Safety Culture Research to begin in September

Fire and Rescue departments from across the State of Maryland will soon have the opportunity to take part in unprecedented efforts to assess their "Safety Culture." As you may know, "Safety Culture" is becoming recognized as a pivotal issue in reducing the risk of firefighter injury and death. In fact, it is listed first among the Firefighter Life Safety Summit's 16 initiatives designed to help reduce the number of firefighter deaths by 25% within five years and 50% within 10 years.

The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute is helping to champion these efforts by making surveys used to assess safety culture available and will help coordinate efforts to analyze the results. The surveys will be based upon research funded by the National Firefighters Foundation and the Public Entity Risk Institute and are intended to provide a systematic methodology to assess organizational safety culture that is applicable to all types (volunteer, combination, and career) and sizes of fire departments. The framework for the research used to develop the surveys is based upon a Safety Culture Model which consists of three variables including safety management systems, safety related behaviors and organizational safety culture. Each variable is measured by using a separate survey questionnaire. Research in departments who have already completed the surveys elsewhere clearly indicate that safety management systems and safety related behaviors impact the level of organizational safety culture.

Preparations are currently being made to place the surveys "on-line" from this web site in September, so please check back. Notification of the surveys' availability will also be announced in correspondence sent to each department via U.S. mail. While the completion of the surveys will be completely anonymous, general data will be shared at a later date in an effort to discover overall strategies to enhance the level of safety culture.

Allen Williams is coordinating these efforts at MFRI. Should you have any questions, please contact him at 301.226.9955 or at: awilliams@mfri.org



September 3rd, 2008 - Fire Dynamics for the Fire Service

This presentation will discuss how building geometry, materials, furnishings, ventilation and firefighting tactics can influence fire growth and spread leading to untenable conditions for firefighters. Fire behavior will be described using a combination of videos and data to characterize the thermal environment that firefighters may be exposed to.

Fire behavior or fire dynamics is based on the fundamental relationship between fuel, oxygen and heat, i.e. the fire triangle. The type of fuel, the location of fuel in the room, the geometry of the fuel, building construction and ventilation can have a significant effect on the speed of fire growth and spread. Ventilating the structure can provide cooling by removing heat. But ventilating a "fuel rich" room may cause a flashover, by allowing fresh air into the structure. It is important to remember that smoke is fuel. Ventilation does not equal cooling. Understanding ventilation will lead to improved tactical decisions, such as when to use positive pressure ventilation.

REGISTRATION - Seating is limited and you must pre-register in order to attend.
You can register online at the NIST Fire Research website: www.fire.gov Attendees will receive NIST developed DVDs that contain the videos used in the seminar. Registration will end on August 18th, 2008 or when conference room space is filled.

The seminar is free. Morning coffee and lunch will be provided at no cost.



Fire Department Equal Opportunity Officer I and II

Fire Department Equal Opportunity Officer I
Major topics covered in this course include equal opportunity compliance planning; which included identifying the listing the key elements of equal opportunity compliance planning; the specific steps in preparing, implementing, evaluating and modifying equal opportunity compliance planning; integrating equal opportunity compliance planning with other business plans; defining a legal description of the term discrimination, describing unlawful discrimination, identifying federal, laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination; identifying, legal description of the term sexual harassment; identifying federal state, and local laws and regulations prohibiting harassment; identifying an effective sexual harassment policy; describe dissemination of the sexual harassment policy; describe conducting investigation and define managing your manager.

MGMT-206-S002-09 : September 25, 2008 Register

Fire Department Equal Opportunity Officer II
The text for this class is Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) 2006 Training Institute Resource Guide. The specialized nature of the curriculum includes the study of equal opportunity compliance administration, the guidance of the compliance plan, and management of managers and supervisors to prevent and eliminate a hostile work environment. This program is designed to comply with all of the laws that the EEOC enforces. These include the four statutes that prohibit job discrimination by the Federal Government, private employers, and state and local government agencies: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA). The EEOC also enforces sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 (CRA) which amended provisions of Title VII, the ADEA, and the ADA.

MGMT-207-S001-09 : September 25, 2008 Register



September 22 - October 3 2008 - PERI Online Symposium: Reducing Firefighter Deaths and Injuries: Changes in Concept, Policy, and Practice

The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) is hosting this online symposium from September 22 to October 3rd 2008. The Symposium will be moderated by John Granito and is provided as a public service, to anyone with internet access.

Register Today! Reducing Firefighter Deaths and Injuries: Changes in Concept, Policy, and Practice

The symposium is hosted as a public service by the Public Entity Risk Institute which can be found online at: www.riskinstitute.org/symposium



EMT-B Continuing Education
An Internet connected training program

The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) is pleased to announce the offering of a new on-line learning course, produced by National Paramedic Institute that provides EMT-B students with an opportunity to complete the 12-hour continuing education requirements for recertification in an on-line learning format.

Course Schedule

Course Description: This course includes eight study modules that provide continuing education credit in medical assessment, trauma care, and local content options. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to perform all the roles and responsibilities of the EMT-B required for the emergency care of medical and trauma patients including assessing the patient, managing the airway, recognizing signs and symptoms, providing care for adults and children with medical conditions, trauma injuries, and for conditions of emergency childbirth.

Minimum System Requirements:

Eligibility: Students are required to be members of a Maryland Fire Department and possess current EMT-B certification. Students must complete the on-line portion of the program within 30 days of the start date. Students must complete the 12 hours of on-line education and a 12 hours practical skills refresher program to meet requirements for recertification. If a student drops from the course or fails to complete the course, a grade of DROP will be recorded on the student's MFRI transcript. Any student with a previously recorded DROP grade will not be permitted to repeat the on-line training course.

Registration: There is no fee for this program. Registration is handled by the MFRI Regional Office supporting the fire company where the participant is a member. Registration closes two weeks prior to the class start date.





2008 Mid-Atlantic Life Safety Conference
September 23, 2008
Kossiakoff Conference Center
Johns Hopkins APL
Laurel, Maryland

2008 Mid-Atlantic Life Safety Conference Brochure
2008 Mid-Atlantic Life Safety Conference Brochure