We would like to embark on a new project to take advantage of the experience of the entire fire service. Many times, firefighters have just missed being killed or severely injured. This could have happened while responding to, operating at or returning from an incident or during training. If such a close call occurs when no one else is around to witness the event, it may never be known except to the individual who was there. The military and aircraft industry use a procedure in which a near miss or close call, for whatever reason, is recorded and distributed; therefore, others in the field can learn and be aware if they encounter the same problem or event. The California Highway Patrol has a program titled "Non-Punitive Close Call Reporting." Officers describe the circumstances in which they were involved so others can learn from these lessons and perform their jobs more safely.
We want to hear from firefighters who have found themselves in serious or life-threatening situations. We would like to speak to those individuals. Please submit these cases to us, describing the scenarios and how the firefighters wound up in a near miss or close call. We want to provide this information as an educational tool so we can reduce injuries and deaths in the fire service. To avoid any embarrassment or ridicule to a firefighter or a department, we will change all names and locations. Our only intent is to provide the information as a service to our readers to be better prepared when they provide service to the public. As of April 12, there were 37 fire service line-of-duty deaths reported to the U.S. Fire Administration. After finishing this month's dedication, I still have a list of 24 names to add to future dedications in upcoming issues of Firehouse®. Let's take a renewed interest in reducing firefighter deaths and injuries.
The Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, July 24-29, is fast approaching. We will offer timely topics that the fire/EMS service can learn from, including: recent school shootings; fire/EMS operations at scenes of violence; workshop forums at which attendees can interact with speakers; and hands-on sessions on a wide variety of firefighting topics. We've also added several EMS/MCI topics to the general sessions. Watch for updated ads in Firehouse® Magazine and information on www.firehouse.com.
In October 1999, we published an article on identifying and managing the hazards of cellular phone sites. This month, we present the next generation, a new type of potential hazard to firefighters around the country - the "telco hotel." With the Internet craze, many existing commercial buildings around the country have been renovated to accept switchers, routers and wires that make telecommunications possible. On page 48, contributor Curtis Massey examines the varied hazards within these facilities that will confront firefighters. Uninterruptible power supplies, backup diesel generators, diesel fuel, batteries for electrical backup with the facility having a huge electrical consumption.
A recent New York Times article reported that 46 of these structures are on the drawing board in the New York/New Jersey area alone. The entire twin 110-story World Trade Center complex uses 87 megawatts of power. Just one of these new "telco hotel" buildings is expected to need 180 megawatts of electricity by itself.
The 25th anniversary of Firehouse® Magazine will be celebrated beginning with the special August 2001 issue. Firehouse® is soliciting any good and welfare from our dedicated group of loyal subscribers, many of whom started with the premier issue in September 1976. We would like to add stories about how articles in Firehouse® have benefitted firefighters or departments and how the magazine was used throughout the careers of our readers. We ask readers to share safety tips and tactics they learned from articles in Firehouse® that helped them save lives and prevent injuries.
Congratulations to a long-time friend, advisor and Firehouse® contributing editor, Chief Dennis Rubin, who leaves Dothan, AL, and moves north to take the reins in Norfolk, VA, in mid-June. A tip of the helmet upon the promotion of good friend Mike Clemens to assistant chief in the Montgomery County, MD, Division of Fire & Rescue Services. Last but not least, Contributing Editor Bernard D. Dyer, a deputy chief in the Philadelphia Fire Department, recently retired after 28 years of service. He is now the director of safety management for the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. Good luck to all.
