My career in the fire service started comparatively late (at age 28) while also being a seven-year veteran of the U.S. Army. My first impressions of the volunteer fire service...
Do you ever shake your head at what your fire personnel say or do? Does firefighter behavior continue to stupefy you and deny plausible explanation? If you feel a little exasperated...
CAJON PASS, CA, SEPT. 2, 2011 – A vegetation fire started in the center divider of Interstate 15, the main highway for travelers between Southern California and Las Vegas, NV,...
THOSE WORDS WERE SPOKEN BY CAPTAIN AL HAGAN, the president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, the union that represents 2,450 lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs,...
When Scott Keim assumed his new duties as Louisa County, VA, Fire & EMS chief on July 25, 2011, he did not imagine that he would be facing one of the most challenging incidents...
With devices tracking everything from planes in the sky to stolen cars in a city to the tiniest of screws in a vast warehouse, one would think it would be easy to track firefighters...
The year: 2004. The topic: When would my mother-in-law and father-in-law decide to buy their first computer?The points of consideration were numerous. Did they really need a computer...
Longtime Chief RetiresPullman, WA, Fire Chief Pat Wilkins has retired after serving the fire department for more than 40 years, with 27 of those years as its chief. Wilkins was...
On Friday, June 11, 2010, a two-alarm fire destroyed an abandoned meat-packing plant in Bernalillo County, NM. The fire caused the evacuation of 250 workers and residents from...
Remember that overused line, “Happiness is wanting what you have”? Funny about how some of these old saws hang around for so long. I suppose it’s probably because there may be...
SUBJECT: Jammed Door Forcible Opening, Part 2TOPIC: Jammed Door OpeningOBJECTIVE: Given a simulated jammed door on a roof-resting vehicle, the rescuer will understand special ...
Some people really get upset when I say this: “Most fire departments are nothing but EMS agencies that sometimes go to a fire call.” Why? Well, it certainly breaks the glass in...
Rearmount LadderKME has introduced the 109-foot AerialCat rearmount ladder, the newest addition to the steel-ladder line that includes the 79-foot, 100-foot, 103-foot and 121-...
In my sunset years, I opted to become a volunteer firefighter, the oldest rookie in the known history of the Southampton, NY, Fire Department, protecting greater Southampton, ...
Fire Prevention 2011Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 9-15) is designated annually to commemorate The Great Chicago Fire, which occurred in 1871. Fact: On average, there are more than...
By now, many of you have heard of (or seen) the Santa Clara County, CA, Civil Grand Jury report completed in May 2011. The report is titled Fighting Fire or Fighting Change? Rethinking...
Fire department operations at structural fires many times require the use of a second hoseline. There are a number of tactical assignments that this second line can take based...
In my two previous columns, I talked about organizational values and personal values. Having strong clarity in these two areas creates the highest levels of organizational commitment...
HESHBON, PA: OCT. 1, 1911 – Roused from their sleep by the smell of smoke, Mr. and Mrs. Dias left their second-floor bedroom and went down to the first floor to investigate while...
Alerted by a passerby, a 14-year-old boy dials 911 to report a possible chimney fire in his house. Fire crews are dispatched, but the boy’s mother calls back to report that she...
