Fire Rescue Magazine's Blog (463)

Combi Concerns: Fostering unity & diversity in a traditionally competitive & conflicted environment

EMERGING LEADERS

Combi Concerns

Fostering unity & diversity in a traditionally competitive & conflicted environment

By Dan Eggleston, EFO, CFO, CMO

The definition of the term “combination” is the act of combining or the state of being combined. It seems rather simplistic, doesn’t… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 8, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Tangled Up: When your SCBA gets snagged, do you know what to do?

QUICK DRILLS

Tangled Up

When your SCBA gets snagged, do you know what to do?

By Homer Robertson

In the last 30 years, the fire service has made huge gains in the area of SCBA use. Today, most departments have strict policies that address when, where and how SCBAs should be… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 3, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

PPE from FDIC: FireRescue tech editors make their top picks

Mike Kirby's Picks

Honeywell/Morning Pride Helmet Ratchet Headband

What seems to be an issue for many fire service personnel and departments is finding a helmet that fits everyone properly. People come in all shapes and sizes, and so do their heads, which means for some, helmets can be uncomfortable or ride too high.

In our fire department, we have to provide helmets to more than 800 firefighters.

To address this… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 1, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Brattleboro Retreat’s program focuses on helping public safety workers

Battling PTSD at Brattleboro

Brattleboro Retreat’s program focuses on helping public safety workers

By Jane Jerrard

Like members of the military, firefighters and EMS providers commonly experience repeated exposure to horrific events. Because of this aspect of their jobs, one of the dangers firefighters and EMT/paramedics face is developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

So it’s… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 30, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Solid Briefings Help Fire Teams Execute Plans, Manage Objectives

FIREFIGHTING 360

Solid Briefings Help Fire Teams Execute Plans, Manage Objectives

Whether in the firehouse or on scene, briefings contribute to operational and tactical goal achievement.

By Billy Schmidt

The fire service is a complex system that often operates in a chaotic… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 20, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Tips for Speccing Emergency Vehicle Lighting for Apparatus

Inside the Apparatus Industry

Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro

It’s been a while since I covered the topic of emergency vehicle lighting. The fire apparatus manufacturers have been doing a great job of conforming to NFPA 1901 and its lighting requirements; I’ll discuss more about that standard in a minute.

Probably the best product to hit the emergency vehicle lighting market… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 18, 2011 at 5:00am — No Comments

A “Routine” Reminder: Incident proves there’s no such thing as a routine call

By D. Brady Rogers

Fire Chief Robert Rielage of the Wyoming (Ohio) Fire-EMS Department once wrote that “smells and bells” incidents can result in complacency and a failure to follow procedures, such as wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Although safety should never be compromised, firefighters can be lulled into a false sense of security when “smells” have been the result of crayons melting on electric baseboard heat, or even bad food left in the…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 17, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Computer-Based Training: An integral part of developing today’s firefighters

By Kevin Milan

Although hands-on class enrollment skyrockets each year at every major fire service conference, exhibit hall vendors proclaim computer-based training (CBT) is the answer to every training challenge. The troops want hands-on training, but vendors provide electronic solutions. At first, these two realities seem to be in direct conflict with each other; however, they do share a common ground: Like hands-on training, if applied… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 16, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

How the LAST Program Can Help Your Department Cope with an LODD

By Ron Siarnicki

As captain of the Lutherville (Maryland) Volunteer Fire Department, near Baltimore, Steve Weatherby was confident he and his department were well prepared for any call for help, for every imaginable incident. As with every department, the members routinely drill and practice. They all take necessary fire service classes and become recertified. They debrief after calls—formally and informally—with colleagues in the department.… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 12, 2011 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

The Big Question: How to Measure the Effectiveness of Prevention Programs

The Big Question

Measuring the performance of fire prevention programs starts with asking why they exist in the first place

By Jim Crawford

For some time, many of us in the prevention field have been discussing model performance measures for fire prevention programs. It’s no secret that the measures apply for other injury-control strategies and that… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 11, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Two Benchmarks for Water Delivery on the Modern Fireground

The Right Amount of “Wet Stuff”

Two Benchmarks for Water Delivery on the Modern Fireground

By Paul Spencer

The world of a modern-day engineer has changed, and many of us are struggling to keep up. Fires that used to go out relatively easily are now challenging us more than ever. The fuels involved in residential structure fires are changing along with fire behavior, forcing us to develop greater… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 10, 2011 at 7:00am — No Comments

Attic Fire Tactics from the Inside Up

In modern construction, ladder companies may need to perform a roof attack

By Randy Frassetto

In newer construction, attic fires pose unique challenges, making fireground tactics difficult at best. One effective tactic that can help: using a ladder crew to support the crews operating inside the structure.

Executed with property conservation in mind, leaving the drywall on the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 9, 2011 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Know Your Disassembly Tools for Extrications

Disassembly can be advantageous to cutting or prying tactics, but you need to know which tools to grab

Story & Photos by Les Baker

Disentanglement tactics may necessitate disassembling parts of a vehicle. In many cases, disassembly is much more advantageous than tactics that involve cutting and prying. Disassembling a vehicle creates safer working conditions, significantly reduces the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 6, 2011 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment

The Whole Package: Developing a total wellness program

By Mike Ong

Having participated in many health and fitness symposiums over the years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting firefighters from all over the world, and I’ve entertained a variety of questions regarding the development of wellness programs for their respective departments. In short, I’ve learned a great deal about other departments and the challenges they face in developing or growing their programs.

Most attendees of… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 4, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Numbers Spark Improvements at Austin Fire Department

A business intelligence software application provides the AFD with statistical basis to better itself

By Rhoda Mae Kerr & Elizabeth Gray

“You can get a lot further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word.” These memorable words attributed to mobster Al Capone have relevance in the world of fire service company officers—not in promoting violence (no one is advocating that), but… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 3, 2011 at 6:00am — No Comments

Exporting USAR Expertise: California firefighters respond to Japan

By Jane Jerrard

By now, most of you know that U.S. firefighters rushed to Japan to help with search and rescue efforts following the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

A total of seventy-four CA-TF2 members were…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 2, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

How Can My Department Get Grant Money?

How and when to apply for various grant packages

By Wayne L. Eder, EFO, MBA

It’s that time of year again! Time to work on your Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) applications, and once again, we’ll all hear that frequently asked question: How can my department get a grant?

The AFG has been a staple for fire service funding since its inception in 2001, and to date it has been… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on May 2, 2011 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

Colorado Firefighters Perform Unusual Residential Rescue

A rescue by the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District of Breckenridge, Colo., proves that you may need to employ rope rescue techniques in the most unexpected places.

On Jan. 31 at 1511 HRS, the Summit County Dispatch center received a 9-1-1 call reporting that a 21-year-old male had fallen down an elevator shaft in a house. The caller said the patient was unconscious and shaking.

At 1514 HRS, the Red, White & Blue Fire District dispatched units… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on April 28, 2011 at 7:00am — 3 Comments

Managing the “Personal” Side of Fire Service Leadership

EADERSHIP SKILLS

Managing the “Personal” Side of Fire Service Leadership

Leadership requires people skills to maintain operational readiness

By Marc Revere

“Leadership is horrible! Leadership is lonely!” I’ve… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on April 26, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Choose Your Weapon: Nozzle selection when using CAFS

By Keith Klassen

For years, the fire service has been embroiled in the “great compressed-air foam system (CAFS) nozzle debate”—a debate that focuses primarily on which nozzle is best for compressed-air foam (CAF). In reality, CAF can be pumped through any nozzle. However, that doesn’t mean fire departments should just pick a nozzle at random. Nozzle selection must be based on research into how CAF works and consideration of the various factors that make each department…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on April 21, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments