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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Fire Station Flooring Considerations



Few municipal facilities require as many different types of flooring as fire stations. From administrative offices and community outreach rooms to apparatus bays, equipment bunkers, sleeping areas, kitchens, and bathrooms, the demands vary greatly.

There are a few things all flooring systems throughout the different spaces within fire stations have in common: They are all high-traffic areas; safety and traction are prime issues; and durability, longevity, and easy maintenance are critical features.

1 There are a few things all flooring systems throughout the different spaces within fire stations have in common: They are all high-traffic areas; safety and traction are prime issues; and durability, longevity, and easy maintenance are critical features.

However, there are a few things all flooring systems throughout the different spaces within fire stations have in common:

  • They are all high-traffic areas, whether pedestrian or vehicular.
  • Because of the demand for quick responsiveness when duty calls, safety and traction are prime issues.
  • Durability, longevity, and easy maintenance are critical features, especially since local citizens’ tax dollars are involved. Apart from budgetary considerations, a fire station is vital to the safety and survival of the community it serves; it cannot afford the financial burden or downtime of frequent repairs.

HOW EPOXIES AND URETHANES MEET DEMANDS

There is a wide array of epoxy and urethane floor coating products made to address specific firehouse concerns. Different finishes are also available depending on the facility’s needs, such as high-gloss and satin. By choosing from a diverse selection of epoxies and urethanes, you can create a flooring system that is ideal for meeting the range of demands in your specific fire station.

  • Abrasion resistance and impact resistance are so important in apparatus bays and equipment bunkers, where floors may be subjected not only to everyday wear and tear and a high level of foot traffic but also the dropping of tools or heavy equipment.
  • A virtually seamless floor minimizes the potential for cracks and helps eliminate crevices where microbes can potentially grow. Plus, by avoiding the multiple grout lines and seams found in many other flooring systems, the virtually seamless nature of fluid-applied flooring epoxy/urethane flooring helps mitigate the risk of slip and trip hazards, creating a potentially safer surface to walk—or run—on.
  • By eliminating tight corners and 90-degree floor-to-wall joints, installing integral resinous flooring cove bases can further enhance the simplicity of proper cleaning and pathogen control efforts.
  • The flooring is easy to maintain, with no frequent waxing, buffing, or polishing required. A wet mop between emergencies can help keep the floor clean and attractive.
  • Ma
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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Firefighter LODDs After Being Struck Increase

Robert Tutterow

Robert Tutterow

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released its annual report on firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) for 2017 at its annual conference and expo in June. The NFPA started keeping its LODD database in 1977, and this past year marked the lowest total of LODDs since it started keeping records more than 40 years ago!

Though progress has been slow, there has been continued progress. For the period of 1977 to 1991, the average number of LODDs was more than 120. For six of the past seven years, the number of LODDs has averaged fewer than 70. This is about a 50 percent decrease in the past 40 years.

A Variety of Factors

No one single initiative has led to this 50 percent decrease. It has been a combination of initiatives. Firefighters are more aware of their physical condition and are, generally, in better shape than in previous years. Incident management has evolved, with the incorporation of incident scene safety officers, to make the fire scene safer. We now have NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, as a standard to develop and maintain a program to look after the well-being of firefighters. Those of us with a bit of institutional knowledge recall that when NFPA 1500 was being developed, it was the standard that was going “to put fire departments out of business.” More than 30 years later, there is no knowledge of the standard putting a fire department out of business. The impact of the standard has been a 50 percent reduction in LODDs. That’s kept a lot of firefighters in business. Think about it: If we were still averaging more than 120 LODDs annually, during the past seven years (when the average has been fewer than 70) there would be another 350 or more firefighters NOT alive today.

Apparatus, equipment, and personal protective equipment have made steady improvements. For example, we did not have the advantage of thermal imaging cameras and PASS devices 40 years ago. We have transitioned to wearing hoods and turnout gear with breathable moisture barriers. Perhaps one of the biggest design changes was the requirement to have fully enclosed cabs—an NFPA requirement. Today, almost all open or canopy cab apparatus have been retired. The result: We hardly hear of a firefighter dying after falling off an apparatus. Yet, this happened at least a half-dozen times annually during the late 1970s and 1980s.

New Focus Area Emerges

What about the focus area mentioned in the title of this column? In 2017, 10 firefighters were struck by vehicles! This is more than double what the average has been and, by far, the highest number in the past 40 years. The NFPA did not elaborate on the cause for this high number, but I think we can all agree that it probably relates to distracted and impaired drivers. As a fire service, we need to make sure that 2017 becomes an outlier and not the start of a new norm.

The Emergency Responder Safety Institute has a wealth of knowledge about roadway scene safety on its Web site at www.respondersafety

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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Firefighter LODDs After Being Struck Increase

Robert Tutterow

Robert Tutterow

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released its annual report on firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) for 2017 at its annual conference and expo in June. The NFPA started keeping its LODD database in 1977, and this past year marked the lowest total of LODDs since it started keeping records more than 40 years ago!

Though progress has been slow, there has been continued progress. For the period of 1977 to 1991, the average number of LODDs was more than 120. For six of the past seven years, the number of LODDs has averaged fewer than 70. This is about a 50 percent decrease in the past 40 years.

A Variety of Factors

No one single initiative has led to this 50 percent decrease. It has been a combination of initiatives. Firefighters are more aware of their physical condition and are, generally, in better shape than in previous years. Incident management has evolved, with the incorporation of incident scene safety officers, to make the fire scene safer. We now have NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, as a standard to develop and maintain a program to look after the well-being of firefighters. Those of us with a bit of institutional knowledge recall that when NFPA 1500 was being developed, it was the standard that was going “to put fire departments out of business.” More than 30 years later, there is no knowledge of the standard putting a fire department out of business. The impact of the standard has been a 50 percent reduction in LODDs. That’s kept a lot of firefighters in business. Think about it: If we were still averaging more than 120 LODDs annually, during the past seven years (when the average has been fewer than 70) there would be another 350 or more firefighters NOT alive today.

Apparatus, equipment, and personal protective equipment have made steady improvements. For example, we did not have the advantage of thermal imaging cameras and PASS devices 40 years ago. We have transitioned to wearing hoods and turnout gear with breathable moisture barriers. Perhaps one of the biggest design changes was the requirement to have fully enclosed cabs—an NFPA requirement. Today, almost all open or canopy cab apparatus have been retired. The result: We hardly hear of a firefighter dying after falling off an apparatus. Yet, this happened at least a half-dozen times annually during the late 1970s and 1980s.

New Focus Area Emerges

What about the focus area mentioned in the title of this column? In 2017, 10 firefighters were struck by vehicles! This is more than double what the average has been and, by far, the highest number in the past 40 years. The NFPA did not elaborate on the cause for this high number, but I think we can all agree that it probably relates to distracted and impaired drivers. As a fire service, we need to make sure that 2017 becomes an outlier and not the start of a new norm.

The Emergency Responder Safety Institute has a wealth of knowledge about roadway scene safety on its Web site at www.respondersafety

Read more
Posted: Oct 1, 2018

What Really Works to Reduce Fire Apparatus Crashes?



Emergency service vehicle incidents (ESVIs), including crashes, rollovers, and roadside struck-by incidents, are leading causes of occupational fatality and injury among firefighters and other emergency responders. Between 1994 and 2012, 390 United States firefighters were killed in ESVIs, and approximately 1,100 firefighters are injured in ESVIs every year.

ESVIs are also a danger to civilians, given emergency vehicles’ large sizes and high-speed operations. Between 1997 and 2006, 94 of 107 fatalities from collisions involving a fire service vehicle during emergency response were occupants of the other vehicle, pedestrians, or bicyclists.

Recently, a multidisciplinary team of researchers and fire service partners, led by researchers from the University of Arizona, completed the first comprehensive review of interventions designed to reduce or prevent ESVIs. For this review, researchers gathered articles published in the past decade featuring ESVI interventions and interviewed key informants (chiefs, captains, and lieutenants) from fire departments serving major metropolitan areas. These key informants were from departments found in the reviewed articles or referred by chiefs from the International Association of Fire Chiefs and National Fire Protection Association Metropolitan Fire Chiefs. The team reviewed more than 400 published articles and interviewed 17 fire departments across the United States and United Kingdom (UK). They identified several effective and promising evidence-based interventions currently available to fire and emergency services. Interventions identified included additions or modifications to the emergency vehicle, modifications to the environment (including roads and stations), policy and administration interventions, and education and training programs.

Of the interventions reviewed, proactive risk management and enhanced driver training/refresher training had data available showing proof of ESVI reduction. Proactive risk management uses a formalized procedure of identifying, evaluating, and ranking risks and implementing controls. It has been used in various industries, including mining and automotive manufacturing, to prevent and reduce occupational risks and hazards, and several fire departments are already doing this with great results. Rockland County (NY) Paramedic Services reported a 58 percent reduction in ESVIs, 54 percent reduction in related costs, and 36 percent reduction in crash-related injuries. Crash data from the London Fire Brigade in the UK revealed a 19 percent reduction in overall crash rates.

Enhanced driver training and refresher training programs were found to be particularly effective. These programs typically increase the amount of hands-on field training and vehicle-specific operation training and include closed-course evolutions and scenarios. Data from several departments showed significant reductions in ESVIs attributable to enhanced training. After implementing a comprehensive driver training program in 2008, the Seattle (WA) Fire Department reduced its average crash rate by 19 percent. The Sacramento (CA) Fire Department had an immediate 26 percent reduction in crashes one year after implementing a comprehensive emergency vehicle operator course, including annual refresher training. Its crash rates continued to decline, resulting in an overall 50 percent reduction in crashes that reportedly saved the city an average of $3 to $4 million annually from avoided vehicle collisions.

Not all interventions identified in the review could be evaluated for how effectively they reduced ESVIs. These interventions included driver mentoring programs, emergency veh

Read more
Posted: Oct 1, 2018

What Really Works to Reduce Fire Apparatus Crashes?



Emergency service vehicle incidents (ESVIs), including crashes, rollovers, and roadside struck-by incidents, are leading causes of occupational fatality and injury among firefighters and other emergency responders. Between 1994 and 2012, 390 United States firefighters were killed in ESVIs, and approximately 1,100 firefighters are injured in ESVIs every year.

ESVIs are also a danger to civilians, given emergency vehicles’ large sizes and high-speed operations. Between 1997 and 2006, 94 of 107 fatalities from collisions involving a fire service vehicle during emergency response were occupants of the other vehicle, pedestrians, or bicyclists.

Recently, a multidisciplinary team of researchers and fire service partners, led by researchers from the University of Arizona, completed the first comprehensive review of interventions designed to reduce or prevent ESVIs. For this review, researchers gathered articles published in the past decade featuring ESVI interventions and interviewed key informants (chiefs, captains, and lieutenants) from fire departments serving major metropolitan areas. These key informants were from departments found in the reviewed articles or referred by chiefs from the International Association of Fire Chiefs and National Fire Protection Association Metropolitan Fire Chiefs. The team reviewed more than 400 published articles and interviewed 17 fire departments across the United States and United Kingdom (UK). They identified several effective and promising evidence-based interventions currently available to fire and emergency services. Interventions identified included additions or modifications to the emergency vehicle, modifications to the environment (including roads and stations), policy and administration interventions, and education and training programs.

Of the interventions reviewed, proactive risk management and enhanced driver training/refresher training had data available showing proof of ESVI reduction. Proactive risk management uses a formalized procedure of identifying, evaluating, and ranking risks and implementing controls. It has been used in various industries, including mining and automotive manufacturing, to prevent and reduce occupational risks and hazards, and several fire departments are already doing this with great results. Rockland County (NY) Paramedic Services reported a 58 percent reduction in ESVIs, 54 percent reduction in related costs, and 36 percent reduction in crash-related injuries. Crash data from the London Fire Brigade in the UK revealed a 19 percent reduction in overall crash rates.

Enhanced driver training and refresher training programs were found to be particularly effective. These programs typically increase the amount of hands-on field training and vehicle-specific operation training and include closed-course evolutions and scenarios. Data from several departments showed significant reductions in ESVIs attributable to enhanced training. After implementing a comprehensive driver training program in 2008, the Seattle (WA) Fire Department reduced its average crash rate by 19 percent. The Sacramento (CA) Fire Department had an immediate 26 percent reduction in crashes one year after implementing a comprehensive emergency vehicle operator course, including annual refresher training. Its crash rates continued to decline, resulting in an overall 50 percent reduction in crashes that reportedly saved the city an average of $3 to $4 million annually from avoided vehicle collisions.

Not all interventions identified in the review could be evaluated for how effectively they reduced ESVIs. These interventions included driver mentoring programs, emergency veh

Read more
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