Featured Blog Posts (1,722)

Monument Honors Volunteer Firefighters

Pennsylvania’s Valley Firemen’s Association unveils monument to honor volunteer firefighters

Story & Photos by Fran Webb

A new monument now stands in Howard Elmer Park in Sayre, Pa. A dedication ceremony and unveiling was held on Oct. 10, 2009, under the veil of a large American flag, hung from the tips of two aerial trucks from Sayre Fire Department’s Engine Company No. 1 and Athens Township. The ceremony was the result of a 9-year-long effort to recognize the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 16, 2010 at 1:00pm — No Comments

R.I.P. Stuart (Stu) Brandt

R.I.P. Stuart Brandt.

Passed away aged 70 years in Paris, Illinois, USA on 14th January 2010.

Stu was early Editor of the New Zealand FireLines Magazine as well as a Fire Photographer and Fire Buff.

He had a lot of dealings with the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Brigade during the transition in the 1970's to a nationalised service now known as the New Zealand Fire Service.

He will be sorely missed by his many friends in New Zealand…

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Added by Mark Montgomery on January 16, 2010 at 4:00am — 1 Comment

Younger Isn’t Always Better: One department runs into trouble when only hiring rookies

Younger Isn’t Always Better

One department runs into trouble when only hiring rookies

By Scott Cook

I was visiting with a career firefighter friend the other day, and he lamented the fact that his department is short—extremely short—on personnel with the company officer knowledge/skill set. I asked him how they found themselves this way, and he answered that the HR department, with the full support of the fire chief, decided they’d just hire young… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 15, 2010 at 8:00am — 2 Comments

Tales from a Tailboard fireman-aging out

Ken R. died last week. His family immigrated from Ireland when he was 10. He worked in a small department prior to coming to SJFD. He was 70. That may sound old to someone 30 but to us in our 60s it seems real close. Ken was a quiet guy, not one to engage in horseplay or trash-talk around the kitchen table: a very dependable fireman at fires and emergencies and that is how we are judged. A wise chief once told me the ideal is to be retired for longer than you work. That means I have to make it… Continue

Added by mike simms on January 14, 2010 at 5:53pm — No Comments

Fit for Funds: New grant application assistance for fitness equipment

Fit for Funds: New grant application assistance program is now being offered for fitness equipment

Fitness equipment manufacturer SportsArt Fitness recently announced the start of its new grant application assistance program for all departments looking to obtain funding for fitness equipment.

According to Amber Maechler, Director of Marketing for SportsArt, the process is simple. “SportsArt is funding a specialist from firegrantshelp.com to help departments find the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 14, 2010 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Nevada Firefighters Rescue Couple Trapped Under a Car—in Bed!

RESCUE REPORT

Car Crashes into House, Pins Couple Sleeping in Bed

By Tom Vines

Photos Courtesy Sparks Fire Department

It seems at some point, every department responds to a car-into-a-house call. But on Oct. 20, Sparks, Nev., responders faced a new and unexpected situation involving a car vs. a house—a challenging extrication resulting from a love triangle gone wrong.

At 0411 HRS, the Sparks Fire Department was… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 14, 2010 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment

Is the Safety Message Starting to Get Through?

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 90 firefighters died in 2009. While that’s far too many as far as I’m concerned (and I’m sure you feel the same way), that number also happens to be the lowest it’s been since the early 90s, when 81 firefighters died in 2003 and 77 died in 1992. In 1994, the number of firefighter LODDs jumped to 106 and since then has steadily hovered near that mark. In both 2007 and 2008, 118 firefighters died in the line of duty. (You can find a chart that depicts… Continue

Added by Janelle Foskett, FireRescue on January 13, 2010 at 5:59pm — 1 Comment

How to Conduct Search and Rescue Over Large Urban Areas

In light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, FireRescue is sharing some past articles related to structural collapse, earthquake response and USAR teams.

Searching High & Low: How to conduct search and rescue over large urban areas

Story & Photo By Fred LaFemina

July 2008, p. 44…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 13, 2010 at 5:30pm — No Comments

USAR Expert Comments on Haiti Earthquake

In light of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti late Tuesday, FireRescue magazine spoke with Harold Schapelhouman, former task force leader in charge of California Task Force 3. Schapelhouman offers his thoughts and insight on the current incident and the job ahead for the Fairfax and Los Angeles USAR teams. According to the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, VATF1 is en route to Haiti now and is expected to arrive around 4 pm EST; as of this writing, CATF2 was… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 13, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Lessons Learned from California Earthquake Exercise

In light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, FireRescue is sharing some past articles related to structural collapse, earthquake response and USAR teams.

The following is excerpted from Capt. Larry Collins’ Major Incident Readiness Article “Ready to Shake: Lessons from earthquake exercise can be applied to many regions,” April 2009, p. 58. Photos Courtesy USGS

More than 5,000 firefighters and first responders participated in the nation’s largest disaster… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 13, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

How USAR Started, Part 4

FireRescue magazine's Technical Rescue Web column

California Takes the Lead: The history of the national Urban Search & Rescue program, part 4

By Harold Schapelhouman

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series on the history of the national USAR program. Read the previous posts:

Part 1: How It All Started…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 8, 2010 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Cochran to first responders: Get vaccinated!

U.S. Fire Administrator Calls on Fire Service to Participate in National Influenza Vaccination Week

From the U.S. Fire Administration: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/media/press/2010releases/011110.shtm

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), which is January 10-16, 2010, provides an important opportunity to continue vaccination efforts. During the week, U.S. Fire… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 12, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Tales from a Tailboard fireman-earning our pay (3)

San Jose Fire was very fortunate, in that during my time on the job we had only one on-duty death. As I previously mentioned, we had numerous job-related deaths and injuries. We came close a number of times; in my days firefighting used very aggressive tactics, which some now view to be too aggressive.

The education about Haz Mat and the changes it brought went against our desire to get in and get the job done. When dealing with chemicals that can kill or debilitate with a drop on… Continue

Added by mike simms on January 11, 2010 at 9:52pm — No Comments

Tales from a Tailboard fireman-earning our pay (2)

As with most firefighters, I have had my share of ceilings fall on me and floors give way below my boots. Hot tar has run down my helmet and steam and heat has burned my ears (before Nomex hoods). In the movies, fire is sometimes depicted as a beast that talks to you. I have only had that experience once.

Engine 7 was second in on a large pool supply warehouse fire. When we arrived, it had already gone to multiple alarm and we knew we were going to be there all night. My regular… Continue

Added by mike simms on January 11, 2010 at 9:49pm — No Comments

Tales from a Tailboard fireman-earning our pay

During 25 years of fighting fires and responding to calls, there are times when you know that was as close as you want to come to the edge. When you sense death tapping you on the shoulder and know that day you earned your pay.

My first was an ammonia leak at a rail yard. I was on the tailboard of Engine 7 when we were dispatched at 2100 hrs. When we got close, the smell almost knocked me and Tom off. S.J.F.D. had just set up a Haz Mat unit, and when we pulled up, I saw them… Continue

Added by mike simms on January 10, 2010 at 4:35pm — No Comments

What Simple “Tailboard Drills” Have You Found Valuable?

Baby it’s cold outside. It’s our busy season.

That’s why it’s so important to stay on top of our game, now more than ever.

It’s a great time for a simple “tailboard drill.”

I’m looking for your suggestions on quick company drills (for small crews of 3-5 or so) that you have found to be great ways to spend a few minutes while stuck inside.

Let’s gather some ideas and we’ll use them on a future Firefighter NetCast as well!

Added by FireDaily.com on January 11, 2010 at 7:07pm — No Comments

Live Internet Firefighter Show Debuts!

Firefighter NetCast debuts Tuesday night at 8pm ET with a LIVE NetCast!

Firefighter NetCast is an internet radio show by and for firefighters, featuring topics which are current, interesting, fun, and sometimes controversial.

The featured topic for the first show is Line of Duty Deaths.

Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths are down this year. Is this just a welcome fluke or are we actually making progress? Is it realistic to shoot for zero LODD’s? What has… Continue

Added by Firefighter NetCast on January 11, 2010 at 11:53pm — 8 Comments

Simple Solutions Enhance Safety and Operations in Houston

Simple Solutions Enhance Safety and Operations in Houston

by

Robert G. Parry

After nearly thirty years of responding to alarms in both a small, paid combination department and a large urban city, I look back at the dramatic changes I have witnessed over the past decades. The safety and accountability of our members, while enroute, returning, or operating at an emergency incident, have… Continue

Added by Robert G. Parry on January 12, 2010 at 12:47am — 1 Comment

Live-fire training: Strategies for ensuring it’s safe and realistic

Live-fire training: Strategies for ensuring it’s safe and realistic

By Keith Lloyd

Live-fire training is a necessary and indispensable tool for the professional fire service instructor. Fire training technology has made great advancements in recent years, but has yet to produce a simulator that can provide the same experience, the feeling of heat and the ability to observe fire behavior that live-fire evolutions provide.

Introducing the firefighter… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 7, 2010 at 8:00am — 11 Comments

Plug Away: Drills for improving communication & success on a forward lay

QUICK DRILLS

Plug Away: Drills for improving communication & success on a forward lay

By Homer Robertson

What’s the one fireground task that the least-experienced member of your company is often assigned to perform, without help? As a new firefighter, I remember going out to the apparatus bay with the company officer or the apparatus operator first thing in the morning, and they would tell me, “If we get anything today, you’re plugging.” They… Continue

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