May 2010

If you are like most people in this country, odds are you made at least one New Year's resolution aimed at improving some aspect of your health. Whether it is losing weight, improving...

Fire apparatus and emergency equipment must respond in extreme heat, bitter cold, flooding, dusty conditions, over pothole-filled roads — you name it, it's got to be able to get...

On Friday, June 19, 2009, a Canadian National freight train derailed and caught fire in Cherry Valley, IL. The train consisted of two engines, one car carrying scrap metal, one...

All too often, I am confronted with the issue of whether a thermal imager is necessary. I have heard all kinds of reasons not to carry the thermal imager, including, "It's too...

This is the final installment of a three-part series about ethanol and reviews hazards and firefighter response procedures for ethanol emergencies in transportation and at fixed...

I really think the fire service missed an excellent opportunity when it came to the recently signed health care reform bill. Regardless of your political position on whether the...

SUBJECT:Door-Hinge DesignTOPIC: Understanding Door-Hinge Design and Effective Door-Removal Techniques OBJECTIVE: Given a vehicle door that is opened and required to be removed...

As reported last month in part one of this column, on Feb. 13, 2010, at 6:24 A.M., the Western Reserve Joint Fire District was dispatched to a reported gas leak from a stove in...

We've all heard the jokes about the lack of ethics in the political arena. Although we get a big laugh out of them, we couldn't be more wrong when we discount the importance of...

As we stated last month in the opening installment of this commentary, in addressing our nation's fire problem, we need a detailed and accurate national data base that can provide...

When an incident call comes in, what fire department doesn't want to respond as quickly as possible? Response, however, involves not just the speed with which firefighters must...

GREAT NECK, NY: MAY 1, 1910 — The renowned livestock farm owned by the Grace family and overlooking Little Neck Bay was the site of an early-morning fire. Workers discovered a...

THIS MONTH, WE'RE DOING OUR PART to help you stay out of trouble — on the fireground and in the firehouse. First: to the fireground. In his Safety and Survival column, Vincent...