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2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week Posted: 13 Jun 2009 12:01 AM PDT 2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility June 14-20, 2009 Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility encourages chiefs and fire/EMS personnel to focus on what they personally can do to manage risk and enhance their health and safety. This year's theme reflects the need for personal responsibility and accountability within a strong safety culture. Recommended activities and materials will incorporate four key areas where standard operating procedures, policies and initiatives—along with the training and enforcement that support them—can limit fire/EMS personnel's risk of injury or death: Safety: Emergency Driving (enough is enough—end senseless deaths) Lower speeds—stop racing to the scene. Drive safely and arrive alive to help others. Utilize seat belts—never drive or ride without them. Stop at every intersection—look in all directions and then proceed in a safe manner. Health: Fire Fighter Heart Disease and Cancer Education and Prevention Don't smoke or use tobacco products. Get active. Eat a heart-healthy diet. Maintain a healthy weight. Get regular health screenings. Survival: Structural Size-Up and Situational Awareness Keep apprised of different types of building materials and construction used in your community. Develop a comprehensive size-up checklist. Always complete a 360° walk of the structure to collect valuable, operational decision-making information. Learn the practice of reading smoke. Be familiar with the accepted rules of engagement. Learn your accountability system and use it. Master your tools and equipment. Remain calm and concentrate. Chiefs: Be the Leader in Safety Become personally engaged in safety and make it part of your strategic vision for the department. Be willing to make the tough decisions regarding safety policies and practices and their implementation. Hold members of the organization accountable for their safety and the safety of those with whom they work. Ensure that resources are available to accomplish activities safely and effectively. We encourage all fire/EMS departments to devote this week to reviewing safety policies, evaluating the progress of existing initiatives and discussing health and fitness. Fire/EMS departments should make a concerted effort during the week to correct safety deficiencies and to provide training as needed. An entire week is provided to ensure that each shift and duty crew can spend one day focusing on fire fighter safety, health and survival. http://www.iafc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=306

Summit Fire: Suspect pleads not guilty Posted: 12 Jun 2009 09:10 AM PDT Los Gatos landscape contractor Channing Parker Verden pleaded not guilty yesterday to one felony count of unlawfully causing a fire. Mr. Verden was charged with allegedly failing to fully extinguish piles of burning debris that sparked the Summit Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2008. Channing Parker Verden, 50, of Los Gatos, was arrested in April by investigators from Cal Fire and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office after an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Summit Fire that erupted May 22, 2008. Documents and statements filed with the district attorney's office allege that the owner of the property at 31000 Summit Road hired Verden to clear debris on the land later identified as the origin of the fire. Cal Fire investigators found remains of large burn piles that did not appear to be extinguished properly. Verden is scheduled to return to Santa Clara County Superior Court on June 30 for the setting of a preliminary hearing.

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