Command Post: OSHA Obstacles

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December 7, 2007	SUBSCRIBE	UNSUBSCRIBE	PREFERENCES

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Table Of Contents

	OSHA Obstacles
	S.C. Reduces CFD Fines
	Congressional Staff Feels the Heat
	Volunteer Council Lands Junior Firefighter Grant
	Heart Attacks Claim Two Volunteer Fire Chiefs
	Rosenbauer America Begins $1 Million Expansion
	Send Holiday Greetings Overseas
	Gearing Up for Mission Impossible
	Full Calendar at FireChief.com

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From Janet's Notebook

OSHA Obstacles

By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director

Scene of the Accident's Executive Director Todd Hoffman spends a good deal of his time with fire departments, particularly volunteer departments, with his accident-scene training company. Recently Hoffman contacted me because he was concerned about a recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration ruling that will affect volunteer fire departments — that all PPE, with a few exceptions, will be provided at no cost to the employee.

"Employees exposed to safety and health hazards may need to wear personal protective equipment to be protected from injury, illness and death caused by exposure to those hazards," Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant secretary of Labor for OSHA, said of the rule published in the Nov. 15 Federal Register. "This final rule will clarify who is responsible for paying for PPE, which OSHA anticipates will lead to greater compliance and potential avoidance of thousands of workplace injuries each year."

The final rule also clarifies OSHA's requirement regarding payment for employee-owned PPE and replacement PPE. The rule also issues an enforcement deadline of May 15, 2008. Click Here for More ...

Top Story

S.C. Reduces CFD Fines

Almost three months to the day after nine Charleston firefighters died fighting the Sofa Super Store blaze, the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration slapped the city with $9,325 in related fines. A new deal struck between the city and SC OSHA cuts those fines by a third and exonerates the city from blame. Click Here for More ...

Polycom's Grant Assistance Program (PGAP) helps fire departments find and apply for funding sources, such as the Assistance to Firefighters grant, to buy critical communications equipment for training and distance learning. Go to www.polycom.com/pgap to learn more. We provide up to $1,500 towards the cost of grant writers to help you apply.

In the News

Congressional Staff Feels the Heat

The Congressional Fire Services Institute played host to Congressional staff who exchanged their regular business attire for attire worn by firefighters and rescue personnel to experience a day of actual training at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. Click Here for More ...

Volunteer Council Lands Junior Firefighter Grant

The National Volunteer Fire Council received a $389,000 grant from the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation to support its National Junior Firefighter Program. The NVFC was one of three organizations to receive a grant from the foundation this year. Click Here for More ...

Heart Attacks Claim Two Volunteer Fire Chiefs

Last month Orcutt (Calif.) Fire Protection District Fire Chief Ronny A. Bennett and Jon Bingham, assistant fire chief for the Geary (Okla.) Fire Department, died of an apparent heart attacks. Click Here for More ...

Rosenbauer America Begins $1 Million Expansion

Rosenbauer America broke ground last month to expand its Lyons, S.D. fire apparatus manufacturing facility by 24,000 square feet. The project will cost $1 million and scheduled for completion by March 2008. Click Here for More ...

Do you have questions? We have answers!

FireChief.com is featuring a new service where you can ask industry professionals your questions in specific categories. Class 1 is currently answering questions related to Electronics, and Hale is currently answering questions related to Pumps.

If you would like to be an expert on FireChief.com you can learn more about the program here.

Firefighters Abroad

Send Holiday Greetings Overseas

During this holiday season, many American firefighters are doing double-duty for their country, serving as soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and in other nations abroad. Command Post readers have contributed the names of the soldiers on this list; these are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, colleagues and friends, fathers and mothers in the fire service family. Click Here for More ...

From Mutual Aid, a FIRE CHIEF Blog

Gearing Up for Mission Impossible

By Glenn Bischoff

Much has been written and said about how the effort to reconfigure the 800-MHz band so that operations by Sprint Nextel no longer cause harmful interference to first-responder communications is well behind schedule and likely won't be completed by the June 26, 2008, deadline set by the Federal Communications Commission. But not much has been written or said about what's being done to get the derailment back on track. Click Here for More ...

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As Seen in FIRE CHIEF

Full Calendar at FireChief.com

Do you have an upcoming event to share with our readers? Please send information to Lisa Allegretti, Managing Editor, at lisa@firechief.com.

DECEMBER 2007

TEEX 32-Hour Advanced Tactical Leadership
10-13, College Station, Texas
Contact: TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute, 866-878-8900; www.teex.org/fire

TEEX Combined (Basic & Advanced) Marine Firefighting
10-14, College Station, Texas
Contact: TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute, 866-878-8900; www.teex.org/fire

TEEX Advanced Marine Firefighting
11-14, College Station, Texas
Contact: TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute, 866-878-8900; www.teex.org/fire

JANUARY 2008

20th Annual Apparatus Specification & Vehicle Maintenancy Symposium
20-23, Orlando, Fla.
Contact: Sally McCormack, FDSOA, 508-881-3114; www.fdsoa.org

Fire-Rescue East
22-26, Jacksonville, Fla.
Contact: Florida Fire Chiefs' Association, www.ffca.org

Working Together Emergency Services Midwest Conference & Exposition
30-Feb. 2, Milwaukee, Wis.
Contact: Don Hunjadi, 800-793-6820; www.wisconsinems.com/conf.htm

FEBRUARY 2008

Public Safety Grant Writing
6-7, Atlanta
Contact: David Furrer, Chief Grants, 800-733-9281, x 4535; www.chiefsupply.com/grants/seminars.asp