January 2014

Photos by Todd Bane
Structural firefighters must understand that emergency responses involving commercial aircraft differ greatly from those involving smaller aircraft.
Operations & Training

Commercial Aircraft Rescue

Jan. 1, 2014
The past two articles regarding aircraft rescue operations and structural fire departments – “Aircraft Rescue & Structural Fire Departments” in the November 2012 issue of Firehouse...
Matt Neimy, assistant operations manager, Emergency Apparatus Maintenance, Lino Lakes, Minn.
Apparatus

Apparatus: Repair or Refurbish

Jan. 1, 2014
Ed Ballam talked with mechanics and maintenance shop managers to get their advice on whether it is time for fire departments to repair or replace rigs.
Photos by Glen E. Ellman
Four apartments were destroyed and four others sustained smoke and or water damage.
Operations & Training

Cover Story: Texas Fire Destroys Four Apartments

Jan. 1, 2014
FORT WORTH, TX, DEC. 1, 2013 – Fort Worth firefighters responded to an apartment fire at the Hills Apartments on West Normandale in west Fort Worth at approximately 12:20 A.M....
Photo courtesy of SBFD
The pilot and co-pilot suffered fatal injuries in the crash. The jet's two passengers were injured.
Rescue

Commercial Aircraft sidebar: Indiana Firefighters Respond to Jet Crash

Jan. 1, 2014
SOUTH BEND, IN, MARCH 19, 2013 – At approximately 4:30 P.M., the South Bend Fire Department was notified by the South Bend Airport Authority of an inbound jet experiencing landing...

More content from January 2014

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Apparatus

On the Job Pennsylvania: Fire Destroys Fire Station, Apparatus and Equipment

Jan. 1, 2014
On Thursday, May 24, 2012, a three-alarm fire destroyed the Se-Wy-Co Fire Company’s Leithsville Station in Hellertown, PA. The fire was the result of a motor vehicle accident ...
Photos by Michael Wilbur
Operating fire apparatus on a sunny day with sun glare is difficult to do safely. Texting while driving makes a bad situation worse. This is extremely dangerous.
Apparatus

EVOC: Texting, Cell Phones And the Apparatus Operator

Jan. 1, 2014
Michael Wilbur says emergency vehicle driving is already dangerous enough without taking unnecessary risks with mobile phones.
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Pumper

New Deliveries 1/14

Jan. 1, 2014
THE EATONTOWN, NJ, FIRE DEPARTMENT has taken delivery of a Pierce Velocity 75-foot quint equipped with a 500-hp Detroit Diesel DD13 engine, 2,000-gpm Waterous pump, 500-gallon...
Photo by EMT-Paramedic Timothy E. Nangle/Portland FD
High school students learn to properly don personal protective equipment (PPE) during an 'Introduction to Firefighting Fundamentals' course in cooperation with the Portland, ME, Fire Department. Engaging the community can be accomplished in many ways to help fire demonstrate the value of their services.
EMS

20 Tough Questions For the Fire Chief: Are You Prepared To Answer Them? Question 20

Jan. 1, 2014
This, our final question, should have been our first question, as it succinctly wraps up the essence of this series: How should we, as fire department leaders, demonstrate the...
Photos by Bob Bartosz
Red Oak units reported they could see a large column of black smoke one mile away.
Operations & Training

Progress Report North Carolina

Jan. 1, 2014
NASH COUNTY, NC, SEPT. 13,2013 – Firefighters from the Red Oak and Battleboro fire departments were dispatched to a reported truck fire on southbound Interstate 95 at the 144-...
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Tech & Comm

Fire Dispatch: Dispatchers Under the Gun

Jan. 1, 2014
Barry Furey explains the role of dispatchers when members of public safety are threatened with violence.
Photo by Dennis Walus
DETROIT, MI, OCT. 24, 2013
Operations & Training

Hot Shots 1/14

Jan. 1, 2014
DETROIT, MI, OCT. 24, 2013 – Companies from the 5th Battalion responded to a fire in a vacant dwelling. On arrival, a two-family flat was found heavily involved with fire extending...
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Tech & Comm

Tech Support Introduction: Technology: Where We Are Now And Where We Are Going

Jan. 1, 2014
Technology is playing an ever-increasing role in today’s emergency service community by enhancing of roles and responsibilities in the areas of effectiveness, fiscal responsibility...
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EMS

EMS: Pronounced Dead – But Not Quite!

Jan. 1, 2014
A few years ago, I was hired by an attorney outside Chicago to help him defend a fire department being sued after its personnel had pronounced a man dead as a result of a car ...
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Thermal Imagers

Thermal Imaging: "Where's the TI?" Here's the Answer

Jan. 1, 2014
How often have you heard your fellow firefighters ask, “Where’s the TI?” This phrase is used far too often and too late in the firefighting process, like at the front door of ...
Photo courtesy of GVFD
The 92-year-old woman was rescued out of this window in the rear of the burning home.
Operations & Training

Close Calls: Chief First on Scene: Working Fire, People Trapped - Part 2

Jan. 1, 2014
Last month, we began reporting on an incident in which a fire chief arrived at a house fire with people trapped before the first apparatus could reach the scene. He had little...
Photo by Tom Shand
Bay District, MD, Fire Department Engine 91 carries 1,000 feet of three-inch hose and 1,000 feet of four-inch supply line together with a three-inch leader line and two attack lines with a 750-gallon, L-shaped water tank. Note the rope lines attached to the supply line beds so that personnel do not have to climb onto the rear step.
Apparatus

The Apparatus Architect: Hose Load Planning

Jan. 1, 2014
Tom Shand and Mike Wilbur look at design features for hose loads.
INDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC CORP. offers the Tango TX1 single-gas monitor.
Atmospheric Monitoring

New Products 1/14

Jan. 1, 2014
Single-Gas MonitorINDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC CORP. offers the Tango TX1 single-gas monitor, featuring a three-year run time and patent-pending DualSense technology that increases user...
Photos by Ron Moore
Being able to identify a safe roof pillar 'cut zone' as well as a 'no-cut zone' is important. In this case, the roof pillar has been severed even though a non-pressurized component of the undeployed roof airbag system is present. Learn to identify airbag components so you know what is safe to cut into and what isn't.
Vehicle Extrication

University of Extrication: Airbag Cutting

Jan. 1, 2014
Ron Moore outlines the areas of an airbag system that can and cannot be cut during extrication activities.
Photo by Robert Burke
Ammonium nitrate is a strong chemical oxidizer that can become an explosive under certain conditions.
Hazardous Materials

Hazardous Materials Response: Understanding Ammonium Nitrate - Part 2

Jan. 1, 2014
Explosives in the United States are regulated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in fixed storage and by the U.S. Department of Transportation...
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Tech & Comm

PDAs and the PSAP: Why Smarter Isn't Always Better

Jan. 1, 2014
The use of smart phones in PSAPs might not be a good thing, as Barry Furey explains.