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Fire Engineering Magazine: Current Issue
Fire Engineering Magazine, April 2008 Articles
Fire Engineering Table of Contents
Features
Pulling up to a burning building, you see fire and smoke. You are attempting to process an overwhelming amount of information as you view this dramatic scene.
To commence and sustain interior fire operations, a few things must be in place.
“Hey, Lieutenant, your company has drill time today. Do something good, okay?” This shift change statement, heard nationwide, strikes fear in some, anxiety in others, and frustration in most.
A machinery entrapment is among the most challenging of rescues. It tests the skills and creativity of even the most competent rescuers.
The threat of terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD), combined with the increasing use of hazardous materials in criminal activities, has significantly altered the traditional philosophies of hazmat emergency response.
Firefighters do their best work inside a fire building; that’s where they can most effectively save civilian lives and stop fire from taking possession of a structure.
When it comes to SCBA emergency air management, we have found that certain breathing methods are based on opinion and conjecture as opposed to testing and evaluation.
Stress/overexertion caused the greatest number of deaths of American firefighters in the line of duty in 2007; the most common nature of death was heart attack, and the majority of heart attacks occurred on the fireground.
One of the many benefits of being a firefighter is the opportunity to sit down each shift and enjoy a meal, albeit occasionally cold and sometimes unfinished, with the people with whom we work.
Whether your agency is completing a strategic plan, participating in the self-assessment accreditation process, justifying current or needed resources, or just performing an analysis, there is a distinct need for accurately measuring effectiveness, analyzing service levels, and developing a “national” fire service database.
Firefighters often proclaim that they are “jack-of-all-trades and master of none.
There are volumes of studies and research on the topic of leadership. Probably hundreds of psychologists and Ph.D's have written books on the subject.
Departments
Editor's Opinion
The most powerful piece of advice I ever received regarding what we need to do for people came in the context of overhaul.
Volunteers Corner
Over the past three years, volunteer, part-time, and career firefighters were charged with committing numerous criminal acts, including arson.
Training Notebook
I don’t think anyone in the fire service could have anticipated how deadly the summer of 2007 would be for U.S. Firefighters.
Fire Focus
Size-up of older commercial buildings continues throughout the entire operation.
On September 27, 2006, at 1628 hours, the Niles (IL) Fire Department (NFD) received a call concerning a worker entrapped in a trench collapse and requested the response of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division 3 Technical Rescue Team (TRT).
Tricks of the Trade
It never ceases to amaze us how adept firefighters are at finding ways to improve or modify existing ideas, practices, or tools.
Roll Call
Last month, when discussing dedicated company assignments, we explored some ways adopting this practice can improve overall fire company operations.
Fire Service EMS
Your medic unit responds to a 54-year-old male with chest pain. On your arrival, he appears pale and diaphoretic and states he was watching television when the pain developed.
Congressional Clipboard
Firefighters stand among the ranks of our nation’s bravest first responders, constantly putting themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe.
The Engine Company
Our communities are changing—growing and being redeveloped at a rapid pace.
Roundtable
Question: Most of us realize that staffing is key to successful operations at fires.
News In Brief
The budget released by the White House for Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) in February contains “significant cuts to first responder grant programs,” according to the Congressional Fire Services Institute.
Letters to the Editor
Iam responding to Jonathan Riffe’s Letter to the Editor published in the February 2008 issue in which he criticized our operations at a serious motor vehicle accident on December 23, 2006 (“Challenging and Difficult Auto Extrication,” Volunteers Corner, November 2007).
What We Learned
At 0426 hours on August 15, 2006, the Boise (ID) Fire Department responded to a reported fire in a multiple family dwelling located at the corner of Curtis and Overland Roads.
The Professor
Some firefighters call the push bar across the center of the door “panic hardware.
Fire Commentary
In today’s world, we fire-fighters must respond to hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides, snowstorms, and all-out hellish weather.
Chemical Warfare Agents for Firefighters
Blood agents are chemical warfare agents (CWA) that interfere with the ability of the bloodstream to transport oxygen to all the body’s cells (blood asphyxiants) or that make the cells unable to use the oxygen (tissue asphyxiants).
Technology Today
Every fire department has different needs. Thus, input from emergency personnel is so important when emergency vehicles are custom built.
Apparatus Deliveries
The Clinton-Warren Joint Fire District in Clinton County, Michigan, replaced an older minipumper with this SUMMIT rescue style midi-pumper.
Company / Association News
>> The NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) is accepting applications for the National Junior Firefighter Scholarship and Grant Program, sponsored by Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation.
Rules of Engagement
Last month we discussed how critical situation awareness is to effective fireground operations.
Fire Engineering Blog
Our advisory board discusses hot topics in the fire service. Your comments welcome!
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