Is the Airtanker Industry Dying?

By Mike Padilla



The airtanker business in the United States is in a state of crisis and everyone, except perhaps the federal government, knows it. We’re down to our last 18–19 large airtankers (LATs), which are expected to have only a few operational years left.



For years, wildland firefighting strategists across the country have relied on airtankers as…

Yesterday we were paged out for a 10-50 PI with possible entrapment. Enroute we received details that the car snapped a utility pole, so we had possible lines down to contend with. Our unit arrived on scene a few minutes behind the ambulance. I went up to help the medics while the rest of our truck surveyed the vehicle to see if there was any extrication needed.

The car was a small sedan that was travelling down the country road way to fast. It lost control on a curve and the…

In the fire service we are always stressing speed. Tones go off and we run. Flying down the road the radio squawks out “Step on it, fire is progressing”. On scene we hear “hurry up and stretch that line”, “get that ladder up quickly”. Working an accident where there is entrapment the captain yells “hurry up, get that roof flapped”.…

The evening of June 18, 2007 will be forever burned into my memory, but the day of June 22, 2007 was the date that really made this tragedy personal for me. To set the stage, on the evening of June 18, I was at home after a pretty good day at work. Training had gone well, the weather was pleasant, and I had just finished a nice dinner with my family. I decided to watch some TV, and started the typical flipping through the channels. I usually…

How high is your bar set on your volunteer department? Are you well trained and professional in your actions or are you still part of the good ol’ boys club meeting every night to down a few and play some cards?

Firefighting has changed rapidly over the years. While we do not face the number of…

The DIY Training Tower: How to build one with limited funds & staff

By Bob Kolva



How do remote rural and small-town fire departments keep their personnel up to date on structural search and rescue, ventilation and firefighter rescue techniques when the nearest urban training facility is hours away? That was the question we asked ourselves when, once again,…

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...Father's Day...June 20, 2010

I would like to say Happy Father's Day to all you guys out there. I would also like to say Happy Father's Day to your fathers, especially the ones who were firefighters, for instilling a passion for bravery and courage in their sons.

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...June 19, 2010

Excuse the lack of proper writing style. I am letting you peek into my brain.

Last night I just couldn't get to see the homebound person and her family that I visit every Friday after work about 20 miles away. I went to bed asking God to please tap me on the shoulder and get my butt out of bed and drive early this morning before my pedicure.

As these things go, ping I was awake at 6:30 and had loads…

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 (…

Tactical Lessons Learned from Charleston

By Tim Sendelbach, FireRescue magazine Editor-in Chief



The Sofa Super Store Fire is an incident that I can only hope every member of the fire service never forgets. The nine men who lost their lives that tragic night are well deserving of our fullest respect; the lessons they left behind are invaluable to us.

As a member of the fire’s Post-Incident…

If These Walls Could Talk

How would your department measure up to the Charleston investigation?

By Timothy E. Sendelbach

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of FireRescue magazine.

For the last 10 months, I’ve had the…

3 Years Out: What’s Changed in Charleston?

By Cindy Devone-Pacheco



Three years ago today, nine firefighters lost their lives inside the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C. It was an incident that many in the Charleston Fire Department (CFD) thought could never happen to them. It was an incident that, in the most savage way possible, exposed the fallacy of that mindset. Ultimately, it led to a litany of accusations, investigations,…