July 2013

More content from July 2013

Photo from Paul Hashagen Collection
One of the most stubborn fires in FDNY history occurred on April 20, 1935, and involved a warehouse filled with crude rubber on Furman Street on the Brooklyn waterfront. Five alarms were transmitted as firemen battled the flames and smoke for more than 18 hours.
VALENCIA, PA: JULY 3, 1913 – Five children were killed as a fire that was caused by an overheated stove swept through their home. The children, ages 11 years to 9 months, were...
July 1, 2013
E-ONE recently recognized dealers and sales representatives for their outstanding performance over the past year. An appreciation breakfast and awards ceremony took place prior...
July 1, 2013
Photo by Chief Spokesperson & PIO Mark E. Brady/PGFD
Seven firefighters were injured during firefighting operations at this single-family dwelling in Prince George’s County, MD.
On Feb. 24, 2012, seven Prince George’s County, MD, firefighters were injured during a fire in a single-family dwelling fire on 57th Avenue in Riverdale Heights.
July 1, 2013
Photo by Jeff Zimmerman
On third day of the 'Powerhouse Fire' in Los Angeles County, CA, the fire had spread to 25,000 acres. A DC-10 was called in to drop a line of retardant on the west side of the fire to prevent the fast-moving blaze from entering Kings Canyon, a densely populated and steep canyon area nearby.
“Powerhouse Fire”As predicted, hot, dry weather helped to spur on a large wildfire in Los Angeles County, CA, near Green Valley. Started near the Department of Water and Power...
July 1, 2013
KME has introduced the 102-foot AerialCat Platform
Aerial PlatformKME has introduced the 102-foot AerialCat Platform, offering the shortest wheelbase and overall lengths and lowest travel heights in the industry. The new platform...
July 1, 2013
Photos by Gene Blevins
Children wait outside of what was once their home while their father searches in debris.
MOORE, OK, MAY 20, 2013 – Twenty-three people were killed and 377 others were injured when an EF5 tornado with peak winds of 210 mph struck Moore and adjacent areas around Oklahoma...
July 1, 2013
Photo by Mike Meadows
A U.S. Forest Service firefighter stands atop his engine to monitor conditions as his fellow firefighters operate during a firestorm in California. An early and busy wildland fire season is already putting emergency resources to the test.
As we were deciding which incidents to cover in Firehouse®, the past several weeks have been chock full of fires, disasters, explosions, building collapses and weather-related...
July 1, 2013
Twelve emergency personnel recently died in the line of duty. Six career firefighters and six civilian employees died in six separate incidents. Six deaths were the result of ...
July 1, 2013
Thermal imagers are continually becoming more common in firefighting operations and the list of applications for which the devices are being used continues to grow. From search...
July 1, 2013
Photo courtesy of RCC Consultants
The Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), also known as Fairfax County 9-1-1, is the largest emergency communications center in Virginia and one of the 10 biggest in the U.S. DPSC dispatches fire-rescue, police and sheriff’s office units and receives approximately 1 million calls for service annually.
Barry Furey looks at PSAP consolidations, the cloud and new technology.
July 1, 2013
Photos by Ron Moore
The 'floorpan-mounted' high-voltage battery of the Mitsubuishi i-MiEV weighs approximately 500 pounds. The entire vehicle weighs approximately 2,500 pounds so it is apparent that the vehicle is 'bottom heavy.' This is important to consider when stabilizing this vehicle. The floorpan battery is visible below the vehicle in this image.
SUBJECT: Electric Plug-In VehiclesTOPIC: Challenges of Floorpan-mounted High-voltage BatteriesOBJECTIVE: Understand procedures necessary for dealing with an electric plug-in vehicle...
July 1, 2013
Jude, Rachel and Chesna Diaz were given the Life Saving Award, the highest award possible for a civilian from DBFR.
DBFR Presents Life Saving Award to FamilyThe Delray Beach Fire-Rescue (DBRF) recently honored the Diaz family for their efforts on a call on April 12. The family witnessed a motor...
July 1, 2013
Fire Officials Selected for Harvard ProgramU.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell has announced that four senior fire officials will receive fellowships to attend the Harvard...
July 1, 2013
Congratulations to Daniel Byrne on an excellent article “Global Lessons: Bringing Fire Prevention Home” posted on Firehouse.com. I have been preaching the “gospel” of fire prevention...
July 1, 2013
Photos courtesy of the author
Photo 1. Stage the hose in line with your attack entrance.
Hose should not be arbitrarily thrown wherever space allows. Instead, slow down and think about the positioning of the hose. The term “staging hose” implies that the hose is placed...
July 1, 2013
Photos courtesy of the author
Nozzle firefighter. The job of the nozzle firefighter is dangerous and challenging. The duties will place the firefighter close proximity to the fire and involve a high level of risk. To reduce risk and be able to quickly and safely reach and extinguish the fire, the firefighter must first conduct a size-up and a stretch estimate and make an efficient stretch.
So far in this series, we have discussed how to properly prepare ourselves through training and pre-planning. We reviewed how to perform a thorough and accurate size-up and a ...
July 1, 2013
Photo by Jay K. Bradish/IFPA
EMS transportation is a logical fit and within the scope of purpose for many fire departments, but that does not make the decision to start providing EMS transportation easy.
This question is a continuation of last month’s discussion about fire-based EMS. While it is widely considered a best practice by efficiency consultants to benchmark and compare...
July 1, 2013
Dennis Compton 10953342
Times aren’t easy in Washington, DC, these days when it comes to maintaining federal support for issues that are critical to the fire service in the United States. For that matter...
July 1, 2013
Photo courtesy of Gwinnett County FD
Gwinnett County Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team responded to an overturned tanker that spilled 2,000 gallons of gasoline into a creek.
Robert Burke explains how Gwinnett County, GA, fire and police crews work together for hazmat incidents.
May 1, 2013