31
The number of 2008 firefighter line-of-duty deaths at deadline.
Once again, we take great pleasure in congratulating the honorees and all the personnel nominated in the Firehouse® Magazine Heroism and Community Service Awards program. Again this year, we honor those who went above and beyond the call of duty to rescue and remove civilians and firefighters from dangerous situations - dwelling fires, plane crashes, water rescues, mountain-climbing incidents, car wrecks and many other unusual situations. Firefighters both on duty and off, on land, on the water and in the air responded to the calls for help. Countless lives were saved and many of these rescues were made with just seconds to spare.
Many of the firefighters nominated for recognition said they didn't feel very heroic, they were just doing their job. There are many unsung heroes. Some never get the credit they deserve, but they are deserving just the same. The first fire I responded to as fire chief some 20 years ago was unique. I had a fire in a senior citizens housing complex a block from our firehouse. My firefighters removed several elderly residents from above the fire via portable ladder. The youngest person rescued was 65 years old. I was quite proud of my units for rising to the occasion.
The following are examples of the actual language taken from some of this year's heroism applications depicting the seriousness of these incidents. "His aggressive actions saved the lives of four victims." "All of these victims would have surely perished." "Feverishly searched." "Decided to use his body as a shield and remove the victim past the fire room." "Made several attempts to rescue." "Two of the firefighters suffered second-degree burns." "Three of the children survived." "One minute after they exited the window, the room flashed over." "Searched for the trapped firefighters."
Many are thankful to the efforts of these firefighters for all they did. Although not successful in every instance, they risked life and limb in many cases to save a life. We salute them. We also wish to thank our corporate sponsors, V.H. Blackinton & Co. Inc. and Liberty Art Works Inc., and the judges for this year's program: Deputy Chief Robert Cobb of the Jersey City, NJ, Fire Department; Deputy Chief William Goldfeder of the Loveland-Symmes, OH, Fire Department; and Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff of the Chicago Fire Department. Also, a big thank you to all the subscribers who contributed to the heroism fund. See page 94 for this year's award accounts.
In this issue, we present a fire report on a recent near conflagration that occurred in Lawrence, MA. Known for its high fire activity, the recent fire fanned by high winds, low temperatures and a congested neighborhood destroyed a portion of a neighborhood. See "Lawrence Is Burning!" on page 72 for the details.
Also this month, Battalion Chief Mark Emery continues his leadership series "The Fire Station Pyramid of Success." This month's installment, beginning on page 84, focuses on the character-level of the Pyramid: self-control, alertness, initiative and intentness. On page 120, Curtis Massey describes the dangerous phenomenon known as "stack effect" and how it impacts operations at high-rise fires.
Beginning on page 130, we provide an overview of the development of Kentucky's degree program in Fire/Rescue Science Technology and a pair of case studies of successful college programs that are helping firefighters, officers and chiefs enhance their career opportunities.
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