Firehouse Magazine

In This Issue: July 2012

Cover photo by Ron Trout

Two firefighters were killed and three others were injured when a wall collapsed while they were operating in an exposure at a five-alarm fire that ripped through a vacant warehouse in Philadelphia, PA, on April 9, 2012.

Dedication

This month’s Firehouse® is dedicated to Captain Donald L. Jones, 56, of the Jacksonville, AR, Fire Department; Firefighter Jonathan D. Myers, 54, of Norfolk, VA, Fire-Rescue; and Firefighter Edward Richard Bernosky, 79, of the Adena, OH, Volunteer Fire Company, who died in the line of duty, March 2012; and to Captain David Bailey, 50, of the Los Angeles County, CA, Fire Department and Captain John Colbert, 60, of the Birchwood, WI, Fire Department, who died in the line of duty, April 2012.

2011 National Run Survey: Part 2

by Elizabeth Neroulas
Created: August 1, 2012

For the 31st year, the career fire service takes to the pages of Firehouse ® Magazine to share and compare statistics about company and department activity levels, funding, staffing and pay. A...
Marketing Your Fire Department

by Ben May
Created: July 11, 2012

In his 1980 book titled Managing in Turbulent Times, management consultant Peter Drucker wrote, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s...
TECH RESCUE: NJ Technical Rescue Team Pulls Injured Man from Shaft

by Dennis C. Sharpe
Created: July 1, 2012

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ, JAN. 19, 2012 – Farmington Volunteer Fire Company 4 of the Egg Harbor Township Fire Department, the Egg Harbor Township Technical Rescue Team (TRT) and the Egg Harbor...
Fire Destroys Jamestown Commercial Building

by Jay K. Bradish
Created: July 1, 2012

On Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, fire destroyed the North Star Building in downtown Jamestown, ND. The building was owned by Vining Oil Co. and was being used for storage. It contained several 55-gallon...
PROGRESS REPORT: SOUTH CAROLINA

by Harvey Eisner
Created: July 1, 2012

GOOSE CREEK, SC, DEC. 14, 2011 – Two adults, an elderly bedridden woman and her adult son, were at home when smoke detectors sounded. The son went next door to call 911. When City of Goose Creek...
What's Wrong With This Picture?

by Brian Ashton
Created: July 1, 2012

Each year, fire departments all across the nation spend millions of dollars and man hours working to prevent the loss of life to fires in buildings. Professional fire inspectors carefully walk...
FIRE CHIEF MIKE MYERS Las Vegas, NV, Fire & Rescue Department

by Harvey Eisner
Created: July 1, 2012

MIKE MYERS was sworn in as chief of the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Department on Jan. 19, 2011. He commands 18 fire stations and more than 650 employees, who provide fire suppression, emergency...
How to Nail Your First-Due Responsibility Part 3

by Mark Emery and Stewart Rose
Created: July 1, 2012

Back in 2007, Firehouse ® Magazine published the first installment of Mark Emery’s 11-part series “The Ten Command-Ments of Intelligent and Safe Fireground Operations.” The series began by...
Fire Destroys Historic Hotel in Punxsutawney

by Jay K. Bradish
Created: July 1, 2012

More than 100 firefighters worked for nine hours to control a six-alarm fire that destroyed a historic hotel in Punxsutawney, PA, on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011. As fire conditions worsened, the...
20 Tough Questions For the Fire Chief: Are You Prepared To Answer Them? Question 3

by Richard Gasaway and Richard Kline
Created: July 1, 2012

A successful response to this question can be reviewed as having three distinct parts: staffing, response time and resources (i.e., apparatus). Resources, in the form of apparatus required to get...
Progress Report: New York

by Harvey Eisner
Created: July 1, 2012

FREEPORT, NY, FEB. 1, 2012 – Two workers were removing a fuel tank when an explosion took place, severely burning them. The Freeport Fire Department responded to a report of multiple boats on fire...
Introducing the "Best Practices Forum"

by Mark Nugent
Created: July 1, 2012

According to a U.S. Fire Department Profile Report published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2010, the U.S. is protected by 30,125 organized fire departments staffed by more than...

Creating Consistency For Higher Performance

by Kimberly Alyn
Created: July 23, 2012

I was conducting multi-agency leadership training on the East Coast. As we discussed the importance of consistency in leadership, one fire captain shared his frustration with a common problem with...
Handling Information At Emergency Incidents

by Timothy Szymanski
Created: July 1, 2012

One of the main duties of a fire department public information officer (PIO) is to disseminate information. To do that correctly, the PIO must gather information and ensure it is accurate. When the...
The Budget Debates Continue

by Dennis Compton
Created: July 1, 2012

Even as many local and state budgets have begun to stabilize, fire departments continue to find themselves in the middle of discussions by elected officials and other policy-makers relating to...
Firefighter trapped in Dive Team Emergency

by William Goldfeder
Created: July 1, 2012

Performing other than fire-related rescues is nothing new for the fire service. From a child’s head caught in a banister to a person trapped in heavy machinery, a firefighter literally never knows...
The Active Shooter: A Special Challenge

by Gary Ludwig
Created: July 1, 2012

On the day I am writing this, a person shot five people at a cafe near the University of Washington in Seattle and then shot himself in the head as police closed in on him. His rampage left three...
Seatbelt Restraint Systems – Part 1

by Ron Moore
Created: July 1, 2012

Subject: Seatbelt Restraint Systems - Part 1 Topic: Seatbelt Pretensioners Objective: Given a late-model vehicle, the rescuer will be able to identify the seatbelts with pretensioner systems...
Don't Forget About Maintenance

by Brad Harvey
Created: July 1, 2012

Routine maintenance ensures that a thermal imager performs when needed and enjoys a long service life. This column focuses on operational checks and battery maintenance. Operational checks Certain...
Riding the Right-Front Seat: What It Takes to Succeed

by Dr. Harry Carter
Created: July 1, 2012

Whether you occupy the right-front seat on a full-time basis or you are just filling in, you are expected to do certain things and make certain decisions. Leadership skills are necessary because you...
Hazmat Response In The Bluegrass Region

by Robert Burke
Created: July 1, 2012

Regional hazardous materials response teams were located throughout Kentucky in the late 1980s. By the end of the 1990s, however, many teams had disbanded for various reasons, leaving gaps in hazmat...
Training Idea: Building Familiarity

by John J. Salka, Jr.
Created: July 1, 2012

I know this doesn’t sound as interesting to the typical firefighter as training on rapid intervention or roof cutting, but when conducted correctly and regularly, this training idea will enhance not...
Building Anatomy: Types and Classifications

by Christopher J. Naum
Created: July 1, 2012

Christopher J. Naum examines building types and classifications to anticipate variables in structural integrity and resiliency to the effects of extreme fire behavior for firefighters.
Doing the Right Thing: Brotherhood & Sisterhood

by Harvey Eisner
Created: July 1, 2012

As part of an ongoing, multi-faceted effort to present the best training and education at our conferences, I recently attended meetings in California of San Diego-area and Los Angeles County-area fire...

Firefronts 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: July 1, 2012

LONG BEACH, NY, DEC. 21, 2011 – Firefighters from Point Lookout-Lido, Island Park and Oceanside assisted Long Beach at a house fire. Two firefighters suffered injuries. Photo by Bill Bennett...
New Deliveries 7/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: July 1, 2012

THE LUTHERVILLE FIRE COMPANY in Baltimore County, MD, has taken delivery of a Pierce pumper built on a Pierce Arrow XT chassis powered by a 500-hp Detroit Diesel engine. Components include a 1,500-gpm...
Hot Shots 7/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: July 1, 2012

NASH COUNTY, NC, APRIL 15, 2012 – Four stations were dispatched for a log home on fire. An interior attack was made, but units were driven out by the advancing fire. Firefighters began another...
Speak Up: The Unique Role of the Fire Service Public Information Officer

by Firehouse Readers
Created: July 1, 2012

As a past chief of a sizeable volunteer fire company and a public information officer (PIO) for the preceding 27 years, I greatly appreciated your April and May issues, which brought much-needed...
New Products 7/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: July 1, 2012

Engine Rescue With Digital Panel KME has introduced the KME Engine Rescue, featuring a compact, all-digital pump-panel display. For simplified pump operations and maintenance, the display provides...
Rekindles 7/12

by Paul Hashagen
Created: July 1, 2012

NORTH ADAMS, MA: JULY 2, 1912 – A disastrous fire tore through the business district, causing an estimated $800,000 in damage. The blaze broke out in the kitchen of Wilson’s Hotel and gained...
For the Record 7/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: July 1, 2012

Industry Veteran Joins Firehouse Greg Toritto has been named group publisher of Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com . Toritto, who has been involved in the fire service industry for more than...
Scuttlebutt 7/12

by Steven Shaw
Created: July 1, 2012

Take This Survey and Save a Life (Maybe Your Own)! Members of the fire and emergency services regularly respond to traumatic events and face a variety of daily stressors that can have lasting...
Industry News 7/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: July 1, 2012

E-ONE has appointed Kent Tyler president and CEO. Tyler replaces Peter Guile, who was appointed CEO of Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV), the parent company of E-ONE, in January. Tyler most recently was...

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Firehouse Magazine Insider

Firehouse Managing Editor Elizabeth Neroulas talks with Deputy Chief Ray O'Brocki about his Chief Concerns article “It's All Hands On Deck When Disaster Strikes" which appears in the March 2013 issue of Firehouse Magazine . Listen as the two discuss how Baltimore City, MD, Fire Dept. handles emergency calls during extreme weather events. Read: It's "All Hands On Deck" When Disaster Strikes View: The March issue of Firehouse Magazine Subscribe to...

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Heroism & Commmunity Service Awards

Nominate a department member for heroic acts and extraordinary community service that occurred between January 1 and December 31, 2012. This annual program is the largest of its kind in the United States.

Read more and submit your department today!
DEADLINE: Jan. 25, 2013

Annual Run Surveys

Each year, Firehouse publishes three surveys to help fire departments compare statistics including personnel, budgets and response data. In the spring, the Combination Run Survey focuses on combination fire departments. Over several issues in the summer, career departments compare statistics through the National Run Survey. In the fall, the Volunteer Run Survey shares details of the largest segment of the fire service. Take part in the next Firehouse Run Survey by downloading the proper form below.

Volunteer Departments

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Career Departments

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Combination Departments

COMING SOON!

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Article Reprints

For reprints and content licensing please contact Nick Iademarco at Wright's Media 877-652-5295 ext. 102. For more information on reprints, click here

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