Featured Blog Posts – February 2010 Archive (40)

This was always my biggest nightmare

Another tragedy is hitting too close to home for Station 8 of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department. Last year, one of its firefighters lost both legs in an accident. On Thursday, the daughter of the station's fire captain was killed in a crash the firefighters were sent to in northwest Harris County.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/22536909/detail.html

I don't believe that my children ever really… Continue

Added by Oldman on February 12, 2010 at 10:49am — 2 Comments

Educating community members can make our jobs easier and keep them safer

Helping Others Helps Us

Educating community members can make our jobs easier and keep them safer

By Scott Cook

A few nights ago, my wife woke me up at 2:30 in the morning saying someone was beating at the front door. Pistol in hand, off I go and peek through the peep hole to see four of Hood County’s finest on the porch. I put the pistol on the cabinet and opened the door to a “What’s going on in there?”

“Sleeping.”

“We got a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 12, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

What were they thinking in 1982? Same as today?

Head on over to Backstep Firefighter…

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Added by FireDaily.com on February 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Portland Firefighters Free Man Trapped Between Crane & Steel Plates

RESCUE REPORT: Industrial accident leaves man trapped between crane and steel plates

Photo Courtesy Portland Fire & Rescue

On Jan. 7, Portland (Ore.) firefighters used skill and ingenuity to successfully rescue a worker who had been in an accident at an industrial facility.

The Portland Emergency Communications Bureau received the 911 call reporting the incident at Oregon Steel Mills at 1802 HRS. Within a minute of the call, Portland Fire… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Another Flood for Fargo?

FireRescue magazine recently checked in with Captain Leon Schlafmann, emergency services coordinator for the Fargo Fire Department, on the current flood status in Fargo. According to reports, the area will again be deluged by floodwaters from the Red River of the North, and responders have already begun preparations. Last year, responders worked around the clock as record-breaking floodwaters caused hundreds to evacuate. Note: FireRescue will post a…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 9, 2010 at 10:00am — No Comments

Tactical considerations for firefighting operations in lightweight construction

Battling the Hidden Danger

Tactical considerations for firefighting operations in lightweight construction

By James M. Dalton, Peter Van Dorpe, Robert G. Backstrom & Steve Kerber

Multiple firefighter fatalities at large commercial fires attract the attention and scrutiny they warrant. However, it’s also important to remember that many line-of-duty injuries and deaths occur in single- and multiple-family dwellings during routine, “bread and butter”… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 9, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Collapse Time for Different Assemblies

Collapse Time for Different Assemblies

Need-to-know info from Underwriters Laboratories study

By James M. Dalton, Peter Van Dorpe, Robert G. Backstrom and Steve Kerber

Editor’s note: In the February issue of FireRescue magazine, authors James M. Dalton, Peter Van Dorpe, Robert G. Backstrom and Steve Kerber share some information and tactical tips for fighting fires in buildings made of lightweight construction. What follows here is… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 9, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Firefighters Save Elderly Woman

An elderly woman was saved from certain death in a house fire at Britton's Hill, St. Michael. Firefighters responded to the call around 1:57 a.m. and discovered the woman was unable to escape due to burglar bars which were erected on the doors and windows of the smoke filled house.

Three fire tenders with 10 officers from Fire Service Headquarters under the command of acting Divisional Officer Wilfred Marshall and Station Officer Tyrone Trotman responded to the fire which extensively… Continue

Added by Glyne Alleyne on February 8, 2010 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Incident Management Team Plays Critical Role in Connecticut Plant Explosion

Yesterday’s explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, about 20 miles south of Hartford, killed five people and wounded a dozen.

FireRescue caught up with Bill Higgins, State Fire Disaster Plan Administrator for the Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, who responded to the scene to support the county coordinators and the incident commander with special statewide resources.

“It was an overwhelming… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 8, 2010 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Tales from a Tailboard fireman-boot lickers and other strange events

I was working at Engine 7, located in the oldest working firehouse in San Jose. It was built in the early 1930s as a federal work project. It was a small Spanish-style house with 2 bedrooms, a small galley kitchen, and a living room. The basement had weights and a T.V. but this was before cable. The older firemen working when I came in went back to WWll and did not watch much T.V. They were great card and cribbage players.

Station 7 had walls about… Continue

Added by mike simms on February 7, 2010 at 5:38pm — No Comments

Final Call for Submissions: FRI 2010

The Program Planning Council is finalizing the FRI 2010 program, but it’s not too late to be a part of this year’s dynamic program. Each year new ideas and programs come up after the call for papers has been closed. This year we're offering a second opportunity to… Continue

Added by IAFC on February 6, 2010 at 1:37pm — No Comments

Tales from a Tailboard fireman-Fading memories 2: sad note and retirement dinner

There are some pictures and memories we retain that are so painful we try to block them but they still are there. This morning over breakfast they crept out again. My steel has been tempered in the hottest of furnaces. I have seen death and told families when we could do no more, but the death of children still brings tears to my eyes and a deep pain to my soul.

A good family friend, a young paramedic had a call that involved the death of a baby. I know this will be with her forever.… Continue

Added by mike simms on February 5, 2010 at 2:16pm — 1 Comment

Q & A with FDNY Chief Edward Kilduff

As of Jan. 12, the duties of chief of the fire department for the city of New York (FDNY) were officially handed over to Edward Kilduff.

Yesterday, Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano presided over the promotions ceremony that advanced Assistant Chief Edward S. Kilduff to Chief of Department, the highest uniformed position in the FDNY.

A member of the department since 1977, Kilduff worked his way up through the ranks, most recently…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 5, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Thank You, Haiti Rescue Responders

FireRescue magazine's Technical Rescue Web column

Thank You, Haiti Rescue Responders

By Harold Schapelhouman

As the national (and international) urban search and rescue (USAR) task forces return from Haiti, they deserve our thanks for a job well done. They performed difficult jobs under extremely difficult conditions, and they did so in representation of the United States of America.

Although the situation in Haiti, particularly… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 5, 2010 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

When make do shouldn't do....RIDING BACKWORDS January 2010

RIDING BACKWORDS – January 2010

Firefighters and emergency medical workers must be largely optimistic - if they weren't then how or why would they want to do the job. Is a pessimist going to routinely put themselves in a position to respond to what may be the worst day of…

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Added by John Barrett on February 5, 2010 at 3:28am — No Comments

DRIFIRE Donates Shirts & Blankets to Haiti

Following the destructive earthquake in Haiti, many companies serving the fire, EMS and law enforcement communities are playing a crucial part in rescue efforts. Over the next few weeks, FireRescue will highlight those companies that are having a direct impact on relief efforts.

Following is one example of a company striving to make a difference in this devastated nation.

DRIFIRE Partners with K.I.D.S. to Support the effort in Haiti by donating flame-resistant… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 4, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

NetCast Tonight: Has Firefighter Nation and Other Social Media Changed the Fire Service?

A quick reminder that Rhett Fleitz (Fire Critic) and John Mitchell (Fire Daily) will be broadcasting live tonight at 9pm ET on Firefighter NetCast. You can join us!

Our featured guest will be Chris Kaiser, editor of our sister blog Life Under the Lights. Chris will offer his… Continue

Added by Firefighter NetCast on February 4, 2010 at 11:13am — 3 Comments

“No Reason to Panic”: CFSI’s Bill Webb says administration’s proposed budget is a work in progress

On Monday, the Obama administration released its proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2011. As has become the norm, the proposed budget reflects significant cuts in fire service funding, including cuts of $115 million for SAFER and $85 million for FIRE, two of the most popular grant funding programs for the fire service (read the IAFC analysis here).

Naturally, this gives cause for concern, but… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 3, 2010 at 5:00pm — 4 Comments

IAFC Raises Congressional Awareness of the Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Job Protection Act

In the 111th Congress, the IAFC has continued to raise Congressional awareness of the Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Job Protection Act, introduced by Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in May 2009. This legislation is important to the entire fire service—volunteer and career—because it will help volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel to respond to a Stafford Act-declared national emergency or major disaster for up to 14 days without fear of losing their primary… Continue

Added by IAFC on February 2, 2010 at 8:26pm — 1 Comment

Welcome the to Nation

FireFighter Nation is NOT a training institution.

Seems like a simple enough statement, but there are those who think that it is, or should be, and would have everyone believe that it is.

What is FireFighter Nation, or FFN, as we like to call it? It is a Social Network for FireFighters and our EMS brothers and sisters. It is a virtual gathering of Firefighters from all across the U.S., and the world, in a sort of on-going Social Hour. Like the first hour of a Firefighter’s… Continue

Added by Greenman on February 1, 2010 at 6:13am — 3 Comments