The body of Boston Fire Department Lieutenant Edward Walsh is carried by Engine 33 after he lost his life fighting a fire in the Back Bay section of the city on March 26, 2014. Firefighter Michael Kennedy, from the same company, was also killed in the nine-alarm fire. An estimated 10,000 firefighters were in attendance at the services.
Dedication: This month’s Firehouse® is dedicated to Lieutenant Edward Walsh, 43, and Firefighter Michael Kennedy, 33, of the Boston Fire Department, who died in the line of duty, March 2014; and to Firefighter/EMT Michael D. Garrett, 28, of the Nutter Fort, WV, Fire Department; Firefighter Dwight Hilton, 59, of the East Central Volunteer Fire Department in Liberty, MS; and Firefighter Thomas G. Lee, 67, of the Four Oaks, NC, Fire Department, who died in the line of duty, February 2014.
Cover by: Cover photo by Rob Reardon/AllCompaniesWorking.com
As of April 9, there were 34 line-of-duty deaths reported in the U.S. fire service during 2014. Compared to the same period in 2013, there were 19 line-of-duty deaths. On the cover and on page 48 we take a look at the fire and funerals of two of...
Ten U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Four career firefighter and six volunteer firefighters died in nine incidents. Seven deaths were health related, one death was the result of an accident and two deaths were the result of direct...
In recent years, the U.S. line-of-duty-death rate has dropped below 100 firefighters per year and has stayed there. This is very good news. However, the second-leading cause of firefighter deaths after heart attacks and stress are firefighters dying in...
SUBJECT: Dash and Instrument Panel Movement
TOPIC: Interior Dash-Rolling Evolution
OBJECTIVE: Understand Procedures Necessary to Accomplish an Interior Dash-Rolling Evolution
TASK: Given a late-model vehicle with the simulation of front-seat...
A recent scan of the headlines says it all: “New York Struggles With Heroin Overdoses”; “New Report Shows Explosive Growth of Heroin in Kentucky”; “Ohio Struggles With Epidemic of Heroin Overdoses”; and “Massachusetts Governor Declares...
A frequent contributor to Firehouse ® Magazine of photos and articles about some of Houston’s biggest and most challenging fires for the past 20 years, Tom McDonald actually has been capturing images from blazes in Texas’ largest city for twice...
In my April column, I shared some thoughts about how the newly promoted chief officer should think, act and perform. It is my fervent hope that you chose to remember the part about caring for your people; otherwise, this month’s column will have...
AMITYVILLE, NY: MAY 3, 1914 – Flames broke out in the hayloft of a large barn on the estate of Benjamin F. Yoakum, a railroad tycoon. The quick-moving fire spread to five other barns and was threatening the mansion before local firemen, aided by...
Nobody likes to talk about making mistakes. The problem with that is in our business, if you make mistakes, someone could be killed or seriously injured. And if you don’t talk about mistakes, you or someone else could make that mistake again! Yes...
MARCH 1: BALTIMORE, MD – Two young children and a man were killed in a two-alarm house fire that also critically injured another woman.
MARCH 1: MENTONE, AL – A historical hotel fire burned down in a massive fire likely sparked by the electrical...
BOSTON, MA, MARCH 26, 2014 – Boston Fire Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh Jr. and Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy died in a fire that was ignited by welders working next door. The fire occurred in the Back Bay section of the city and required nine alarms to...
Our department just finished another round of our annual firefighter physicals under National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582: Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments. This is our eighth year of doing...
One of the realities of politics is that it’s present in everything we do that really matters in the fire service. Sometimes, the politics is internal within the fire service, sometimes it’s external and sometimes it’s both. To address the full...
You can never have enough firefighters at a high-rise apartment fire, so an incident commander must make life-and-death decisions using the principle of “scarce resources.” This means firefighters cannot be dispatched to every request for...
As we reported last month, on Jan. 18, 2014, the Manhasset-Lake-ville Fire Department (M-LFD) of Long Island, NY, was alerted to respond to a reported fire in a dwelling. What happened on that call provides a lesson for all of us, especially when...
I was speaking with a work colleague who happens to be a firefighter about specific uses for thermal imagers (TIs). Our conversation turned toward a topic that we both felt deserved discussion.
One of the most challenging fire conditions to control...
A fully framed and roofed, interconnected complex of nearly 400 apartment units under construction, only three months from their scheduled opening, went up in a massive column of smoke that could be seen for miles during Houston’s lunch hour on Tuesday...
Chemicals and compounds have been known to exist for centuries. Emergency responders have dealt with them for many years and often referred to them as chemicals or by their common chemical names, if known, such as gasoline, propane, ammonium nitrate...
Chiefs, it’s time to talk about your department’s most important resource – people. A fire department is a group of individuals with a common interest, much like a corporate board of directors, a school board, a town council, a bowling league and...
BlowHard Fans
More and more firefighters around the globe are reaching for the dual-powered (battery and a/c) BH-20 from BlowHard . Its lightweight (weighing 59 pounds with battery) and compact ergonomic design (24 by 24 by 10 inches) requires only...
BlowHard Fans
More and more firefighters around the globe are reaching for the dual-powered (battery and a/c) BH-20 from BlowHard . It’s ergonomic, lightweight (59 pounds with battery) and compact ergonomic design (24 x 24 x 10 inches) requires...
Automatic Battery Charger
KUSSMAUL ELECTRONICS has introduced the Auto Charge 40/20, a fully automatic battery charger for vehicles with a single battery system. The unit has a total output of 60 amps, a 40-amp battery charger and 20-amp battery...
Federal Agencies Coordinate to Advance EMS
In an effort to further coordinate federal efforts in emergency medical services (EMS), the members of the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS (FICEMS) reached consensus on a strategic plan that maps action...
WOONSOCKET, RI, MARCH 15, 2014 – Two firefighters fell through the floor and were able to stop their fall with their arms. They gave Maydays and extricated themselves before the arrival of the rapid intervention team. The roof collapsed during the...
Harvick Thanks Oak Ridge Firefighters
Four months after NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana woke up to the sound of their home’s smoke detector going off, the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS visited the Oak Ridge (NC) Fire...
