Firehouse
January 2010
Los Angeles, CA, Fire Department Engine 6 and Task Force 20 were first on scene at a greater-alarm fire involving a vacant two-story dwelling. The exposures on both sides of the fire were protected, although the fire communicated to several vehicles parked nearby. The fire, commanded by Battalion 11, occurred on Sept. 13, 2009.
Dedication: This month's Firehouse® is dedicated to Firefighter Conrad Mansfield, 45, of the Delaware Township Volunteer Fire Department in Defiance, OH; to Firefighter Lyle Lewis, 50, of Osborne County Fire District 3 in Alton, KS; to Firefighter Jimmy E Cameron, 47, of the South Chester Fire Department in Blackstock, SC; and Firefighter William Thompson, 65, of the Dushore, PA, Fire Company, who died in the line of duty, June, 2009.
Cover by: Martin Nate Rawner
NEW YORK CITY: JAN 1, 1910 — Just as the clock struck midnight and the New Year began, a voice rose from the crowd gathered at 26th Street and Broadway in Manhattan: "Look! Look there!" All eyes went to a tongue of flames that climbed the lace...
With apologies to Willie Nelson, come June 2010, I will be "on the road again" for another Harry Carter Road Trip. It is my intention to hit the road on or about June 1, 2010. My mission will be similar to the theme of my highly successful 2006 version...
Hazardous materials responders across the country have a new way to look at hazmat chemistry: the "HazMat IQ" system, which lets responders see immediate application of the material to their response world. The HazMat IQ system simplifies complex...
This is the first installment of a three-part series about ethanol. The series focuses on physical and chemical characteristics, manufacturing processes and hazards, and firefighter response to ethanol emergencies in transportation and at fixed...
When anyone mentions "communication problems," many of us in emergency services instantly think "hardware." Who hasn't gotten totally committed to a task only to have their radio make that all-too-familiar "bleep bleep" sound signaling a low battery or...
Rear Admiral (ret.) James Arden ("Jamie") Barnett Jr. is the chief of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. He oversees FCC activities pertaining to public safety, homeland security, emergency management...
On Friday, Nov. 7, 2008, a three-alarm fire destroyed the historic Metropolitan Building in downtown Champaign, IL. The three-story brick-and-mortar structure, built in 1871, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was...
Today's fire apparatus specifications are lengthy, hard to read and not easily understood. The specification-writing process has turned into a flamboyant affair with superfluous wording, eloquent sayings and indefinable descriptions by both buyer and...
Part 43
At the scene of a fire in a three-story, wood-frame dwelling, the engine company is making a push into the attic to cut off the fire extension into this area. For some unknown reason, the attack line goes limp and the engine crew is without...
Fire apparatus that won't start, breaks down enroute to a call or, worst of all, fails at the scene of a fire can have catastrophic consequences. That's why having an apparatus maintenance program is vital to fire department operations.
It is January once again! Not only a time to adopt well-intentioned resolutions that we are likely to abandon before Valentine's Day, but also a time to step back and reflect on the year behind us as well as plan for the year ahead.
Having worked in St. Louis, MO, for 25 years and now in Memphis, TN, I can testify to how hot it gets in the summer months of July and August. I can remember days when the heat and humidity combined (commonly known as the heat index) made it feel like 110...
It is that time of year, the time when new resolutions are made with the intention of self-improvement. This month's column offers some resolutions that we all could make to help us return home after every call. At the time of this writing, there were...
SUBJECT: Hybrid Vehicle Emergencies
TOPIC: 2010 Model-Year Toyota Prius Gasoline-Electric Hybrid
OBJECTIVE: Given a 2010-model Toyota Prius vehicle at a new-car dealership for inspection, the rescue team will study and be able to identify relevant...
As firefighters, unless you work in a metro downtown or inner-city area, odds are your most common structural fire involves the single-family dwelling. In addition to building construction concerns related to firefighting (that we have discussed before in...
In recent years, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), fire service organizations and local fire departments have increased their efforts to reduce the number of firefighter injuries and line-of-duty deaths. The issue is all over websites, and you can't go...
Every year, the Worcester, MA, Fire Department hosts a ceremony at the site of the Dec. 3, 1999, Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire, but the most recent memorial service held last month was different. It was the 10th anniversary of the tragic...
Welcome to the inaugural column for Telling It Like It Is. This column will be dedicated to honest discussion about the issues and events that confront the fire service today. We'll have open and frank discussions that may upset some of you because they...
For those of you I have not met, my focus in life is in the field of risk management. You are familiar with this discipline as you are in a risk-centric occupation. Risk management is all about identifying the things that can go wrong — and then putting...
A week before I wrote this editorial, a fire ripped through a nightclub in Perm, Russia, killing 113 people and injuring 121 others. The fire in the Lame Horse Nightclub began when fireworks ignited the wicker covering in the ceiling. A stampede of...
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