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  • October 2025

    • October 2025

    Issue Description: The October issue of Firehouse includes feature articles on firefighter decontamination, updates on NERIS and roadway response safety technology.

    Cover Description: The Palmer, PA, Municipal Fire Department was dispatched to a reported dwelling fire. First-arriving units found heavy fire on the first floor extending up to the second. A second alarm with RIT immediately was dispatched. The elderly resident of the home required an oxygen tank, and it’s believed that the fire started near her oxygen unit. Two explosions were heard from inside; members suspected those likely were oxygen bottles. Approximately 40 firefighters and eight apparatus from various departments were on scene to place the fire under control in about an hour. Temperatures in the area that day reached at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Photo by Thomas Kohler.

    Dedication: Three U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty— Fire Police Capt. Ed Margavich, Capt. Christopher Brown and Firefighter/Sawyer Ruben Romero. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.

    More content from October 2025

    Photos courtesy of UL Solutions
    Many of the PPE sizing tables for women that are used today were developed using decades-old studies of military personnel. Improperly size turnout gear can interfere with mobility and introduced unnecessary risks.
    Amanda Newsom's two decades of experience testing and certifying first responder PPE provides the platform for her stance that how firefighter turnout gear is built must evolve...
    Oct. 29, 2025
    fire department assistant chief leadership Dr. David Griffin
    Dr. David Griffin's experiences as an fire department assistant chief are invaluable for those who aspire to the position and for those who serve under those leaders.
    Oct. 28, 2025
    Images by Chad Beam
    A dashboard that was created with a geographic information system (GIS) shows the location of apparatus and associated details.
    Chad Beam provides the ins and outs of the implementation of GIS, advanced communication systems and predictive modeling to ensure that staffing, to whatever extent, is utilized...
    Oct. 27, 2025
    Where once the Detroit Fire Department’s (DFD) approach to training might have been deemed basic, the department has injected excitement into its training program, including via the construction of a new training tower and the launch of specialized training modules. Photos courtesy of the Detroit Fire Department
    For the Detroit Fire Department, a change in perspective about how training is handled opened the door to improving the DFD is numerous ways.
    Oct. 24, 2025
    Bud Harris
    Firefighter Decon: on the Fireground and at the Station
    Firefighters must be diligent about decontamination, from the moment they step away from a call to when they take a shower. Numerous innovations aid in the effort.
    Oct. 23, 2025
    Photos by Jeffrey Mondo
    Making the lip on the trench safe and placing/moving ladders are key tasks that members of first-arriving companies can assist with under the guidance of a technical rescue team member. This safely engages the first-arriving companies and frees up technical rescue team members for more technical tasks.
    Christian Brown and Jeffrey Mondo tell how basic trench rescue training of firefighters serves as a force multiplier for technical rescue teams.
    Oct. 22, 2025
    Photos courtesy of the Tucson, AZ, Fire Department
    Tucson, AZ, Fire Department Battalion Chief Bruce Noble calls members’ ignoring flow path, including propping open the front door, a “flagrant foul” in the response to a fire at an abandoned gas station. This combined with interior crew members pulling a 3 x 3-ft. section of ceiling led to a smoke explosion.
    Billy Goldfeder learned from the Tucson, AZ, Fire Department how the lives of members were put at risk when flow path was ignored at a fire at an abandoned commercial building...
    Oct. 21, 2025
    fire department technology FireFusion conference
    Being apart of FireFusion 2025 will leave attendees with new ideas, best practices and insight into the most cutting-edge technology. Takeaways from three sessions serve to illustrate...
    Oct. 17, 2025
    Photo courtesy of FotoKite
    The tethered Sigma unmanned aerial system from FotoKite provides a maximum vantage point of 150 ft. A rooftop case configuration is designed to be integrated in SUVs and apparatus.
    Jason Moore shares insight into eight products that address the fact that one-fifth of annual fatal injuries to firefighters result from roadway vehicle accidents.
    Oct. 17, 2025
    Photos courtesy of the Detroit Fire Department
    The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) instituted its Medical First Responder (MFR) program in 2015. For the first time in the department’s history, firefighters would be trained to provide basic care to citizens, including those who are the person in need from a Code 1 call. Life-saving results from a response to a cardiac event at which an engine company and a medic crew arrived now are the norm. “Firefighters are able to provide a higher level of care, which creates better outcomes,” Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms proudly states.
    Ten years ago, trust in the Detroit Fire Department was lacking, from the community and its members. Today, that’s turned around, and the DFD is on the same footing with some ...
    Oct. 16, 2025
    Photos by Michael Daley
    Information that incident commanders (ICs) can’t gather from their position must be communicated to them as quickly as possible by officers who coordinate operations within a structure/building.
    Michael Daley explains why company officers who operate within a burning structure/building who aren't versed in the importance of the Conditions-Actions-Needs (CAN) report put...
    Oct. 15, 2025
    Firehouse Innovation Awards
    The 2025 Firehouse Innovation Awards recognize products and services that help fire service agencies to provide critical services to their community.
    Oct. 14, 2025
    fire department fire station operations technology Peter Matthews
    Peter Matthews shares his enthusiasm about current and future technological advances and how they smartly combine with traditional strategies to improve operations and firehouse...
    Oct. 13, 2025