In this issue we focus on arson and fire safety education. On page 52, Jay K. Bradish examines the latest statistics concerning the country's arson problem and the steps that can be taken to combat this problem. One sad aspect to his report is the involvement of firefighters in this crime. Recently, on Firehouse.com, I noticed that there were several new reports of arson arrests of firefighters across the country.
We must not be doing a proper job of investigating new members or teaching them about the devastating effects that this has on their fire departments, the general public, the arsonist and their families. It leaves a black eye on the entire fire service. Like someone said, it's not that firefighters are turning into arsonists, but that we are using arsonists as firefighters. For whatever reason these crimes happen, we have to get the word out to every one of our newer members: we will ultimately catch you, so don't even think about doing it. It is quite common to hear these horror stories. We have all heard them. A former member of my own department was caught a few years before I was old enough to become a firefighter.
Turning to fire safety education, on page 56 we take a look at how one university went out to protect students from the ravages of fire. College fire safety has been a hot topic since the deadly fire in Seton Hall University in New Jersey last year. Several students were killed in Chapel Hill, NC, a few years ago as well. New Jersey has passed legislation to sprinkler all dormitories within a few years, and it appears that Pennsylvania lawmakers are going to further debate the issue. Children start more than 67,000 fires every year, and juveniles are responsible for 54% of arson fires nationwide. With that in mind, on page 60 we report on an intervention program that reaches out to young children before they can start their first fire.
Also in this issue, FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka reviews the offensive and defensive uses of elevated master streams from an elevating platform. You can read John's article on page 44. The difference between close calls and an ordinary fire (if you can call any fire an ordinary event) may be the training, luck or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can read about the four firefighters killed during a wildfire in the State of Washington on page 40.
In many of the incidents we are presenting in our new feature, "Close Calls" (see page 50), the difference was the training and foresight that enabled these firefighters to overcome problems and stay alive or save their partners. I've read many fire investigation reports about incidents in which things went wrong and firefighters were killed. Sometimes, many things go wrong. Training may be the key to operational success and safety. If you don't practice an evolution often, how can you expect to operate correctly when the time comes to perform?
Some departments are working on getting back to basics. Many people have said in the past few years with all the specialized training being required, like confined space, urban search and rescue, hazardous materials, incident command and blood-borne pathogens, some of the firefighting basics are being forgotten. If you have had a close call and you would like to share your experience, please send the information to [email protected] or [email protected], or mail it to us at Firehouse® Magazine.
We recently sponsored our 18th annual Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. The derailment and fire in the 1.7-mile railroad tunnel occurred near the Convention Center, but the hazards were mitigated successfully by the Baltimore City Fire Department and other agencies just before we started our show. A great job by all involved. Speaking of shows, our next show is the Fire Rescue West conference in San Jose, Feb. 12-14, 2002. Also, we are starting a new Firehouse World Conference in San Diego, Feb.18-20, 2003. Please don't forget about the other conferences that we co-sponsor: the Worcester Memorial Safety & Training Seminar in Massachusetts, Oct. 26-28; Vision 2002 in Seattle, March 17-21; and East Meets West in Los Angeles County, May 17-18, 2002. See you there.
