NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 10

Feedback

To the editor:
I loved your recent article on San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles
Hood ["Front & Center," May/June]. He's
an amazing man.
My son Damon (above) had osteosarcoma bone cancer and fought cancer
for five years. In 2015 he had an idea-
he wanted a bell for kids with cancer to
ring when they finished chemotherapy.
I reached out to the San Antonio Fire
Department with the idea, and it was
brought to the attention of Chief Hood,
who loved the idea. Chief Hood got
Damon his bell.
Damon was introduced to the SAFD's
Station #11. The firefighters there fell in
love with Damon and used their own
money to build an elaborate and beautiful Maltese cross to house the bell,
which had once been part of an old
fire truck. In August 2015, we donated
the bell to University Hospital in San
Antonio for cancer patients to ring
upon completion of chemotherapy and
to honor fallen firefighters who had
passed away from occupational cancer. 

BRIAN A. BILLECK
San Antonio, Texas

Chemical hazard awareness
To the editor:
I want to thank NFPA Journal and
Kris Hauschildt for featuring her
story ["Room 225," May/June] about
the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO)
following the deaths of her parents in
a CO incident. While I have not personally experienced or known anyone
who has suffered such a tragic loss, I
can relate to Ms. Hauschildt's exhaustive efforts to educate the public about
chemical hazards.
I live in rural California, and for the
last five years I have had to live next
to a business involved with swimming
pool construction. The business also
stores pool chemicals outdoors on an
open parking lot in front of my home
and all along my property line. The

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10 | NFPA JOURNAL * S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9

chemicals, bleach and hydrochloric
acid, are constantly off-gassing. Despite
my concerns, no corrective action has
been taken by the city. The city of jurisdiction is still semi-rural and has no
large industrial or business zone for
hazardous materials sales or storage
and no ordinance prohibiting outdoor
storage of these chemicals next to a
residence. As a result, it is very difficult
to address this issue unless there is an
incident, injury, or death resulting from
what a fire chief in a nearby city calls
"a sloppy practice." I have already had
to rush my dog to the vet hospital for
inhalation of hydrochloric acid fumes,
which I knelt down into myself when I
found him choking on my walkway just
feet from the stored chemicals.
What I am dealing with here is a
lack of knowledge or understanding of
community risk when it comes to the
presence of hazardous materials. The
local focus is on wildland fires and prevention, not hazardous materials, and
there is little history here involving the
transportation, handling, and storage
of physical and health hazards in the
form of liquid and dry oxidizers and
corrosives.
Several years ago, I joined NFPA to
find out everything I could about hazardous materials and received a great
deal of help. I also purchased NFPA
400, Hazardous Materials Code, and,
more recently, NFPA 1300, Standard
on Community Risk Assessment and
Community Risk Reduction Plan Development. I was able to meet with our
county fire chief, and I recently met
with the city of jurisdiction's new fire
chief. I now await a response, as this
land use/nuisance issue continues to
present me with potential danger.
I grieve for Ms. Hauschildt's loss of
her beloved parents, and I applaud
her determination to find answers
and bring about preventive measures
so that these tragedies do not happen
again. Her story reaffirms my continuing fight to save my life and my home.
PAMELA L. SMYTH
Redlands, California

SAFD

Praise for Chief Hood

On April 3, 2018, Damon
passed away. He was 13.
Before he died, Damon had
been invited by Chief Hood
to go through a firefighterfor-a-day program, and at
his death Chief Hood treated
Damon as a fallen firefighter.
He held a press conference
as he would for any fallen
firefighter. Damon had 13
fire trucks leading a threeand-a-half mile procession to
his funeral and a full honor
guard at his graveside, where
Chief Hood spoke.
 I say all this because
I believe Chief Hood is a
unique and remarkable
leader. He never forgot
Damon, he never forgot
his fight, and he was willing to help
Damon do all he could to raise cancer
awareness. I am honored and proud to
call him a friend.



NFPA Journal - September/October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2019

Contents
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 2
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 3
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - Contents
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 5
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 6
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 7
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 8
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 9
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 10
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 11
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 12
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 13
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 14
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 16
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 17
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 18
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 19
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 20
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 21
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 22
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 24
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - Cover3
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