Chiefsdesk

The Community Fire Company No. 1 of Riegelsville, PA
is proud to announce the purchase and upgrade of
power hydraulic rescue equipment:

The Company has recently accepted delivery of the following TNT Rescue Products:

·        *        One (1) 6.5 HP Honda gasoline twin power unit.
·        *        One (1) 3.0 HP Honda gasoline bantam power unit.
·        *        One (1) two-stage hand pump for single operation.
·        *        One (1) 32" super light spreader.
·        *        One (1) BFC 320 7-3/4" high pressure C cutter with 320,000 pounds of cutting force.
·        *        One (1) SL3027 7" super lightweight C cutter with 208,000 pounds of cutting force.
·        *        One (1) CC20 primary cutter secondary spreader combo tool.
·        *        One (1) CC30 primary spreader/secondary cutter combo tool.
·        *        One (1) confined space cutter with remote control valve storage case.
·        *        Two (2) 50" telescoping rams.
·        *        Two (2) 25" telescoping rams.

The reason for the switch from historic use of Hurst equipment to the TNT rescue equipment is
primarily service, warranty and cost. Be aware that TNT Rescue Products is the only manufacturer
of a tool that has 320,000 pounds of cutting force and, with the increase in technology and the high
strength steel that is present in the 2008 model cars, I believe that Rescue Company 42 is one of
the few companies that has this cutting force capability.

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Winter Fire Safety Tips
for You and Your Family

KITCHEN COOKING SAFETY TIPS:

Cooking was involved in an estimated 146,400 home structure fires in the United States in 2005, according to
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report. According to this report, cooking fires accounted for
40% of the home structure fires in 2005, and these cooking fires resulted in 480 deaths, 4,690 injuries, and
$867 million in direct property damage.

According to the NFPA report entitled "Home Fires Involve Cooking Equipment," cooking equipment left
unattended was a factor in the ignition of 38% of home structure fires between 2002 and 2005. Unattended
cooking was the leading contributing factor in home cooking fires, followed by combustibles too close to a heat
source, and equipment being unintentionally turned on or not turned off.

"Cooking results in more home fires and fire injuries in the United States each year, than anything else, and
nearly all these fires can be prevented with a little extra care. Simply paying attention when you are cooking
will keep your dinner and everything else from getting burned," according to Lorraine Carli, NFPA's Vice
President of Communications.

Home cooking fires peak between 5:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. Extra cooking as on major U.S. holidays often
means extra home cooking fires. Typically, more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than on any other day of
the year.

According to the NFPA, following are some safety tips that fire chiefs can use in their public education:

·        Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short
period of time, turn off the stove.

·        If you are simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it regularly. Remain in the home while food is
cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.

·        To prevent cooking fires, you must be alert. You will not be if you are sleepy, have been drinking alcohol,
or have been taking medicines that make you drowsy.

·        Keep anything that can catch fire, i.e. pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper, plastic bags,
boxes, food packaging, towels or curtain away from your stovetop.

·        Keep the stovetop burners and oven clean.

·        Keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the
burners.

·        Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove
burners and catch fire if it comes in contact with a gas flame or electric burner.

Fire safety starts with you.

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WARNING RE: PECO EQUIPMENT

Please note that, after an incident in Tredyffrin Township in which a telephone pole was struck by a vehicle, a
PECO employee notified us that a silver, cigar shaped, tube that was lying on the side of the road, with “MITC
FUME” printed on the side of the tube, SHOULD NOT BE HANDLED BY ANYONE RESPONDING TO
SCENE.

Apparently, PECO places these time-released tubes inside their poles to fend off insects. The issue is that the
POISON that is contained in the tubes is extremely harmful to humans if they are handled. He advised that he
wasn’t sure what symptoms may arise, but that the result of handling the tube, if ruptured like this one was, can
be DEATH.

In the future, if you come across these tubes after a pole breaks, let county radio know so they can inform
PECO when they make the call because PECO has a special team that comes out to dispose of the tubes.

Stay safe!

Message passed along from:

Lieutenant Mark J. Roberts
EMT-B 190843, Fire, Rescue, Hazmat
Mobile: 267.446.6491

News From the Fire Chief

EMERGENCY PERSONNEL ALERT:
BRS Ballistic Parachutes for general aviation and or recreational sport planes.
Everyone should read this...

The Fire Inspector
by Todd R. Myers, PLS

Recently I have had the opportunity to become certified as a Fire Inspector 1 under the
guidelines of the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress, National Fire
Protection Association, and the National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualifications
(Pro Board). Along with my day job as Executive Vice President of Cowan Associates, I
have had the great opportunity to be a firefighter for the last 32 years. During that time, I
have had many wonderful experiences, difficult situations to overcome, and some of the
best training any firefighter can receive. This training comes through our local Bucks
County Community College and the Bucks County Public Service Training Center located
in Doylestown, PA.

The reason for my interest in becoming a Certified Fire Inspector is two-fold – one for the
opportunity to apply this skill at Cowan Associates through our Construction Testing and
Inspection Department as well as using it as an educational tool in my fire response area,
which is the Borough of Riegelsville, Durham Township, and the northern portion of
Nockamixon Township, all located in Bucks County.

The common view of the Fire Inspector is one of an enforcing or policing authority,
however, the public safety mission of the inspector places great emphasis on fire
prevention in the first place. The inspector helps to educate the occupants in ways to
control hazards and proper methods of evacuation, and overall fire safety practices. It is
much more effective, in the long run, to educate the public than simply keep enforcing
regulations on them.

Fire suppression activities are not the only way to combat fires: a well-planned and
executed fire prevention inspection program is a less expensive and more effective way to
accomplish the goals of the fire service. The goal is, of course, to minimize the risk of life
and property loss from fire. By observing, making recommendations, subsequently
controlling or eliminating hazardous conditions, the inspector can make major strides
towards accomplishing this goal before a fire occurs.

Historically, courts have ruled that fire departments and individuals empowered to perform
fire inspections may be held legally accountable for the performance. The certification and
training for Fire Inspector I addresses the issues of liability as well as authority and
responsibilities of the inspector. The inspector also learns policing power, right of entry,
organizational structure and cooperation among other agencies such as local zoning and
building code officials. The Fire Inspector must properly prepare for the inspection, make
the inspection himself, document any deficiencies or code violations, follow-up inspections
and potentially take a case to court.

The Fire Inspector must also know how fires start and spread in order to recognize fire
hazards and their potential consequences. Fire hazard recognition is safety
considerations that affect many occupancies. These considerations include good
housekeeping, and regulating smoking, open burning and the use of flammable
decorations. Electrical safety is also critical in the Fire Inspector's world, so a basic
understanding of electrical theory, electrical hazards, and the dangers of static electricity
are important to understand.

One of the most difficult jobs of a Fire Inspector is understanding the construction and
occupancy classifications. It is very important to understand the classifications in order to
determine that a building meets the appropriate building and fire safety codes so he/she
understands the various construction and occupancy classifications that are used by all of
the model code organizations. Additionally, one of the most crucial elements in building
construction and occupancy classification is the ability of the occupants to quickly and
efficiently evacuate the structure in the event of a fire or other hazardous condition. Along
with evacuation, the means of egress for a structure, the Fire Inspector must have a
proper understanding to assure site access for emergency personnel and emergency
planning procedures for building occupants to follow.

The Fire Inspector must have an understanding of extinguishing equipment and fire
protection systems which are effective ways to increase occupant safety and control fires
during their early stages. These are, but are not limited to, the following: water-based fire
protection systems which include fire sprinkler systems and standpipe systems, fire
pumps and water supply systems. During my Fire Inspector I certification I became well-
versed in the procedures for inspecting and testing each of these systems. In addition to
these water-based fire protection systems, the Fire Inspector also has an understanding
of a wide variety of other types of fire protection systems and equipment and testing of
portable fire extinguishers, special agent fixed extinguishing systems, and fire detection
and alarm systems.

Community business owners and fire departments must understand that the role of Fire
Inspector is a necessity not only in plan review, but overall fire protection and prevention.

This is just a snapshot of a Fire Inspector's public safety mandate. It is very important that
the community, as well as the general public, understand that the Fire Inspector and the
need for fire inspections is not to penalize a company or business owner, but to educate
the business community and general public on ways to prevent a hazardous condition or
fire to minimize the risk of life and property loss.

Permission to reprint from the editor of the Angle and Line Newsletter, Cowan Associates Inc. 2008.