APCO Publishes ANSI Approved Standards
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International released the Core Competencies and Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications Supervisor (APCO American National Standard (ANS) 3.102.1-2012) after receiving final approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on December 7, 2012.
This APCO ANS focuses on competencies and training for the position that is typically tasked with managing daily operations, performing administrative duties and maintaining employee relations within public safety communications centers.
“While this standard is important for those already in a supervisory role, it also provides direction for those who aspire to be a supervisor,” said APCO President Terry Hall.
This standard, along with other APCO ANS may be downloaded at www.apcostandards.org. For questions regarding APCO Standards, please email [email protected].
USFA Releases Cooking Report
According to a new report from the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), cooking remained the leading cause of all residential building fires and injuries for the period 2008-2010. The report, Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010), addresses the characteristics of these fires and is based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).
Findings from the report developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center include:
- An estimated average of 164,500 cooking fires in residential buildings occurred in the United States each year.
- These fires resulted in an annual average of 110 deaths, 3,525 injuries and $309 million in property loss.
- Residential building cooking fires peaked from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. when many people were preparing the evening meal.
- Confined fires, those fires limited to the cooking vessel, accounted for 94 percent of residential building cooking fires.
- Oil, fat and grease (51 percent) were the leading types of material ignited in larger, more widespread cooking fires in residential buildings.
