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    • Riding with Captain Dave

    Dave Fornell
    In years past, Chicago firefighters used kerosene-soaked rags to melt ice inside frozen fire hydrants.
    Safety & Health

    Fornell: Don't Let the Cold Weather Get You

    Jan. 9, 2015
    Dave Fornell reminds firefighters about the necessary extras during cold weather fire and rescue operations.

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    Fornell
    Photo by Dave Fornell
    A Detroit firefighter works a stream from 1-1/2-inch hoseline at a dwelling fire.
    Photo by Steve Redick/ksc711.smugmug.com
    Chicago Engine 26 connected to a hydrant with its 6-inch hard suction, which reduces friction loss and provides an unobstructed waterway for maximum flow.
    Photo by Capt. Dave Fornell
    Stand on a street any where in Detroit and you would be hard put to not find a vacant building
    Dave Fornell Jr.
    Portable Master Stream Dave Fornell 2
    Dave Fornell
    An anachronism, the three-port hydrant, designed in the late 1800s for firefighting as it was done then, not as it is done now.
    Hoselines & Water Appliances

    So You Think Your Department is Progressive?

    Sept. 4, 2012
    Progressive, might be the word to use with this combination fire department, but then I saw the universal symbol of our nation’s fire service backwardness.
    Capt. Dave Fornell
    Fast-spreading fire tactics may dictate writing off the structures originally involved and focusing all resources on preventing the fire from spreading. Care must be taken to prevent lines and firefighters from being positioned in places where they could be endangered by collapsing buildings or other factors.
    Apparatus

    Are You Prepared for Fast Spreading Fires?

    July 30, 2012
    A large fast-spreading fire is something that does not happen every day, and it is likely that most firefighters will encounter only one or two in their entire careers.
    Capt. Dave Fornell
    A close up view shows the condition of Detroit Engine 9 pumping at a box alarm earlier this week.
    Apparatus

    Detroit: City on Fire

    July 12, 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...
    Photo by Dave Fornell
    A fuse should be placed on the track at least a mile from the scene.
    Safety & Health

    Firefighter Safety: Don't Play with Trains

    April 6, 2012
    Railroaders live by safety rules-if they violate them, they get fired--if they are lucky. If not, they can be seriously injured or die.
    David Fornell Photo
    In every fire department's future - doing more with less.
    Leadership

    Beware of the Ides of March

    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...