Features
- Apparatus Load Balance Guidelines
  It is exasperating when fire departments pub- lish apparatus purchasing specifications mandating requirements they do not understand.
- The Doctrine of SCBA
  From the ancient days of the Roman Empire until today, firefighters have had to deal with nasty atmospheres.
- The Roles of a Proactive Driver
  Being a driver can be one of the toughest, most important jobs on the fireground, especially during the first few minutes of a working fire.
- Maximizing Simulation Driver Training
  Simulation driver training is not meant to replace the cognitive or the psychomotor aspects of a driving program.
- Evaluating Vehicle Fire Training Inhalation Hazards
  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a health hazard evaluation (HHE) request from an Ohio township fire and rescue department concerning potential inhalation exposures during vehicle fire suppression training [see sidebar "The Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program"].
- Smoke Management in High-Rise Structures
  Most modern building codes define a high-rise structure as a building greater than 75 feet in height from the lowest level of fire department vehicle access to the highest occupiable floor.
- All Hazard Incidents: Setting Objectives and Strategies
  Only a few years ago, few would have thought possible that the East and West Coast could ever agree on how best to manage a large complex incident.
- Creating a Maintenance Program for Personal Protective Equipment
  National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1851, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, incorporates common practices and procedures derived from the input of firefighting professionals, manufacturers, and industry specialists for maintaining personal protective equipment (PPE).
- The 48/96 Work Schedule: A Viable Alternative?
  A growing trend mostly among progressive western U.S. fire departments is the implementation of a 48/96 work schedule.
- The Evolution of Federal Emergency Response Since Hurricane Andrew
  Over the past two decades, the United States has had to respond to and recover from numerous disasters, both man-made and natural.
Departments
- Editor's Opinion
  - The Fire Service Code of Honor
    The term ethics has been defined as a system of moral principles, as in the ethics of a culture. It is also recognized as the accepted rules of conduct for a particular group.
- Volunteers Corner
  - Long Island Training Consortium
    In these tough economic times, training budgets are being slashed, and we need to explore alternatives to provide quality training for firefighters and fire officers.
- Training Notebook
  - SCUBA Dive Rescue Operations: A Familiarization Course
    As civilian drowning casualties began to steadily increase around the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York, from 2008 through 2009, Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Battalion Chief Michael McGrath sought input from the various FDNY resources that respond to water emergencies to streamline FDNY operations within his command.
- Web Watch
  - (fireengineering.com)
    One of the most lethal, disastrous, and plaguing problems in the fire service is when apparatus are involved in vehicular accidents.
- Fire Service EMS
  - To Improve Communications, Listen to the Radio
    Recently, my company was involved in a prolonged extrication after a motor vehicle slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer truck.
- Extrication Tactics
  - Firematic Concerns of Hybrids and Electric Vehicles
    Although most incidents requiring management of a motor vehicle involve an accident or a medical emergency, a vehicle fire today is another story.
- News In Brief
  - USFA: 81 firefighter LODDs in 2011
    There were 81 line-of-duty firefighter deaths (LODDs) in the United States in 2011, according to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), representing a decrease from 2010, when there were 87 fatalities.
- Letters to the Editor
  - (February 2012)
    Chief Mike Piper of the Arvada (CO) Fire Protection District in "How We Got Burned" (Fire Engineering, November 2011) states: "When it comes to firefighting gloves and hoods, thicker might be better ….
- Bruno "Unplugged"
  - Advice to Young Firefighters, Part 6
    We have recently talked about two really important fireground subjects: fire behavior and water—its characteristics and how it is delivered.
- What We Learned
  - Unusual Handcuff Extrication
    The Painesville Township (OH) Fire Department (PTFD) and the Concord Township (OH) Fire Department (CTFD) have an excellent working relationship and conduct multiple company training evolutions several times a month from spring until winter.
- Technology Today
  - HeatSeeker Technology Moves to Save Firefighters' Lives
    HeatSeeker Technology & Design, LLC, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, is committed to saving the lives of firefighters around the globe by producing products that assist in rehabilitation on emergency scenes.
- Apparatus Deliveries
  - APPARATUS DELIVERIES
    The Carbonear Volunteer Fire Department, Newfoundland, Canada, uses this SUTPHEN SL 100 aerial ladder to protect the town, which includes an eight-story hospital and many older three- and four-story buildings.
- Products
  - Products/Services/Media
    Kochek Company's STORZ LOCKING DEVICE enhances equipment security.
- Company/Association News
  - Company/Association News
    The REMEMBRANCE RESCUE PROJECT was created in July 2011 from Rescue 4, a Fire Department of New York (FDNY) apparatus used during 9/11, to serve as a mobile memorial which honors and remembers the events of 9/11 and all fallen firefighters throughout the country.
- Names in the News
  - Names in the News
    JAMES A. MILKE was named president of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) for 2012. Milke is a professor and the chair of the department of fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland.
- On Fire
  - Did You See That?
    Working in the cold winter months can be very difficult for most fire departments because the weather can wreak havoc with our operations.