May 2014

May 1, 2014

WOONSOCKET, RI, MARCH 15, 2014 – Two firefighters fell through the floor and were able to stop their fall with their arms. They gave Maydays and extricated themselves before the...

Operations & Training

The Fire Scene: Making Mistakes – And Correcting Them

John J. Salka Jr.

May 1, 2014

John J. Salka Jr. explains why learning from mistakes can help firefighters operate more safely and efficiently.

A great deal of responsibility and accountability accompany that gold chief's badge and white helmet. Almost every fire department activity subjects personnel, the department, and the municipality to potential liability and the risk of a lawsuit – even training. As long as you perform your duties within reasonable, basic guidelines or established standards, and you document what, where, when and how you did it, you are laying the groundwork to cover yourself legally.

Leadership

Rural "Chiefing": Times Have Changed

Dominic Colletti

May 1, 2014

Leading a rural fire department has a set of unique challenges that can trouble even a seasoned fire chief.

Kevin Harvick and his 18-month-old son, Keelan, visits the Oak Ridge (NC) Fire Department.

Apparatus

Scuttlebutt 5/14

May 1, 2014

Harvick Thanks Oak Ridge FirefightersFour months after NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana woke up to the sound of their home’s smoke detector going off, the driver...

EMS

For the Record 5/14

May 1, 2014

Federal Agencies Coordinate to Advance EMSIn an effort to further coordinate federal efforts in emergency medical services (EMS), the members of the Federal Interagency Committee...

Firefighting is arduous and requires high levels of health and physical fitness. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that fire departments phase in mandatory wellness/fitness programs, conduct physical performance evaluations to ensure firefighters are physically capable of performing the essential tasks of structural firefighting and 'ensure that firefighters are cleared for duty by a physician knowledgeable about the physical demands of firefighting, the personal protective equipment used by firefighters and the various components of NFPA 1582.'

Health & Fitness

Speak Up: Why Health is Important to Every Firefighter

Firehouse Readers

May 1, 2014

Our department just finished another round of our annual firefighter physicals under National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582: Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical...

The horizontal dash support pipe (yellow) and the two dash tie downs (black) are shown in this vehicle display. With the instrument panel, dash, and all normal components in place, these items are all hidden from sight.

Vehicle Extrication

University of Extrication: Interior Dash Rolling Evolution

Ron Moore

May 1, 2014

Ron Moore explains why an interior dash roll may be needed on late-model cars.

Community Risk Reduction

Fire Politics: Tampa 2: Updating The Path Forward

Dennis Compton

May 1, 2014

One of the realities of politics is that it’s present in everything we do that really matters in the fire service. Sometimes, the politics is internal within the fire service,...

Three firefighters were responding to a wildland call in Wyoming last summer when their U.S. Forest Service Type 3 engine was involved in a rollover accident. The engine was destroyed, but the crew survived. They were seated and belted, and escaped through the driver's-side door.

Apparatus

EVOC: A Disturbing Trend: Disabling Seatbelt Alarms

Michael Wilbur

May 1, 2014

Mike Wilbur explains how firefighters jeopardize their own lives and the lives of others.

Fifty New York City firemen were overcome while battling a blaze in a cheese warehouse on Greenwich Street in Manhattan on July 17, 1921. The Ninth Avenue elevated subway was shut down for six hours to help firemen battle the fire.

Operations & Training

Rekindles 5/14

Paul Hashagen

May 1, 2014

AMITYVILLE, NY: MAY 3, 1914 – Flames broke out in the hayloft of a large barn on the estate of Benjamin F. Yoakum, a railroad tycoon. The quick-moving fire spread to five other...

EMS

EMS: Heroin Use On the Rise

Gary Ludwig

May 1, 2014

A recent scan of the headlines says it all: “New York Struggles With Heroin Overdoses”; “New Report Shows Explosive Growth of Heroin in Kentucky”; “Ohio Struggles With Epidemic...

KUSSMAUL ELECTRONICS has introduced the Auto Charge 40/20, a fully automatic battery charger for vehicles with a single battery system.

Equipment Mounting & Reels

New Products 5/14

Firehouse Staff

May 1, 2014

Automatic Battery ChargerKUSSMAUL ELECTRONICS has introduced the Auto Charge 40/20, a fully automatic battery charger for vehicles with a single battery system. The unit has a...

Deputy Chief Mark Kiess gives instructions as Tower Ladder 8724 operates its master stream through the front door.

Operations & Training

Close Calls: Light Smoke Showing, Then Heavy Fire & Major Collapse - Part 2

Billy Goldfeder

May 1, 2014

As we reported last month, on Jan. 18, 2014, the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department (M-LFD) of Long island, NY, was alerted to respond to a reported fire in a dwelling. What ...