Rescue Talk

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Incidents

March 18, 2011

USAR Update from VA Task Force 1 in Japan

Our thoughts and prayers go to the people of Japan as well as the many incredible personnel involved in the rescue and recovery efforts. Sharon Bulova, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, provided this update on VA Task Force 1, who was deployed to Japan a few days ago. March 16, 2011 –...

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February 21, 2011

Grain Storage: Rescuers Beware!

“Two teenagers (ages 14 and 19) were killed in a tragic incident involving a grain elevator in Illinois. Both young workers suffocated after being engulfed in a grain bin they had entered to help clear. A third young worker was pulled out of the storage bin alive, and was hospitalized after being trapped for 12...

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January 26, 2011

1 Dead, 2 Injured in Storage Tank Incident

A man died Friday (January 21) after being overcome by fumes while trying to help two co-workers who lost consciousness inside a tank they were cleaning at a pharmaceutical plant north of Atwater Village, authorities said. When Los Angeles firefighters arrived at the Baxter Healthcare Corp. about 4 a.m., one of the men had no...

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September 14, 2010

Fort Worth Firefighters Quickly Switch Gears to Perform Trench Rescue

Tom Vines, rescue author, shares this incredible report posted on FireFighter Nation. Firefighters often arrive at the scene of a rescue only to find that the situation is completely different from what the 911 call reported. This was the case on June 2, when the Fort Worth (Texas) Fire Department responded to a 911 call...

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September 9, 2010

Firefighter and Worker Die in Confined Space Incident

TARRYTOWN, NY (WABC) — A fire department official says oxygen levels were dangerously low in a manhole where a sewer worker and a firefighter died. No cause of death has been established in Monday’s deaths of sewer worker Anthony Ruggiero and Tarrytown firefighter John Kelly. At firehouses throughout Tarrytown, there are the ceremonial displays that...

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September 2, 2010

Delayed Rescue Response Cited in Fatal Tunnel Fire

Here’s another deadly reminder of the importance of a capable and timely response to confined space emergencies. Five people were killed in this fatal tunnel fire. According to OSHA, the case involving Xcel Energy and RPI Coating is not being tried until next year. After reading the official Chemical Safety Board report, here are some...

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August 13, 2010

OSHA Sites Company Following Trench Death

Driving around your town, how many times have you seen workers in a trench working totally unprotected?  As an emergency responder, are you aware of the imminent dangers around these trenches and do you know how to protect yourself should you respond to one of these incidents? Trenches can collapse without warning entrapping and surrounding...

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July 29, 2010

Worker Falls to Death During Construction of Water Tower

A recent accident involving a worker who fell from height inside the mono-tube of a water tower under construction, underscores the need to have a thorough understanding of Fall Protection systems and practices required by OSHA while undertaking hazardous work activities. It also emphasizes the importance of preplanning for rescue. Be sure to read additional...

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June 9, 2010

Middletown, OH Confined Space Incident – FF’s Down

Friday, May 7, 2010 A 32-year-old city worker is dead after being overcome by fumes this morning while checking a sewer outside of a business on Yankee Road, according to police. Meanwhile, two firefighters who attempted to rescue the public works employee were hospitalized after the accident about 8 a.m. today, May 7, in front...

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June 9, 2010

South Dakota Wheat Growers Assoc. Fined $1.6M After Fatality

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined the South Dakota Wheat Growers Association of Aberdeen, S.D., more than $1.6 million following the Dec. 22, 2009, death of a worker at the company’s McLaughlin, S.D., grain handling operation. The worker suffocated after being engulfed by grain in one of the facility’s...

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