Welcome to the Department of State's
Office of Fire Prevention and Control
We welcome your comments, suggestions and corrections. With your support, we look forward to continued growth and the opportunity to provide you with more information.
A Seasonal Safety Message on Carbon Monoxide
As we enter another heating season, homeowners and occupants should be aware of the potential hazards associated with the heating season. One of the biggest hazards to home occupants is Carbon Monoxide (CO).
CO poisoning can occur within a matter of minutes and is responsible for more deaths than any other single poison. This odorless, colorless poison can hurt you slowly in low levels, cause permanent neurological dysfunctions in moderate levels or take lives in higher levels. Protection against this deadly poison is as easy as installing a simple Carbon Monoxide alarm in your home or office.
CO is produced whenever a fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. The amount of CO produced while using fuel-burning appliances is usually not harmful. It becomes hazardous when appliances are not being used properly or are not functioning adequately.
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OFPC Latest News
• HOLIDAY FIRE SAFETY MESSAGE: The holidays are a time to enjoy family and friends and reflect on
those things that are important to us. There is nothing more important than providing a safe home for your family. Many do not realize the hazards associated with a tree that is not properly maintained. We ask you to click here to watch an important announcement on tree safety. For a related flyer (pdf), please click here.
• TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT: Chemistry for Emergency Response. This two-week course is designed to prepare the responder to function safely at the scene of a hazardous materials
incident by understanding the potential hazards. Prosective students are required to submit both a completed New York State Fire Academy and a standard Federal
Emergency Management Agency Application Form (FEMA Form 75-5).
• TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT: Presenting Effective Public Education Programs. This six day course provides fundamental knowledge, skills, and attitudes to deliver fire
and life safety educational programs in the community. Prosective students are required to submit both a completed New York State Fire Academy and a standard Federal
Emergency Management Agency Application Form (FEMA Form 75-5).
• Governor Paterson has proclaimed this September 2009 as Preparedness Month in New York State. Please visit the State’s preparedness website www.nyprepare.gov for information. - September, 2009
• Governor David A. Paterson today announced that he has signed legislation that will expand the circumstances under which police officers and firefighters may drive emergency vehicles without a commercial driver license (CDL). Please Click Here to read the Governor's press release. - May 22, 2009
• Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez announced the graduates of the 57th New York State Recruit Firefighter Training Program. Click Here for the complete article. - May 14, 2009
•
BCERF Alert for Women Firefighters:
Chemical Exposures in Your Workplace and Breast Cancer Risk
There are many risk factors for breast cancer. Exposures to certain chemicals have been identified as possible risk factors for breast cancer. Exposure to some of these chemicals may occur during firefighting activities.
An on-line brochure has been developed and designed by Cornell University to help women understand how they may be exposed to these chemicals in their work, and encourages proper protection to minimize exposures during all phases of firefighting. Please Click Here for a pdf version.
• NOTICE: We would like to verify that all of the Fire Departments in NYS are NIMS compliant and eligible for Federal Preparedness grants. This being said we encourage all fire departments to contact their county NIMS Point of Contact along with their county Fire Coordinator to ensure they have met all of the compliance objectives for 2008 and have had their data entered into NIMSCAST. This data can either be incorporated into the county’s NIMSCAST report or each department could enter their own information. Please Click Here to view the NIMS Training Guidance pdf.
• Local / Regional Training Schedule for April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2010 is up online. For a PDF of upcoming outreach courses and dates, please Click Here.
Additional Announcements
• New York – Task Force 2 (NYTF-2) Takes Top Honors in K-9 Search & Rescue Competition. Please Click Here to read the full article.
• Arson Awareness Week, 2009: The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announces this year’s Arson Awareness Week theme – Arson for Profit. Arson for profit is insurance fraud, a criminal method of obtaining money from a fire loss policy. For more information, please visit the USFA website. Please view the Governor's Proclamation on Arson Awareness Week. (pdf version)
•ATTENTION FIREFIGHTERS: Improper Set-up of Aerial Ladders with a Locking Waterway May Put You at Risk. Please Click Here for an important safety bulletin.
•2008 Emergency Response Guidebook The 2008 version of the Emergency Response Guidebook has been delivered to each county. Each county received an ERG for every piece of fire apparatus. Departments that have not received the 2008 version of the ERG should contact the county fire coordinator to arrange delivery or pick up.
UPDATE DOT has now released the digital version of the ERG book . You may now download the 2008 ERG, which is available in several versions including Spanish, by Clicking Here.
If you have any questions concerning the Fire Resource Inventory System (FRIS) please Click Here.
•FEMA Releases Report on on-duty Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2007. Click Here for an information bulletin (PDF).