Some training partners and I recently had the opportunity and honor to travel to rural Missouri to help with some safety and survival training. It was a one day event on a

Saturday and the department and area that we were in is staffed solely with

volunteers. We realized very quickly

that these men and women were eager and a little anxious at the same time about

this series of drills.

My background in the fire service…

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Recently, I have enrolled in a community college that offers both Fire Science and Paramedic degrees at night. It works perfect with my current work schedule until I complete both degrees and make a career change back into Fire/EMS full time. Although I am stoked to do this, I just found out that the F.S. program does not include the IFSAC FF1 certification. I have long debated whether I wanted to go just into EMS first and later add Firefighting if that's where I fel I needed to be. The…

positioning and using the first attack line (sorry Truckies). The question is, do we take our most effective life and property saving skill for granted? Do you know the WHAT, WHERE & WHY…

There is an ongoing debate in the Fire Service, a debate which seems to have two camps. One camp is the safety camp; they feel that we are on a dangerous path, that we are suffering too many fatalities each year and that it will take a complete cultural overhaul for us to find safety in our profession. The other camp is the aggressive camp; they feel that the safety camp is going too far, that firefighting is inherently dangerous, and…

Operational Integrity and Command Fortitude

Christopher J. Naum, SFPE

Commandsafety.com

Today December 3, 2010 marks the 11th anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire that resulted in the line of duty death of six courages brother firefighters.

For those of you who remember this event, take the time to reflect and honor the sacrifice made this day; to those of you who…

On the evening of Dec. 3, 1999, firefighters from the Worcester (Mass.) Fire Department (WFD) began an interior search of the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. at 266 Franklin St. after responding to the report of a fire within the massive structure with possible victims trapped. Six of those firefighters never made it back out.…

Over at All Hazards Contemplations, we're looking into the Rule of 3's. Actually, there are three different "Rule of 3's" and all three of them are important to anyone who works in Fire/Rescue or EMS.



The first one is espoused by survivalists. It goes something like this:



You can survive 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food.



While not exact, that Rule is…

In 2009, based on feedback from the communities that they serve, Clifton Springs Fire Department acknowledged the need to expand their Fire Prevention educational programs. The 50+ member volunteer fire department in Ontario County, NY responds to an average of 300 fire calls per year serving the Village of Clifton Springs along with portions of the Towns of Phelps, Manchester and Hopewell. The village, located between Syracuse and Rochester, is a mixed demographic of both urban and rural…

TECHNICAL RESCUE

By Harold Schapelhouman



The gas main explosion in the city of San Bruno rocked the small California community just south of San Francisco on Sept. 9. The official cause of the blast has yet to be determined by the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), but this event may be yet another example of the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. Of concern are the age and overall condition of a…

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...December 1, 2010

I went to a drill the other night (can you believe I am blogging about it - you didn't hear it from me!!!!) about escape ropes and harnesses. The speaker was a retired firefighter from W. Milford and he spoke about the proper use of escape ropes to save down firefighters. Unfortunately, all his examples were of firefighter deaths that could have been prevented if the team had the proper training.

I learned what…