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Hands
All
April 2006
D E PA R T M E N T O F F I R E S E R V I C E S • S T O W, M A S S A C H U S E T T S
Public Education
CPSC Recalls
Information
Technology
Code Compliance
& Enforcement
Key Features
New Regulations for
Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Fire Investigation Unit
New Ticketing Procedures
for Fire and Building Codes
Massachusetts
Firefighting Academy
F E AT U R E S
About the
From the Fire Marshal .................................................... 1 All Hands
Herald
BFPR Issues New Regs for CO Alarms ........................ 1
T
Ideas on How to Spread the Word ................................................ 3 he Department
of Fire Services
New Ticketing Procedure for newsletter has
been re-established with
Fire and Building Codes ................................................ 1 a new look and feel. The
intent is to produce a
Public Education ............................................................ 4 high quality, visual and
USFA Releases Fire and the Older Adult Report .......................... 4 extremely informative
quarterly newsletter that
Hazard Houses Regionally Located ............................................. 5
will combine useful and
timely information with a
“Fire Safe Cigarettes” Bill in Mass. Legislature .......... 5 training schedule for Fire
Academy training pro-
Fire Investigation Unit .................................................... 6 grams.
MA Firefighting Academy .............................................. 7 Along with the visual
changes, the new name
Recruit Class #170 Graduates...................................................... 7 All Hands Herald is
Burn Building Renovations Heat Up ........................................... 8 meant to incorporate the
traditional fire service
Information Technology ............................................... 10 meaning - all hands
Disk Storage Guidelines ............................................................ 10 working to extinguish
the fire. In the case of
The DFS Web Site Will be in Transition .......................................11 our newsletter, all hands
includes the DFS staff
CPSC.............................................................................. 12 providing each of you
Recalls ........................................................................................ 12 with information, training
and assistance in deal-
CPSC Approves New Flammability Standard for Mattresses ..... 14 ing with the fire service
issues which confront all
Code Compliance & Enforcement............................... 15 levels of the fire service.
New USFA “Coffee Break Training” Opportunity ......................... 15
We hope that you enjoy
Changes to MGL C148 ............................................................... 15 our new look and feel
Permits Required by the Fire Code (527 CMR) .......................... 16 and we encourage you to
let us know how you like
HazMat ........................................................................... 17 the All Hands Herald
and what we can do to
Hazmat Evolution to Meet the Threats of a New Era: make it even more useful
Part 3, Pandora’s Box ................................................................. 17 to you – our dedicated
fire service members
MFIRS Corner................................................................ 20 and customers. If you
MFIRS V5 Coding ....................................................................... 21 have suggestions, ideas,
questions or want to
Licensing Exams .......................................................... 22 make a contribution to
the All Hands Herald,
2006 Exam Schedule.................................................................. 22 contact Jennifer Mieth at
Status Report of Compliance/Enforcement Actions .................... 22 978-567- 3381 or Donna
Nelson at 978-567-3149.
DE
PAR
MASS.
T M E NT
OF
Jennifer.Mieth@state.ma.us
FIRE
S E RV I C E S
or Donna.Nelson@state.
ma.us u
usetts
Comm
. o ch
a
f
M
s
as
BFPR Issues New
Hands
All Regs for CO Alarms
O
n February 2, 2006, State
Fire Marshal Stephen D.
Coan and Board of Fire Pre-
vention Regulations (BFPR) Chair-
D E PA R T M E N T O F F I R E S E R V I C E S • S T O W, M A S S A C H U S E T T S
man David Demers announced that
the board had passed emergency
From the Fire Marshal regulations on carbon monoxide
alarms. The Legislature directed the
partnered to deliver training through- BFPR to draft regulations as part
out the state to fire departments on of the recently enacted “Nicole’s
implementation of the regulations Law” that requires carbon monoxide
and guidance on protocols for fire alarms in all homes with potential
department response to CO calls. sources of carbon monoxide – those
Given the short time-frame, we are with fossil-fuel burning equipment or
working diligently to spread the word enclosed parking areas.
to the public and to give tools to lo- Coan said, “These regulations
cal fire departments and others to bring us another step closer to full
help notify the public. The deadline implementation of this law. The
for most homes to have CO alarms Department of Fire Services will be
installed was 3/31/06. working with a consortium of fire,
2004 Annual Statistical
continued on page 3
Report Released
One of the goals of DFS is to furnish
L New Ticketing
ast fall the Department of Fire the administration, the fire service,
Services worked closely with and the public with useful informa-
members of the Legislature, tion about the fire experience in Procedure for Fire
the fire chiefs and the Administra- Massachusetts. Collecting accurate and Building Codes
tion to create a new law requiring and timely data about fires, fire
carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in causes and how people are injured One of the major changes in fire
most residential properties in Mas- and killed is imperative for deci- safety brought about by the Mas-
sachusetts. The Legislation outlined sion makers to make informed and sachusetts Fire Safety Act (Chapter
the requirements and directed the effective policy, and for the average 304 of the Acts of the 2004) is the
Board of Fire Prevention Regula- citizen to learn how to protect them- ability to write tickets for fire and
tions (BFPR) to develop the specif- selves and their family. building code violations rather than
ics of the implementation strategy prosecute violations in district or
– what kind, where, how many, etc. New Record Low Number housing court. While the option to
Our staff worked closely with the of Fire Deaths in 2004 take a case to court remains, now
BFPR subcommittee that developed We recently published the 2004 only the most egregious cases will
the technical standards and I formed MFIRS Annual Report. The total go to court where they compete with
a focus group to work with them on number of fires increased to 29,462 crimes with a more immediate impact
crafting the best possible regula- in 2004, a 6% increase from the on public safety. These standardized
tion. They worked diligently through previous year. No firefighters lost code violation notices are similar to
the holiday season and the board their life while fighting a fire. Unfortu- traffic tickets. The uniform system
adopted the first phase of the regula- nately 52 civilians died in 46 Mas- will help simplify enforcement efforts
tion on February 2. The regulatory sachusetts fires during 2004, this is and document habitual offenders. In
process is not yet complete as the a 15% decrease from the previous addition to the fines associated with
board considers hard-wired require- year. This is the lowest recorded the tickets, violations will result in
ments for large-scale residential and number of fire-related fatalities since suspension or revocation of local or
institutional structures. We continue World War II. A disturbing statistic is state permits, certificates or licenses
to rely on the expertise and input that 25% of all residential fire victims giving more strength to code en-
of stakeholders who participate in were not alerted by smoke detec- forcement efforts. The fines collected
focus groups to successfully imple- tors. One-third of these cases were from these tickets will provide fund-
ment the second regulation. due to disabled smoke alarms, the ing to municipalities, the Department
Several divisions within DFS have
continued on page 2 continued on page 2
From the Marshal New ticketing procedures
continued from page 1 continued from page 1
other two-thirds did not have any of Fire Services, and the Department books. Again, this information should
smoke alarms at all; these people of Public Safety for training of fire be faxed to Rob Anderson at the
mistakenly thought fire wouldn’t hap- and building inspectors. Department of Public Safety (fax #
pen to them. 617-227-1754).
Courts Involved in Designing
Smoking has been the leading the Ticketing Process You may contact Bonnie Davis, Rob
cause of fatal fires as far back as Anderson’s assistant, at DPS if you
The Department of Fire Services
the 1940’s. Smoking was still the have questions or need assistance
and the Department of Public Safety
leading cause of fire deaths in 2004, regarding the new ticket books. She
worked closely with the courts in or-
accounting for 16% of the total fire may be contacted by telephone at
der to design the ticketing system to
deaths. It was responsible for 19% 617-727-3200 ext. 25236 or e-mail
ensure it would work smoothly upon
of the fatal fires in 2004. Bonnie.Davis@state.ma.us.
implementation.
The leading cause of fires in the The Department of Fire Services
home in 2004 was cooking, which Local Hearing Officer sent two copies of the new pocket
caused half of all residential fires. In order for local fire and build- edition of the Schedule of Assess-
ing officials to implement this new ments for Fire Code Violations, one
RIP Cigarette Legislation
ticketing procedure they must first for the department and one for the
There is legislation before both the establish an independent local hear- community’s designated hearing
House and Senate to create a “resis- ing officer who cannot be an active officer. For additional copies, please
tant ignition propensity” or self-extin- staff member of the fire or building fax in a written request (fax # 978-
guishing cigarette. This is modeled department. The hearing officer may 567-3121) with the number of copies
on the highly successful New York be paid $2,500 out of collected fines. requested and the name and ad-
State, Canadian and Vermont laws. Several communities have been dress as to where these should be
There is a coalition of people in Mas- looking to join together and hire a sent.
sachusetts working on this important single hearing officer to serve sev-
step to protect lives and property eral cities and towns. Warnings and Fines: Tools
from fire. One weekend in February to Gain Compliance
our agency responded to three sep- Ticket Books The goal of every code compliance
arate fires started by improper use The new ticketing procedure as officer is to voluntarily gain compli-
and disposal of smoking materials; established by MGL c.148A is now ance as quickly as possible. The
one of these fires killed an elderly in effect. The Massachusetts Non- public is best protected when code
couple. These fires, which are just a Criminal Fire Code Violation Notice violations are corrected immediately
few examples, underscore the need ticket books have been printed and or soon thereafter. Local fire and
for this life saving legislation. are available to all Massachusetts building officials still retain the ability
fire departments. Each fire depart- to issue a warning for first offenses
Facility if the situation warrants. The fine for
ment must fax a copy of the hearing
Progress on the DFS facility expan- officer appointment letter to indicate a first offense (subsequent to any
sion project is moving forward. This that their hearing officer is in place. warning issued) is $100 per viola-
is a long-term project and a water- The appointment letter along with tion. If after 21 days the violation has
shed one for the state’s fire train- the request for the ticket book should not been satisfactorily corrected and
ing system, the fire service and the be sent to the attention of Rob no appeal has been made to the lo-
public who use our services and our Anderson. Please be sure to identify cal hearing officer, the fire or building
staff. We are working closely with the name and address of the mu- official may write another ticket for
the architect and are one year away nicipal fire official to whom the ticket $500 per previously cited offense. If
from beginning actual construction. book should be sent in the letter of after another 21 days, the violation
I am excited about what this project request. The Department of Public remains uncorrected and no appeal
will mean long-term for the expand- Safety (DPS) is prepared to forward has been made to the local hearing
ing role of the Department of Fire one ticket book per municipality and officer, the fine rises to $1,000 per
Services. u will provide additional information violation. u
on how to receive additional ticket
2 • Department of Fire Services
New regs for CO alarms
continued from page 1
health, housing, and other groups to Provisions of New feet of a bathroom or kitchen.
educate concerned groups and the Regulations for CO Detectors
All affected residences must install
public on effective implementation of For buildings with fossil-fuel burn- approved carbon monoxide alarms
these regulations.” ing equipment or enclosed parking by March 31, 2006, although, where
areas, the new regulations require hard-wired systems are required by
Implementation
carbon monoxide detectors on every the BFPR, the deadline is January 1,
The responsibility now falls on local level of the home and within ten feet 2007.
fire departments to implement
these regulations and DFS has Fire Marshal Coan indicated
put together resources to help. that the board is continuing to
Ideas on How to develop additional CO alarm re-
Available from DFS (telephone,
email, snail mail, webpage) are:
Spread the Word quirements for certain transient
residential buildings such as
• A copy of the new regula- • Tax or water bill inserts hotels and motels, in addition to
tion 527 CMR 31.00; • Press Releases requirements for certain institu-
• Form FP-7C for inspections • Articles in local newsletters: parent tional buildings. It is anticipated
(not available on-line); newsletters, senior center newsletters that the regulations for these
• A Consumer’s Guide to Mas- • Post on town webpage types of buildings will be promul-
sachusetts Requirements gated in the very near future in
• Distribute Consumer Guide in public
for CO Alarms (tri-fold 1 order to meet the statutes’ Janu-
places such as the senior center, town
page, 2-sided pamphlet); ary 1, 2007 deadline.
hall and other community buildings.
• The DFS FireFactors on • Ask Health, Building and School Alternative Compliance
Carbon Monoxide Safety (1- Departments for help. Options
page public education flyer); • Do interviews on local cable tele- This is the part of the regulation
• A customizable press vision or radio talk shows that has generated the most
release for use by lo- • Place a notice on local ca- questions for fire departments.
cal fire departments. ble access television The first question fire preven-
In addition, the code compliance • Speak at Chamber of Commerce tion officers should ask owners
and enforcement staff in the and community organizations such of larger buildings is: “Is there a
Office of the State Fire Marshal as Lion’s or Rotary meetings source of CO inside the individu-
are prepared to assist local fire al apartments?” If the answer is
departments implement the “yes,” then this alternative is not
regulation. Staff can be reached an option.
at (978) 567-3375. of each sleeping area and in habit- The regulation allows for alterna-
able basements and attics. The CO tive compliance options that may
Training for Fire Departments
detectors may be: be more practical for larger build-
DFS put together and delivered
a series of ten training seminars • Battery operated with bat- ings with multiple dwelling units that
designed to answer questions on tery monitoring; or contain minimal or no sources of
the new regulations. These trainings • Plug-ins with battery back-up; or CO inside the individual units. The
started February 27, 2006 and ran option allows owners to target the
• Hard-wired with battery backup; or
through March 13, 2006. CO alarm protection only in those
• Low voltage system; or areas that could be potential sources
Nicole’s Law • Wireless, or of the CO. Examples include rooms
• Qualified combination smoke/ that contain boilers, hot water heat-
On November 4, 2005, Governor
carbon monoxide alarm. ers, central laundry areas and do not
Romney signed “Nicole’s Law”,
Acceptable combination smoke de- have an air exchange with any other
named after 7-year old Nicole Garo-
tectors and carbon monoxide alarms room or common area, and enclosed
falo who died on January 28, 2005
must have simulated voice and tone parking areas. This CO protection
when her Plymouth home was filled
features that clearly distinguish be- option requires hard or low voltage
with deadly amounts of carbon mon-
tween the two types of emergencies. wiring, monitoring and certain sig-
oxide on January 24. The furnace
The State Building Code mandates nal transmission requirements. The
vents had been blocked by snow
during a power outage. that only photoelectric combination
alarms are permitted within twenty continued on page 14
Department of Fire Services • 3
Public Education
USFA Releases Fire and the Older Adult Report
I
n January 2006, the U.S. Fire Ad- The report underscores how im-
ministration released a report Fire portant it is to reach this vulnerable
and the Older Adult. The term population.
‘older adult’ is what people over 65
The report, Fire and the Older Adult,
liked to be called instead of “elderly”
was developed by the National Fire
or “senior citizen.” This short report
Data Center, part of the U.S. Fire
has interesting demographic infor-
Administration, and is based on
mation about what is the largest
research from a variety of public and
growing segment of the population
private organizations and data from
the fire service protects, fire risk fac-
the National Fire Incident Reporting
tors for older adults, risk factors for
System (NFIRS), National Center for
fire in long-term care facilities, and
Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S. Cen-
����������������������� Interagency
risk factors in home health care or
sus Bureau, the Federal
hospice care situations. It provides a
Forum on Aging-Related Statistics,
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good summary of the risk this target
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and the Department of Health and
a fire.
population faces of dying in �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
���������������� Human Services’ Administration on
The report states that adults age 65
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likely
and older are 2.5 times more ���������������� ��������������������� ����������������
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risk to persons
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��������������������� �������������������������
������������������������ ������� to the USFA’s
������������������� Fire Safety Cam- ����������������������������������������
paign for People
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50-Plus. The �������������������������������������������
report provides an extensive review �������������������������������������
to die in fires than the overall popu-
of the fire situation for older adults ���������������������������������������������
lation, and as Americans age, their ��������������������
in the United States and evaluates
fire risk increases. In Massachu-
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fire risk factors and risks of fire injury
setts, people over 65 are twice as � �
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and fatality among that population
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likely to be a fire victim according to ����������������������������������������
group. �������������������� ������������
2004 Mass. Fire Incident Reporting ������������������������������������������
�������������� �������������������
System (MFIRS) data, down from According to ��������������������� data, 34
2002 NFIRS ������������
2.1 in 2003. percent of the people who died in
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residential structure fires and 14
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Act on this Information percent of the ������������������� were
people who ��������������������
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Massachusetts fire officials should injured were age 65 and older. In
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consider downloading this report and Massachusetts in 2004, older adults ����������
�������������������������������� �����������������
sharing it with their local council on accounted for 28% of fire deaths and �����������
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aging or senior center director. The 12% of fire injuries. ������������������������������������������� ��������������
Public Education Unit in the Office ���������������
of the State Fire Marshal has been A copy of the full report
distributing a free copy of the Na- can be downloaded from:
tional Fire Protection Association’s www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/pub-
Remembering When: A Fall and lications/fa-300.pdf ������������������������������������
Fire Prevention Program for Older ������������������������������������� ������������������������������������
Information in this report can help
������������������������������������� �������������������������
Adults to every fire department.
fire officials, from chief to line officer,
�������������������������
[Contact Jennifer.Mieth@state.ma.us
with strategic planning as they think
or 978/567-3381 if you have not got-
about who their customers will be,
ten your copy yet.] This program will
what services they will require, and
help fire educators or others teach
how to effectively deliver them. u
eight fall and fire prevention behav-
iors to older adults in the community.
4 • Department of Fire Services
Hazard Houses
Regionally Located “Fire Safe Cigarettes” Bill in
The four Hazard Houses purchased
Massachusetts Legislature
by the Department of Fire Services The Massachusetts legislature is considering “fire-safe cigarette” legis-
are now regionally located for easier lation, otherwise known as reduced ignition propensity cigarettes that
access by local fire educators. self-extinguish if left unattended. The bill, co-sponsored by state Rep-
Only trained fire educators can ar- resentative Rachel Kaprielian (Watertown) and state Senator Stephen
range to borrow one of these ex- Brewer (Barre), would adopt the same fire safety standards for ciga-
pensive teaching tools. The names rettes as New York, Vermont and California.
of educators who have received the The bill was favorably reported from the Joint Public Safety Committee
training are on a list at each location. in October 2005 and is currently before the Joint Health Care Financing
Borrowers should contact the fol- Committee to analyze the cost for the state to implement the standard.
lowing people to schedule use of a
Hazard House. You will be asked to
sign for them .
South: Berkley Fire Department
Chief Robert Milne
(508) 828-1451
Bob.Milne@BerkleyFire.com
North: Lowell Fire Department
Insp. Rene Demers
(978) 446-7260
RDemers@ci.lowell.ma.us
Central: DFS-Stow
Jennifer Mieth
(978) 567-3318
Jennifer.Mieth@state.ma.us
West: DFS-Northampton
Sally Wyrobek
(413) 587-3181 X 200
Sally.Wyrobek@state.ma.us u (l-r) S. Coan, D. Lafond, E. Bouurassa, Rep. Kaprelian, R. DiPoli, R. McCarthy, S. Edwards
Free Resources for
Fire Educators According to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System
(MFIRS), cigarettes are the leading cause of fatal home fires and have
been according to available records as far back as World War II.
Has Your Department
Picked Up Yours Yet? At a hearing in May 2005, a coalition of fire officials and public safety
The Department of Fire Services has advocates testified in favor of the bill. A January 2005 study by the
free copies of NFPA’s Remember- Harvard School of Public Health found that New York cigarettes with
ing When: A Fall and Fire Prevention the reduced ignition propensity technology were dramatically less likely
Program for Older Adults, a set of the to cause a fire if left to smolder than cigarettes without it. The cigarettes
Learn Not To Burn® (LNTB) Resourc- meet the fire safety standard by using less porous banded paper that
es Books and English and Span- acts like speed bumps to slow down and eventually extinguish if the
ish copies of the LNTB Preschool smoker is not actively “puffing” on the cigarette. u
Programs for every fire department
in Massachusetts. Check with our
Public Education Unit at (978) 567-
3381 or Jennifer.Mieth@state.ma.us if
you think your department did pick Editor’s Note: The bill passed the Senate in late March.
yours up yet at the Public Education
Conference last fall, or the S.A.F.E.
In-Service in November. u
Department of Fire Services • 5
Fire Investigation Unit
Federal Sentences in Chelsea Arson for Hire Case
O
ver a 27-month period from much larger space for Mr. Lecesse’s Other fires that are part of this case
April 2001 to July 2003, business than where it was origi- occurred on December 21, 2000 on
there was a string of arson nally. Eastern Avenue, January 8, 2003 at
fires and attempted arsons in a two- Doug’s Bargains, June 2, 2003 fire
block area of Chelsea’s downtown Investigators successfully used the
at New England Furniture, and June
commercial district. The joint inves- Arson Watch Reward Program and
12, 2003 at Slaton’s Furniture. The
tigation determined that the owner a private reward offer to leverage
two attempted arsons took place on
of TL’s Discount, which opened in information about the fires. Shawn
December 30, 2002 and July 18,
March 2001, masterminded a series Sandler, who ultimately plead guilty
2003 at a multi-unit apartment build-
of arson and attempted arson fires in federal court for setting the fire
ing at 466 Broadway.
to burn out his competition and to at Slaton’s and Doug’s Bargains,
acquire a larger space. approached the owner of Doug’s This series of fires was doggedly
Bargains and the building’s owner investigated by the Chelsea Fire
In March 2001, Todd Lecesse saying he had information on those Department, Chelsea Police Depart-
opened a bargain goods store at fires. ment, State Police assigned to the
320 Broadway in Chelsea called North Team in the Office of the State
TL’s Discount. Four different com- The three co-defendants in this
Fire Marshal, and the federal Bureau
mercial businesses within two blocks case are responsible for, and have
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
of this store suffered eleven actual admitted to ten arson fires and two
Explosives. The Major Crimes Unit in
or attempted fires over the next two attempted arson fires in the City of
the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted
years. All of these businesses sold Chelsea. However they have plead
the case. One of the challenges to
furniture or jewelry or bargain goods guilty to fewer than the total number
sustaining long-term investigations is
and were competitors of TL’s Dis- of fires for which they admit respon-
“keeping the team together.” There
count. sibility.
are inevitable changes in investi-
Todd Lecesse, of 7 Pine Tree Drive, gative and supervisory personnel,
The fires occurred at: Doug’s Bar-
Saugus, plead guilty on January 5, and changes in civilian leadership
gains at 420 Broadway; Doug’s Bar-
2005 to orchestrating three separate through the normal political process. u
gains after it moved to 472 Broad-
way; Doug’s Jewelry Store at 411 fires in Chelsea: Slaton’s Furniture,
Broadway; New England Discount Jewelry and Appliances on June 19,
Center Furniture at 306 Broadway; 2003; and the June 12. 2001 fire at
and Slaton’s Furniture Jewelry and Doug’s Jeweler’s.
Appliances at 286-294 Broadway. Shawn Sandler, of 182 Chestnut
Slaton’s had originally opened in Street in Chelsea, plead guilty in
Chelsea in 1939 and moved to the federal court on January 17, 2006
288 Broadway site in 1941, and was to setting fires on June 19, 2003 at
still a profitable, going concern in Slaton’s Furniture and July 23, 2003
2003 when the fires occurred. at Doug’s Bargain Store. He will be
The first Slaton’s fire occurred when sentenced on April 3, 2006 and if
someone poured an accelerant convicted faces 5-20 years in prison.
down a rooftop vent pipe on June A third defendant, Jose Muniz, plead
12, 2003. There was only minimal guilty in federal court on February
smoke and water damage. A week 9, 2006 to four counts of arson and
later someone drilled holes in the sentenced to 77 months in federal
roof and poured in an accelerant prison and three years supervised
and lit it. There was a small area of release and restitution. Muniz was
fire damage, a larger area of smoke charged in the April 4, 2001 fire at
damage and extensive water dam- Doug’s Bargains, the June 12, 2001
age. The owner of Slaton’s decided fire at Doug’s Jewelers, the Decem-
to retire rather than rebuild and he ber 30, 2001 fire at Doug’s Jewelers
sold the building to Todd Lecesse, and the December 6, 2002 fire at
owner of TL’s Discount. This was a Doug’s Bargains second location.
6 • Department of Fire Services
MA Firefighting Academy
Recruit Class #170 Graduates
S
tate Fire Marshal Stephen Firefighter I-II Basic Training Goshen, Granby, Hadley, Monson,
D. Coan and Massachusetts Class #9 and #10 Graduate Russell, South Hadley Dist. 2 and
Firefighting Academy Interim State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan Wales.
Director Richard Farrar are pleased and newly appointed Massachu-
to announce the graduation Class #10 graduated on
of the 170th Class of the Thursday, March 9, 2006 at
Massachusetts Firefighting the Chocksett Middle School
Academy’s fifty-five day Re- in, Sterling, MA in 7:30 p.m.
cruit Firefighting Program on ceremony. The thirty-eight
December, 23 2005. Coan graduates represent the
said, “This rigorous profes- twenty-two fire departments of:
sional training provides our Ashburnham, Berlin, Carlisle,
newest firefighters with the Clinton, Harvard, Holden,
basic skills to perform their Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton,
Firefighter I-II Basic Training Class #10 Hubbardston, Lancaster, Lin-
jobs effectively and safely.”
The Massachusetts Firefighting coln, Lincoln, Millis, Northborough,
setts Firefighting Academy Director Princeton, Rutland, Sherborn,
Academy, a division of the Depart- Laurent R. McDonald planned to
ment of Fire Services, offers this Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sterling,
present certificates of completion to and Townsend. u
program, tuition-free. members of the Firefighter I / II Ba-
sic Training class #9 in a graduation
69 Graduates From 36
ceremony on Sunday, February 12,
Fire Departments
2006 at 2:00 p.m. Due to a blizzard, USFA Virtual
The sixty-nine graduates, repre- the graduation ceremony which Campus
took place
T
at Mount he U.S. Fire Administration
Holyoke Col- (USFA) in February began
lege, South offering on-line training as part
Hadley, was of its virtual campus. Simulations
postponed for command and control in a ranch
until March house, a townhouse and a nursing
12, 2006. home are available.
The Fire- The Q324 Ranch House interac-
fighter I / II tive simulation involves a scenario
Basic Train- depicting a single-story, single-family
ing program dwelling and presents the student
is unique in with a “room-and-contents” fire and
Recruit Class #170 that it delivers basic rescue problems. Upon suc-
sent the thirty-six fire departments a standard recruit training curricu- cessful completion of this online sim-
of: Attleboro, Barnstable, Belmont, lum, meeting national standards, on ulation course, the user will be able
Billerica, Centerville-Osterville- nights and weekends to accommo- to recognize the cues and problems
Marston Mills, Easton, Everett, date the schedule of call/volunteer associated with this type of incident.
Falmouth, Fitchburg, Framingham, firefighters in suburban and rural Course objectives are the rescue
Gloucester, Hopedale, Kingston, areas. Bringing the training closer and safe removal of occupants.
Leominster, Lexington, Lincoln, to the firefighters often means more National Fire Academy/United States
Lowell, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, firefighters can participate. Fire Administration certification will
Manchester, Mashpee, Newburyport, be granted upon successful comple-
The twenty-nine graduates, twenty-
North Reading, Northampton, Or- tion of the course evaluations.
six men and three women, repre-
leans, Plainville, Raynham, Reading, sent the thirteen fire departments The Q325 Townhouse simulation
Revere, Southborough, Southbridge, of: Amherst, Becket, Blandford, presents the user with a set of com-
Wakefield, Westborough, Winchester Bondsville, Chesterfield, Gill,
and Woburn. continued on page 8
Department of Fire Services • 7
USFA News
continued from page 7
plex fire and rescue problems com- ment and control of fire in the build- in this nation. Our senior citizens
monly found in a townhouse, row ing of origin. are too often the tragic victims of
house, garden apartment, or condo- fire. This course will better prepare
minium response. Upon successful The Q424 - Nursing Home Fire
the firefighters facing the challenges
completion of this online simula- simulation presents the user with a
present when dealing with these
tion course, the user will be able to kitchen fire in a two-story nursing
types of fires.”
recognize the fire and rescue issues home. Upon successful completion
related to this type of occupancy. of this online simulation course, the These courses can be found on
user will be able to recognize the USFA’s Virtual Campus at www.train-
“This simulation is designed to help rescue issues related to this type of ing.fema.gov. The USFA has many
command officials better understand occupancy - those people who have other training programs, both online
the problems they may encounter differing medical problems and those and classroom-based, that are de-
when responding to these kinds of people who are visiting. signed to assist emergency respond-
occupancies,” said Deputy United ers in becoming better prepared for
States Fire Administrator Charlie “This simulation, with its nursing
all types of emergencies. Informa-
Dickinson. “This course will better home command challenges, is
tion on these training programs and
prepare the firefighters and com- designed to help command officials
other USFA initiatives and publica-
mand officers facing the challenges better understand the problems that
tions can be found at www.usfa.fema.
present when dealing with these may occur within nursing facilities
gov. u
types of fires,” he added. during emergencies,” said Dickinson.
“Homeland security and prepared-
Course objectives include safe re- ness involves firefighters protecting
moval of all occupants and contain- all people living in all environments
Burn Building Renovations Heat Up
I
t’s unusual not to smell smoke tory, in preparation for the installation 1993. The company’s customers
when entering the Department of a new thermal tiling system. include state training academies for:
of Fire Services/MA Firefighting Pennsylvania and Ohio; the cities of
Academy’s yard these days. Since Because of the cost and extent of
Los Angeles, California; Portland,
the beginning of the burn build-
Oregon; and Durham, North Caro-
this year, instead ing renovation
lina; and the counties of Fairfax,
of flames and project - a cost
Virginia; Montgomery, Maryland; and
black smoke of more than
Rockland, New York.
pouring out of $1.5 million
the burn building, - DCAM is re- The burn building renovation proj-
there has only quired by state ect actually began in 1999, when a
been some flying law to manage structural survey was performed on
dust, debris-filled the project. This the burn building to determine any
dumpsters and management is structural damage as well as dam-
the shrill, grind- DFS Burn Building “renovation” (Feb., ‘06) taking place in age to thermal linings and other
ing sound of power tools. partnership with: non-structural systems. An addi-
DFS; C.J.M. Services, Inc., the gen- tional survey of the burn building
The renovation of the burn build- eral contractor; Studio One, Inc., the was again conducted in 2003. Both
ing officially began November 2005 architect for the project; Elliot LeB- surveys have been conducted by
when general contractor, C.J.M. oeff & Associates (EL& A), structural EL&A in coordination with several
Services, Inc. successfully bid on the engineers and special consultants other consultants, including Studio
project and was accepted by the De- on the thermal lining system; and One, Inc.
partment of Capital Asset Manage- High Temperature Linings (HTL),
ment (DCAM). C.J.M. Services, Inc. the Virginia-based company respon- The burn building, which opened in
is responsible for overseeing all the sible for installing the thermal lining July 1991, is a four-story structure
construction costs and schedules for system. HTL has been installing live (three stories plus a basement) with
the project, especially the removal of fire training structures throughout
the interior concrete walls, or refrac- the USA, Canada, and Europe since continued on page 9
8 • Department of Fire Services
Burn Building Renovation
continued from page 8
a total of 6,160 square feet of interior Both structural studies basically refractory concrete mixed with metal
space (including stairs, excluding concluded that the interior concrete, fibers and other materials, distin-
or refractory, has begun to chip guishing them from ceramic tiles.
away in certain locations due to over Each tile typically measures one-foot
11 years of heavy usage. Over the by one-foot by two-inches thick, with
years, DFS staff has been success- formed, ship lapped edges that allow
ful in repairing and maintaining the an interlocking installation. Each tile
refractory, and keeping the burn is attached to the wall or ceiling with
building safe for instructors and one expansion bolt at the center of
recruits. However, engineering stud- the tile. The narrow gaps between
ies recommended that the concrete the tiles are not sealed in order to
walls need to be replaced and a allow for expansion during burns.
better thermal system is needed to
The advantages of using the HTL
maintain a high safety level while
System 203 over the current refrac-
Refractory removal-burn building interior maintaining high usage required by
tory, or other available systems, is
the agency.
that it will not delaminate or debond
roof surfaces). Each floor has dif-
With this background in mind, the (i.e. chipped or peeling refractory
ferent dimensions, with the largest
structural engineers, EL&A, recom- falling off) when exposed to live fire
floor plan at the basement, and the
mended several actions for improv- training, thus eliminating a safety
smallest at the third floor. There are
hazard to firefighters. Also, this sys-
18 burn rooms used for live fire train-
tem can be exposed to longer, hotter
ing. Typical training evolutions in the
training evolutions, such as evolu-
burn building involve short duration
tions where wood pallets are burned
of burns (less than two minutes) and
in addition to straw. The refractory
15-minute intervals at a minimum,
would degrade at a faster rate when
between evolutions. A typical train-
exposed to hotter, longer evolutions.
ing day might involve five evolu-
Therefore, the HTL System 203
tions in the morning and two in the
will provide a greater safety factor
afternoon. Temperatures in the burn
should the Firefighting Academy
rooms can exceed 1,300 degrees F
ever changes its training methods.
at the ceiling level.
HTL System 203-New thermal lining
It is expected with all the suggested
The building is constructed of
structural upgrades and the instal-
poured-in-place reinforced concrete, ing the structure’s exterior walls,
lation of the HTL System 203 that
including all roof slabs, elevated floor roof, floors and stairs such as rout-
the burn building should have an
slabs, interior stairs, walls, beams ing and sealing all cracks, as well
operating life of 20 years or more.
and columns. Concrete bearing as major demolition of the interior
The anticipated completion date for
walls support most of the elevated walls. EL&A recommended removing
the burn building renovation is May
slabs. In a few locations, concrete the existing concrete, or refractory,
beams supported either by concrete which includes welded wire mesh,
walls or concrete columns, support anchor clips and nails, and installing
the elevated slabs. The basement a new thermal lining on the walls,
floor is a slab-on-grade and is rein- specifically, High Temperature Lin-
forced with welded fabric wire. There ings (HTL) System 203. After DFS
are steel exterior stairs attached to and Studio One conducting addi-
the front and rear of the building with tional research into the HTL System
concrete exterior stairs to the north 203, DCAM granted permission for
and south of the building. (Source: the project to require the installation
Report on the Structural Survey, of this specialized system.
Testing, and Evaluation of the Mas-
The HTL System 203 consists of HTL System 203-Installed tiles
sachusetts Firefighting Academy
“thermo refractory ceramic” tiles 2006, providing the weather cooper-
in Stow, MA, by Elliott LeBoeuf &
backed by one inch thick calcium ates and the exterior work may be
Associates, Roger M. LeBoeuf, P.E.,
silicate insulation boards. The tiles completed in dry and warmer condi-
June 2, 2003).
are made with calcium aluminate tions. u
Department of Fire Services • 9
Information Technology
Disk Storage Guidelines
C
an disks really last for the usually of thin gold, silver or silver new storage technology within ten
100-year life span envisioned alloy. Gold does not corrode, though years.”
for them? Many users think gold-coated disks are expensive.
the disks are indestructible, but they Silver corrodes when exposed to air The Real Culprit
are wrong, said Fred Byers, an IT pollutants such as sulfur. Most silver- If you have purchased quality media
specialist at the National Institute of coated disks use alloys to inhibit from a quality manufacturer, you are
Standards and Technology (NIST). corrosion. still not assured of 50-100 years of
data life!
The good news from NIST is that Rewritable CDs and DVDs have a
shorter life span of about 25 years, You are in the greatest danger to
certain types of disks might last that
so Byers said he does not recom- the data longevity of your personal,
long but only if handled with care.
mend them for archiving. A rewrit- family and business information that
But disk life expectancy depends on is stored on CD and DVD. Direct ex-
able disk’s metal-alloy data layer is
many factors, some controllable by posure to sunlight and intense heat
less stable than that in write-once
users, others not, Byers noted. can do dramatic damage. Rapid
disks. And rewritable disks are af-
Recordable CDs and DVDs can fected by light, so they also have a changes in temperature and humid-
be as reliable as magnetic tape limited number of reads—a number ity can stress the materials. Gravity
for backup, he said, and they read that’s still uncertain. can bend and stress the discs. Fin-
much faster because they use ran- gerprints and smudges can do more
Surprisingly, pre-manufactured CD- damage than scratches.
dom access, whereas users must
ROMs and DVD-ROMs may not
search files stored on
last as long as record- Do’s and Don’ts for Media Storage
tape sequentially.
able disks, Byers Do…
The useful said. • Handle discs by the outer
life span edge or the center hole.
Most
of disks
industry • Use a non solvent-based felt-
varies
estimates tip permanent marker to mark
with tem-
place the the label side of the disc.
perature,
life span • Keep dirt or other foreign
humidity and
of profession- matter from the disc.
day-to-day use.
ally produced disks • Store discs upright (book style)
Data degradation at
somewhere between 20 and in original jewel cases that are
first can go unnoticed because of
100 years. But the weakness of the specified for CDs and DVDs.
the error-correcting abilities of disk
ROM disks stems largely from their
readers. • Return discs to their jewel
aluminum reflective layer, Byers
NIST has found that recordable cases immediately after use.
said.
disks seem to last much longer • Leave discs in their spindle or
When exposed to humidity and at- jewel case to minimize the ef-
than rewritable disks, Byers said,
mospheric oxygen through scratch- fects of environmental changes.
and even longer than manufactured
es, cracks or delaminated areas
disks such as CDs for installing com- • Remove the shrink-wrap only
in the label, the aluminum breaks
mercial software. when you are ready to re-
down.
General industry guidelines now es- cord data on the disc.
Byers warned that all the life spans • Store in a cool, dry, dark environ-
timate office-burned copies of CDs
are rough estimates. A hurried burn ment in which the air is clean
and DVDs could remain readable for
or a change in manufacturing tech- -- relative humidity should be
100 to 200 years.
nique could cause premature failure. in the range 20% - 50% (RH)
A disk burner records information by He advised agencies to consider and temperature should be
laser-heating a dye inside the disk. the longevity of their current storage in the range 4°C - 20°C.
Over time the dye fades, rendering media and always be developing • Remove dirt, foreign mate-
the information difficult to read. The migration strategies to a new one. rial, fingerprints, smudges,
disk’s reflective layer, which sends
“These days, the rate of change in and liquids by wiping with a
information back to a photosensor
technology is so much faster,” Byers clean cotton fabric in a straight
during reading, is also subject to
degradation. The reflective layer is said, “I’m convinced there will be a
continued on page 11
10 • Department of Fire Services
Disk Storage Guidelines Fire Mobilization
continued from page 10
Strategic Plan
line from the center of the • Clean in a circular direc-
D
disc toward the outer edge. tion around the disc. FS, in conjunction with the
• Use de-ionized (best), distilled FCAM Mobilization Com-
Reliable Medium
or soft tap water to clean your mittee and MEMA, is in the
There is a lot of cheap CDR and
discs. For tough problems process of developing a strategic
DVDR media that has marginal
use diluted dish detergent or plan for Statewide Fire Mobilization
quality. For some applications like
rubbing alcohol. Rinse and to align their current mobilization
games, quality isn’t critical. For ir-
dry thoroughly with a lint-free procedures with the needs of mod-
replaceable, vital data like family
cloth or photo lens tissue. ern Homeland Security parameters.
photos, special events, vacations
• Check the disc surface The strategic plan will produce a
and family/friends memories, quality
before recording. set of recommendations, which the
does matter. If you are backing up
Mobilization Committee will evaluate
Do Not… mission critical data on your home or
for approval and implementation. It
• Touch the surface of the disc. business computer, quality matters.
is intended to provide strategic direc-
Then it is important to select a brand
• Bend the disc. tion for fire mobilization by develop-
of media that will keep your data
• Store discs horizontally for ing 5-year goals and 10-year goals.
safe, secure and available for years
a long time (years). to come. DFS has contracted with Municipal
• Open a recordable opti- Resources Inc. and Public Safety
Quality and low prices just don’t
cal disc package if you are Strategies Group to produce the re-
seem to mix!
not ready to record. port. The final report will be released
• Expose discs to extreme The next step to long-term data by early summer 2006.
heat or high humidity. reliability is to handle and store the
media with the respect your data Licensing Project
• Expose discs to extreme
deserves.
rapid temperature or hu- DFS-IT has submitted a proposal
midity changes. If you have any to convert its multiple licensing
• Expose recordable discs to questions please database applications into a single
prolonged sunlight or other contact Steve system called My License. This
sources of UV light. Pheeny at would be in partnership with the
(978) 567- Commonwealth’s Information Tech-
• Write or mark in the data
3778. u nology Division, which is implement-
area of the disc (area
where the laser “reads”). ing the statewide licensing software
developed by System Automation.
My License will provide the end user
with the ability to apply for licenses
The Department of Fire Services on-line and maintain their personal
Web Site Will be in Transition information. DFS will continue to
conduct examinations of the ap-
By Steve Pheeny & Ken Nyberg is available on our own website and plicants and to manage the license
status information. There will be
W
e are in the process of mi- other state agency websites. While
the migration is in process there will strong security features that will
grating the Department of keep control of the data in the hands
Fire Services web pages to be links between the old and new
websites until all of the information of DFS.
a new portalized website. One can
find a link to DFS’s new portalized is available on the new Department In a related but separate project,
landing page on the right hand side of Fire Services portalized web- DFS is working with the State Police
of DFS’s home page. The purpose site. When you find the information Fusion Center to provide its licens-
behind the transition is to join other located at a new URL it is best to ing data in a standard public safety
Mass.Gov websites with a common create a “Favorite” or “Bookmark” in format. This will provide licensing
look and feel. Web sites are becom- your web browser. If you are uncer- data to fire, police and other public
ing the information window to the tain in how to create a “Favorite” or safety personnel in remote locations,
world and standardization of access “Bookmark” please call the IT help including fire stations and mobile
will encourage the growing popula- desk at x3777 and as always we will computers on-scene. This would
tion of web users to utilize more fully be glad to help. u be a secure system not open to the
the vast amount of information that general public. u
Department of Fire Services • 11
CPSC
Recalls
10/19/05 - #06-012 •••••••••••••••••••••••••• circuit board &/or battery connector resulting 11/10/05 - 06-023 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
in smoking & melting of components posing
Candle Holders Immersion Heaters
a fire & burn hazard.
Jack ‘O Lantern Bucket Candle Holders Immersion Heaters
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Far East Brokers & Consultants, Inc. Chun Tai Electric Heater Company
prhtml06/06018.html
Only use 1 of the 8 candles that come Moisture in the heating element could cause
with the decoration at a time otherwise it corrosion over time presenting a shock
can generate too much heat & pose a fire 11/8/05 - 06-023 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• hazard.
hazard. Rechargeable Batteries http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ Nikon Rechargeable Battery Packs prhtml06/06028.html
prhtml06/06012.html Nikon, Inc.
The battery packs can short circuit, causing 11/17/05 - 06-031 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
11/1/05 - 06-021 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• them to overheat & possibly melt, posing a
Heating Element
burn hazard.
Candles Weller Brand Heating Element
Pillar Candles With Jewels http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Cooper Hand Tools
Pacific Trade International, Inc.
prhtml06/06023.html
The housing of the heating element can
The paint coating on the outside of the unexpectedly leak hot metal, posing a
candle can ignite, posing a fire hazard. 12/16/05 - 06-056 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• serious risk of burn injury.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ Computer Batteries http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
prhtml06/06021.html Dell Notebook Computer Batteries prhtml06/06031.html
Dell Inc.
11/9/05 - 06-024 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The batteries can overheat posing a fire 11/17/05 - 06-032 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
risk.
Candles Vaporizer & Diffuser
Home Brand Tea Light Candles http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ Vapor-Eze Waterless Vaporizer & Vapor-
Target
prhtml06/06056.html Eze Aromatherapy Diffuser
The candles can burn with a high flame & Juvenile Products Corp.
melt the plastic holders, posing a fire & burn 12/22/06 - 06-060 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• A defective internal heater can cause
hazard. Batteries sparking & emit flames while in use, posing
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ Battery packs used with Polaroid portable a shock, burn & fire hazard.
prhtml06/06024.html DVD players http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Petters Consumer Brands LLC prhtml06/06032.html
11/9/05 - 06-026 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The battery can overheat & melt the plastic
Candle Holders
case while recharging, posing a fire & burn 11/22/05 - 06-037 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
hazard.
Spooky Tree Tea-Light Holder Oscillating Fans
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ Oscillating Electric Tower Fan
Pottery Barn Outlet
prhtml06/06060.html Haier America Trading LLC.
The candle holders can allow tea lights to
have a high flame posing a fire & burn risk. Internal electrical arcing in the fan can
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ 2/17/06 - 06-092•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• cause a fire hazard.
prhtml06/06026.html Phone Batteries http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Lithium Ion Batteries in SoundStation2W prhtml06/06037.html
Wireless Conference Phone
10/19/05 - 06-011 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Polycom Inc. 12/1/05 - 06-044••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Gas Furnace & AC Units
These batteries can overheat, posing a fire
Packaged Gas Furnace & AC Units Oil-filled Radiator
or burn hazard.
International Comfort Products LLC Maxi-Heat Electric Oil-Filled Radiator
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ Heater
The unit’s control board can ignite, causing
prhtml06/06092.html King of Fans Inc.
the ignition of flammable material adjacent
to the unit. Welds in the heating fins can break allowing
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ 11/9/05 - 06-025 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• oil to leak posing a burn & fire hazard.
prhtml06/06011.html Air Purifiers http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Perfect Air Ultra Air Purifiers prhtml06/06044.html
10/27/05 - 06-018 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Well Brain International Ltd.
An overheating capacitor can cause arcing
Toy Ride-on Vehicles
in a connecting wire that poses a fire risk.
Battery Powered Ride-on Vehicles
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Dorel Juvenile Group USA
prhtml06/06025.html
An electric malfunction can occur in the continued on page 13
12 • Department of Fire Services
CPSC
continued from page 12
12/15/05 - 06-055 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• fire hazards http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Gas Ranges http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ prhtml06/06082.html
GE Monogram Professional Gas Ranges prhtml06/06067.html
GE Consumer & Industrial 2/7/06 - 06-084 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A design flaw can cause an electrical arc 1/24/06 - 06-072•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Fire Extinguishers
between the wiring & adjacent gas supply Routers Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers
tubes at two locations in the control housing Porter-Cable 890 Series Routers Strike First Corp.
posing a fire hazard.
Porter-Cable The extinguishers can fail to discharge
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ properly when the trigger is activated.
The motor coil insulation can be worn away
prhtml06/06055.html by vibration from the motor, which could http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
pose a shock hazard. prhtml06/06084.html
12/20/06 - 06-057 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Gas Grills prhtml06/06072.html 2/8/06 - 06-085 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Aussie Gas Grills
Floor Fans
Meco Corp. 1/26/06 - 06-074•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Lasko, GE, Galaxy & Air King Brand Box &
The regulators can leak when the cylinder Electric Smokers Pivoting Floor Fans
is connected & open & the grill is not in use Bradley Electric Smokers Lasko Products Inc.
posing a fire & burn risk.
Bradley Technologies Inc. An electrical failure in the motor can pose a
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ fire hazard.
In addition to the electric cord that plugs
prhtml06/06057.html into the wall, these units have an electric http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
cord with prongs on both ends that connect prhtml06/06085.html
12/20/06 - 06-059 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• the generator to the smoker. If the unit is
plugged into the wall socket & one end of
Christmas Tree Star 2/15/06 - 06-089••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
the connecting cord is unplugged, there is
Spinning Star Christmas Tree Topper
an electric shock hazard. Espresso Makers
Family Dollar Stores Orchestro Espresso Makers
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
The tree topper can melt or smoke near the
prhtml06/06074.html Krups
on/off switch posing a fire hazard.
The electrical connectors in the machine
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ can erode, posing a fire hazard.
1/26/06 - 06-075••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
prhtml06/06059.html http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Oscillating Heaters
Maxi-Heat Dream Tower Heater prhtml06/06089.html
1/5/06 - 06-061 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
King of Fans Inc.
Metal Alcohol Burners 2/23/06 - 06-095••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The wires inside the oscillating heater can
C & A Scientific Co. Inc. short circuit & spark, posing a fire risk. Gas Grills
Alcohol can leak from defective soldering Turbo Sport Portable Infrared LP Gas Grills
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
around the burner’s copper tubing that acts
as a wick, posing a fire & burn hazard. prhtml06/06075.html Barbeques Galore, Inc.
Faulty regulators can release too much gas
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ to the burner causing an excessive burner
prhtml06/06061.html 2/1/06 - 06-080 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
flame, posing the risk of gas leaks, fire and
Propane Heaters explosions.
1/11/06 - 06-064 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 40-80,000 BTU Portable Propane
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
Convection Heaters
Fuel Hoses prhtml06/06095.html u
DESA Heating Products
12” Braided Flex Fuel Hose
The burners can “flashback”, which is when
Generac Power Systems Inc. fire burns inside the burner tube rather than
The fuel hoses can leak if bent in an out the other end. This can cause the lower
unreasonable fashion during the installation portion of the burner tube to get hot enough
or upon completion of installation. If an to ignite combustible material underneath
ignition source is present, a fire or explosion the heater.
can occur.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ prhtml06/06080.html
prhtml06/06064.html
2/7/06 - 06-082 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1/13/06 - 06-067••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Sewing Machines
Holiday Lights Husqvarna Viking Designer I Sewing &
Mini Light & Chasing Light Sets Embroidery Machines
Target VSM Group AB & VSM Sewing Inc.
These lights have undersized & exposed Electrical arcing can occur in the machine’s
wires, which pose a risk of electric shock & power supply, posing a fire risk.
Department of Fire Services • 13
Recalled Fire CPSC Approves New Flammability
Extinguishers Standard for Mattresses
In late February, the Office of the Federal standard could prevent 270 deaths each year
State Fire Marshal notified all WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Febru- lighters, and other related scenarios.
companies licensed to service fire ary 16, 2006 the U.S. Consumer The test protocol was developed
extinguishers about the following Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in coordination with the National
recall by the U.S. Consumer Product approved one of the most important Institute of Standards and Technol-
Safety Commission of portable fire safety standards ever developed – a ogy (NIST). “NIST’s contribution to
extinguishers: new federal standard to reduce the CPSC’s development of this standard
Manufacturer: Strike First Corp., severity of mattress fires. was invaluable,” said Stratton.
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada When fully effective, CPSC estimates Under the new mandatory federal
Model # ......................... Serial # Range the new mandatory standard for mat- rule, mattress sets must meet a per-
WBSF-ABC110AP ................TC101566-TC108819 tresses is likely to save as many as formance standard. The CPSC does
WBSF-ABC210AP ...............TC114969--TC135000 270 lives, preventing 78 percent of not specify how manufacturers are to
VV822001-VV832000 ........ WH161001-WH167622 the deaths, and 1,330, or 84 percent design their mattresses to meet the
WBSF-ABC340AP ................TC135894-TC142345 of the injuries currently occurring standard. The new federal standard
every year. for mattresses goes into effect on
These 2.5lb and 5lb dry chemical
July 1, 2007.
portable fire extinguishers have “Consumers who purchase a new
failed to discharge when the trigger mattress that meets this standard will In the performance standard, the
was activated to expel the extin- add an important layer of fire safety peak heat release rate is limited to
guishing agent. These extinguish- protection to their home,” said CPSC 200 kW during a 30 minute test. The
ers shall not be serviced or sold Chairman Hal Stratton. “Lives will be total heat release is limited to 15 MJ
to customers. If you encounter saved as a result of this standard, as within the first 10 minutes of the test.
these extinguishers, please notify it requires new mattresses to limit the
Strike First Corp. to have the extin- spread and intensity of a mattress Cigarette ignition is covered by a
guishers repaired. fire, which will give people more time separate mandatory standard. That
to escape from their residence.” standard, 16 CFR Part 1632, has
If you have any questions, please been in place for more than 30 years
contact the Code Compliance & En- The mandatory standard addresses during which deaths and injuries from
forcement Unit at (978) 567-3375. u mattress fires ignited by open flame mattress fires caused by smoking
sources, including matches, candles, materials have fallen dramatically. u
New regs for CO alarms
continued from page 3
deadline for compliance with this requirement on landlords as part of State Plumbing Code and
method of protection is Jan. 1, 2007. the State Sanitary code. Side-walled Gas Furnaces
Landlords Must Inspect Fire departments are currently The CO alarm requirements for
Annually and at Start of required to inspect smoke alarms certain side-walled gas-fueled equip-
Each Rental Period when 1- to 5-unit homes are being ment installations (see 248 C.M.R.
sold and transferred. Starting March 5.08), required by the State Plumb-
Landlords must inspect, maintain, ing Code, remain in full effect and
31, 2006 (or January 1, 2007 where
and replace, if necessary, required are not affected at this time by the
hard-wired are required) fire depart-
CO alarms annually and at the be- passage of Nicole’s Law. This CO
ments will be required to inspect all
ginning of any rental period. Tenants requirement is to be enforced by the
residences upon sale and transfer
should report any problems with local plumbing/gas inspector. For
for carbon monoxide alarms. Maxi-
detectors to the landlord immediately more information, see the Fire Mar-
mum fees for joint inspection of CO
and learn to recognize the difference shal’s Advisory Revised Emergency
alarms and smoke detectors are $50
between the smoke detector and the Gas Code Regulation, previously sent
for single-family homes or units (i.e.
carbon monoxide alarm. to fire departments and posted on
condo), $100 for 2-family dwellings,
$150 for 3-6 unit dwellings and $500 our website. u
Enforcement
for 6 or more unit buildings.
The Department of Public Health is
required to adopt and enforce this
14 • Department of Fire Services
Code Compliance & Enforcement
New USFA “Coffee Break
Training” Opportunity Western
Massachusetts
Charlie Dickinson - Posted on December 13, 2005
DFS Liaisons
T
he staff of the United States the training lesson. The first two Cof- Retired Chief Alfred Morrisette
Fire Administration (USFA) un- fee Break Training notices recently and Chief Michael A. Mor-
derstands clearly that fire and posted covered correct smoke alarm rissey are the DFS liaisons to
building inspectors with busy daily placement and maintaining minimum the county and regional chiefs
schedules often don’t have time to aisle widths in mercantile occupan- organizations as well as to the
attend valuable cies. Note: These heads of fire departments in
skill-enhancing are based on National
Berkshire, Hampden, Hamp-
training ses- Model Codes; Massa-
shire, and Franklin counties.
sions, so USFA chusetts requirements
is doing some-
thing about it. “USFA has may differ. Future
bulletins will include
topics such as details
Chiefs Morrissey and Morrisette
attend each of the monthly
county chiefs meetings to bring
USFA has begun posting for fire pump instal- forward any new information
begun posting lations, liquefied pe- from the Department of Fire
weekly “Coffee
Break Training”
weekly bulletins troleum gas storage Services with special empha-
regulations, stand- sis on the fire training system.
bulletins on
our Web site at online! ” pipe and sprinkler
systems and storage
In addition, they serve as the
DFS Liaison to the Homeland
www.usfa.fema. of lightweight roof Security Regional Councils.
gov/training/nfa/ trusses on job sites. Chief Morrissette is retired from
coffee-break/.
the Easthampton Fire Depart-
These short, one-page training USFA also will send out quarterly
ment and Chief Morrissey is the
notices provide technical training self-assessment examinations re-
Russell Fire Chief and serves
in fire protection systems, building lated to the training notices so those
on the Westover Air Force Base
construction, codes and standards, who get the e-mail training can
Fire Department. They can be
inspection techniques, hazardous evaluate their own retention and
contacted at the DFS Western
materials and administrative tips. learning. u
Massachusetts office at:
Each notice includes a photograph
Department of Fire Services
or drawing that illustrates the point of
Western Office
P.O. Box 389 - One Prince St.
Changes to MGL C148 Northampton, MA 01060-0389
(413) 587-3181,
Chapter 123 of the Acts of 2005 c.148 s.27A (Disabling of Alarm Sys- extension 204 u
(Nicole’s Law) created a mandatory tems) has been amended to include
requirement for the installation of CO carbon monoxide alarms within the
alarms in all residential buildings and scope of systems that are prohibited
structures containing fossil fuel burn- from being disconnected or shut off
ing equipment or enclosed parking. without prior approval from the head
of the fire department. This change
Two other sections of c. 123 amend-
became effective on Feb. 4, 2006.
ed c.148 in two specific areas:
If you have any questions regarding
c.148 s.26E (Smoke Detector Law)
these changes, please contact the
has been amended to eliminate
Code Compliance & Enforcement
the local option provision for 1- and
Unit at 978-567-3375 or the Western
2-family homes. As of Feb. 4, 2006,
Massachusetts office at 413-587-
all single, 2-family, and 3-5 fam-
3181. u
ily homes are subject to the smoke
detector requirements of s.26E upon
sale or transfer of the property.
Department of Fire Services • 15
Permits Required by the Fire Code (527 CMR)
F
ire chiefs and fire prevention officers are required to enforce the state’s fire code that covers a huge range of
fire and explosion issues from blasting to underground storage tanks, from oil burners to sprinkler systems. The
head of the fire department or his designee shall have the authority to issue the following permit types, as de-
scribed in 527 CMR and M.G.L. c. 148.
Permit Type Form Reference
Blasting FP-6 527 CMR 13.04(2), 13.04(11)
Bonfires and Burning Christmas Trees FP-6 527 CMR 10.23
Bowling Pin and Lane Refinishing FP-6 527 CMR 10.15
Cannon and Mortar Firing FP-6 527 CMR 22.03
Carbon Monoxide FP-7C 527 CMR 31:00, M.G.L. 148, §26F1/2
Cellulose Nitrate Film FP-6 527 CMR 10.27
Combustible Fibers FP-6 527 CMR 28.03
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) FP-6 527 CMR 26.08
Covered Mall Buildings FP-6 527 CMR 10.26
Crop Ripening or Color Processing FP-6 527 CMR 35.03
Cutting and Welding FP-6 527 CMR 39.04
Dust Explosion Prevention FP-6 527 CMR 10.16
Explosives and Black Powder FP-6 527 CMR 13.04
Fire Protection Equipment FP-6 527 CMR 10.03(15); M.G.L. c. 148 §27A
Fire Protection System FP-6 527 CMR 10.03(15)
Fireworks, Display FP-6 527 CMR 2.05; M.G.L. c. 148,§39A
Fireworks, Manufacture, Storage and Handling FP-6 527 CMR 2.03; M.G.L. c. 148, §12
Flammable and Combustible Liquids FP-6 527 CMR 14.03, 15.04; M.G.L. c. 148. §23
Flammable Gases and Solids FP-6 527 CMR 14.03
Fuel Transfer Operations FP-6 527 CMR 5.08
Fumigation and Insecticidal Fogging FP-6 527 CMR 10.06
Hazardous Substances, Left Unattended FP-6 527 CMR 25.08
Limited Special Effects FP-6 527 CMR 2.09
LP-Gas FP-6 527 CMR 6.08
Matches FP-6 527 CMR 10.18
Oil Burning Equipment Form 1 527 CMR 4.03
Open Air Fires FP-6 527 CMR 10.22
Ovens and Furnaces FP-6 527 CMR 10.19
Rubbish Containers FP-6 527 CMR 34.03
Salamanders FP-6 527 CMR 20.01
Smoke Alarms FP-7 MGL c. 148, §26F
Special Seasonal Decorations FP-6 527 CMR 21.02
Storage, Combustible Material FP-6 527 CMR 10.03
Tank Vehicles Parked Overnight FP-6 527 CMR 8.04, 14.03
Tanks and Containers FP-44 527 CMR 9.06, 9.07; M.G.L. c. 148, §38A
Tar Kettles on Roofs FP-6 527 CMR 10.03
Tire Recapping and Rebuilding Plants FP-6 527 CMR 10.21
Tire Storage FP-6 527 CMR 10.03
Torches and Heat Producing Devices FP-6 527 CMR 10.24
Transportation of Combustible Liquids FP-6 527 CMR 8.04
16 • Department of Fire Services
HazMat
Hazmat Evolution to Meet the Threats of a
New Era: Part 3, Pandora’s Box
A
ncient mythology tells of a place fire departments and hazmat responses /hazmat team responses
woman named Pandora who teams in the difficult position, with to suspicious mail and substances
was asked to watch, but not very limited ability, to determine real experienced in 2001 did not fit the
open a box carried by a messenger events from hoaxes. Though some paradigm of the original plan. The
from Jupiter. Overcome by curiosity, would argue that such early deter- plan had to be adjusted to meet the
she opened the box. “Jupiter had mination is unnecessary and not the logistical needs of what equated
malignantly crammed into this box role of the fire service, the public to a 21,000% increase in hazmat
all the diseases, sorrows, vices, and demands it. Real-time “tactical” responses for a three-week period.
crimes that afflict poor humanity; and decisions must be made to prevent Over time, the volume of responses
the box was no sooner opened, than risk or unnecessary adverse impact. for suspicious items has diminished,
all these ills flew out, in the guise of This article describes the issues but the nature of these incidents has
horrid little brown-winged creatures, surrounding biological agents and become less specific as new threats
closely resembling moths. These progress toward decision-making. and suppositions of methods of
little insects fluttered about, alight- biological agent dissemination have
The Hazardous Materials Response
ing, some upon Epimetheus, who emerged. Today, incidents creating
Teams of Massachusetts were not
had just entered, and some upon suspicion can come from anywhere
unprepared when anthrax appeared
Pandora, pricking and stinging them and involve materials in any form.
most unmercifully. They then flew The classic “white powder in an en-
out through the open door and win- velope” is but one of a myriad of situ-
dows, and fastened upon the mer- ations to which the concerned public
rymakers outside, whose shouts of is summoning fire departments. We
joy were soon changed into wails of have also learned that true threats of
pain and anguish.” (Ancient Greek biological weapons do not come only
Legend) from international terrorists. Actual
cases of the attempted use of biolog-
The October 2001 delivery of five
ical agents have been carried out by
envelopes containing anthrax, imme-
home grown criminals, even here in
diately upon the heels of the terrorist
Massachusetts. What remains clear
attacks of September 11, opened
is that the risk of biological agents is,
the Pandora’s box of domestic bio- as a true and immediate threat in
and will remain, a continued threat
logical weapons. Combined with the October of 2001. In response to
that we must effectively manage.
easy ability of ill-meaning people to several high visibility hoaxes that
convey recipes for biological weap- had occurred throughout the country, Considerable time and effort has
ons through books and the Internet, work completed by the division in the been devoted at the state and
biological agents used as weapons mid 1990s had resulted in a consen- federal level to managing the risk
will likely pose a continued risk for sus response plan between the DFS of biological agent releases. Public
the distant future. Hazmat Division, the Boston office Health Laboratories, the Centers
of the Federal Bureau of Investiga- for Disease Control (CDC) and FBI
While chemical and radiological
tions (FBI) and the Massachusetts have been highly reluctant to accept
threats have now faced the fire
Department of Public Health (DPH). field-testing technology by emergen-
service and hazardous materials
The State Fire Marshal issued the cy services. In part, this reluctance
(hazmat) response teams for some
essence of this response plan in has been based upon the limits of
time, biological threats pose vast
1999 as an advisory to all fire de- reliability of field-testing and, in part,
new challenges. To a large degree,
partments. In 2000, joint tabletop because of multiple incidents where
a truly successful use of biological
exercises were conducted at six field-testing has been misused or
weapons would not become an im-
Massachusetts locations by DFS miss-communicated with bad re-
mediate concern of the fire service.
and DPH that utilized this response sults.
It would likely come as a covert
scenario and a pandemic disease
dispersal and would present, first, in Biological field-testing can be de-
scenario.
the hospitals and doctors’ offices of scribed in three categories: basic
the affected areas. In contrast, overt However, the sudden and vast on-
releases of alleged biological agents set of requests for fire department continued on page 18
Department of Fire Services • 17
HazMat Evolution Part 3
continued from page 17
protein detection, lateral flow (or technical staff and policy makers. bond, those that share an ion. Sub-
handheld) assay, and polymerase At this meeting it was agreed that stances such as salts, pure elements
chain reaction (PCR) which is DNA sufficient progress has been made and substances with a pH higher
testing. The most common com- and sufficient need exists for tacti- than 12 (strong alkaline) cannot be
mercial systems utilize a lateral flow cal decision-making support, that seen. Additionally, a substance must
assay and function similar to preg- steps should be taken to advance be in the library of the unit to be
nancy tests, looking for specific an- the implementation of field-testing identified and mixed substances can
tigen- antibody reactions. Concerns of biological agents by hazardous be challenging to identify and re-
about these technologies have been materials teams. This effort is now quire additional skills and expertise.
based largely in the sensitivity, how moving forward. The FTIR currently has a library of
much is needed to be present to be 16,000 substances. This summer, an
detected, and the chances of false Screening Versus Testing additional 25,000 substances will be
positive or false negative results. Since 2001, the CDC and the FBI added to the library.
have strongly recommended or
Over the past five years, mul- The addition of these substances will
“required” that suspicious samples
tiple “breaking news” reports have aid in screening and in the chemical
be pre-screened before being sent
flashed across our television screen identification, but do not change the
to laboratories of the “Laboratory
reporting “positive” tests for one primary purpose of its use in screen-
Response Network” (LRN). Pre-
biological agent or another. Often, ing of potential biological agents.
screening is conducted to protect the
these reports have been caused by Those specific substances (explo-
lab from possible damage by chemi-
inaccurate field testing and improper sives and chemical warfare agents)
cal weapons, radiation or explosives.
release of information. This leads to that the device screens against for
This is the basis and reason for cur-
the other source of concern, “what to laboratory submission are already
rent testing conducted by Hazardous
do with the information.” in the unit. Once screened, samples
Materials Response Teams. Oddly
are submitted for biological analysis
Despite these issues, it has been a enough, any benefit achieved by the
to the state DPH laboratory.
priority of the Department of Home- resultant identification of materials
land Security (DHS) to enable the and elimination of threat possibili- Threat Levels
early detection of a biological agent ties at the scene must be viewed as
Current DPH recommendations
release. To resolve the problems of secondary and inconclusive.
divide suspicious substances into
field-testing, DHS contracted with
Prescreening does not have, as its three categories: no apparent risk,
the Association of Analytical Chem-
objective, the identification of the low risk and high risk. No appar-
ists (AOAC) to develop approved
suspicious substance. According to ent risk events are those instances
methods for testing and certification
the FBI, all substances must con- where, through investigation at the
of equipment and with the American
tinue to be viewed as a biological scene, the substance can be deter-
Society for the Testing of Materials
threat until a LRN laboratory has mined to be associated with normal
(ASTM) to develop sampling method
conducted confirmatory tests. In fact, activity. Examples might be the
standards. This project also included
in all cases of a highly suspicious white powder found on many items
the development of an expert panel
nature, this requirement is strictly of bulk mail, which is a corn starch
from the various federal agencies
adhered to. substance used to keep magazine
and a “users group” comprised of
pages from sticking together when
major response organizations from Suspicious substances submitted
stacked on pallets. Another example
around the country. The Department to the lab are first screened by the
would be white powder in a police
of Fire Services, Hazmat Division hazmat team for radiation using one
cruiser, assured to be powdered
serves as a member of this users of several instruments carried. The
sugar from a doughnut (just kid-
group. This effort has, as its com- presence of radiation is determined
ding). The MA Public Health labora-
bined objective, the development of only when there is a level sub-
tory does not recommend testing
approved processes for the field- stantially above background. Next,
substances that fall in this category
testing of biological agents and stan- Fournier Transfer Infrared (FTIR)
and suggests that first responders
dard methods of sample collection. A Spectroscopy is used to detect haz-
dispose of these items in the trash
substantial portion of this effort has ardous chemicals and explosives.
rather than send them to the labora-
been completed. It is important to understand that
tory.
the FTIR cannot identify everything.
In Massachusetts, a meeting was
FTIR will only produce spectra for Low risk incidents are those where
held on February 10, 2006 between
substances that have a covalent
key public health and public safety continued on page 19
18 • Department of Fire Services
Hazardous Materials Teams to Employ Nano Technology for Chemcial Control
T
he Department of Fire Servic- to save lives, limit extension of a cluding: chemical warfare agents,
es, Regional Hazardous Ma- release, or to protect the responder.” acids, halogenated compounds,
terials Teams are now armed FAST-ACT is not intended to be phosphorus compound, acidic and
with reactive nano technology to aid used to perform clean-up functions. caustic gases, organic compounds.
in the neutralization of extremely It neutralizes both liquid and vapor
The FAST-ACT family of products
hazardous materials. Nanoscale hazards with rapid neutralization
was designed to offer protection
“FAST-ACT” chemical absorbent/ upon contact.
against that “once in a lifetime”
neutralizer in three sizes of appli-
response to a chemical warfare The addition of this advanced chemi-
cation; a “shaker” bottle for small
agent, while at the same time offer- cal mitigation technology is part of
areas, 5 lb. pressurized cylinder for
ing a single highly effective solution the department’s ongoing commit-
larger releases and a 20 lb. pressur-
to deal with more common release ment to provide greater safety to
ized unit with fogger attachment for
such as hydrofluoric acid or pesti- hazmat technicians, fire fighters and
large areas or aerosolized vapors.
cides. FAST-ACT enables the use of the public and to provide incident
The pressurized units are essentially
a single product to mitigate threats commanders with the best available
fire extinguishers painted white.
posed by highly toxic chemicals in capabilities to overcome complex
Hazmat teams are issued this prod- either liquid or vapor form. chemical emergencies. u
uct to “neutralize, contain or destroy
a wide range of toxic chemicals and Features and Benefits
chemical warfare agents in situations FAST-ACT is effective against a
where immediate action is required wide range of toxic chemicals in-
HazMat Evolution Part 3
continued from page 18
no such association can be made. active communication between the incident commander and in consulta-
A substance is found in a location scene and the DPH laboratory. tion with local health officials relative
with no obvious explanation, but no to public access to an effected area
Careful and coordinated communi-
threat or other threat indicators are and defining that area, pending labo-
cation between agencies is essential
present. These substances should ratory results. Such decisions may
in high-risk incidents. The media
be collected under existing protocols include keeping emergency services
quickly picks up misstatements
for laboratory testing, but will not and hazmat teams, on scene until
about the level of threat and can
necessarily be immediately tested. the lab communicates results.
cause undo public concern.
High-risk events are those incidents The Future
where an overt threat, written or Field Testing, Immediate
verbal is made or where combina- Future Direction Biological threats will remain part
tions of factors lead to an elevated of the ever-growing spectra of
In accordance with the agreement
concern. Such factors may include emergencies facing the fire service.
between DPH and DFS, program
similarity to other incidents either Science, policy development and
development is ongoing to enable
in state or nationally, an event at a experience will aid in refining and
the limited testing of suspected bio-
“high target value” location or the improving our ability to manage
logical agents. Biological field-testing
presence of dissemination devices. these threats. It is unlikely that a
will occur only in high threat level
A high-risk determination can be time will ever come when technology
incidents and merely for the purpos-
aided with assistance from the WMD will allow definitive determination of
es of tactical decision making, which
Coordinator of the Boston FBI office. a biological threat at the scene of an
would occur with concurrent DPH
In this role, the FBI serves more as emergency. However, the partner-
consultation. Under no circumstance
a resource to the fire service and ships now in place provide local in-
should the results of field-testing
hazmat teams than it does as a law cident commanders with an impres-
ever be released or termed “posi-
enforcement agency. These circum- sive and coordinated support system
tive” in on-scene communications.
stances substantially change the in intelligence and scientific testing
This capability is not expected to be
character of the response, generally capability, giving every community
available until late summer or fall of
bringing a number of federal and greater ability to assure the safety of
this year.
state law enforcement agencies to the public. u
the scene and will generate more Tactical decision-making are those
actions that will be taken by the
Department of Fire Services • 19
MFIRS Corner
MFIRS Assistance & Electronic Reporting
The Office of the State Fire Marshal who need enhanced fire incident analy- the Arson/Juvenile Firesetter Module
needs to close the 2005 database by sis and reporting skills. Knowledge and be completed. For those of you using
May 1 to begin analysis of the data as experience with both MFIRS and Excel MFIRS software, most companies do
quickly as possible in 2006. will be extremely helpful. not make it a mandatory requirement,
but it still must be completed. If the per-
Please contact Derryl Dion, Research 2005 MFIRS Year End & son involved in starting the fire is under
Analyst at (978) 567-3382 or Derryl. Quality Control Reports the age of 18, the age must be entered
Dion@state.ma.us with any questions
During March 2006, the Fire Data Unit into section E3 (Human Factors) of the
regarding MFIRS or to conduct fire
sent out 2005 MFIRS Year End and Fire Module and the Juvenile Firesetter
data or histories research. The email
Quality Control Reports to each fire section of the Arson Module must be
address to send your electronic MFIRS
department that submitted 2005 data. completed.
reports to is: MFIRS.Report@state.ma.us.
If you have not submitted any or all of
One or two days after your first submis- Definition of Arson
your 2005 incidents, please do so as
sion via email please call Derryl Dion at In NFIRS, a fire is considered arson if
soon as possible. If you did not have
(978) 567-3382 the Cause of Ignition (Fire Module) =
any reportable
to confirm its 1 (Intentional) and the Age of Person
fires, please
receipt. If you
are reporting
“ The Office of the State Fire have your chief, (Fire Module) is greater than 17 or
Marshal needs to close the 2005 sign and date if the field is blank; or if the Wildland
electronically Module is used (in place of the Fire
database by May 1 to begin the Certificate of
please send us Module), the Wildland Fire Cause = 7
your reports on
analysis of the data as quickly No Reportable
Fires sent in the (Incendiary) and the Age of the Person
a monthly basis as possible in 2006.”
absence of any (Wildland Module) is greater than 17 or
during the first if the field is left blank.
quality control
two weeks of the
reports.
following month. Fatal or Large Loss Fires
The statistical feedback reports include If you have a fire or explosion with a
Training 2005 Incident Submission by Month fatality or large loss (>$1,000,000),
If you feel your department needs more and 2005 Fires & Arson Fires by Inci- please forward a paper copy of the
training on MFIRS v5 and can guaran- dent Type. MFIRS report with a completed Re-
tee 15 students, please contact Derryl marks section to Derryl Dion within 2
The quality control reports include:
Dion to set up an MFIRS v5 class. It is business days. The report should in-
a 4-hour MFA class and now comes • 2005 Incidents Returned to De- clude the Basic, Fire, Civilian Fire &/or
with 4 OEMS credits. Enrollment must partment Corrected Forms Fire Service Casualty Module(s), and
be open to other departments. Not Received by DFS, Structure Fire Module (needed for all
Upcoming MFIRS Classes • 2005 Incidents Missing the Arson/ structure fires). This most likely will be a
Juvenile Firesetters Module. preliminary report and you can file the
Tuesday, 5/2/06 @ MFA in Stow,
• 2005 Error Validation Report, complete report at a later date unless
MA from 09:00 – 13:00. Course #
2005 Fires Under Investigation, otherwise noted. Every effort should be
200000613 Session B.
• 2005 Structure Fires With Incor- taken to make sure that these reports
*NEW* NFIRS Data Analysis & Prob- rect or No Property Use, are as complete as they can be given
lem-Solving Techniques Class all of the information available at the
• Electrical Fires with No
Tuesday & Wednesday end of your investigation. If one of the
Equipment Involved,
(5/9/ - 5/10/06) @ MFA in Stow, MA state troopers from OSFM’s Fire Inves-
• 2005 Civilian Fire Casualty Modules tigation Unit (FIU) was involved with the
from 09:00 – 1600. with Missing Data for Any Fields,
Course # 200155S41 Session A. You investigation, please contact them peri-
• 2005 Fire Service Casualty Modules odically to see what they are reporting
will need to complete the FEMA Gen-
with Missing Data for Any Fields. as their conclusions in their report. FIU
eral Admission Application Short Form
75-5A and send it to the MFA Registrar. Arson and Juvenile-Set Modules reports are separate from your MFIRS
This class will be delivered by National Mandatory in Massachusetts reports, and using the team concept
Fire Academy instructors. It is designed In Massachusetts if a fire is consid- both reports should reports should
for experienced NFIRS/MFIRS users ered to be arson (intentionally set), it reflect the same conclusions.
is mandatory that the arson portion of
20 • Department of Fire Services
MFIRS V5 Coding
American Heart
Civilian Fire Casualty & Fire Service
Casualty Modules
the fire got out of control.
Association’s
If you respond to an illegal burning use
In MA all fields in the Civilian Fire Casu- Incident Type = 561: Unauthorized New CPR
alty and Fire Service Casualty Modules burning. Guidelines
must be completed. If you are using
Mulch Fires By Gerald M. Dworkin,
third party software, your software may
not require that some of these fields be Mulch fires should be coded as Aquatics Safety & Water Rescue
completed because they are adhering Incident Type = 140: Natural vegetation
LIFESAVING RESOURCES INC.
to the USFA’s NFIRS federal specifica- fire, other. www.lifesaving.com
tions. Unfortunately if these fields are Incident Type 100 Not Allowed
not mandatory, many are not com- The American Heart Associa-
Do not code any fires as tion’s (AHA) new guidelines for
pleted and valuable data is left off and
Incident Type = 100: Fire, other, unless CPR and emergency cardio-
lost. Since the preservation of life is the
it does not fit into any of the other inci- vascular care, released late
number one priority of the fire service,
dent types between 111 and 173. last year, include several major
we feel the need to collect all of the
obtainable information. The informa- changes of which EMS provid-
Outside Rubbish Fires
tion contained on these modules is ers and lifeguards should be
If you have an outside rubbish fire, it aware.
confidential and not public information should be coded as an
and fire chiefs are exempt from HIPPA Incident Type = 150-155. Do not use The first involves an increased
regulations in obtaining it for (pre-exist- Incident Type = 118: Confined trash or emphasis on proper chest
ing) reporting requirements. rubbish fire inside of a structure. compressions. CPR recipients
Wildland Fires (excepting newborns) should
Carbon Monoxide receive about 100 chest
Please remember that even if you are compressions per minute, al-
using third party software you have the With the implementation of Nicole’s
Law and the accompanying BFPR lowing full chest wall recoil in
option of using the Fire Module instead between. Interruptions in chest
of the Wildland Module. The Wildland regulations, it is expected that the num-
ber of Carbon Monoxide (CO) incidents compressions should, to the
Module is an optional module that extent possible, be limited.
may be used for any of the following will increase dramatically. Although
Incident Types: 140-143, 160, 170-173, fire departments are not mandated to Single rescuers should use
561, 631 and 632. If your software pro- report these incidents to MFIRS, we a compression-to-ventilation
gram does not allow this option, please strongly encourage fire departments to ratio of 30:2 for all victims ex-
contact your vendor and remind them. do so voluntarily. The data will be very cept newborns, instead of the
useful. Many fire departments are al- traditional 15:2 rate for adults
In MA we strongly recommend that you ready reporting these serious incidents and 5:1 for infants and chil-
use the Fire Module for these types of and we thank them for their diligence in dren. Rescue breaths should
fires. helping track this potentially life-threat- be given over one second and
ening problem. produce visible chest rise.
Permit Fires and Unauthorized
Burning In MFIRS there are three different Inci- Rescuers are warned against
dent Type codes for CO incidents. delivering too many breaths.
If you respond to a permit fire that you
have to extinguish, code it as an Inci- Incident Type 424 – CO incident. Ex- When attempting defibrilla-
dent Type = 631: Authorized controlled cludes incidents with nothing found (IT tion, rescuers should deliver
fire or 632: Prescribed fire. If the fire = 736, 746). one shock, then follow that
expands beyond the focus of the per- with immediate CPR. Previ-
mit, then use an Incident Type 736 – CO detector acti- ously, rescuers were to deliver
Incident Type = 140-143. vation due to malfunction. up to three shocks, checking
Incident Type 746 – CO detector acti- the heart rhythm before and
• Do not use
vation (no CO found). after. Rhythms should now be
Cause of Ignition = 1: Intentional,
checked after about five cycles
which is reserved for arsons.
When finishing the Basic Module, be (or two minutes worth) of CPR.
• Use either sure to complete the Detector field to
Cause of Ignition = 2: Unin- record whether the CO detector alerted See www.americanheart.org u
tentional or 4: Act of Nature the occupants. u
depending on the reason
Department of Fire Services • 21
Licensing Exams
Licenses
A
ll licensing exams will
be given at the Depart-
The Office of the State Fire Marshal or to renew existing licenses may be ment of Fire Services,
issues licenses to people and com- obtained by calling (978) 567-3700. Stow campus, starting at 9 a.m.
panies engaged in fireworks, blast- Examinations for licenses are held Arrangements may be made to
ing, explosives, cannon and mortar quarterly. Filing deadlines, exam take the scheduled exams on the
firing, special effects, special hazard locations, dates and times can be same dates, at the same times
systems and portable fire extinguish- found online at: http://www.mass.gov/ at the western Massachusetts
ers. Information on applications and dfs/osfm/license_exams.htm. u office of the Department of Fire
exam dates to obtain new licenses Services, One Prince Street,
Northampton.
2006 Exam Schedule
Examination Deadline Date Examination Date Location
Fireworks May 8 (Monday) May 16 (Tuesday) Classroom 109
Special Effects August 7 (Monday) August 16 (Wednesday)
Blasting November 6 (Monday) November 16 (Thursday)
Blasting R&D
Fire Extinguishers April 10 (Monday) April 20 (Thursday) DFS Stow Auditorium
July 17 (Monday) July 26 (Wednesday)
October 9 (Monday) October 19 (Thursday)
Status Report of Compliance/Enforcement Actions
The following is a status report of actions may be pending, only those the State Fire Marshal at any time
recent compliance and enforcement individuals or companies who have for verification. The Code Compli-
actions taken by the Office of the had administrative hearings with de- ance and Enforcement Unit or Tech-
State Fire Marshal against individu- cisions rendered will be documented nical Services can be reached at
als or companies for violations of in this space. either (978) 567-3300 or in western
MGL Chap. 148 and 527 CMR. The Mass. (413) 587-3181. u
Should there be any question re-
status of the action is provided and
garding the status of any license or
notation is made regarding the effec-
certificate, please call the Office of
tive date of the action. While other
Compliance/Enforcement Actions By The Department of Fire Services
Name Company Action Taken Terms Ends
Blasting Certificate of Competency
Joel S. Gunn Suspension 1 year susp. w/ 6 months to serve 04/26/06
Wayne E. Martin Suspension 2 year susp. w/ 1 year to serve 08/03/06
Daniel J. Schmitt Suspension 1 year susp. w/ 4 months to serve 06/02/06
Fire Equipment Certificate of Competency
Robert J. Smith Revoked Permanent
Paul F. Witkus Suspension Must re-exam 09/28/06
Harlan W. Lunt Suspension 6 month susp w/ 90 days to serve 09/22/06
Fire Equipment Certificate of Registration
Fire-Tec Inc. Suspension 3 year susp. 03/22/09
22 • Department of Fire Services
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