View Full Firehouse Expo 2008 Coverage
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BALTIMORE, Md. -- Thousands of firefighters have left town. The apparatus is gone. Displays packed away.
Firehouse Expo 25 is over. However, show officials are confident that fire and rescue personnel left with more than a few new T-shirts.
Veteran fire service advocate Hal Bruno moderated a panel that included Baltimore Chief Jim Clack, D.C. Chief Dennis Rubin and Montgomery County, Md. Operations Chief Rich Bowers.
All spoke of the importance of including mutual aid companies during the planning process as well as drills.
Bowers spoke about a train crash in Montgomery County that taxed resources in his and neighboring jurisdictions. Operations went well because there was already a working relationship. "It involved significant deployment. Everyone did a tremendous job," he said, adding that there were a number of challenges encountered along the railroad.
Not long before the incident, fire and rescue personnel had practiced a scenario involving a derailed freight train.
Rubin agreed that relationships need to be forged long before the big one occurs. The crash of a jetliner about 25 years ago prompted the crafting of Washington's mutual aid plan, one that he said is stronger than ever.
He discussed the enhanced communications capabilities that enable personnel from other counties to be on the same channel when they respond into the nation's capital. A unique numbering system involving fire companies in the Washington area COG region also makes things simpler.
But, it's not just relationships with other fire departments that need to be nurtured, he said.
During a blaze at a tire facility recently, there were a number of other issues that needed immediate attention. It was essential that environmental challenges were addressed.
In addition, just about all the foam in the entire region was needed to quell the flames.
Clack, who was at the helm in Minneapolis last year when an interstate bridge collapsed, credited training as well as established relationships for the success of that operation. The size-up of the incident by the first officer on the scene set the stage.
He added that another resource responsible for the significant difference in the outcome were civilians. They jumped right in to help fellow motorists, and assisted rescue personnel to transport patients out of the area to ambulances.
Clack said it was a collaborative effort, and lives were saved because people acted quickly.
The incident also involved a multitude of logistics. It was August. It was hot. People needed to be fed. They needed a steady supply of ice and water to stay hydrated. Portable toilets were brought in.
Bruno said recent tragic events in Charleston re-enforce the importance of pre-planning, training and enhancing communications.
Despite rising fuel costs and other budget worries, preliminary reports indicate attendance at Firehouse Expo was higher than last year. Exact figures won't be known for a while, said Harvey Eisner, show producer.
Eisner said attendees were amazed by the size of the show floor that also included the latest EMS technology. "It was the largest display we've ever had."
In the past few days, Eisner has received a number of e-mails including some from instructors. "They said they were proud to be part of Firehouse Expo for the past 25 years ..."
Unique to this show was audience participation. Firefighters were encouraged to interact during the sessions. "We had standing room only in some. We had to turn people away too."
Eisner said podcasts of some sessions will enable personnel to listen in at their convenience. "If they missed it, they will have the opportunity to hear what the instructor had to say about the topic. Doing the podcasts during the classes went over well, I hear ..."
