The wildfires raging throughout Southern California right now are taking life, destroying property, and endangering people who are tasked with performing response and recovery operations.
During a wildfire, workers may be caught in circumstances that require them to quickly evacuate. The Ready.gov - Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) website offers guidance on what to do during a wildfire if in a vehicle, in a residence, or out in the open.
The unique needs of first responders and related workers must not be forgotten as the nation combats the opioid epidemic. This was the core message of comments AIHA recently submitted to the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Workers who may be exposed include first responders such as law enforcement, DEA agents, and EMTs, as well as crime lab analysts and others.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced more than $4 million in FY 2017 Hazardous Materials Instructor Training (HMIT) and Supplemental Public Sector Training (SPST) grants.
On the expo floor of Safety 2017, 28 vendors showcased mobile apps (tracking devices, mobile inspections, alarms and signaling devices, etc.). The new buzzword is “connectivity.” Safety pros are now using technology to respond to the exact location of an employee in distress of help while providing tools to account for the wellbeing of every worker.
Fast and efficient responses to crash events and disasters depend upon emergency medical services (EMS) workers, who include first responders, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics, as well as firefighters and nurses. Often, EMS workers treat patients in ambulances en route to the hospital, which presents the inherent risk of high-speed travel.
First responders, Homeland Security officers and others whose jobs involve safeguarding the public are increasingly arming themselves with radiation detection devices that can help them deal with hazardous materials events or acts of terrorism.
In the past year and a half, more than 20 weather and climate disasters, each with losses exceeding $1 billion, occurred in the U.S. and Canada. Consisting of 11 severe storms, four floods, a drought, regional wildfires, and a winter storm, these events caused 185 deaths.
Cities and towns beset by natural disasters or catastrophic events immediately turn to their community’s first responders to coordinate and execute rescue and recovery efforts.
The practice is no different when a calamity occurs in an underground mine.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is making $1 million in grant funding available for training and outreach programs to help local communities prepare for transportation incidents involving hazardous materials, including crude oil and ethanol.
National Grid representatives and first responders joined forces to learn about the potentially hazardous effects of live wires in an emergency situation.
