Wed, Mar 28, 2012

The California Department of Industrial Relations' (DIR) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) today teamed up with the Los Angeles Fire Department to educate employers and employees on the dangers of working in confined spaces.

Thu, Dec 1, 2011

I read Editor in Chief Bobby Halton's "Brown M&M's" (Editor's Opinion, Fire Engineering, July 2011) with great interest.

Fri, Oct 7, 2011

Three New Haven (CT) firefighters were injured Thursday in the rope rescue of a female climber who was stuck on a cliff.

Thu, Sep 1, 2011

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.

Fri, Jun 17, 2011

George Potter discusses considerations for conducting high-angle rescue operations at two difficult types of structures, wind turbines and radio antenna towers.

Mon, Nov 1, 2010

Grain silo entrapments are a leading cause of death among farmers and agricultural workers. John K. Murphy points out some of the hazards of firefighters conducting confined space rescue operations and this type of incident and some resources to help educate rescuers.

Fri, Oct 1, 2010

Search is the foundation of the structural collapse rescue operation. If victims can’t be located, they can’t be rescued. It is imperative that every piece of equipment in the rescue/urban search and rescue (USAR) arsenal be considered during a collapse search and rescue operation. Most rescue companies/USAR teams carry a full complement of technical search equipment that has been successfully used at collapse rescue operations.

Thu, Jun 10, 2010

Realistic training involves any number of opportunities to place firefighters and other emergency responders at great risk. As this week's featured firefighter near-miss illustrates, "watching out for the other guy" takes on a new meaning when it comes to lock out-tag out systems.

Wed, Jun 9, 2010

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Fire-Rescue recently put 30 members of their elite technical rescue team (TRT) through an 80-hour Structural Collapse Technician course.

Wed, Jun 2, 2010

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) through their Safety, Health and Survival Section are urging all fire chiefs and officers to immediately issue a stand down in their departments due to two separate, but similar confined space rescue incidents that nearly took the lives of several firefighters.

Thu, May 20, 2010

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined VT Halter Marine Inc., a shipbuilder, for $1,322,000 following a November 2009 explosion and fire that killed two workers and seriously injured two other workers.

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 The chief of the Fayetteville (GA) Fire Department directed that the 2008 training calendar include a rescue awareness training program for all members.

Thu, May 14, 2009 A good corps of captains is the backbone of every department. Michael Hennigan discusses how an officer can build a strong foundation for their fire service career.

Fri, Feb 13, 2009 San Manuel Band of Mission Indians announced that its fire department has been selected by the California State Fire Training Office and Office of Emergency Services to instruct Confined Space Rescue Training courses and offer professional certification.

Mon, Oct 15, 2007 First responders frequently are being called on to deal with incidents involving "jumpers" and other emergencies in which the victims are threats to themselves (and others). Larry Collins has some scenarios and photos to illustrate such incidents.

Thu, May 3, 2007 GfG Instrumentation, Inc. introduces the G450 Multi-gas Detector.

Thu, Mar 1, 2007 On May 17, 2006, at approximately 1630 hours, the New Haven (CT) Emergency Reporting System (ERS) received a 911 call reporting five high-school students were stranded on a rock ledge in the city’s East Rock Park.

Thu, Feb 1, 2007 Providing for adequate storage space is a great challenge when designing and purchasing fire apparatus.

Wed, Dec 1, 1999 Editor`s note: Part 1, "Size-Up and Initial Operations," was published in the November 1999 issue. The author, a captain of LACFD USAR Company 1, was assigned as the entry team manager after USAR-1 was dispatched on a mutual-aid request from the Los Angeles Fire Department to the engulfment within tons of soil of Arturo Garcia, a contract worker at a public works project. Part 1 ended with the completion of preparations to insert the first primary rescuer into the collapse zone containing the vi

Mon, Nov 1, 1999 At 1550 hours on January 20, 1999, the City of Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Operations Control Division (OCD) received a 911 call reporting that a worker was buried in a 25-foot-deep trench at a pipeline construction site in the northeast San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Pacoima. The first-alarm LAFD assignment included Task Force 98, Engine 77, Engine 81, USAR Task Force 88, Rescue Ambulance 98, and Battalion 12 Chief Daryl Arbuthnott, who became the incident commander and identified t