WOMEN FIREFIGHTERS AND CANCER...AN IMPORTANT STUDY

Found an important message today on the secret list, and thought it would be important to share. Via  firefighterclosecalls.com

Looks like there is going to be a groundbreaking study to investigate why so many women Firefighters are getting breast cancer. Additionally, this study appears to be related to the work being done with the Toxic Hot Seat efforts. The link to info is below. Not surprisingly, the IAFF is very much involved in this effort.

STUDY INFO:

http://www.insideprevention.org/2014/05/groundbreaking-study-to-investigate-why-so-many-female-firefighters-are-getting-breast-cancer.html 

INFO FROM THE IAFF:

http://www.iaff.org/14News/050614ToxicHotSeat.htm 

REMEMBER:

As Firefighters, you are exposed to flame retardants every day, just like the rest of the population. However, you are at high risk for the cancer-causing effects of carcinogenic flame retardants. Whether it's in the air you breathe, exposure during the overhaul of fires, the absorption through your skin during and after working at a fire, or after the incident as you are exposed to the toxic soot that covers your turnouts and equipment, these exposures contribute to the reason that Firefighters have a significantly higher incidence of cancer than the general public. Every fire you respond to-dumpster, vehicle, structure-whatever-is postured to greatly expose you to cancer.

HOW TO MINIMIZE YOUR RISK AS A FIREFIGHTER:

http://www.firefightercancersupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Taking-Action-against-Cancer-in-the-Fire-Service.pdf

Firefighter Fellowship

Firefighter Fellowship



Firefighter
Fellowship is a grassroots attempt at helping to promote and unite firefighters in every state, country and across the world by using an assortment of Internet resources, social media platforms and other traditional means.


 Firefighter Fellowship is also an attempt to better unify firefighter friends, family of firefighters and even fans of firefighters into an army, or fellowship. If we can help bring the "brotherhood" closer together by use of our Facebook pages, or websites, or Ezines, or whatever means, then that will be our goal. Everybody and almost anybody can be a member of Firefighter Fellowship, as long as they decently, sincerely and honestly share our goal to help firefighters worldwide.


My name is Scott O'Neill and I am working on a "Fire Program" with the RC&D. This RC&D campaign will be directed at assisting career, volunteer, retired and Junior firefighters, their departments and programs, plus uniting the families, friends, and supporters of firefighters into participating in this effort. This campaign will
include a carefully selected group of URL domains, websites, online magazines, social media pages, software and expertise to begin with an overall online effort to also assist with recruitment, retention and recognition of more firefighters. Mostly this campaign will utilize most everything it has to promote unity, family and "Brotherhood". We'll also offer all firefighters, all departments and others, free website and hosting services, free promotion services, free fundraising and campaign services, and resources to help the Brotherhood in every way we can!


 The new program was initially launched with three online magazines, www.FireMagazines.com, www.JrFirefighters.com and www.UnitedFirefighters.org plus the assistance of multiple Facebook pages with a membership base of over 500,000 fans and growing fast. Strategically combining these websites, Ezines and social media pages showed to work well as an information and promotion medium, and with the addition of many more planned sites and pages, we believe it will do even better. Adding more sites in the near future, like www.JuniorFirefighters.org, www.FireDepartments.org, www.VolunteerFireDepartments.org, www.FireProgram.org, www.WildlandFires.org, www.Vollie.org, www.FirefighterAssociations.org FirefighterBrotherhood.org FirefighterMemorial.org and many other specially selected natural URL domain sites will only expand the reach of this program with writers waiting to begin supplying content. We also have some "secret weapon" technology that will help us dominate the Internet for almost anything about fires and firefighters.


 The potential is high with the initial reach of over 500,000 fans on several firefighter Facebook pages, and an extended SHARE reach in the millions with the co-workers, family and friends of these fans. Now, we are including a new "membership" program that has already been well received and talked about. Placement of the entire campaign under the name of this www.FirefighterFellowship.com and .org has already shown signs of a potentially huge launch of this effort. Initial test with Facebook posting and T-shirt sales have shown very encouraging signs of success. Firefighter Fellowship will not act as an association, auxiliary, or Union, but more of an International grassroots support group with free membership. It's not a "religious" organization per se, but simply the idea of bringing together all firefighters, their organizations and associations, plus their family, friends and fans to create a united front.



Membership is gained by signing up for the news letters, or joining us on Facebook, or even wearing our T-shirts, thus participating in promoting us and firefighters. We'll probably, eventually include a membership form and even have benefits, but that is secondary. By this means, we hope to grow quickly and broadly and then work on developing our organization into a more "organized" association. Utilizing all our sites, Ezines, Facebook pages and more to help firefighters, and unite those that support them worldwide, this may become a force that can make a difference.


 We have collected what we believe is potentially the most powerful and far reaching portfolio of natural/organic URL domain names for any group out there. Using this multitude of sites, in a strategic and planned manner to focus on most everything that any Internet searcher could want to find, our reach may be beyond our expectations. Once they have been reached, we want to bring them in for recruitment, participation, support, questions and answers or just awareness of firefighters, their needs and causes.


 Starting with the Facebook pages for a ready source of readership, writers and participants, then expanding to the Firefighter Forums, we'll focus on bringing them together. Then with membership of individuals, organizations and associations with Firefighter Fellowship and the International Firefighter Organizations we will be able to help in all areas of need and beyond. The websites and landing pages will continue to reach even more participants, but with the Facebook pages alone growing at a rate of over 1000 new fans PER DAY, we're well on our way. Partnership and sponsorship with businesses, foundations and individuals will become common, plus grants will help us continue to build. This is just the beginning, but with websites, Ezines, outreach sites, social media, forums and more, we believe that we are well on our way to starting something that can make a true difference in the firefighter world.

An Inside look to the 8361 Bricelyn Street House Fire

This Feb marks the 19th anniversary when three firefighters lost their lives in a house fire in Pittsburgh, PA. Captain Thomas Brooks of Engine 17 and Firefighters Patricia Conroy and Marc Kolenda of Engine 8 lost their lives in what is known today as the deadliest fire in Pittsburgh History.

 "On a frigid night in 1995, shortly after midnight on Valentine's Day, three Pittsburgh firefighters died tragically in the line-of-duty on Bricelyn Street. They died together — confused, disoriented, and out of air — in a small, cluttered room in an old wood-framed house situated on a slope in East Hills." Writes Bruce Hensler.

We all know the story from studying it over and over, what went wrong at Bricelyn Street. From, bad ICS, pass alarms in the off position, accountability, to scene size-up, lack of radio communication, and the list goes on.

What we don't look at being firefighters is the rest of the investigation, the Fire Science, and was it flawed? Did investigators jump the gun and make a call due to the lack of science in 1995 and overlook things because we were in mourning within the fire service of the tragic loss of life that evening?

With countless hours of investigating this fire as a probie, and wanting to know more about it, I have found some investigation flaws, and some reports of those findings as well as the possibility that this entire fire that was once named arson was possibly an accident. It may come as a shock, because we want justice when we have a LODD in the fire service and answers to why it happened that judgment clouds over, and we jump the gun. as I looked for more and more information, I could barely find anymore than what most found. just a few reports that we use in firefighter 1 from the NFPA, and the IAFF with the fire findings, explanation of the deaths and what we need to fix, but nothing more. Relying on other blogs, and some possible dead leads, this is what I have found on the Arson investigation so far

on Charles Smith blog I found an article that states Dr. Gerald Hurst, 73, an Austin, a Texas-based expert who has studied the Brown case, and has been involved in several highly publicized cases where arson-related convictions were overturned after he questioned the veracity of what he calls antiquated arson science. Claimed that faulty forensics and a secret witness that was paid to testify wrongfully convicted a man of arson over a natural gas leak. "One firefighter reported seeing horizontal flames, which would indicate a gas leak." said Hurst

The Arson Case Briefing lays out the court case in a chronological fashion, and goes into detail about the criminal case.

In an article The Bricelyn Street Fire posted last year by Bruce Hensler he asks a question that I have been asking since I began my research. he also says "In reading the reports and listening to the video one senses there is more unsaid than said." which is so true, there is no audio, no true video, and no result in finding the American Heat videos he spoke of, so where do we go from here?

Was this really a fatally flawed fire? is the main question I ask, and the same one that Hensler addresses in his story. The answer is being investigated by
Innocence Institute saying that the ATF paid off witness's to testify against Gregory Brown jr. the man found guilty of three counts of Homicide in the Second Degree (for killing the three firefighters), two counts of Arson (endangering property and endangering persons), and Insurance Fraud.
This new evidence suggests that gasoline wasn't an excellerant in the fire, but it started from an ongoing natural gas leak, and further that the testimony used against Greg Brown was false and information never given to the Def. Lawyer.

This is as far as I have gotten in my research, as I have hit a standstill, I will continue evaluating this case as a firefighter to learn, and continue learning from other fire's like these.
America's first fire chief Benjamin Franklin, once uttered, “Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.”

We have to know our surroundings at all times, call for help, have good working equipment no matter the cost or it will cost us a lot more as we have learned from history.