The 2013 Indiana General Assembly has adjourned after
enacting a number of pieces of legislation of importance to the fire
service.
Of particular importance to all fire departments are the
following:
HEA 1069 (outdoor event equipment)
HEA 1182 (POST)
HEA 1313 (regulation of rental property)
HEA 1325 (mobile support units in disasters)
HEA 1486 (military trained EMS providers)
SEA 242 (DHS matters)
SEA 290 (military trained EMS providers)
SEA 459 (local government reorganization)
Of particular importance to township fire departments is
HEA 1116. This bill permits a township with an emergency loan for fire service
in 2012 or 2013 to roll that loan into its levy in 2014 and to pay back the loan
over 3 years outside its levy limits. In addition, HEA 1116 provides that all
townships will now have two restrictions on emergency loans:
A
township may only secure an emergency loan for 3 out of every 5
years.
The
payback of future emergency loans must be within the township's levy
limits.
The Indiana Emergency Response Conference will be here
before we know it!
The Opening Ceremony will be
followed by the annual Memorial Service for all of those in Public Safety
that we have lost in the last year. (August to August). This includes LODD and
Non-LODD.
We need
your help...Please start sending out email blasts to all of your contacts in
EMS, IVFA, IFA, PFFUI, IFCA, DHS, Law Enforcement and any other organization in
our great state to help spread the word that we need the following information
for the service...
1.Name of deceased
2.Department / Service / Agency
worked for
3.Years of Service
4.Date of Last Call / Final
Alarm
5.A photo of deceased
6.A picture of photo of the
Department / Service / Agency patch
Chief
Buckman put together a great memorial tribute last year and has graciously
offered to do it again this year. (Thanks Chief!)
Please
forward all information to Joe Kruzan (see contact information below) and he
will make sure Chief Buckman receives the information.
The service
takes place during the IERC on Thursday August 22nd, 2013 at 800am.
Barring any additions after August 1st, please make sure we receive
all information ASAP, but by July 31st at the latest. If there is a
loss between July 31st and the memorial service, we will do
everything we can to add the name or it will be announced at the 2014
service.
Lastly, if
you submit a name, please advise the department/service and their family
members.
We are thrilled to announce that Chief John
M. Buckman, III, has been selected by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
as the winner of their Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013!
The award will be presented at the Spring
Banquet of the NVFC in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday, May 10th.
Congratulations to Chief Buckman, who has been a lifelong friend to the fire
service, an Indiana Fire Chief and past President of the International
Association of Fire Chiefs.
The Investigation
Section of the State Marshal's Office has been requested to
investigate several fatal fires throughout the year; however this
does not cover all fatal fires. To help keep good statistics on all fatal fires
the department is asking for your help. Please go to the IDHS Wbb site
at : http://www.in.gov/dhs/ and follow the
instructions as listed below to fill out the form -Notification
of Fatality Report
New
Indiana Mutual Aid Response Plan (IMARP)
Forms
There are new forms to be completed for the Indiana Mutual Aid Response Plan. If you have not done so already please complete a Mutual Aid Net Data Sheet for the statewide mutual aid plan. We understand that there are many items on the list. You only need to fill out the portion that you have within your department.
Even if you are a small department that cannot afford to send any resources for mutual aid we would like for you to fill out the data form anyway. This will allow you to be notified if there is a statewide call out in your response district.
There is an instructional form on the web site as well for your assistance in filling out the form. At the bottom of the data form is an email button to send in the form. Make sure you print the form for your records before sending the email as it is a PDF Form.
The IFCA Mutual Aid Section thanks you for your assistance in getting the data turned in. This is a very important task that will assist the Indiana Fire Service when in need for additional resources when they exceed their own mutual aid.
Public Education & Outreach Specialist, Pam Bright of the Office of the State Fire Marshal's office is seeking information from each department as to contact information for your safety educator. The ultimate goal is to obtain this contact information to build a networking base. Please contact Pam at
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with the following information:
Pam Bright Public Education and Outreach Specialist
Office of the State Fire Marshall317-232-6632
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Does Your Fire Dept. Have a Cadet Program?
Are You Aware of the Child Labor Laws Governing It?
Any minor who is working in
Indiana is covered by Indiana’s Child Labor laws. The definition of
“working” is very broad. Although these minors are in training as fire
cadets, many of the things they do around the station (rolling hoses, washing
trucks, etc.) could be easily classified as work. It is my opinion that
minors in a cadet program would likely be considered working for the purposes
of the Child Labor laws.
Minors under 14 may not
participate in a cadet fire program as minors under 14 are prohibited by state
and federal law from performing any work other than newspaper carrier, golf
caddie, farm laborer, domestic service worker (babysitter), actor, performer or
model.
15 and 16 year olds should
not participate as they will be highly restricted in the types of duties
they perform. They may not load or unload items on or off of the trucks,
they may not operate any powered equipment, the hours they may work are very
limited, etc.
Minors who are 16 and 17 years
of age may participate in a cadet fire program, although they will be mildly
restricted on what duties they can and cannot perform. Unless the minor
is enrolled as a student learner or in an apprenticeship program, minors under
18 years of age may not operate powered saws, jaws of life, power drills or
pneumatic or powered metal forming or woodcutting devices. For more
information about the hazardous occupations for minors, please visit http://www.in.gov/dol/2741.htm
. Exemptions to some of these rules may be found at http://www.in.gov/dol/2741.htm#1617exempt
. Sixteen and seventeen year olds may
not operate any motor vehicle on a public roadway while they are working.
Once a minor turns 18 years of
age, he/she is legally allowed to work in the same occupations as any
adult. Even if the minor is still in high school, he/she no longer bound
by the child labor laws.
As we discussed, firefighting is
an incredibly dangerous field for any employee. If we may be of any
assistance in spreading the word about these programs, please let us
know. You may also wish to contact our INSafe division for assistance
with training programs related to fire protection. The resident expert in
Northeast Indiana is Debra Rauen. She may be reached by e-mail at
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or by phone at
260-485-6734.
If we may be of further
assistance, please contact us at Indiana Department of Labor, Bureau of Child Labor at 317/234-6718.
In partnership with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the International Fire Chiefs Association and the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center we are distributing a reference guide, "Intelligence Guide for Fire Chiefs" to all of our public safety partners. This guide is a very good, straight forward guide for all those in public safety leadership roles. In the guide it covers the rational for bringing in the fire service, as well as other public safety agencies, into the intelligence community. The guide goes over the different agencies that can be utilized by public safety to help them in their intelligence needs.
It should be noted that this initiative goes beyond just "Counter-terrorism." The Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center for example is an, "All crimes and all hazards" Fusion Center that you can utilize for,
Threat Assessments
Arson Investigations
Local, State and Federal Intelligence briefs
Click on the link below to download your copy of the entire guide with resources in the back for your use.
Any questions please contact Mike Mullennax at;
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or 317-234-6605.
The Public Safety Section will produce a monthly segment with Angela Cain of WTHR, Channel 13 News. Don't Miss it! Visit Channel 13 Focus page and click on Community Videos at: http://www.wthr.com/story/817967/focus
