I was standing in front of my firehouse the other night when I was told that I had a telephone call inside. I told the person on the other end that I was a little busy a 9,000-gallon gasoline tanker was lying on its side in front of my firehouse. The person on the phone said, "I won't bother you," but I replied, "It's OK, it's only a drill."
We were fortunate enough to have been placed on a schedule for the Amoco Oil Co.'s Sidekick Program, in which a specially equipped gasoline tanker that's capable of being turned on its side safely offers the ultimate in gasoline tanker truck emergency training. We will present a story on this unique training opportunity in a future issue. On the last of four days of training, I had four engines, two trucks and a rescue from mutual aid companies operating in front of my station. Had a working fire occurred during the class, my second-alarm assignment and rapid intervention truck were very close! At a time when many people were screaming at the oil companies about the high prices of gasoline, we were at least getting something back, in the way of unusual hands-on training.
Traveling to the West Coast in April, I found summerlike temperatures and high winds already straining resources in New Mexico and California. Normally, their fire season doesn't begin until the fall. However, two years of rain in California have created a brush density that hadn't been seen for years. The new chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department, William R. Bamattre, said, "It's bad when there is a drought and it's bad when there is rain; the rain allows the brush and vegetation to grow."
Early plans in Los Angeles, besides beefed-up assignments and staging in brush areas, include four helicopters that are to respond on the first alarm. As Contributing Editor Robert M. Winston says, the wildland interzone can affect every state, not just the West. Beginning on page 38 we review the major wildland fire, the largest of its type in the state since 1908, that ripped through Long Island, NY, last year. Over 168 fire departments responded. Let's hope for the best this year.
In this issue we present the results of the National Run Survey. A not-too-surprising effect of fire departments responding to medical calls is a large increase in reported engine company responses. For example, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Engine 46 responded to 5,777 runs last year. Medical calls were responsible for 4,406. See page 98 for our extensive report, found only in Firehouse.
We also present the first of a series of articles from the Farmedic program on page 94. It is an in-depth look at emergency situations that can be found on farms, a must read for rural responders. Several members of the Virginia fire service have gathered together to present a story on the Internet, now a part of many people's daily lives (see page 76).
Finally, beginning on page 58 we present stories by two fireground commanders who both have experience dealing with urban terrorism. Fortunately, not many people get this type of experience but we need to share what others have learned. Sounds familiar.
