Scuttlebutt 2/13

by Steven Shaw
Created:

To access the remainder of this piece of premium content, you must be registered with Firehouse. Already have an account? Login

Register in seconds by connecting with your preferred Social Network.

OR

Complete the registration form.

Required
Required
Required
Required
Required
Required
Required
Required
Required
Required

More recently, with Fire Protection Engineering head Kathy A. Notarianni joining the WPI firefighter safety and technology research team, it has developed a sensor that would give a firefighter advance warning of “flashover” conditions, in which combustible materials in a room simultaneously erupt in flames, and are working on a new device that will warn firefighters of the presence of toxic gases. 

“What’s exciting about this work and what keeps us focused and hard-driven is that we know with absolute certainty that our research and technology development will have the impact of saving firefighter lives and improving long-term health of firefighters,” Notarianni said. 

 

This Month in Fire History

Feb. 2, 1973, Eagle Grove, IA: Coast to Coast Hardware store fire kills 13

Feb. 3, 1971, Woodbine, GA: Thiokol Chemical Co. fire kills 29

Feb. 6, 1851, Australia: “Black Thursday” forest fire damages 50,000 square miles

Feb. 7, 1904, Baltimore, MD: Great Baltimore Fire causes $50 million in damages

Feb. 10, 1863: First fire extinguisher patent issued to Alanson Crane

Feb. 17, 1957, Warrington, MO: Katie Jane Nursing Home fire kills 72

Feb. 26, 1993, New York, NY: World Trade Center bombing/fire kills 6 and injures 1,165

Courtesy NFPA

For details on fires that occurred 100 years ago this month, turn to Paul Hashagen’s “Rekindles” on page XXX.