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Firefighters have used aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for a long time to fight fires that are difficult to suppress, particularly those involving flammable liquids and petroleum products. However, AFFFs make use of a class of chemicals containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, to enhance their fire suppression capabilities.
PFAS are often called the “forever chemicals” because they do not break down and can accumulate over time. PFAS are receiving increasing scrutiny from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for being hazardous to public health and the environment. The response to the massive Chemtool fire in Rockton, Illinois in June of this year raised concern due to the runoff from the PFAS-containing foam that was initially used on the fire, and ongoing ground water testing around the site will monitor for PFAS.
Legislation on PFAS is evolving rapidly. Several states have already passed their own legislation restricting use of firefighting foams containing PFAS. The EPA established its PFAS Action Plan in 2019, and as of July 29, 2021, the EPA now includes PFAS-containing chemicals in its annual Toxic Release Inventory. In a bill currently being considered in the Senate, the PFAS Action Act of 2021, the EPA would designate PFAS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). If this bill becomes law, many sites where chemicals containing PFAS have been used could be deemed CERCLA sites, legally obligating responsible parties or the EPA to pay for and conduct cleanup.
As legislation on PFAS continues to evolve, fluorine-free foam (FFF) products for firefighting that are just as effective as AFFFs are needed, but according to a 2020 report from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the firefighting capabilities of fluorine-free foams currently on the market varied by manufacturer and generally required a lot more foam at a greater gallon-per-minute rate to extinguish the fires than AFFFs. The NFPA report concludes that FFFs are not currently a drop-in replacement for AFFFs. Improvements in the foam testing protocols and the foam products themselves are still needed.
Fire and emergency services organizations, both civilian and military, will need to keep abreast of rapidly evolving federal and state legislation, use AFFFs only when necessary, and be prepared to conduct very effective containment of AFFFs when they must be used.
The United States Fire Administration provides safety recommendations for responders to protect against exposure when using AFFFs. A good one-stop resource to learn more about the safety concerns, regulations, and best management practices for the use of AFFFs is the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council’s (ITRC’s) AFFF Fact Sheet, on the ITRC’s PFAS website.
(Source: FireRescue1)
September is National Preparedness Month, a dedicated time for individuals and communities to prepare for disasters.
Although earthquakes may not be the most prevalent natural disaster that comes to mind in many regions of the United States, earthquakes do happen all the time across the country. It is important for individuals and communities to be prepared so they know what to do if an earthquake hits their area.
To capitalize on public awareness around disaster preparedness, fostered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s public service campaigns for National Preparedness Month in September, the annual Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill is scheduled for October 21, 2021. At exactly 10:21 a.m. on October 21, millions of people will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in the world's largest earthquake drill.
While the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill occurs for all participants across the world at the same moment in time, the drill is organized by Official ShakeOut Regions, and supporting instruction surrounding the drill is customized for the preparedness needs of each region. Therefore, the first step to getting better prepared is to register to participate in the drill. From there, you can access drill manuals, materials, and other resources appropriate for your audience and Official ShakeOut Region to get started. Resources supporting drill leaders are also available on the website for areas that fall outside of an Official ShakeOut Region.
The Great ShakeOut is an opportunity for everyone to assess potential vulnerabilities, make improvements, and practice how to be safe during an earthquake.
Since Official ShakeOut Regions require significant local or regional coordination, typically by an emergency management agency or an alliance of many organizations, drills are organized within each region by a wide network of local and national partners. These partners are a source of many resources and support for emergency managers who need to keep their communities prepared for earthquakes.
The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), an earthquake science and education center headquartered at the University of Southern California, oversees global coordination of the Great ShakeOut drills and manages all ShakeOut websites, except in Japan. If you are interested in establishing ShakeOut for your region, you can contact the SCEC via the Shakeout.org website. If your state, province, or country is not yet participating, you can register yourself or your organization as part of the global participation total.
(Source: CUSEC, ShakeOut.org)
The Committee for Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (C-TECC) maintains high-threat civilian medical guidelines crafted for fire and emergency medical services, law enforcement, civilians, and hospital-based providers of all levels.
As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Committee will be hosting a webinar on Sept. 9. from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST. Join FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs and retired Arlington County, Virginia Fire Chief Jim Schwartz as they recount their experiences leading the unified command effort at the Pentagon in 2001. They will discuss the lessons learned from that experience and how those lessons can be applied to today's threat environment. They will also discuss how public safety agencies can improve their preparedness efforts for the future.
The Sept. 9 webinar is free to attend; however, advanced registration is required.
C-TECC was founded in 2011 to address a glaring operational gap that existed nationwide in pre-hospital trauma care. C-TECC has informed national resiliency strategy for both active bystanders and professional responders in several forums and has several goals:
- To balance the threat, civilian scope of practice, differences in civilian population, medical equipment limits, and variable resources for response to atypical emergencies.
- To establish a framework that balances the risk-benefit ratio for all civilian operational medical response.
- To provide guidance on medical management of preventable deaths at or near the point of wounding.
- To minimize provider risk while maximizing patient benefit.
The Committee’s TECC Guidelines are evidence- and consensus-based and are the appropriate civilian translations from lessons learned from military operations to reduce death and disability from trauma.
C-TECC recently published an annex to its TECC Guidelines for Basic Life Support (BLS) / Advanced Life Support (ALS) medical providers, addressing treatment required for patients during a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) event.
Register here for C-TECC’s webinar with Chief Jim Schwartz and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs. Interested individuals can also join the C-TECC mailing list and visit the website for more information.
(Source: C-TECC)
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