Are OSHA and MIOSHA Employee Fire Training Rules Different?

Presenter: Mr. Rich Mahaney
Location: Feyen Zylstra 2396 Hillside Dr. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49544
Date / Time: 11/7/2023, 8:00 – 10:00 AM

Cost: $15.00 members; non-members: $25.00; Governmental Agencies: Free; ASSP-GVSU Student
Section: Free CEUs: 0.2

Since the early 1980’s MIOSHA never adopted the same fire emergency firefighting opportunities for
employees that are offered in the OSHA standards. The MIOSHA standard is not “equal to or more
effective than the OSHA standard”. What options does the MIOSHA standard not offer MI industries
and employees to control and extinguish small fires? You might be making firefighting choices that
are not in compliance with MIOSHA but are allowed by the OSHA standards.

Mr. Rich Mahaney has been the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Linn County Emergency
Management Agency since August 2006. The county has many hazards as it is home to the only nuclear
power plant in Iowa. Five railroads cross the county and there is a great deal of industry,
hazardous materials, and highways. Linn County has a major airport, and the county is located in a
part of the United States that is known for the variety of severe weather that can occur
year-round.

Mr. Mahaney has more than 35 years of working experience in the areas of corporate industry loss
prevention and teaching and training (industry loss prevention and emergency response, emergency
responder training in the areas of fire, hazmat, incident command, etc.). He has been teaching as
an evening course and full-time college instructor since the early 1970s. He serves on committees
for the International Fire Service Training Association in Oklahoma for the production of training
manuals. He has taught in 26 States, Canada, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Mahaney has 28 years of
experience as a paid on-call emergency responder (fire, hazmat, EMS). He owned a training and
consulting company and worked in homeland security training in Michigan and the Center for Domestic
Preparedness in Alabama.

Currently, Mr. Mahaney conducts insurance property inspections, serving as a division director and
instructor for the annual Michigan Safety Conference. He also teaches at the annual Michigan Fire
Service Instructors Conference on hazmat topics. He also has been assisting in writing and
providing photography services for the Oklahoma State University’s International Fire Service
Training Association (IFSTA) over a span of 30 years.

Mr. Mahaney also works in sales for West Shore Fire, Inc., based in Allendale, Michigan. His
clients are fire departments in nine Michigan counties.

For relaxation, Mr. Mahaney is a Premium Member of the Model Railroad Academy. He presents railroad
clinics all over North America to include television shows for online/internet.

Mr. Mahaney holds an Associate of Science degree, Bachelor of Science degree, and a Master’s degree
from Oklahoma State University.

Mr. Mahaney and his wife make their home in Gobles, Michigan.