Fire Service COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Policy Comparison

To date, there have been over 2.7 million deaths and more than 126 million cases attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic (JHU, 2021). This pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of daily life. Among those impacted are U.S. firefighters, as they provide many services beyond simply extinguishing structure fires and are frequently dual certified as emergency medical technicians. Many of the victims of this pandemic have relied on first responders to provide them with emergency medical care and hospital transport. When caring for these infected patients, firefighters have an increased risk of exposure and must be provided with adequate resources and guidance on how to best protect themselves. To assess the COVID-19 pandemic plans utilized by U.S. fire departments, this study performed a qualitative review of COVID-19 pandemic plans from metropolitan fire departments across the nation. The fire department policies were compared to the 117 recommendations established by national and international authorities on COVID-19. Analysis of the fire department COVID-19 plans revealed 29 recommendations that were followed by all agencies reviewed, 72 recommendations that were intermittently acknowledged, and 16 recommendations that were included in no fire departments plans. The study also identified unique practices in the COVID-19 infection prevention and control plans reviewed

Smart Firefighting Technologies in Urban China

As urbanization in China promotes rapid population growth, urban areas become increasingly densely populated. The distribution of citizens, the spatial organization of these cities, and the rate of development all present unique challenges to Chinese firefighters and disaster responders. In this report, Beijing, Wuhan, and Shanghai will be used as a case studies to represent densely populated urban areas in China. The goal of our project is to develop recommendations for our sponsor, the WPI-Tsinghua University Center for Global Public Safety, that integrate new smart technologies to make firefighting safer and more efficient in densely populated urban areas within China

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) seventy-eighth meeting virtual on Zoom, open to the public October 5, 2021 [Minutes]

The Seventy-Eighth meeting of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) was convened on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 via Zoom. The BSC met in open session in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).Publication date from document properties.BSCmeetingMinutesOctober052021_508-Signed.pdf20211083

Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers

Drawing on responses to open records requests, analysis of state and federal laws and regulations, interviews, and written questionnaires completed by incarcerated workers, this report discusses at length the features of state and federal prison labor systems that result in systemic exploitation and abuse. This report also recommends concrete steps to make prison systems treat incarcerated workers with dignity and respect for their human rights. Though this report centers on the gratuitously harsh conditions of contemporary prison labor, it is embedded in larger conversations about racism, sexism, the U.S. criminal legal system, the 13th Amendment, and the ultimate morality of this country's vast network of prisons, jails, and detention facilities.

Exploring Potential Opportunities for the Fire Equipment Maintenance Program

This paper presents opportunities for expansion of the Country Fire Authority\u27s (CFA) Fire Equipment Maintenance (FEM) program in Victoria, Australia. These opportunities were identified through interviews of CFA personnel and are intended to enhance community safety and, where possible, increase the revenue of brigades participating in the FEM program. The opportunities were researched and organised into areas of products and services, training, emergency management, and post-incident analysis. These suggestions were then presented to the CFA via a computer program and a detailed written report

Firefighting Remote Exploration Device II

The need for “smart” recovery for disasters is at the forefront. Firefighters operating in indoor firegrounds are put at risk by the constantly changing environment. The use of robotics in firefighting can assist firefighters by informing them about different aspects of the fireground, such as the structural layout and temperature distribution. Taking inspiration from a design devised by a previous WPI Major Qualifying Project, our team prototyped a heat, water, and impact-resistant robot capable of navigating around obstacles in the fireground and returning relevant real-time data

2020 - The First Annual Fall Symposium of Student Scholars

The full program book from the Fall 2020 Symposium of Student Scholars, held on December 3, 2020. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/sssprograms/1022/thumbnail.jp

2020 Annual town and school report Exeter, New Hampshire.

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire