APRIL 26, 2012--The following information was provided by Esther Hernandez, State Fire Marshal's Office
Each year in the United States, electrical faults are responsible for starting more than 28,000 home fires, killing and injuring hundreds of people, and causing over $700 million in property damage (Electrical Safety Foundation International). State Fire Marshal Charles Duffy suggests the following guidelines to help ensure that you and your family are safe from shock hazards and electrical fires.
Maintenance
Proper Use - When using appliances, follow the manufacturer's safety precautions.
Prevention
APRIL 2, 2012--The following information was provided by Joe Dawson, Commissioner, Spokane Valley Fire Department and WFCA Region 1 Board Director
The Spokane Valley Fire Department will be holding a fire ops 101 class on Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2, 2012 at our training center. Community leaders have been invited to attend. They include but are not limited to council members from the three cities we serve (Spokane Valley, Millwood & Liberty Lake) as well as our county commissioners. Also invited are our state and national elected officials along with school superintendents, business leaders chamber of commerce dignitaries and the list goes on.
The attendees will be given cursory training in such things as live burns, force able entry drills and extrication. On Friday evening participants will be given an overview of the department. For those who are interested, they will be fitted with an air mask and bunkers so that they can participate in actual drills on Saturday, June 2. Of special note is that members of the local have volunteered to come in on their own time (no overtime) to assist with this project or to cover for on-duty personnel who are interested in helping make this a successful two day event.
All of us at the Spokane Valley Fire Department are looking forward to this great opportunity to showcase the training and skills our front line people exhibit each and every day.
MARCH 13, 2012--The following information was provided by the State Fire Marshal's Office
Has your fire department been called to fight fire on property owned by the United States Government? If so, the United States Fire Administration (USFA) may be able to help you obtain reimbursement for costs above and beyond your fire department's ordinary operating expenses. To ease the financial burden on local fire departments for fire suppression on federally owned property, Congress in 1974 authorized USFA to review and approve requests for reimbursement.
Your fire department may qualify for compensation of direct expenses over and above normal operating costs including: overtime pay, pay for specially hired personnel, additional fuel expenses, food expenses, and lost or damaged equipment.
Applications for reimbursement must be submitted within 90 days of the incident by the chief of the department with his or her signature and include the following: incident/fire report, proof of federal ownership of property where fire occurred, information on mutual aid agreements with any Federal Agency and list of any money or grants the Federal Government has paid the claimant. After the claim is submitted USFA will respond to the applicant.
Claims may be sent to:
J. Dennis Gentzel, P E
Reimbursement Program for Firefighting on Federal Property
c/o U. S. Fire Administration
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Additional contact information: John.Gentzel@fema.gov, 301.447.7574
REMEMBER: Claims submitted after 90 days will NOT be processed.
FEBRUARY 24, 2012--The following information was provided by Esther Hernandez, State Fire Marshal's Office
On February 18, 2012, at approximately 8:30 a.m., a fire occurred at Mount Si Transitional Health Center in North Bend, Washington. A single sprinkler head activated and contained the fire until the fire department arrived. Quick acting staff protected residents from the deadly effects of smoke inhalation.
The fire occurred in a dryer in a laundry room. A sprinkler head activated which in turn activated the fire alarm system. The fire alarm system notified the fire department and alerted staff and residents to the fire. Staff acted quickly and evacuated the residents to a safe area in another smoke compartment of the building. The fire department arrived and finished extinguishing the fire and ventilated smoke from the building.
The fire and life safety system worked as designed and contained the fire to the room of origin. There was minimal damage to the dryers and laundry area.
Knowing what to do in a fire emergency is critical. Staff at Mt. Si knew what to do because they participated in regularly scheduled fire drills. They knew that they needed to protect residents from deadly smoke and gasses produced during a fire. They evacuated them to an area with special features to prevent smoke from entering. This protected staff and residents from the toxic effects of fire.
State Fire Marshal Chuck Duffy reports, "Knowing what to do in a fire emergency is key to keeping everyone safe. Fortunately, the activation of the fire sprinkler and alarm systems notified emergency responders without delay. The quick action of Mt Si staff protected the residents from harm."
For additional information on residential fire sprinkler systems, please visit the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition web site at http://www.homefiresprinkler.org or contact your local fire department.
Public agencies across the state use MRSC Rosters to maintain public works business applications
Seattle, WA -- January 9, 2012. Local governments are realizing the value of consolidating services and MRSC Rosters small public works and consultant roster service is a successful example of saving agency resources, while efficiently completing quality projects.
257 Washington cities, counties, and special purpose districts, in 33 counties across the state, use MRSC Rosters to host their individual small public works and consultant rosters in the shared database; post the required annual legal notice on their behalf; and assist businesses with registration. Almost half of Washington cities and towns use the service, along with 36 fire districts, 22 school districts, 21 water/sewer districts, and numerous other districts. A full list of participating public agencies can be found at http://mrscrosters.org/PartAgencies.aspx.
MRSC Rosters is a program of Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC), a non-profit organization that has been serving Washington local governments for more than 75 years. As recognized local government experts, MRSC has developed a statute-based roster service that maintains public agency individual small public works rosters (RCW 39.04.155) and consultant rosters (Chapter 39.80) within a shared database and assists businesses with the roster application process.
Public agencies may join in January or June by contracting with MRSC for a nominal annual membership fee from $100/yr for public agencies with total capital expenditures under $5 million. More registration information may be found at http://www.mrscrosters.org/agency.aspx. Agencies follow the same contracting procedures they would if they maintained their own rosters and MRSC has no involvement in business selection.
Businesses apply at anytime by completing the application within www.mrscrosters.org. It is free to register on one or many of the participating public agency rosters within the database using the default Basic Membership. Public agencies use the roster to search for and notify listed businesses about public works projects under $300,000.00 (small works construction, repair, or maintenance projects) or small to medium sized consulting projects (architecture, engineering, surveying, professional services projects). There is also a fee-based Enhanced Membership, which offers more convenient registration.
Usage of MRSC Rosters has more than tripled since it was created in 2007 and is now used by almost half of all Washington cities, 7 counties and 127 special districts in 33 counties statewide. There are more than 4,000 businesses listed within the shared database and more join weekly.
A webinar presentation explaining how public agencies and business use the MRSC Rosters service can be viewed at http://www.mrsc.org/webinar/mrsclive009.aspx.
For more information, please contact MRSC Rosters Manager, Ellen Hutchinson at 206.625.1300 or via email at ejh@mrsc.org.
DECEMBER 1, 2011--The following information was provided by Esther Hernandez, State Fire Marshal's Office
The high cost of home heating and utilities has caused many of us to turn to alternative heating sources such as space heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves. While these alternative methods of heating may be acceptable, they are also a major contributing factor in residential fires. Over one-quarter of heating fires result from improper maintenance of equipment, specifically the failure to clean the equipment.
"Working smoke alarms provide early notification to the presence of smoke. They can alert you and your family to danger," says State Fire Marshal Charles Duffy. "By frequently practicing a home escape plan, household members will be more familiar with exit strategies."
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is another danger when using fuel burning heating equipment, and occurs most often when equipment is not vented properly. CO is known as the "silent killer" because you cannot see it, smell it or taste it. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu. These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, and fatigue. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health, and the concentration and length of exposure.
PREVENTING HOME HEATING FIRES:
Fireplaces and Wood Stoves
Space Heaters
CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY:
PROTECT YOUR HOME:
For more information on home heating safety, visit the Office of State Fire Marshal website at www.wsp.wa.gov/fire/firemars" or the United States Fire Administration site at www.usfa.dhs.gov.
Submitted by David Ellingson
November 2011 Meeting:
1. Height and weight of engines were not posted in view of the operators. Both weight and height of apparatus are required to be posted. We see this again as a recurring item. Be sure to have a checklist for this when new equipment is purchased, windshields are replaced, or make sure permanent labels are installed so they do not fall off.
2. Electrical safety is important. Breaker panels must have filler plates when breakers are removed or otherwise missing. Energized bus bars are exposed without the filler plates installed. Also ensure all electrical outlets have faceplates installed.
3. Ensure locations of fire extinguishers are clearly identified with signs in fire stations. This is a recurring item.
4. If axes are mounted on the outside of apparatus, there must be safety covers over the picks. This is a recurring item.
5. All containers of chemicals must be labeled even if it is a common household cleaning agent like Windex. Ensure MSDSs are available for all chemicals.
6. Exit signs need to be posted at all exit locations in fire stations.
7. Ensure adequate preplanning for all hazards in your fire district. You need to know the potential hazards your firefighters may be exposed to. Once hazards are identified, firefighters need appropriate training to deal with the hazards, ensure roles are assigned to all team members, list specific Hazmat items for each location, procure the correct chemical agent PPE, and document emergency response procedures and the use of monitoring equipment. Firefighter protective clothing should not be used for primary Hazmat protection except as noted in the Emergency Response Guidebook. For example, ammonia refrigeration systems are used in many commercial operations. Responding to a refrigerant leak must include protective equipment to protect all body areas from vapors and liquids. Fire departments responding to Hazmat incidents must comply with WAC 296-824.
8. WAC 296-305 update. The Governor extended the rules moratorium through 2012. However, there is a very good chance L&I will be granted permission to move forward with changes to this rule after January 1, 2012. The stakeholder committee will probably get back together in the December – January timeframe and there will be two more public comment periods if the rulemaking takes place.
Click here to view May, July and September meeting highlights.
Submitted by Brian Snure, Snure Law Office, PSC
On September 14, 2011, the IRS issued Notice 2011-72 which establishes that when an employer provides an employee with a cell phone primarily for noncompensatory business reasons, the business and personal use of the cell phone is generally nontaxable to the employee. The IRS will not require record keeping of business use in order to receive this tax-free treatment. In addition, in a related IRS memorandum, the IRS is taking the position that if an employer provides a cash allowance or reimbursement for work-related use of personally owned cell phones such reimbursements will not be considered taxable provided that the reimbursements are not excessive or made as a substitute for wages.
The following are links related to this matter:
IRS announcement:
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=245741,00.html
IRS Notice:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-11-72.pdf
IRS Memorandum:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/foia/ig/sbse/sbse-04-0911-083.pdf
You may reach Brian Snure at Brian@snurelaw.com,
or by calling 206.824.5630, toll-free 800.486.9484.
April 20, 2011--OLYMPIA--The Local Government Records Grant Program assists local governments to meet their responsibilities for preserving and improving access to public records. The 2011-13 Local Records Grant Program will focus on the preservation and access of the following archival records:
The program will focus on getting records digitized and made accessible through the Digital Archives. The original records may then be transferred to archives to ensure permanent preservation. The grant budget for the 2011-13 Grant Program is $200,000, with a maximum of $10,000 being awarded to a single recipient. There is also funding available for the purchase of archives storage boxes to aid in the protection of records. Applications will be reviewed and grants awarded on a competitive basis. Agencies are encouraged to work with their local branch archives in the development of their grant applications. Click here for application and more information.
New Special Meeting Notice Requirements are Effective June 7.
Washington Fire Chiefs Annual Conference is Set for May 21-25.
Chelan Seminar is only days away!
IRS Mileage Reimbursement Rates for 2012.
Apply for Your Volunteer Firefighter License Plate.
IRS Guidance on Tax Treatment of Cell Phones.
Sample Fire Commissioner Uniform Policy.
Bid Law Matrix.
Volunteer Compensation Information.
Commissioner Compensation Information.
