Fire Rescue Magazine's Blog – July 2010 Archive (22)

Trying the "True" Belay: Tests Reveal Slow Response Time

Trying the “true” belay: Informal belay tests reveal rescuers’ slow response time

Story, illustrations and photos by Tom Pendley

Over the past 20 years, the concept and practice of belaying in technical rescue have been controversial, to say the least. Two decades ago, it was rare to even see a belay line in the fire service. I’d like to say we’ve come a long way since then, but have we?…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 31, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

PA Department Awarded for Valor in Challenging Extrication Call

The Lingohocken (Pa.) Fire Company was recently notified that they will be awarded the 2010 Unit Valor Award from the Firemen's Association of the State of Pennsylvania (FASP) for their actions during a complex and challenging extrication. The extrication was detailed in the October 2009 issue of FireRescue's Rescue Report column. Greg Jakubowksi, a long-time columnist and editorial board member for FireRescue, is… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 30, 2010 at 9:00pm — 1 Comment

54 Years Ago: Explosion Kills 19 Texas Firefighters at the Shamrock Oil Refinery

By FireRescue magazine staff

On July 29, 1956, 19 firefighters were killed while battling a fire at the Shamrock Oil Refinery in northern Texas. This incident caused the fourth largest loss of firefighter lives in U.S. history.

We remember those killed 54 year ago tomorrow: Allen W. Cleveland, Billy Joe Dunn, Sam A. Gibson, Jr., Albert O. Milligan, Paschal Pool, Meryl W. Slagle, Donald W. Thompson, Ray Biles, Lewis A. Broxson,… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 28, 2010 at 11:29am — No Comments

New programs, staffing & funding sources bring electronic preplanning to volunteer fire departments

VFDs Go High-Tech

New programs, staffing & funding sources bring electronic preplanning to volunteer fire departments

By Bob Galvin

Pre-fire planning, undeniably a critical activity toward preventing and fighting fires, has become an uphill battle for most fire departments to accomplish. A lingering and brutal economic recession… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 28, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Rescue Report: Fort Worth Firefighters Quickly Switch Gears to Perform Trench Rescue

By Tom Vines

Firefighters often arrive at the scene of a rescue only to find that the situation is completely different from what the 911 call reported. This was the case on June 2, when the Fort Worth (Texas) Fire Department responded to a 911 call that reported a fallen construction crane with persons trapped. Although this wasn’t exactly what responders found when they arrived on scene, the incident shows how with the right… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 28, 2010 at 6:00am — No Comments

Ft. Lauderdale Receives Rigorous Structural Collapse Training

Ft. Lauderdale Receives Rigorous Structural Collapse Training

By Chief Robert F. Bacic

The Ft. Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Technical Rescue Team recently completed an 80-hour structural collapse technician course that included exercises in shoring, concrete…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 26, 2010 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Aerial Apparatus Makes Swiftwater Rescue

Aerial Apparatus Makes Swiftwater Rescue

By Travis Boudrey

In late winter and early spring, the combination of weather conditions and human behavior can create a recipe for disaster, especially when roads with low crossings become flooded due to overflowing rivers and streams. Sometimes, as motorists approach these crossings, they seem to overestimate the ability of their automobile and underestimate the power of water. This serious…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 21, 2010 at 9:00am — 2 Comments

A Forcible-Entry Homerun: The one-person “baseball swing” simplifies entry on inward-swinging doors

QUICK DRILLS

A Forcible-Entry Homerun

The one-person “baseball swing” simplifies entry on inward-swinging doors

By Homer Robertson

If you read this column regularly, you know that we focus on the basics of firefighting and rescue ops. Being able to do the basics well is the trademark of great firefighters and great… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 19, 2010 at 8:00am — 7 Comments

"Save Our Survivors" Campaign Seeks $250,000 to Help 9/11 First Responders

The Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation has launched the “Save Our Survivors” campaign to provide portable air purification systems to ailing 9/11 survivors. Fire departments are being asked to organize fund-raising events to help their fellow responders who are overwhelmed by their illnesses. The goal is $250,000 to purchase 500 desperately needed air-purification systems. These systems will ease the struggle and… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 16, 2010 at 4:42pm — No Comments

Rescue Report: Maine Firefighters Rescue Young Girl from Entrapment

Boulder Traps Teenager

By Tom Vines

Photos Courtesy Bath Fire Department

On April 2, Bath, Maine, firefighters rescued a young girl from an unusual entrapment.

At 1456 HRS, fire dispatch in Bath, a town in southwest Maine, received a 911 call from a man reporting that his 14-year-old daughter was entrapped by a large… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 15, 2010 at 7:00am — No Comments

Tool Mounting: Get with the Program

INSIDE THE APPARATUS INDUSTRY

If you’re going to shell out that much cash for an apparatus, then don’t forget to plan out your tool-mounting needs

Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 14, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Mayday? Name It! A new mnemonic for effectively calling maydays

Mayday? Name It!

A new mnemonic for effectively calling maydays

By William Burns

Recently, the fire department I work for mandated that all company officers review with their companies reports from the Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System (www.firefighternearmiss.com). Report… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 12, 2010 at 8:00am — 8 Comments

Competent vs. Proficient

Competent vs. Proficient: It's important that every firefighter masters certain basic competencies, but you need to go the extra step to ensure they become proficient at those skills

By Scott Cook

Competent and proficient.

As firefighters, we tend to look at these two words as being one and the… Continue

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

Tractor-Trailer vs. Sedan Incident Offers Lessons Learned

By David Cone

Photos Courtesy Old Lyme Fire Department and Old Saybrook Fire Department

The view from the highway. The trailer is rolled onto its left side, and the cab is beyond the wooden sound barrier. An…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 8, 2010 at 6:30am — 3 Comments

Deep Impact: Going the extra mile to help someone can affect your entire community

Deep Impact

Going the extra mile to help someone can affect your entire community

By Ray Gayk

Have you ever thought about the impact your department has on the community you serve? Sometimes the impact is very clear, such as when we help save a life or make a great stop on a fire. We train hard for those moments, and when… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 7, 2010 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Leadership Skills: Opportunity's Knocking--Will You Open the Door?

Leadership Skills: That Noise You Hear … It’s the sound of opportunity knocking—will you open the door?

From the June issue of FireRescue magazine

By Chief Marc Revere

There’s a fable about a lumberjack who was purported to be the best in the land and had won numerous competitions. The edge of his axe blade was honed to perfection;… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 6, 2010 at 4:40pm — No Comments

Fire on the Mountain: FireRescue recalls the South Canyon Fire

Fire on the Mountain: FireRescue recalls the South Canyon Fire

By FireRescue Editor-in-Chief Timothy E. Sendelbach

The South Canyon Fire is perhaps one of the most controversial fires in U.S. history. To this day, it sparks conversation and concern about firefighters’—and commanding officers’—understanding of entrapment situations, situational awareness, LCES, etc. In short, it stirs emotion because it was an avoidable…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 6, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Put It All Together: Integrate multimedia into post-incident analyses to solidify lessons learned

By Brett Bowman & Jennie Collins

Photos Courtesy Prince William County (Va.) Department of Fire and Rescue

Have you ever participated in the experiment where a person reads a group of people directions to fold a piece of paper in half, fold it in half again, tear off the upper right-hand corner, etc.? By the end of the exercise, there are usually multiple versions of the end product because there was no visual reference to ensure…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 2, 2010 at 4:30am — No Comments

“Marketing” Isn’t a Dirty Word: How to market your service, personnel & apparatus to your community

By Chief Jeffrey D. Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE

From the July issue of FireRescue magazine

At the bedside of an 80-year-old woman with a fractured hip, I learned my first lesson in marketing. As my crew—clad in bunker pants and T-shirts emblazoned with the word “fire”—began treating the woman, the local private ambulance crew entered the opposite side of the room. They were dressed in crisp uniforms complete…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 1, 2010 at 8:00am — 2 Comments