AMU Emergency Management Original Public Safety

EDM Monday Briefing: A New Respirator Design for Wildland Firefighters

By
wildland firefighters respirator Arsenault

Emergency and disaster management briefing for August 9, 2021: FEMA’s CBRN Office released a new planning guide for chemical incidents; five people are reportedly missing after the Dixie Fire destroyed a town in California; three volcanoes are now erupting in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska; the NHC forecast calls for likely formation of a tropical system by sometime tonight; new evacuation orders were issued for California’s Dixie Fire on Sunday evening; Tropical Storm Kevin is likely to continue weakening as it encounters wind shear; residents are fleeing their homes in Greece as two wildfires rage on Evia Island; and a lightweight respirator is currently being tested for use by wildland firefighters.

1. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Office just released its new guidance for response and recovery planning for chemical incidents. The document, Key Planning Factors and Considerations for Response and Recovery from a Chemical Incident (Chem KPF), is aimed at response and recovery planners at all government, territorial, and tribal levels. According to FEMA, considerations beyond all-hazards planning are required to address chemical incidents, and the new guidance includes common factors shared by all chemical incidents that were identified across chemical supply, agriculture, and transportation industries.

2. Five people are reportedly missing after the Dixie Fire in California destroyed the majority of the town of Greenville last Thursday. The wildfire continues to grow, and four firefighters were reportedly injured while battling the blaze on Saturday. The fire, which began on July 13, is now the second largest wildland fire in the state’s history. By late Sunday evening, the Dixie Fire had scorched nearly 464,000 acres.

3. Three volcanoes situated in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska are currently erupting, including the Great Sitkin, the Semisopochnoi and Pavlof volcanoes. The three volcanoes are all experiencing ongoing seismic activity and are under Aviation Code Orange and Alert Level Watch. Another volcano, the Cleveland volcano, is under Aviation Code Yellow and the Alert Level Advisory. Two of the volcanoes are only producing ash emissions, while the Great Sitkin allegedly has ongoing lava effusions combined with low-level ash and gas emissions.

4. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is closely watching a low pressure system located approximately 150 miles east of Barbados. The system has become much more organized, and the NHC forecasts it will become a tropical depression sometime within the next 12 hours. The NHC noted that tropical storm watches and warnings could be issued later today for locations in the Caribbean, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

5. New evacuation orders were issued Sunday night by the Plumas County Sheriff’s Department due to a jump in activity by the Dixie Fire in California. Smoke overnight Sunday to Monday reduced visibility and made driving hazardous for firefighters, although clearing is expected Monday morning. Fire activity will become more dynamic in the East Zone, as weather conditions such as low humidity levels, higher temperatures and extremely dry fuels become more conducive to increased fire behavior.

6. Tropical Storm Kevin is encountering wind shear as it churns in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The storm currently has wind speeds of up to 50 mph, but is expected to continue weakening. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring another system located in the Eastern Pacific, south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, with at least a 90% chance of development over the next five days. The NHC forecast noted that, although the system is currently producing disorganized showers and some thunderstorms, environmental conditions are conducive to it becoming a tropical depression over the next few days.

7. High temperatures have sparked wildfires across Greece, destroying homes and businesses and forcing evacuations. Currently, two wildfires are burning on a large island north and east of Athens, Evia Island. Residents on Evia were being evacuated as the wildfires consumed homes and businesses in various villages. Government officials issued a plea for help in battling the nation’s multiple wildfires and thanked those that had already sent assistance, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.

8. A lightweight respirator for wildland firefighters was recently tested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its partners. The less than 1.5 pound, chest-mounted system works through filtration – instead of compressed air tanks – and has a mask that covers the mouth and nose. To assist with ease of breathing during physical exertion, filtered air is forced to the mask with the use of an electric blower that operates on AA batteries.

Kimberly Arsenault serves as an intern at the Cleveland/Bradley County Emergency Management Agency where she works on plan revisions and special projects. Previously, Kimberly spent 15 years in commercial and business aviation. Her positions included station manager at the former Midwest Express Airlines, as well as corporate flight attendant, inflight manager, and charter flight coordinator. Kimberly currently holds a master's degree in emergency and disaster management from American Public University.

Related Posts

Comments are closed.