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…

Here are some Firefighter ski events that are held in New York State. There used to be a firefighter ski race at Bristol Mountain.

January 2,2011 Kids Escaping Drugs Firefighter Ski Race at Holimont

http://www.ked.org/skiscape.html

2011 FASNY Winter Games Feb 4-6 Greek Peak Mountain…

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…

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.…

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…

My department is still known for things that happened 20 years ago. Not good things such as running out of fuel on the way to the scene and showing without water. There were times when no one knew how to run the pump.

This is not my department now. But it is still how we are thought of. I have been tring to shake this image and it's hard. No matter how many homes we save folks just remember the bad stuff from years ago.

Well the last board meeting I brought cpr…