FIRE ENGINEERING
Medical Emergency Defense . . . See page 37
June 1984
Volume 137 No. 6
DEPARTMENTS
7 EDITORIAL
Is the Mississippi River a barrier to a free exchange of innovation and tradition between eastern and western fire departments?
8 VOLUNTEERS CORNER
Training Lets You Breathe Easier
10 ON HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Haz-Mat Risk Assessment
48 DISPATCHES
Flex specs net savings Voice analyzer
51 BUYERS’ GUIDE
A listing of firefighting equipment, along with the manufacturers’ names and addresses.
12 LETTERS
39 APPARATUS DELIVERIES/INNOVATIONS
44 COMING EVENTS
44 SCHOOLS
83 BOOKS
84 EQUIPMENT DIGEST
89 ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
90 CLASSIFIEDS
91 READER SERVICE CARD
ARSON INVESTIGATION
14 OPERATION RED CAP
An effective anti-arson program uses rapid response, public confidence and community acceptance as its key components.
24 FLAMMABLE LIQUID BURN PATTERNS
What is it about burn patterns that makes investigators point to flammable liquids as the cause of the fire?
70 TEST FOR GASOLINE—WITHOUT RESIDUE
A simple, inexpensive, on-site test for lead in fire debris may help investigators steer an inquiry away from a dead-end lead.
FIREFIGHTING TACTICS
31 LAFD TAKES TO THE AIR
Distance, difficult terrain, and traffic congestion are strategic factors that LAFD’s helicopter task forces have overcome.
PERSONAL SAFETY
37 MEDICAL EMERGENCY DEFENSE
Paramedics often find themselves having to handle more than just a medical emergency—sometimes they find themselves having to act to keep themselves from becoming the victim.
74 SIZE UP FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!
Anticipating a potentially dangerous situation when responding to an EMS call and minimizing the possibility of injury should be part of all emergency response training.
HEALTH
40 DRUGS, DRINK AND DUTY
Drugs have found their way into nearly every work category in America. Carrying drugs and getting high on the job is a breach of trust both with the public and with one another.
FIRE REPORT
76 GROUP HOME FIRE CLAIMS SEVEN LIVES
This fire raises the question as to whether current codes are stringent enough to protect those individuals with physical or mental handicaps.
FIRE PREVENTION
81 HELITORCH: A FIRE SUPPRESSION TOOL
Overgrown brush and chaparral are major propagators of wildfires. Here is one method of managing wildlands to reduce property and natural resource losses.
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