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  • May 2025

    • May 2025

    Issue Description: The May issue of Firehouse includes feature articles on Swiftwater rescue kits, the evolution of ventilation, cancer prevention, the differences between misconduct and incompetence, and a special supplement on Station Design 2025. Cover Description: Technical rescue team members of the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department and the Burleson, TX, Fire/EMS Department responded to a call for a contractor who came in contact with electrical lines 150 feet high. On arrival, the technicians saw three contractors who were at the top of a cell tower. Two got down by themselves. One was injured. The power was turned off. After a plan was created, technicians ascended the pole—amid winds that pushed the pole back and forth—to build the systems that were required to safely lower the injured contractor. Several hours after arriving, the technicians brought down the patient. Photo by Glen E. Ellman. Dedication: Four U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty—Assistant Chief Donald Kammerich, Fire Chief Gary Moore, Firefighter Chevy Gall and Firefighter/EMT Roy Smith. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.
    Photo by Eli Gill
    firefighters vacant house fire exposure high winds cold temperatures
    Rich Dzierwa
    May 20, 2025
    Members of the Albany, NY, Fire Department responded for a reported structure fire with occupants jumping from the structure.
    Photos courtesy of MW Studios
    volunteer fire department new station recruitment retention
    Robert Manns
    May 19, 2025
    Robert Manns tells volunteer fire department leaders why it's imperative for them to explain to elected officials that a new fire station's benefits include improved recruitment...
    fire department engine companies hose load John J. Salka Jr. FDNY
    John J. Salka Jr.
    May 18, 2025
    John J. Salka Jr. concedes that fire department engine companies can't have every type of hose load that exists but stresses that their members should train to handle as many ...
    Photos by Bob Greenspan Photography
    fire department station design firefighter physical mental well-being
    Nick Lawler
    May 17, 2025
    Nick Lawler's rundown of how the design of a fire station can help firefighter's physical and mental well-being clarifies department leadership's role and responsibilities.
    fire department leaders servanthood
    Dr. Brett Ellis
    May 16, 2025
    Dr. Brett Ellis believes that the best fire department leaders run with a purpose, adapt to change, are willing to shift direction and recognize that there will be obstacles ahead...

    More content from May 2025

    firefighter misconduct incompetence legal implications Curt Varone
    Curt Varone
    May 15, 2025
    Curt Varone explains how legal implications as well as risk to a department’s integrity and culture of growth and professionalism might result when situations aren’t evaluated...
    Photo by Scott Carnahan
    Cycling, jogging, rowing and walking improve mitochondrial function, cardiorespiratory fitness, heart rate recovery and one’s chronotropic index—and they don’t cost a dime nor depend on what a department provides.
    Russ Burnham
    May 14, 2025
    Russ Burnham and Michael Conner make clear to firefighters that their risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental health problems can be mitigated by their own attention...
    EMS providers behavioral health calls de-escalate
    Megan Funk
    May 13, 2025
    Megan Funk explains what might elude many EMS providers about how to achieve positive outcomes when responding to emergency calls that involve mental health, behavioral concerns...
    Photo by Colin Buckley/BRW Architects
    A renovation of the Harris County ESD 16 Klein Station in Tomball, TX, included new bi-fold apparatus bay doors and a new entry that provides a secure vestibule. The bi-fold doors helped to resolve a problem with the station's response times, which negatively affected the firehouse's Operational Efficiency grade. The secure vestibule helped to improve the station's Site & Accessibility grade.
    Marcus Gibbon
    May 12, 2025
    Marcus Gibbon and Peri Sutton provide the means for a fire department to develop a data-driven approach to assessing a firehouse to put the department in a better position to ...
    Photo by Alider Pratts
    fire department rope rescue technique training preparedness Robert Policht
    Robert Policht
    May 11, 2025
    Robert Policht urges city, suburban, volunteer and rural departments alike to familiarize themselves with his lessons for over-the-edge and rope-from-above rescues.
    Photo courtesy of Super Vac
    firefighting vertical horizontal ventilation
    Rich Dzierwa
    May 10, 2025
    The emergence of PPV fans and smoke ejectors that are battery powered brings numerous improvements to the fireground and firefighters' efforts.
    Photo by Andrew McIntyre
    fire department water-rescue technicians swiftwater-rescue kit
    Andrew McIntyre
    May 9, 2025
    Andrew McIntyre talks on-the-water kit, pulley/rope compatibility, rope grabs, webbing and victim medical treatment, so rescue technicians are best prepared when they are called...
    Photos courtesy of Hörmann High-Performance Doors
    fire department station design apparatus bay doors Hörmann High-Performance Doors
    Firehouse Staff
    May 8, 2025
    Firehouse Labs field analysis of Hörmann High-Performance Doors at Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue's Station 52 confirmed the promise of great value, door-opening speed and aesthetics...
    Photo by Jeffrey D. Gaskin
    fire apparatus innovations FDIC 2025
    Jeffrey D. Gaskin
    May 7, 2025
    Jeffrey D. Gaskin found four apparatus component/system introductions at FDIC 2025 that he believes serve as evidence that these types of specialists continue to innovate.
    fire department rescue team vehicle extrication Power Hawk Technologies
    Firehouse Staff
    May 6, 2025
    Firehouse Labs' field analysis of Power Hawk Technologies' Auto Crib-It vehicle stabilization tools verified their capability to automatically set and lock as a vehicle is lifted...
    Photo courtesy of FGM Architects
    fire department station design FGM Architects
    May 6, 2025
    This special Station Design Supplement includes articles on future-proofing a station, firehouse designs for physical and mental health, and building a facility to aid in recruitment...
    firefighter line-of-duty deaths Peter Matthews
    Peter Matthews
    May 5, 2025
    Peter Matthews reminds that the legacy of members who sacrificed their life must not be constrained to Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend but throughout May and always.
    fire department station design for the future
    Jason Moore
    May 2, 2025
    Jason Moore and Scott Roseberry delve into a half-dozen factors that require consideration at the onset of a station design project to ensure a department isn't caught behind ...