Fire Chief

Rick Markley is a volunteer with the International Fire Relief Mission, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that collects donated used fire and EMS equipment and delivers it to needy fire departments in developing nations. Once a delivery is made, IFRM sends a team to that country to train its firefighters on the safe and proper use of the donated gear. Markley is with IFRM team on the Honduran island of Roatan and will be sending a series of dispatches to FIRE CHIEF about his experience.

We arrived on the island of Roatan mid afternoon on Saturday and were met by Joe, a retired American paramedic who relocated to the island six years ago. Our first stop was Roatan’s one fire station.

Roatan, pronounced row-a-tan, is part of Honduras and about a 90-minute ride by ferry north of the mainland. The island is about 40 miles long and five miles wide. Roatan is a hotbed of tourism, drawing well over a million visitors each year. Its large barrier reef is second only to that of Australia, making it a popular destination for divers. The fire station we visited is the only one on the island.

I’m here with the International Fire Relief Mission. For the past year or so, I’ve been volunteering what time I can to help IFRM; this is my first overseas trip with the group.

From a leadership standpoint, this fire department faces numerous challenges. Honduras has a national fire service, which does not include Roatan. The Roatan firefighters sport the same sand-colored jumpsuits and high military boots as do their mainland counterparts. But Roatan Fire and Rescue is a municipal organization. As such, it is, from a financial and organizational standpoint, on its own. It does have one pumper on loan from the mainland, which of course could be reclaimed at any time. During our first visit, the island’s one ambulance was out of service due to busted rear suspension–they were hoping we could fix it. IFRM President Ron Gruening is a retired paramedic. He believes the air ballasts used to raise and lower the backend of the ambulance are ruptured and suggests that any truck repair shop should be able to replace those with coil springs. It is hard to tell by this meeting if they really believed we could fix the ambulance, but in the end we had to walk away leaving its rear bumper inches from the ground.

The fire station is staffed with a five-man crew that works 24 on and 24 off. Despite having a crew always on duty, response times can be as much as 30 minutes, one man told me. Part of the problem is that the locals don’t know or won’t use the national emergency number (*199). The locals tend to call the fire department after their own efforts to stop the fire fail. “They save a lot of foundations,” one man tells me. This may be a good thing, given that the fire department has no working SCBA; the tanks are so deteriorated the dive shops refuse to fill them. IFRM’s donations include SCBA sets.

The five firefighters on duty the afternoon we arrive, are young, very young. One reason, I learn, is that they are so poorly paid the fire and rescue service mostly attracts those without families or those who can find no better work. Often, a firefighter will join, go through training, and leave for better-paying jobs; many wind up as pool boys at the nearby resorts.

Another challenge, I’m told, is the island mentality. Two men tell me that islanders tend to believe they know everything and will continue doing things the same way regardless of how hard someone tries to teach them different. I imagine a good many fire chiefs are thinking that this is not unique to Roatan. Nonetheless, it may be an obstacle for the IFRM team as it embarks on its two-week training mission. Gruening says they often encounter this attitude in countries they visit. You have to let that play itself out, he says. After the first day, some of the firefighters will be pulling him aside to ask for more information. Once this happens, everyone will begin accepting the training and giving it their attention.

On Monday we are set to unload the shipping container of donated gear and transport it to the fire station. There remains some concern about getting to the gear; the fire commissioner who had been working with us now finds himself politically on the outs. We are not sure what we will find when we arrive at the dock Monday morning.

To learn more about IFRM, visit www.ifrm2007.com

Do you have a minute? It seems that is about all the time anyone has these days. But a minute is enough for even the most-stressed individuals to take in some bite-sized educational updates.

The U.S. Fire Administration sends out one-page “Coffee Break” training bulletins every Tuesday. The bulletins target fire and building inspectors and provide technical training in fire-protection systems, building construction, codes and standards, inspection techniques, hazardous materials, and administrative tips. Each notice includes a photograph or illustration tied to a training lesson.

When I interviewed NFA Deputy Superintendent Robert Neale for the January Size Up, he credited Gordon Graham with triggering the idea for bulletins a number of years ago.

“I attended one of Graham’s presentations and took away the importance of short, training chunks on a regular basis,” Neale said. “Rather than trying to teach somebody to sit through a 3-hour class and retain everything, hit them with a bullet points and hit them often. Graham documented it with the short briefs at shift change for the California Highway Patrol.”

A former fire inspector in the state of Washington, Neale decided to build training tips around his personal collection of photographs. Starting in 2004, Neale put together photos and fire code lessons into a one page bulletin and sent it by email to his personal list, the Code Council list, architectural associations, fire training and local chapters.

In 2005, the National Fire Academy’s IT staff suggested Neale putting Coffee Break on a listserv with a goal to hit 5,000 readers every Tuesday. “Last month, we were at 33,639 [readers] in 13 countries around the world, which tells me there’s a crying need for that type of training,” Neale said.

Neale said plans are underway to do more targeted training bulletins, including one on arson. The NFA’s Learning Resource Center currently offers helpful tips on how to do Internet searches and research. Coffee Breaks even include short videos on fire-sprinkler inspector and main drain tests.

While short, targeted bulletins and videos never will replace full training sessions, the material offered does serve as a quick refresher or reminder that can fit into anyone’s busy schedule. The idea also opens a host of other learning opportunities within a shift, team or organization.

If your department has some unique training options, let us hear from you.

By Dennis L. Rogers

This may sound absurd, but as an executive fire officer I had the opportunity to begin a new career as a professional recruit firefighter at the age of 42 with the Frederick County (Md.) Fire Rescue Service. This, of course, is complex for many reasons — age, education, certifications and public-sector experience.

I am a third-generation volunteer firefighter with the Warrenville (Ill) Fire Protection District for 22 years, holding the rank of captain. Applying my fire-service experience with my law-enforcement career as a detective sergeant with the DuPage County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office gave me the opportunity to become the commander of the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force.

So why set out to become a recruit firefighter? Because of geographical and personal constraints, I had a limited region in which to work as a professional firefighter. So I looked to the Mid-Atlantic area, but a vast majority of fire departments are county-based and support individual volunteer fire companies within the respected counties. Many of the management positions in such agencies are filled from within, leaving few — if any — outside opportunities.

Still, I took it upon myself to compete for 30 open positions. With personal control and self-confidence, I thought the situation could work to my advantage. But with such experience, my personal challenge as a leader in starting over again was humility. The key for me was how valuable I felt as a person.

Although I already had attained the basic certifications as an EMT-B, Firefighter III, and Fire Officer I — along with several of other certifications in Illinois and the National Fire Academy — Frederick County required me to attend its own fire academy.

I was thankful that I was mentally and physically strong enough to continue being a firefighter, even if it required me to become a rookie once again. As a leader, I knew there was value in attending the fire academy for many reasons. I could learn the culture of the organization through the eyes of a rookie firefighter. I could get back into a fitness regimen and get back to the basics of firefighting, which would correct some bad habits that I acquired over the years. These basic lessons would reinforce my knowledge, hands-on skills and critical thinking.

Successful leaders view life as a journey of continued growth and development. Every career and life experience — peppered with formal education and pertinent knowledge —directs the professional toward unanticipated opportunities. I have always strived to better myself, to keep driving forward, even if it seems unusual or doesn’t make sense initially.

Dennis L. Rogers is a firefighter with the Frederick County (Md.) Fire Rescue Service. He previously served as a captain with the Warrenville (Ill.) Fire Protection District and a detective sergeant with the DuPage County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office. Rogers is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program.

Fire departments were responding to a large fire in an old apartment complex in the town of Stepford. June Palmer had cautiously passed the fire scene on her way home. After passing the scene, she accelerated; her car struck something and her airbags deployed. Palmer’s car had hit a fire truck, seriously injuring a firefighter.

The fire truck was parked down the road while drafting water for a shuttle relay. It partially extended onto the road, but had no traffic cones and or flares surrounding it.

This scenario was the basis for a mock trial last week at the 22nd Annual Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s Apparatus Symposium in Orlando. Real-life attorneys Jim Juneau and Philip C. Stittleburg, and New York State Supreme Court Judge Robert McGann showed how the trial would proceed in an actual courtroom. Symposium attendees played the roles of the injured firefighter, Stepford’s safety officer and chief, Palmer, and the engineer from the apparatus manufacturer.

“If the jury determines that it was foreseeable, you should have foreseen the outcome,” McGann said. “You are going to be responsible.”

While the injured firefighter had settled with the Palmer’s insurance company, the manufacturer was being sued for not delivering Stepford’s new fire truck with NFPA 1901–required striping and emergency safety cones and flares.

“NFPA 1901 allows a fire truck to be delivered as long as the truck is not used until the required equipment and other required work is completed before it is put in to service,” McGann explained.

During the mock trial, witnesses testified that the apparatus manufacturer delivered the new fire truck to the fire department; however, the department opted to do the stripping and outfit the equipment through their own suppliers. The manufacturer had the fire chief sign a statement of exception, agreeing that the fire department would install the NFPA 1901–required equipment and striping on the truck before it was placed into emergency service.

Since the fire chief signed the statement of exception, the city of Stepford was obligated to complete the required stripping and installation of safety equipment on the truck. “The absence of the safety cones and safety flares left the truck vulnerable to the accident,” McGann said.

Witnesses also testified that budget restrictions prevented the chief from authorizing the required stripping and equipment, yet city council members pressed to get the new fire truck in service. With a large building fire, the chief reasoned that using the truck to draft water for a tanker shuttle away from the fire scene didn’t constitute participating in “emergency service.”

The safety officer’s notes from a safety committee meeting were introduced into evidence. The manufacturer insisted that the statement of exception was signed by the chief. The chief denied and then remembered being present at the safety meeting and discussing the required equipment.

The safety officer voluntarily produced his notes during the discover phase. “Never write anything that you wouldn’t anticipate is going to be part of the litigation process,” McGann said. “If there is a shred of paper, a conversation, a recording, an e-mail, Jim Juneau is going to have a case.”

Trials aren’t just about the evidence. They also are about impressions. An audience member asked whether a Class A uniform should be worn into the courtroom. “It depends on the people’s perception of government,” McGann answered. “I always like to have officers in uniform in court. In the last couple of years, however, we have seen an erosion of confidence in government, so it would depend on how government is being regarding in that locale; if people have lost confidence in government, then no Class A.”

Juneau, too, prefers a uniform “with lots of gold” if the chief is a good witness with a humble persona. However, if the personality of the officer appears pompous, Juneau recommends toning it down with a uniform shirt and badge.

“The trial is the search for the truth,” said Judge McGann. “When you walk in a courtroom, you don’t want to be the smartest person in the group, do you? You don’t want to be the person that the jury can’t relate to.”

Last week, Arizona residents saw some of the worst flooding in years. Out of 15 counties in the state, 10 were declared emergencies. Lives were lost, including that of a 6-year-old Phoenix boy who drowned in swiftwater. At the same time, just this month the state’s fire marshal office was forced to shut its door as a result of budget cuts.

Specifically, Arizona’s Office of State Fire Marshal released a memo based on Gov. Jan Brewer’s mandate that every city department cut 15% from its budget and eliminate programs not mandated by statue, said Arizona Fire Chief Association’s Executive Director Ron Dennis. He said as an example, the fire marshal’s office is required by statute to inspect schools but is not mandated to oversee firefighter training. As a result, statewide certification programs were suspended, including Firefighter I and II certification and instructor and fire inspector training.

Having fewer firefighters trained is a concern of Dennis, and the AFCA is setting up task forces to determine how training programs will continue going forward.

But his immediate concern is that the fire marshal office also fired the fire resource coordinator and announced it would no longer centrally track and coordinate statewide mutual-aid resources. Dennis said the statewide mutual-aid program has a memorandum of understanding with the AFCA that the office will support the resource tracking in the state and staff the emergency operations center if there is a major emergency. The loss of the coordinator left fire chiefs without access to a resource database and without an ability to update it or use it for statewide deployment. In addition, the database wasn’t 100% complete and is now “dead in the water,” he said.

“We don’t have access to the database and we don’t have anyone to get that database up to speed like we need it to be,” Dennis said.

The bottleneck will cripple state- and countywide mutual-aid operations, Dennis said. That doesn’t apply to the current storm the state faces, because a state emergency was declared so resources are coordinated by FEMA through a number of city and county emergency operating centers.

“The good news as that each county has a resource coordinator, and we will be relying on them through direct contact to assist us,” Dennis said.

The next step Dennis said is for AFCA members to draft a transition plan to deal with the cutbacks, but it is going to take a few months to complete. It will be spearheaded by a mutual-aid task force, which will determine who gets called to staff the EOC during statewide emergencies. In addition, the database must somehow be transferred to the division of emergency management and updates completed.

“We have a plan but right now we have lots of hurdles to jump to get our mutual-aid program back on track,” he said. “The big thing is that if there is a disaster, who gets called to the EOC and so we have to figure out who is available and who is qualified.”

In the meantime, staffing the fire side is a problem. So Dennis currently is at the Arizona state emergency operations center to help coordinate the AFCA’s role for the current state-wide emergency.

“Right in the middle of this, I ended up going to the emergency operations center and working as the fire resources coordinator with no resource database,” Dennis said, noting that he couldn’t provide fire resource data to federal officials when they asked for it.

For Dennis and the state of Arizona, federal resources saved their skin during the current storm. But if statewide fire resources were really needed, “We would have been in big, big trouble,” Dennis said.

Related link:

• ACFA’s position statement

Where would you go for an objective assessment of your fleet services — apparatus, equipment and procedures? Most fire chiefs would turn to another chief for the name of an independent, experienced individual who could perform such an in-depth evaluation.

At the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s Apparatus Symposium last week, Paul Lauria, president of Mercury Associates spoke about the role of a fleet services consultant and what to expect from a consultant. Lauria was hired by the city of Boston to evaluate its fleet-services division after the January 2009 crash that killed Lt. Kevin Kelley.

Lauria explained fleet-management consultants are hired for a variety of reasons. “In good economic times, we do a lot of general fleet-management best-practices studies,” Lauria said. “[We also conduct] fleet cost-analysis studies — and it’s no surprise we’re doing a lot of those during a down economy — as well as fleet downsizing studies.”

Lauria said that departments need a better understanding of fleet management goals — quality versus efficiency — and total costs of ownership. He also stressed of the importance of collaborations between fleet managers and fleet users.

“You can’t have an effective fleet-management program without the end users,” Lauria said. “Fleet management is a shared responsibility.”

Too often, those on the financial side of a department don’t understand the complexities of fleet management, frequently comparing preventive maintenance to their personal vehicles. Even changing replacement cycles to reduce the total cost of a fleet can be difficult to understand.

Many fleet managers began as mechanics and moved up the ladder to fleet management, which is frequently not looked on as a profession. Fleet management involves two distinct management activities — asset management and enterprise management. Non-technicians think about things that affect the assets, such as maintenance repair, acquisition and disposal. But there are enterprise activities that involve the care and feeding of the assets — budget, accounting, risk management, asset management, human resources, information technology — and these can have a profound impact on fleet operations.

“One of the underlying causes of the problems in Boston had to do with human-resources management — tension between the union and the mayor’s administration — and nothing to do with the assets themselves,” Lauria said.

Fleet-management professionals who think only about assets and cannot articulate to management why they need funding to replace apparatus will not be successful, Lauria said. Fleet management is about providing tools to organizations that enable them to do their jobs.

When he first meets with the chief of a department, Lauria asks:

• Is there a designated fleet manager? If not, who organizes the fleet?
  
• Where did they acquire their fleet-management expertise, such as it is? What else do they manage, if anything?
  
• Do you have a fleet capital operating budget? How much do you spend a year on your fleet?
  
• Do you have documented fleet policies and procedures?
  

Lauria said that he also reviews vehicle assignments for the most cost-effective way to meet the needs. Defining the needs of the vehicles are critical before developing vehicle specifications.

Are you ready for a fleet-management consultant to visit your shop?

There is little doubt that the potential benefits of a nationwide 700 MHz broadband network are enormous — the ability to transmit medical data, to run complex criminal database queries and to download blueprints of a burning building are just a few of the examples noted by public-safety officials.

Of course, there are even more examples of technology’s reality not matching its hype, particularly in early deployments, when inevitable bugs and glitches tend to be most prominent. In the commercial world, such disappointment typically leads to buyer’s remorse. In a public-safety setting, a communications failure can lead to the gravest of consequences.

With this in mind, the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program recently announced plans to create a demonstration 700 MHz broadband network devoted to determining what fourth-generation broadband wireless technology can — and can’t — do for public safety, as regulators and Congress decide policy issues surrounding the frequency band.

“That’s stuff that has never been deployed before, so we probably need to figure out how it’s going to work and if it’s going to work as expected,” PSCR program manager Dereck Orr said. “And, public safety needs to come in and get their hands on it and maybe run some public-safety-specific scenarios over the demo network … [to] see how it operates, so they have a well-founded expectation of what they’re going to get.”

PSCR officials this week are beginning to reach out to potentially interested parties — public-safety officials, commercial service providers and broadband wireless vendors — to determine what aspects should be tested over the demonstration network, which will include a laboratory component and an over-the-air component, Orr said.

Orr added that he believes that priority and pre-emption will be high on the list of aspects to be tested, as will the real-world operations of many public-safety applications. He said that the PSCR wants the demonstration network to be used to test “public-safety-specific issues,” and not generic broadband operational items that commercial vendors are testing on their own.

“We want to provide environment for the manufacturers and service providers to work out issues among themselves and with their equipment in a very open, non-competitive environment, but focused specifically on the public-safety requirements,” Orr said.

The PSCR is hopeful that the demonstration network can be deployed late this summer or early in the fall — a timeline that largely depends on the availability of gear for new 4G standards such as LTE, Orr said. In addition, while the initial demonstration network will be deployed in a rural area outside of Boulder, Colo., the PSCR also plans to pursue opportunities to establish a similar demonstration network in an urban area, he said.

News of such testing should be welcomed by both the public-safety and commercial communities. For the former, the demonstration network should be a valuable test bed that will help public-safety entities discern where the 4G hype ends and where reality begins, as well as give them a chance to become more comfortable with broadband technology without risking local taxpayers’ money.

For commercial manufactures and service providers, having a demonstration network and an open process may allow them to address and integrate public-safety requirements into 4G networks during the early stages of deployments, instead of as an afterthought that may be too expensive for carriers to consider when deployments are nearing completion.

It’s ironic that state governments are cutting fire department budgets, especially in the eye of current national security threats, when the role of fire departments in such threats continues to grow. This was seen a month ago when Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was threatened by a Yemeni terrorist who was determined to blow up the commercial jetliner. He failed, the plane landed safely at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and the whole story seemed to be swept under the table.

What many might not know is that the FBI lacked tools it needed to test the chemicals used by the bomber. Instead, the FBI called around until they reached a battalion chief at the Warren (Mich.) Fire Department via a 911 dispatcher. The agency asked if Warren had a handheld chemical detector that could identify the toxic materials found on the scene, said David Vinson, the department’s hazmat operations chief. Vinson was surprised he got the call because although Warren is the third-largest city in Michigan, it is about 30 miles from the airport.

“I guess they were trying to get a hold of departments closer to the airport but were unable to contact anyone,” Vinson said. “It was Christmas Day.”

Vinson asked Lt. David Frederick to calibrate the department’s Ahura Scientific detector, ensure it was powered up and get it in working order. Frederick then packed up and headed to the airport, where FBI agents had the plane detained in a hanger.

It took Frederick a little less than an hour to reach the hanger. There he met with an FBI explosives expert and forensic scientist. Frederick said the FBI sounded pretty sure they knew what chemicals were present but wanted a secondary confirmation. He handed over the detector, and the FBI scientist tested the chemicals.

“It took about 15 to 20 seconds, and the FBI came back with a positive reading of exactly what they thought it was,” he said.

Frederick said the event proves fire departments must do more and be prepared for the unexpected. A decade ago, no one knew what a terrorist was and that a war would be fought on all fronts, both at home and abroad, he said. Times are different now.

“There’s no doubt that since 9/11 our role as firefighters has changed a lot,” Frederick said.

Vinson said it was 9/11 that led to the procurement of chemical detectors and other hazmat equipment, specifically during the 2003–2005 fiscal years and paid for by post-9/11 federal grant funds. He said chiefs should consider purchasing the devices because emergency incidents do occur — like Flight 253 — where they are needed. But they are not cheap.

“Outside grant funding, we wouldn’t have it,” Vinson said. “It runs about $30,000.”

Were your ears burning this week? If they were, you might be among the fire chiefs who don’t take responsibility for apparatus safety — we were talking about you this week at the 22nd Annual FDSOA Apparatus Symposium.

The event included my favorite straight-talking attorney, Jim Juneau, who spoke about “Learning from our Mistakes.”

“Every year in the U.S., there are 15,000 fire-apparatus accidents,” he said. “They range from open apparatus doors knocked off to incidents that result in 5,500 lost-time firefighter injuries for a cost of $7 to $8 billion.”

Juneau applauded the fact that the 93 line-of-duty deaths in 2009 was the lowest number in 10 years, but pointed out that 16 of those LODDs resulted from vehicle collisions — and excessive speed, improper seatbelt use and intoxication often were contributing factors. In fact, Juneau said that there has been an increase in intoxicated apparatus drivers.

“You have a responsibility to stop someone who has been drinking from getting behind the wheel of an emergency vehicle,” Juneau said.

While the ratio of LODDs compared to the total number of firefighters is small, many of the firefighter deaths — especially related to apparatus — are preventable.

“Do you have a full-stop policy in your department?” Juneau asked the attendees. “Last year was a bad year for intersection accidents. Intersection policies should state a full stop must become the accepted SOP in the professional fire service. I’m including volunteers — I mean a professional attitude.”

Juneau also shared lessons on:

Older apparatus: “If you’re driving a 1964 engine, take the lights off that vehicle because you’re driving a piece of junk, not a fire truck.”

Training on new equipment: “Get familiar with new equipment in a safe environment,” he said, referencing a fatal accident that occurred during training on a new mid-mount platform.

Power lines: “Treat all [power] lines as hot — even when they are reported as de-energized.” He encouraged that departments purchase an AC current detector and keep it in the baskets of platform units.

Seatbelts: “Enforce the seatbelt policy. Send [firefighters] home if they won’t wear their seatbelts and tell them that in your department they will wear seatbelts.”

In another program, expert witness Ralph Craven and Bureau Chief Brian Brown talked about apparatus problems in Boston Fire Department. Craven was called in three days after Boston Fire Department’s Ladder 26 lost its brakes and crashed through a tree, killing 30-year veteran Lt. Kevin Kelley.

Craven was asked to examine the wreckage of Ladder 26 alongside the police forensic team. “It took me 14 hours to take the right side wheel assembly apart,” Craven said, adding that there were no brakes in the left rear wheel.

Craven stressed that many of the problems with Boston’s fleet were from a lack of a preventive maintenance program. “Many of the problems we saw would have been discovered if the department had a P.M. program,” Craven said. “Fire chiefs must insist that not only a P.M. program is instituted, but that daily checks are done on each and every shift.”

According to a recently released district attorney’s report, several of the problems revolved around the Ladder 26’s brakes, including issues because an outside vendor uses the wrong parts on the brake system.

“If your fire department uses an outside vendor, make sure they are in compliance with Title 49, Part 396, which refers to training of individuals certified to work on air brake systems,” Craven said. “NFPA 1911 is the standard by which you will be judged and includes the out-of-service criteria.”

Stay tuned next week for discussion about the trial of manufacturer who delivered a fire truck and the fire chief who signed a statement of exception.

At the 2008 Station Style Conference in Phoenix, a deputy chief and a researcher presented on contamination in the interior of fire station. I overheard one chief say that he didn’t come to a station-design conference “to hear about bugs and bacteria.”

Most may not have come to hear about such bugs, but most attendees were shocked to learn how long MRSA and other bacteria can live on unexpected surfaces — particularly on the chairs and couches. One chief subsequently decided against carpeting the living area as a precaution.

MRSA may have provoked the discussion, but H1N1, bloodborne pathogens and other contaminants have highlighted the need for changes in turnout-laundering and equipment-cleaning procedures.

On a recent visit to Alexandria (Va.) Fire Department’s new Station at Potomac Yard, I saw a room off from the apparatus bays specifically for cleaning turnout gear. I also found a set of standard washers and dryers that, according to Bttn. Chief John North, are to be used to launder all stationwear. Firefighters no longer area allowed to take their stationwear home to wash.

At a recent apparatus symposium, Chief Mark Ober, Anderson Township (Ohio) Fire and Rescue Department, said his department is looking at new methods of decontaminating apparatus. He described a third-party, free-standing garage-type facility into which vehicles can pulled for decontamination.

And it’s more than dirty gear that you need to worry about. Ober said that a neighboring town no longer allows medic bags to be placed on the floors of patients’ homes because medics were bringing bedbugs back to the station.

Most departments already have standard operating procedures for decontaminating gear, equipment and apparatus. But do you have policies that cover cleaning your station’s day room, kitchen and eating areas, as well as bedding and showers? If not, now is the time to create them.

The 2010 Station Style Conference again will offer a program on infection control and durable surfaces. Danger lurks not only on calls, but back in the shelter of the station as well.