PART 1

As most firefighters are now aware, the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released the revised respiratory standard 28 CFR Parts 1910 and 1926, Respiratory Protection, on January 8, 1998, was effective on April 8, 1998, and has been in effect since then. This new mandate is commonly referred to as the 2-in/2-out rule, is a federal mandate, and has the potential to dramatically affect every public and private firefighter in the United States. As this regulation is being billed as “the most important advance in firefighter safety in decades”, and “a regulation that goes a long way in making one of the most dangerous professions safer”, let’s briefly review some of its highlights: (more…)

Our lives are often shaped by direct and indirect influences. In the past we’ve discussed the various experiences that often affect our lives. It’s always interesting when we find ourselves doing or saying something that our parents did, and it’s usually a shock! However, there are so many other examples that have an effect on us, even though we don’t always realize it when it is happening.

These lessons are available to us throughout our lives. NFL pro football player Irv Cross was a defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles and the L.A. Rams who transitioned into broadcasting at the end of his professional career. He spent fifteen years as the co-anchor of the “NFL Today” show. His success in the broadcasting field opened the door for other minorities to become play-by-play announcers and analysts. This year, Mr. Cross was the recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award for his “long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.” In his acceptance speech, he told the gathering that his fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Ewing, was his inspiration to succeed in life. Her positive influence on him led him to tell the Hall of Fame crowd that shortly after his mother died, Mrs. Ewing had consoled and encouraged him and he believed that “had she not put her arm around me that day, none of this would have ever happened”. (more…)

Gordon Graham here and thanks again for taking the time to visit the LA Fire Credit Union site – and thanks for all you are doing in the world of fire service operations. For those of you who follow my monthly contribution to this site, you know I am not part of your world – but rather on the other side of the fence – the law enforcement side.

My interest in firefighter safety – and issues related to the fire service – started in Graduate school and has grown since then and I have been very fortunate to have assisted in developing many firefighter safety programs over the last few decades. More on this topic of fire fighter safety later in the piece – I promise. (more…)