U.S. Fire Administration News
- Religion, culture and medical reasons for workers with facial hair make it difficult to comply with OSHA's facial hair requirement that respirators be fit-tested to the wearer’s face to achieve a tight seal to the face. NIOSH announces a project to determine how well respirators offer protection to workers with facial hair using beard bands.
- Learn more about lessons learned from previous case studies, including the Camp Fire, as well as what strategies need to be followed for future post-fire research and analysis to help us learn how to better protect ourselves, our communities, infrastructure and local ecosystems.
- Heat-related illnesses and death are largely preventable with proper planning, education and action. Get 2 new resources from National Integrated Heat Health Information System to support communities and local leaders with heat planning and response efforts.
- Read the report by DHS that provides guidance related to the use of standards when selecting and purchasing protective and operational equipment for public safety organizations, including law enforcement agencies, fire departments and emergency medical services agencies.
- The National Transportation and Safety Board releases its findings and recommendations related to the investigation of the East Palestine, Ohio freight train derailment.
- Learn more about the new tools USFA is launching to apply consistent data in the implementation of community risk reduction, code adoption and enforcement, mitigation, and planning efforts.
- Become a Gold Helmet Department to show you're actively involved in helping researchers investigate the link between firefighting and cancer. The Gold Helmet Challenge is an initiative from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to recognize fire departments that achieve high participation rates in the National Firefighter Registry.
- In 2023, US fire departments submitted over 30 million incident reports, essential for improving firefighter safety and community protection through data analysis. The National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) is launching in late 2024 and aims to streamline incident reporting.
- OHSA's Hazard Communication Standard will take effect on Friday, July 19 and provides a standardized approach to workplace hazard communications.
- The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology has released a report on the lessons learned from the comprehensive evaluation of several open-circuit SCBAs.
- National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) is scheduled for launch in late 2024, NERIS aims to provide local fire and EMS departments with predictive analytics and real-time data to enhance preparedness, response capabilities, and community risk reduction efforts, marking a significant advancement in data-driven decision-making for fire services nationwide.
- New report documents C-THRU's use by 8 firefighter evaluators conducting normal fire response and incident command tasks.
- The Drug Enforcement Administration has released the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, its annual comprehensive strategic assessment of illicit drug threats and trafficking trends endangering the United States.
- Now available: The Lahaina Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report on the devastating August 2023 fire that lead to 101 fatalities, widespread destruction and devastating community impacts.
- First responders: Do you know how to assist people with #autism in high-stress situations? With 1 in 36 children in the U.S. diagnosed with autism, encountering such individuals is inevitable for first responders. Learn how to assist them, prioritizing safety for all involved.
- NIOSH published a new Science Blog on keeping junior firefighters safe and healthy. Get details on lessons learned from 8 NIOSH investigations conducted since 2000 involving junior firefighters aged 14 to 17 years old
- Fire and public safety departments can help increase their community's awareness of common fire risks. Awareness is key to saving lives and drastically reducing property loss.
- Get the “Quick Facts” on the NWCG Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher on fire line safety. WFSTAR training is focused on operations and decision-making issues for risk mitigation, safe and effective practices maintenance, and accident reduction.
- DHS has released 2 new guidance documents to aid public safety agencies with procurement decisions related to commercially available UASs.
- Learn about the EMS Model Procedural Guidelines for Special Pathogens just released by the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center. Guidelines provide step-by-step instructions for EMS to incorporate in your policies and procedures.