St. George Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Chad Roberson has been accepted into the third year of the Fire Service Executive Development Institute, the International Association of Fire Chiefs announced.

Roberson competed with new fire chiefs and chief officers from across the country to become a member of the 2015 program. Roberson also has been awarded a scholarship to cover the expenses for attending the program, a news release from the St. George Fire Department said.

The Fire Service Executive Development Institute is a yearlong leadership development program created and implemented by the IAFC to provide new and aspiring fire chiefs with the tools needed to have successful and productive tenures, the release said.

The institute will meet in May for its first six-day session, in addition to two other sessions six months apart. The group will communicate between sessions using an online community.

Roberson has 27 years of experience and rose through the ranks of the St. George Fire Department.

He holds an associate degree in fire science, a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree. He also has completed the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and, in 2011, was awarded professional accreditation as a certified fire officer, the release said.

In addition to being assistant fire chief, Roberson serves as the technical rescue coordinator for the department.

He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and serves on its Emergency Management Committee. In addition, Roberson is an executive board member of the Louisiana Fire Chiefs Association, the Louisiana Fire Chiefs Foundation and the Louisiana Municipal Association. He served for six years as an executive board member of the States Urban Search & Rescue Alliance.

Roberson is married and the father of two elementary school-aged sons. He is a volunteer coach at his sons’ school, St. Jude, and the YMCA. He is also a member of the St. Jude Catholic Church Men’s Club and a member of the St. Jude Church Fair Core Committee.

The Motorola Solutions Foundation has provided the IAFC with a grant to fund the program.

Story from The Advocate

Photo provided by Eldon Ledoux -- The International Association of Fire Chiefs announced that Assistant Fire Chief Chad Roberson, of the St. George Fire Department, has been accepted into the third year of the Fire Service Executive Development Institute.

Washington – On April 3, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) completed its review of OSHA's Confined Spaces in Construction Standard, paving the way for the final rule to move forward. The rule (29 CFR 1926.36) has been in the works for more than a decade. An OIRA review is one of the last steps a federal agency must take before it can publish a final rule. According to OSHA's timetable, the confined spaces final rule was originally scheduled for publication in March.

In 1993, OSHA issued a general industry rule to protect employees who enter confined spaces while engaged in general industry work (29 CFR 1910.146). This standard has not been extended to cover employees entering confined spaces while engaged in construction work because of unique characteristics of construction work sites. Pursuant to discussions with the United Steel Workers of America that led to a settlement agreement regarding the general industry standard, OSHA agreed to issue a proposed rule to protect construction workers in confined spaces.

Source: Membership News Alert from National Safety Council

UPDATE: Roco is hearing that a final ruling will be released within the next 6 weeks. As soon as the information is provided, we will be sure to post for you!

Construction is well underway on expansions and improvements to the Roco Training Center (RTC.) The goal is to add new confined space shapes and configurations in order to simulate an even wider variety of scenarios that rescuers may face in the real world. 

An additional two-story container configuration is being erected east of the pipe rack module. This will add 10 vertical confined spaces, 2 horizontal confined spaces, and 7 more student platforms for staging rescue equipment and training evolutions. The new area will be under a covered roof, making rescue training on the prop a bit more user-friendly in our south Louisiana climate!

Nearly complete is the new stairway on the south side of the prop that will provide additional access to the structure and more anchor points for rescue students taking courses at RTC. With these new features, the prop is increasing its student capacity by approximately 33 rescuers per day.

Last year a boiler simulator was added which focuses on extremely tight (12" x 15") horizontal confined spaces found at many industrial settings, old and new.

"Roco is constantly surveying our students to find out what their particular problem spaces are," said Dennis O'Connell, Director of Training for Roco. "We try to duplicate those confined spaces at RTC, so students can practice the skills they will need if a problem occurs at their site. This way, they get a more accurate experience."

The anticipated completion date for the additions to RTC is April 15, 2015. It is sure to add a few more challenges for Roco students who are familiar with the prop, as well as a few more conveniences.

OSHA's final rule on confined spaces in construction is being reviewed by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The review is one of the final steps required before OSHA can formally publish the rule.

OIRA, which is a branch of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, received the rule for review on Nov. 14. The office is limited to a 90-day review but can request an extension. The rule has been in the works since at least 2003; the proposed rule was published in 2007.

Several provisions in the proposed rule are similar to those found in the agency's confined spaces standard for general industry. That rule, issued in 1993, mandates specific procedures and includes requirements such as a written program, atmospheric monitoring and training.

Stand by for additional updates on this regulation.

News story from the National Safety Council. 

 

More than $15,000 in fire rescue equipment was donated to a local volunteer fire department in Washington, WV through the Firehouse Subs Foundation.

The equipment for the Washington Bottom department is for confined areas such as off-road, industrial and water-related accidents. And the department's members are already trained to use it.

"It's nice to know we have the people with the knowledge, the skills, and now, the equipment to use the equipment properly," said Fire Chief K.C. Lindner. "We have the folks who have spent the many hours training and perfecting it. Now, we have the equipment to use."

 

Picture above: Roco Student, Ryan Goldsmith demonstrating the rope rescue equipment.

Money for the donations comes from the purchase of Firehouse's used pickle barrels by its customers.

The chain has been providing equipment to first responders for nearly a decade.

Story source: http://www.thenewscenter.tv/news/headlines/Fighting-Fire-With-Firehouse-283402671.html