Public Administration

Washington – The Department of Transportation should clarify its Emergency Response Guidebook so firefighters, medical technicians and police offers know it does not pertain to chemical incidents at fixed facilities, according to the Chemical Safety Board.

Albany, NY – Legislation recently passed in New York state is intended to protect firefighters and other first responders from collapses of residential structures that feature wood truss construction.

Washington – Disabled veterans who have been newly hired to positions in the federal government could receive immediate access to sick leave as part of a proposed House bill.

Washington – A new mobile app from the Department of Veterans Affairs is designed to help users evaluate concussion symptoms and provides ways to cope with concussion-related issues.

Washington – President Barack Obama on Sept. 17 announced that he intended to nominate Bella Dinh-Zarr as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Washington – Watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has filed a lawsuit intended to prompt the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its corrosive dust standard to better protect first responders.

Atlanta – An investigation into a bird flu incident found that a laboratory scientist hurried through work and did not follow best practices, leading to contamination of samples and inadvertent shipment of bird flu, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington – OSHA inspectors must follow new training requirements included in a revised instruction issued July 21.

Washington – Sixty-seven law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty during the first half of 2014 – a 31 percent increase from the same period last year, according to a report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund released July 22.

Research Triangle Park, NC – The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is seeking applications for cooperative agreements to develop model programs for hazardous materials safety training.