Not sure it ever worked in the first place

We are in a fascinating period of time for the fire service.  Never before have the resources (financial, physical and mental) been greater.  We are finally looking at fires, how they burn, how conditions change.  We are looking a fuel packages, flow paths.  We are discussing heat release rates and polar…

**WARNING**

This blog is in no way a replacement of or supercedes any and/or all Fire Department S.O.P./S.O.G.'s, or replace training in regards to fire ground operations.  This topic is to give a general understanding to firefighters in hopes to promote firefighter safety and improve fire ground…

Most of you probably read the title of this post and are thinking to yourselves. "What is this lunatic talking about?  We train all the time!" and some of the volunteer firefighters are thinking that the training requirements of your fire department are already harsh enough and are extremely difficult to manage with your family and work.



I agree with you.  The current "training epidemic" that is sweeping the fire service nationwide is not a lack of training, but a lack of relevant,…

Analytical Study Reveals Patterns in U.S Firefighter Fatalities

Christopher J. Naum, SFPE

Executive Producer;…

NFPA 1584 requires rehab at the scene of all emergancy incidents;as well as training exercises. Highlights of 1584 include nine different specific areas. Some aerea's of importance include Relief from the climatic zones, Calorie and electrolyte replacement, and medical monitoring just to name a few. We are all aware that many of the larger cities across the nation have specific rehab units. These units respond to assignments beyond the first alarm. There are also units such as the salvation…

The Cardinal Joint Fire District in Canfield, Ohio had a specific goal in mind when they applied for a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant in 2009. They wanted to educate as many members of their community as possible about what to do in…

By Christopher J. Naum, SPFE

TheCompanyOfficer.com and CommandSafety.com

Today’s incident demands on the fireground are unlike those of the recent past, requiring incident commanders and commanding officers to have increased technical knowledge of building construction with a heightened sensitivity to fire behavior, a focus on…

Despite the fact that I wrote this piece for Fire-Rescue Magazine last year, I'm pretty sure its content is still relevant as we ponder recent and not so recent events on the eve of Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/usfa-reminds-you-that-safety.

As I stated in comments to another blog by John Mitchell (…

Part 1 of this series from All Hazards Contemplations was an introduction to Bathtub Collapse problem identification, exterior size-up, strategy considerations and development, and safety considerations. Part 2 discusses tactical considerations, interior size-up, victim recovery, investigations, and incident termination. This article was co-authored by my friend and colleague, Jason…

This article is co-authored by my friend and colleague Jason Walters. Jason is the Team Leader for USAR SC-Regional Response Team 4. We're discussing this topic at All Hazards Contemplations.



Introduction



FEMA’s USAR system, basic firefighting texts, and other fire-rescue references describe how to recognize and respond to a variety…

As a fire service instructor over the years I have met a lot of fellow firefighters and not until recently did I realize the stories from these firefighters were always the same from rookies and veterans. The rookies always say “we don’t fit in” and the veterans always say “ the rookies just don’t get it”. I guess the reason it didn’t hit me sooner was as a fire service instructor and as a company officer it is my…

Did you get enough training so far this week? Because you are a proud and

professional firefighter, I already know your answer. So allow me to offer some more.

Many…