During the early 1970s, mini-pumper fire apparatus became the standard bearer in many fire departments throughout the country. The advantages of these vehicles were clear: they...
On Wednesday, May 20, 2009, a three-alarm fire heavily damaged the historic Jefferson County Courthouse in downtown Madison, IN. The building was originally constructed between...
On Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, an electrical fire destroyed the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant in Indianapolis, IN. Besides facing a well-involved structure fire, Indianapolis firefighters...
When evaluating a thermal imager (TI), standardization is a common concern. It is much easier to manage training when all of the thermal imagers in a given fire department function...
The time to make resolutions is behind us, and for many, those resolutions may be in full swing. However, for many people who made health and fitness a goal for the new year, ...
Throughout history, the fire service has placed significant emphasis on speed, using propagation models as justification for shaving seconds off response times wherever and however...
SUBJECT:Extrication Skills ScenarioTOPIC: Hood Forcible Entry OBJECTIVE: Given an acquired junk vehicle and tools and equipment carried by the department, the rescuer will develop...
There has been much debate and conflicting evidence regarding whether firefighters have a higher risk of developing cancer than the general public. The reasons for this is are...
In February 2009, Firefighter/EMT Ferdinando "Fred" Pierno of Martin County Fire Rescue in Florida died from complications associated with Hepatitis C that he contracted on the...
Gas leaks. In some cases, they have become like automatic alarms — when we get toned out and think "it will be nothing." Once in a while, however, we get fooled.
We all know that members of the fire service should work to stay competent in their particular roles and jobs. This is not easy, because there is so much information to be learned...
Picture the following scenario from "Anytown, U.S.A.": You wake up from a night's sleep and walk into the den, where the early-morning news is on TV. As your eyes focus, you notice...
NEW YORK CITY: APRIL 3, 1910 —At 3 A.M., Engine 33 turned out for an alarm of fire at 13th Street and Fourth Avenue in Manhattan. As the members of the company assembled on the...
Although no one is immune from the deadly effects of fire, children are one of fire's most unfortunate victims and, thus, demand fire service educators' foremost attention. Throughout...
Even though there are national standards for fire service training, there is little continuity for educational requirements for firefighters. Some states deliver training through...
Compressed air foam systems (CAFS) produce finished foam by injecting "compressed air" into the foam-solution stream. The term "high energy" is sometimes used when discussing ...
When firefighters answer an alarm for a residential fire, many tasks and priorities must be addressed. Among the most important, yet frequently overlooked tactics are the various...
This post-incident analysis of an apartment fire in a residential high-rise building looks at the actions of the Long Branch, NJ, Fire Department on Sept. 27, 2009. Using a "defend...
When fire department personnel respond to a commercial kitchen range hood fire with fire possibly extending into the exhaust duct above in a high-rise building, the two primary...
At 4:36 A.M. on Nov. 7, 2009, a fire alarm was relayed to the Borough of Buena Police 911 center in Atlantic County, NJ, for a fire at 1118 Black Horse Pike in the Borough of ...