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  • July 2021

    • July 2021

    The July issue of Firehouse Magazine includes feature articles on vertical ventilation, fire-based EMS, and preparing for a potentially destructive wildfire season. And don't miss the special apparatus supplement and part two of the National Run Survey.
    Photo by Gordon Nord Jr.
    Gordon Nord 6 12 21 Chicago Airport Training Pic 2
    Operations & Training

    Hot Shots 7/21

    Firehouse Staff
    July 19, 2021
    Hot Shots includes a triennial training exercise that was conducted at Chicago's Midway International Airport.
    Ken Morris
    National Run Survey Test Try 60d206a08ffd2
    Careers & Education

    National Run Survey 2020 - Part 2

    July 19, 2021
    For the 40th year, Firehouse shares and compares statistics about company and department levels, funding, staffing and pay for the career fire service. Part 2 looks at Total Calls...
    2107 Fir A1 A20 Apparatus Supplement Final Page 01
    Special Content

    Firehouse Apparatus Supplement: Specifying the Proper Ladder for Your Needs

    July 19, 2021
    This special Firehouse Apparatus Supplement includes articles on choosing the right aerial, aerial ladders, compartment design and more.
    Photos courtesy of South Metro Fire Rescue
    July 21 Chief's Corner Pic 4
    Leadership

    Chief's Corner: Nurturing a Culture

    Firehouse Staff
    July 19, 2021
    Bob Baker's insight into how South Metro Fire Rescue in Centennial, CO, handles its varied response district provides possibilities for others who are looking to evolve their ...
    Peter Matthews
    Operations & Training

    As Firehouse Sees It: Can You Always ‘Be Prepared’?

    Peter Matthews
    July 19, 2021
    Peter Matthews explains how three recent nonfireground events serve as prime examples of why continued training and reinforcement of tried-and-true skills are vital.

    More content from July 2021

    Photo by Greg Stone
    Figure 1. A rear-mount chassis and aerial prior to compartments being added.
    Aerial

    Design Considerations for Aerial Ladder Body Compartments

    Jeffrey D. Gaskin
    July 19, 2021
    Jeffrey Gaskin and Greg Stone explain how the differences in the construction of mid-mount, rear-mount and tractor-drawn aerial apparatus require different consideration of compartmenta...
    Dennis Compton 60a5780d9bbad
    Careers & Education

    For the Record 7/21

    Firehouse Staff
    July 19, 2021
    Chief Dennis Compton is the recipient of the 2020 Arthur J. Glatfelter Distinguished Service Award from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
    Registration is open for ninth annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field on Sept. 11, 2021.
    Careers & Education

    Scuttlebutt 7/21

    Firehouse Staff
    July 19, 2021
    Registration is open for the ninth annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
    Photos by Jeffrey Gaskin
    An assumption that an engine that generates higher horsepower is required in the specification of a new apparatus could result in unnecessary costs, particularly if your department’s response district doesn’t require highway cruising speeds on a grade.
    Apparatus

    How Engine & Transmission Considerations Lead to Best Aerial Ladder Performance

    Jeffrey D. Gaskin
    July 19, 2021
    Jeffrey Gaskin and Greg Stone explain how to evaluate engines, transmissions, driveshafts and rear axles based on the geography of the community you serve.
    Higher Education2 Copy
    Leadership

    Answering the Call Inside City Hall

    Jared Renshaw
    July 19, 2021
    Jared Renshaw provides the information that a new fire chief needs to know about a smooth transition to working with the city manager and elected and appointed officials.
    Billy Goldfedder
    Operations & Training

    Close Calls: Smoke Explosion at a Strip Shopping Center

    Billy Goldfeder
    July 19, 2021
    Billy Goldfeder is impressed with the awareness of members of the Lenoir, NC, Fire Department to back off from the front of a strip mall store moments before a smoke explosion...
    Photos courtesy of Columbus, OH, Division of Fire
    Certain pieces of equipment help to facilitate a fire-based EMS team’s ability to quickly and properly diagnose a patient’s condition. They also can provide the capability to store valuable information on patient status and EMT performance for review later.
    EMS

    Measuring the Success of Your EMS System

    Eric Cortez
    July 19, 2021
    Dr. Eric Cortez spells out in detail how to pin down a fire-based EMS program to improve its productivity and to protect its members.
    Photo by Howard County Department of Fire & Rescue Services
    Vertical ventilation on a peaked-roof residential structure is an effective tactic as long as a plan is in place, conditions are conducive and members are trained on it.
    Ventilation

    Vertical Ventilation: For a More Efficient, Safer and Effective Fireground

    Sean Eagen
    July 19, 2021
    Sean Eagen explains why residential flat-roof and peaked-roof ventilation is useful and should be included in a department's training regimen.
    John Salkav3
    Operations & Training

    The Fire Scene: What Are You Looking For?

    John J. Salka Jr.
    July 19, 2021
    John J. Salka Jr. reminds of the how's and the why's of the fireground size-up.
    Photo courtesy of Emergency Vehicle Response
    An apparatus committee must review and consider the structural conditions in the response district to determine the appropriate style and model of aerial ladder or tower.
    Aerial

    Choosing the Right Type of Aerial for Your District's Needs

    Tom Shand
    July 19, 2021
    Tom Shand explains why an apparatus committee must add vertical and horizontal reach to the vehicle dimensions that are considered when the group begins to prepare its specifications...
    Photos by Mark Miller
    The disadvantage of H-style jacks, such as those that are on this Sutphen SPH-100, is that they can take up such a large amount of space so as to limit compartment space.
    Apparatus Components

    Tips for Determining Aerial Apparatus Outrigger Type

    Mark Miller
    July 19, 2021
    Mark Miller covers the pros and cons of A-frame, H-style and under-slung jacks, tormentors and downriggers.
    Sep 20 First Due Author Pic 5f32a66be5ac0
    Careers & Education

    First Due: Preserving the Calling

    Marc Aloan
    July 19, 2021
    Marc Aloan warns of the danger of viewing the fire service as a business.
    July 21 Leadership Lessons Author Pic 60be32c025eba
    Leadership

    Leadership Lessons: Assuming the Mantle: New Chiefs’ Top Five Concerns

    Jeanine Nicholson
    July 19, 2021
    Jeanine Nicholson taps into her experience on top of the San Francisco Fire Department to provide suggestions for the first days, weeks and months of any fire chief's tenure.
    Photos by Ron Moore
    Photo 1: To show that flexible end fittings, such as a hinged base, can make a difference in a strut’s working load limit, equal weights were placed at the top of each steel band. (The band on the right has V-shaped end fixtures at the top and is wide open at the bottom. The band on the left has rigid, fixed end fittings.) The steel band that has the rigid end fittings (similar to fixed ends for struts that are used in a trench rescue application) holds up well. The other band buckles under the same weight. Without rigid ends, the steel band is allowed to move and flex under the load.
    Vehicle Extrication

    University of Extrication: Struts for Vehicle Rescue Applications

    Ron Moore
    July 19, 2021
    Ron Moore explains how four factors regarding the use of a strut for a vehicle rescue can affect the working load limit of the strut.
    Photo by Darren Hutchinson
    What’s covered in engine boss training (shown), like the training of firefighters, should include wildland fire behavior. A key to training on wildland fire behavior is recognition that one must not lean on dated information. Much of today’s wildland fire behavior differs from that of two and three decades ago.
    Wildland

    Preparing for a Particularly Destructive Wildfire Season

    Darren Hutchinson
    July 19, 2021
    Darren Hutchinson keys on new technology, among other factors, that must be considered for fighting wildland fires at this particularly problematic time.
    Photo by Jon Hohman
    This individual sleep room includes a built-in (read: millwork) bed, a black-out shade, a task light and a built-in desk. Three vertically stacked drawers are at the foot of the bed. Storage under the standard-height mattress platform is adequate if bulky bed linens can be stored elsewhere.
    Furnishings

    Station Design: Furnishing Sleeping Quarters in Firehouses

    David Robinson
    July 19, 2021
    David Robinson provides food for thought on proper specifications for furniture and alerting systems in station sleep rooms and bunk rooms.
    Photo by Aaron Diers Photography
    The best way to build on a current level of mobility is via dynamic warmups, or pre-plans, and static stretching, or rehab. Only then should the compound movements of preplans or rehab be added to training, such as training with air consumption.
    Safety & Health

    Health & Wellness: Combining a Tactical Fitness Program with Training

    Brandon Green
    July 19, 2021
    Brandon Green points out that the opportunity to aid firefighters' physical capability and wellness lies in a regular part of their service: training.
    Kristen Wade Pic
    EMS

    EMS: Involuntary Committal: Stuck Holding the Bag

    Kristen Wade
    July 19, 2021
    Kristen Wade pins down why a dual EMS/mental health model can be the key to alleviating problems that relate to EMS interventions in which a patient's mental status is in question...