Featured Blog Posts (1,722)

New Jersey Metro Fire Photographers Association (2009 Photo Night)

Save The Date & Spread the word The New Jersey Metro Fire Photographers Association to Announce their 24th annual PHOTO NIGHT SHOW Spectacular! Saturday Oct. 17, 2009 3:30 to 9:30 pm New & Old Apparatus displays , slide and digital shows... , video feathers and more! at the Harry P Becton Regional High School 120 Paterson Avenue East Rutherford , NJ 07073 Hope to see you all there

Added by Christopher Torello on August 28, 2009 at 11:02pm — No Comments

Worcester 10 Years Later: An Insider's Look

By Janelle Foskett, FireRescue magazine

On Dec. 3, 1999, six Worcester (Mass.) Fire Department (WFD) firefighters lost their lives while battling a fire in the vacant Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire. Ten years later, WFD District Chief John F. Sullivan, MPA, spoke about the event in his Fire-Rescue International session “Beyond the Investigation Report: An Insider’s Look at the Worcester LODD Incident.”

Sullivan, who was a company officer… Continue

Added by Firefighter Nation WebChief on August 27, 2009 at 10:19pm — 3 Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...August 26, 2009

I forgot to tell you about Sunday. I had a GREAT time at an exempt picnic at one of our firehouses.

In our township, you are exempt if you are with the fire department for seven years. I am not exempt, but the picnic is opened up to all the firefighters in the township.

Last year I attended the same picnic but this year I knew more people, and I knew some people a little better than I did last year. I even caught… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on August 26, 2009 at 6:35am — No Comments

A Long Stretch: Large buildings mean longer hoselines

FIRE ATTACK

A Long Stretch: Large buildings mean longer hoselines

By Greg Jakubowski

Large homes, schools, hospitals, malls, office buildings, churches, warehouses, industrial complexes and other large buildings all have one thing in common when it comes to fighting fires in them: Firefighters will likely need to stretch a hoseline longer than 200 feet from the engine company to the seat of the fire.

BUILDING CHALLENGES

Although the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on November 30, 1999 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Lasting Impressions

5 years later, Chief Page’s influence lives on

Over the course of a lifetime, each us will experience events or meet certain individuals that leave an indelible mark in our memory—a lasting impression that changes our lives. In some cases, the memories of these events and/or people bring about great sadness; for others, they become influential experiences that set the course of their careers.

For me, that event occurred on May 28, 1977. It was a warm summer evening… Continue

Added by Timothy Sendelbach on August 25, 2009 at 9:28pm — 4 Comments

Letter to the Editor: Creative hoseloads make long stretches easier

Letter to the Editor: Creative hoseloads make long stretches easier

By Scott Arthur EMT-P

Greg Jakubowski’s article in the July issue of FireRescue magazine touched on some hose evolutions that we have used very successfully for a number of years here in Snowmass Village.

We have a large number of homes with significant set backs or… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on August 26, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

BICO Up In Flames

The headquarters of ice-cream maker BICO went up in flames tonight, causing at least one million dollars in damage.

The north-western section of the complex was extensively damaged by the inferno that started around 7:50 p.m. and lasted more than two hours.

Chief executive officer Edwin Thirlwell, who rushed from home to the complex, said as far as he knew it was the first fire to hit the company since its opening on Bay Street in… Continue

Added by Glyne Alleyne on August 19, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Straddle the Fence

Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin J. Cochran, a FireRescue editorial board member, has been confirmed as the U.S. Fire Administrator. President Barack Obama nominated Chief Cochran for the post in July, and it has now been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

While chairman of the IAFC’s Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section, Chief Cochran wrote the Leadership Skills column for FireRescue’s IAFC section, Leader’s Edge.

Following are a few of our favorite Leadership Skills… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on August 16, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Come Up for Air: Exit before the low-air alarm activates

Come Up for Air: Exit the building before the low-air alarm activates

By Chief Gary Morris

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in the July 2009 issue of FireRescue magazine. Read a letter to the editor, and Chief Morris' response, about this article.

Since 2001, as I have lectured about firefighter safety and… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on August 16, 2009 at 8:30am — 4 Comments

Image Is Everything

Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin J. Cochran, a FireRescue editorial board member, has been confirmed as the U.S. Fire Administrator. President Barack Obama nominated Chief Cochran for the post in July, and it has now been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

While chairman of the IAFC’s Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section, Chief Cochran wrote the Leadership Skills column for FireRescue’s IAFC section, Leader’s Edge.

Following is one of our favorite Leadership Skills columns,… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on August 16, 2009 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment

"We Can Take the USFA to a Whole New Level" - Interview with U.S. Fire Administrator Cochran

On Friday, Aug. 14, FireRescue Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach interviewed Chief Kelvin Cochran, the newly appointed U.S. Fire Administrator and a FireRescue editorial board member.

Read articles from Chief Cochran.

Tim Sendelbach (TS): We’re here today with Chief Cochran, the new U.S. Fire Administrator. We’re very honored to have Chief… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on August 17, 2009 at 8:00am — 2 Comments

Uncommon Rescue

We were called out on a service call, a horse "stuck in a ditch". We arrived on scene and find the horse has fallen through and into a 500 gallon septic tank. Now I personally have never let my horses roam my yard, but the owners of this filly, (that's a young female horse for you city folk) let her do exactly that.

With assistance from the SPCA, veterinarian, and good sedation, we were able to extract the horse in just over an hour, and except for a few minor abrasions was… Continue

Added by Oldman on August 12, 2009 at 10:30am — 5 Comments

The Economic Benefits of a Health & Wellness Program

Kerry Kuehl, PhD, takes a look at the PHLAME program and how the implementation of this program improved diet and excercise behaviors and decreased claims with a cost savings of $1,200 per firefighter in the first year. Hear how this low-cost, team based program can be easily implemented with immediate and positive results with a great return on investment. The podcast can be downloaded from the FRI 2009 blog. Dr. Kuehl will speak on this topic… Continue

Added by IAFC on August 11, 2009 at 5:24pm — No Comments

Rescue Report: 3 Trapped in CA Ravine

RESCUE REPORT: California Firefighters Rescue Group Stuck in Ravine

By Tom Vines

On April 27, Palo Alto firefighters responded to a local natural hazard that, at least for a while, seemed to be collecting victims. Palo Alto City Hall received a 911 call at 1217 HRS reporting that a 91-year-old male was trapped in a ravine in Foothills Park in Palo Alto, approximately 30 miles south of San Francisco.

Palo Alto Fire dispatched Engine 2 and a medic… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on August 12, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...August 10, 2009

Hola from New Jersey!

Did you ever sit with a group of people that were totally knowledgeable about so many topics and wonder how they got there? It seems whenever I am at the firehouse, I get all the answers.

What do I do about the green spots on my house? What do I do about my sump pump not making any noise? How can I make my daughter understand that a 450 degree flat iron on a wood floor can start a fire? How… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on August 10, 2009 at 6:30am — 2 Comments

Highlighting the Day In, Day Out

There can be no substitute for overwhelming force

In the past months the nation has seen firefighters and other first responders face complex and difficult times. On the world stage we have viewed the inner department difficulties of a wide range from firefighters charged for committing criminal acts to firefighters justifying their right to a credibly earned promotion. Coupled with these we also see the constant difficulties that fire departments across the country are facing with… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on August 9, 2009 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

Zion Rangers Rescue Climber from "Feast of Snakes"

RESCUE REPORT: Zion Rangers Rescue Fallen Climber from “Feast of Snakes”

By Tom Vines

Faced with a rescue that was far more complex than they first expected, Zion National Park Rangers were able to successfully adapt to the changing situation in order to rescue a fallen climber.

On May 9 at 1234 HRS, dispatch at the Zion National Park in Utah received a cell phone call reporting that a rock climber had been injured in a fall. The… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on August 8, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

2009 LODD 6-Month Summary – Final

In 2009, from January to June, 53 persons died in the line of duty. The cause and nature of their deaths varies and is representative of the many different fire department personnel across the country. The nature of their work at time of death ranges from removing an occupant from a window of the fire building to a surgical complication following a work related injury. Their ages, 18 to 77, also represent the wide spectrum of men and women in firehouses across the country. In some ways, their… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on August 3, 2009 at 1:10am — 1 Comment

Idiot Replacement Theory

We were about 2/3rds through our career when Eddie described his Idiot Replacement Theory (IRT). For every old-school idiot, jerk or loser who retired, our generation would provide an equally inept replacement. I was shocked when he originally made that statement and wondered if it still was true.

CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES

We were part of the hundreds hired thirty years ago as a collection of rural VFDs grew into an urban county fire department. Our first line… Continue

Added by Mike Ward on August 2, 2009 at 5:55am — 5 Comments

No Butts about It: Pennsylvania picks up a powerful anti-smoking program for firefighters

By Jane Jerrard

Photo iStock.com

Firefighters across America—and especially in Pennsylvania—are getting some hardcore help kicking the tobacco habit. Thanks to a smoking cessation program introduced by the International Association of Fire Firefighters (IAFF), and picked up in June by the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association (PPFFA), any firefighter who smokes can get help with quitting—help that’s professionally designed and proven to… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on July 29, 2009 at 6:00am — 1 Comment