Featured Blog Posts – November 2010 Archive (48)

Size Up on Backstep Firefighter

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about the first arriving officer completing a 360 check of the building upon arrival. In his article “Situational Awareness and the Three Sixty”, Christopher Naum makes the following statement, “The effective assessment of the incident scene is much…

Continue

Added by Dave LeBlanc on November 30, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments

Smoke Generators Fuel Family Evacuation Drills on the "Today Show"

During the hours that most families might be relaxing together, gathering around the television screen to watch a football game or sleeping, on Sept. 13^th, the Cannavo family from Guilderland, NY allowed BullEx Digital Safety and the entire production crew from the Today Show into their home with cameras in tow to demonstrate proper home evacuation techniques in the event of a home fire.…

Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on November 30, 2010 at 8:24am — 2 Comments

What’s Holding Us Back? Recognition-Primed Decision-Making

By Kriss Garcia

“For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise.”

--Benjamin Franklin

This year, the organization known as the International Fire Instructors Workgroup (IFIW) met for its third time in Ottawa, Canada. Keeping to our original charter of a small yet…

Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 30, 2010 at 8:00am — 2 Comments

When Sparks Fly:Tips for mitigating electrical hazards on the fireground

When Sparks Fly

Tips for mitigating electrical hazards on the fireground

By Homer Robertson

Controlling the utilities at incident scenes should always be a priority. There’s a lot more to securing utilities than just going around the building turning off switches and closing valves. Just like many fireground tasks, it… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 30, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Remembering 6 Firefighters Killed in 1988 Kansas City Explosion

And don't forget to read yesterday's anniversary coverage of the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire, which took the lives of nearly 500 people and led to significant changes in building safety codes.

Ammonium nitrate/fuel oil mixture causes massive blast that killed two entire pumper companies

Today we remember… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 29, 2010 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

Cocoanut Grove Nightclub - Sixty-Eight Years and 492 Reasons to Remember

Ever wonder why occupancies with revolving doors have outward swinging doors to the left and/or right of them? Ever wonder why exit lights stay illuminated in movie theaters? Why exits at restaurants and places of public assembly (to name a few) swing outward? Or why your child’s elementary school is restricted from decorating the hallways with colorful artwork? The answer in part - Cocoanut Grove, November 28,… Continue

Added by Timothy Sendelbach on November 28, 2010 at 10:30am — 4 Comments

Remembering the Fire that Led to an Overhaul of Fire Codes

Don't forget to read yesterday's anniversary coverage of the 1988 Kansas City explosion, which took the lives of six firefighters.

The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire took the lives of nearly 500 people, leading to significant changes in building safety codes

On Nov. 28, 1942, a massive fire at the Cocoanut… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 28, 2010 at 7:00am — No Comments

Interactive Dynamic Risk Assessment Download

Interactive Dynamic Risk Assessment Download

Christopher J. Naum, SFPE

Commandsafety.com and Buildingsonfire.com

An interactive training program has been provided courtesy of Buildingsonfire.com and Commandsafety.com to support skill set development in the areas of dynamic risk assessment, size-up analysis and situational awareness. This is a basic program that will support any…

Continue

Added by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on November 27, 2010 at 9:55pm — No Comments

Firefighter dies in the line of duty

REHOBOTH, Mass. (WPRI) - A Rehoboth firefighter died in the line of duty on Thanksgiving, the Rehoboth Fire Department said Friday.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/massachusetts/rehoboth-firefighter-ken-marshall-junior-dies-in-the-line-of-duty

Added by Lyle Katseff on November 27, 2010 at 9:53pm — 2 Comments

Florida Water Tank Rescue Provides High Drama

Hollywood, Broward County & Fort Lauderdale departments work together to complete challenging confined-space rescue

By Tom Vines

An Oct. 8 water tank rescue in Florida proved challenging for firefighters, combining the demanding aspects of both high-angle and confined-space rescue.

The incident took place in Hollywood, Fla., located on the state’s east coast, between Fort… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 26, 2010 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

When More Isn’t Better: During instruction, comprehension tops volume

When More Isn’t Better: During instruction, comprehension tops volume

By Kurt Glosser

Think back to your last fire-related class. Was it filled with tons of information, lots of content? How many pages were in the student manual? How many slides flashed before your glazed eyes?

How have so many instructors come to believe that they must tell students everything they know about a particular… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 24, 2010 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Before I forget...Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Here's the question: What do you do with 9 male and 1 female 15 year old relig ed students on a Sunday night at 6:30? Subject is fire (for you Catholics we are prepping for Confirmation and were talking about the Holy Spirit). Stumped? Here's what I did - you will all get a laugh.

First, brought a huge pizza with me. Get them quiet with carbs.

Set up obstacles in the room we were in, shut down all…

Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on November 24, 2010 at 6:51am — 3 Comments

First-Due Arriving Companies; Are You Prepared?

First-Due Arriving Companies; Are You Prepared?

Christopher Naum,SFPE

Thecompanyofficer.com

As the First-Due Fire Company; Officer and crew, Are you prepared to address the fireground variables and occupancy risks upon your arrival and during the initial stages of your deployment and operations? Are you combat ready or passively engaged?…

Continue

Added by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on November 23, 2010 at 11:58pm — No Comments

Get the Whole Picture

Continue

Added by Jason Hoevelmann on November 23, 2010 at 7:06pm — No Comments

Lessons from the Past: Learning Fire Prevention Basics from the MGM Grand Fire

Lessons from the Past

Learning Fire Prevention Basics from the MGM Grand Fire

By Azarang (Ozzie) Mirkhah, EFO, CFO, MIFireE

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in IAFC On Scene, October 1, 2010. Republished with permission from the IAFC.

November 21 marks… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 21, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

The MGM Grand Tragedy - IT DIDN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN!!!

Today, (November 21, 2010) marks thirty

years since the deadly fire at the MGM Grandin Las Vegas, Nevada. The fire claimed a total of eighty-seven lives and stands today as the second deadliest hotel fire in US history (second only to The Winecoff Hotel Fire in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1946… Continue

Added by Timothy Sendelbach on November 21, 2010 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

Tools in the Toolbox

"The fire service is fascinated with acronyms. Some have been around for a while. PSI, GPM, and RIT are examples. Some others are new VSP and CRM for example. We are also fascinated with new ideas and techniques. We are focused on these new ideas to fix old problems. Maybe the problem is that we keep looking for solutions when we should just fix the problem.…

Continue

Added by Dave LeBlanc on November 19, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Bunker Gear from E-Bay... is it reliable?

Something is better than nothing right? Hmm, I keep telling myself that. I bought some bunker gear from E-Bay and will donate it to a brigade in the Philippines. I am hoping that it is reliable. I don't buy from E-Bay often and I have never bought firefighting items from E-Bay. I guess I will find out. Since I have not really been getting donations and I have been spending my own money to get gear. I decided maybe E-Bay is the best option. I am just hoping I am sent something that I could… Continue

Added by Jason McDonald on November 18, 2010 at 9:08am — 5 Comments

Darley Products Help Communities Purify Water in Times of Disaster

Inside the Apparatus Industry

Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro

As I was walking around the exhibit floor at FRI a few months ago, I stopped by the always-large Darley booth. Darley always has an array of products to peruse, which isn’t surprising considering that they’ve been around since 1908 and have always had a jump on many other manufacturers when it comes to new ideas for the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 17, 2010 at 1:00am — No Comments

Get the Help You Need After a Traumatic Event

Flow chart helps fire departments ensure their personnel have access to the appropriate resources after a potentially traumatic event

By Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki

Following is the second in a series of seven articles that describe a new approach to mental and behavioral health in the fire service. Read the first article… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 16, 2010 at 7:00am — No Comments