The Town of Colonie (TOC) Emergency Services wanted to test their fire response capabilities to a large high occupancy structure, namely Colonie High School. The challenge lay in finding smoke generators capable of producing smoke that was dense enough to create zero visibility conditions and realistic enough to simulate a structure fire. TOC Emergency Services Deputy Coordinator Gerald Paris, Jr.…

By William Sturgeon



Let’s face it, the U.S. fire service is the most technologically advanced fire service in the world. We have the latest equipment, established incident command systems, set standards, and for the most part, a strong emphasis on training—and yet, a significant number of firefighters are injured and killed every year. Why? Because we’ve failed to understand how human error contributes to mishaps on the fireground.



It has been shown that 85% of all…

No Warning Given to Wilmington's Mutual Aid Partners…

After two years here, I'm impressed. I've seen youngsters get advice on their future, ignorant questions get properly rebuked, old dogs discussing the way it was and the way it should be, training advice I never considered, and many others. But the one thing that always impresses me is when someone has a bad day. Whether its a really bad call, someone going through rough times, sickness of a friend, or just self doubt, this community comes together. The members bring their experience and…

NFPA 1584 requires rehab at the scene of all emergancy incidents;as well as training exercises. Highlights of 1584 include nine different specific areas. Some aerea's of importance include Relief from the climatic zones, Calorie and electrolyte replacement, and medical monitoring just to name a few. We are all aware that many of the larger cities across the nation have specific rehab units. These units respond to assignments beyond the first alarm. There are also units such as the salvation…

The Cardinal Joint Fire District in Canfield, Ohio had a specific goal in mind when they applied for a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant in 2009. They wanted to educate as many members of their community as possible about what to do in…

Most in the fire service would agree that our success at any building fire is determined by the actions of the initial arriving units (first alarm assignment). The ability of the first arriving unit to provide a sufficient initial on-scene report will provide other incoming units with the…

At 1924 HRS on Nov. 9, 1872, a fire broke out in the basement of a commercial warehouse. Although the incident occurred 138 years ago, the Great Boston Fire, as it later became known, is still Boston’s largest urban fire to date, and remains one of the most costly fire-related property losses in U.S. history.

By the time firefighters gained control of the fire, 12 hours after it started, 65 acres of Boston’s downtown area were destroyed; 776 buildings, as well as a…