It’s exciting to see that this is our golden year, Firehouse’s 50th anniversary, after street-smart firefighter and award-winning author Dennis Smith developed the concept of a magazine for firefighters, focused on both technical and human-interest stories and photo spreads. Dennis was just another smoke-eating firefighter wearing a long rubber coat and pull-up boots, pushing down halls in blazing Bronx tenements before his game-changing book, “Report from Engine Co. 82,” was published in 1972.
Much like the TV show “Emergency!”, many Firehouse readers have shared that Dennis’ book or magazine sparked their interest in becoming a firefighter, whether career or volunteer. Like many of you, I grew up reading my father’s issues of Firehouse long before I was able to go to an emergency in any official capacity. The covers always drew you in, and page after page, your ability to be a firefighter improved as you learned from the big names and up-and-comers from departments big and small, from coast to coast and overseas.
Over the past five decades, Firehouse has seen a lot of change alongside the fire service that we cover. We no longer run ads from tobacco or alcohol sellers, but we partner with manufacturers who are working to reduce the effects of cancer on firefighters. The first Jaws of Life from HURST that was used by firefighters weighed nearly 75 lbs. and took some time to set up, while today’s eDRAULIC spreaders have shed some weight, are powered with the touch of a button, and don’t require a plant or hydraulic lines.
The rubber coats and pull-up boots that Dennis was seen wearing have been replaced by bunker gear and, while some still debate the full encapsulation of a firefighter today, along with the use of a hood, nobody would debate that the number of firefighters who are sent to burn centers is down a monumental amount. Unfortunately, changes in manufacturing created the toxic carcinogens that have become the No. 1 enemy of firefighters on the line and retired.
When we started, Firehouse shared stories of close calls and major incidents within just a few months. Today, in this litigious world, many departments won’t open their doors immediately, but we have Billy Goldfeder’s Close Calls columns that look at the effects of large-scale as well as seemingly minor incidents that have major ramifications. Add the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program Reports and you have plenty to learn from.
We have seen a tremendous amount of innovation, and although not all of it sticks in the fire service, many of our readers are alive today because of an innovation that was purchased from the magazine, a skill that they picked up from the magazine or a learning opportunity that came from one of the publication’s events or website articles.
Without many of our great authors, such as James P. Smith, Rich Adams, Francis Brannigan and Harry Carter, previous generations wouldn’t have accomplished what they did without reading Firehouse.
The official celebration of our 50th anniversary will be in the August issue, as we reflect on 50 years of change and innovation and the authors who helped to bring those changes to the fire service through the print and digital pages of Firehouse.
If you are a longtime reader, we would love to hear from you. If you have a story about how Firehouse might have affected your life or saved the life of a colleague or citizen, please let me know by emailing me the details: [email protected].
Throughout the year, we will feature videos, articles and more on Firehouse.com to ensure that those trailblazers who hung their helmet at Firehouse will be forever noted in fire service history. Without you, our readers, our advertising and marketing partners and our dedicated authors and content providers, we wouldn’t have reached this milestone. Thank you!
As much change as we’ve seen, one fact remains consistent: When they call 9-1-1, you show up quickly and ready to mitigate the issue, whether it’s a fire, medical emergency, entrapment or Mrs. Smith needing to be lifted off of the floor.
