This question was submitted by Thomas Vitti from the Chevron Fire Dept. in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the event of an actual rescue is a safety line necessary? Good question… the answer is YES and NO. This question falls into somewhat of a gray area. Much depends on what type of rescue you’re doing;...
Whenever I go out into the field for a rescue stand-by job, I always take note of the attendant. I will always talk to them in order to try and gauge this person’s level of knowledge about confined spaces in general as well as the particular entry that is being made. Unfortunately, more often than...
As with all rescue equipment, it’s extremely important to inspect your equipment before and after each use according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Here are some tips from Skedco for inspecting your Sked Stretcher.
How often have you heard the statement “I will just call 911 if we have a confined space emergency”? Let’s dispel some common myths and misunderstandings regarding confined space rescue compliance. In accordance with OSHA 1910.146 (d)(9) an employer that will have personnel entering Permit Required Confined Spaces at their workplace must “develop and implement...
Yes, with a couple of extra precautions.
The three levels of protection required by OSHA for confined space entrants are: 1) Hazard Awareness
To address urgent safety and health problems facing Americans in the workplace, OSHA is implementing a new Severe Violator Enforcement Program and increasing civil penalty amounts. Announced in an April 22 news release, the SVEP, which will go into effect by the beginning of June, is intended to focus OSHA enforcement resources on employers who...
The first study to quantify the effects of crew sizes and arrival times on lifesaving and firefighting operations… The International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Association of Fire Fighters hailed a major study released April 28 that showed four-person firefighting crews completed 22 key tasks at a single-family residential fire 30 percent faster...
Some subtle and not so subtle changes to NFPA 1006 are included in the most current edition. The 2008 edition is now titled “Standard for Technical Rescuer Professional Qualifications”. Today we’ll address some of the changes that have been made to Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 “Job Performance Requirements” which some folks call “core” requirements....
