From the abstract:
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, resulted in the release of known and suspected carcinogens into the environment. There is public concern that exposures may have resulted in increased cancers.... Among persons enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry, there was an excess risk for prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and myeloma in 2007-2008 compared with that for New York State residents; however, these findings were based on a small number of events and multiple comparisons. No significant associations were observed with intensity of World Trade Center exposures. Longer follow-up for typically long-latency cancers and attention to specific cancer sites are needed....
From the abstract:
Unlike those in many other professions, firefighters regularly face hazardous working conditions. Candidates undergo rigorous training and generally must pass written, physical, and medical examinations before they are allowed to work in hazardous working environments. Despite the prerequisites, the risk of fatal injuries is 25.7 percent higher and the risk of nonfatal injuries and illnesses to firefighters is over two times greater than to all workers. This article uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) to observe how often firefighters are injured at work, when they are hurt, where they are injured, and how their injuries compare with those of workers in other professions.
While states have had the authority to license emergency medical services personnel since the 1970s, the EMS industry has changed considerably in recent years. It is becoming increasingly more common for EMS emergency services personnel to cross state lines to provide services in non-declared states of emergency, meaning in some instances EMS professionals are practicing medicine without a license. While there have been limited efforts to address the problem--notably border states entering into memorandums of understanding to allow EMS personnel to work across state lines--a more permanent and wide-reaching solution has not been found. One possible way to solve this growing problem may be the formation of an interstate compact, which would allow member states to self-regulate the existing system for licensing EMS personnel.
]]>Shows the results of the 2011 survey, which has a 38% response rate. Covers police and fire shift length, workweek, service delivery, salaries, and expenditures.
]]>Economics assumes people are rational actors in the market, but we know a lot less about how to manage money than we think....The conservative approach to government stems from a basic tenet of free-market economics: that people always act rationally to maximize their own benefits, and that from this rises a general state of well-being for society as a whole. But this isn't always true. One of the hottest academic disciplines to arise in the last few decades is behavioral economics, which explores the ways in which people behave irrationally. In addition, easy-predictable problems with certain markets prevent us from achieving the best outcomes. These two facts have consequences for how we should think about government in certain instances. There are many ways in which the government can make better decisions with our money than we can, and there are many ways that the Ryan budget would make society worse off by getting rid of government programs. Here are five:
Retirement Insurance...Health Care...Addressing Poverty...Disaster Relief...
All the Little Things
While I've been focused so far on specific things that the federal government can do better than individuals or the private market, there are a number of tiny things that local governments do to create the world in which you live--building roads, taking out the trash, keeping traffic flowing, and turning street lights on at night. Basically, we can call this "running your community." ...
From the summary:
Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism finds key programs that detect and respond to bioterrorism, new disease outbreaks and natural or accidental disasters are at risk due to federal and state budget cuts.
The report, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), identifies some key programs at risk due to continued cuts to federal public health emergency preparedness funds include:
- 51 of the 72 cities in the Cities Readiness Initiative are at risk for elimination; the Initiative supports the ability to rapidly distribute and administer vaccines and medications during emergencies;
- All 10 state labs with "Level 1" chemical testing status are at risk for losing top level capabilities, which could leave the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the only public health lab in the country with full ability to test for chemical terrorism and accidents;
- 24 states are at risk for losing the support of Career Epidemiology Field Officers - CDC experts who supplement state and local gaps to rapidly prevent and respond to outbreaks and disasters, such as during the H1N1 flu pandemic and responding to the health impact of the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010; and
- The ability for CDC to mount a comprehensive response to nuclear, radiologic and chemical threats as well as natural disasters is at risk due to potential cuts to the National Center for Environmental Health. All 50 states and Washington, D.C. would lose the support CDC provides during these emergencies.
...Combined federal, state and local budget cuts mean public health departments can no longer sustain a number of basic elements of preparedness. In the past year, 40 states and Washington, D.C. cut state public health funds - with 29 of those states and D.C. cutting their budgets for a second year in a row and 15 states for three years in a row. Federal funds for state and local preparedness declined by 38 percent from fiscal year (FY) 2005 to 2012 (adjusted for inflation) - and additional cuts are expected under budget sequestration....
See also:
- Recording of the News Conference Call
- Trust for America's Health Release
- Remembering 9/11 and Anthrax: Public Health's Vital Role in National Defense
- Ready or Not 2010
- Ten Top Priorities for Prevention
- Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness initiative page
Washington, DC -- On September 11, 2001, "First Responders" to the World Trade Center conflagration and nearby residents waded into dust so corrosive that it resulted in chemical burns to their respiratory system. These New York City police and firefighters were needlessly sacrificed due to woefully lax U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards which remain in effect but need correction, according to a rulemaking petition filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). ...WTC First Responders were subjected to dust so caustic as to cause respiratory disabilities and deaths. Yet, if a similar scenario occurred today, the same results would recur. That is because EPA misapplied the international corrosivity standard and then systematically failed to test and communicate the caustic properties of WTC dust. As a result, the EPA standard is ten times more lax than the presumed safe levels for alkaline corrosives set by the United Nations (UN).
Emergency networks need significant development.
More than 240 million 911 calls are made each year in the United States, and a majority of them come from wireless digital devices, according to the Alexandria, Va.-based National Emergency Number Association (NENA). However, while the number of emergency calls has increased over the last four decades, the 911 network -- the piece that connects the caller with emergency assistance -- has not changed to meet the demands. In many cases, 911 networks cannot fully use the features of modern telephone devices, such as the ability to send text messages and photos.
]]>From the abstract:
Supplementary contributions to pension plans are predicted to increase for some Florida municipal governments because of the funding source used for police and fire plans. This article examines the history of local government pensions and focuses on Chapter 175 and 185 Pension Plans, which access funding through a tax on property insurance premiums. The notable legislative changes, Attorney General Opinions and court cases are also briefly assessed. This study research examines a sample of 32 pension funds in 20 Florida cities and indicates that the cost of providing these pensions is increasing because of legislative mandates for use of these revenues. This is evidenced by a historical decrease in the funding ratios of the funds of the cities sampled.
This article is the first of three articles, the purpose of which is to highlight the findings of the formal report. The 12 health benefits data are presented in three basic groups. This article presents health benefits related to emergencies. The formal report included two benefits of this nature: emergency room visits and ambulance services. The second article will present data on reproductive health benefits: maternity care, infertility treatment, sterilization, and gynecological exams and services. The third article will present data on health benefits involving chronic illness and maintenance care: diabetes care management, kidney dialysis, physical therapy, durable medical equipment, prosthetics, and organ and tissue transplantation.
]]>Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett has come calling at the State Capitol seeking support for a plan to help his city recover from the devastating floods of 2008. He arrived with a plan that lawmakers have seen before from others -- and approved with the promise that it was a one-time arrangement.
The proposal: a tax-increment financing plan using sales-tax revenues, known as a sales-tax TIF. (The city calls it a "Growth Reinvestment Initiative" or GRI.) This would permit diversion of sales-tax revenue from the state general fund to local projects, much as lawmakers permitted in 2005 for the Iowa Speedway project in Newton, but on a much larger scale. That arrangement was for a maximum of $12.5 million; the Cedar Rapids proposal would cost $200 million to $214 million over 20 years.
Simply put, the rest of Iowa would be paying for the cost of Cedar Rapids flood levee construction, to the tune of $14 million per year for 15 years
]]>From the abstract:
What is the most effective framework for analyzing complex accountability challenges within governing networks? Recognizing the multiscale and intersector (public, private, and nonprofit) characteristics of these networks, an accountability model is advanced organized around democratic (elected representatives, citizens, and the legal system), market (owners and consumers), as well as administrative (bureaucratic, professional and collaborative) relationships. This concept draws from 2005 events following Hurricane Katrina. Multiple failures of governing networks to plan for and respond to Katrina include a breakdown in democratic, market, and administrative accountability as well as a pervasive confusion over trade-offs between accountability types emerging from crises. This essay offers several useful recommendations for emergency management planners as well as for those who teach and research.
Japan's recent disaster focuses our attention on some big questions: How bad could a disaster be on our shores, and how well prepared is our infrastructure? (The answer to the latter question, according to our colleague Donna Cooper, may be "not very.") But there is another question the United States must ponder: What is our industrial base's capacity to handle global or domestic supply chain interruptions, and, more fundamentally, would the United States be able to rebuild after a similar disaster?
Related:
The Importance and Promise of American Manufacturing / Why It Matters if We Make It in America and Where We Stand Today
Source: Michael Ettlinger, Kate Gordon, Center for American Progress, April 7, 2011
The paper maps are gone. So are the Rolodexes, typed lists, CRT monitors and push-button phones. The workstations where many public safety call takers and dispatchers sit today are less cluttered, more capable and easier to use than their forerunners of 10 or 20 years ago. But, of course, there is still room for improvement, say emergency telecommunications professionals. And those systems at public safety answering points (PSAPs) will need to evolve even further when next-generation 911 (NG-911) technology becomes a reality.
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