Fire Rescue Magazine's Blog – September 2009 Archive (16)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congrats! IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section 2009 Awards

Photo John M. Buckman III

Editor's Note: At Fire-Rescue International last week, the IAFC's Safety, Health & Survival Section announced several awards. As a strong supporter of the Section's efforts, we at FireRescue magazine would like to congratulate all of the award winners for their efforts in improving firefighter safety and survival.

Billy Goldfeder Fire Service Organizational Safety Award

This year’s recipient of the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 5, 2009 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Near Miss: The 400-lb. Patient in the Room

NEAR-MISS REPORT

The 400-lb. Patient in the Room: We must ensure safe operations during unique calls, like transporting the immobile, obese patient

By Deputy Chief John B. Tippett Jr.

The role of the fire service has expanded well beyond the original concept and ideals promulgated by early colonists Peter Stuyvesant and Benjamin Franklin. What hasn’t changed in the last 300 years: the tradition of rising to the occasion when called upon to assist a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 5, 2009 at 10:30am — 2 Comments

Heads Up! Part 2: How to perform a tree rescue

RESCUE TRAINING

By Andy Speier

Consider this scenario: A parachutist is blown off course and gets caught hanging by their chute in a tree 150 feet off the ground. The branch nearest the ground is 50 feet away, and there’s no vehicle access to the site. Is your department or rescue team prepared and trained to initiate a rescue in this situation? How long until the parachutist becomes unconscious and unable to assist with the rescue?

In my… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Time to Slosh: To add some variety to your workout, try a slosh pipe

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

By Jeff & Martha Ellis

For those of you looking to add a different piece of equipment to your fire station gym, or if you just need a little project and want to work muscles you haven’t worked before, it’s time to build a slosh pipe. A slosh pipe is nothing more than a 9′ piece of 4″ PVC pipe that’s filled two-thirds of the way with water, which should equal 38–42 lbs., and capped at both ends. Think… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Safe Shuttling: Best Practices for water-hauling operations

RURAL FIRE COMMAND

By Mike Kucsma

I’d like to think that the fire service is starting to make some strides when it comes to reducing apparatus accidents and, therefore, the number of injuries and fatalities associated with such incidents. And although I could make driving safety the topic of this article—and even address some personal near misses—I’m going to leave that to my colleagues who deliver the driving safety and seatbelt message louder and more… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

1 Giant Step for Truckies: Managing Parapets

One Giant Step for Truckies: How to safely manage parapets

By Peter F. Kertzie

The amount of energy we exert scurrying up an aerial ladder to a roof can range from minimal to extreme, depending on the angle of the ladder, the load we’re carrying and the weather, smoke and fire conditions. One thing we can count on during our ascent: There will be sturdy, evenly spaced rungs under our feet the entire time. And if we’re using a platform or Snorkel and simply… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 2, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments