Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine's Blog

Advance Look at What Pierce is Unveiling at FDIC

Ok, that title made you click, didn’t it? I confess it’s a little misleading. True, I DID just get back from an event where the major fire service media were shown a sneak peek at Pierce’s latest innovation, which will be unveiled in a matter of days. However, I also had to agree not to disclose any details until that official unveiling. Well, that’s not entirely true—Pierce did tell us that we were allowed to share three details: it’s a new product, it has to do with increased space in the… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on March 17, 2011 at 9:59am — No Comments

Fire blankets at Notre Dame and other observations while abroad

I recently returned from two weeks in Paris and Dublin. Now, this was a personal vacation, and since my husband isn’t affiliated with the fire service, he has only so much patience for chasing foreign ladder trucks down narrow streets. So I didn’t make any trips to fire stations or go on any ridealongs with the “sappeur-pompiers.”

But I did find myself thinking about how fire must be fought in these places that are so different than U.S. cities, and I did find myself… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on July 10, 2010 at 10:07pm — No Comments

On-Site @ FDIC: When you try out Globe’s new PPE, you’ll also be donating to the D.C. Burn Foundation

Climb & Crawl for a Good Cause

When you try out Globe’s new PPE, you’ll also be donating to the D.C. Burn Foundation

When you're at FDIC, there's always certain booths that always have crowds of people at them, where it's apparent something exciting is going on--that, or free T-shirts are being given out! …

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Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on April 23, 2010 at 11:12am — No Comments

On-Site @ FDIC: Recent NIST research is changing fireground tactics

ON-SITE @ FDIC

Blowin’ in the Wind

Recent NIST research is changing fireground tactics

By Shannon Pieper

If you attended Dan Madrzykowski’s seminar today at FDIC, “Wind-Driven Fires in Structures,” you might have left feeling like some of the tactics you were taught in the academy are under question. Attack from the unburned area first? Maybe not. Don’t… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on April 23, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

Ricci at FDIC: “It’s Time to Take Back the Fire Service”

At FDIC, Ricci evokes Brennan, urges “political courage”

In a forceful address that touched on topics as diverse as fire service culture, the need for stronger leadership, equal opportunity, merit and the debate over education vs. experience, Frank Ricci urged FDIC attendees to have “political courage” in his keynote address at today’s General Session.

Ricci, a lieutenant with the New Haven (Conn.) Fire Department who became a fire… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on April 22, 2010 at 11:21am — 3 Comments

On-Site @ FDIC: Class focuses on how to combat cultural & career development shortcomings in the fire service

ON-SITE @ FDIC

The Enemy Within

Class focuses on how to combat cultural & career development shortcomings in the fire service

By Shannon Pieper

In March, the Cumberland Valley Firemen’s Association rattled the fire service with its report, “Fire… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on April 21, 2010 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment

On-Site @ FDIC: The Dreaded Counseling Session

On-Site @ FDIC

The Dreaded Counseling Session: How to make it a mere speed bump, not a train wreck

If you ask company officers what they like least about their jobs, I’d venture to guess that a fair number of them would say the personnel issues that come with being an officer. No manger likes dealing with personnel issues—or if they do, they’re certainly not a manger people… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on April 21, 2010 at 4:13pm — No Comments

On-site @ FDIC: Research illuminates the relationship between firefighting and cardiac strain

On-Site @ FDIC

Hard on the Heart

Research illuminates the relationship between firefighting and cardiac strain

By Shannon Pieper

By now, you can probably recite in your sleep that “heart attacks are the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths.” But do most… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on April 21, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Going to FDIC? Some exhibit highlights to consider

Each April, my in-box starts to fill up with emails from apparatus manufacturers and equipment companies introducing new products or, in some cases, spreading intrigue about upcoming announcements. It can only mean one thing: FDIC.

FDIC boasts the biggest exhibit floor of any U.S. fire conference, so big that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Of course it’s nice just to browse sometimes, but the pre-FDIC announcements that companies send out can give you some direction on what to see.… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on April 12, 2010 at 7:05pm — No Comments

How You Can Help Build the Library on the USS New York

Recently, I was contacted by FireRescue contributor Freddie LaFemina of FDNY, about an important project the FDNY is involved in: helping create a library on the newly commissioned USS New York.

That may sound like a strange project for a fire department, but it actually makes perfect sense. Many of you probably know that the USS New York was fashioned from steel from the World Trade Center, so FDNY firefighters have a close connection to the… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 23, 2010 at 3:20pm — No Comments

Incident Management Team Plays Critical Role in Connecticut Plant Explosion

Yesterday’s explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, about 20 miles south of Hartford, killed five people and wounded a dozen.

FireRescue caught up with Bill Higgins, State Fire Disaster Plan Administrator for the Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, who responded to the scene to support the county coordinators and the incident commander with special statewide resources.

“It was an overwhelming… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 8, 2010 at 6:30pm — No Comments

“No Reason to Panic”: CFSI’s Bill Webb says administration’s proposed budget is a work in progress

On Monday, the Obama administration released its proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2011. As has become the norm, the proposed budget reflects significant cuts in fire service funding, including cuts of $115 million for SAFER and $85 million for FIRE, two of the most popular grant funding programs for the fire service (read the IAFC analysis here).

Naturally, this gives cause for concern, but… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 3, 2010 at 5:00pm — 4 Comments

Despite campaign, lack of smoke alarms continues to contribute to fatalities

Last year, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) launched the "Install. Inspect. Protect" campaign, which helps firefighters and prevention personnel emphasize to residents the importance of having a working smoke detector in their homes.

This week, the USFA noted that since the campaign launched in October, there have been at least 20 fatal home fires where smoke detectors weren't present or weren't working.… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on January 28, 2010 at 12:46pm — No Comments

FireRescue Board Member Quoted in Article on Lightweight Construction

MSN's Real Estate site is currently running an interesting feature on modern residential construction. The article walks through various aspects of modern construction and discusses whether the features represent advantages or disadvantages with legacy construction.

Clearly, one of the most distinguishing features of modern home construction is the lightweight truss. Ed Hartin, a FireRescue board member and an… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on January 21, 2010 at 8:07pm — No Comments

Do You Know an Exceptional Fire Service Leader?

Update: CFSI also opened nominations for the Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award. Criteria include: recognition of the Life Safety Initiatives; being an advocate for firefighter health and safety; leadership in promoting and supporting firefighter health and safety initiatives at the local, state or national level; reaching out to other organizations and developing partnerships to further the cause of firefighter health and safety; and engaging government leaders… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on January 4, 2010 at 4:00pm — 3 Comments

Share your memories of Jim Page

Today (Friday, Sept. 4) marks the 5th anniversary of the sudden death of Chief Jim Page.

Since joining FireRescue magazine, one of my biggest regrets is that I never met Jim, our founder and the vision behind FireRescue and JEMS. Many of my colleagues worked with him for years. The inspiration he gave them, and the respect they had for him, is evident in our offices nearly every day. When considering a new project or publication, we often question… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

In Defense of Tradition

On Saturday I spent a few hours at the Fire Expo here in San Diego. Organized by the Burn Institute each year, the Expo combines firefighting demonstrations with safety messages to educate kids about fire safety and raise money for the Burn Institute’s programs that benefit children with burn injuries.

A key part of the Expo is the Burn Run, where dozens of fire apparatus parade by the spectators with lights flashing and sirens… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on June 22, 2009 at 7:16pm — 3 Comments

H1N1: Do you have the facts?

Although the media hype has died down, “swine flu” remains a reality that all first responders must be ready to confront. The World Health Organization just raised H1N1 to a Stage-6 pandemic, reflecting the spread of the disease if not the intensity; many experts predict a second wave that could be significantly more intense than the first. Europe has confirmed its first death, and closer to home, 36 students and their seven chaperones from a San Diego-area high school remain quarantined in… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on June 16, 2009 at 2:44pm — 3 Comments

Why Cut AFG? DHS Secretary weighs in

In a previous post, I noted that IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger hinted at increased funding to come for the fire service.

Unfortunately, last week the administration actually proposed reducing the AFG program by 70 percent. Although this was "offset" by significant increases in the SAFER grant, it was hardly sounded like the increase in funding Schaitberger promised--overall, as… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on May 15, 2009 at 10:30pm — 3 Comments

Hazmat gets a little more comfortable

You might not like it, but fire service responsibility for hazmat is here to stay. And as more firefighters become certified to NFPA 472 Operations as a minimum training competency level for hazmat incidents, there’s growing need to have chemical and hazmat personal protective clothing (PPC) that allows firefighters to actually move and work with less restriction.

Conventional chemical PPC are often heavy and cumbersome, “moonsuits” that, while designed for maximum protection of the… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on May 7, 2009 at 3:52pm — No Comments

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