IMAGINE THIS: YOU ARE THE FIRSTDUE ENGINE ON A breadandbutter residential contents fire in your district. The stretch goes perfectly, and forcible entry is not a problem, but as you are advancing the hoseline 30 feet into the structure, you encounter an unconscious victim.
Because of its availability and versatility, wood shoring is widely used to temporarily stabilize damaged structures during urban search and rescue (US&R) operations. Shoring systems have been developed using wellaccepted engineering principles and design specifications.
THE NOVEMBER 2008 COMPLEX ATTACKS IN MUMBAI, India; ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; and the deteriorating narcoterrorism/criminal insurgency situation on the United StatesMexico border these are events U. S. first responders should note, study, and use as the basis for developing effective public safety guidelines.
ANY CITIES AND TOWNS HAVE HOUSES THAT were built 100 or more years ago, and fires in these buildings presented common problems firefighters faced related to building construction. Firefighters face new and different challenges with houses built with modern construction materials and methods.
AT 1745 HOURS ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2010, New York City (NYC) was impacted by a severe storm that taxed all of its first responder agencies. Following the storm, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) resources performed beyond expectation in emergency and recovery operations for 14 days.
Your engine company arrives first on scene to an occupied twostory residential dwelling fire at 0200 hours. As you read the smoke, you assess that this fire is most likely in the basement.
SIZEUP IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR FIREground operation and should be conducted by every responding and arriving member of the fire department, officers and firefighters. The officers' sizeup is geared toward information that pertains to their train of thought.
In April 2011, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) exercised two unique resources at a complex terrorism drill at the Center for National Response (CNR) in Gallagher, West Virginia. The result was that FDNY reinforced its ability to field an Incident Management Team (IMT) that can support operations at a Type One complexity terrorist incident.
In an age of international and domestic terror, fire service and law enforcement representatives are working collaboratively with the private sector and media across the country to find ways to enhance their response capabilities and better secure their emergency scenes.
The United States was still reeling in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when a new threat emerged just days later.
This article introduces a risk-based emergency response plan for hazmat/weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents that integrates facts, science, and circumstances to guide the operations-level responder in taking appropriate action at predetermined decision points.
The fire service is soon going to come to grips with a new word: austerity, the responsibility to complete the mission with the absolute minimum funding possible. We have been watching closely how our brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom (UK) have managed with their austerity budgets during the past year.
While reading Barry Daskal's article, "Captain: The First 60 Days" (Fire Engineering, October 2009), I realized that I had done or wished that I had used many of the ideas Daskal presented to help new chiefs.
According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, 2007 edition, Section A.7.11.1.2 (and I paraphrase): The NFPA, ANSI, IAFF, and most selfcontained breathing apparatus (SCBA) manufacturers do not recommend any form of buddy breathing … including using some devices that can be purchased (for extra money) for SCBAs.
It's a warm summer afternoon. A string of strong thunderstorms has just run through town. Trees and power lines are down across a large area. Several localized power outages are being reported.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) United States Fire Administration's (USFA) special report "Large Loss Building Fires" examines the characteristics and causes of these fires. The report, developed by the USFA's National Fire Data Center, is based on 2007 to 2009 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).
I look forward to reading each issue of Fire Engineering. Thanks to Editor in Chief Bobby Halton for "Brown M&M's" (Editor's Opinion, July 2011). The editorial is wellwritten, and I will be happy to share the magazine with my coworkers.
WHEN I DEAL WITH YOUNG firefighters during my travels, I continually hear their concern about the challenge of understanding and learning how to effectively and safely operate at fire situations.
To remain proficient and increase efficiency during technical rescue training, our shift developed a mechanical advantage tarp (MAT). This is not a new idea; there are a variety of tarps in use throughout the fire service for a variety of things including hazardous materials, decontamination, and equipment staging.
Extraction Zones is a smart device application created by Extraction Zones LLC, which is comprised of Adam Weiss, a Las Vegas firefighter, and Michael Forte, a technology entrepreneur.
The Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department received four KME tractor drawn quints. Battalion Chief Jon O'Brien says the quints are used as a standalone resource and as a second company at multicompany stations.
Jean Potter's and Rob Kaplan's BY THE GRACE OF GOD: A 9/11 SURVIVOR'S STORY OF LOVE, HOPE, AND HEALING tells the story of Potter and her will to survive. In a desperate effort to escape the collapse of the North Tower during the World Trade Center attacks, Potter and her coworkers' had to descend 81 flights of stairs.
The Better Angels: The Firefighters of 9/11 exhibit traveled to the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS conference in Atlanta.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced the election of HAROLD A. SCHAITBERGER to the Board of Directors.
Responding in on an EMS run for a person who fainted in an apartment on a hot and humid night didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary for us in the summer.
