Emergency responders will begin to respond to more crashes involving electrically propelled vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt, highlighting the need for firefighters to learn more about how electric vehicles function and the necessary response procedures.
If you encounter a fire floor hallway filled with smoke, you will have to initially stretch hose on the floor below the fire and in the stairwell, if it is relatively clear of smoke.
It is not news that firefighters like to share stories. The dinner table has long been a place for sharing the strange and interesting stories of rides in which you responded.
Today is just another shift, and the fire you'll get today may be just another residential fire.
The fire service is awash in technological solutions to very old problems, and the pace of change is quickening.
Firefighters on the ground are ultimately the ones who extinguish fires.
After every significant fire—especially those that result in a tragedy—we always hear folks say that we must learn from this event so that it never happens again.
In the mid-1990s, the Calvert County (MD) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Departments struggled with a nationwide epidemic: increasing call volume with a disproportionate growth in staffing.
For as much time as we in the fire service dedicate to reviewing and preparing for the challenges of lightweight construction, it is also important to review some of the challenges found in older structures, especially if your jurisdiction has a large number of them.
New products and meth-ods come and go in the fire service.
Almost daily, through the power of the Internet, news of firefighters behaving badly is broadcast for all to read.
Scenario: You are dispatched to a victim with chest pain and difficulty breathing at a nearby residence.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has announced that Pierce is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 ARROW XT, DASH CF, QUANTUM, AND VELOCITY emergency vehicles manufactured from October 13, 2010, through February 8, 2012, and equipped with Detroit Diesel DD13 EPA 2010 engines.
This is in reference to "Firematic Concerns of Hybrids and Electric Vehicles" by David Dalrymple (Extrication Tactics, February 2012). I would like to pass on some helpful information.
Last month we started a discussion about how I discovered Mrs. Smith about halfway through my boss career.
The Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department, Marbury, Maryland, uses this RESPONSE MARINE fire rescue boat to serve the lower Potomac River Basin and the Port Tobacco River.
eDispatches' PHONE APPS for Android and iPhone allow recipients to have their smart phone operate similar to a voice pager with stored voice.
ACTION TRAINING SYSTEMS (ATS) was awarded two Telly Awards® for work on its "Emergency Medical Responder" training series.
Delray Beach (FL) Fire-Rescue Captain JOE FALCONE received the Delray Beach Firefighter of the Year award for 2011.
Sometimes drilling or discussing "back-to-basics" tactics can be very helpful and useful; it may also remind that firefighter who says, "Oh, I forgot about that."
