March 2011 Blog Posts (84)

Tales from a Tailboard Fireman ~ The realities of our job

I took my 3-year-old granddaughter to Station 16 in San Francisco. It is located in an area known as Cow Hollow. A nice station in a residential neighborhood. The guy I met on the apparatus floor was a good fella. He was there on a staffing readjustment so it was not his home station. He let her sit in the cab and when I noticed some strange gear he told me they did water rescue. It was part of their duty to respond to jumpers off the Golden Gate Bridge. It once again brought to mind the stuff… Continue

Added by mike simms on March 31, 2011 at 7:39pm — 3 Comments

World Trade Center beam

We(the fire department) just got a 10 x 6 steal beam from the WTC. We had to get up around 4am so we could get to JFK before the traffic got bad. It was a AWESOME time just hanging out with the guys making jokes, eating, sleeping... We're hoping to do a dedication on September 11th.

Added by Jonny Gordon on March 30, 2011 at 7:37pm — No Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...March 30, 2011

Two nights ago I held the Accountability Board again. Seems I was born for that board.

My reflections:

Easy way to remember the A side of the building - it's the address.
The front door is not always the A side.
Who took the markers I JUST bought on Sunday? Had to use a ghetto pencil and spit to erase.
It's so rare to hear someone say, "Thank You." I…

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Added by Denise Imperiale on March 30, 2011 at 5:57pm — No Comments

Kettlebells: An old tool brings new life to firefighter workouts

By Mike Ong

In my last article, I wrote about the three main criteria you should consider when choosing an exercise program for yourself and/or your department: safety, applicability/functionality and ease of use by people of varying ages and fitness levels. This article discusses the kettlebell, a piece of equipment that meets all three criteria and can actually be used for a wide variety of unique exercises.…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 30, 2011 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Rocky Mountain Rescuers Rise to Challenge of Winter Rescues

RESCUE REPORT

By Tom Vines

Rocky Mountain National Park, located northwest of Boulder, Colo., sits astride the continental divide with peaks rising up to 14,000 feet. During a Jan. 30 rescue, Park rescuers demonstrated how they handle difficult and exhausting rescue operations in the backcountry during winter.

Emergency Beacon… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 29, 2011 at 7:00am — No Comments

Plants & Animals: A vegetarian diet means reduced health risks, not reduced protein intake

A vegetarian diet means reduced health risks, not reduced protein intake

By Jeff & Martha Ellis

Back in the early 90s when I first joined the fire service, being a vegetarian was an anomaly. The guys made fun of my vegan cookies, turned their noses up at my meat substitutes and acted like they were doing me a favor by eating what I cooked for supper.

Having not eaten… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 28, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Vegetarianism, Meat & Health: Another Perspective

Maybe meat’s not so bad after all

By Jeremy Gordon

Photo iStock.com

Editor’s Note: In… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 28, 2011 at 8:00am — 3 Comments

long day

on thursday march 24 at 07:45 am the bergen fire dept had a multiple car mva involving 3 cars and a tractor trailer hauling fuel oil. a car blew the stop sign and hit the tractor trailer the car spun 360 degrees and hit another car and the tractor trailer flipped on its side sliding down the roadway any swiping another car up with it.they came to rest in a ditch with the car pinned under the rig. bergen was called in and they were notified that there was gasoline in the trailer and that it… Continue

Added by brian breemes on March 26, 2011 at 10:20pm — 2 Comments

Negativity & Volunteers: An interview with Chief Tim Holman

How to deal with negativity in volunteer departments

By Cindy Devone-Pacheco

Not since the Great Depression has the United States undergone the difficult economic times that it’s experiencing today. Although reports indicate that the “Great Recession” ended several months ago, for many people—particularly those in the fire service—that just isn’t true. In fact, it may feel as though things are getting worse: Violent crime is up, the cost of food has increased,… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 25, 2011 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Chief Joseph Auffert Wins Hale’s Safe Firefighter of the Year Award

By Janelle Foskett, managing editor, FireRescue magazine

Chief Joseph Auffert of the Howell County Rural Fire Department #1 in West Plains, Mo, was honored with the first-annual Safe Firefighter of the Year Award Friday morning at the Hale booth (1823). The program, sponsored by Hale in cooperation with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), is designed to help fire companies stay focused on the importance of the 16 Life… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 25, 2011 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Fire Down Below: Australian structure fire training

Designing a successful fire behavior training program

By Cindy Devone-Pacheco

The Australian fire service has embarked on a journey of sorts. Until fairly recently, they took a more reactionary approach to fighting structure fires. Today, they are implementing what is commonly referred to as compartment fire behavior training (CFBT). What does that mean? John… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 25, 2011 at 11:22am — No Comments

Firefighting in Suburbia: Q&A with Capt. Jim Silvernail

A closer look at what it means to be a firefighter in a suburban environment

By Cindy Devone-Pacheco

Much talk in the fire service centers around the strategies, tactics and overall experiences had by larger, urban departments—and with good reason. Large departments in urban settings encounter an extremely wide variety of responses—everything from fighting high-rise fires to delivering babies on the subway. Therefore, they gain a certain level…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 25, 2011 at 11:00am — No Comments

Do You Know How to Read Fire?

Learn the language of fire so you can make better decisions on the fireground

By Janelle Foskett, managing editor of FireRescue magazine

Here in the United States, we hear a lot about “reading smoke”—an invaluable tactic on the fireground. But what do we know about reading fire?

In his FDIC Friday morning session, “Reading the Fire:… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 25, 2011 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

10 Training Tips & Tricks to Keep Crews Interested

By Janelle Foskett, managing editor, FireRescue magazine

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? According to Paul Hasenmeier, the answer is yes. In his FDIC session “Train As If Your Life Depends on It,” Hasenmeier, a lieutenant with the Huron (Ohio) Fire Department, offered some useful tips for how to ensure that every member of your department—from the most seasoned “old dog” to the greenest rookie—gets the most out of training. In… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 25, 2011 at 8:34am — 4 Comments

Live at FDIC: A Closer Look at How Water Is Used in Fire Suppression

A Closer Look at How Water Is Used in Fire Suppression

It’s more complicated than just “putting the wet stuff on the red stuff”

By Shannon Pieper

Globalization isn’t just a trend that affects businesses and trade patterns; it’s affecting the fire service as well. As the exchange of knowledge and information becomes easier, we are seeing more… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 24, 2011 at 4:00pm — No Comments

The new Dash CF Pumper: Pierce steals the spotlight again at FDIC

The new Dash CF Pumper: Pierce steals the spotlight again at FDIC

By Shannon Pieper

I remember last year when Pierce didn’t announce any major new products at FDIC (sure, they had the Striker, but how many departments are buying one of those?). There was surprise, then disappointment, as the weeks before the show went by without Pierce’s usual ads enticing you to imagine… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 24, 2011 at 2:00pm — 2 Comments

Managing the Media: Q&A with Dave Statter

How and why to feed the media beast

By Janelle Foskett, managing editor, FireRescue magazine

Have you ever watched video of a serious fire emergency, like the San Bruno (Calif.) gas explosion, or read a scandalous story online about a fire chief’s alleged inappropriate behavior, and found yourself wondering, “If this happened here, at my… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 24, 2011 at 2:00pm — No Comments

John “Skip” Coleman Receives Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award

By Janelle Foskett, managing editor, FireRescue magazine

John “Skip” Coleman received the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award during Thursday morning’s general session at FDIC. Assistant Chief Coleman, a 33-year veteran of the fire service, retired from the Toledo (Ohio) Department of Fire Rescue in 2008. Coleman is perhaps best known for his developing the “oriented method of search” to train recruits—a search tactic used by… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 24, 2011 at 1:04pm — No Comments

Live at FDIC: Risk Management the Volunteer Way

Risk Management the Volunteer Way

VFDs face unique—yet surmountable—challenges when it comes to managing risk

By Shannon Pieper

Keeping firefighters safe involves identifying the factors that pose them risk; this is the core element of a risk management strategy. But even large career departments struggle with effectively managing risk. How then… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 24, 2011 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Gustin at FDIC Keynote: We Need to Focus More on Basic Engine Ops!

By Janelle Foskett, managing editor, FireRescue magazine

“We have put too little attention on basic engine company operations!” This was perhaps the message that most resonated from today’s keynote address at FDIC, delivered by Captain Bill Gustin of the Miami-Dade (Fla.) Fire Rescue Department.

During a passionate and animated address titled “The Challenges We Face: Issues Confronting Today’s Fire Service,” Gustin… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 24, 2011 at 12:10pm — No Comments