Two firefighters suffered serious burns while conducting a primary search at a dwelling fire in suburban Arvada, Colorado, in the early morning hours of April 3, 2011.
Since the passage of the Superfund Amendment Reauthorization Act (SARA) 25 years ago, I have found that its influence on the emergency services, especially the fire service, is not very well understood.
The urban fire problem of rear porches and asphalt exterior siding has moved to the suburbs in the forms of wood decks and vinyl siding.
Improvised explosive device (IED) and homemade explosive (HME) attacks can consist of anything from homemade pipe bombs to sophisticated military ordnance; however, emergency service agencies are more likely to encounter IEDs/HMEs than military weapons in their day-to-day responses.
On December 15, 2009, at approximately 12:30 a.m., fire units were dispatched to the parking lot of a community park where police units were performing a routine drive-through looking for suspicious activities.
Part 2 continues our review of the Japan tsunami of March 10, 2011, which killed nearly 30,000 people.
Since assuming responsibility for fire and EMS protection of Lewis University Airport (KLOT) in 2003, the Lockport Township (IL) Fire Protection District (LTFPD) has provided the best possible protection for Illinois' fourth busiest airport for takeoffs and landings (2008 Illinois Department of Transportation statistics)
People have used a variety of chemicals to commit suicide. Some of the more common chemicals include carbon monoxide, pharmaceutical overdoses, cyanides, inert gases (helium, nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide), and pesticides.
Excellence, like tradition, is the result of time-honored practices that officers reinforce daily in providing a good example through their leadership and by firefighters who demonstrate their pride in their organization by their commitment.
In 1981, I was sworn into the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and left my career in the chemical industry behind, or so I thought.
This November marks more than just the beginning of the holiday season; it is also the beginning of the 2012 election season. Politics are always one of the toughest subjects firefighters can engage in conversation about.
In volunteer companies, just as it is everywhere else in North America, money is tighter than ever before. Yet, tools and equipment are becoming more and more expensive.
When thermal imaging cameras (TICs) first appeared, they were hailed as "firefighter radar," a solution for all our search needs.
This month's Roundtable question concerns your department's morale. Several factors contribute to the morale of a department.
Chemical suicides have plagued the United States since 2008 and continue to be on the rise. This method of suicide originated in Japan in 2007, where authorities have seen more than 2,000 such cases.
The Fire Protection Research Foundation has joined with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in developing a prioritized research agenda for NIST's new structural fire resistance testing facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
"The Dangers of Illegally Converted Private Dwellings," by Jerry Knapp and George Zayas of the West Haverstraw (NY) Fire Department (Fire Engineering, June 2011), used a January 14, 2011, fire as an example without any mention of dangerous flaws in the strategic and tactical decisions made that nearly caused a firefighter fatality.
Last month I told the story of how I was a curiosity-driven firefighter, a student who was lucky enough to get to go to fire school at Oklahoma State University (OSU).
What was dispatched as another routine call could have turned deadly for the Scarsdale (NY) Fire Department (SFD) and several construction workers if not for ongoing cooperation and training the SFD received from Consolidated Edison (ConEd), the region's gas and electric utility company, and placing that training into action.
The threat of terror—real or imagined—has focused the minds of facilities management professionals, building owners, architects, engineers, technologists, and planners to better design buildings that can withstand a new array of risks.
The Wilbur (NE) Fire Department designed this DANKO tanker with a short wheelbase for more maneuverability when driven off-road and when using the spray bars.
The BUTTERFLY SMOKE SEAL® KIT uniquely blocks deadly smoke. It is a safety "must-have" for hotels, offices, dorm rooms, bedrooms, patient rooms—anywhere a fire can arise.
FIREMAN'S FUND INSURANCE COMPANY will offer 13 fire departments a total of $130,000 in grant package funding designed to help make communities safer.
Charleston (SC) Fire Department Chief THOMAS CARR JR. announced his retirement effective March 1, 2012.
Working alongside ma- jor expressways has made for some very interesting motor vehicle accident experiences.
