C.U. Team on a 2 Year effort to research environment factors
Jan 25th
Jan. 25, 2012
CU-BOULDER-LED TEAM TO ASSESS DECLINE OF
ARCTIC SEA ICE IN ALASKA’S BEAUFORT SEA
A national research team led by the University of Colorado Boulder is embarking on a two-year, multi-pronged effort to better understand the impacts of environmental factors associated with the continuing decline of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean.
The team will use tools ranging from unmanned aircraft and satellites to ocean buoys in order to understand the characteristics and changes in Arctic sea ice, which was at 1.67 million square miles during September 2011, more than 1 million square miles below the 1979-2000 monthly average sea ice extent for September — an area larger than Texas and California combined. Critical ocean regions north of the Alaskan coast, like the Beaufort Sea and the Canada Basin, have experienced record warming and decreased sea ice extent unprecedented in human memory, said CU-Boulder Research Professor James Maslanik, who is leading the research effort.
The team will be targeting the Beaufort Sea, considered a “marginal ice zone” where old and thick multiyear sea ice has failed to survive during the summer melt season in recent years, said Maslanik of CU-Boulder’s Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research in CU’s engineering college. Such marginal ice zones are characterized by extensive ice loss and a strong “ice-albedo” feedback.
“Sea ice is lost when the darker ocean absorbs more sunlight in the form of heat in the summers, resulting in potentially thinner sea ice that re-forms the following winter,” Maslanik said. “This positive feedback between heat absorption by the ocean and accelerated melting becomes reinforcing in itself.” Marginal ice zones also are characterized by significant human and marine mammal activity, he said.
There was a record loss of sea ice cover over the Arctic in 2007, he said. “In some areas of the Arctic Ocean the multiyear ice rebounded, but in the Beaufort Sea we did not see that kind of multiyear ice persistence like we used to see,” said Maslanik, who also is a research professor in the aerospace engineering sciences department.
“The biggest question is whether places like the Beaufort Sea and adjacent Canada Basin have passed a ‘tipping point’ and now are essentially sub-Arctic zones where ice disappears each summer,” he said. Such ice loss could be causing fundamental changes in ocean conditions, including earlier annual blooms of phytoplankton, which are microscopic plant-like organisms that drive the marine food web.
The vast majority of climate scientists believe shrinking Arctic sea ice in recent decades is due to rising temperatures primarily caused by human activities that pump huge amounts of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The new $3 million study led by Maslanik, “The Marginal Ice Zone Observations and Processes EXperiment,” or MIZOPEX, is being funded by NASA.
The team will undertake extensive airborne surface mapping using a variety of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS, comparing the results with data collected by a fleet of satellites from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Japanese space agency. Unlike satellites, small, unmanned aircraft can fly below the clouds, observe the same location continuously for hours and make more precise measurements of sea ice composition and sea surface temperatures. Maslanik and his CU-Boulder team previously used unmanned aircraft to assess ice conditions both in the Arctic and in Antarctica.
The MIZOPEX arsenal also will include floating buoys that measure ocean temperatures. CU-Boulder engineering faculty members Scott Palo and Dale Lawrence and their graduate students are converting miniaturized versions of dropsondes — standard weather reconnaissance devices designed to be dropped from aircraft and capture data as they fall toward Earth — into the buoys that will be deployed by the UAS.
The modified dropsondes, which were developed at CU-Boulder for use in Antarctica, will be combined with CU-designed miniature unmanned aircraft that will land on the ocean near sea ice floes. Such floes are critical to several species of Arctic wildlife, including polar bears, walruses and seals.
The buoys and unmanned craft will collect sea surface and subsurface temperatures to about a meter deep, while the overflying unmanned planes and satellites measure temperatures at the surface, Maslanik said. “We want to know if the warming is just at the ocean surface or if there is additional heat getting into the mixed layers of the upper ocean, either from absorbed sunlight or from ocean currents, that could be contributing to sea ice melt.”
The team plans to gather information over 24-hour cycles to determine how the ocean and ice are reacting to atmospheric changes. “Understanding what’s happening in the water is critical to forecasting what will happen to ice in the near term, as well as in the decades to come,” said MIZOPEX team scientist Betsy Weatherhead of CU-Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.
“We’ve never had the data before,” Weatherhead said. “With this new instrumentation, we’ll be able to ask questions and test theories about the drivers of ice melt.”
The MIZOPEX effort involves CU-Boulder, NASA, Fort Hays State University in Kansas, Brigham Young University, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, NOAA, the University of Washington and Columbia University. Ball Aerospace Systems Group of Boulder also is collaborating on the project.
Other MIZOPEX project scientists from CU include Brian Argrow, Sandra Castro, Ian Crocker, William Emery, Eric Frew and Mark Tschudi. Argrow directs the CU-headquartered Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles, a university-government-industry partnership for the development and application of unmanned vehicle systems.
For more information on MIZOPEX visit http://ccar.colorado.edu/mizopex/index.html.
For more information on CU-Boulder’s Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles visit http://recuv.colorado.edu/.
Boulder police: Person of interest sought in Circle K heist
Jan 24th
Boulder police would like to speak with a woman who was seen in a Circle K store the day before it was robbed. A witness told police she had been asking questions about convenience store robberies.
The woman is shown in attached photos taken from surveillance video at the store. Police are asking her to come forward, or for anyone who can identify her to contact detectives at 303-441-4474.
The Circle K store at 3185 28th St. was robbed just after 11 p.m. on Jan. 8. According to the clerk, a customer had loitered inside the store for some time before approaching the counter and demanding cash. The clerk gave the suspect money and the suspect left on foot. It’s not known if the suspect is male or female because he or she was wearing a hoodie that covered his/her entire face.
Here is what is known about the suspect:
- 5’10” tall, with broad shoulder
- Dark eyes, wearing eyeshadow and mascara
- Wearing boot-cut blue jeans with a tear or a hole in the left knee
- Long black gloves
- Black fabric shoes
The case number is P12-347.
Police are looking for more information about this case and specifically would like to speak with the woman in the attached photos. Please call 303-441-4474 to speak to Detective Kristin Weisbach. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
30 years ago a training fire went bad in Boulder Full Story
Jan 24th
FROM FIRE ENGINEERING
Boulder (CO) Fire Department held a remembrance ceremony in memory of Firefighters Scott Smith and William Duran on the 25th anniversary of their deaths, which resulted from a live-fire training tragedy on January 26, 1982. Lieutenant Daniel Cutler also was seriously burned in that event. This incident was instrumental in the development of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions.
Boulder (CO) Fire Department held a remembrance ceremony in memory of Firefighters Scott Smith and William Duran on the 25th anniversary of their deaths, which resulted from a live-fire training tragedy on January 26, 1982. Lieutenant Daniel Cutler also was seriously burned in that event. This incident was instrumental in the development of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions.
THE BOULDER EXERCISE
This live-fire training drill, billed as “a smoke drill,” was conducted in an abandoned wood-frame chicken coop. To generate smoke, tires, motor oil, and tar paper were burned and a smoke bomb was used. The materials used gene 
rated a great volume of heat while burning. While the third engine company of the day was inside performing the drill, the low-density fiberboard ceiling ignited behind the firefighters, trapping them and the inexperienced training supervisor in the building. According to the analysis of the incident [these were pre-National Institute for Occupational Safety an d Health (NIOSH) days], conducted by David P. Demers, P.E., the most significant factor relative to the fatalities and serious injury was the extremely rapid development of fire (flashover) caused by the combustible low-density fiberboard ceiling. Other contributing factors were the use of tires and other high-heat potential fuels in an open flaming mode to produce smoke, the use of an inadequate-size hoseline (a booster line) inside the building, the lack of a water supply line or other means of reliable water supply on the training ground, and the absence of personnel with backup hoselines at the scene. The overall lack of planning, supervision, and control at this exercise directly contributed to the conditions that caused the fatalities and serious injury. Another major factor in this incident, as well as in most live-fire training accidents, was the lack of experience of the instructor conducting the training. Instructors leading this training should be trained in how to conduct a proper burn and the types of fuels that should and should not be used. Being an instructor, a senior firefighter, or an officer does not automatically qualify one to teach live-fire training.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
How many of today’s firefighters know about the Boulder training disaster or that it provided the impetus for NFPA 1403? How many fire departments follow NFPA 1403? Judging from recent events, it would appear that the answers to these questions would be “a very low number.” Some in the fire service tend to forget what happened before and have not researched or learned from the history of firefighter deaths. We 
In recent months, we lost Cadet Firefighter Racheal Wilson in Baltimore, Maryland, in a live-fire training incident. Early indications point to the finding that NFPA 1403 was not followed. A Florida fire department held a “Rookie Roast” to test the probies’ reaction to heat and smoke fire and took pictures of the instructors’ holding flammable liquids. They claim that the liquids were used only for the parts of the burn when inexperienced firefighters were not in the structure.
kill firefighters over and over again in the same exact ways: Failing to learn from past mistakes is a critical failure. Why in 2007, 25 years after the Boulder incident, do we still continue to injure and kill firefighters in live-fire training? In early 2006, a chief commented after a live-fire training incident in which two recruit firefighters were burned: “If a fireman is in the department and doesn’t get burned, he isn’t doing his job. If they don’t get burned, I don’t want them in our department. If they are afraid to get burned, they’re on the wrong job.” Doesn’t it surprise you that someone in today’s fire service would make this comment? Maybe some of us would be surprised. But, the fire service has performed poorly when it comes to learning from the past-thus, attitudes like this still exist. Also in 2006, a fire department burned four firefighters trying to teach flashover training in a house trailer. We all know a house trailer flashes over. They found out how quickly it does so. Numerous line-of-duty deaths related to live-fire training have occurred over the past 25 years. In addition to the two in Boulder in 1982, there were three in Milford, Michigan; one in Greenwood, Delaware; one in Lairdsville, New York; two in Osceola County, Florida; one in Port Everglades, Florida; and one (an instructor) in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. Since 1982, 15 instructors or students were killed in the line of duty during live-fire training. In addition, several other firefighters have been injured or have been involved in close calls. One such case occurred in Parsippany, New Jersey, where three firefighters were burned in a converted school bus being used for training fires. In Hillandale, Maryland, three firefighters were burned during a public education training fire display that had gone wrong. What message does burning firefighters send to the community? In Indiana, I know of several departments that neglect to follow NFPA 1403. They say it takes the reality out of the training, and it is too difficult for a small department to comply. Also in Indiana, there has been an instance where live-fire training was conducted with only four firefighters on the training ground. In another training burn incident, a firefighter was sent to the hospital and five sets of turnout gear were ruined. In the 2001 Lairdsville, New York, incident, Alan G. Baird III was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide for his role in the death of Recruit Firefighter Bradley Golden. Baird and the fire department did not follow NFPA 1403; they said they did not know it existed. Two other firefighters were also severely burned in this incident, in which a recruit was used as a victim during the exercise. Also, a couch was set on fire to increase the smoke production. After this incident, the NFPA made 1403 available to all fire departments free of charge. It is appalling that a U.S. fire department would not be familiar with NFPA 1403 in the year 2007. Yet, fire departments throughout the country still claim they are not aware of the standard and continue to use gasoline, diesel fuel, couches, mattresses, and other materials outside of the NFPA 1403 standard for live-fire training evolutions. Some departments may know about NFPA 1403 but choose to ignore it because of the preparation time it takes and what they say is a lack of realism in the training. The sad thing is that many have forgotten why NFPA 1403 came into existence in the first place.
NFPA 1403
Now, we know why NFPA 1403 was created, but do we know what NFPA 1403 really means to us as fire service instructors? NFPA 1403 has evolved into an all-encompassing live-fire training standard. It is divided into nine chapters-Administration, Referenced Publications, Definitions, Acquired Structures, Gas-Fired Training Center Buildings, Non-Gas Fired Training Center Buildings, Exterior Props, Exterior Class B Fires, and Records and Reports-and four annexes-Explanatory Material, Live Fire Evolution Sample Checklist, Responsibilities of Personnel, and Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke in Training. Instructors must realize how serious and dangerous this training is. Are you and your department really following NFPA 1403? Are you aware that a chief officer has been jailed for his involvement in a line-of-duty death during a live-fire training exercise? Does that change how you or your department will treat training fires in acquired structures? When your department conducts a live-fire training exercise, what is the drill’s objective? Many would say, search, fire attack, vent, or firefighter rescue. However, if you look at the live-fire training tragedies over the years, most of them occurred when the exercise was attempting to accomplish more than one objective. The focus of live-fire training should be fire attack, not search or any other goal. Why? Because we lose track of accountability; we become complacent, and firefighters die. Remember, if we put out the fire, usually our problems go away. However, in live-fire training we tend to allow the fire to grow a little bigger than normal, we watch it, and we let firefighters get deeper into the building, allowing conditions to rapidly change and cause firefighter deaths. In the fires listed above, the exercises were designed to meet more than one objective.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE?
What are other agencies and states doing about NFPA 1403 in the wake of these recent deaths? Some states like North Carolina, Iowa, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Kentucky have taken a very proactive approach to live-fire training. They don’t allow just any firefighter to teach it; you have to be fully credentialed. For my final Executive Fire Officer paper, I researched compliance with NFPA 1403 and compliance with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Ninety-two departments responded to the survey. Of those 92 departments, 55/92, or 60 percent, said they always followed NFPA 1403 while conducting live-fire training. However, 64/94, or 70 percent, said they always followed the IDEM permit requirements for air quality standards, in accordance with state law. Thirty-two percent (29/92) of the departments had experienced a live-burn injury. Forty-nine percent (45/92) required some type of training; however, most of this training was nothing more than an Instructor I class. Only 73 percent (67/92) of departments responding said they would support a live-fire instructor training standard. The building and materials being burned in a training fire don’t behave any differently than those burning in a real structure fire. Let’s all help prevent firefighter deaths and injuries by making firefighter safety the primary goal. And, let’s not forget the brothers and sisters who have died in training-related incidents. Remember so that we do not repeat these mistakes.
Resources
• American Heat Video, “NFPA 1403 and the Boulder (CO) Incident.” • Live Fire Instructor Standards for the states of Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. • NFPA 1403, available at www.nfpa.org/. • www.cdc.gov/niosh/rehome.html/. Brian P. Kazmierzak is a16-year veteran of the fire service. Since 1994, he has been employed by the Clay Fire Territory, South Bend, Indiana, where he is division chief of training and safety. He is the MABAS Division 201 Tactical Rescue Team Task Force leader and a hazmat specialist for FEMA’s US&R IN-TF1. He has two fire service related associate’s degrees and a bachelor’s degree in fire service administration, and is a recent graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. He is the Close Calls editor for www.firefighterclosecalls.com.
Boulder firefighters killed in accident 30 years ago to be remembered at ceremony The Boulder Fire Department will hold a remembrance ceremony for two firefighters who died during a training exercise on Jan. 26, 1982. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26, at Fire Station 3, 1585 30thSt. in Boulder. Thirty-year-old William J. Duran of Broomfield and 21-year-old Scott L. Smith of Longmont were inside an abandoned garage in north Boulder that was being used for a live-fire training exercise. The fire burned out of control, and the two men lost their lives. Two other firefighters, Cyrus E. Pinkerton and Daniel J. Cutler, were injured during the training. They both recovered. The accident prompted a major change in national fire training standards that are still in place today.“The Boulder Fire Department has never forgotten the sacrifice of Firefighters Duran and Smith or the important lessons learned about providing safe live-fire training for firefighters,” said Boulder Fire Department Chief Larry Donner. “We are honored to pay our respects to the firefighters and their families on this important anniversary, and we invite the community to join us.” The commemoration is open to the public. Seating begins at 9 a.m., and the ceremony starts at 10 a.m. The families of the fallen firefighters will be in attendance. Wreaths will be laid at the gravesites after the ceremony. »
