It is our pleasure to present the recipients of this year's Firehouse® Magazine Heroism and Community Service Awards. We thank our corporate sponsors, for without their generosity the program would not be possible: The Foundation for American Firefighters; V.H. Blackinton & Co. Inc.; Code 3 Collectibles; and The Charles Evans Foundation. We would also like to thank our three judges - Battalion Chief Robert Cobb of the Jersey City, NJ, Fire Department, Deputy Chief and Chief of Training Mike Smith of District of Columbia Fire & Rescue and Battalion Chief Billy Goldfeder of the Loveland-Symmes, OH, Fire Department - for the time they devoted to this project.
While much of the country was digging out from a record snowfall in February, we were finishing up at our successful new Firehouse World Show in San Diego, where we "endured" 70-degree weather. I watched the morning news that replayed the frightening video from inside the nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI. The scene that confronted the first-in units must have been a nightmare. Numerous people were still trapped inside, numerous others who barely escaped were outside - many of them burned or injured and awaiting medical attention. Thirty-nine fire departments responded in one manner or another. As of presstime, 99 people had died. As soon as we are allowed to interview those involved, we will bring you the story from this most recent tragedy.
For those who responded to that fire, it is my hope that this was a once-in-a-career incident. For those of us who must cover these events, it is another senseless tragedy, like the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, NY, where 89 people were killed in 1990, and the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where 98 people were killed in 1986.
As I traveled across the country, I asked several fire chiefs whether they had stepped up inspections of nightclubs, bars and similar high-hazard occupancies. Many of these departments have inspectors who routinely inspect and monitor these establishments. My home state of New Jersey has stepped up late-night inspections after this latest tragedy. Years ago, a fire officer told me that after the stepped-up multi-agency inspections of illegal late-night premises following the Happy Land fire, investigators found an illegal social club nearby with 700 people inside. The establishment and many others were shut down for various violations.
When you visit a club, do you note the exits? Most firefighters do, but does the public? I remember being in a club one night during a convention. The people were wall to wall, we could barely move. I promptly left when a smoke machine began operating - despite the premises being sprinklered, it wasn't a place for me. We must not forget those patrons in Rhode Island. They came for a good time, but many died or face a lifetime of pain.
Terrorism and the precautions to protect life being undertaken on a daily basis across the nation are unprecedented. These necessary efforts have led many fire departments to turn much of their attention to a vastly different operation than those to which they are accustomed. Fire departments still must respond to fires, emergencies and EMS calls on a daily basis. These new precautions have been added to the daily workload. These new responsibilities are being undertaken on a scale never seen before by many hazardous material technicians, heavy rescue and manpower squad members. These members have to continue to train on new equipment, respond to new circumstances and operate differently than ever before.
