Featured Blog Posts (1,722)

Nozzlehead: National fire service orgs represent their dues-paying members

NOZZLEHEAD

It's Business: National fire service organizations stand up for their dues-paying members

Editor's Note: An abbreviated version of Nozzlehead's response to this letter appeared in the October issue of FireRescue magazine.

Dear Nozzlehead: Once again the disunity and parochial side of the fire service (career vs. volunteer) rears its ugly head—this time in the form of the fire union rep’s recent testimony to Congress… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on October 3, 2009 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Make the Jump: Plyometric exercises build vital leg muscle power

Survival of the Fittest

Story & Photos by Jeff & Martha Ellis

Powerful legs can come in handy at a number of typical emergency scenes. Everything from climbing stairs to lifting a heavy patient to breaching a ceiling becomes a bit easier when you have the ability to generate power with your lower extremities.

Muscle power is different from muscle strength or endurance. Slow, controlled movements develop muscle strength… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on October 2, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Spokane Firefighters Perform High-Angle Rescue of Fallen Climber

RESCUE REPORT

Spokane Firefighters Perform High-Angle Rescue of Fallen Climber

By Tom Vines

As the popularity of rock climbing increases, so does the number of rock climbing-related accidents and injuries. A study published in the online issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine revealed a 63 percent increase in the number of patients treated in U.S. emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1990 and 2007, with more than… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on October 2, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Study Produces Tips on Communicating with the Public about Wildfire

Straight Talk

How to speak to a public that, according to one study, better understands—but still fears—WUI fire

By Sandy Shaffer

In 2008, the Partners in Fire Education (PIFE) completed an extensive research project that involved collecting the American public’s opinion on fire use and other related topics. Have you ever wondered what John or Jane Q. Public thinks about prescribed burning? Do you think they know (or care) about fire’s historical role in our… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on October 1, 2009 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

From Multitasking to Task Overload

From Multitasking to Task Overload

For firefighters, the ability to do many things at once is crucial, but it’s easy to take it too far

By Billy Schmidt

Firefighting-360 (FF-360) is a continuing series of articles that takes a broad look into the concept of crew resource management (CRM) and how it can improve and enhance training and operations in the fire service. The purpose of the FF-360 column is to inform and encourage emergency responders to use a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 30, 2009 at 8:00am — 2 Comments

What to Carry in Your Pockets

Pockets Aren't Just Hand Warmers

A brief rundown of essential tools to carry & where

By Robert L. James III

Often new firefighters are unaware of the things they need to carry in their pockets to do the job. Even experienced firefighters may be missing the opportunity to maximize their pocket space; I've run across firefighters who have no idea what's in their own pockets.

Ladies and gentlemen, pockets are not just hand warmers. And when you put your… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 30, 2009 at 8:00am — 21 Comments

A US Firefighter visit to the Chinese Fire Service

I was fortunate to recently go to China and get an unprecedented access to the Chinese Fire Service.

Attached is a link to a Pod Cast I did for the NFPA on September 25 2009. …

Continue

Added by Dave Reed on September 30, 2009 at 8:30pm — 3 Comments

KME displays modern-looking Force 1500 ARFF vehicle

The Future of ARFF

KME displays modern-looking Force 1500 ARFF vehicle

Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro

I’m sure that most of you who attended FDIC and the Harrisburg Fire Expo exhibit halls stopped by the KME booth and saw its new Force 1500 ARFF vehicle. It was definitely worth a look. At first glance it appeared quite futuristic in nature, and after taking a closer look, I can see that a lot of great engineering went into the design of this… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 30, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

A Fire Service Renaissance Man: Remembering Peter Jorgensen

Peter Jorgensen, the publisher of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine, died of cancer at his home in Tundbridge, Vt.,on Sept. 25 at age 68. Below is a remembrance by Jeff Berend, Elsevier Public Safety’s VP/Publisher.

A Fire Service Renaissance Man

The fire service is made up of many unique individuals, but none more unique than Peter Jorgensen. Whenever I'd see Pete at a conference or meeting, with his always-present bowtie and strong… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 30, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

No Heroes as NBC's 'Trauma' Fails to Deliver - a Firefighter Nation Review

A.J. Heightman

Editor-in-Chief, JEMS & Firefighter Nation

The new series Trauma premiering Monday night is being billed by NBC as "the first high-octane medical drama series to live exclusively in the field." The show's Website says it's "like an adrenaline shot to the heart, an intense, action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions in the world: first responder paramedics." Unfortunately having had the… Continue

Added by Firefighter Nation WebChief on September 27, 2009 at 9:04pm — 5 Comments

Tools for the Fire Officer

The IAFC and NFPA have just released the Second Edition of Fire Officer: Principles and Practice. This updated publication is designed to help fire fighters make a smooth transition to fire officer.

Covering the entire scope of NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, 2009 Edition, Fire Officer combines current content with dynamic features and interactive… Continue

Added by IAFC on September 23, 2009 at 1:40pm — No Comments

SoCal Fire Photos

The wildland fire season is heating up in Southern California, and as usual many of these fires are directly affecting urban areas. We've gathered a few photos coming to us from the front lines.

Tip: Click the "i" in the slideshow player for photo information and the photographer's name.

Find more photos like this on Firefighter… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 16, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Attacking Wind-Driven High-Rise Fires

Blowin’ In the Wind, Part 4

Considerations for attacking a wind-driven high-rise fire

By Fred LaFemina

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series on high-rise fires. Read the other posts:

Part 1: Understanding conditions behind wind-driven fires…

Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 16, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Respect the Rank

Respect the Rank

Refusing to do what’s right because you don’t respect the company officer hurts you & the whole crew

By Scott Cook

Photo Chris Mickal

I know I tend to put the responsibility on the company officer and upper echelon for crew and department performance. But that doesn’t excuse some of the stuff those of us who ride backward do that can negatively affect team performance.

For whatever reason, some of us don’t want to… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 16, 2009 at 8:00am — 7 Comments

Atlanta Crews Respond to Parking Deck Collapse

Atlanta Crews Respond to Parking Deck Collapse

Incident becomes longest rescue in department history

Story & Photos by Greg Simpson

On Monday, June 29 at approximately 1230 HRS, the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department responded to a reported parking deck collapse at 5th St. and Spring St. NE.

Firefighters arrived to find an eight-story parking deck with four floors collapsed to the ground in the center section. The Georgia Mutual Aid Group (GMAG)… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 16, 2009 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Capt. Mike Hayes is FireRescue's Company Officer of the Year

Best of the Best

FDNY’s Mike Hayes is FireRescue’s Company Officer of the Year

Captain Michael C. Hayes of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Ladder Company 28 is the recipient of the 2009 FireRescue magazine Company Officer of the Year Award, which was presented to him on Aug. 28 at Fire-Rescue International in Dallas (watch the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 10, 2009 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments

Make It Personal

I recently attended a seminar on preparation for line-of-duty deaths and firefighter funerals. If you’ve ever read one of my blogs on FirefighterNation.com, you know that I have very strong feelings about firefighter deaths.

But, for the first time, the subject really hit home with me. While it’s important to plan that stuff, if we really think about it, doesn’t… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 10, 2009 at 6:00pm — 1 Comment

Summer Acceleration Theory

Calcium Anthropologists Warn of Effects of Summer Acceleration

Unconfirmed fiction by: Tige R. Schmittendorf

Editor's Note: I know it's Labor Day. I should have warned you sooner...

One day while taking a requisite course towards my doctorate in calcium anthropology — the study of milkmen and their connection to mad cow disease — I had cause to stop, doze, and ponder the season ahead.

In the midst of my heavy R.E.M. sleep, I… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 7, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments

A Quick Review of Type 3 Construction & Associated Fire Danger

QUICK DRILLS

If They Build It … A quick review of Type 3 construction & associated fire danger

Story & Photos by Homer Robertson

In last month’s column (FireRescue, August 2009, “Warning Signs,” p. 116), I discussed two fundamental subjects that every fire department should cover in its training programs: fire behavior and building construction. Last month, I focused on flashover, which is just one small segment of fire behavior. This… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 10, 2009 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

From the X-Box to the Box Alarm

As I travel around the country talking with other firefighters, a commonly recurring theme of our chat is the future of the volunteer fire service.

The conversation always comes around to the topic of today’s firefighters and the next generation of firefighters. Some “more experienced” firefighters (notice I didn’t use the term older) share that they don’t understand the “kids” coming into the fire service today.

The veterans don’t think today’s recruits share the same… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 6, 2009 at 11:00pm — 9 Comments