Featured Blog Posts – September 2009 Archive (28)

Just Enough Leadership

Henry Mintzberg is not a fan of the “American” style of leadership.

In the July-August 2009 edition of Harvard Business Review, writing in Rebuilding Companies as Communities, Mintzberg asserts:

"They sat in their offices and announced the goals they want others to attain, instead of getting on the ground and helping improve performance. Executives did not know what was going on, and employees didn’t care what went on. What a monumental failure… Continue

Added by Mike Ward on September 6, 2009 at 12:17pm — 6 Comments

Near Miss: The 400-lb. Patient in the Room

NEAR-MISS REPORT

The 400-lb. Patient in the Room: We must ensure safe operations during unique calls, like transporting the immobile, obese patient

By Deputy Chief John B. Tippett Jr.

The role of the fire service has expanded well beyond the original concept and ideals promulgated by early colonists Peter Stuyvesant and Benjamin Franklin. What hasn’t changed in the last 300 years: the tradition of rising to the occasion when called upon to assist a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 5, 2009 at 10:30am — 2 Comments

Heads Up! Part 2: How to perform a tree rescue

RESCUE TRAINING

By Andy Speier

Consider this scenario: A parachutist is blown off course and gets caught hanging by their chute in a tree 150 feet off the ground. The branch nearest the ground is 50 feet away, and there’s no vehicle access to the site. Is your department or rescue team prepared and trained to initiate a rescue in this situation? How long until the parachutist becomes unconscious and unable to assist with the rescue?

In my… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Safe Shuttling: Best Practices for water-hauling operations

RURAL FIRE COMMAND

By Mike Kucsma

I’d like to think that the fire service is starting to make some strides when it comes to reducing apparatus accidents and, therefore, the number of injuries and fatalities associated with such incidents. And although I could make driving safety the topic of this article—and even address some personal near misses—I’m going to leave that to my colleagues who deliver the driving safety and seatbelt message louder and more… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Time for another talk with the daughter

This from my almost 21 y/o college daughter.

School day 2: got the soccer class canceled by passing out so instead of taking a text in my next 2 classes I was surrounded by very attractive emts :) Best day yet!

I'm assuming she's OK since this was sent after her 'episode'.

Added by Jay Nicholson on September 2, 2009 at 8:38pm — No Comments

Dig In.

Dig in.

“Early on in my fire service career, we responded to a report of a tractor-trailer rolled over on a nearby state highway. We arrived on scene and found a truck lying on its passenger side. The wheels were facing the roadway and the top of the cab was on the shoulder of the road. The truck driver was being treated as walking wounded. It seemed like a relatively benign accident.

As we approached the curb side we realized that this was no ordinary call. It turned out… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 2, 2009 at 6:00pm — 9 Comments

1 Giant Step for Truckies: Managing Parapets

One Giant Step for Truckies: How to safely manage parapets

By Peter F. Kertzie

The amount of energy we exert scurrying up an aerial ladder to a roof can range from minimal to extreme, depending on the angle of the ladder, the load we’re carrying and the weather, smoke and fire conditions. One thing we can count on during our ascent: There will be sturdy, evenly spaced rungs under our feet the entire time. And if we’re using a platform or Snorkel and simply… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 2, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...September 1, 2009

I can't believe a week has gone by since this happened.

I was eating pizza at an outside table at Arminio's in Chatham, NJ where I work and a truck made a tight turn around the corner very close to my table. A cylinder (probably propane) popped off the truck and started hissing with flames shooting out. I went inside and told the owner to call 911 and then went back outside to make sure people didn't walk near the… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on September 1, 2009 at 9:46pm — No Comments