July 2012

Greg Toritto
EMS

For the Record 7/12

July 1, 2012
Industry Veteran Joins Firehouse Greg Toritto has been named group publisher of Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com. Toritto, who has been involved in the fire service industry...
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Operations & Training

Introducing the "Best Practices Forum"

July 1, 2012
According to a U.S. Fire Department Profile Report published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2010, the U.S. is protected by 30,125 organized fire departments...
Photo by Christopher J. Naum
The evolving and rapidly changing dynamics of building structures and occupancies involve new construction as well as renovation and adaptive reuse of older buildings and occupancies.
Operations & Training

Buildings On Fire: Building Anatomy: Types and Classifications

July 1, 2012
Christopher J. Naum examines building types and classifications to anticipate variables in structural integrity and resiliency to the effects of extreme fire behavior for firefighters...

More content from July 2012

Photo by Timothy R. Szymanski/LVFR
A reporter’s notebook on a 'citation holder.' Notice the pen, mini light for darkness and rubber band on the bottom of the notebook.
Operations & Training

The Fire PIO: Handling Information At Emergency Incidents

July 1, 2012
One of the main duties of a fire department public information officer (PIO) is to disseminate information. To do that correctly, the PIO will need to gather information first...
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Community Risk

Close Calls: Firefighter Trapped: Water/Dive Rescue Emergency

July 1, 2012
Performing other than fire-related rescues is nothing new for the fire service. From a child’s head caught in a banister to a person trapped in heavy machinery, a firefighter ...
Photo by Dennis C. Sharpe
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Apparatus

New Deliveries 7/12

July 1, 2012
THE LUTHERVILLE FIRE COMPANY in Baltimore County, MD, has taken delivery of a Pierce pumper built on a Pierce Arrow XT chassis powered by a 500-hp Detroit Diesel engine. Components...
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Leadership

Fire Politics: The Budget Debates Continue

July 1, 2012
Even as many local and state budgets have begun to stabilize, fire departments continue to find themselves in the middle of discussions by elected officials and other policy-makers...
Photo by Dennis Walus
Firefighters have been killed while executing random and uncoordinated tactical activities at unoccupied, no-value building fires. Now, in many jurisdictions, firefighters stand back and let vacant buildings of no value burn. The 'Four Box' strategic process is designed to provide the first on-scene fire officer with a logical strategic progression to help maintain poise and confidence.
Operations & Training

How to Nail Your First-Due Strategic Responsibility Part 3

July 1, 2012
Back in 2007, Firehouse® published the first installment of Mark Emery’s 11-part series “The Ten Command-Ments of Intelligent and Safe Fireground Operations.” The series began...
Photos by Robert Burke
The Lexington, KY, Fire Department’s Hazmat 1 responds as part of the Bluegrass Emergency Response Team (BERT). The apparatus is a 2009 Pierce with a 106-inch Pierce Velocity command cab.
Confined Space

Hazmat Studies: Hazmat Response In The Bluegrass Region

July 1, 2012
Regional hazardous materials response teams were located throughout Kentucky in the late 1980s. By the end of the 1990s, however, many teams had disbanded for various reasons,...
Photo by DC Jerry Kainz/JFD
The original fire building, the North Star Building, is right in the view of side A. The exposure at left is the vacant former Elks Building. The photo was taken nine minutes after dispatch.
Confined Space

On The Job North Dakota: Fire Destroys Jamestown Commercial Building

July 1, 2012
On Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, fire destroyed the North Star Building in downtown Jamestown, ND. The building was owned by Vining Oil Co. and was being used for storage. It contained...
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Educational Materials

ON THE JOB PENNSYLVANIA: Fire Destroys Historic Hotel in Punxsutawney

July 1, 2012
More than 100 firefighters worked for nine hours to control a six-alarm fire that destroyed a historic hotel in Punxsutawney, PA, on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011. As fire conditions...
KME
Apparatus

New Products 7/12

July 1, 2012
Engine Rescue With Digital PanelKME has introduced the KME Engine Rescue, featuring a compact, all-digital pump-panel display. For simplified pump operations and maintenance, ...
Photo by Vehicle Rescue 1-2-3 book, Pg. 148
The presence of an accordian-looking sleeve below the seatbelt buckle is a good indicator that the seatbelt pretensioner system is located just below this buckle.
Vehicle Extrication

University of Extrication: Seatbelt Restraint Systems

July 1, 2012
SUBJECT: Seatbelt Restraint Systems – Part 1TOPIC: Seatbelt PretensionersOBJECTIVE: Given a late-model vehicle, the rescuer will be able to identify the seatbelts with pretensioner...