A few weeks ago, Executive Editor Jeff Barrington and I interviewed New York City Fire Com-missioner Thomas Von Essen. Among the topics of discussion was the fact that 11 FDNY firefighters had been killed in the line of duty in the two-year period before the present commissioner took office. At the time of our interview, a 26-month period had elapsed in which no FDNY firefighters had died in the line of duty. This was the longest period in the 133-year history of the FDNY without a firefighter fatality. One could only pray there would be no more fatalities, but in the last two months two more members made the supreme sacrifice. Another fire captain suffered burns to 70% of his body at the same fire in which a lieutenant was killed on June 5. He was clinging to life at press time. Our prayers go to his family and fellow firefighters.
A recent New York Times article noted that detailed information is only now being released about the group responsible for the Sarin gas attacks in the Tokyo subway system. Many of our most knowledgeable fire officers state that it's not a matter of where, but when, in describing nuclear, biological or chemical attacks. This Japanese group apparently tried on numerous occasions to contaminate the population in Japan. All of these attacks with other weapons of mass destruction were unsuccessful.
There is apparently a $30 billion-plus federal budget surplus. The nation's fire and emergency services have been pleading lately for adequate training, protective equipment and other medical needs. In another news article, one medical professional said public health facilities and personnel were the first line of defense against bioterrorism. That's what the fire service has been saying and I'm sure law enforcement will debate that fact vigorously. Each branch of service is important in its own right in mitigating the terrorism problem. But what are we going to do when it happens in the near future? Maybe it's time the government listened to our requests for funds from the surplus so that we can use them for the equipment and training we so desperately need.
The photo above depicts the aftermath of a serious car-truck crash in Florida. The fire and emergency services of America respond to many of the multimillion auto accidents that occur each year. I have been working on a idea with Ron Moore and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide vital information on new safety features to firefighters and emergency responders. This is intended to prevent injuries to personnel responding to emergencies involving specific vehicles. Recent headlines detail information about what sizes cars and light trucks and sport utility vehicles should be. More will follow on this project.
In this issue we look back at the Hackensack, NJ, truss roof collapse that killed five firefighters in 1988 and review the accomplishments of the department since then; see page 158. As an accompaniment, Frank Brannigan provides another installment of his valuable "The Building Is Your Enemy" series on page 58. This month also marks the 25th anniversary of the Kingman, AZ, propane rail car BLEVE. See page 148 for a report on the blast that killed 11 firefighters and a civilian in 1973.
