For the Record 4/17

FAMA Unveils New Logo

To commemorate its 70^th anniversary, Firefighters Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) has unveiled a new logo to represent the dedication of its members to the support of fire and emergency workers.

The new logo features a red flame embodied in a shield, signifying the protection from fire that FAMA strives to achieve through its production of fire apparatus. Its simple design aims to parallel the core values of FAMA and thus provide an instant association between the logo and the organization.

The logo was chosen from more than 250 designs that were submitted.

For more information, visit FAMA.org.

IAFF Opens Facility Specializing in Firefighter Behavioral Health Conditions

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has opened the IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery in Upper Marlboro, MD. The Center is a one-of-a-kind treatment facility specializing in helping firefighters cope with addiction and other behavioral health conditions, exclusively serving the more than 303,000 members of the IAFF.

In collaboration with Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS), a leader in behavioral healthcare management, the Center will provide IAFF members with evidence-based care for addiction and other disorders, including PTSD, anxiety and depression—conditions firefighters experience at twice the rate of the general population.

The Center is overseen by Craig L. Katz, MD, who designed a program for first responders following the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, and Abby Morris, MD, a behavioral healthcare expert. The Center will be staffed by ARS’s highly experienced and specialized team, including behavioral health professionals who understand the fire service culture and firefighters.

“Every firefighter has at least three—often more—emergency calls during their career they can never forget—a family lost in a fire, a child that could not be saved, a community ripped apart by terror,” said Harold Schaitberger, IAFF general president. “These issues sit in the shadows as a hidden hazard, quietly impacting our members over the course of their long and dedicated careers. Many of them are facing these disorders in silence for fear of being stigmatized. The IAFF is stepping up with the help of ARS to take these issues head on and to get our members—professional firefighters and paramedics—the help they need so they can continue to do their jobs.”

The Center of Excellence sits on a 15-acre campus designed to support firefighters as they seek treatment and recovery. It has 58 beds with a state-of-the-art gym and other features that encourage physical activity so members can continue their fitness regimens and be prepared to return to the job. Center staff will also work with members and their families to ensure a successful return to home and work, and will help to identify a support network, develop accountability plans and provide links with peer programs so that members can continue with their recovery at home.

For more information about the Center or to get help, call (855) 900-8437 or visit iaffrecoverycenter.com.

Line-of-Duty Deaths

14 U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Ten deaths were health-related and four were the results of a motor vehicle accidents. This edition of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.

CAPTAIN DANIEL HAVICUS, 41, of the Tracy, CA, Fire Department, died on Jan. 18. He fell ill during his shift on Jan. 8 and called in sick prior to his next shift. His condition worsened causing him to be admitted to the hospital on Jan. 16. He was subsequently transported to Stanford Hospital where he passed away.

FIREFIGHTER/EMT RICHARD KAPLAN, 80, of the Jericho, NY, Fire Department, died on Jan. 23. He passed away at home from a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be reported. Kaplan had responded to four emergency incidents with his fire department during the 24 hours preceding his death.

FIREFIGHTER RYAN THOMAS MOYER, 31, of the Waldo, WI, Fire Department, died on Feb. 4. He was operating his privately owned vehicle on fire department business when it was involved in a single vehicle crash in which he died. Moyer and two other firefighters had been putting up posters and collecting donations for a fire department fundraiser and were thought to be en route to a fire department banquet at the time of the crash.

FIREFIGHTER ETHAN CUNNINGHAM, 47, of the Syracuse, NY, Fire Department, died on Feb. 6. He was found deceased at home by a family member several hours after completing his shift at the fire department. During his shift, Cunningham responded to one emergency call and participated in strenuous hose drill training. The nature and cause of fatal injury are still to be determined.

FIREFIGHTER JOHN “MIKE” MICHAEL CUMMINS, 46, of the Homer, IL, Fire Protection District, died on Feb. 8. While returning home from the station after working with his fire department on a motor vehicle accident response call, Cummins suffered a fatal medical injury and crashed his privately owned vehicle into three parked cars. A passenger in the vehicle, a fellow firefighter, was not reported to have been seriously injured.

FIRE ENGINEER DOUGLAS McCAULEY, 59, of the Des Moines, IA, Fire Department, died on Feb. 11. He suffered a significant medical event while on duty on Feb. 10. McCauley was treated and transported by fellow firefighters and paramedics from the scene to Iowa Methodist Unity Point where he succumbed to his injury the following morning. The nature and cause of fatal injury are still to be determined.

FIRE CHIEF BILL MATTHEWS, 73, of the Bassfield, MI, Volunteer Fire Department, died on Feb. 14. He was found unconscious in the driver’s seat of the fire apparatus he was operating on the scene of a brush fire working to protect a nearby church. According to news reports, when another firefighter on a hoseline asked the Chief to reposition the apparatus, there was no response. Mathews was immediately removed from the truck, given CPR, and then transported to Jefferson Davis Community Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. According to a statement from the coroner, the nature of fatal injury was a massive heart attack.

FIRE CHIEF PAUL MURDOCH, 53, of the Greybull, WY, Volunteer Fire Department, died on Feb. 16. He was found unresponsive at his home after spending the day working emergency operations related to ice abatement on the Bighorn River. The nature and cause of fatal injury are still to be determined.

CAPTAIN CRYSTAL REZZONICO, 56, of the Phoenix Fire Department, died on Feb. 18. She succumbed to injuries suffered in August 2009, when the apparatus she was riding while responding to an incident was struck in an intersection by a passenger vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. Rezzonico was ejected from the apparatus upon impact and landed headfirst, suffering a severe traumatic brain injury and broken ankles. She was in a coma for nearly two weeks, endured multiple surgeries, and years of rehabilitation prior to her passing.

FIREFIGHTER MICHAEL “MIKE” DALE RUSSELL, 68, of the Leach, OK, Volunteer Fire Department, died on Feb. 22. While responding to a structure fire, he lost control of the fire apparatus he was driving and crashed. According to reports from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the vehicle rolled 1½ times, ejecting and pinning Russell beneath the tanker. Seat restraints were installed in the vehicle, but not in use at the time of the crash.

FIREFIGHTER JAMES FRANCISKOVICH, 52, of the West Burlington, IA, Fire Department, died on Feb. 24. He succumbed to injuries sustained when the fire department vehicle he was a passenger in lost control on an ice and snow covered roadway then crashed, coming to a rest on its top. Franciskovich, who was reported to have not been wearing seat restraints, was ejected from the vehicle.

FIREFIGHTER /EMT RONALD SAVAGE, 63, of the Milford, MI, Fire Department, died on Feb. 25. Savage suffered a cardiac issue during a search and rescue training exercise with his department.

FIREFIGHTER TERRANCE “TERRY” EDWARD SHAFER, 62, of the Spring Valley, WI, Fire Department, died on Feb. 25. He responded with other members of his department to a motor vehicle crash incident. Later that evening, Shafer fell ill at a family cabin and was transported by EMS to a hospital. He passed away early the following morning from a nature and cause of fatal injury to be determined.

FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC MICHAEL NORTON, 38, of Coweta County, GA, Fire Rescue, died on March 2. He worked an early morning residential structure fire on March 1. At home, several hours later, Norton was found by his wife in medical distress. She called 9-1-1 and responders treated Norton then transported him to the hospital where he succumbed to a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be determined.