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☆ Los Angeles firefighters fought investments in safer streets. For decades, fire regulations have made roads deadlier.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Street safety advocates say fire officials' focus on speed is making roads more dangerous. Many of the city's residents want to take action to make their streets safer. In March, LA voted overwhelmingly for a street safety policy that will finally enforce a nearly decade-old mobility plan to make the city's streets safer for non-drivers. Fire departments across the country have for decades opposed safer street design. He said fire departments can be convinced to support safer street design if they're heavily engaged by planners.

Persons: —, we're, didn't, Michael Schneider, isn't, Schneider, Johns Hopkins, aren't, what's, Patrick Siegman, Kazuhiro Nogi, Siegman, Andy Boenau, Dan Burden, they're, Burden, Dan Organizations: Service, LA, Vehicles, Business, LA ., Code, Getty, San Francisco, Supervisors, National Fire Protection Locations: Angeles, Los Angeles, America, LA, Texas, Osaka, Japan, Paris, France, American, Tokyo, AFP, Baltimore, California

☆ Firefighters are still learning how to fight EV fires. Here's everything you need to know to stay safe.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

EV fires are harder to put out. Water damage can cause fires even after your car dries out. AdvertisementAdvertisementCar fires have always been dangerous and difficult for firefighters, but highly combustible chemicals in electric car batteries are posing new challenges. Even after an EV battery fire appears to be extinguished, lingering energy stored in the battery can cause these dangerous runaways. O'Connor spoke with Insider this week to provide advice about what to do in the event of an electric car fire.

Persons: —, Brian O'Connor, O'Connor, It's Organizations: Service, EV, National Fire Protection Locations: Florida

Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, with more than three times the daily average of incidents. Thanksgiving is the most fire-prone day of the year and the peak day for home cooking fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. There are more home fires on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year, with more than three times the daily average. Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths. Thanksgiving fire safety tips:The NFPA shares the following tips to reduce the chances of a fire over the Thanksgiving holiday:1.

Persons: —, you'll Organizations: Service, National Fire Protection, NFPA Locations: Turkey

delivery kits include instructions on reducing the risk of infection for pregnant women who may have to deliver their own babies in a crisis. And as their deliveries approach, many of the pregnant women “don’t know where they’re going to be in the next minute or the next day,” Mr. Allen said. The group said in a statement that women in Gaza have been losing their pregnancies from the stress and shock of the war. Itimad Abu Ward, a midwife and nurse who works as a public health officer for the W.H.O., was among those forced to flee northern Gaza. She said trying to care for pregnant women during the chaotic journey south was near impossible.

Persons: Israel, Dominic Allen, “, ” Mr, Allen, Itimad Abu Ward, Khan Younis, Abu Ward, Khan, ” Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Population Fund, Planning, Protection Association, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Nasser Hospital, Times, Training Center, Medicines Locations: Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Jabaliya

REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Paris will ban pony rides for children in its public parks from 2025 following a campaign by animal rights activists who argue that the ponies are not well treated. Pony rides have been a popular feature in Paris parks like Champ de Mars, Parc Monceau and Parc du Luxembourg for decades, mostly on the weekends and during school holidays. It just turns ponies into entertainment objects," Paris Animaux Zoopolis (PAZ) activist Amandine Sansivens said. Stephane Michaud, director of AnimaPoney - which operated pony rides in several Paris parks but has now closed half of these - said his ponies work only about 150 days per year. They love the contact with the ponies," said Celine Papouin, whose daughter confidently sat astride a pony in Parc Monceau.

Persons: Paris Animaux Zoopolis, Stephanie Lecocq, Champ de, Zoopolis, PAZ, Amandine Sansivens, Stephane Michaud, Celine Papouin, Geert De Clercq, Jan Harvey Organizations: Paris, REUTERS, Rights, Parc du, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Monceau, Parc, Parc du Luxembourg, Rambouillet, Parc Monceau

☆ Fire Exposes Flaws in Hawaii’s Defenses Against Climate Shocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Christopher Flavelle | More About Christopher Flavelle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Part of the problem is the sheer diversity of threats. “Hawaii is a leader among states in its approach to adaptation planning, particularly as it relates to sea level rise, extreme storms and infrastructure,” said Mark Rupp, adaptation program director for the Georgetown Climate Center in Washington. Josh Green of Hawaii issued an order that stops the state from adopting new or updated building standards. The governor said the move was necessary to address a severe housing shortage. Attempts to block tougher building codes in the name of affordability are common nationwide, even if it sacrifices safety, said Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director for the National Fire Protection Association.

Persons: ”, Mark Rupp, “, Josh Green, Michele Steinberg Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center, International Code Council, National Fire Protection Association Locations: Hawaii, Washington, California

☆ Cadaver dogs are in Maui to help find the deceased
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

As Maui officials continue searching through the wreckage for the many who are still missing after wildfires tore through the island, they have a new tool at hand: human remains detection dogs, often called cadaver dogs. Human remains detection dogs are one of several kinds of working dogs trained to detect scents, like bomb or drug detection dogs. Search dogs are often dogs with a working heritage, like border collies or German shepherds. Lynne Engelbert, a human remains detection dog handler and teacher, told CNN the job requires a specific canine personality. Lisa Briggs, a forensic criminologist who specializes in the use of human remains detection dogs, told CNN not all human remains detection dogs have the same skills – and the dogs in Maui would need to be imprinted specifically on burnt remains in order to search effectively.

Persons: Hurricane Dora, John Pelletier, “, Jason Purgason, Lynne Engelbert, that’s, ”, Purgason, it’s, Lisa Briggs, –, ” Briggs, Mary Cablk, ” Cablk, “ There’s, Briggs, ” Purgason, Hurricane Katrina, Engelbert, “ They’re Organizations: CNN, National Fire Protection Association, Officials, Federal Emergency Management, Maui Police, Highland Canine, Desert Research Institute, Hurricane, “ Locations: Maui, Hurricane

☆ Maui wildfires: What we know about the deadliest US fire in over a century
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

While firefighters have made progress against the three largest wildfires, the deadly fire in hard-hit Lahaina is still not fully under control, Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura said Saturday. Mike Blake/ReutersThe most destructive and deadly of the fires, the Lahaina wildfire, traveled at an extraordinary speed, the governor said in a video update Sunday afternoon. “When the winds rose up – winds gusting as high as 81 miles per hour – fires spread rapidly,” Green said. Lahaina is the hardest hit areaVideo Ad Feedback The Maui fires destroyed their homes. People are still missing and just 3% of area was searchedA caretaker photographs the site of a home destroyed by the Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on Sunday.

Persons: CNN — Crews, what’s, Josh Green, “ It’s, Brad Ventura, Mike Blake, ” Green, “, Lori Moore, Merrell, Richard T, Bissen, Deanne Criswell, King Kamehameha III, Keith Hayashi, ” Hayashi, John Pelletier, Patrick T, Fallon, Pelletier, Mazie, Brittany Talley, Timm “ TK ” Williams, Williams, Talley, ” Talley, weren’t, we’ll, Anne Lopez, ”, Jim Kelly, ” Kelly Organizations: CNN, ”, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Maui County Fire, Maxar Technologies, FEMA, Sunday, Maui Police, National Fire Protection Association, People, Getty, Sen, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaiian Electric Locations: Maui, ” Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui County, Kula, Hawaii, Lāhainā, Kula , Hawaii, AFP, Kaanapali

☆ Credit Suisse retail investors plan lawsuit challenging UBS buyout- FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Credit Suisse is seen outside its office building in Hong Kong, China, August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuAug 13 (Reuters) - Retail investors who lost money when Credit Suisse was taken over by UBS in March plan to file a lawsuit challenging the buyout, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The Swiss Investor Protection Association plans to file the claim in Zurich's commercial court on Monday on behalf of about 500 Credit Suisse equity investors, the newspaper said. Reporting by Gokul Pisharody in Bengaluru; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Gokul, William Mallard Organizations: Credit Suisse, REUTERS, UBS, Financial Times, Swiss Investor Protection Association, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Bengaluru

☆ Maui wildfires: What are the deadliest wildfires in US history?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The causes of the Hawaii wildfires, which started on Tuesday night, have not yet been determined. Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Sunday called a part of the island of Maui that was devastated by wildfires a "war zone". Reuters GraphicsHOW MANY DIED IN THE CLOQUET AND GREAT HINCKLEY FIRES? Since 2018, wildfires in the United States have destroyed nearly 63,000 structures, the majority of which were homes. In 2022, there were 66,255 wildfires in the United States, compared with 18,229 in 1983, when record keeping began, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Persons: Josh Green, Peshtigo, Partridge, Hinckley, Stephen Culp, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: National Fire Protection Association, Historical Society, Reuters, HINCKLEY, Library of Congress, NFPA, Federal Emergency Management Association, FEMA, Environmental Protection Agency, Interagency Fire Center, Fire, Hinckley, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Thomson Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Hinckley, Mission, Miller, United States, California

KAHULUI, Hawaii, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Sunday called a part of the island of Maui that was devastated by wildfires a "war zone," as the death toll reached 93 and was expected to keep climbing. "We're at 93 (victims) now ... it's a war zone, but the help is incredible." The death toll made the blaze Hawaii's worst natural disaster, surpassing a tsunami that killed 61 people in 1960, a year after Hawaii became a U.S. state. [1/2]The shells of burned houses and buildings are left after wildfires driven by high winds burned across most of the town in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S. August 11, 2023. Reuters Graphics'TOO GRIM'Authorities began allowing residents back into west Maui on Friday, although the fire zone in Lahaina remained barricaded.

Persons: Josh Green, Green, We'll, Joe Biden, Deanne Criswell, we've, a.m, Mike Blake, Marco Garcia, David Ljunggren, Jorge Garcia, Sandra Stojanovic, Maria Caspani, Joseph Ax, Daniel Wallis, Raju Gopalakrishnan, William Mallard, Paul Simao Organizations: MSNBC, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Sunday, National Fire Protection Association, Officials, Hawai'i Department of Land, Natural Resources, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Reuters Graphics, Authorities, Facebook, Thomson Locations: KAHULUI, Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina, obliterating, it's, U.S, Paradise , California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maui County, Kula, Kahului, Honolulu , Hawaii

☆ Maui wildfires: Crews still working to identify 93 victims found so far in deadliest US fire in over a century
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Matthew Thayer/The Maui News/AP Volunteers unload supplies from trucks before loading them onto boats for people in need at Kihei Ramp in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday, August 12. Rick Bowmer/AP Grace Hurt, right, embraces someone while loading supplies for those in need at Kihei Ramp in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/AP Burnt boats sit in waters off of Lahaina, Hawaii, on Friday. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images In an aerial view, search and rescue crews walk through a neighborhood, continuing to search for missing people in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Friday. Phonoxaylinkham, his wife, and their five children were caught in the Lahaina wildfires and survived by exiting their car and spending four hours in the ocean as the west Maui wildfires raged around them.

Persons: Josh Green, “ It’s, Dora, We’ve, ” Green, ”, John Pelletier, Deanne Criswell, Green, Brad Ventura, Kihei –, •, Anne Lopez, ” Lopez, Matthew Thayer, Evelio Contreras, Rick Bowmer, Grace Hurt, Hurt, Justin Sullivan, Mike Blake, Zoltan Balogh, Zeran Harris, Robert Gauthier, Mengshin Lin, CNN Vixay Phonxaylinkham, Lana, Phonoxaylinkham, Marco Garcia, Claire Rush, Myrna Ah Hee, Sui, Ty O'Neil, Ku'u Kauanoe, ZUMA, Patrick T, Fallon, Dustin Johnson, “, who’ve, Ilihia Gionson, Gionson, –, Steven, Giulietta Daiker, ” Steven, ” Giulietta, “ We’re, Richard Bissen Jr Organizations: CNN, National Fire Protection Association, ”, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Maui Police, FEMA, Maui County Fire, • Cell, Maui News, AP Volunteers, Hawaii Department of Land, Natural Resources, Reuters, . Hawaii Department of Land, Los Angeles Times, AP, Washington Post, Fire Department, Kahului, Technologies, AP Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii National Guard, Reuters Residents, ZUMA Passengers, Getty, National Guard, Department of Health, Human Services, Pacific Whale Foundation, Ritz, Carlton, Hawaii Department, Transportation, Saturday, Volunteers, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Lahaina Residents Locations: Maui, ” Hawaii, Maui County, Lahaina, Kihei, Upcountry, Hawaii, Church, Lahaina Hongwanji, Lahaina , Hawaii, Wailuku, Kula, Waiola, Kula , Hawaii, Maalaea, Kahului, California, Las Vegas, AFP, Kapalua, Lahaina –, Hawaiian

The market for e-bike delivery has grown dramatically in the past few years. Here's how startups, delivery companies, and city governments are improving safety. The explosion of delivery startups and e-bikes in the past few years has led to a new type of boom: increasing battery fires. "E-bike batteries are made up of a bunch of small batteries stacked together," Charlie Welch, ZapBatt's cofounder and CEO, said. JOCOOther startups, such as Popwheels, are engineering safe batteries that are compatible with the e-bikes delivery drivers already own.

Persons: —, Uber, Ravindra Kempaiah, Michael Pecht, Brian O'Connor, O'Connor, Charlie Welch, ZapBatt's, Welch, Jonathan Cohen, Grubhub, Jonathan A, Cohen, David Hammer, Hammer, Baruch Herzfeld, they've, We've Organizations: Bloomberg, Zen Electronics, University of Maryland, Fire Protection Association, UL Solutions, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, UL Locations: New York City, New York, Halifax , Nova Scotia, China, Carlsbad , California, Brooklyn , New York

☆ Fireworks cause $59 million of property damage a year. Your insurance policy may cover it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Renphoto | E+ | Getty ImagesWhat homeowners and renters insurance likely coverThe typical homeowners insurance policy has two coverage areas. The second is for liability; this covers you if you're liable for injury or property damage to another person, perhaps a friend or neighbor harmed by an errant firework. Fireworks caused $59 million in direct property damage in 2021, according to the most recent data from the National Fire Protection Association. Homeowners policies generally cover fire damage, whether to the house, patio furniture or other property, Passmore said. Insurance policies generally carry exclusions.

Persons: Robert Passmore, Passmore, they're, Kochenburger, Peter Kochenburger Organizations: National Fire Protection Association, American, Casualty Insurance Association, NFPA, University of Connecticut Locations: U.S

☆ Thousands are living in RVs on Los Angeles’ streets. Leaders want to shrink the number, but the solution is elusive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nick Watt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Los Angeles CNN —Early one recent Friday morning, sanitation workers, homeless-outreach workers and LAPD officers arrived on a little street in the west of Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, you are allowed to sleep in a vehicle on some streets. She was elected last year on a platform dripping with intent to handle the various homelessness issues plaguing Los Angeles. “We have not resolved the RV issue yet,” Mayor Karen Bass told The Los Angeles Times in March. And for now, for thousands of people, an RV’s roof over their heads is all they can afford in Los Angeles.

Persons: Anderson Cooper, Jasmine, ’ ”, LaTonya Smith, Traci Park, Joseph, ”, Smith, “ I’m, “ vanlords, “, ” Park’s, “ It’s, Dmitry Korikov, ” Korikov, Karen Bass, Bass, Joseph Center, ” Bass, RVs, ” Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, ” Smith Organizations: Los, Los Angeles CNN, LAPD, Catholic Church, Joseph Center, “, CNN, “ Staff, Angeles County, American National Standards Institute, Fire Protection Association, ” CNN, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Homeless Services Locations: Los Angeles, Jasmine, RVs, Los Angeles County, St, Angeles, City, California, Russia, Ukraine, Venice

☆ A 30-ton shipment of explosive chemicals traveling from Wyoming to California by rail disappeared en route, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A 30-ton shipment of ammonium nitrate disappeared from a railcar, KQED reported. Officials are investigating the disappearance of a 30-ton shipment of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used to make both fertilizer and explosives, PBS affiliate KQED reported. A Federal Railroad Administration representative, however, told KQED that its own investigation suggested that one of the hopper car gates wasn't properly closed. Union Pacific, which transported the railcar, and the California Public Utilities Commission told KQED that they were also investigating. Dyno Nobel told KQED that it had "limited control" over the railcar while it was in transit and that it was being moved back to Wyoming for inspection.

☆ Elderly Swiss women bring European court's first climate case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

STRASBOURG, March 29 (Reuters) - Thousands of elderly Swiss women have joined forces in a groundbreaking case heard on Wednesday at the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that their government's "woefully inadequate" efforts to fight global warming violate their human rights. More than 100 supporters and climate activists from Greenpeace gathered outside the courtroom, holding banners and flowers. Stefanie Brander, a member of the association Senior Women for Climate Protection, said that she felt the government had underestimated the group until now. [1/8] A group from the Senior Women for Climate Protection association hold banners outside the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France March 29, 2023. The Swiss government, which twice won in domestic courts in a six-year legal battle, has argued that the case is inadmissible.

A Tesla car battery "spontaneously" burst into flames on a California freeway Saturday, and firefighters needed 6,000 gallons of water to put it out. In 2021, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) declined to open an investigation into Tesla car battery fires, calling them "rare events." A handful of studies have shown electric vehicles are less likely to catch fire than gasoline or hybrid-electric vehicles — but that when they do, they burn hotter and longer. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said only 0.01% of Teslas have ever caught fire. That compares with an annual rate of 0.08% for all passenger and heavy-duty vehicles in a given year, according to NHTSA and the National Fire Protection Association.

"With the zero-COVID policy here to stay, we think the economy will continue to struggle heading into 2023," Zichun Huang, economist at Capital Economics, said in a research note. At this month's twice-a-decade Communist Party Congress, President Xi Jinping reiterated China's commitment to its zero-COVID policy, disappointing investors and countless Chinese frustrated by lockdowns, travel curbs and testing. "We don't expect the zero-COVID policy to be abandoned until 2024, which means virus disruptions will keep in-person services activity subdued," said Huang from Capital Economics. New cases in mainland China hit 2,898 on Sunday, topping 2,000 for a second straight day, a tiny number by global standards. However, in Beijing the Universal Resort theme park reopened on Monday after being shut last week because one visitor had tested positive for coronavirus.

☆ Airbnb hosts' worst nightmares — fires, falls, or deaths — can leave them on the hook for damages. Here are 4 steps to take right now to make any property safer.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Avoidable incidents occur in short-term rentals, of course. Ford's safety advocacy began with a Facebook page where he highlighted news stories about accidents in short-term rentals to educate hosts. An example of virtual inspection on an app Ford designed. But many guests choose short-term rentals specifically so they can cook, increasing the likelihood of a fire, he said. Invest in pool safetyA tragedy in North Carolina was prevented recently because of proper pool safety.

☆ A firefighter shares 9 safety tips for the Fourth of July, including why you should stop giving kids sparklers
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-02 | by ( Jenny Powers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kozo's safety tips for handling fireworks on the Fourth of July include keeping a water source handy. Here's what he told Insider:Know and obey the lawBefore you load up on fireworks, Kozo strongly recommends researching the laws pertaining to them for your specific area as they differ from state to state. In addition to injuries, fireworks also cause approximately 19,500 fires in the US annually — 28% of which are reported on Independence Day alone, according to the National Fire Protection Association. "Sparklers, which we often deem harmless and hand over to little kids to hold and wave, burn somewhere between 1200 degrees and 1800 degrees. Kozo added that 21% of reported fireworks-related injuries are caused by sparklers, and instead recommends giving children glow sticks as a safe and fun substitute.

Persons: Michael Kozo, —, you've, Kozo, sparklers Organizations: New, New York City Fire Department, Service, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, New York Fire Department, National Fire Protection, FDNY Locations: New York City, United States, Here's, New York

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