PA Builders Assn. loses bid to stop new state building codes. On Wednesday, Commonwealth Court dismissed a petition by the Pennsylvania Builders Association to stop the enforcement of new state building codes. The court disagreed with the association’s argument that Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s implementation and enforcement of new building codes, established by a non-governmental body, is unconstitutional. In the court ruling, Judge Johnny J. Butler wrote the decision by state lawmakers to have Pennsylvania adopt whatever building codes are approved by the International Code Council “neither improperly delegated the General Assembly’s rule-making authority, nor its authority over the execution and administration of that law, so L&I’s adoption of ICC’s 2009 codes as Pennsylvania’s 2009 UCC did not violate Article II, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.” Butler added that the association did not “overcome their burden of demonstrating that the PCCA
Pennsylvania Construction Code Act of 1999] clearly, palpably, and plainly violated the Pennsylvania Constitution.” Back in March, Butler, who was the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry from 1995 to 2003, denied a preliminary injunction request from the builders association. that decision. The builders association claims that the new and amended provisions of the 2009 building codes, especially a requirement to install sprinkler systems in all newly-built homes, have the effect of increasing the cost of a new home by approximately $15,000.
A group of 21 local firefighters from Potter, McKean, and Cameron Counties recently completed the 48 hour Basic Vehicle Rescue course held at the Tri-Town Fire Co. in Ulysses. This course is jointly sponsored by the State Fire Academy and the Department of Health EMS Office.
The Pennsylvania Vehicle Rescue Training Curriculum places emphasis upon the development of knowledge and skills to be used by rescue personnel to achieve a safe and efficient vehicle rescue operation. The Joint Pennsylvania Vehicle Rescue Training Curriculum is a comprehensive rescue-training program designed to be presented to those emergency service personnel responsible for patient rescue operations on the highways of Pennsylvania.
This course introduces the student to a systematic approach to rescue that includes hazard recognition and control, incident command, situational assessment, and personal protection in addition to the requisite tools, equipment, and techniques of vehicle rescue. Completion of the course in conjunction with successfully passing a writen examination will earn course participants certification as a Vehicle Rescue Technician.
Firefighters and rescue personnel from the following departments participated in the course; Tri-Town Fire Co. Ulysses, Genesee Fire Co., Goodyear Hose co. Galeton, Harrison Township Fire Co., Sinnemahoning Fire Co., and the Bradford City Fire Department. Vehicles for the course were donated by Cowanesque Salvage and Recyling, Westfield.
The Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal and the Ridgway Borough Police Department conducted an investigation into the origin and cause of a fire that damaged a wood frame, two-story residential dwelling at 204 Depot Street in the borough of Ridgway at 12:51 a.m. on Thursday, August 12. The fire originated on the exterior of the structure while multiple residents were inside. All escaped without injury. A 16-year-old male was transported to Elk Regional Health Center by ambulance for difficulty breathing several hours after escaping the fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be arson. Damage is estimated at $100,000. Jacqueline J. Lockard, 43, of Ridgway was listed as a victim in the police report. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Ridgway Borough Police Department at 814-773-5125 or the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal at 814-776-6136. The Ridgway Fire Department was assisted by the Johnsonburg Fire Department.
The issue outlined in the following article is far from being isolated to a particular area of the Commonwealth. In fact, quite the contrary. There are many areas in the Potter/Tioga County area that have this issue as well. You don't have to listen to a scanner for very long before you'll hear an incident being dispatched that can take 20 minutes, 30 minutes or more to get an ambulance on the road. In the Potter/Tioga County area if the initially dispatched department has not responded withing 10 minutes of the first dispatch the call is "rolled over" to the next due department. If that department can not get a crew it again rolls over to another area department. But because of the way the system is currently set up in this area in many cases mutual-aid companies will not respond with an ambulance in these cases. The EMS system in the Potter/Tioga county area is BROKEN and has been for some time. While a large part of the issue is the lack of volunteers that isn't the only reason for the system being broken. There are factors internal to the local EMS system that are also contributing to this issue. And in some cases the causes are within the individual EMS agencies as the result of personality issues within local emergency service organizations. The system as it stands is broken....... but the big question is..... What is it going to take in order for the people and agencies involved to admit it and work to fix it?
Is your community keeping you safe? PAUL GOLIAS Published: August 10, 2010
A fire engine or ambulance inside a locked building does not, in my mind, constitute a viable emergency response system.
We have many such "emergency units" in the small towns of fragmented Luzerne County. The intent is not to embarrass such communities, not to impugn the valuable work of the volunteers who give of their time and take risks to assist their fellow man.
But the issue is real and it should be addressed, and it can be addressed if local government officials and the volunteers set aside parochialism and put some effort into developing true emergency services. It is time for some honest soul-searching.
Looking at various national fire service reports and efforts by communities statewide and nationwide, it seems that a five-minute response is the realistic goal that professional and mixed professional-volunteer services strive for.
The U.S. Fire Administration and Homeland Security did a study and found that 61 percent of responses nationwide were in six minutes or less. Portland, Ore. officials report fire and medical responses of five minutes, 20 seconds 75 percent of the time. Long Beach, Calif., is at six minutes, 14 seconds on medical calls 90 percent of the time and seven minutes, 17 seconds on fires 90 percent of the time. Another national study found responses of five minutes or less 50 percent of the time and eight minutes or less 75 percent of the time.
Fire heavily damaged a mobile home located on State Route 49 just East of Knoxville Sunday evening. Knoxville Dept. 6 and Valley Ambulance Dept. 25 were dispatched to a report of a structure fire shortly after 1900 hrs. Upon dispatch they were advised of reports of smoke showing from the structure. A 2nd alarm was requested bringing Oceola Dept 14 and Elkland Dept 3 to the scene. The blaze was quickly brought under control.
RIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY---Elk County Emergency officials say they have some big improvements coming to their outdated 911 center.
When Elk County Emergency Management moved into their current facility, it was meant to be a temporary home for a year at the most, but 18 years later little has changed.
The property at the top of Bootjack Hill in Ridgway was purchased by Elk County because it was an ideal place to build their 911 communications tower, but the existing house on the property was not ideal, especially with new, emerging technology.
“We’ve been here for 18 years, and we’ve been continually building onto this system, making it work for the needs of the facility, but what we’re finding now, we’re getting to the point where the building isn’t able to support our needs,” said Elk County Emergency Management Director, Mike McAllister, “The electrical issues are starting to become a problem, the room, the ability to add new hardware that’s coming out in the near future that we’re required to have. The facility just isn’t designed for what its intent was.”
Financial set-backs have prevented the county from building a new facility on the 13-acre property, but county officials said they’ve now hired a company, MCM Group, to do a complete assessment of the needs for the 911 center, and they’re also searching for grants to fund the project.
“It hopefully will help offset any costs that we have, and it would be a great help to the county to get federal dollars, and even state dollars for the project,” said Elk County Commissioner, June Sorg.
Emergency Services employees said the current facility is better than what they were in 20 years ago, but there is certainly room for improvement.
