We are proud to present a wide variety of topics in this month's issue of Firehouse® Magazine. Learning from past disasters, we focus on the fall of 1942, when a deadly fire ripped through Boston's Cocoanut Grove restaurant and night club, killing 492 people. On page 82, Charles Kenney presents some interesting theories on why the fire spread so quickly, despite the fact that several Boston fire companies were extinguishing a car fire just down the street when they were alerted to the blaze at the Cocoanut Grove. The large death toll led to many changes in fire and life-safety codes.
The saving of life is our main concern. In his Safety & Survival column, Vincent Dunn takes an in-depth look at how to evacuate people from a burning building. See page 14 for the evacuation strategies that will have a dramatic impact on the incident commander and fire operations. From Mesa, AZ, we report on an ingenious invention now being tested to alert firefighters to a rekindle after a serious fire has damaged a structure. This device, a portable fire-reporting system, will reduce the damage caused after hidden embers erupt; see page 90.
Hal Bruno's Fire Politics column on page 10 reports on the ramifications of a police/fire confrontation at the scene of a motor vehicle accident on a busy highway. Hal examines the question of "who's in charge," which has stirred quite a nationwide debate. Speaking of highways, Mark McLees reports on page 38 about a specialized rescue involving a street sweeper and a woman who wound up underneath the sweeping mechanism.
In our look into "Firefighter Health & Safety," Mike Wieder describes how to establish, staff and operate a rehab area at the scene of a fire or emergency incident such as the above mentioned train wreck. Due to the number of anthrax scares being received, we decided to present a two-page fact sheet titled, "Managing A Suspected Biological Incident: A Quick Reference." With today's changing times, all responders will want to focus their attention on this important and timely issue. We also take a look at the infectious-disease dilemma, of which all first responders must be aware. These are dangerous times, but if we all take the proper precautions, we will return home in the same condition in which we left.
Finally, on page 66 we present a look at the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in Phoenix. This terrific museum dedicated to the fire service has now added a new section. The new addition is devoted to firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty and to recipients of the Firehouse® Magazine Heroism & Community Service Awards.
