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    More content from October 2011

    My career in the fire service started comparatively late (at age 28) while also being a seven-year veteran of the U.S. Army. My first impressions of the volunteer fire service...
    Sept. 14, 2011
    Jay K. Bradish/IFPA
    Today's workforce is motivated differently than a generation or two ago was and the astute fire officer not only recognizes that, but takes action by making well-thought-out adjustments.
    Do you ever shake your head at what your fire personnel say or do? Does firefighter behavior continue to stupefy you and deny plausible explanation? If you feel a little exasperated...
    Sept. 13, 2011
    Mike Meadows
    CAJON PASS, CA, SEPT. 2, 2011 – A vegetation fire started in the center divider of Interstate 15, the main highway for travelers between Southern California and Las Vegas, NV, the Colorado River and other destinations. The fire started about 1½ miles from the top of the Cajon Pass, jumped the southbound lanes and was burning up hills and into the high-desert community of Oak Hill just west of Hesperia. The fire, fed by fuels that had not burned in a long time, roared into and around expensive homes and only the hard work by crews from the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service and dozens of engines from various cites kept the fire away from homes, although two of them were badly damaged and numerous animals were lost at one ranch. Hundreds of firefighters supported by helicopters and air tankers, including the huge DC-10, fought for six hours before nightfall lowered the temperature and wind. The fire was fully contained three days later. Two firefighters were taken to a hospital. At the height of the fire, the California Highway Patrol shut down the entire interstate for hours, stranding thousands of travelers.
    CAJON PASS, CA, SEPT. 2, 2011 – A vegetation fire started in the center divider of Interstate 15, the main highway for travelers between Southern California and Las Vegas, NV,...
    Sept. 13, 2011
    Butch Moran
    The new 1 World Trade Center, at left of photo, has reached the 80th-floor level. New York City’s three newest fireboats line up in the Hudson River as memorial lights shine skyward in honor of the 10th anniversary of those killed during the 9/11 terror attacks.
    THOSE WORDS WERE SPOKEN BY CAPTAIN AL HAGAN, the president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, the union that represents 2,450 lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs,...
    Sept. 13, 2011
    U.S. Geological Survey
    The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Louisa County, VA.
    When Scott Keim assumed his new duties as Louisa County, VA, Fire & EMS chief on July 25, 2011, he did not imagine that he would be facing one of the most challenging incidents...
    Sept. 13, 2011
    Photo courtesy of WPI
    Two Worcester, MA, firefighters suit up prior to testing of a locator/tracking device at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
    With devices tracking everything from planes in the sky to stolen cars in a city to the tiniest of screws in a vast warehouse, one would think it would be easy to track firefighters...
    Sept. 8, 2011
    Brad Harvey 1107 10344759
    The year: 2004. The topic: When would my mother-in-law and father-in-law decide to buy their first computer?The points of consideration were numerous. Did they really need a computer...
    Sept. 7, 2011
    Pullman Fire Chief Pat Wilkins (right, responding to a structure fire in 1974) has retired after 40 years on the job.
    Longtime Chief RetiresPullman, WA, Fire Chief Pat Wilkins has retired after serving the fire department for more than 40 years, with 27 of those years as its chief. Wilkins was...
    Sept. 7, 2011
    Otj 1011 Bcfdbroadwayfire06111 10344615
    On Friday, June 11, 2010, a two-alarm fire destroyed an abandoned meat-packing plant in Bernalillo County, NM. The fire caused the evacuation of 250 workers and residents from...
    Sept. 7, 2011
    Benmay 10344565
    Remember that overused line, “Happiness is wanting what you have”? Funny about how some of these old saws hang around for so long. I suppose it’s probably because there may be...
    Sept. 7, 2011
    Photo by Ron Moore
    As the front door of a roof-resting vehicle begins to open, the full window frame will most likely contact the ground and limit the ability of the door to open.
    SUBJECT: Jammed Door Forcible Opening, Part 2TOPIC: Jammed Door OpeningOBJECTIVE: Given a simulated jammed door on a roof-resting vehicle, the rescuer will understand special ...
    Sept. 7, 2011
    Garyludwig 10344484
    Some people really get upset when I say this: “Most fire departments are nothing but EMS agencies that sometimes go to a fire call.” Why? Well, it certainly breaks the glass in...
    Sept. 7, 2011
    KME has introduced the 109-foot AerialCat rearmount ladder, the newest addition to the steel-ladder line that includes the 79-foot, 100-foot, 103-foot and 121-foot AerialCat apparatus. Mounted on a KME Predator tandem-rear-axle chassis with a 500-hp engine, the ladder is available with an unrestricted 750-pound tip load dry and a 500-pound tip load while flowing 1,500 gpm. The KME ladder is constructed of 100,000-psi steel and engineered with a 2:1 structural safety factor based on a 750-pound NFPA 1901-rated tip load. With the elevation range of –8 to +80 degrees and a “Store Front Blitz” monitor, firefighters can perform interior attacks with just the ladder and monitor. In addition, the new apparatus is easy to maneuver with a short wheelbase and 16-foot outrigger stance.
    Rearmount LadderKME has introduced the 109-foot AerialCat rearmount ladder, the newest addition to the steel-ladder line that includes the 79-foot, 100-foot, 103-foot and 121-...
    Sept. 6, 2011
    © Frank Fournier
    Fred Andrews of the Southampton, NY, Fire Department
    In my sunset years, I opted to become a volunteer firefighter, the oldest rookie in the known history of the Southampton, NY, Fire Department, protecting greater Southampton, ...
    Sept. 6, 2011
    Fire Prevention 2011Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 9-15) is designated annually to commemorate The Great Chicago Fire, which occurred in 1871. Fact: On average, there are more than...
    Sept. 6, 2011
    Denniscompton 10344054
    By now, many of you have heard of (or seen) the Santa Clara County, CA, Civil Grand Jury report completed in May 2011. The report is titled Fighting Fire or Fighting Change? Rethinking...
    Sept. 6, 2011
    Johnsalka 10338708
    Fire department operations at structural fires many times require the use of a second hoseline. There are a number of tactical assignments that this second line can take based...
    Aug. 26, 2011
    Kimalyn 10338706
    In my two previous columns, I talked about organizational values and personal values. Having strong clarity in these two areas creates the highest levels of organizational commitment...
    Aug. 26, 2011
    Courtesy of Ocala Fire Rescue
    The City of Ocala, FL, Fire Department was established in 1885, when the city’s volunteer firefighters were organized into a career department. This photo taken in 1915 shows the department’s first motorized apparatus, a chief’s buggy. The following year, all apparatus were motorized and the fire horses were given to the Sanitation Department to pull garbage wagons.
    HESHBON, PA: OCT. 1, 1911 – Roused from their sleep by the smell of smoke, Mr. and Mrs. Dias left their second-floor bedroom and went down to the first floor to investigate while...
    Aug. 23, 2011
    Curtvarone 10313833
    Alerted by a passerby, a 14-year-old boy dials 911 to report a possible chimney fire in his house. Fire crews are dispatched, but the boy’s mother calls back to report that she...
    Aug. 2, 2011