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U.S. Fire Administration sent this bulletin at 11/19/2012 09:25 AM EST

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This Week's Highlights

  • Book Cover New from the National Academies Press:Terrorism and the Electric Power Delivery System.
     The electric power delivery system that carries electricity from large central generators to customers could be severely damaged by a small number of well-informed attackers. The system is inherently vulnerable because transmission lines may span hundreds of miles, and many key facilities are unguarded. This new title from NAP focuses on measures that could make the power delivery system less vulnerable to attacks, restore power faster after an attack, and make critical services less vulnerable while the delivery of conventional electric power has been disrupted. USAToday published recently a background article top this study which you can also read online here.
     
  • There are several studies, new to our collection, worth highlighting this week. A paper first published online in April, 2012 in the Journal of Safety Research provides measurable evidence that firefighters engaged in a targeted, door-to-door distribution of fire prevention education materials in high-risk areas can reduce both the frequency and severity of residential fires. Firefighters in Surrey, British Columbia, conducted 18,473 home visits in zones of the city that had the highest concentration of fire incidents. These visits focused on educating residents on the leading causes of home fires and on testing and installing smoke alarms. 
  • In a study published in August in the Natural Hazards journal researchers examined the reasons for the high number of deaths in the May, 2011 Joplin, MO tornado. The magnitude of the event, its path through densely populated commercial and residential properties and the sheer size of the impacted area all played a large part. However, there were also factors involved that call for increased preparedness and mitigation. One such factor was the absence of basements in many homes owing to the near-surface rock stratum that underlies the region. Financial incentives should be found to encourage the construction of in-home safe rooms as well as construction of community tornado shelters. Finally, researchers noted that 23% of those surveyed in the study admitted to not complying with warnings and another 10% claimed not receiving any warnings at all. Emergency managers will need to focus on ways to increase dissemination of warnings and find ways to improve residents' response.
  • Introduction to the U.S. Fire Administration's Fire is Everyone's Fight™ Initiative: Fires can be prevented and everyone has an important role to play.  Fire is Everyone’s Fight™ is a new initiative led by the U.S. Fire Administration to call attention to safe cooking practices and the need for having working smoke alarms in your home. The U.S. Fire Administration recognizes the power of partnerships and is inviting individuals and organizations inside and outside the fire service to partner with them and help deliver accurate and consistent fire safety messages. To learn how you or your organization can support the development of this exciting initiative, please register and join us for this December 4th webinar. 

 

Library All-hazards News Digest :  News articles and Reports
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Library Fire Prevention News Digest :

New at the LRC Last Week

Preview these titles online:

Dam and levee safety and community resilience : a vision for future practice Riding rockets : the outrageous tales of a space shuttle astronaut