Firefighting

April 17, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed legislation today to help family members of police and fire fighters who die in the line-of-duty receive benefits.

“Every day, police officers and fire fighters across the state put the lives on the line in order to keep each one of us and our families safe,” said Governor Culver. “If they make the ultimate sacrifice for us, the least we can do is make it easier for their families to receive benefits.”    » read more »

Authorizes State Resources to Respond to Wildfires

April 10, 2009 -- AUSTIN – Following severe wildfires that swept across North Texas this week, Texas Governor Rick Perry today reiterated his request to FEMA to issue an emergency declaration for 199 Texas counties based on the threat of wildfires. Perry also authorized additional state resources today to combat the ongoing wildfires across the state.

“The rapidly spreading wildfire threat across North Texas demonstrates how quickly conditions can change and the importance of heeding warnings from local officials,” Gov. Perry said. “I urge Texans, particularly in the northern part of our state, to exercise extreme caution and monitor the situation closely.”    » read more »

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary Tom Vilsack to Focus on Rural Healthcare Clinics, Fire Stations and Funding for Housing

Washington, DC, March 30, 2009 – Vice President Joe Biden and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday, April 1st to highlight how the Recovery Act is helping rural America.    » read more »

FLAME Act Allows Forest Service to Focus on Protecting Communities

March 26, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FLAME Act (Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act) by a vote of 412 - 3. This vote represents an important step towards fixing the funding crisis that has prevented the Forest Service from conducting work to restore the health of forests and protect communities from devastating wildfires.    » read more »

March 26, 2009 -- DOVER -- It’s going to be easier for some firefighters and ambulance crews to get through traffic and to the firehouse thanks to a new law signed Thursday by Delaware Governor Jack Markell.

Under the law, firefighters and ambulance crews, specifically designated by their departments as first responders will be able to have so-called “wig-wag” light kits installed on their cars as an aftermarket item. Previously emergency crews could have the light kits, which rapidly cycle a car’s high- and low-beam headlights, but they had to be factory-installed.

This new law will make it easier for firefighters to do their jobs and to keep us safe,” Markell said. “I consider protecting Delawareans' safety one of state government's most fundamental responsibilities."    » read more »

In Meeting with Firefighters, Vilsack Discusses Local Job Creation

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 — In an address to the International Association of Firefighters today, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced several projects for wildland fire protection and removal of hazardous fuels that will begin immediately. These USDA projects, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will create thousands of jobs in California, Colorado, Florida, and Oregon.    » read more »

March 6, 2009 -- DENTON, TEXAS -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help fight the Tuscola Fire following a request for a fire management assistance declaration from the State of Texas on Thursday.

At the time of the request, the fire was threatening approximately 350 homes in and around the communities of Tuscola and Potosi, in Taylor County. The fire threatened buildings, infrastructure, and utilities in the area. Voluntary evacuations were issued for twenty people, two homes burned, and US highways 83 and 84 were closed due to the fire. The fire started on Thursday and had burned in excess of 150 acres of private land.    » read more »

March 6, 2009 -- DENTON, TEXAS -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help fight the Taloga Fire following a request for a fire management assistance declaration from the State of Oklahoma on Thursday.

At the time of the request, the fire was threatening approximately 372 homes in and around the community of Taloga, in Dewey County. The fire threatened buildings, roads and bridges, infrastructure, utilities, recreation, equipment, fishing streams and spawning sites, and wildlife in the area. Voluntary evacuations were issued for over 200 people. The fire started on Thursday, and had burned in excess of 20,000 acres of State and private land.    » read more »

August 13, 2008 -- Today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sent the following letter to President Bush through Nancy Ward, Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Administrator, Region IX, requesting that the President amend his previous emergency declaration and declare a major federal disaster for the State of California due to wildfires.

Helicopters fighting a wildfire: Photo by Noah McMurray (CC)

The request includes:

* A major federal disaster declaration for the State of California as a result of the wildfires;
* Dating the declaration to include wildfires that began on May 22, 2008; and    » read more »

Las Vegas, NV – The International Association of Fire Fighters has announced the launch of a new initiative to help fire fighters, family members and friends to quit smoking cigarettes.

“Our goal is to help make the IAFF the first smoke-free union,” IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said in his address to delegates at the IAFF 49th Convention.

Cigarette butts: Photo by The Other

The IAFF is collaborating with pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. to promote smoking cessation. Schaitberger and Pfizer CEO Jeff Kindler first announced the joint initiative at the IAFF Health and Safety Conference in Chicago, Illinois, in October 2007.    » read more »

August, 2008 -- Home fire deaths are higher in states that have a greater percentage of smokers, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published this month in the journal Injury Prevention. If smoking at home is reduced or stopped, fewer residential fire deaths may result, the study said.    » read more »

June 9, 2008 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today signed into law two bills designed to help keep Connecticut communities safer and to protect the first responders – police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians – who accept that difficult and often dangerous job.    » read more »

06/03/2008 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined representatives from the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), local elected officials, firefighters and Blue Ribbon Commission Task Force members to unveil five new engines from the OES Engine Program that have been assigned to the San Diego, Escondido, Oceanside, Murrieta and Riverside Fire Departments.

California Governor Schwarzenegger unveils new fire engines: Photo courtesy California Governor's office    » read more »

01 June 2008 -- A large fire has destroyed some movie sets on a back lot at Universal Studios in Los Angeles County, California.

Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze that broke out before dawn Sunday, about 15 kilometers from the city of Los Angeles.

Fire officials say the blaze began on a sound stage known as "New York street," built to look like New York City. It swept through a set from the 1980s hit movie Back to the Future, and a vault containing tens of thousands of archived videos and film reels.

But Universal chief Ron Meyer told reporters nothing irreplaceable was lost from the vault, because copies of the archives are stored elsewhere.

Fire officials also say the King Kong attraction at the adjacent Universal Studios theme park was damaged.    » read more »

Statement By Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg On Council Passage Of New Fire Code For New York City

May 28, 2008 -- "The City Council today adopted a new Fire Code, the first comprehensive revision of the Fire Code since 1913, which will make this City safer for both New Yorkers and the firefighters that protect us.

The Fire Code governs the use of building safety systems like sprinkler systems and extinguishers, the permit and inspection process, fire-detection and extinguishing systems, and emergency preparedness and planning.    » read more »