On Saturday, August 13th, Brett Read, an Okanogan County firefighter from District 8, was trying to leave his work area at the Grass Valley Fire in Douglas County when flames suddenly intensified. Read became separated from the engine he was working on and was burned. According to a GoFundMe page started in Read's name, Read was taken to Coulee Medical Center and later airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
- PUB DATE: 8/15/2018 4:41:48 PM - SOURCE: KXLY-TV ABC 4

Longview Fire Chief Phil Jurmu will step down to become the executive director of the newly independent Cowlitz County 911 call center, a board formed to improve the emergency communication and dispatch system in the county. Jurmu said Wednesday that he will start his new position on Sept. 17, but his final day with the City of Longview hasn’t been decided yet.
- PUB DATE: 8/15/2018 3:50:15 PM - SOURCE: Longview Daily News

A new illustrated book, co-published by the International Code Council (ICC) and APA – The Engineered Wood Association, provides an explanation of the lateral bracing provisions of the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC). A Guide to the 2018 IRC Wood Wall Bracing Provisions, the fifth edition in the series, details the correct application of the code-bracing requirements, explores the history and theory behind wall bracing, and provides real-world bracing examples. The book is now available in print and digital formats. 

“Residential wall bracing under the IRC is one of the most critical, yet most misunderstood, building safety elements,” said Code Council Executive Vice President and Director of Business Development Mark A. Johnson. “The 2018 guide is updated with new practical examples to serve as an important and helpful resource for inspectors, plan checkers, builders, designers and others involved in residential construction. The ongoing collaboration between APA and the Code Council benefits public safety and the industry. We are pleased to build on a long-standing relationship with APA.”

The IRC contains numerous prescriptive lateral bracing provisions intended to help residential structures resist lateral loads that can result from wind and seismic events. The type and amount of bracing required for a given structure depend on many factors, including location and size of the structure, and the location of bracing segments within the structure. Bracing must be applied correctly and consistently to sufficiently protect the building from lateral loads, according to the Code Council and APA. 

“Most of the residential buildings in the U.S. are built to the IRC. Wall bracing is what makes those buildings perform well against lateral wind and seismic loads,” said Dr. Borjen Yeh, P.E., director of APA’s Technical Services. “These provisions are complex and prescriptive, given the great number of aesthetic, cultural, economic and energy-related variables. This guide makes these provisions easy to understand.” 

The guide addresses bracing options available to builders and designers, the amount of bracing required with adjustments and variations, rules for the use of bracing, the new simplified wall bracing provisions, whole house bracing considerations and many other related topics. The full-color book features numerous specific examples and more than 200 figures, tables and photos.

A Guide to the 2018 IRC Wood Wall Bracing Provisions is available for purchase in printed soft cover for $44.00 ($35.25 for ICC members) or digital PDF format for $41.95 ($33.50 for ICC members). Click here for more information.

More ICC: https://www.iccsafe.org/

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for three fires burning in central Washington, including the Grass Valley Fire in Douglas and Grant counties near Grand Coulee and Coulee Dam. Early Sunday morning, FEMA granted the state’s request for federal Fire Management Assistance Grants to help with firefighting costs for the Grass Valley Fire burning in Douglas and Grant counties.
- PUB DATE: 8/15/2018 1:03:33 PM - SOURCE: Grand Coulee Star

Every fire department throughout the country encounters unique opportunities and challenges to serving their communities. While these approaches can be distinctive hallmarks and a source of pride from a cultural perspective, they can limit effectiveness and potentially endanger firefighters and citizens.

Advocating for a National Emergency Response Policy (5.3MB)

In May 2018, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) gathered 30 fire service subject matter experts to evaluate and discuss Firefighter Life Safety Initiative #11: National standards for emergency response policies should be developed and championed. They reviewed the history on the initiative as well as relevant reports from agencies that have implemented successful programs.

In the end, the attendees unanimously supported the development of national response policy standards. This recommendation upholds the belief that such standards will help reduce firefighter injuries and preventable fatalities. A copy of the full report can be accessed here.

“The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is very pleased with the recommendation of this esteemed group,” said Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki, Executive Director of the Foundation. “As an organization, we believe that implementing such standards and protocols will help the nation’s fire service make inroads in reducing the number of firefighter injuries and deaths that occur each year.”

Funding for the meeting was made possible through the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. It was hosted by Columbus (OH) International Association of Fire Fighters Local 67 at the local’s headquarters.