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Modern Fire Behavior and SLICE-RS recommended in NIOSH LODD Report

 Hostmaster 911 Hot Designs    April 29, 2015    No Comments

A draft of the federal report that details the January, 2014, fire that killed two Toledo firefighters concludes numerous factors contributed to their deaths.The 46-page report on the deaths of Pvts. Stephen Machcinski and James “Jamie” Dickman was compiled by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and took more than a year to complete. A draft of the report was obtained by The Blade and a final report is due out this week, sources said.

The report lists eight factors as contributing to the deaths: arson, risk assessment and scene size-up, resource deployment, fireground tactics, inadequate water supply, crew staffing, lack of a full-time safety officer, and no sprinkler system in the building. The report also makes 11 recommendations for departmental implementation, but does not go further than pinpointing those.

Mr. Machcinski, 42, and Mr. Dickman, 31, became trapped inside the burning two-story, six-unit apartment building at 528 Magnolia St. in North Toledo on Jan. 26, 2014. The two were pronounced dead at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, and an autopsy showed they died of burns and carbon-monoxide exposure. Mr. Machcinski had more than 15 years of service to the department, while Mr. Dickman was sworn into the department on Sept. 3, 2013.

A bulk of the report rehashes the fire, minute by minute, and describes the roles of many on-scene firefighters.

Jeff Romstadt, president of Toledo Firefighters Local 92, said the contributing factors and key recommendations “hadn’t really changed” between the draft and final versions, but there were still errors being fixed before the final report was made public. He said he hopes authorities follow through on the recommendations but declined to further comment until the final report is released.

Fire Chief Luis Santiago said he was unable to comment on the report because of a gag order. A Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge issued the order last year, prohibiting defense attorneys and prosecutors from making any public statements in the criminal case stemming from the fire.

Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson did not return telephone calls seeking comment Tuesday, and city spokesman Stacy Weber also cited the gag order and declined to comment. Ms. Weber said the gag order extends to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report.

Ray Abou-Arab, 62, of Oregon, who owned the building, is accused of setting the fatal fire. He is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, each with death penalty specifications; two counts of murder; eight counts of aggravated arson; and one count of tampering with evidence.

Officials allege that Mr. Abou-Arab started the fire in the garage of the apartment building. A June 29 hearing is set for Mr. Abou-Arab’s attorneys, Pete Rost and Sam Kaplan, to argue that the fire department investigators may have destroyed preliminary fire reports that suggested the blaze started in a kitchen inside the Magnolia Street apartment building rather than in the garage.

At a City Council meeting Tuesday, Councilman Lindsay Webb asked the Hicks-Hudson administration to hand over a copy of the report.

“A final draft has been made available to the administration and the family. I think this council needs to see that,” she said.

The report made 10 specific recommendations for improving safety at the scene of fires. It called for firefighters to conduct more extensive searches and risk assessments before entering burning buildings, update current research into fire department training, improve training for firefighters who operate water pumps, and ensure that all hoses are charged before firefighters take them into burning buildings.

The report also said incident commanders should have a stationary command post, designated by a special light, flag, or other symbol, to best coordinate the response to the fire. The incident commander also should use a “tactical worksheet” to keep track of the scene.

The report calls for fire companies to be staffed with an officer on the fireground. The report states that, at the Jan. 26, 2014 fire, there were two engine companies with firefighters who acted as company officers, but their experience was “minimal” because they’d been primarily assigned to emergency medical service runs. The report also notes about a third of the department’s firefighters assigned to field operations had less than two years of job experience.

The report also says an incident commander should assign a safety officer as early on in a fire as possible. The safety officer, the report states, is responsible for the safety and health of all personnel at the scene. The Toledo Fire Department uses “company officers” to act as on-scene safety officers. On Jan. 26, 2014, an officer from Engine 19 was the designated safety officer; they were assigned to the role at 2:59 p.m. when the fire was dispatched at 2:47 p.m. The first “Mayday” occurred at 3:03 p.m.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE: http://m.toledoblade.com/attachment/2015/04/29/NIOSH-investigation-of-Jan-26-2014-fire.pdf

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UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

2 hours ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

On March 4, middle school students from a local Maryland middle school will have the opportunity to take part in the USA Science & Engineering Festival #NiftyFifty presentation by UL FSRI's "Fire Scientist" Dr. Dan Madrzykowski! They will learn about fire dynamics, fire research and fire safety through UL Xplorlabs and #CloseBeforeYouDoze.

The Nifty Fifty, a program of Science Spark, are a group of noted science and engineering professionals who fan out across the country to speak about their work and careers at various middle and high schools. Featuring some of the most inspiring role models in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, this signature program of the USA Science and Engineering Festival presents your students with the latest in green technology, engineering, human health and medicine, astronomy and space exploration, nanotechnology, computer science, and more. The Nifty Fifty program featured over 100 STEM role models and reached over 22,000 students during 2016-2018.
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Dr. Dan Madrzykowski | USASEF

usasciencefestival.org

Fire Science with Dan Madrzykowski! Throughout his career, Dan Madrzykowski has conducted fire investigation related studies in a wide range of areas including fire fighter line of duty deaths, the post-earthquake fires in Kobe, Japan, oil field fires in Kuwait, the Station Night Club fire, and the....
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UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

1 day ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

#ThrowbackThursday to one of our previous studies, "Improving Fire Safety by Understanding the Fire Performance of Engineered Floor Systems."

Check out the research and online training available to dive deeper into this week's #TacticalTuesday episode that discussed the importance of initiating the firefight on the same level as the fire.
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UL FSRI – Fire Safety Research Institute - Improving Fire Safety by Understanding the Fire Performance of Engineered Floor Systems

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The main objective of this project was to improve firefighter safety by increasing the level of knowledge on the fire response to basement fires.
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UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

2 days ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

FALSE: With your door open, you'll be able to smell fire and smoke and call for help quicker than with your door closed.

Listen to Peter Van Dorpe, Fire Chief of Algonquin - Lake in the HIlls Fire Protection District, extinguish this myth and underscore why you and your family should always #CloseBeforeYouDoze.

Check out an additional resource from ScienceDaily - "Scents Will Not Rouse Us From Slumber Says New Brown University Study."
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040518075747.htm
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CBYD Myth Extinguisher: With the door open, I am safer during a fire..mp4
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Jonathan Di Cesaris

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

3 days ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

For today's #TacticalTuesday, check out this video featuring UL FSRI Advisory Board Member, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel as he discusses the importance of initiating the firefight on the same level as the fire.

The quickest way to improve conditions on the fireground is to put the fire out. This is particularly important during basement fires when firefighters can be at increased risk for a floor collapse or become caught in the exhaust portion of a flow path if they are attacking from the floor above the fire.

Many factors can play into the initial decision of where to place the first attack line, but when possible, it is best to get water directly on the fire where it is burning. This does not mean that the primary search is not a priority or that it cannot be conducted concurrently. It highlights the need to coordinate ventilation, extinguishment and search. Early fire suppression is integral to minimizing the hazard on the fireground.

For more research resources and training related to this consideration click here: bit.ly/2EidLFI
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Tactical Consideration: Initiate Your Firefight on the Same Level as the Fire
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Connor Hustead

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

4 days ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Today, we are welcoming a new member to the UL FSRI team!

Angela Bennett is the new UL FSRI Instructional Design Manager. She will support the UL FSRI team by managing course content development, instructional design and storyboard skills for online learning projects. She holds both a Bachelor's of Science and Master's of Science in Emergency Health Services and Instructional Systems Design from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Angela is a 28-year veteran of the fire and emergency services with most of her service in Western Maryland. Before joining UL FSRI, Angela spent over twenty-years on the Faculty at the University of Maryland, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) where she most recently managed the Institute Development Section, which is responsible for the design and development of all MFRI programs.
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Today, we are welcoming a new member to the UL FSRI team! 

Angela Bennett is the new UL FSRI Instructional Design Manager. She will support the UL FSRI team by managing course content development, instructional design and storyboard skills for online learning projects.  She holds both a Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Emergency Health Services and Instructional Systems Design from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. 

Angela is a 28-year veteran of the fire and emergency services with most of her service in Western Maryland. Before joining UL FSRI, Angela spent over twenty-years on the Faculty at the University of Maryland, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) where she most recently managed the Institute Development Section, which is responsible for the design and development of all MFRI programs.
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Congratulations, good luck in your new chapter

Congratulations Angie!

One of the best!! Great things for all!

Congratulations Angie. How important that phone call was so many years ago.

Congrats and good luck Angela👍

Really like your picture ! Congratulations

Congratulations,pretty lady!

Congratulations Angie great job!

Congratulations Angie!

You guys are lucky to have her join your team.

So impressive! And great picture, too!

Wow !!!! Congratulations Kiddo!!!!

Awesome news, Angie will do great work.

An excellent choice!

Congratulations!! Does this mean that if I have a fire emergency, I should first call you? 😱

Awesome choice!!!! Angie will rock it!!!

Congratulations Angie, I’m so happy for you. This picture of you is beautiful. I wish you the best of luck on your new adventure.

Way to go Angie! I had no idea storyboard skills (which I know through advertising) are also used in developing online educational curriculum. Interesting.

Congratulations Angie bennett

The start of another NEW ANGIE. Way to go girl. Miss you.

Congratulations Angie!!!!

I couldn't emoji like love and wow and the same time.

Congrats Angie! That’s awesome.

Congratulations!! That's so exciting!!

Change is exciting! Good for you Angie. Keep rocking it!

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