The role of government during natural disasters 2. November 2012 Rich Duffy The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast is a great example of why we need a centralized federal government that can respond to states and communities in need of disaster relief. Hurricane Sandy also underscores a very important issue for Americans, and t... [More]
Remembering the Death of Brother John Carter 24. October 2012 Rich Duffy Fifteen years ago this morning, Brother John Carter, a member of IAFF Local 36 and the Washington, DC Fire Department was tragically killed in a neighborhood grocery store fire in the District. The Department and Local 36 conducted a formal investigation of this fire and I was privileged to serve... [More]
Post-Fire Hazards Evaluations 25. September 2012 Rich Duffy The Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability (IAB) has just released a position paper addressing Evaluation of Hazards in the Post-Fire Environment.The IAB is a formal group of emergency responders representing the public safety sectors from all levels of government and i... [More]
What you should know about the West Nile Virus 29. August 2012 Rich Duffy 2012 West Nile Virus Update Thus far in 2012 (as of August 21), 47 states have reported West Nile virus (WNV) infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 1118 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 41 deaths, have been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prev... [More]
Report Portrays Role of Fire Marshals and the Tobacco Industry in Flame-Retardant Campaign 17. May 2012 Rich Duffy An in-depth, multi-part investigative study, 'Playing with Fire' published by the Chicago Tribune has probed the toxic effects of flame retardants in the environment and the deceptive promotion of the use of flame retardants in baby products and many common household goods (furniture foam; plastic c... [More]
Part Three: Protecting Your Work Environment 4. May 2012 Rich Duffy IAFF Representative Sean DeCrane and other IAFF members spent the third day attending hearings at the International Building Code in Dallas where a number of items impacting fire fighters’ work environment are being discussed. Some of the issues impacting our members operating on the str... [More]
Part Two: Protecting Your Work Environment 3. May 2012 Rich Duffy IAFF Representative Sean DeCrane and other IAFF members spent the second day of hearings where a number of items impacting the fire fighters work environment occurred. The Fire Safety Committee for the Building Code heard the debate on twenty-five code change proposals based on the fire perfo... [More]
J’ACCUSE: The Deutshche Bank Tragedy 1. May 2012 Rich Duffy A must read by every IAFF member and fire fighter. On August 18, 2007 two FDNY fire fighters and IAFF members from Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 were killed at a seven-alarm fire at the Deutsche Bank building, adjacent to Ground Zero in New York City. Brothers Robert Beddia and J... [More]
Protecting Your Work Environment 30. April 2012 Rich Duffy Hearings for the 2015 International Building Code began this week in Dallas, Texas. One of the first issues was a proposal allowing industry to use sprinklers as a part of the fire resistance rating in establishing the fire rating performance. While this is currently allowed as an Alte... [More]
Breast Cancer and Occupational Risks 14. December 2011 Rich Duffy According to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), extensive scientific research on the environmental factors associated with breast cancer has found a possible connection between increased risk for the disease and exposures to benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and ethylene oxide. These chemicals... [More]
NIOSH Fire Fighter Cancer Study 21. November 2011 Rich Duffy Each of you is well aware that during fire fighting activities our members are exposed to many combustion products that are known carcinogens [including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), formaldehyde, benzene, chromium compounds, dioxins, asbestos, particulates and arsenic]. These expos... [More]
FDNY Unveils Memorial For Members Who Died From 9/11-Related Causes 9. September 2011 Rich Duffy On Thursday, September 8, the FDNY unveiled a Memorial Wall at FDNY Headquarters for 55 FDNY members who have died from an occupational illness related to their work at the World Trade Center during and after the September 11th attacks. Individual names of FDNY members who have died since Sept... [More]
FDNY WTC Cancer Study News 2. September 2011 Rich Duffy Thousands of print and video news articles have now appeared around the world regarding the study released today on the cancer experience of New York City fire fighters and fire officers in relationship to exposures at the World Trade Center on 9/11. As the IAFF reported, this study clearly sh... [More]
Hurricane Irene - Vermont 31. August 2011 Rich Duffy Our IAFF members have been on the ground in the devastation across the state of Vermont for several days working passionately and heroically, making several rescues in very dangerous swift water and assisting with the relocation of families from cities and towns that have seen unprecedented devastat... [More]
Surviving Hurricane Irene 29. August 2011 Rich Duffy For the past week, the IAFF has continuously monitored the track of Hurricane Irene, and has provided updates regarding conditions or news affecting our members. Approximately 620 IAFF affiliates were located in this storm’s path. Additionally, we updated our hurricane information and re... [More]
