of new developments and informed on IAS initiatives keeping pace with today’s Green Construction and EPA licensed product certification agencies. Bradley is pleased to have another opportunity to further his commitment to life safety initiatives. To promote the goals of ICC, the IAS Board deals with program areas that offer services to municipalities so that building laws can be enforced. The IAS has reached out into the international community with activities including international laboratory accreditation in Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Middle East, Asia and the Pacific and is quickly growing toward world -wide recognition. Here at home the IAS works through the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation and the Center for Public Safety Excellence. They are currently working with FEMA’s Flood Plan management program so that IAS BDA accreditation can assist in the evaluation of building departments Through a variety of means, the IAS Board is upholding safety standards and integrity in the building industry: the Accreditation Committee works to hold accreditation standards consistent as building codes, materials and inspector qualifications evolve around the globe; the Technical Advisory Councils are available for expertise; and consistency in assessment work is maintained through the Assessor Forum. Further, A new interactive Web site identifies growth areas, offers information and is promoting the IAS in the building industry. Jonathan Sowers, a training specialist in the Fire and Rescue Training and Inspections Division, has been awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence for Innovations. Sowers developed a training program called Understanding Building Construction after 11 firefighters died in two separate building fires – nine in the 2007 Charleston, S.C. Sofa Superstore fire and two in the 2008 Salisbury Millwork fire here in North Carolina. In developing the course, Sowers researched more than 20 years of data compiled by the United States Fire Administration, the National Fire Protection Association, the National Fire Incident Reporting System and North Carolina-specific statistics. He compared the number of lives lost (civilians and firefighters) to the building codes enforced during the 20 year period, developing a course addressing how building codes and construction methods affect the daily jobs of a firefighter. As a result of Sowers’ commitment to the citizens and the fire service of North Carolina, the N.C. Fire and Rescue Commission has added an additional six to eight hours of training to the Basic Firefighter I and II programs. This program is now one of the most requested trainings offered by the OSFM. North Carolina is currently the only state that has included research from the Charleston, S.C. and Salisbury, N.C. tragedies as the basis for the development of such course. The course has been delivered more than 50 times during the past two years. Left to Right: Governor Beverly Perdue, Jonathan Sowers and Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin at the Governor’s Excellence Award ceremony. Photo courtesy of NCDOJ. Tim Bradley, Assistant State Fire Marshal Each year the American fire service experiences an average of more than 100 line of duty deaths. Furthermore, we know that the number of “working fires” is down approximately 66 percent in comparison to the number reported in the mid- 1970s. So what is this score card saying? I would suggest this can be attributed to nothing more than attitudes. We need to change our attitudes. “There is nowhere in the corporate world that you could come in and give an annual report that stated ‘we had a good year — we only lost 100 employees’ that you would not be escorted out the door before you could get your personal items in a box.” Ron Siarnicki of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) made this statement during a NFFF presentation. Guess what? He’s correct! Why do we as leaders in this profession continue to allow these issues to occur? Why do we continue to consider it an honor to die in the line of duty? Why are we so resistant to change? We call it tradition! Well, as a fire service leader I have to say: get over old and bad traditions; start safe new ones! If I stepped on some toes here, good; they probably needed stepping on. We cannot afford to continue to allow the same mistakes over and over again. At some point, we have to start saying that firefighter injuries and line of duty deaths (LODD) are not acceptable anymore on our watch. We must change this culture, and the time is now. One area that we know we can control the environment and have good chances of preventing a line of duty death is training. But in 2005, we had 10 line of duty deaths occur during training events. This equates to 10 percent of the total line of duty deaths for that year. Secondly, responding to and returning from emergency incidents accounted for 26 line of duty deaths or 59 percent. Deaths in vehicle crashes continue to account for a significant number of these annual fire service member fatalities. How many of these could have been prevented? How many were not wearing their seat belts? How many involved speed as a contributing factor? The answer to the last two questions is far too many. Let’s look at how we can reduce these numbers. We can begin today by changing the thought process as new firefighters enter the fire training academies across the United States. We can further implement these positive changes with our existing firefighter corps by investing more of our time and efforts to change the present day fire service dinosaurs’ mindsets. These mindsets tend to negatively influence the new recruits freshly deployed in the field and create dinosaur eggs that then develop into dinosaurs themselves. We need to develop and implement comprehensive health and wellness programs. These programs need to include physical training, medical evaluations and mental conditioning. With more and more firefighters perishing due to heart attacks and strokes (44 in 2005) we need to make sure that we are in the best physical condition to do this job. I further think that the statistics are somewhat skewed. When we experience line of duty deaths of older fire service members who die after emergency responses and did continued on page 8... Are You Prepared to Prevent a Line of Duty Death? The Fire & Rescue Journal 4 Vernon Ward, Fire Rating Inspector, Ratings and Inspections — Vernon Ward has more than 35 years of experience in the fire service, ranging from firefighter to training officer, instructor and fire chief. He joined the Pinecroft-Sedgefield Fire Department in February 1974 as a volunteer and was hired as a paid firefighter for the department in November 1976. He progressed through the ranks of the department and became chief in January 1990. After 17 years as Chief, he retired in August of 2007. Ward has been with OSFM as a contractor since 2007, but was hired permanently this year. In addition to his service as fire chief, he has also served as president and treasurer of the Piedmont Firefighters Association, president of the N.C. State Firemen’s Association and served on the Volunteers Workers Compensation Board. OSFM Welcomes New Employee Vernon Ward Live Fire Training Revisited: Pennsylvania State Fire Academy; 2005 Opened in 1955, the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy is a tenured institution with a remarkable track record of professionalism. The Academy’s staff includes an administrator, a curriculum specialist, two full-time instructors, 80 adjunct instructors, a certification manager and three field education supervisors. Seven buildings are situated on the 11 acre campus, including the current class ‘A’ burn building, which opened in 1993. Consisting of both commercial and residential structures, the all-inclusive building’s burn rooms were outfitted with high-temperature linings in 2001 during renovation of the building. In October of 2005, a routine Suppression Instructor Development course was taking place at the Academy. This 40- hour class is designed to develop and evaluate the instructional skills of instructor candidates. Graduates of the course become state certified as fire suppression instructors. The course had one resident instructor, nine adjunct instructors, one field supervisor, one curriculum specialist and 16 students. The student makeup included a mix of career and volunteer firefighters from across the state. The program consisted of 16 evolutions with the fatal event occurring during the last evolution of the five day course. The instructors held a staff meeting early that morning to discuss the six evolutions that would take place in the residential burn building that day. The evolutions involved not only extinguishing fires, but also a series of simulated emergencies. The purpose of these simulated events was to evaluate the students’ ability to respond and effectively manage various emergency situations. The lead instructor had at his disposal two teams of four adjunct instructors in addition to two academy staff. The adjunct instructor teams rotated participating in the evolutions, working in the burn building one run and writing student evaluations during the next. Prior to the instructor meeting, the students were given assignments to prepare for the upcoming drills. The first five evolutions of the day were completed that morning without incident. The incident command structure during the training consisted of the students serving as the Incident Commander (IC), Safety Officer and Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) members, all monitored by the course instructors. The victim completed evolution 12 by evaluating students in the basement. On evolution 14 he was outside the building evaluating the student IC, and on the 16th and last evolution (when the fatal event occurred) the victim served as an instructor in the basement as well as performing as the ignition officer for the basement burn room. The final evolution began around 12:45 p.m. The victim went to the basement alone while another instructor went to the second floor of the burn building to place more pallets on the fire and then evaluate the students as they began their suppression activities. To this end, the instructors were only supposed to be in the fire rooms long enough to add pallets before retreating to a safer, more tenable location. A third instructor entered the burn building to monitor the basement crew. This instructor went in the front entrance and awaited the crew’s entry, encountering good visibility and some smoke. After approximately two minutes, the instructor heard the basement door open and saw the victim come over and lay flat on the floor while moving around in his bunker gear seeking relief from the heat his turnout gear had absorbed while operating in the basement. The instructor asked the victim twice if he was OK, the victim only responding that, “It’s hot as hell down there!” The instructor asked if the victim wanted to go outside and again asked if he was OK. The victim responded “No, I’m OK.” As the victim sat up, the instructor said “I really think you need to go outside.” The victim responded “No, I’m all right”, got up and said, “Yeah, I’m fine I will see you down there” prior to descending the basement steps to continue adding pallets to the fire in the burn room. Minutes later, three students advanced a hose line to the basement for their evolution. They encountered low visibility and moderate heat at the base of the basement stairwell. As they approached the burn room they could hear a person moaning. They subsequently found the victim struggling on the floor in the corner of the burn room. The victim’s PASS device was not sounding, indicating that he possibly was still moving just prior to being located. Immediately after the incident, once the victim’s gear was removed, the PASS device began sounding and could not be deactivated due to heat damage. The device continued to sound for more than two days. The students were understandably surprised to find the victim in this position and location, creating initial confusion about whether this was a training scenario or a real emergency. One of the students radioed “mayday, mayday, mayday, firefighter down!” The IC immediately deployed the RIT team, but the students in the basement went ahead and quickly carried the victim up another stairwell that lead to an exterior exit where medical care was administered by an EMS crew that had been on site for the exercise. The victim was transported by ambulance to a community hospital where he was stabilized prior to helicopter transport to a regional trauma/burn center. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries two days later. The county coroner’s office reported the cause of death as thermal trauma, and found no medical reason for the victim to have collapsed within the burn building. It is hypothesized that excessive heat in the burn room caused a catastrophic failure of the victim’s SCBA facepiece lens. The failure occurred as the victim was carrying pallets in the burn room to add to the existing fire. The victim subsequently dropped the pallets and fell forward into the fire prop, then struggled to the ground, before crawling towards the exit. Many components of the victim’s SCBA suffered severe continued on page 11... How many times have you operated in an acquired structure or burn building alone? How long would it take for someone to realize that you are missing or in distress in such a situation? Spring 2010 5 A tradition that many experience at New Year is to sing “Auld Lang Syne.” If you’re like me you had no idea as to the reasons behind the phrase or the song symbolically sung as the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1 of every year. It occurred to me that I should investigate its origins, and as a matter of fact, I wasn’t even spelling it right. “Auld Lang Syne” was a poem written by Scottish writer Robert Burns in 1788. The poem turned into song lyrics to the tune of a traditional folk song and many believe that the Burns poem had portions that were similar to that of James Watson’s “Old Long Syne” which was printed in 1711. There is also a version of this song sung in pubs and bars across the British Isles as well as the United States. The meaning of “Auld Lang Syne” is old long since or for old time’s sake. This means that it is meant to reminisce about times and occurrences of the past, or to reflect upon them. It has come to be associated with the excitement of starting a new and fresh year. Here is a complete English translation of Auld Lang Syne. Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old times since? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you’ll buy your pint cup! And surely I’ll buy mine! And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne. We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine; But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad, have roared since auld lang syne. And there’s a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o’ thine! And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. Last year in North Carolina we continued a recent trend of an elevated number of emergency service line of duty deaths. If we reflect upon the times of the past year, it simply must renew upon each of us the desire to see everyone come home from every call. Traffic fatalities and heart attacks continue to plague us as responders, yet we must remain vigilant to safety during on-scene operations. Many departments have never experienced a line of duty death, yet those that have would share with you it is an experience that shakes the very foundation of the organization. While we have all placed the protection of community as the framework of our duty, protecting our own must share equal consideration in our daily activities. As we start the New Year our staff here at the Office of State Fire Marshal, along with the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, the N.C. Fallen Firefighter Foundation, state and national fire and rescue organizations, all ask that you put safety and health first. “Everyone Comes Home” must be the mindset with which we begin each training session and emergency response. OSFM has provided responder safety information to all of our state’s certified instructors and has asked them to begin each class with a review of safety initiatives. We have provided occupational safety and health standards that not only provide the basis for standard operating guidelines, but assist career departments in meeting OSHA requirements. In conjunction with the N.C. Department of Transportation and highway safety agencies we developed and distributed traffic safety DVDs aimed at making highway incidents safer for the first responders and the motoring public. We have certification and training programs for every level of responder, including Emergency Vehicle Driver classes and certification that covers not only department vehicles but personnel vehicles as well. Last year we added a new section to our Web site called “Pocket Tools Training,” which provides safety messages and drills for everyday operations. In addition we’ve worked with the Volunteer Safety Workers Comp Fund and other state organizations such as the Chiefs’ and Firemen’s Association to promote safety initiatives. We will happily provide anyone, upon request, copies and methods to each of these programs. In addition to these programs, and programs provided by other organizations, there is a wealth of information available to your department to help you do your job more safely. None of them, however, will be effective until you and the leaders in your department take a serious stance toward making sure everyone comes home. As we start the second decade of the 21st century please make responder safety as big a commitment to your department as protecting your community. Start every meeting and training session with a review of safety initiatives. Adopt and enforce safety guidelines, including strict adherence to driver training and safety. Make a decision to get yourself and members of your department physically fit for the demanding nature of our work. When someone doesn’t come home, everyone suffers, and as such, everyone should be serious about the goal of seeing that everyone does. Welcome to 2010 Looking Forward by Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Bradley The 35th Annual Piedmont Fire Expo was held in Winston Salem Jan. 15-16. With more than 75 vendors and 2,500 attendees, this year’s Expo was definitely a success. The Expo also had an assortment of seminars including a continuing education opportunity for fire inspectors, LPG live fire training, vehicle extrication demonstration, OSFM “Debunking the Myths” workshop and a course on positive pressure ventilation. “Most cities are still struggling with budget reductions,” said City of King Fire Department Chief Steven Roberson. “However, with another budget year looming around the corner, this Expo certainly helps with budget requests and bids.” The Fire & Rescue Journal 6 North Carolina’s Capitol City was created in 1792. A planned city of one square mile, early Raleigh was shaped by fires that burned entire blocks in the first decades. The last great fire in 1851 destroyed over 17 buildings. Resulting public safety improvements created the first incarnation of the Raleigh Fire Department. Over 150 years later, the city was challenged by fire again. Weather conditions, building construction, and another major fire four miles away contributed to a “perfect storm” on Feb. 22, 2007. The Buildings Pine Knoll Townes was a developing subdivision located six miles north of downtown Raleigh. Fourteen two-story, wood-frame townhomes had been built so far. They averaged 5,715 square-feet with four units each. Most were completed and occupied. The main street, Oneonta Avenue, ran north to south, with five buildings on each side. Their vinyl siding extended to the ground; their lawns were covered with pine straw. The buildings were 16 to 19 feet apart. The weather that Thursday afternoon was 73 degrees, with 8 percent humidity and winds gusting at 30 – 37 mph. Brush Fire At 3:03 p.m., a brush fire was reported at 3535 Oneonta Avenue, the middle building on the west side. Second-due Engine 19 was dispatched. Closer units had already been dispatched to a structure fire four miles south — eleven companies were committed on that call. Five more were out of service for training. Pine straw was burning on Oneonta, and flames spread to the building. Embers also started fires at two other buildings, which callers reported at 3:05 p.m. The incident was upgraded. Two more engines, a ladder, a rescue, and a Battalion Chief were en-route. The First Unit Arives A second Battalion Chief had seen the smoke and was first on scene at 3:11 p.m. Battalion 4 parked at the north end of Oneonta and established command. Looking south down the street, the BC saw a huge volume of smoke moving east to west, vertically and horizontally. It obscured the area, but he saw multiple grass fires on its perimeter. Unable to determine exactly what was burning, he walked into the smoke. Seeing a burning structure on the west side of Oneonta, he declared a working fire. Continuing south, he saw multiple buildings burning on Oneonta. Most of the fire was on the west side of the street, but roof lines were also catching on the east side. Grass fires continued to burn up to the east-side buildings. Second Alarm Battalion 4 requested a second alarm. Five more companies and another chief were added to the call. Half of the city’s 28 engines and most of eight ladders were now involved. First-arriving Engine 27 advanced a line into a west-side building, trying to stop the fire from spreading north. Second-arriving Engine 19 laid the supply line and advanced another line. Third-arriving Engine 7 was assigned RIT. The interior attacks proved futile. The fire was spreading extremely fast. Attic spaces were soon involved, as fire spread through plastic soffits. Within about five minutes, Battalion 4 saw roofs burning through. More Alarms A second Battalion Chief arrived and met face-to-face with Battalion 4. They split operations on either side of Oneonta, each with a radio channel. The first arriving ladder was deployed on Pine Knoll Drive, between the buildings facing east on Oneonta and the rear of a shopping center facing Capital Boulevard. As second-alarm companies arrived, they were assigned attack and exposure control on the east side of Oneonta. The volume of fire seemed to grow exponentially, and Battalion 4 requested third and fourth alarms. On the west side and now in defensive mode, crews attacked the fire on its north and south leading edges. At least six buildings were burning, and flames were still spreading. Incident Comanders Fire Chief John McGrath was approaching on Capital Boulevard. He saw the smoke and knew that more than one building was burning. Arriving from the other fire was Division Chief Frank Warner. He’d been monitoring the radio, but didn’t know exactly what was burning. Together they walked to the command post where McGrath assumed Incident Command, and Warner was assigned Operations Command. Radio traffic was halted, so crews and assignments could be mapped out. Four alarms had Looking Back: Pine Knoll Townes; Raleigh, N.C. © Photos by Lee Wilson and Mike Legeros. Spring 2010 7 been dispatched, with two-dozen companies involved. A fifth alarm was later requested. Command divided the fireground into four divisions, and directed units onto a single radio channel. The divisions were each assigned a Battalion Chief. Firegro und On the north end of Oneonta, Engine 27 and Engine 19 were pumping. Each had their own hydrant, and supplied a deck gun and numerous hand lines. Crews were aided by incoming companies, as well as recruits from the fire academy. On the south end of Oneonta, crews concentrated on protecting the last building on the east side. Engine 22 pumped to Ladder 22, operating a reserve platform. On the south end of Londonville Lane, one block west, two buildings had caught fire. Ladder 26 was already there, directing its stream onto Oneonta. Aerial operations were stopped, and lines were brought into both buildings. Most of the units were saved. Comand Concerns At the command post, Chief McGrath had three concerns. First was life safety. Primary and secondary searches were initiated as soon as resources and conditions allowed. Second was protecting the rest of the city. Extensive move-ups were needed, and he was reassured to learn that an off-duty Battalion Chief was already coordinating coverage. Third was water supply. The subdivision was a cul-de-sac. Was the system on a closed loop? Were all mains and hydrants active? Chief Warner, meanwhile, was functioning more as a resource manager. His eyes and ears were the Battalion Chiefs. “Companies kept requesting help,” he remembers of that first hour, “but we didn’t have help to send. They hadn’t arrived yet.” Everybody Helps Members from all divisions responded, along with off-duty “B” and “C” shift personnel. The Accountability Officer came from Fire Prevention. The PIO was the Asst. Chief of Training. The Field Communications Unit was brought by the IT team. Suppression personnel alone numbered 150. “Our ‘esprit de corps’ really showed that day,” McGrath recounts. The Wake New Hope Fire Department handled the grass fires started by blowing brands, and contributed personnel for structural work. Other departments answered calls inside the city, and provided units for coverage. Twelve Wake and Durham county departments supplied eight engines, four ladders, and a Telesqurt at city stations. Fire is Coraled Around 4:00 p.m. the fire was corralled. Three of twelve threatened buildings had been protected, and suffered only partial damage. Fires continued to burn in the other nine, and even in driveways. At least six vehicles were destroyed. No other exposures were threatened, but crews faced a long road ahead. Relieved crews reported to rehab. Wake County EMS operated medical monitoring and rehabilitation. Their assets included six paramedic ambulances, and three district chiefs. Evening and After By sunset at 6:02 p.m., the fire was largely under control. Salvage and overhaul operations were in progress. Fuel was being delivered to apparatus. Reporters had toured the scene. Food service had even arrived — Barry’s Café served 90 hamburgers and 90 chicken sandwiches to personnel. Command was transferred to Operations Chief Warner, who was soon relieved by Battalion 4. Company officers took command about 11:00 p.m. Companies were rotated overnight, and the last engine cleared two days later. Aftermath No injuries were recorded, but the property loss was staggering: 32 homes seriously damaged or destroyed; 29 families and 72 people displaced. Damage costs exceeded $4 million. Investigators determined that a carelessly discarded cigarette was the likely cause of the fire. The city would commission an engineering study of the incident. Changes recommended in the 189-page report included prohibiting combustible soffits for townhomes, and adopting a wild land-urban interface code. North Carolina Building Code has since been changed to prohibit combustible soffit materials in new townhomes, and the city continues to evaluate the use of combustible landscape material. LESSONS LEARNED The sheer scope of Pine Knoll Townes was an important lesson to the Raleigh Fire Department. “We don’t have a lot of big fires,” says Chief McGrath, “and that’s a good thing.” It reinforced the importance of training for larger fires, including early use of master streams and other “big water,” and incident command strategy and tactics at the company officer level. Chief Warner cites his own lesson learned. “If I am going to an incident that is or may escalate to a major fire, I’ll request additional radio channels for staging and EMS ahead of time.” The department drills more frequently on major fire operations, with live scenarios at the training center. Full assignments are used, to practice with several arriving companies. One year later, on another dry and windy February afternoon, incident commanders drew upon their experience of Pine Knoll Townes. Their strategic planning and use of resources helped mitigate three major brush fires that threatened structures in different parts of the city. Mike Legeros is the historian of the Raleigh Fire Department. Learn more at www.raleighfirehistory.org. The Fire & Rescue Journal 8 Why are 9S Inspections Required? Why does my department have to go through a 9S inspection, especially when our department has a lower than 9S rating? The 9S inspections are preformed to ensure that all departments in North Carolina maintain the minimum requirements for a 9S rating. Even a department whose rating is lower than a 9S rating can benefit from the inspection and identify areas of improvement. A department must maintain a minimum rating of 9S to remain eligible for state benefits for firefighters and to maintain a reduced insurance rating for the property owners in their district. These inspections help each department achieve this minimum rating, while also giving OSFM an opportunity to update data connected with each department and county. During the inspection the inspector will review a number of items that departments do not normally review or update. The department’s Articles of Incorporation will be reviewed to ensure they state what the department is actually doing. Many departments have not updated their Articles of Incorporation in years, and they may simply state the department was formed to provide fire protection for a community. In many areas, departments are now providing much more than fire protection, such as medical aid, rescue, haz-mat response and more. Another area that will be reviewed is the department’s fire insurance district map. This is an area where we see many problems. Each rural fire protection district must have a map that is approved by their governing body, typically the county commissioners. This map can be a hand-written map with a description or a GIS map which requires no written description. Some of the common problems seen are the addition of roads, a new highway that redirects or cuts off roads or moving a fire station’s location. Any of these can cause areas to be more than five miles from the station. These issues must be addressed and corrected. Contracts will also be reviewed to assure they are up-to-date and in force every where they are needed. In North Carolina there are a number of areas where small towns have been formed, but they don’t form their own fire departments. These towns are allowing the fire department that has been covering their area to continue protecting them. If this is the case, the department must have a contract with the new town and county. A very common mistake found during inspections is a lack of adding personnel to the State Association roster each time a new firefighter is added. Some departments have a practice of only updating their State Association roster once a year when dues are required. Other departments will not put firefighters on the State Association roster until they have served some type of probation. The purpose of the State Association roster is to certify that the firefighter is a member of your department and to assure that if firefighter is killed in the line of duty, he or she will receive the in line of duty death benefits and other benefits provided through the State Association. If a firefighter is not added to the departments roster when they join or until after they complete a probationary period, and they are killed in the line of duty during these times, their family receives none of the benefits of the State Association. Another common roster mistake is not putting a firefighter on the department’s roster because they are on the roster of another department. Firefighters must be on the roster of every fire department they volunteer or work for, to ensure the payment of all benefits due them. The 9S Inspection is more than a review of equipment and test records a department is maintaining — it’s a tool and way of helping each department review, obtain or update the needed documents and equipment to keep the department in compliance to operate in North Carolina. Vernon Ward, is an ratings inspector with the Training and Inspections Division. Inspection Tips Q: A: ...continued from page 5 not directly engage in fire suppression activities, should it be questioned whether or not these individuals have already experienced cardiac related medical issues that should be considered “red flags” concerning their readiness for this type of duty? How many departments are providing and requiring comprehensive medical evaluations (NFPA 1582) for all of their members? If you are not, you should explore ways to make this part of your overall safety plan. Many times comprehensive medical evaluations have uncovered health issues that would have otherwise gone undetected. These types of physical evaluations need to be conducted at least annually. Simply as your grandmother would say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Further, we need to evaluate and support physical fitness (NFPA 1583). Each firefighter must be encouraged and assisted to set personal fitness goals because each individual is different. Department physical fitness goals and standards should be created to provide for every member’s established fitness needs so they may perform core job responsibilities safely and effectively. Lastly, we must have qualitative and quantitative testing of physical fitness. This testing should never be used punitively, but as a teaching and learning tool. Training is paramount. We must continue to enhance our training in every aspect. We often read NIOSH reports that basic and routine components of our profession are not performed adequately and these factors directly contribute to line of duty deaths and injuries. So why can’t we perform the basics? Is it because we have the mentality of “been there - done that, and I don’t need to do that anymore”? Next, we need to focus on realism. We must deal with the adverse mentality of “that wouldn’t happen to us” or “that’s the big city stuff; it’s not going to happen here.” Well, last time I checked fire and other types of emergency situations do not discriminate. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from. Reality check — who would have thought that an aircraft with terrorists on board would crash in rural Pennsylvania? We must train hard, train realistically and train often. By doing this we stoke our tool boxes with the right tools for the job. In closing, we must have the courage to say “no” and the courage to be safe. We must do the right thing for ourselves, our firefighters and our families. Prevent a line of duty death by changing the attitudes and culture in your departments and have the courage to be safe! The families at home depend on us all to be strong advocates for the safety of their loved ones. Become part of the solution. Support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the fire service quest of “everyone goes home.” Douglas K. Cline is a 29-year fire service veteran serving as training commander with the High Point Fire Department. Cline also serves as administrative assistant chief with the Ruffin Volunteer Fire Department and as a member of the NCFFF Board of Directors. Get over old and bad traditions; start safe new ones! Spring 2010 9 On June 25, 2007, the Wilmington Fire Department placed into service a 2007 MetalCraft Marine FireStorm 50 fire boat manufactured by MetalCraft Marine in Ontario, Canada. The vessel named Atlantic VI. Atlantic VI is 50 feet long with a beam width of 15 feet, 10 inches. With a top speed of 38 knots (approximately 42 MPH) when fully loaded and drafts of only 25 inches of water, it is powered by twin 885HP Caterpillar C18 Diesels and is jet driven by twin Hamilton 364 Jets. The Atlantic VI also has a fuel capacity of 460 gallons. The suppression equipment on Atlantic VI consists of two Hale fire pumps rated at a total of 6,000 GPM; however, the pumps have been tested at 7,500 GPM. It is also equipped with a Foam Pro System with 500 gallons of foam concentrate on board. Atlantic VI utilizes two remote monitors with one being located on the bow and one located on the cabin’s roof. There are also numerous discharges that can be utilized during supply/suppression operations. Atlantic VI is also equipped with breathing air via a cascade system. It utilizes a full ensemble of electronics including radar, FLIR, GPS, chart plotters and more. Atlantic VI is manned by a minimum of three personnel including the captain. In order to be a certified operator, a CFCC Safe Boating: Navigations and Seamanship course must be completed or the captain must possess a current and valid USCG six pack captain’s license. The captain must also complete a training program which encompasses safe boating, maneuvering, pump operations and day/night operations. Atlantic VI can be utilized in any water emergency. Operations may consist of structure fires along the water front, marine fires, search and rescue and water recovery. Atlantic VI has mutual aid agreements with the U.S. Coast Guard, Wrightsville Beach Fire Department, Carolina Beach Fire Department and New Hanover County Fire- Rescue; it is available to other agencies upon request. Atlantic VI protects billions of dollars worth of property including the historic downtown Wilmington district and one of only two North Carolina State Ports; its coverage area includes the Northeast Cape Fear River, from the mouth of the Brunswick River to the Navassa Bridge, the Cape Fear River, and the Intracoastal Waterway to the sea buoy. The Wilmington Fire Department is the first fire department in North Carolina to have a fire boat — Wilmington has utilized a fire boat since 1906 due to the amount of infrastructure along the waterfront. The first fire boat, the original Atlantic, was bought and built new at a cost of $2,000. Atlantic VI cost a total of a total of $1.5 million, which was funded by a Homeland Security Grant and other funding from the city. Atlantic VI is only the second new fire boat for Wilmington and has the longest recorded water delivery for MetalCraft Marine, which utilized WFD personnel, with a total of 1,660 miles traveled. The Wilmington Fire Department also has a 32-foot fire boat in service, which is docked at Wrightsville Beach. Captain Ian S. Tedder is with the Wilmington Fire Department. (Above) The Atlantic VI demonstrates its fog nozzles capabilities. (Right) The Atlantic VI crew prepares for a demonstration at the recent Marine Shipboard Firefighting class. Innovative Equipment Spotlight: Wilmington Fire Department’s Atlantic VI Assistant State Fire Marshal Bradley presents Commissioner Goodwin with his State Fire Marshal helmet. June 9, 2010 Fire and Rescue Commission Board Meeting Pinecroft-Sedgefield Fire Department 10 a.m. May 5-8, 2010 N.C. Society of Fire Service Instructors Conference Asheville, NC 2010 Calendar of Events The Fire & Rescue Journal 10 Initiative 9 — Thoroughly investigate all firefighter fatalities, injuries and near misses. For years some departments have swept their mistakes under the rug of denial. In doing so, many more injuries or fatalities may have occurred that could have been prevented had the information from previous experiences been available. Every firefighter breaths and has a heart-beat, consequently, logic tells us that they are all human. Logic also tells us that humans make mistakes. These mistakes can no longer be hidden and kept quiet. Departments are morally and ethically obligated to report and share their fatalities, injuries and near misses. »» Implement investigations without delay, so learning can begin immediately. »» Be familiar with NIOSH, FEMA, USFA, CDC, NFPA reports. They can be studied to increase safety. »» Encourage the collection of “near miss” data. Near miss incidents provide excellent learning and training tools. »» Look for “Fatal Chains of Error.�� Initiative 10 — Grant programs should support the implementation of safe practices and/or mandate safe practices as an eligibility requirement. There is grant money available for you to begin implementing these initiatives. Grants should, however, be tied to increasing safety measures. No safe practices,no grant. If you ask for a grant to improve health and wellness, for example, recommendations should be made and implemented as a condition of future grants. Take time to learn how to write grants professionally, beginning with the identification of granting sources. (Is this the source of the money?) Initiative 11 — National standards for emergency response policies and procedures should be developed and championed. In addition to national standards, local policies and procedures should be developed for emergency response. The bottom line is that emergency apparatus are often driven too fast and can become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Departments should evaluate their current SOPs and update them to include the following recommendations: »» Adopt safe driving rules and enforce them. »» Secure loose objects in cabs and on vehicles. »» Respond to emergencies using emergency response SOPs; no red lights and sirens to routine calls. »» Make sure all vehicles meet current safety standards. »» MOST IMPORTANTLY – MANDATE SEAT BELT USE! Initiative 12 — National protocols for response to violent incidents (including terrorism) should be developed and championed. Fire and EMS workers deserve to have policies which will reduce their exposure to all threats of violence. Promote policies to “stage” violence incident responses, removing the pressure to react immediately. SOPs should include “GO” and “No-GO” criteria. Learn all you can about responding to terrorist incidents, regardless of your department’s size or proximity to predicted targets. Initiative 13 — Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support. Firefighting is a high-risk occupation which, from time to time, can put the employee and his or her family under extreme stress. They deserve access to mental health care. If you are feeling stress (depression,anxiety or physical symptoms) seek help from a physician, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors, religious or other sources of support. Don’t “tough it out;” this could cause problems for you and your family. Stress awareness should be part of firefighter training at all levels. Help a buddy you see struggling with stress-related problems. Initiative 14 — Public education must receive more resources and be championed as a critical fire and life safety program. Hard economic times have unfortunately fallen on the country and the fire service. Many fire departments have been forced to make drastic budget cuts. Not surprisingly, one of the fist lines to take cuts is the prevention and public education line. While a great number of departments work hard to provide quality prevention and public education programs, the reality is that the majority of departments see it as a nuisance. However, prevention is the key to saving lives. Education is the only way to make people understand the dangers that they face. »» Make communicating the fire prevention message to the community a priority. »» Utilize U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) resources and materials. They are free and excellent. »» Become an ambassador for community safety in your church, children’s schools, volunteer groups, etc. »» Become an advocate for code adoption and enforcement. Initiative 15 — Strengthen advocacy for the enforcement of codes and the installation of home fire sprinklers. The widespread use of residential sprinklers will save lives and decrease firefighter injuries and LODDs. Ensure all firefighters understand how sprinkler systems operate and the value they bring to reducing LODDs. Actively advocate for residential sprinkler laws and their widespread adoption. If you build a home, consider the installation of a sprinkler system. Lead by example. Initiative 16 — Safety must be a primary consideration in the design of apparatus and equipment. Departments must make safety their number one priority in everything they do, including the purchase of apparatus and equipment. Substandard equipment and low bid purchases have no place in today’s fire service. »» Form an apparatus committee and help set your department’s policies on equipment and apparatus purchases. »» Read professional journals and attend conferences where new innovations in apparatus and equipment are demonstrated. »» Learn National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standard 1901 regarding apparatus safety standards. Where are we now? The Everyone Goes Home program hit the streets in 2004 and immediately called for a 25% reduction in LODDs by the year 2009. While this was a great goal, there has yet to be a reduction in these needless losses. Part of the problem is that some departments lack the understanding of what it takes to make these reductions. The other issue is that some feel that safety is being overstated and that we need to get back to the way that we used to do things. There are some fire service leaders who recently spoke against the need for change. These leaders should look at the statistics of injuries and LODDs in this country versus those of other countries. The United States leads the world in fire service LODDs. Emergency services organizations can make a difference. They can reduce injuries and fatalities within their jurisdictions. Conduct an organizational assessment and see which of the above areas are lacking. Encourage and reward positive changes towards safety. Implement these initiatives and encourage neighboring departments to do the same. Matt Thorpe is a training specialist in OSFM’s R&PD section. Realizing the Value of the 16 Life Safety Initiatives The Fire and Rescue Journal is providing an in-depth look at 16 Life Safety Initiatives developed by fire service leaders from around the country. We published the first eight initiatives in the last issue, and the final eight are highlighted in this issue below. After identifying six focus areas and carefully examining the root causes of line of duty deaths, fire service leaders wrote 16 initiatives that would assist in reducing the number of these deaths each year. Spring 2010 11 North Carolina has long line of committed, dedicated and determined fire chiefs from both the paid and volunteer setting. With this in mind, the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs recognized the chiefs who stood out for their outstanding commitment to the fire service: Chief Wesley Hutchins with the Walkertown Volunteer Fire Department was named the Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year. Pictured left to right: Hutchins’ daughter Mallory, son Reid, wife Mary and Chief Hutchins. Chief Dennis Presley with Skyland Fire and Rescue earned the Career Fire Chief of the Year title. Pictured left to right: Chief Dennis Presley is pictured with his wife Lisa, daughter Katie and son Chad. Congratulations to Chief Hutchins and Chief Presley! The North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, in conjunction with the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department and New Hanover County Firefighters Association, held their annual Mid-winter conference in Wrightsville Beach, Feb. 5-7. This year’s conference combined informative seminars with exceptional networking and communication. The biggest topic of discussion was a roundtable discussion entitled “Volunteer to Combination – Panel Discussion.” This discussion was moderated by North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs’ Executive Director Kenneth Mullen, and the panel included a variety of experienced members representing the career and volunteer fire service, Volunteers’ Workers Compensation Fund and other fire service-related experts. The main purpose of this roundtable discussion was to offer a diverse representation of proven answers to a growing challenge facing communities today of volunteer departments with a need to change into combination departments. This session allowed chiefs from departments of all sizes in N.C. to receive detailed information and potential solutions for the problems their communities face related to the transition from a volunteer department to a combination department. Additionally, the conference included information on current events from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the South East Association Fire Chiefs and the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs. Of the numerous seminars offered this year, each allowed participants to gain valuable information on current topics and trends. The seminars offered include: Risk Watch: Preventing Firefighter Suicides; Hazardous Materials Fusion Center; Managing Stress in an Ever Changing Environment; and Start Safe Program from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Burn Center. The goal of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs is “to be rather than to seem” and to serve the North Carolina Fire Chiefs and Fire Officers in the most beneficial way possible. Be sure to make plans now to attend the 2011 Mid-winter conference in Concord, Feb. 4-6, 2011. N.C. Association of Fire Chiefs Holds Mid-winter Conference Participants in the Volunteer to Combination Panel Discus- ...continued from page 4. damage from exposure to the extreme heat. The lens, molded polycarbonate plastic, transitions to a soft state in the range of 293- 302°F. At higher temperatures, the plastic begins to melt outright. The lens material of the victim’s facepiece appears to have reached temperatures possibly higher than that of 300°F. This is supported by the charring of the voicemitter tubes which are made of neoprene rubber, which begins to decompose around 647°F. The polycarbonate buttons on the two upper head-harness attachment points were covered by the protective hood, as were portions of the lens. These components appear to have been heated well in excess of the glass transition temperature but did not reach melting temperature. All of these events evoke the question: What would have been the outcome if the victim had a partner with him at the time of the equipment failure? Though injury would have likely been unavoidable given the conditions, one could argue that the odds of survivability would have increased significantly had someone been there to assist the victim from the burn room. How many times have you operated in an acquired structure or burn building alone? How long would it take for someone to realize that you are missing or in distress in such a situation? How much faith do we place on that thin, man-made plastic lens that separates us from the dark hell that dwells on the other side? Once again, we lost someone inside of a burn building. This time it was not an uninitiated rookie. This time it was an experienced officer that had earned the opportunity to teach at a prestigious academy based on his knowledge and ability. Regardless of whether we have one year or 100 years of experience, there is no substitute for having another set of eyes on us when operating in any live fire environment. It is easy to find complacency when operating in a burn building. The complacency that we find eventually leads to the life that we lose. Kevin McArthur coordinates the Live Fire Qualification program for OSFM. He can be reached at kevin.mcarthur@ncdoi.gov. The Fire & Rescue Journal 1202 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1202 (919) 661-5880 www.ncdoi.com/osfm The Crystal Coast Fire Academy Class was held on Feb. 9, with the graduation ceremony occurring on Feb. 12. (Right) Morehead City Fire/EMS Chief Wes Lail and Deputy Chief Jamie Fulk pin Firefighter Cadets Roderick Adams, Andrew Akines and Niko Annazone. Guilford Technical Community College hosted the inaugural North Carolina Thermal Imaging School Feb. 26 – 28. (Above–Left) A student prepares to enter with TIC during a Vent/Enter/Search evolution. (Above–Right) Students observe TIC images transmitted from Scott TIC inside the flashover simulator. (Far Right) A complement of cameras and batteries provided by various TIC manufacturers.
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Full Text | JOURNAL Fire & Rescue A publication of the North Carolina Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal Spring 2010 What’s Hot Inside OSFM Staffers Earn Honors.................................................. 3.........................................Guest Editorial: Preventing LODDs Live Fire Training Revisited: Pennsylvania Fire Academy...... 4-5..................................................................Looking Forward Looking Back:..................................................................... 6-7............................................ Pine Knoll Townes, Raleigh NC Inspection Tips................................................................... 8-9................... Innovative Equipment Spotlight: Wilmington FD Pyrotechnics Operators’ Permitting Requirements in Full Swing During the 2009 legislative session, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 563 and created N.C. General Statute 58-82A-1 aimed at preventing pyrotechnic disasters and tragedies from occurring in North Carolina, like the Fourth of July explosion on Ocracoke Island that killed four operators and injured another last year. The new law requires anyone discharging or operating pyrotechnics or proximate explosives to attend a training course and earn a pyrotechnics operator permit before conducting a pyrotechnics display in the state. Beginning Feb. 1, all pyrotechnic operators in North Carolina must obtain a permit before setting off indoor or outdoor fireworks. “After the accident on Ocracoke Island I was shocked to learn that North Carolina had no permitting process for pyrotechnic operators. I know this was upsetting to the public as well. That’s why OSFM staff immediately began working with members of the General Assembly to craft legislation to resolve this,” said Commissioner Goodwin. “We believe with this new permit, the public and fireworks professionals will be safer in North Carolina.” The new law requires anyone who uses pyrotechnic (outdoor) or audience proximate (indoor) fireworks to submit an application to the Office of State Fire Marshal, attend a safety class and score a passing grade of 80 percent on the permit exam. Any event on or after Feb. 1, 2010 in North Carolina that involves pyrotechnics should be conducted by a properly trained operator with a North Carolina permit. Permit Requirements Depending on the operators’ needs, several permitting options are available; each permit has its own requirements: »» Pyrotechnic Operator’s Permit: Minimum 21 years of age, ATF Letter of Clearance, six pyrotechnic shoots (three as lead operator), three references, training class (APA, PGI, or other substantially equivalent class), passing grade of 80 percent on test administered by OSFM. »» Proximate Audience Operator’s Permit: Minimum 21 years of age, six pyrotechnic shoots (three as lead operator), three references, training class (OSFM approved class), passing grade of 80 percent on test administered by OSFM. »» Pyrotechnic Operator’s Assistant Permit: Minimum 18 years of age, ATF Letter of Clearance, three references, passing grade of 80 percent on assistant’s test administered by OSFM. »» Proximate Audience Assistant Operator’s Permit: Minimum 18 years of age, passing grade of 80 percent on assistant’s test administered by OSFM. There is an application fee of $100, which will cover the examination and permit’s costs. Each permit is valid for three years. There is one additional type of permit designed to accommodate assistants that have not gone through the assistant permitting process with OSFM. This is referred to as “on-site certification.” This process involves downloading the application from OSFM’s Web site, completing the security questions and safety questions on the application. The assistant then must bring photo identification and the application to the local code official at the time of the discharge site inspection. The code official will issue an on-site certification card to the applicant following his review of the application. There is no charge for this process, but the certification will only be valid for that show or group of shows. Courses Scheduled Operators are already taking tests and getting their permits. The first permitting course took place on Feb. 2, in Raleigh and was sponsored by Zambelli Fireworks Internationalle. Other courses have been scheduled in order to give operators working on upcoming events a chance to get permitted. To view the course schedule, visit and click on the “Pyrotechnic Operator Permitting Info.” banner at the bottom of the page. “We have reached out to the pyrotechnic industry to inform continued on page 2... (Inset) A typically constructed paper mortar tube rack, used to launch aerial shalles and salutes into the air. These are very common at fireworks demonstrations. (Above) Detonation of the mortar rack salute shell. Taken from a distance of 225 feet, this picture shows the shrapnel that was later found in a radius of approximately 100 feet from the detonation site. This was caused by a 3 inch salute — one of the smallest in the 1.3 G category. www.ncdoi.com/osfm The Fire & Rescue Journal 2 On July 4, 2009, North Carolina faced a terrible explosion on Ocracoke Island that killed four pyrotechnics operators and injured another. I remember it vividly and resolved then to use my role as State Fire Marshal to help create a safer environment for those watching and participating in pyrotechnic or proximate shows. As you have read in the cover story in this issue of the Fire & Rescue Journal, just a few months later, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 563 and created N.C. General Statute 58-82A-1 aimed at preventing another pyrotechnic tragedy from occurring in our state. The new law requires anyone discharging/ operating pyrotechnics or proximate explosives to attend a training course and earn a pyrotechnics operator permit before conducting a pyrotechnics display in North Carolina, effective Feb. 1. My staff at OSFM has worked extensively to develop a permitting system in consultation with the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission. OSFM participated in the rulemaking process through the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), received public comment from Oct. 31, to Dec. 14, 2009, and after the rule was approved, we got to work publicizing the application rules, exam dates and locations, and information on the proper permitting (state and local) for code official use. This new requirement is a major shift in the way pyrotechnics have been handled in North Carolina, and it will affect countless numbers of July 4th displays, concerts and other public celebrations. We are working very hard to make sure everyone involved across the state is fully aware of the new regulations so that come the Fourth of July, no one is left disappointed. While your departments are not responsible for enforcing the permitting requirements, you are looked to as community leaders and experts in fire safety and protection. In this role, please educate your communities about these new regulations and the ways they make all of us safer. For more information, go to www.ncdoi.com/osfm or call our OSFM staff at 919-661-5880. North Carolina continues to be a model for other states in many areas of fire prevention and safety. Let’s keep up the good work! Pyrotechnics Keep OSFM Busy Wayne Goodwin, Insurance Commissioner & State Fire Marshal Mark Edwards, Assistant Commissioner Tim Bradley, Assistant State Fire Marshal Executive Editor Kristin Milam, Director of Public Information Managing Editor Chris Best, Supervisor, Research and Program Development Editorial Assistant Karen Holder Graphic Designer Trisha Tripp The Fire & Rescue Journal is a quarterly publication of the N.C. Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal 1202 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 Questions, comments or story ideas should be directed to Chris Best at 919-661-5880 x332 or chris.best@ncdoi.gov. To sign up for the mailing list or to submit an address change, contact Trisha Tripp at 919-733-5238 or trisha.tripp@ncdoi.gov. 2,300 copies of the Journal, which is funded through a grant from the North Carolina Association of Insurance Agents, were printed at a cost of $2,074. by Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin JOURNAL Fire & Rescue From the Commissioner’s Desk ...continued from page 1 them of these changes,” said Commissioner Goodwin. “I encourage you to take this information back to your communities and local inspections departments to make sure that they are also aware.” Like with any new requirement, if communities don’t know about it, no one will benefit from the safety precautions, Goodwin added. For more information about the pyrotechnic legislation and requirements, a list of frequently asked questions, course schedules or more, visit www.ncdoi.com/ osfm or call Rob Roegner at 919-661-5880. (Right) Damage resulting from the salute not properly lifting out of the paper tube and instead detonating inside one of the tubes. These pieces of wood and paper tubing are all that was left of the tube rack seen in the inset photo on page 1. Spring 2010 3 OSFM Staffers Earn Honors Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Bradley was recently appointed to the International Accreditation Society (IAS) Board, a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC). The IAS is involved with many aspects of building safety that reaches all of us in some way. The Board has a forward-thinking approach and vision that encompasses growth in many areas; it keeps the ICC abreast of new developments and informed on IAS initiatives keeping pace with today’s Green Construction and EPA licensed product certification agencies. Bradley is pleased to have another opportunity to further his commitment to life safety initiatives. To promote the goals of ICC, the IAS Board deals with program areas that offer services to municipalities so that building laws can be enforced. The IAS has reached out into the international community with activities including international laboratory accreditation in Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Middle East, Asia and the Pacific and is quickly growing toward world -wide recognition. Here at home the IAS works through the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation and the Center for Public Safety Excellence. They are currently working with FEMA’s Flood Plan management program so that IAS BDA accreditation can assist in the evaluation of building departments Through a variety of means, the IAS Board is upholding safety standards and integrity in the building industry: the Accreditation Committee works to hold accreditation standards consistent as building codes, materials and inspector qualifications evolve around the globe; the Technical Advisory Councils are available for expertise; and consistency in assessment work is maintained through the Assessor Forum. Further, A new interactive Web site identifies growth areas, offers information and is promoting the IAS in the building industry. Jonathan Sowers, a training specialist in the Fire and Rescue Training and Inspections Division, has been awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence for Innovations. Sowers developed a training program called Understanding Building Construction after 11 firefighters died in two separate building fires – nine in the 2007 Charleston, S.C. Sofa Superstore fire and two in the 2008 Salisbury Millwork fire here in North Carolina. In developing the course, Sowers researched more than 20 years of data compiled by the United States Fire Administration, the National Fire Protection Association, the National Fire Incident Reporting System and North Carolina-specific statistics. He compared the number of lives lost (civilians and firefighters) to the building codes enforced during the 20 year period, developing a course addressing how building codes and construction methods affect the daily jobs of a firefighter. As a result of Sowers’ commitment to the citizens and the fire service of North Carolina, the N.C. Fire and Rescue Commission has added an additional six to eight hours of training to the Basic Firefighter I and II programs. This program is now one of the most requested trainings offered by the OSFM. North Carolina is currently the only state that has included research from the Charleston, S.C. and Salisbury, N.C. tragedies as the basis for the development of such course. The course has been delivered more than 50 times during the past two years. Left to Right: Governor Beverly Perdue, Jonathan Sowers and Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin at the Governor’s Excellence Award ceremony. Photo courtesy of NCDOJ. Tim Bradley, Assistant State Fire Marshal Each year the American fire service experiences an average of more than 100 line of duty deaths. Furthermore, we know that the number of “working fires” is down approximately 66 percent in comparison to the number reported in the mid- 1970s. So what is this score card saying? I would suggest this can be attributed to nothing more than attitudes. We need to change our attitudes. “There is nowhere in the corporate world that you could come in and give an annual report that stated ‘we had a good year — we only lost 100 employees’ that you would not be escorted out the door before you could get your personal items in a box.” Ron Siarnicki of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) made this statement during a NFFF presentation. Guess what? He’s correct! Why do we as leaders in this profession continue to allow these issues to occur? Why do we continue to consider it an honor to die in the line of duty? Why are we so resistant to change? We call it tradition! Well, as a fire service leader I have to say: get over old and bad traditions; start safe new ones! If I stepped on some toes here, good; they probably needed stepping on. We cannot afford to continue to allow the same mistakes over and over again. At some point, we have to start saying that firefighter injuries and line of duty deaths (LODD) are not acceptable anymore on our watch. We must change this culture, and the time is now. One area that we know we can control the environment and have good chances of preventing a line of duty death is training. But in 2005, we had 10 line of duty deaths occur during training events. This equates to 10 percent of the total line of duty deaths for that year. Secondly, responding to and returning from emergency incidents accounted for 26 line of duty deaths or 59 percent. Deaths in vehicle crashes continue to account for a significant number of these annual fire service member fatalities. How many of these could have been prevented? How many were not wearing their seat belts? How many involved speed as a contributing factor? The answer to the last two questions is far too many. Let’s look at how we can reduce these numbers. We can begin today by changing the thought process as new firefighters enter the fire training academies across the United States. We can further implement these positive changes with our existing firefighter corps by investing more of our time and efforts to change the present day fire service dinosaurs’ mindsets. These mindsets tend to negatively influence the new recruits freshly deployed in the field and create dinosaur eggs that then develop into dinosaurs themselves. We need to develop and implement comprehensive health and wellness programs. These programs need to include physical training, medical evaluations and mental conditioning. With more and more firefighters perishing due to heart attacks and strokes (44 in 2005) we need to make sure that we are in the best physical condition to do this job. I further think that the statistics are somewhat skewed. When we experience line of duty deaths of older fire service members who die after emergency responses and did continued on page 8... Are You Prepared to Prevent a Line of Duty Death? The Fire & Rescue Journal 4 Vernon Ward, Fire Rating Inspector, Ratings and Inspections — Vernon Ward has more than 35 years of experience in the fire service, ranging from firefighter to training officer, instructor and fire chief. He joined the Pinecroft-Sedgefield Fire Department in February 1974 as a volunteer and was hired as a paid firefighter for the department in November 1976. He progressed through the ranks of the department and became chief in January 1990. After 17 years as Chief, he retired in August of 2007. Ward has been with OSFM as a contractor since 2007, but was hired permanently this year. In addition to his service as fire chief, he has also served as president and treasurer of the Piedmont Firefighters Association, president of the N.C. State Firemen’s Association and served on the Volunteers Workers Compensation Board. OSFM Welcomes New Employee Vernon Ward Live Fire Training Revisited: Pennsylvania State Fire Academy; 2005 Opened in 1955, the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy is a tenured institution with a remarkable track record of professionalism. The Academy’s staff includes an administrator, a curriculum specialist, two full-time instructors, 80 adjunct instructors, a certification manager and three field education supervisors. Seven buildings are situated on the 11 acre campus, including the current class ‘A’ burn building, which opened in 1993. Consisting of both commercial and residential structures, the all-inclusive building’s burn rooms were outfitted with high-temperature linings in 2001 during renovation of the building. In October of 2005, a routine Suppression Instructor Development course was taking place at the Academy. This 40- hour class is designed to develop and evaluate the instructional skills of instructor candidates. Graduates of the course become state certified as fire suppression instructors. The course had one resident instructor, nine adjunct instructors, one field supervisor, one curriculum specialist and 16 students. The student makeup included a mix of career and volunteer firefighters from across the state. The program consisted of 16 evolutions with the fatal event occurring during the last evolution of the five day course. The instructors held a staff meeting early that morning to discuss the six evolutions that would take place in the residential burn building that day. The evolutions involved not only extinguishing fires, but also a series of simulated emergencies. The purpose of these simulated events was to evaluate the students’ ability to respond and effectively manage various emergency situations. The lead instructor had at his disposal two teams of four adjunct instructors in addition to two academy staff. The adjunct instructor teams rotated participating in the evolutions, working in the burn building one run and writing student evaluations during the next. Prior to the instructor meeting, the students were given assignments to prepare for the upcoming drills. The first five evolutions of the day were completed that morning without incident. The incident command structure during the training consisted of the students serving as the Incident Commander (IC), Safety Officer and Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) members, all monitored by the course instructors. The victim completed evolution 12 by evaluating students in the basement. On evolution 14 he was outside the building evaluating the student IC, and on the 16th and last evolution (when the fatal event occurred) the victim served as an instructor in the basement as well as performing as the ignition officer for the basement burn room. The final evolution began around 12:45 p.m. The victim went to the basement alone while another instructor went to the second floor of the burn building to place more pallets on the fire and then evaluate the students as they began their suppression activities. To this end, the instructors were only supposed to be in the fire rooms long enough to add pallets before retreating to a safer, more tenable location. A third instructor entered the burn building to monitor the basement crew. This instructor went in the front entrance and awaited the crew’s entry, encountering good visibility and some smoke. After approximately two minutes, the instructor heard the basement door open and saw the victim come over and lay flat on the floor while moving around in his bunker gear seeking relief from the heat his turnout gear had absorbed while operating in the basement. The instructor asked the victim twice if he was OK, the victim only responding that, “It’s hot as hell down there!” The instructor asked if the victim wanted to go outside and again asked if he was OK. The victim responded “No, I’m OK.” As the victim sat up, the instructor said “I really think you need to go outside.” The victim responded “No, I’m all right”, got up and said, “Yeah, I’m fine I will see you down there” prior to descending the basement steps to continue adding pallets to the fire in the burn room. Minutes later, three students advanced a hose line to the basement for their evolution. They encountered low visibility and moderate heat at the base of the basement stairwell. As they approached the burn room they could hear a person moaning. They subsequently found the victim struggling on the floor in the corner of the burn room. The victim’s PASS device was not sounding, indicating that he possibly was still moving just prior to being located. Immediately after the incident, once the victim’s gear was removed, the PASS device began sounding and could not be deactivated due to heat damage. The device continued to sound for more than two days. The students were understandably surprised to find the victim in this position and location, creating initial confusion about whether this was a training scenario or a real emergency. One of the students radioed “mayday, mayday, mayday, firefighter down!” The IC immediately deployed the RIT team, but the students in the basement went ahead and quickly carried the victim up another stairwell that lead to an exterior exit where medical care was administered by an EMS crew that had been on site for the exercise. The victim was transported by ambulance to a community hospital where he was stabilized prior to helicopter transport to a regional trauma/burn center. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries two days later. The county coroner’s office reported the cause of death as thermal trauma, and found no medical reason for the victim to have collapsed within the burn building. It is hypothesized that excessive heat in the burn room caused a catastrophic failure of the victim’s SCBA facepiece lens. The failure occurred as the victim was carrying pallets in the burn room to add to the existing fire. The victim subsequently dropped the pallets and fell forward into the fire prop, then struggled to the ground, before crawling towards the exit. Many components of the victim’s SCBA suffered severe continued on page 11... How many times have you operated in an acquired structure or burn building alone? How long would it take for someone to realize that you are missing or in distress in such a situation? Spring 2010 5 A tradition that many experience at New Year is to sing “Auld Lang Syne.” If you’re like me you had no idea as to the reasons behind the phrase or the song symbolically sung as the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1 of every year. It occurred to me that I should investigate its origins, and as a matter of fact, I wasn’t even spelling it right. “Auld Lang Syne” was a poem written by Scottish writer Robert Burns in 1788. The poem turned into song lyrics to the tune of a traditional folk song and many believe that the Burns poem had portions that were similar to that of James Watson’s “Old Long Syne” which was printed in 1711. There is also a version of this song sung in pubs and bars across the British Isles as well as the United States. The meaning of “Auld Lang Syne” is old long since or for old time’s sake. This means that it is meant to reminisce about times and occurrences of the past, or to reflect upon them. It has come to be associated with the excitement of starting a new and fresh year. Here is a complete English translation of Auld Lang Syne. Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old times since? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you’ll buy your pint cup! And surely I’ll buy mine! And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne. We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine; But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad, have roared since auld lang syne. And there’s a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o’ thine! And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. Last year in North Carolina we continued a recent trend of an elevated number of emergency service line of duty deaths. If we reflect upon the times of the past year, it simply must renew upon each of us the desire to see everyone come home from every call. Traffic fatalities and heart attacks continue to plague us as responders, yet we must remain vigilant to safety during on-scene operations. Many departments have never experienced a line of duty death, yet those that have would share with you it is an experience that shakes the very foundation of the organization. While we have all placed the protection of community as the framework of our duty, protecting our own must share equal consideration in our daily activities. As we start the New Year our staff here at the Office of State Fire Marshal, along with the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, the N.C. Fallen Firefighter Foundation, state and national fire and rescue organizations, all ask that you put safety and health first. “Everyone Comes Home” must be the mindset with which we begin each training session and emergency response. OSFM has provided responder safety information to all of our state’s certified instructors and has asked them to begin each class with a review of safety initiatives. We have provided occupational safety and health standards that not only provide the basis for standard operating guidelines, but assist career departments in meeting OSHA requirements. In conjunction with the N.C. Department of Transportation and highway safety agencies we developed and distributed traffic safety DVDs aimed at making highway incidents safer for the first responders and the motoring public. We have certification and training programs for every level of responder, including Emergency Vehicle Driver classes and certification that covers not only department vehicles but personnel vehicles as well. Last year we added a new section to our Web site called “Pocket Tools Training,” which provides safety messages and drills for everyday operations. In addition we’ve worked with the Volunteer Safety Workers Comp Fund and other state organizations such as the Chiefs’ and Firemen’s Association to promote safety initiatives. We will happily provide anyone, upon request, copies and methods to each of these programs. In addition to these programs, and programs provided by other organizations, there is a wealth of information available to your department to help you do your job more safely. None of them, however, will be effective until you and the leaders in your department take a serious stance toward making sure everyone comes home. As we start the second decade of the 21st century please make responder safety as big a commitment to your department as protecting your community. Start every meeting and training session with a review of safety initiatives. Adopt and enforce safety guidelines, including strict adherence to driver training and safety. Make a decision to get yourself and members of your department physically fit for the demanding nature of our work. When someone doesn’t come home, everyone suffers, and as such, everyone should be serious about the goal of seeing that everyone does. Welcome to 2010 Looking Forward by Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Bradley The 35th Annual Piedmont Fire Expo was held in Winston Salem Jan. 15-16. With more than 75 vendors and 2,500 attendees, this year’s Expo was definitely a success. The Expo also had an assortment of seminars including a continuing education opportunity for fire inspectors, LPG live fire training, vehicle extrication demonstration, OSFM “Debunking the Myths” workshop and a course on positive pressure ventilation. “Most cities are still struggling with budget reductions,” said City of King Fire Department Chief Steven Roberson. “However, with another budget year looming around the corner, this Expo certainly helps with budget requests and bids.” The Fire & Rescue Journal 6 North Carolina’s Capitol City was created in 1792. A planned city of one square mile, early Raleigh was shaped by fires that burned entire blocks in the first decades. The last great fire in 1851 destroyed over 17 buildings. Resulting public safety improvements created the first incarnation of the Raleigh Fire Department. Over 150 years later, the city was challenged by fire again. Weather conditions, building construction, and another major fire four miles away contributed to a “perfect storm” on Feb. 22, 2007. The Buildings Pine Knoll Townes was a developing subdivision located six miles north of downtown Raleigh. Fourteen two-story, wood-frame townhomes had been built so far. They averaged 5,715 square-feet with four units each. Most were completed and occupied. The main street, Oneonta Avenue, ran north to south, with five buildings on each side. Their vinyl siding extended to the ground; their lawns were covered with pine straw. The buildings were 16 to 19 feet apart. The weather that Thursday afternoon was 73 degrees, with 8 percent humidity and winds gusting at 30 – 37 mph. Brush Fire At 3:03 p.m., a brush fire was reported at 3535 Oneonta Avenue, the middle building on the west side. Second-due Engine 19 was dispatched. Closer units had already been dispatched to a structure fire four miles south — eleven companies were committed on that call. Five more were out of service for training. Pine straw was burning on Oneonta, and flames spread to the building. Embers also started fires at two other buildings, which callers reported at 3:05 p.m. The incident was upgraded. Two more engines, a ladder, a rescue, and a Battalion Chief were en-route. The First Unit Arives A second Battalion Chief had seen the smoke and was first on scene at 3:11 p.m. Battalion 4 parked at the north end of Oneonta and established command. Looking south down the street, the BC saw a huge volume of smoke moving east to west, vertically and horizontally. It obscured the area, but he saw multiple grass fires on its perimeter. Unable to determine exactly what was burning, he walked into the smoke. Seeing a burning structure on the west side of Oneonta, he declared a working fire. Continuing south, he saw multiple buildings burning on Oneonta. Most of the fire was on the west side of the street, but roof lines were also catching on the east side. Grass fires continued to burn up to the east-side buildings. Second Alarm Battalion 4 requested a second alarm. Five more companies and another chief were added to the call. Half of the city’s 28 engines and most of eight ladders were now involved. First-arriving Engine 27 advanced a line into a west-side building, trying to stop the fire from spreading north. Second-arriving Engine 19 laid the supply line and advanced another line. Third-arriving Engine 7 was assigned RIT. The interior attacks proved futile. The fire was spreading extremely fast. Attic spaces were soon involved, as fire spread through plastic soffits. Within about five minutes, Battalion 4 saw roofs burning through. More Alarms A second Battalion Chief arrived and met face-to-face with Battalion 4. They split operations on either side of Oneonta, each with a radio channel. The first arriving ladder was deployed on Pine Knoll Drive, between the buildings facing east on Oneonta and the rear of a shopping center facing Capital Boulevard. As second-alarm companies arrived, they were assigned attack and exposure control on the east side of Oneonta. The volume of fire seemed to grow exponentially, and Battalion 4 requested third and fourth alarms. On the west side and now in defensive mode, crews attacked the fire on its north and south leading edges. At least six buildings were burning, and flames were still spreading. Incident Comanders Fire Chief John McGrath was approaching on Capital Boulevard. He saw the smoke and knew that more than one building was burning. Arriving from the other fire was Division Chief Frank Warner. He’d been monitoring the radio, but didn’t know exactly what was burning. Together they walked to the command post where McGrath assumed Incident Command, and Warner was assigned Operations Command. Radio traffic was halted, so crews and assignments could be mapped out. Four alarms had Looking Back: Pine Knoll Townes; Raleigh, N.C. © Photos by Lee Wilson and Mike Legeros. Spring 2010 7 been dispatched, with two-dozen companies involved. A fifth alarm was later requested. Command divided the fireground into four divisions, and directed units onto a single radio channel. The divisions were each assigned a Battalion Chief. Firegro und On the north end of Oneonta, Engine 27 and Engine 19 were pumping. Each had their own hydrant, and supplied a deck gun and numerous hand lines. Crews were aided by incoming companies, as well as recruits from the fire academy. On the south end of Oneonta, crews concentrated on protecting the last building on the east side. Engine 22 pumped to Ladder 22, operating a reserve platform. On the south end of Londonville Lane, one block west, two buildings had caught fire. Ladder 26 was already there, directing its stream onto Oneonta. Aerial operations were stopped, and lines were brought into both buildings. Most of the units were saved. Comand Concerns At the command post, Chief McGrath had three concerns. First was life safety. Primary and secondary searches were initiated as soon as resources and conditions allowed. Second was protecting the rest of the city. Extensive move-ups were needed, and he was reassured to learn that an off-duty Battalion Chief was already coordinating coverage. Third was water supply. The subdivision was a cul-de-sac. Was the system on a closed loop? Were all mains and hydrants active? Chief Warner, meanwhile, was functioning more as a resource manager. His eyes and ears were the Battalion Chiefs. “Companies kept requesting help,” he remembers of that first hour, “but we didn’t have help to send. They hadn’t arrived yet.” Everybody Helps Members from all divisions responded, along with off-duty “B” and “C” shift personnel. The Accountability Officer came from Fire Prevention. The PIO was the Asst. Chief of Training. The Field Communications Unit was brought by the IT team. Suppression personnel alone numbered 150. “Our ‘esprit de corps’ really showed that day,” McGrath recounts. The Wake New Hope Fire Department handled the grass fires started by blowing brands, and contributed personnel for structural work. Other departments answered calls inside the city, and provided units for coverage. Twelve Wake and Durham county departments supplied eight engines, four ladders, and a Telesqurt at city stations. Fire is Coraled Around 4:00 p.m. the fire was corralled. Three of twelve threatened buildings had been protected, and suffered only partial damage. Fires continued to burn in the other nine, and even in driveways. At least six vehicles were destroyed. No other exposures were threatened, but crews faced a long road ahead. Relieved crews reported to rehab. Wake County EMS operated medical monitoring and rehabilitation. Their assets included six paramedic ambulances, and three district chiefs. Evening and After By sunset at 6:02 p.m., the fire was largely under control. Salvage and overhaul operations were in progress. Fuel was being delivered to apparatus. Reporters had toured the scene. Food service had even arrived — Barry’s Café served 90 hamburgers and 90 chicken sandwiches to personnel. Command was transferred to Operations Chief Warner, who was soon relieved by Battalion 4. Company officers took command about 11:00 p.m. Companies were rotated overnight, and the last engine cleared two days later. Aftermath No injuries were recorded, but the property loss was staggering: 32 homes seriously damaged or destroyed; 29 families and 72 people displaced. Damage costs exceeded $4 million. Investigators determined that a carelessly discarded cigarette was the likely cause of the fire. The city would commission an engineering study of the incident. Changes recommended in the 189-page report included prohibiting combustible soffits for townhomes, and adopting a wild land-urban interface code. North Carolina Building Code has since been changed to prohibit combustible soffit materials in new townhomes, and the city continues to evaluate the use of combustible landscape material. LESSONS LEARNED The sheer scope of Pine Knoll Townes was an important lesson to the Raleigh Fire Department. “We don’t have a lot of big fires,” says Chief McGrath, “and that’s a good thing.” It reinforced the importance of training for larger fires, including early use of master streams and other “big water,” and incident command strategy and tactics at the company officer level. Chief Warner cites his own lesson learned. “If I am going to an incident that is or may escalate to a major fire, I’ll request additional radio channels for staging and EMS ahead of time.” The department drills more frequently on major fire operations, with live scenarios at the training center. Full assignments are used, to practice with several arriving companies. One year later, on another dry and windy February afternoon, incident commanders drew upon their experience of Pine Knoll Townes. Their strategic planning and use of resources helped mitigate three major brush fires that threatened structures in different parts of the city. Mike Legeros is the historian of the Raleigh Fire Department. Learn more at www.raleighfirehistory.org. The Fire & Rescue Journal 8 Why are 9S Inspections Required? Why does my department have to go through a 9S inspection, especially when our department has a lower than 9S rating? The 9S inspections are preformed to ensure that all departments in North Carolina maintain the minimum requirements for a 9S rating. Even a department whose rating is lower than a 9S rating can benefit from the inspection and identify areas of improvement. A department must maintain a minimum rating of 9S to remain eligible for state benefits for firefighters and to maintain a reduced insurance rating for the property owners in their district. These inspections help each department achieve this minimum rating, while also giving OSFM an opportunity to update data connected with each department and county. During the inspection the inspector will review a number of items that departments do not normally review or update. The department’s Articles of Incorporation will be reviewed to ensure they state what the department is actually doing. Many departments have not updated their Articles of Incorporation in years, and they may simply state the department was formed to provide fire protection for a community. In many areas, departments are now providing much more than fire protection, such as medical aid, rescue, haz-mat response and more. Another area that will be reviewed is the department’s fire insurance district map. This is an area where we see many problems. Each rural fire protection district must have a map that is approved by their governing body, typically the county commissioners. This map can be a hand-written map with a description or a GIS map which requires no written description. Some of the common problems seen are the addition of roads, a new highway that redirects or cuts off roads or moving a fire station’s location. Any of these can cause areas to be more than five miles from the station. These issues must be addressed and corrected. Contracts will also be reviewed to assure they are up-to-date and in force every where they are needed. In North Carolina there are a number of areas where small towns have been formed, but they don’t form their own fire departments. These towns are allowing the fire department that has been covering their area to continue protecting them. If this is the case, the department must have a contract with the new town and county. A very common mistake found during inspections is a lack of adding personnel to the State Association roster each time a new firefighter is added. Some departments have a practice of only updating their State Association roster once a year when dues are required. Other departments will not put firefighters on the State Association roster until they have served some type of probation. The purpose of the State Association roster is to certify that the firefighter is a member of your department and to assure that if firefighter is killed in the line of duty, he or she will receive the in line of duty death benefits and other benefits provided through the State Association. If a firefighter is not added to the departments roster when they join or until after they complete a probationary period, and they are killed in the line of duty during these times, their family receives none of the benefits of the State Association. Another common roster mistake is not putting a firefighter on the department’s roster because they are on the roster of another department. Firefighters must be on the roster of every fire department they volunteer or work for, to ensure the payment of all benefits due them. The 9S Inspection is more than a review of equipment and test records a department is maintaining — it’s a tool and way of helping each department review, obtain or update the needed documents and equipment to keep the department in compliance to operate in North Carolina. Vernon Ward, is an ratings inspector with the Training and Inspections Division. Inspection Tips Q: A: ...continued from page 5 not directly engage in fire suppression activities, should it be questioned whether or not these individuals have already experienced cardiac related medical issues that should be considered “red flags” concerning their readiness for this type of duty? How many departments are providing and requiring comprehensive medical evaluations (NFPA 1582) for all of their members? If you are not, you should explore ways to make this part of your overall safety plan. Many times comprehensive medical evaluations have uncovered health issues that would have otherwise gone undetected. These types of physical evaluations need to be conducted at least annually. Simply as your grandmother would say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Further, we need to evaluate and support physical fitness (NFPA 1583). Each firefighter must be encouraged and assisted to set personal fitness goals because each individual is different. Department physical fitness goals and standards should be created to provide for every member’s established fitness needs so they may perform core job responsibilities safely and effectively. Lastly, we must have qualitative and quantitative testing of physical fitness. This testing should never be used punitively, but as a teaching and learning tool. Training is paramount. We must continue to enhance our training in every aspect. We often read NIOSH reports that basic and routine components of our profession are not performed adequately and these factors directly contribute to line of duty deaths and injuries. So why can’t we perform the basics? Is it because we have the mentality of “been there - done that, and I don’t need to do that anymore”? Next, we need to focus on realism. We must deal with the adverse mentality of “that wouldn’t happen to us” or “that’s the big city stuff; it’s not going to happen here.” Well, last time I checked fire and other types of emergency situations do not discriminate. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from. Reality check — who would have thought that an aircraft with terrorists on board would crash in rural Pennsylvania? We must train hard, train realistically and train often. By doing this we stoke our tool boxes with the right tools for the job. In closing, we must have the courage to say “no” and the courage to be safe. We must do the right thing for ourselves, our firefighters and our families. Prevent a line of duty death by changing the attitudes and culture in your departments and have the courage to be safe! The families at home depend on us all to be strong advocates for the safety of their loved ones. Become part of the solution. Support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the fire service quest of “everyone goes home.” Douglas K. Cline is a 29-year fire service veteran serving as training commander with the High Point Fire Department. Cline also serves as administrative assistant chief with the Ruffin Volunteer Fire Department and as a member of the NCFFF Board of Directors. Get over old and bad traditions; start safe new ones! Spring 2010 9 On June 25, 2007, the Wilmington Fire Department placed into service a 2007 MetalCraft Marine FireStorm 50 fire boat manufactured by MetalCraft Marine in Ontario, Canada. The vessel named Atlantic VI. Atlantic VI is 50 feet long with a beam width of 15 feet, 10 inches. With a top speed of 38 knots (approximately 42 MPH) when fully loaded and drafts of only 25 inches of water, it is powered by twin 885HP Caterpillar C18 Diesels and is jet driven by twin Hamilton 364 Jets. The Atlantic VI also has a fuel capacity of 460 gallons. The suppression equipment on Atlantic VI consists of two Hale fire pumps rated at a total of 6,000 GPM; however, the pumps have been tested at 7,500 GPM. It is also equipped with a Foam Pro System with 500 gallons of foam concentrate on board. Atlantic VI utilizes two remote monitors with one being located on the bow and one located on the cabin’s roof. There are also numerous discharges that can be utilized during supply/suppression operations. Atlantic VI is also equipped with breathing air via a cascade system. It utilizes a full ensemble of electronics including radar, FLIR, GPS, chart plotters and more. Atlantic VI is manned by a minimum of three personnel including the captain. In order to be a certified operator, a CFCC Safe Boating: Navigations and Seamanship course must be completed or the captain must possess a current and valid USCG six pack captain’s license. The captain must also complete a training program which encompasses safe boating, maneuvering, pump operations and day/night operations. Atlantic VI can be utilized in any water emergency. Operations may consist of structure fires along the water front, marine fires, search and rescue and water recovery. Atlantic VI has mutual aid agreements with the U.S. Coast Guard, Wrightsville Beach Fire Department, Carolina Beach Fire Department and New Hanover County Fire- Rescue; it is available to other agencies upon request. Atlantic VI protects billions of dollars worth of property including the historic downtown Wilmington district and one of only two North Carolina State Ports; its coverage area includes the Northeast Cape Fear River, from the mouth of the Brunswick River to the Navassa Bridge, the Cape Fear River, and the Intracoastal Waterway to the sea buoy. The Wilmington Fire Department is the first fire department in North Carolina to have a fire boat — Wilmington has utilized a fire boat since 1906 due to the amount of infrastructure along the waterfront. The first fire boat, the original Atlantic, was bought and built new at a cost of $2,000. Atlantic VI cost a total of a total of $1.5 million, which was funded by a Homeland Security Grant and other funding from the city. Atlantic VI is only the second new fire boat for Wilmington and has the longest recorded water delivery for MetalCraft Marine, which utilized WFD personnel, with a total of 1,660 miles traveled. The Wilmington Fire Department also has a 32-foot fire boat in service, which is docked at Wrightsville Beach. Captain Ian S. Tedder is with the Wilmington Fire Department. (Above) The Atlantic VI demonstrates its fog nozzles capabilities. (Right) The Atlantic VI crew prepares for a demonstration at the recent Marine Shipboard Firefighting class. Innovative Equipment Spotlight: Wilmington Fire Department’s Atlantic VI Assistant State Fire Marshal Bradley presents Commissioner Goodwin with his State Fire Marshal helmet. June 9, 2010 Fire and Rescue Commission Board Meeting Pinecroft-Sedgefield Fire Department 10 a.m. May 5-8, 2010 N.C. Society of Fire Service Instructors Conference Asheville, NC 2010 Calendar of Events The Fire & Rescue Journal 10 Initiative 9 — Thoroughly investigate all firefighter fatalities, injuries and near misses. For years some departments have swept their mistakes under the rug of denial. In doing so, many more injuries or fatalities may have occurred that could have been prevented had the information from previous experiences been available. Every firefighter breaths and has a heart-beat, consequently, logic tells us that they are all human. Logic also tells us that humans make mistakes. These mistakes can no longer be hidden and kept quiet. Departments are morally and ethically obligated to report and share their fatalities, injuries and near misses. »» Implement investigations without delay, so learning can begin immediately. »» Be familiar with NIOSH, FEMA, USFA, CDC, NFPA reports. They can be studied to increase safety. »» Encourage the collection of “near miss” data. Near miss incidents provide excellent learning and training tools. »» Look for “Fatal Chains of Error.�� Initiative 10 — Grant programs should support the implementation of safe practices and/or mandate safe practices as an eligibility requirement. There is grant money available for you to begin implementing these initiatives. Grants should, however, be tied to increasing safety measures. No safe practices,no grant. If you ask for a grant to improve health and wellness, for example, recommendations should be made and implemented as a condition of future grants. Take time to learn how to write grants professionally, beginning with the identification of granting sources. (Is this the source of the money?) Initiative 11 — National standards for emergency response policies and procedures should be developed and championed. In addition to national standards, local policies and procedures should be developed for emergency response. The bottom line is that emergency apparatus are often driven too fast and can become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Departments should evaluate their current SOPs and update them to include the following recommendations: »» Adopt safe driving rules and enforce them. »» Secure loose objects in cabs and on vehicles. »» Respond to emergencies using emergency response SOPs; no red lights and sirens to routine calls. »» Make sure all vehicles meet current safety standards. »» MOST IMPORTANTLY – MANDATE SEAT BELT USE! Initiative 12 — National protocols for response to violent incidents (including terrorism) should be developed and championed. Fire and EMS workers deserve to have policies which will reduce their exposure to all threats of violence. Promote policies to “stage” violence incident responses, removing the pressure to react immediately. SOPs should include “GO” and “No-GO” criteria. Learn all you can about responding to terrorist incidents, regardless of your department’s size or proximity to predicted targets. Initiative 13 — Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support. Firefighting is a high-risk occupation which, from time to time, can put the employee and his or her family under extreme stress. They deserve access to mental health care. If you are feeling stress (depression,anxiety or physical symptoms) seek help from a physician, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors, religious or other sources of support. Don’t “tough it out;” this could cause problems for you and your family. Stress awareness should be part of firefighter training at all levels. Help a buddy you see struggling with stress-related problems. Initiative 14 — Public education must receive more resources and be championed as a critical fire and life safety program. Hard economic times have unfortunately fallen on the country and the fire service. Many fire departments have been forced to make drastic budget cuts. Not surprisingly, one of the fist lines to take cuts is the prevention and public education line. While a great number of departments work hard to provide quality prevention and public education programs, the reality is that the majority of departments see it as a nuisance. However, prevention is the key to saving lives. Education is the only way to make people understand the dangers that they face. »» Make communicating the fire prevention message to the community a priority. »» Utilize U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) resources and materials. They are free and excellent. »» Become an ambassador for community safety in your church, children’s schools, volunteer groups, etc. »» Become an advocate for code adoption and enforcement. Initiative 15 — Strengthen advocacy for the enforcement of codes and the installation of home fire sprinklers. The widespread use of residential sprinklers will save lives and decrease firefighter injuries and LODDs. Ensure all firefighters understand how sprinkler systems operate and the value they bring to reducing LODDs. Actively advocate for residential sprinkler laws and their widespread adoption. If you build a home, consider the installation of a sprinkler system. Lead by example. Initiative 16 — Safety must be a primary consideration in the design of apparatus and equipment. Departments must make safety their number one priority in everything they do, including the purchase of apparatus and equipment. Substandard equipment and low bid purchases have no place in today’s fire service. »» Form an apparatus committee and help set your department’s policies on equipment and apparatus purchases. »» Read professional journals and attend conferences where new innovations in apparatus and equipment are demonstrated. »» Learn National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standard 1901 regarding apparatus safety standards. Where are we now? The Everyone Goes Home program hit the streets in 2004 and immediately called for a 25% reduction in LODDs by the year 2009. While this was a great goal, there has yet to be a reduction in these needless losses. Part of the problem is that some departments lack the understanding of what it takes to make these reductions. The other issue is that some feel that safety is being overstated and that we need to get back to the way that we used to do things. There are some fire service leaders who recently spoke against the need for change. These leaders should look at the statistics of injuries and LODDs in this country versus those of other countries. The United States leads the world in fire service LODDs. Emergency services organizations can make a difference. They can reduce injuries and fatalities within their jurisdictions. Conduct an organizational assessment and see which of the above areas are lacking. Encourage and reward positive changes towards safety. Implement these initiatives and encourage neighboring departments to do the same. Matt Thorpe is a training specialist in OSFM’s R&PD section. Realizing the Value of the 16 Life Safety Initiatives The Fire and Rescue Journal is providing an in-depth look at 16 Life Safety Initiatives developed by fire service leaders from around the country. We published the first eight initiatives in the last issue, and the final eight are highlighted in this issue below. After identifying six focus areas and carefully examining the root causes of line of duty deaths, fire service leaders wrote 16 initiatives that would assist in reducing the number of these deaths each year. Spring 2010 11 North Carolina has long line of committed, dedicated and determined fire chiefs from both the paid and volunteer setting. With this in mind, the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs recognized the chiefs who stood out for their outstanding commitment to the fire service: Chief Wesley Hutchins with the Walkertown Volunteer Fire Department was named the Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year. Pictured left to right: Hutchins’ daughter Mallory, son Reid, wife Mary and Chief Hutchins. Chief Dennis Presley with Skyland Fire and Rescue earned the Career Fire Chief of the Year title. Pictured left to right: Chief Dennis Presley is pictured with his wife Lisa, daughter Katie and son Chad. Congratulations to Chief Hutchins and Chief Presley! The North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, in conjunction with the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department and New Hanover County Firefighters Association, held their annual Mid-winter conference in Wrightsville Beach, Feb. 5-7. This year’s conference combined informative seminars with exceptional networking and communication. The biggest topic of discussion was a roundtable discussion entitled “Volunteer to Combination – Panel Discussion.” This discussion was moderated by North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs’ Executive Director Kenneth Mullen, and the panel included a variety of experienced members representing the career and volunteer fire service, Volunteers’ Workers Compensation Fund and other fire service-related experts. The main purpose of this roundtable discussion was to offer a diverse representation of proven answers to a growing challenge facing communities today of volunteer departments with a need to change into combination departments. This session allowed chiefs from departments of all sizes in N.C. to receive detailed information and potential solutions for the problems their communities face related to the transition from a volunteer department to a combination department. Additionally, the conference included information on current events from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the South East Association Fire Chiefs and the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs. Of the numerous seminars offered this year, each allowed participants to gain valuable information on current topics and trends. The seminars offered include: Risk Watch: Preventing Firefighter Suicides; Hazardous Materials Fusion Center; Managing Stress in an Ever Changing Environment; and Start Safe Program from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Burn Center. The goal of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs is “to be rather than to seem” and to serve the North Carolina Fire Chiefs and Fire Officers in the most beneficial way possible. Be sure to make plans now to attend the 2011 Mid-winter conference in Concord, Feb. 4-6, 2011. N.C. Association of Fire Chiefs Holds Mid-winter Conference Participants in the Volunteer to Combination Panel Discus- ...continued from page 4. damage from exposure to the extreme heat. The lens, molded polycarbonate plastic, transitions to a soft state in the range of 293- 302°F. At higher temperatures, the plastic begins to melt outright. The lens material of the victim’s facepiece appears to have reached temperatures possibly higher than that of 300°F. This is supported by the charring of the voicemitter tubes which are made of neoprene rubber, which begins to decompose around 647°F. The polycarbonate buttons on the two upper head-harness attachment points were covered by the protective hood, as were portions of the lens. These components appear to have been heated well in excess of the glass transition temperature but did not reach melting temperature. All of these events evoke the question: What would have been the outcome if the victim had a partner with him at the time of the equipment failure? Though injury would have likely been unavoidable given the conditions, one could argue that the odds of survivability would have increased significantly had someone been there to assist the victim from the burn room. How many times have you operated in an acquired structure or burn building alone? How long would it take for someone to realize that you are missing or in distress in such a situation? How much faith do we place on that thin, man-made plastic lens that separates us from the dark hell that dwells on the other side? Once again, we lost someone inside of a burn building. This time it was not an uninitiated rookie. This time it was an experienced officer that had earned the opportunity to teach at a prestigious academy based on his knowledge and ability. Regardless of whether we have one year or 100 years of experience, there is no substitute for having another set of eyes on us when operating in any live fire environment. It is easy to find complacency when operating in a burn building. The complacency that we find eventually leads to the life that we lose. Kevin McArthur coordinates the Live Fire Qualification program for OSFM. He can be reached at kevin.mcarthur@ncdoi.gov. The Fire & Rescue Journal 1202 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1202 (919) 661-5880 www.ncdoi.com/osfm The Crystal Coast Fire Academy Class was held on Feb. 9, with the graduation ceremony occurring on Feb. 12. (Right) Morehead City Fire/EMS Chief Wes Lail and Deputy Chief Jamie Fulk pin Firefighter Cadets Roderick Adams, Andrew Akines and Niko Annazone. Guilford Technical Community College hosted the inaugural North Carolina Thermal Imaging School Feb. 26 – 28. (Above–Left) A student prepares to enter with TIC during a Vent/Enter/Search evolution. (Above–Right) Students observe TIC images transmitted from Scott TIC inside the flashover simulator. (Far Right) A complement of cameras and batteries provided by various TIC manufacturers. |
OCLC number | 18621903 |