Fire Rescue Magazine's Blog

Hit by the “Stupid Truck”: Personal conduct can leave your career, department & public trust in the wreckage

The following article was published in the February issue of FireRescue magazine.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

By Chief Jeffrey D. Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE

Public attitude surveys regularly cite the fire service as one of the most highly respected professions. While humbling, this… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 25, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Phoenix Fire Performs Rescue at “Praying Monk”

RESCUE REPORT

By Tom Vines

On Jan. 17, the Phoenix Fire Department successfully rescued a seriously injured rock climber who had fallen from a popular climbing route.

The 911 call—initially received at Police Department Communications and then directed to Phoenix Fire Dispatch—reported that a person had fallen on “the Praying Monk,” an 80' rock tower on… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 25, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

Back to the Basics: Build a training program that refocuses your troops

Back to the Basics

How to build a training program that refocuses your troops on their primary mission

By William Sturgeon

Several years ago, I was playing golf with a friend of mine who happened to be a triple-A baseball pitcher. I wasn’t playing very well that day, so I asked him, “What do you do when you start pitching poorly?” He told me he always goes back to his fundamentals and recommits himself to mastering the basics again.

This made me… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 24, 2010 at 8:00am — 4 Comments

A Show of Steel: NYC exhibition highlights naval warship built with WTC steel

A Show of Steel

NYC exhibition highlights naval warship built with WTC steel

By Jane Jerrard

There are countless memorials, tributes and remembrances to the victims who fell at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. But few are as powerful as the U.S. Navy’s new warship, the USS New York, whose bow was forged from 7 ½ tons of steel… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 23, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

COAL WAS WEALTH: Size-up basics you need to know

FireRescue magazine's Fireground Operations column

COAL WAS WEALTH: The basics of size-up, part 1

By Freddie LaFemina

As a young firefighter, I’d always run fire scenarios through my mind. Whether I was checking the apparatus prior to a tour, checking tools or responding to an incident, I’d always perform a mini size-up in my head. Using any information available, such as dispatch information, prior fires or fire prevention inspection… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 22, 2010 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

You Can’t Do Everything at Once: Multitasking on the Fireground

You Can’t Do Everything at Once

What you need to know about multitasking & how to control it on the fireground

By Billy Schmidt

How can firefighters complete several important tasks—safely, effectively and in a timely manner—while working in the challenging fireground environment? The answer lies in understanding task management and multitasking. Firefighters are only as effective as the results from the actions they take. In this column,… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 19, 2010 at 8:00am — 2 Comments

Guidelines & Best Practices in Youth Fire Service Program Now Available

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Volunteer & Combination Officers Section’s Silver Ribbon Report, Opening New Doors: Guidelines and Best Practices for a Successful Youth Fire Service Program, is now available for download. The fifth in the series of Ribbon… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 18, 2010 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

Apparatus Junkies: Check Out FAMA.org!

Inside the Apparatus Industry

Check It Out: Fama.org offers an abundance of apparatus information

Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro

If you’re anything like me, a fire apparatus junkie who never gets enough chrome, red paint, lights and sirens, you may want to take a look at a neat little Web site, www.fama.org, the Web site for the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association (FAMA), a non-profit association composed of 115… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 17, 2010 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company & Employees Donate $94,496 to Help Haiti

Following the destructive earthquake in Haiti, many companies serving the fire, EMS and law enforcement communities are playing a crucial part in rescue efforts. Over the next few weeks, FireRescue will highlight those companies that are having a direct impact on relief efforts.

Following is one example of a company striving to make a difference in this… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 17, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

CA-TF2 Honored for Service to Haiti

“Everybody is somebody,” said Haiti native and special guest speaker Sam Jean, translating a Haitian proverb for the more than 500 in attendance at the California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) Recognition Ceremony on Feb. 11, held at the Cecil R. Gehr Fire Combat Training Center for the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). Screenwriter and attorney Jean, who serves as a board member of the Yele Haiti Foundation founded by his brother, musician Wyclef Jean, delivered an eloquent message on… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 16, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Only the Best: How to hire the right officer

Only the Best: How to hire the right officer for the job

By Stephen M. Coleman Jr.

As a fire chief, promoting a firefighter to company officer may be one of the single most important decisions you make.

Department personnel are the backbone of our organization, so if we don’t promote high-quality people to lead them, we’re setting up our departments for decreased employee morale, legal concerns and/or problems with public perception and support.

So we… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 15, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Educating community members can make our jobs easier and keep them safer

Helping Others Helps Us

Educating community members can make our jobs easier and keep them safer

By Scott Cook

A few nights ago, my wife woke me up at 2:30 in the morning saying someone was beating at the front door. Pistol in hand, off I go and peek through the peep hole to see four of Hood County’s finest on the porch. I put the pistol on the cabinet and opened the door to a “What’s going on in there?”

“Sleeping.”

“We got a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 12, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Portland Firefighters Free Man Trapped Between Crane & Steel Plates

RESCUE REPORT: Industrial accident leaves man trapped between crane and steel plates

Photo Courtesy Portland Fire & Rescue

On Jan. 7, Portland (Ore.) firefighters used skill and ingenuity to successfully rescue a worker who had been in an accident at an industrial facility.

The Portland Emergency Communications Bureau received the 911 call reporting the incident at Oregon Steel Mills at 1802 HRS. Within a minute of the call, Portland Fire… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Another Flood for Fargo?

FireRescue magazine recently checked in with Captain Leon Schlafmann, emergency services coordinator for the Fargo Fire Department, on the current flood status in Fargo. According to reports, the area will again be deluged by floodwaters from the Red River of the North, and responders have already begun preparations. Last year, responders worked around the clock as record-breaking floodwaters caused hundreds to evacuate. Note: FireRescue will post a…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 9, 2010 at 10:00am — No Comments

Tactical considerations for firefighting operations in lightweight construction

Battling the Hidden Danger

Tactical considerations for firefighting operations in lightweight construction

By James M. Dalton, Peter Van Dorpe, Robert G. Backstrom & Steve Kerber

Multiple firefighter fatalities at large commercial fires attract the attention and scrutiny they warrant. However, it’s also important to remember that many line-of-duty injuries and deaths occur in single- and multiple-family dwellings during routine, “bread and butter”… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 9, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Collapse Time for Different Assemblies

Collapse Time for Different Assemblies

Need-to-know info from Underwriters Laboratories study

By James M. Dalton, Peter Van Dorpe, Robert G. Backstrom and Steve Kerber

Editor’s note: In the February issue of FireRescue magazine, authors James M. Dalton, Peter Van Dorpe, Robert G. Backstrom and Steve Kerber share some information and tactical tips for fighting fires in buildings made of lightweight construction. What follows here is… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 9, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Q & A with FDNY Chief Edward Kilduff

As of Jan. 12, the duties of chief of the fire department for the city of New York (FDNY) were officially handed over to Edward Kilduff.

Yesterday, Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano presided over the promotions ceremony that advanced Assistant Chief Edward S. Kilduff to Chief of Department, the highest uniformed position in the FDNY.

A member of the department since 1977, Kilduff worked his way up through the ranks, most recently…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 5, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Thank You, Haiti Rescue Responders

FireRescue magazine's Technical Rescue Web column

Thank You, Haiti Rescue Responders

By Harold Schapelhouman

As the national (and international) urban search and rescue (USAR) task forces return from Haiti, they deserve our thanks for a job well done. They performed difficult jobs under extremely difficult conditions, and they did so in representation of the United States of America.

Although the situation in Haiti, particularly… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 5, 2010 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

DRIFIRE Donates Shirts & Blankets to Haiti

Following the destructive earthquake in Haiti, many companies serving the fire, EMS and law enforcement communities are playing a crucial part in rescue efforts. Over the next few weeks, FireRescue will highlight those companies that are having a direct impact on relief efforts.

Following is one example of a company striving to make a difference in this devastated nation.

DRIFIRE Partners with K.I.D.S. to Support the effort in Haiti by donating flame-resistant… Continue

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

Get Involved! Why the fire service needs your input in politics

Control Your Destiny

Your involvement in local & state politics can have a profound effect on the fire service

By Chief John Oceguera

Editor's Note: This article is reprinted from the January 2010 issue of FireRescue magazine.

“Politics? That’s got nothing to do with me, and besides, I’m too busy.”

It’s amazing how many times I hear that from my fellow firefighters. But consider: Every important decision that affects… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on February 3, 2010 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Fire Rescue Magazine's Blog – February 2010 Archive (21)