Day 4 - Campus Fire Safety Month
If you watched the Mock Dorm Fire video from yesterday's post, you know how fast and deadly college dormitory fires (any fire, really) can be. It is hard to imagine how scary it would be to be trapped in a burning dormitory building! The heat, the smoke, and the darkness make it incredibly difficult to safely navigate your way out.
Last year I read a great book entitled, "After the Fire: A True Story of Friendship and Survival," by Robin Gaby Fisher. The book describes a January 2000 fire in a dormitory building on the Seaton Hall University campus. The fire - started as a prank when several students lit a banner on fire - killed 3 students and injured 58 others. Among the burn victims who managed to escape the fire were two close friends and roommates who were severely burned: Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos.
The book describes their harrowing escape from the fire, the months they spent in the burn units healing from their disfiguring and painful burns, the exceptional dedication and compassion of the burn unit doctors and nurses, and the investigation of the cause of the fire and the eventual prosecution of the ones who set the fire.
Shawn and Alvaro's story will leave a lasting impression. The books graphically illustrates the real "cost" of dormitory fires...costs tallied in lives, pain, and the loss of both relationships and self-esteem. Their story also showcases the incredible strength of friendship and the shining triumph of the human spirit.
Check out "After the Fire" for a great read and a close up encounter with a dormitory fire and it's aftermath.
Until next time....
Take Care and Stay Safe,
Tim
Fire Chief Tim Butler
Thanks for checking out my web log! My radio call sign in Saint Paul is "Car 1." Join me as we go "On Scene" to the fire stations, training evolutions, emergency incidents, and community events in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Let's share perspectives on the issues facing our Department, our community, and the American Fire Service!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
COLLEGE DORMITORY FIRE VIDEO
Day 3 of Campus Fire Safety Month.
Campus Fire Safety Month is designed to inform parents, students, and school administrators about the dangers of campus-related fires, and provide information and fire prevention tips so that deadly fires don’t happen to students while attending college.
So just how deadly is a fire in a college dormitory room? Last October, the Saint Paul Fire Department staged a “Mock Dorm Fire” demonstration for the students and staff of the University of Saint Thomas
The results were filmed by the Saint Paul Office of Technology and Communications and shared with the world on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8pb9tWFJvw
You can begin to see a small flame on the left side of the room about 30 seconds after we used a hot halogen lamp to ignite the window curtains.
45 seconds into the fire, the smoke alarm begins sounding. At that point, the ceiling and floor temperatures are still low enough for survival, and the room is nearly clear of any smoke. A sleeping college student could easily have woken up and exited the room with little chance of getting hurt.....IF the smoke detector was operating properly, as it was in this scenario.
The curtains really start to burn and grey smoke begins to boil out of the window about 1 minute, 20 seconds into the fire. The chair ignites at 1 minute and 40 seconds. Ceiling temperatures reach 300 degrees less than 2 minutes after the fire started and over 1,000 degrees just 30 seconds later!! By the time the fire had been burning for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, no one in the room would have been able to survive the heat and smoke, and in just 3 minutes the room was utterly destroyed!
There were no accelerants used in the demonstration. The “fuel” for this fire was entirely the furnishings in the room: an ordinary wooden desk, a bed, curtains, and a two chairs.
Selecting a dorm room or student housing equipped with automatic fire sprinklers is the very best choice a family can make to protect their college student. Automatic fire sprinkler systems are designed to control or extinguish a fire and allow occupants to safely exit the fire before the flames and heat can kill.
Not all housing has sprinkler systems, so the next best thing – something all of us should have – is working smoke alarms (detectors) on every level of a home and in or near every sleeping area – at home AND at school. Batteries should be fresh, and smoke alarms should be tested every month. One thing that just JUMPED out at me during the filming of the Mock Dorm Fire was how rapidly the smoke alarm when off – well before the smoke and flames would have prevented a safe escape! A smoke alarm that is operating well can cut your chances of dying in a fire by over 50%! To ensure yours is in good operational condition, test it monthly, change the batteries annually, and replace it every 5-10 years (check with the manufacturer on replacement cycles; they vary with manufacturer and model).
A Mock Dorm Fire is an exciting and graphic way of showing students, parents, and school officials the rapid and deadly effects of a dormitory fire. If you’d like to stage a similar demonstration at your college or university, contact your local fire department or school safety official.
Thank you for going “On Scene” with me today, and I hope if you are a college student or a parent of one, that your “back to school” transition goes smoothly and safely this year!
Take care and stay safe!
tim
Sunday, September 2, 2012
CAMPUS FIRE SAFETY MONTH - DAY 2
Since 2000, at least 155 people have died in campus-related fires across the nation. Most of those deaths (over 85% of them) occurred in off-campus occupancies.
Common factors in a number of these fires include:
• Lack of automatic fire sprinklers
• Missing or disabled smoke alarms
• Careless disposal of smoking materials
• Impaired judgment from alcohol consumption
• Upholstered couches and furniture on porches and decks
September has been declared "Campus Fire Safety Month" across the nation to raise awareness of college campus fires and to provide students, parents, and school administrators with tools and information to prevent campus-related fires, injuries, and fatalities.
I will be discussing some of those prevention strategies and information on this web log. Please check in frequently during September to get some great information and ideas on how to keep our college students safer during Campus Fire Safety Month.
Take care, and stay safe!
tim
tim
tim
Saturday, September 1, 2012
SEPTEMBER PROCLAIMED AS CAMPUS FIRE SAFETY MONTH
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has declared September as "Campus Fire Safety Month" - joining governors around the nation in recognizing college and university campus fire hazards and helping to get fire prevention and safety information out to students and their parents. Here's the proclamation: http://mn.gov/governor/images/Campus_Fire_Safety_Month.pdf
Throughout the month of September, I'll be sharing more information for both students and parents on how they can stay safer from fires on and off campus. Join me - Car 1 - in keeping our students safe as September unfolds!!
Take Care - Stay Safe.
tim
Throughout the month of September, I'll be sharing more information for both students and parents on how they can stay safer from fires on and off campus. Join me - Car 1 - in keeping our students safe as September unfolds!!
Take Care - Stay Safe.
tim
Thursday, November 24, 2011
THANKSGIVING AND BLACK FRIDAY
Good Morning, Everyone!
Today as most of our society relaxes and enjoys a long holiday weekend, the Saint Paul Fire Department and I mark the sad occasion of two line-of-duty deaths.
62 years ago today, on November 24, 1949, Fire Captain John Dillion collapsed and died while on duty. John was the Captain of Engine 5.
Tomorrow, November 25, marks the 38th anniversary of the death of Firefighter John Zilliox of Engine 7. John also collapsed and died while on duty.
Firefighting is by far the toughest, most physically demanding job in this City! EVERYTHING we wear and all the tools and equipment we carry are heavy and cumbersome. Heck – even a Halligan Tool (specialized Firefighter crowbar) weights over 10 pounds....and it doesn’t even have any moving parts! Hoses weighing more then 100 pounds per section have to be stretched and moved through snow banks; up stairwells; and over, around or through obstructions. Maintaining balance on narrow ladder rungs, on icy roofs, and in fire-damaged structures is tough enough to do empty-handed, but becomes extremely dangerous when carrying cumbersome power saws and heavy hand tools.
Crews returning from the scenes of fires or after EMS runs where they’ve had to lift 300 pound medical patients over snow banks, down narrow hallways, and down steep stairways can be overcome by exhaustion. Even when it’s freezing cold outside, the temperature INSIDE Firefighter turn out gear can top over 120 degrees, and crews can become dehydrated without even knowing it. Dehydration and the resulting changes to the body’s circulatory system have been shown to be major contributing factors to on-duty heart attacks.
Even just the sound of the alarm bells in the middle of the night can JUMP a Firefighter’s heart rate to over 120 or 130 beats per minute....I know: I’ve worn my heart rate monitor on all my “work-a-longs” with the crews. The sudden wake up from the PA system and the flicker of station lights coming on.....a hurried donning of station boots and uniform....a fast slide down the pole.....a hustle into bunker boots/pants/coat/seat belt.....Just getting a fast “turn out time” can leave you breathless before the truck even leaves the station! An urgent voice on the radio, a near-miss traffic incident while en route, and the sight of a column of smoke rising in the distance only sets the opening stages of a high-intensity “workout” that saps your strength and leaves you sweat-soaked and limp once the adrenaline wears off.
Returning from a call, many Firefighters are unknowingly dehydrated and oftentimes suffering from toxic gas and carbon monoxide poisoning from accidental and incidental smoke inhalation.
It is no small wonder that “overexertion” is found on many on-duty and line-of-duty Firefighter death certificates. In 2010, the National Fire Protection Association reported 72 line-of-duty deaths in the American Fire Service. More than half of those deaths were due to “overexertion” – and the underlying causes were cardiac arrest, embolisms, strokes, and the arduous, physically-demanding work we do. Some Firefighters are found dead in the fire stations after returning from strenuous calls late in their watch. Some make it home, only to die later in the day. Many – like Captain Dillion and Firefighter Zilliox – simply collapse and cannot be revived by even the very best paramedics and hospital staff.
On this Thanksgiving Day, and on “Black Fridays” following each Thanksgiving, I am ever-cognizant of the arduous work we are called to perform while everyone else is celebrating, relaxing, and enjoying time with family and friends. I worry about our crews, and pray that they make it through what is supposed to be a joyous time of remembering our blessings. I hope I never have to visit a family celebrating their blessings, only to deliver the devastating news that a beloved Firefighter has been killed at one of our stations, on a fire scene, or in the streets of a City they fought so hard and sacrificed so much to keep safe and peaceful.
I especially pray for the Zilliox family. I had the distinct pleasure of working with John’s son, Fire Captain Jack Zilliox. This stuff hits home for a lot of us....
At 0800 on this Thanksgiving morning, the members of the Saint Paul Fire Department paused for a moment of silence to honor the memory of Fire Captain John Dillion, Firefighter John Zilliox, and all 58 members of the Saint Paul Fire Department who have given their life in the service of this Department and the Citizens of Saint Paul. Please feel entirely free to join in that remembrance as well, and please take a moment from your busy weekend to THANK a Firefighter you know or the crew of a fire station near your home.
Respectfully,
Tim Butler
Fire Chief
Today as most of our society relaxes and enjoys a long holiday weekend, the Saint Paul Fire Department and I mark the sad occasion of two line-of-duty deaths.
62 years ago today, on November 24, 1949, Fire Captain John Dillion collapsed and died while on duty. John was the Captain of Engine 5.
Tomorrow, November 25, marks the 38th anniversary of the death of Firefighter John Zilliox of Engine 7. John also collapsed and died while on duty.
Firefighting is by far the toughest, most physically demanding job in this City! EVERYTHING we wear and all the tools and equipment we carry are heavy and cumbersome. Heck – even a Halligan Tool (specialized Firefighter crowbar) weights over 10 pounds....and it doesn’t even have any moving parts! Hoses weighing more then 100 pounds per section have to be stretched and moved through snow banks; up stairwells; and over, around or through obstructions. Maintaining balance on narrow ladder rungs, on icy roofs, and in fire-damaged structures is tough enough to do empty-handed, but becomes extremely dangerous when carrying cumbersome power saws and heavy hand tools.
Crews returning from the scenes of fires or after EMS runs where they’ve had to lift 300 pound medical patients over snow banks, down narrow hallways, and down steep stairways can be overcome by exhaustion. Even when it’s freezing cold outside, the temperature INSIDE Firefighter turn out gear can top over 120 degrees, and crews can become dehydrated without even knowing it. Dehydration and the resulting changes to the body’s circulatory system have been shown to be major contributing factors to on-duty heart attacks.
Even just the sound of the alarm bells in the middle of the night can JUMP a Firefighter’s heart rate to over 120 or 130 beats per minute....I know: I’ve worn my heart rate monitor on all my “work-a-longs” with the crews. The sudden wake up from the PA system and the flicker of station lights coming on.....a hurried donning of station boots and uniform....a fast slide down the pole.....a hustle into bunker boots/pants/coat/seat belt.....Just getting a fast “turn out time” can leave you breathless before the truck even leaves the station! An urgent voice on the radio, a near-miss traffic incident while en route, and the sight of a column of smoke rising in the distance only sets the opening stages of a high-intensity “workout” that saps your strength and leaves you sweat-soaked and limp once the adrenaline wears off.
Returning from a call, many Firefighters are unknowingly dehydrated and oftentimes suffering from toxic gas and carbon monoxide poisoning from accidental and incidental smoke inhalation.
It is no small wonder that “overexertion” is found on many on-duty and line-of-duty Firefighter death certificates. In 2010, the National Fire Protection Association reported 72 line-of-duty deaths in the American Fire Service. More than half of those deaths were due to “overexertion” – and the underlying causes were cardiac arrest, embolisms, strokes, and the arduous, physically-demanding work we do. Some Firefighters are found dead in the fire stations after returning from strenuous calls late in their watch. Some make it home, only to die later in the day. Many – like Captain Dillion and Firefighter Zilliox – simply collapse and cannot be revived by even the very best paramedics and hospital staff.
On this Thanksgiving Day, and on “Black Fridays” following each Thanksgiving, I am ever-cognizant of the arduous work we are called to perform while everyone else is celebrating, relaxing, and enjoying time with family and friends. I worry about our crews, and pray that they make it through what is supposed to be a joyous time of remembering our blessings. I hope I never have to visit a family celebrating their blessings, only to deliver the devastating news that a beloved Firefighter has been killed at one of our stations, on a fire scene, or in the streets of a City they fought so hard and sacrificed so much to keep safe and peaceful.
I especially pray for the Zilliox family. I had the distinct pleasure of working with John’s son, Fire Captain Jack Zilliox. This stuff hits home for a lot of us....
At 0800 on this Thanksgiving morning, the members of the Saint Paul Fire Department paused for a moment of silence to honor the memory of Fire Captain John Dillion, Firefighter John Zilliox, and all 58 members of the Saint Paul Fire Department who have given their life in the service of this Department and the Citizens of Saint Paul. Please feel entirely free to join in that remembrance as well, and please take a moment from your busy weekend to THANK a Firefighter you know or the crew of a fire station near your home.
Respectfully,
Tim Butler
Fire Chief
Monday, November 14, 2011
FIREFIGHTER / EMT RAY HAIN
Good Morning, Everyone.
Today marks the 2nd anniversary of a Saint Paul Fire Department line-of-duty death.
On November 14, 2009 Saint Paul Firefighter Ramon “Ray” Hain passed away from complications of an on-duty bloodborne pathogen infection.
Ray joined the Department in 1994. He was a talented and enthusiastic Firefighter and a self-professed adrenaline junkie. He was also a talented EMT and a most caring and compassionate care giver. On November 24, 1996, while performing CPR on a patient, he knelt in some of the patient’s bodily fluids. The fluids seeped into an open wound on Ray’s knee, and he developed a massive infection in his leg a few days later. He subsequently was diagnosed with a viral infection that attacked and weakened his heart. Being young and strong and a good candidate for a heart transplant procedure, he was put on the transplant list, and on November 30, 1998, he underwent a heart transplant. Doctors anticipated the transplant would give Ray 10 more years of life.
Although his hope – and ours – was that he would see a return to full duty on the Department, that dream remained unfulfilled. He retired in 2000 to focus on his recovery and spending time with his wife, Gail, and their two daughters, Rachel and Sara. He became the “stay-at-home-Dad,” and was very active in the school activities of the two girls. He was also a talented and creative woodworker.
In 2009, Ray became increasingly sick due to the deterioration of the transplanted heart. It was not an unexpected process – the heart was just wearing it, as the doctors and Ray had known that it eventually would. On November 14, 2009, Ray passed away peacefully at the age of 50.
At 0800 hours this morning, Saint Paul Fire Department members will pause for a moment of silence to honor the memory of Firefighter Ramon E. Hain and all 58 members of the Saint Paul Fire Department who have given their life in the service of this Department and the Citizens of Saint Paul. Please feel entirely free to join us from wherever you may be.
Respectfully,
Tim Butler
Fire Chief
Today marks the 2nd anniversary of a Saint Paul Fire Department line-of-duty death.
On November 14, 2009 Saint Paul Firefighter Ramon “Ray” Hain passed away from complications of an on-duty bloodborne pathogen infection.
Ray joined the Department in 1994. He was a talented and enthusiastic Firefighter and a self-professed adrenaline junkie. He was also a talented EMT and a most caring and compassionate care giver. On November 24, 1996, while performing CPR on a patient, he knelt in some of the patient’s bodily fluids. The fluids seeped into an open wound on Ray’s knee, and he developed a massive infection in his leg a few days later. He subsequently was diagnosed with a viral infection that attacked and weakened his heart. Being young and strong and a good candidate for a heart transplant procedure, he was put on the transplant list, and on November 30, 1998, he underwent a heart transplant. Doctors anticipated the transplant would give Ray 10 more years of life.
Although his hope – and ours – was that he would see a return to full duty on the Department, that dream remained unfulfilled. He retired in 2000 to focus on his recovery and spending time with his wife, Gail, and their two daughters, Rachel and Sara. He became the “stay-at-home-Dad,” and was very active in the school activities of the two girls. He was also a talented and creative woodworker.
In 2009, Ray became increasingly sick due to the deterioration of the transplanted heart. It was not an unexpected process – the heart was just wearing it, as the doctors and Ray had known that it eventually would. On November 14, 2009, Ray passed away peacefully at the age of 50.
At 0800 hours this morning, Saint Paul Fire Department members will pause for a moment of silence to honor the memory of Firefighter Ramon E. Hain and all 58 members of the Saint Paul Fire Department who have given their life in the service of this Department and the Citizens of Saint Paul. Please feel entirely free to join us from wherever you may be.
Respectfully,
Tim Butler
Fire Chief
Saturday, November 12, 2011
GET NEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT SAINT PAUL FIRE
Now you can receive email updates on important events, statistics, and information regarding the Saint Paul Fire Department using a citywide system called GovDelivery. Go to the web-link: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/STPAUL/subscriber/new?topic_id=STPAUL_789
Enter your email address, then click on the link "Add Subscriptions." You can then choose from a list of City reports and electronic newsletters. They will be emailed to you whenever a new version is published! It's a fast and easy way to stay informed and to get emergency alerts and non-emergency updates.
I highly recommend the "Fire and EMS Blotter" and the Fire Department's "Media Releases." Both choices can be found under the "Fire and EMS" category. The Blotter is a weekly publication of the Fire Department, and highlights various emergency incidents and upcoming public information and fire prevention events for you and your family. The "Media Releases" option will enable you to receive Fire Department announcement to the media about various incidents, upcoming events, and important information you can use to keep your family, business, home, and school safer from fires and accidents.
You don't have to be a Saint Paul resident to subscribe to GovDelivery. Please sign up today to stay informed about events in this great City AND this Great Fire Department!
I hope you are enjoying a safe autumn season!
Tim
Enter your email address, then click on the link "Add Subscriptions." You can then choose from a list of City reports and electronic newsletters. They will be emailed to you whenever a new version is published! It's a fast and easy way to stay informed and to get emergency alerts and non-emergency updates.
I highly recommend the "Fire and EMS Blotter" and the Fire Department's "Media Releases." Both choices can be found under the "Fire and EMS" category. The Blotter is a weekly publication of the Fire Department, and highlights various emergency incidents and upcoming public information and fire prevention events for you and your family. The "Media Releases" option will enable you to receive Fire Department announcement to the media about various incidents, upcoming events, and important information you can use to keep your family, business, home, and school safer from fires and accidents.
You don't have to be a Saint Paul resident to subscribe to GovDelivery. Please sign up today to stay informed about events in this great City AND this Great Fire Department!
I hope you are enjoying a safe autumn season!
Tim
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