DN Safety Products hopes to raise $15,000 to bring a unique safety tool that will save lives to market.

Starting from $59.95 for the early adopter special, the EMERGI-SAFE 5-in-1 Emergency Flashlight is an innovative/user-friendly safety tool that functions as an LED warning beacon, focused LED flashlight, focused LED emergency strobe, LED work light, and LED lantern.

"Over the years, I've responded to accident and fire scenes where I've been nearly struck by passing vehicles," explains firefighter/inventor Danny Vartan. "I also lost a friend who operated a tow truck. A car coming around a curve struck the car he was hooking up, pinning him between the car and his tow truck. That is why I created the EMERGI-SAFE 5-in-1 Emergency Flashlight; I knew there was a safer and better way to protect First Responders and the public when stopped on the road, at fire scenes, and even emergencies at the house such as in the event of a power outage."

Safer than Strike Flares:

First responders traditionally use incendiary strike flares at emergency scenes. But Vartan notes that strike flares can be dangerous to use at some accident scenes due to the fact that they emit flames and sparks which are a definite safety hazard when flammable liquids and vapors are present. Strike Flares also give off noxious/choking smoke that can obscure the very scene they're trying to protect.

In the case of a person who's car has broken down, Vartan points out that "The longest burning strike flare lasts only 30 minutes. What do you do once it has burned out and help has not yet arrived - as in the case of bad weather with many accidents? Also, many people are uncomfortable lighting a strike flare. That's yet another reason why I created the EMERGI-SAFE 5-in-1 Emergency Flashlight: to provide a safer way to help protect First Responders and the public whether they are operating at a vehicle accident, fire scene, or stranded along the roadway."

EMERGI-SAFE Specifications:

- Eco-Friendly: uses LED's; no toxic smoke, flames, sparks, or toxic residue

- 12 Inches Tall; provides greater visibility over longer distances and during rain or snow

- Built Tough: High impact Polycarbonate lens, body, battery cap, and traffic cone ring

- Energy Efficient: LED's provide 60+ hours of effective operation per set of 3 D size alkaline batteries

- Multiple Flash Patterns: fast flash, steady-on, slow flash, and rotating flash

- Bright Focused Flashlight: 3-watt LED with parabolic reflector shines a focused beam

- Highly Water Resistant: o-ring technology provides full operation - even when under water

- Lifetime Warranty: all parts are guaranteed against manufacturer's defects

About Danny Vartan/DN Safety Products, Inc.

Danny Vartan is a firefighter with the Westwood (NJ) Fire Department. He is also the Inventor of the EMERGI-SAFE 5-in-1 Emergency Flashlight. Vartan spent the better part of his adult life answering emergency calls in Northern New Jersey, and knows firsthand what it's like to have cars whizzing past him at all sorts of emergencies along busy roadways.

Those experiences - along with stories of colleagues' close calls with passing motorists over the years prompted him to invent an innovative LED-based safety lighting product: the EMERG

The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) applauds the recent decision by Republican Governor Rick Scott of Florida to veto HB 653, a bill dealing with requirements for retrofitting high-rise condominium buildings with fire sprinklers and other types of safety systems.

"Governor Scott's veto of HB 653 demonstrates the universal appeal of including fire sprinklers in new and retrofitted residential dwellings," said Frank Mortl III, CAE, President of AFSA. "His decision to improve the safety of occupants in high-rise buildings and ensure the greatest protection to the emergency responders who bravely conduct firefighting and rescue operations serves as an impactful example to all lawmakers faced with similar opportunities to enact positive fire and life safety measures."

In the letter announcing his veto of the bill, Governor Scott said, "This legislation extends the compliance deadline, once again, and allows condominium residents to opt out of both fire sprinklers and an ELSS, which creates an extremely dangerous environment for both residents and first responders responding in the event of an emergency."

High-rise buildings present several unique challenges not found in traditional low-rise buildings: longer egress times and distance, evacuation strategies, fire department accessibility, smoke movement, and fire control. It is estimated that high-rise buildings make up 3 percent of all reported structure fires. According to a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) study, an estimated 14,500 reported high-rise structure fires per year resulted in associated losses of 40 civilian deaths, 520 civilian injuries, and $154 million in direct property damage per year from 2009-2013.

Benefits of having an automatic fire sprinkler system in a building include:

• Sprinkler systems control and/or extinguish a fire any time: day or night.
• Immediate identification and control of a developing fire: Without an automatic sprinkler system, a room with a fire can reach flashover conditions within only a few minutes.
• Reduced heat and smoke damage: Significantly less heat and smoke will be generated when the fire is extinguished at an early stage.
• Reduced water damage: A single sprinkler will only discharge approximately 15 to 25 gallons per minute, while a hose and nozzle used by the fire department will put out up to 250 gallons per minute, approximately 10 to 15 times more water.
• Decreased insurance expenditure: Sprinkler controlled fires are less damaging than fires in non-sprinklered buildings. This results in lower insurance reimbursements. Insurance underwriters typically offer reduced premiums for properties with sprinkler protection. 

The American Fire Sprinkler Association, (AFSA) is a non-profit, international association representing merit shop fire sprinkler contractors, dedicated to the educational advancement of its members and promotion of the use of automatic fire sprinkler systems. More information can be found by visiting firesprinkler.org.

The National Council on Public Safety UAS was organized to advance public safety use of UAS through awareness, education, training, collaboration, best practices, FAA Rule-making, defining public safety requirements and general engagement. Separately, and equally as important, is to stay abreast of threats from nefarious uses of UAS and help facilitate the information and implementation of effective counter measures.  

The National Council on Public Safety UAS is made up of 29 national organizations which are inclusive of all public safety disciplines, tribal, local, state and academia. The National Council also includes Federal agency liaisons and invites all to become involved.

To learn more about public safety unmanned aircraft systems, policies, procedures, best practices from local, state and federal sources, visit the Web site: http://publicsafetyUAS.org

If you have additional public safety UAS Resources to be added or you wish to participate, please email to uaspublicsafety@gmail.com

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South Dakota State Fire Meteorologist, Darren Clabo, Ph.D., at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is helping create the Fire Risk Estimation tool (FiRE). The tool gives land managers and firefighting officials a more detailed look at fire potential across the Missouri River basin.

Smokey Bear signs that indicate overall fire danger are common along roadways in the western United States. The FiRE tool uses satellite and metrological data to create a much more detailed understanding of fire danger. The tool can give firefighters a critical edge. Fire managers say the “initial attack” phase during the first few hours of any of any wildfire is the most important time to gain control. When officials know the areas where fire danger is increasing ahead of time they can position resources and better prepare to quickly respond to any small fires before they grow into large incidences.  

“We can narrow this onto a 10-kiliometer grid scale, says Clabo. Previous tools only assessed fire danger on a wider scale, such as across national forest districts or across a county. “If the western two thirds of Pennington County, South Dakota, is wet because they’ve gotten a series of thunderstorms, but some of the eastern areas are dry, we will know where a fire is more likely to start and spread.” Clabo adds.

Clabo says the FiRE tool combines satellite data and meteorological data for an output not available in current fire danger assessments. The tool analyzes drought conditions, high-resolution fuel conditions, and precipitation conditions to produce a fire danger assessment map that land managers and firefighters can monitor daily.

“One of the current problems across the Great Plains is we don’t have very many weather stations. So, those estimated conditions can be inaccurate, and we might not know where the most critical fire weather conditions exist,” says Clabo.

The FiRE tool is being developed thanks to funding from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and NASA DEVELOP with collaboration from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Experts from these organizations are contributing to this research alongside Clabo at SD Mines.  The FiRE tool is set to be ready for use by fire managers in the late summer or fall of 2017.

Firefighters from multiple agencies battled a 3-alarm fire at a mobile home park in Skyway Tuesday night. The fire broke out just before 11 p.m. at the park on Beacon Coal Mine Road. Crews said at least five mobile homes were involved, and three of them were confirmed to have been lost. Fire authorities determined early Wednesday morning that the fire was accidental.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2017 12:03:44 PM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000