NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 15

Dispatches
profound cultural change how to protect themselves and their
is needed to make cancer families from occupational cancer is as
awareness a requirement
important as teaching them the science
for those entering the
of fire behavior and firefighting tactics."
fire service, as well as for
Similarly, the UFF position statement
firefighting veterans.
on implementing exposure prevenThat was one of the top issues to
tion and decontamination programs
emerge at the 2017 NFPA Urban Fire
recommends bolstering education
Forum (UFF), a group of fire chiefs
and awareness around firefighter
from large cities across the country
occupational exposure to dangerous
that met at NFPA headquarters in
chemicals, and steps to properly rid
September.
the body and PPE of those chemicals,
Two of the four position statements
which can cause a number of cancers.
endorsed by attendees centered on
firefighter occupational cancer and
exposure to toxins, while the others
Late additions to the UFF agenda
dealt with responding to hostile events
included presentations from Houston
and the opioid crisis. The two-day event
Fire Chief Samuel Peña and Miamialso featured presentations on hurriDade Fire Chief David Downey, who
canes Harvey and Irma and the deadly
spoke about hurricanes Harvey and
Grenfell Tower fire in London.
Irma that tore through their cities just
The actions taken at the UFF
weeks before the meeting.
represent the urgency behind the
While both chiefs indicated preparafirefighter cancer and contaminant
tion is key for successfully responding
exposure issues, said Ken Willette,
to extreme weather events, Peña
NFPA first responder segment director.
acknowledged that his department was
"Responding to a structure fire today is
caught off guard by the unprecedented
responding to a toxic soup of contamirainfall and flooding that occurred in
nants that will follow firefighters home
Houston. The storm, which swirled
to their families, and requires the entire
over America's fourth-largest city for
fire service to join in to conabout a week, dumped more than 50
front this challenge," he said.
inches of rain on parts of Houston, and
NFPA is working to address
decisions to protect dams from failing
those issues through codes,
caused water to wash over parts of
standards, and training, while the city that had never before flooded.
the Fire Protection Research
(Read more about the challenges in this
Foundation continues to work issue's special hurricane coverage, starton studies in these areas.
ing on page 26.)
The UFF position stateRepresentatives from the United
ment on firefighter cancer
Kingdom fire service were also on hand
awareness, education, and
to discuss their country's experience
prevention recdealing with the problem of
ommends that
combustible exterior wall
NFPA.ORG/UFF
"education should
assemblies following the
Read the UFF
be enhanced across
June fire that destroyed the
every level of the fire position statements. Grenfell Tower apartment
service and include
building in London, killing 80
Read the NFPA
Journal story on
legislation efforts,
people. Also presenting was
firefighter cancer,
references within
Otto Drozd, chief of Orange
"Facing Cancer."
standards, and
County, Florida, Fire and
Read the NFPA
coverage in all appli- Journal
story on the Rescue, who responded to
cable firefighting
the Pulse nightclub shooting
opioid crisis,
textbooks." The state- "Chasing a Killer."
in Orlando in 2016 and set in
ment also says that
Read "Threat Prep," motion the process to develop
the NFPA Journal
"ensuring that our
NFPA 3000, Preparedness and
story on the
current and future
Response to Active Shooter
development of
firefighters know
and/or Hostile Events.
NFPA 3000.

A

THE FIRE SERVICE

ALL
HAZARDS
CONSIDERED
HEALTH, HURRICANES,
AND HEROIN DOMINATE
DISCUSSION AT THE 2017
URBAN FIRE FORUM
By Angelo Verzoni

NEWSCOM

A fire chief
with a dose
of Narcan.

'REAL-WORLD, RELEVANT INSIGHT'

N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2017
