Robert Avsec, Battalion Chief (Ret.)

How Cutting-Edge County Bought Its First SCBA Washer – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

Note: The story you’re about to read is true in every respect except one: There is no Cutting Edge County Fire and EMS Department. All that you’re about to read about—meetings, discussions, decisions—really took place in early August 2019. Unfortunately, the county where this all took place has a strict policy against any county department endorsing—or giving the appearance of endorsing—a commercially available product. So, all names have been changed to, as the saying goes, protect the innocen

Taking a systematic approach to cancer risk reduction for firefighters – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

The health and safety of firefighters has been a key area for continuous improvement for as long as there have been firefighters. Motorized fire apparatus, better pumps and hoses, SCBA, and the structural firefighting protective ensemble PPE are just a few examples of the hundreds. If not thousands of improvements that have played a role in reducing firefighter injuries and deaths. Over the past decade, the risk firefighters for firefighters to develop cancers, at rates higher than that for the

Where are you getting your information about firefighters and cancer? – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

When historians look back on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it was mismanaged in the U.S., one of the key failures at the federal level will be the lack of a communication strategy that’s familiar to anyone who’s has education, training, and experience as an emergency manager. I remember very clearly in my first EM class hearing our instructor say, “Bad news doesn’t get better with age.” His point was that in an emergency or crisis your job is to communicate information, not try to put a positiv

Cleaning Your SCBA: Are You a Caveman or a Transformer? – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

What’s the most important piece of equipment on any piece of fire apparatus? If you answered “The firefighters” move to the head of the class. Now for the follow-up question: What’s the second most important piece? But of course, the SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus)! That’s the single piece of equipment that’s going to protect that firefighter when they must enter an IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) atmosphere, atmospheres they encounter during: • Emergencies below grade

Cleaning all PPE elements is the key to firefighter cancer risk reduction – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

The more I’ve learned about the increased risk of cancer from exposure to the toxic chemicals, chemical compounds, and carcinogens contained in structural fire smoke, the more scared I’ve become. And I’ve been retired for 12-plus years. But we’re here to talk about the here and now, right? And the topic for this post is to help you and your fire department in improving your cancer risk reduction process through better handling and cleaning of all the elements of your structural firefighting ens

The Rest of the PPE Cleaning Story – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

One of the primary strategies that fire departments are employing for reducing the risk of exposures to their people from the hazards of structural firefighting is the laundering of PPE following all significant exposures to those identified hazards. Washer/extractor machines are becoming more commonplace in fire stations, along with options for active drying (mechanical dryers and drying cabinets) and passive drying (Designated PPE storage rooms, open air lockers). But does your fire departme

Improving the Safety Culture in a Fire Department: It’s Not What You Think – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

Everyone seems to be talking and writing about the need for changes in the fire service culture for a variety of reasons. Somewhere right at the top of that list would be changing those elements of a fire department’s culture that can have a positive influence on reducing the risk of developing cancers from exposure to the toxic chemicals, chemical compounds, and carcinogens present in the smoke of structure fires today. Before we go any further, it’s useful to have a common understanding of wh

Reduce the cancer risk to firefighters after live fire training – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

On July 22, 2020 the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) announced a crucial update to its Live Fire Training Policy prohibiting the use of oriented strand board (OSB) as a fuel for live fire training sessions in the Commonwealth. In addition to VDFP prohibiting use of OSB containing poly-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI), the update includes guidance and direction for performing contaminant reduction (decontamination) and medical evaluation procedures upon the conclusion of a live

Is your fire department still cleaning its SCBA by hand? – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

I’m betting that in your home you and your family are keeping it clean, healthy, and happy using: • A vacuum cleaner or vacuum system to keep your carpets clean • A powered scrubber (e.g., Swiffer Wet Jet) to keep those floors in your kitchen and bathroom spotless • A washer machine and dryer to keep your clothes clean Modern conveniences like these have reduced the time we all spend on these household tasks, and they do a much better job than brooms, mops, and washboards! So, why is your fire

Improving the Safety Culture in a Fire Department: It’s Not What You Think – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

Everyone seems to be talking and writing about the need for changes in the fire service culture for a variety of reasons. Somewhere right at the top of that list would be changing those elements of a fire department’s culture that can have a positive influence on reducing the risk of developing cancers from exposure to the toxic chemicals, chemical compounds, and carcinogens present in the smoke of structure fires today. Before we go any further, it’s useful to have a common understanding of wh

Reduce the cancer risk to firefighters after live fire training – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

On July 22, 2020 the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) announced a crucial update to its Live Fire Training Policy prohibiting the use of oriented strand board (OSB) as a fuel for live fire training sessions in the Commonwealth. In addition to VDFP prohibiting use of OSB containing poly-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI), the update includes guidance and direction for performing contaminant reduction (decontamination) and medical evaluation procedures upon the conclusion of a live

The Rest of the PPE Cleaning Story – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

One of the primary strategies that fire departments are employing for reducing the risk of exposures to their people from the hazards of structural firefighting is the laundering of PPE following all significant exposures to those identified hazards. Washer/extractor machines are becoming more commonplace in fire stations, along with options for active drying (mechanical dryers and drying cabinets) and passive drying (Designated PPE storage rooms, open air lockers). But does your fire departme

Cleaning all PPE elements is the key to firefighter cancer risk reduction – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

The more I’ve learned about the increased risk of cancer from exposure to the toxic chemicals, chemical compounds, and carcinogens contained in structural fire smoke, the more scared I’ve become. And I’ve been retired for 12-plus years. But we’re here to talk about the here and now, right? And the topic for this post is to help you and your fire department in improving your cancer risk reduction process through better handling and cleaning of all the elements of your structural firefighting ens

Is your fire department still cleaning its SCBA by hand? – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

I’m betting that in your home you and your family are keeping it clean, healthy, and happy using: • A vacuum cleaner or vacuum system to keep your carpets clean • A powered scrubber (e.g., Swiffer Wet Jet) to keep those floors in your kitchen and bathroom spotless • A washer machine and dryer to keep your clothes clean Modern conveniences like these have reduced the time we all spend on these household tasks, and they do a much better job than brooms, mops, and washboards! So, why is your fire

Cleaning all PPE elements is the key to firefighter cancer risk reduction – Fire & EMS Leader Pro

The more I’ve learned about the increased risk of cancer from exposure to the toxic chemicals, chemical compounds, and carcinogens contained in structural fire smoke, the more scared I’ve become. And I’ve been retired for 12-plus years. But we’re here to talk about the here and now, right? And the topic for this post is to help you and your fire department in improving your cancer risk reduction process through better handling and cleaning of all the elements of your structural firefighting ens