Blog Archives
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Is There Anything Wrong With 1 1/2-inch Hose?
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Saturday April 6, 2013
A few months ago, I received a request from a firefighter researching the possibility of his department converting from 1-1/2-inch to 1-3/4-inch attack lines. I field these requests a few times a year and usually find that an organization is about to commit an enormous amount of funds to replace perfectly serviceable hose in a not-fully-informed effort to increase flow rates on their initial interior attack lines. My first question to this person was what was his desired target flow rate and what was he flowing on his handlines now? While his answers were relatively vague, it didn't take long to determine that the primary reason for the request was that all the neighboring departments were using 1-3/4-inch hose and he wanted his to do... -
Fornell: Hydrant Hook-ups, Chicago Style
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Monday January 14, 2013
While looking through Chicago fire photographer Steve Redick’s collection of photos he shot a few weeks ago at 4-11 alarm fire, something caught my eye. While the rapidly spreading fire consumed the large warehouse building on Chicago’s West Side, incoming companies were gearing up to stop it in its tracks, and that called for water -- a lot of it. Chicago’s water system is unusual in that it is of low-pressure, high volume design. Its unlimited water source is Lake Michigan and water surges through its mains at around 35 to 40 psi. While that does not sound like much to those more familiar with higher pressure systems, keep in mind that even with high volumes flowing, the pressure rarely drops more than 15 psi. Engine 26 took... -
Even Devils' Night Has Fallen On Hard Times
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Tuesday November 6, 2012
Thirty years ago, hundreds of fire buffs from around the country made an annual pilgrimage to Detroit to witness the fiery day before Halloween named "Devils’ Night." It peaked in 1984 when more than 800 fires were set and followed with between 500 to 800 fires in the days and nights before Halloween in a typical year. Buffs would book rooms in downtown hotels that overlooked the city, and sit by windows, ears glued to radio scanners and watch the city go up in flames. Fast forward to "Angels’ Night" (the official name was changed in 1995), where you can see the effects of the declining population of the city, the efforts of patrolling volunteers and the cold, rainy tailings of Hurricane Sandy. This year, officials say the city saw... -
Firefighting Doing More With Less
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Wednesday September 19, 2012
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. Some examples are "authentic replica," "boneless ribs" and "fresh prunes." Two of my favorites are "free with purchase" and "doing more with less." In the first instance, we must assume that the "free" item's cost is buried in there somewhere. Common sense tells us that it is difficult, if not outright impossible to do more with less, but fortunately, we in the fire service have a tendency to somehow make it work. Take, for example the need to flow water in quantities in excess of what can be safely delivered through hand-held hoselines. Couple this need with minimal staffing and you face the dilemma of either letting the building burn down to a size that can be... -
So You Think Your Department is Progressive?
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Tuesday September 4, 2012
I had to admit that the new station, located in a rapidly-developing area, was magnificent. Features such as multiple drive-through apparatus bays with 14-foot doors, a decontamination area, a complete PPE cleaning system, a clean workshop for SCBA calibration, individual bedrooms for each member of the on-duty crew, large kitchen with professional appliances, and sprinklers throughout, were provided in addition to a state-of-the art training room and administrative offices, providing ample proof of the time and dedication the staff put into the station’s planning and execution. Yes, I was impressed with how the department, in a few short years, went from a small volunteer operation to a combination department providing... -
Are You Prepared for Fast Spreading Fires?
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Monday July 30, 2012
Last month, I was in Boston to give a presentation, and was being shown around town by a local firefighter. “That’s where the Bellflower Street Conflagration started in 1964,” he said as we were driving down Boston Street. The fire began on a rear porch on a 79-degree, windy day, and quickly spread to adjoining structures, all wood frame “triple deckers.” The officer of first company on the scene, Ladder 20, immediately ordered a second alarm, and shortly, the 6 th District Chief told the alarm office to strike the third and fourth alarms. A few minutes later, the incident commander radioed, “Give me all the help you can get.” Ultimately, the fire damaged or destroyed 35 multi-family structures and while there were... -
Detroit: City on Fire
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Wednesday July 11, 2012
As the Detroit engine pulled in the alley, they found the almost-new Cadillac DeVille fully involved. The license plates were torn off indicating the car might be stolen. While the fire was being extinguished, the officer found the owner’s handicapped tag lying on the ground. He radioed Central to give them the information, and they said they didn’t want it. There was little chance that the police, facing budget cuts the same as the fire department, would respond. The owner would remain unidentified and the car may not be removed for a year or more. Welcome to Detroit. I visited there last weekend and talked to some of the firefighters on the front lines. Morale remains high but the future looks bleak. There’s just not enough... -
Firefighter Safety: Don't Play with Trains
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Friday April 6, 2012
It seems like every week we read about an emergency responder being hit by a vehicle while working an incident scene on a highway. And, with each incident, we seek to ratchet up responders' awareness of operating in dangerous environments; making sure that apparatus is positioned to block the areas of roadways where we are working and mandating that each responder is wearing high visibility clothing and keeping an eye on oncoming traffic. While traffic incidents, because we respond to them quite often, are uppermost in our safety consciousness, we need to remember that there are other transportation hazards out there that we need to be aware of as well. Did you know that, according to Operation Lifesaver , approximately every three... -
Beware of the Ides of March
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Friday March 2, 2012
In 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was warned by a fortune teller that things were not going to go too well for him around the 15th of March. This meeting was dramatized in William Shakespeare's play when the soothsayer warned him, "Beware the Ides of March." Well, he ignored their advice and thinking he had things in control, went on to the Senate where he was stabbed (23 times) to death by some folks he thought were on his side. This gave rise to the famous saying, "Never bring a verbal agreement with a politician to a knife fight." Things are changing in the fire service and we too need to beware of the effects of these changes, which seem to be coming from every direction nowadays. For example, environmentalists have succeeded in... -
You Have To Understand the Problem In Order To Solve It
By Capt. Dave Fornell - Monday December 5, 2011
I received a message a while back to call a friend of mine, an officer on an aggressive Midwest fire department. He needed some advice on a water flow issue. It seems that a few days before, they had a fire that fully involved an attached garage and with flames through the roof, the incident commander ordered a two and a half inch line pulled for initial attack. Based on the amount of fire and the potential for rapid spread, my friend thought the decision was a wise one. Afterwards, some of the other officers and firefighters questioned the call, reasoning that since an inch and three-quarter line is easier to handle than the big line, it would have been easier to maneuver, and by their thinking that would overcome the...
