Firehouse Magazine

In This Issue: March 2012

Cover photo by Tom Carmody

Two firefighters had close calls during a second-alarm fire in Pawtucket, RI, on Jan. 6, 2012. One firefighter’s foot went through the roof and the other firefighter almost rolled off the roof when it burned through underneath them.

Dedication

This issue of Firehouse® is dedicated to Firefighter Crisanto Leo Lionell, 54, of the California Department of Corrections; Firefighter William “Jumbo” Elliott, 49, of Pompano Beach, FL, Fire Rescue; Chief Samuel Butler, 52, of the Evans Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department in Maxton, NC; and Firefighter David Crenshaw, 63, of the Anderson County, SC, Fire Department, who died in the line of duty, January 2012.

COVER STORY: Close Call at Roof Operation

by Harvey Eisner
Created: March 1, 2012

PAWTUCKET, RI, JAN. 6, 2012 – Three engines, two ladders and a rescue responded to a late-morning report of a house fire. First-arriving Engine 1 reported smoke showing and gave a “Code Red...
Fireground Operations: How to Nail Your First-Due Strategic Responsibility Part 2

by Mark Emery
Created: March 1, 2012

NFPA 1021, Fire Officer I 4.6.1 Develop an initial action plan, given size-up information for an incident and assigned emergency response resources, so that resources are deployed to control the...
TECHNICAL RESCUE: Louisiana USAR Task Force Trains in Canine-Lift Techniques

by Ruel Douvillier
Created: March 1, 2012

By its very name, an urban search and rescue (USAR) task force must be able to search. The three standard search techniques are physical, technical and canine. All three have advantages and...
TECHNICAL RESCUE: The "MUSCLE" Of Urban Search and Rescue

by Michael Daley
Created: March 1, 2012

"Rescue.” The word is one of the most widely used in the emergency services, as it has a broad variety of applications. The term refers to a response by emergency personnel to an ever-changing...
Fire Chief interview: FIRE CHIEF JAVIER MAINAR San Diego Fire-Rescue Department

by Harvey Eisner
Created: March 1, 2012

Firehouse: Why is it that the citizens of San Diego never seem to have backed legislation, bond issues or votes for more funding for fire protection in either the city or county? Mainar: San Diegans...
Combination Fire Department 2011 Run Survey

by Firehouse Staff
Created: February 15, 2012

F irehouse ® Magazine and the Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) have compiled the second annual Combination Fire Department...
On The Job Texas: Four-Alarm Fire Destroys Waxahachie Chemical Plant

by Jay K. Bradish
Created: February 1, 2012

On Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, a four-alarm fire in Waxahachie, TX, destroyed the Magnablend Industries plant, which manufactured and packaged custom chemicals for a variety of uses, including agriculture...

University of Extrication: New-Design A- and B-Pillars

by Ron Moore
Created: March 1, 2012

This University of Extrication Trainer’s Guide addresses a new challenge that is arising from design changes of the newest model vehicles being produced today. Manufacturers are increasingly...
Fire Politics: Be Sure to Check "Behind the Curtain"

by Dennis Compton
Created: March 1, 2012

When a piece of legislation is introduced in Congress, it can be tempting to offer support for the bill based solely on the title and/or what it appears to accomplish on the surface. This can be a...
EMS: There's an App For That!

by Gary Ludwig
Created: March 1, 2012

When you finish reading this column, go to your computer, pull up YouTube and type in the search words “did you know.” You will find videos that pertain to how technology is changing the world...
The Fire Scene: Company Officer Skills: Setting the Tone for Your Crew

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

When we talk about “setting the tone,” we’re talking about how someone can create a mood or attitude among a group of people. Of course, the people I’m talking about are firefighters and...
Chief Concerns Baltimore City: "A Smoke Alarm Installed Within Two Hours"

by Raymond O'Brocki
Created: March 1, 2012

The Baltimore City, MD, Fire Department’s neighborhood smoke alarm canvassing program began passively in the 1970s after the release of America Burning, a landmark document that emphasized, among...
Thermal Imaging: “Image Freezing”: The Myth Of Moving Too Fast

by Brad Harvey
Created: March 1, 2012

You’ve likely experienced it before. You’re moving quickly down a hallway at a residential structure fire, occasionally glancing at the thermal imager (TI) in order to keep track of adjacent rooms...
Fire Law: 2011 Retrospective of Fire Service Legal Developments

by Curt Varone
Created: March 1, 2012

Last month, I took a look at the three most important court decisions that affected the U.S. fire service in 2011. This month, I focus on what I consider the year’s most interesting and bizarre...
Leadership Lessons: Creating Accountability At the Management Level

by Kimberly Alyn
Created: March 1, 2012

A few months ago, I wrote a column titled “Top Seven Morale Killers in Your Department” (November 2011). First on the list was “lack of discipline,” and I talked about how morale takes a...
Tools & Technologies: Targeting Fire Department Tanker Stability and Safety

by Marc Dettman
Created: March 1, 2012

It’s no secret that fire tankers and tenders are at a higher risk of rollover than any other fire apparatus on the road today. Heavily loaded tankers with higher centers of gravity, short wheelbases...
As Firehouse Sees It: Changing Times

by Harvey Eisner
Created: March 1, 2012

Currently, much testing and debate are going on across the U.S. fire service. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is conducting full-size, fully furnished tests of one- and two-family dwellings within...

Hot Shots 3/13

by Firehouse Readers
Created: January 23, 2013

WOONSOCKET, RI, JAN. 10, 2013 – Five families were left homeless after a fast-moving fire tore through their three-story, six-unit, balloon-framed, vinyl-sided apartment building. An attack line...
Rosenbauer Delivers 1,000-gpm Fast-Attack Pumper

THE WEST CALDWELL, NJ, FIRE DEPARTMENT has placed into service a Ford F550/Rosenbauer 1,000-gpm fast-attack pumper equipped with four-wheel drive, two crosslay hosebeds, a booster reel, deck gun...
Rekindles 3/12

by Paul Hashagen
Created: March 1, 2012

MIDDLETOWN, NY: MARCH 4, 1912: – Apparently worried by financial troubles, a local justice of the peace drove his wife from their home at gunpoint. He then set more than a dozen fires in their...
New Deliveries 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: March 1, 2012

THE FORT LEE, NJ, FIRE DEPARTMENT has taken delivery of a Sutphen custom pumper/tanker built on a Sutphen Monarch chassis. Components include a 515-hp Detroit Diesel engine, Telma retarder...
Hot Shots 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: March 1, 2012

NEW YORK CITY, JAN. 3, 2012 – As temperatures dropped into the teens and wind chills were in the single digits for the first time this season, FDNY firefighters battled a three-alarm fire that...
Darley Delivers All-Wheel-Drive Quick-Attack Unit

THE YOUNGSTOWN, PA, VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT has taken delivery of a Darley/Dodge all-wheel-drive quick-attack unit equipped with a 305-hp Cummins engine, 250-gpm Darley pump, 300 gallon water tank...
Pierce Delivers Velocity Pumper to Scullville FD

THE SCULLVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, has taken delivery of a Pierce Velocity pumper equipped with Detroit Series 60 DD13 engine, Allison 4000EVS automatic transmission...
Smeal Delivers Custom Pumper to Newport

THE CITY OF NEWPORT, VT, FIRE DEPARTMENT has taken delivery of a Smeal custom pumper built on a Spartan Metro Star chassis powered by a 350-hp Cummins ISC engine with an Allison 3000EVS...
Medtec Delivers Two RediMedic Ambulances

COMMUNITY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS INC. in Lackawanna County, PA, has taken delivery of two Medtec RediMedic ambulances. The units feature a recessed overhead grab-rail, angled and protected roll-up...
New Products 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: March 1, 2012

Rechargeable Flashlights STREAMLIGHT has introduced the SL-20L and SL-20LP rechargeable flashlights. Both lights use a C4 LED to deliver up to 350 lumens measured system output and 60,000 candela...
Speak Up 3/12

by Firehouse Readers
Created: March 1, 2012

Sometimes, we firefighters succumb to complacency. This is especially true when we respond to repeated false alarms from home detection systems. The fact that many of these are the results of poor...
For The Record 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: March 1, 2012

January Line-of-Duty Deaths Ten U.S. emergency service personnel died in January. Five volunteer firefighters, two career firefighters, one part-time firefighter and two civilian employees died in...
Product Showcase 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: March 1, 2012

Blauer Blauer’s new TacShell System brings modern outdoor apparel layering systems to the firehouse. The TacShell combines a waterproof, windproof and breathable, stretch three-layer shell with...
Firewire 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: March 1, 2012

Jan. 27: Ocala, FL - On arrival, firefighters found a twin-piston Cessna aircraft on fire, as well as the grass surrounding the aircraft. Sixteen firefighters manning six fire apparatus, including the...
Industry News 3/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: March 1, 2012

PIERCE MANUFACTURING has received an order for three aerial tiller vehicles from the Columbus, OH, Division of Fire. Each apparatus will feature an Arrow XT chassis, 105-foot heavy-duty aerial...
E-ONE Delivers Cyclone II Pumper

THE NEW MARKET FIRE DISTRICT in Piscataway, NJ, has taken delivery of an E-ONE Cyclone II pumper equipped with a 500-hp Cummins ISM engine, Allison 4000EVS-P transmission, 2,000-gpm Hale Qmax pump...
Seagrave Delivers Pumper to Albuquerque Fire Department

THE ALBUQUERQUE, NM, FIRE DEPARTMENT has taken delivery of a Seagrave Marauder II pumper powered by a 500-hp Cummins ISM engine, Allison 4000EVS transmission, 2,000-gpm Waterous CSU pump and...
KME Delivers Custom Pumper

THE RANDOLPH, VT, FIRE DEPARTMENT has taken delivery of a KME custom pumper built on a KME Predator MFD chassis. Components include a 475-hp Maxxforce 13 engine, Allison 4000EVS transmission...
Sutphen Delivers to Fort Lee, NJ, Fire Department

THE FORT LEE, NJ, FIRE DEPARTMENT has taken delivery of a Sutphen custom pumper/tanker built on a Sutphen Monarch chassis. Components include a 515-hp Detroit Diesel engine, Telma retarder...

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Firehouse Magazine Insider

Firehouse Managing Editor Elizabeth Neroulas talks with Chief Chris Christopoulos, Jr. about his commentary in "The Combination Fire Department 2011 Run Survey" that appears in the March 2012 issue of Firehouse Magazine . Listen as the two discuss the value to collecting this data for combination fire departments and what types of information chiefs hoped to gain from it. For More: Read: The Combination Fire Department 2011 Run Survey View: The March issue of Firehouse...

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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.

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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.

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