Thursday, February 14, 2013

Florida State Required Continuing Education Requirements 2013 & FFEDA


Florida State Required Continuing Education Requirements 2013 & FFEDA

 

All current fire equipment license and permit holders must provide evidence of continuing education with their renewals to the State Fire Marshal’s Office by December 31, 2013.  The current Continuing Education Requirements are:

 

  • All Fire Equipment Dealer License Holders (licensees) must have a minimum of:

           14 hours of Technical content

           1 hour Business Practices

           1 hour Workers Compensation

 

  • All Fire Equipment Permit Holders (permittees) must have a minimum of:

           14 hours of Technical content

           1 hour Business Practices

           1 hour Workplace Safety

 

FFEDA is 8 hours of technical education at our Saturday, March 2, 2013 Educational Seminar!

 

Schedule of Events

 

Saturday, March 2, 2013 – Florida State Fire College

 

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.              Registration and Continental Breakfast

 

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.            System Verification Ansul R102

                                                Larry Harris, L&J Fire Equipment

*approved for 4 hours for pre-engineered systems*

 

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.            NFPA 10 Portable Fire Extinguishers

                                                Bob Tolle

*approved for 4 hours for portable extinguishers*

 

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.             Lunch

 

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.             Florida State Fire College and the Fire Equipment Industry

                                                Samuel M. Edwards, Florida State Fire College

                                                *approved for 1 hour for both extinguishers and systems * 

 

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.             Concerns of the Fire Inspector

                                                Bill Richards

                                                *approved for 2 hours for both extinguishers and systems*

 

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.              State of the Fire Equipment Industry Seminar

                                                Bill Johnson, FFEDA President

                                                *approved for 1 hour for both extinguishers and systems*

 

*** 8 hours of state approved continuing education will be given for full day attendance***

Don’t wait to the last minute!  Take care of your state-required continuing education hours early and register today for the FFEDA March 2013 Educational Seminar (registration form attached).

Friday, February 8, 2013

Pemex Explosion in Mexico


Initial reports falsely blamed a Halon system for the explosion at the Pemex Facility in Mexico


Latest report from the Los Angeles Times:


MEXICO CITY -- Workers at Mexico's state-run oil company have begun returning to the job -- some apprehensively -- amid official declarations of back-to-normal conditions at the headquarters that suffered a deadly work-hours blast last week.
Some workers expressed concern and doubt over the government's initial explanation that the blast was caused by an accumulation of gas ignited possibly by an electrical spark, while others declined to discuss the topic or said evidence pointing to an accidental gas explosion seemed strong.
The workers were interviewed Wednesday, the first full day of operations at the Mexico City headquarters of Petroleros Mexicanos, or Pemex, since the explosion Jan. 31 that killed 37 people and injured more than 120.
Nonetheless, the jitters were visible on the faces of workers who were filtering out of the complex after the 4 p.m. finish to the day's shift.
People in khaki-colored uniforms or office clothing crossed themselves while passing a makeshift memorial to the victims in the shadow of the main executive skyscraper. Signs posted near entrances offered employees psychological services to help cope with any trauma since the blast.
Maria Gallardo, a secretary who has worked for Pemex for 25 years, stood at the memorial and gestured to faces she recognized in a printed photo of the human-resources department that was in the basement.
The government’s explanation of what happened has been met with some skepticism.
Pemex has a history of shoddy maintenance, rampant corruption and lax security. Speculation about the cause of the blast has ranged from tragic industrial accident to deliberate sabotage aimed at destroying sensitive documents or derailing efforts of the new government to open the long-protected state monopoly to private and foreign investment.
Luis Alvarez, a 26-year-old plant worker who's been on the job for less than a year, said he participated in rescue efforts in the blast zone. He said he didn't have a reason to believe the explosion was not caused by an accumulation of gas.
"They're saying so many things, you don't even know what to think," Alvarez said. "I wasn't there when it hit. Some said it did smell weird. According to what my coworkers said, those who were there, you could think that what [the government said] is the truth."
Adriana Gutierrez, an office worker of 29 years, stood near a photo she placed in memory of a victim and friend, secretary Laura Gonzalez Sanchez, who worked in a top floor in the main skyscraper and died as she walked past the administrative building when the blast hit.
Gutierrez said the blast might have been intended to destroy records. She said was unafraid to return to work.
The office-worker said she found it "strange" that President Enrique Peña Nieto visited the blast zone hours after the explosion hit, when it was still unclear what had caused the blast or whether any kind of threat persisted.
"It hadn't been clarified what had happened, so why did the president of the republic come? When you look at everything, you say, 'Yes, it's political.' The dumbest person would see it," Gutierrez said.
Authorities have said none of the dead were dismembered or had severe eardrum damage -- typical results of a bomb. The only victims with burns were three workers whose bodies were found in the basement where the explosion occurred, they said.
That is leading investigators to theorize that the workers may have ignited an unseen and apparently odorless gas, possibly with faulty wiring in a lightbulb they connected to illuminate a concrete chamber below the basement.
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Iran's Khamenei rejects direct talks with U.S. on nuclear program