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    • August 2011

    More content from August 2011

    Denniscompton 10291009
    I recently sent one of my friends an article from a prominent on-line magazine that really tore into firefighters from a few different angles, including whether it is appropriate...
    Dec. 5, 2014
    Johnsalka 10286820
    I recently read an article that talked about, among other issues, the “required fire flow” for various fireground situations. As I have stated here many times, nothing, absolutely...
    Dec. 5, 2014
    Tom Carmody/North East Fire Photos
    Heavy timbers that once supported the center portion of the mill's floors and an outside wall collapsed and produced a large fire ball that rolled upwards into the sky.
    A general-alarm fire tore through a five-story, U-shaped, 217,000-square-foot mill at 85 Fairmount St. in Woonsocket, RI, on June 7, 2011. At the height of the fire, with the ...
    Dec. 5, 2014
    Courtesy of the author
    Figure 7. What important tasks should the rapid intervention team be undertaking? What communications to the rest of the fireground companies should be taking place when the rapid intervention team is operating in the rear of a structure in the condition as the one shown?
    Last month’s column outlined five points to consider in assessing your fire department’s true rapid intervention team (RIT) capability, using the National Fire Protection Association...
    Dec. 5, 2014
    Kimalyn 10286814
    In previous columns, I have talked about the importance of organizational vision and purpose. Now, I want to focus on values.I conduct leadership training in fire departments ...
    Dec. 5, 2014
    Collection of Gary E. Frederick
    Heavy smoke pours from a seven-alarm fire at Pier 7 in Baltimore, MD, on Oct. 15, 1932.
    HAMILTON, ONTARIO: AUG. 1, 1911 – Eight lives were lost as a fire tore through a hilltop insane asylum just outside the city. Eight hundred patients were asleep when the fire ...
    Dec. 5, 2014
    Photo courtesy of VisionComms
    Today, full tactical interoperable communications networks can be set up by a single operator working in or on the back of a SUV. Low power requirements eliminate the need for a generator. Cloud connectivity can quickly be established via 3G/4G, when available, or by VSAT, when all else fails.
    Tactical interoperable communications is defined as the rapid provision of on-scene incident-based, mission-critical voice communications among all first-responder agencies ( ...
    Dec. 5, 2014
    Feshe 10313760
    In an industry with a deep commitment to volunteers – all the way back to Benjamin Franklin and the formation of the Union Fire Company – it’s a fitting tribute that federal fire...
    Aug. 2, 2011
    Harvey2 10313706
    AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY of the events of 9/11, the use of new technology has brought not only the fire service, but almost every aspect of daily life to a much...
    Aug. 2, 2011
    THE ARLINGTON COUNTY, VA, FIRE DEPARTMENT, on behalf of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, recently took delivery of six Rosenbauer bomb squad vehicles purchased under a federal Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant. Receiving units are the Arlington County, VA, Prince George’s County, MD, and Montgomery County, MD, fire departments; Metro Transit Police; Virginia State Police; and Loudoun County, VA. Each 27-foot vehicle is mounted on a Spartan Metro Star ER chassis and features an interior command center, 20-kilowatt generator, 6,000-watt light tower and a camera mounted on a 25-foot telescoping mast.
    THE ARLINGTON COUNTY, VA, FIRE DEPARTMENT, on behalf of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, recently took delivery of six Rosenbauer bomb squad vehicles purchased...
    July 11, 2011
    Jim Regan
    caption to come
    Part one of this series (February 2011) referenced the 1960s sitcom “Car 54, Where Are You?” to establish that freelancing and lack of accountability may be funny on TV, but are...
    July 7, 2011
    Image courtesy of Bullard
    Used properly, thermal imagers can help crews more effectively monitor fire conditions, place personnel in key areas to create control lines, enhance safety during firefighting and improve the control of prescribed burns.
    With training, many years of practice and maybe just a little bit of crazy, generations of wildland firefighters have approached fires that are measured in acres or thousands ...
    July 7, 2011
    Earlier this year, the city of Detroit, MI, overhauled the dispatch procedures used by its EMS system to give dispatchers discretion to refuse ambulance service to certain callers...
    July 7, 2011
    Garyludwig 10290983
    As we all know, it has become fashionable to attack fire departments and firefighters. I wrote about this in my September 2010 column, headlined “Firefighters – From Heroes to...
    July 7, 2011
    INDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC has introduced iNet InSite, a plug-and-play docking station solution for its portable gas detectors. iNet InSite broadens the availability of iNet, the company’s “Gas Detection as a Service” solution. It is designed for end users who own their gas detectors and have the means of servicing and maintaining them, but are challenged with gaining the necessary visibility into their overall gas detection program to improve the safety of employees. Subscribers of iNet InSite receive unlimited user access to iNet Control – a web-based application accessible from any PC web browser – and iNet DS docking stations at no additional charge. The docking stations require no local software or server installation and are designed to work within the most stringent corporate IT network security policies. iNet Control users can schedule automated events such as calibrations, bump tests and instrument firmware upgrades, as well as set up alarm thresholds and other custom settings. The application provides practical insight for gas detection programs using trends, metrics, alerts and custom reports.
    INDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC has introduced iNet InSite, a plug-and-play docking station solution for its portable gas detectors. iNet InSite broadens the availability of iNet, the company...
    June 28, 2011
    HURST JAWS OF LIFE has introduced the JL-500 5,000-psi cutter, featuring a blade design engineered to address the larger diameters and stronger metals being encountered by rescuers today. The cutter’s forged shock-resistant steel blades offer greater cutting capability near the fully open position where it is needed most and eliminates the tendency of the tool to rotate into the passenger compartment. The blades feature three distinct cutting angles that are crucial when cutting the ultra-high-strength press-hardened Boron sheet metal and Martensite Boron Steel found in large-diameter A, B and C posts of modern vehicles. With maximum compressive forces in the near-open position, as the JL-500 blades begin to close, the press-hardened Boron sheet metal and Martensite steel cracks and fractures. As the cutter continues to close, blade angles change, resulting in improved draw of the post material to the strongest cutting area at the rear of the blades.
    HURST JAWS OF LIFE has introduced the JL-500 5,000-psi cutter, featuring a blade design engineered to address the larger diameters and stronger metals being encountered by rescuers...
    June 28, 2011
    ZIAMATIC CORP. (ZICO) has introduced the QUIC-RELEASE strapless cylinder bracket, Model QR-D-2. Place a D cylinder in the self-locking bracket and press back through the latch to lock it into place; no straps are required. The heavy-duty backspring holds the cylinder snugly against the latch and prevents rattling. To release the cylinder, slightly press it toward the backplate, squeeze the levers to disengage the latch and allow the backspring to push the cylinder forward. The bracket is designed to hold standard aluminum, jumbo aluminum and steel D gas cylinders with or without most regulators and is made with durable, easy-to-clean stainless steel. The bracket has three holes for mounting vertically or horizontally as well as solo or side by side and fits within the dimensions of virtually all current “strapped” models.
    ZIAMATIC CORP. (ZICO) has introduced the QUIC-RELEASE strapless cylinder bracket, Model QR-D-2. Place a D cylinder in the self-locking bracket and press back through the latch...
    June 28, 2011
    PIERCE MANUFACTURING has introduced a Type 1 wildland/urban interface firefighting vehicle that incorporates the patented Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC) technology. The new apparatus offers enhanced emergency response performance in regions where housing is adjacent to undeveloped wildland vegetation. The apparatus features a wheelbase as short as 162 inches as well as high chassis angle of approach and departure for improved maneuverability, and all-wheel drive is available for off-road performance. The vehicle offers 200 cubic feet of storage space for rescue and EMS equipment. The PUC wildland/urban interface vehicle is available on all Pierce custom chassis.
    PIERCE MANUFACTURING has introduced a Type 1 wildland/urban interface firefighting vehicle that incorporates the patented Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC) technology. The new...
    June 28, 2011
    KNOX CO. has introduced a Knox Elevator Key Box that is now available in a smaller size. The smaller Mini Elevator Key Box is ideal for installations that do not require a door drop key. The UL 1037 box holds up to eight standard keys and meets the latest International Fire Code standard. The all-steel box is available in four colors with or without the “Fire Dept. Use Only” banner. The new key box can be keyed to a department’s existing Knox System.
    KNOX CO. has introduced a Knox Elevator Key Box that is now available in a smaller size. The smaller Mini Elevator Key Box is ideal for installations that do not require a door...
    June 28, 2011
    ALCO-LITE has introduced the SURESTEP access ladder, encompassing a self-retracting system to provide fast, effortless access to the top of the rescue truck. The ladder is equipped with cast aluminum steps and stainless-steel hardware for increased durability and knurled handrails for increased safety and stability. It is designed with a manual tracking system for rigidity and ease of operation and features a black powder coat finish, polished stainless stanchions and cast aluminum caps. The ladder is field repairable with factory parts and manufactured per a department’s width and length request. It meets or exceeds NFPA 1931, Standard for Manufacturer’s Design of Fire Department Ground Ladders.
    ALCO-LITE has introduced the SURESTEP access ladder, encompassing a self-retracting system to provide fast, effortless access to the top of the rescue truck. The ladder is equipped...
    June 28, 2011