Confined-space rescues are the heaviest “consumers” of first responder time and equipment, notes Davis. In the post-911 era, equipment to analyze and monitor hazardous conditions is relatively standard. Also critical for confined-space safety and rescues is equipment to enable first responders to self-rescue (ropes, tripod devices, rigging and lifting equipment to remove the injured or extract materials that may prevent proper rescue). Equipment that tends to be viewed as specialized – such as the vacuum removal devices, long-reach tripod systems and personnel extraction devices usually...

After seeing several of his clients throwing away perfectly good Tyvek garments, Mike Miller came up with the idea of collecting and selling Tyvek Clothing. His idea was to offer perfectly useable disposable garments at a discounted cost and to help reduce solid waste being thrown into our landfills. His idea of recycling Tyvek was a win-win situation for everyone and MPE Inc. was created. With a lot of hard work and several washing machines MPE grew and needed to have its own location. Located in Northwest Indiana they have shared a building for many years with another company. This year MPE...

It seems like time and time again whenever a book comes out about Confined Space Rescue that it is just a simple “rope book” with very little significance or help.  Well,  “Confined Space Rescue”  by Chase Sargent is quite the opposite.  The text is a perfect tool for those preparing to teach confined space rescue or develop a technical rescue team.  The information is relevant, precise and real world.  It points out the “why” rather than just “how” a team should be developed.  This book could be used for teaching safety courses and could also be recommended to Division...

In January 1986 the national Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), issues an alert requesting assistance in preventing occupational fatalities in confined spaces. NIOSH conducted an extensive fatality study and discovered that 60% of confined space fatalities occurred among would-be rescuers ( NIOSH, 1986).  This alert was the precursor to numerous federal regulations and national consensus standards addressing the issue.  The alert recommended that rescue procedures should be established before entry and should be specific for each type of confined space.  When the report...

Rescue personnel are provided with extensive training on the occupational hazards of confined space entry at the DOD Fire Academy.  Graduates must meet or exceed all applicable federal regulations on confined space that are enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Current graduates meet or exceed the national Fire Protection Association (NFPA) professional qualification standards as a rescue technician and receive a certificate through the International Fire Service Accreditation congress (IFSAC).  Training to meet Federal regulations and national training...