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Baja Motorsports Mini Bikes and Go-Carts Recalled
WPVI Online (07/18/2010)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of Baja Motorsports Mini Bikes and Go-Carts. The recalled mini bikes and go-carts pose a fire and burn hazard to consumers because their gas cap can leak or detach from the fuel tank. Baja Motorsports has received at least nine reports of gas caps leaking and detaching, and one child has suffered a serious burn injury. Also, the throttle can stick due to an improperly positioned fuel line and throttle cable. The company has received 25 reports of stuck throttles, and people have suffered injuries to the face and other parts of the body. The recall involves mini bikes with model numbers beginning with HT65, MB165, WR65, MB196, DB30, WR90, and DR90; and go-carts with model numbers BB65, SD65, DN65, and TR65. The model number is located on the mini bikes' fenders and/or decorative fuel tank and on the go-carts' roll cage. Consumers should stop using the recalled mini bikes and go-carts, contact the company for a free replacement gas cap, and schedule a repair of the fuel line and throttle cable.

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University of Arizona Plans Study of Firefighter Heart Disease

Firehouse.com click here to view article

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More Jobs Saved or Restored With SAFER Grant Awards

May 21, 2010 -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded more than $12 million in grants through the Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) program for Fiscal Year 2009. The grant awards announced May 21 will help some fire departments bring back laid-off fire fighters.  View article...

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New Residential Fire Study Shows Effects of Crew Size on Fire Fighting Operations

April 28, 2010 -- A landmark study released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows that the size of fire fighting crews has a substantial effect on the fire service's ability to protect lives and property in residential fires. Click here to read the news release.

Conducted by a broad coalition in the scientific, fire fighting and public safety communities, the study results found that four-person fire fighting crews were able to complete 22 essential fire fighting and rescue tasks in a typical residential structure 30 percent faster than two-person crews and 25 percent faster than three-person crews.

The report is the first to quantify the effects of crew sizes and arrival times on the fire service's lifesaving and fire fighting operations.

This and other scientific data in the report will help educate public officials, fire chiefs and other decision-makers on the importance of adequate staffing and deployment with respect to fire fighter and public safety.

Study investigators from NIST and the IAFF announced the results of the study at a press conference at the Hilton Washington in Washington, DC, before the start of the annual Congressional Fire Services Institute meeting of top fire safety officials from the across the nation.

Click here for the full report.
 
The study is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters grant program.

Read General President Harold Schaitberger's blog, "Fire Fighter Staffing and Deployment Study Released"

For more information, contact Lori Moore-Merrell at lmoore@iaff.org or (202) 824-1594.

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USFA and NIOSH Initiate Study of Cancer among Firefighters 

Contact: USFA Press Office: (301) 447-1853

 Emmitsburg, MD. – The United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are partnering on a study to examine the potential for increased risk of cancer among firefighters due to exposures from smoke, soot, and other contaminants in the line of duty. "There is a need to have a comprehensive study of the incidence of cancer in the fire service involving objective medical and epidemiological oversight. We have lost too many firefighters from this disease," said USFA Administrator Kelvin J. Cochran. “USFA is pleased to work with NIOSH in this initiative."

 

Read the rest of the press release

 

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US healthcare bill would provide immediate benefits

 Reuters, March 19

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives is heading for a Sunday vote on a sweeping overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system.

House Democrats are confident they can overcome solid Republican opposition and pass the bill. Leaders are using a two-step process where the House approves Senate-passed legislation and then votes for a separate package of changes to satisfy concerns of House Democrats. The Senate is expected to approve those changes as well and President Barack Obama plans to sign the bill into law.

Here is what to expect if the bill becomes law:

WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF ENACTMENT

*Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted.

*Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

*Young adults will be able to stay on their parents' health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college.

*Uninsured adults with a pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.

*A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014.

*Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the "doughnut hole" coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes that gap which currently begins after $2,700 is spent on drugs. Coverage starts again after $6,154 is spent.

*A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.

*A 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services that use ultraviolet lamps goes into effect on July 1.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2011

*Medicare provides 10 percent bonus payments to primary care physicians and general surgeons.

*Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get a free annual wellness visit and personalized prevention plan service. New health plans will be required to cover preventive services with little or no cost to patients.

*A new program under the Medicaid plan for the poor goes into effect in October that allows states to offer home and community based care for the disabled that might otherwise require institutional care.

*Payments to insurers offering Medicare Advantage services are frozen at 2010 levels. These payments are to be gradually reduced to bring them more in line with traditional Medicare.

*Employers are required to disclose the value of health benefits on employees' W-2 tax forms.

*An annual fee is imposed on pharmaceutical companies according to market share. The fee does not apply to companies with sales of $5 million or less.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2012

*Physician payment reforms are implemented in Medicare to enhance primary care services and encourage doctors to form "accountable care organizations" to improve quality and efficiency of care.

*An incentive program is established in Medicare for acute care hospitals to improve quality outcomes.

*The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the government programs, begin tracking hospital readmission rates and puts in place financial incentives to reduce preventable readmissions.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2013

*A national pilot program is established for Medicare on payment bundling to encourage doctors, hospitals and other care providers to better coordinate patient care.

*The threshold for claiming medical expenses on itemized tax returns is raised to 10 percent from 7.5 percent of income. The threshold remains at 7.5 percent for the elderly through 2016.

*The Medicare payroll tax is raised to 2.35 percent from 1.45 percent for individuals earning more than $200,000 and married couples with incomes over $250,000. The tax is imposed on some investment income for that income group.

*A 2.9 percent excise tax in imposed on the sale of medical devices. Anything generally purchased at the retail level by the public is excluded from the tax.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2014

*State health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals open.

*Most people will be required to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a fine if they don't. Healthcare tax credits become available to help people with incomes up to 400 percent of poverty purchase coverage on the exchange.

*Health plans no longer can exclude people from coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

*Employers with 50 or more workers who do not offer coverage face a fine of $2,000 for each employee if any worker receives subsidized insurance on the exchange. The first 30 employees aren't counted for the fine.

*Health insurance companies begin paying a fee based on their market share.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2015

*Medicare creates a physician payment program aimed at rewarding quality of care rather than volume of services.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2018

*An excise tax on high cost employer-provided plans is imposed. The first $27,500 of a family plan and $10,200 for individual coverage is exempt from the tax. Higher levels are set for plans covering retirees and people in high risk professions.

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All Work and No Play: The Nation's Top Eight Most-Demanding Jobs

--by Andrew Strieber

How tired do you feel at the end of an average workday? Do you have enough energy to hit the gym or spend time with your family? Or does working eight (or more) hours at the office make you so worn out that you're about to collapse from exhaustion?

Workers in every industry struggle with fatigue and burnout, but if you repeatedly find yourself barely able to get out of bed in the morning, the problem may not just be your sleep schedule or stress-management techniques -- it could be that you're stuck in an overly demanding job.

Many employees get worn out at work, but how can job seekers tell which careers are more arduous than the rest? Is it more exhausting to work at a job that requires extreme physical activity, or one with a high stress level? Police officers frequently put their lives on the line and engage in dangerous high-speed pursuits, but do they experience more fatigue than senior corporate executives, who shoulder responsibility for the financial security of hundreds (or thousands) of employees? And how do positions with extremely long hours, such as truck driver, rate for their overall "fatigue factor?"

While each is tiring for very different reasons, all three of these positions are among the most-demanding jobs you can find in today's employment market, according to a new study from CareerCast.com's 2009 Jobs Rated Report. Compiled using information from the Department of Labor and Jobs Rated's exclusive data on 200 different jobs, the new report ranks positions based on a combination of work hours, stress and physical demands to determine the eight most-demanding jobs overall, along with separate rankings of the most exhausting blue- and white-collar positions.

So which career has the greatest number of exhausted employees at the end of each workday? In this year's Report, firefighter ranks as the most-demanding job by a significant margin, thanks to a combination of long hours, life-threatening situations, physical demands, and responsibility for the lives of others while on the job. However, while police officer has a similar set of requirements, it slides to fourth place, behind surgeon and corporate executive. Why? Because while police officer ranks extremely high for physical demands, it places below surgeon and senior corporate executive in both stress and average work hours.

If you're looking for a new job but are worried about conserving your energy, you might want to think twice before starting one of these careers, the nation's eight most-demanding jobs:

Read full article here

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Cancer and the Fire Service

By Mary Rose Roberts

There has been some controversy over whether there is a connection between firefighting and incidents of cancer. Mike Dubron, founder of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, joins FIRE CHIEF Associate Editor Mary Rose Roberts today to address the current climate surrounding cancer claims, ways U.S. firefighters are vulnerable to cancer, types of perilous building materials and toxic chemicals, and ways to reduce incidents.

Click here to listen...

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Stopping for Emergency Vehicles - You Tube

The Ohio State Bar Association's Law You Can Use provides general legal information about what motorists should do when a fire truck or ambulance is on an emergency run.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O6DxV7YYGQ

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2009 World Combat Challenge Results from Las Vegas

Congratulations go to Pawel who competed individually and the Local 336 Relay team for their efforts in Las Vegas!

• Pawel Miecykowski competed in the 2009 World Championship Combat Challenge in Las Vegas, where he ran a 2:08. He placed 20th in the world in 2009 in the 40 and over category again Congratulations Pawel! Firefighter Combat Challenge Website

• Middletown Firefighters Local 336 relay team competed in the 2009 World Championship Combat Challenge and ran a 1:43 and finished 53rd in the competition. The team consisted of Local 336 members T. Cobb, J. Meyer, S. Ludwig and P. Miecykowski.

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Congrats to the Local 336 Firefighter Combat Challenge Team

 

     Steve Ludwig, Jon Harvey, Jon Meyer, Tate Cobb and Pawel Miecykowski competed in the Team portion of the Combat Challenge today in Milford Ohio. They stumbled their way thru the prelim round for their seed in the single elimination rounds. They knocked off Dayton in the first round only to be met by the team which came in second for the day, Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Wright Patt turned in a winning time of 1:31, while the Local 336 turned in a time of 1:49 which qualifies them to go to Las Vegas.

 

      Thanks to all of those who came out Saturday and Sunday to show support to them.
Congrats again to those who competed.

 

Pawel competed on Saturday in his first ever individual competition. He turned in a time of 2:37 where he placed 9th in the 40 and over group. Pawel needs to shave 7 seconds off his time, and he will be competing in Las Vegas in the individual category.