April 2007
COLUMNS
Fire Service Today
By C. Peter Jørgensen
At this writing, 2007 is less than three months old and five firefighters have died in the line of duty because they failed to buckle their seatbelts. More...
Apparatus Ideas
by Bob Barraclough
A Rescue Truck By Any Other Name
A rescue truck is a big box that carries equipment to an incident, and it can be called by nearly a dozen different names. In most cases it’s extremely difficult to determine exactly what its purpose is just by looking at it. More...
Chief Concerns
by Chief Richard Marinucci
Trade Show Success Requires Planning
As we enter into the traditional vendor show season, including one of the biggies, the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), and all the others, it’s important to consider how to get the most out of attending these shows. More...
EMS Equipment
By Will Chapleau
Using Critical Thinking In Classroom Training
Over the years, we all have been subjected to a variety of training methods as instructors struggled to present new material, review standards and practice skills. More...
Keeping It Safe
by Robert Tutterow
When PPE Fails, Tell Somebody
The recent nationwide MSNBC story about Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) device failure and firefighter Line Of Duty Death (LODD) investigations highlighted yet another issue concerning firefighter safety. More...
Pump Talk
by Gary Handwerk
Questions To Consider When Buying A Pump
There’s been a lot of discussion of late about which pump is better and offers more value for the money. Determining the size of the pump you should buy can be boiled down to a few questions that, if answered honestly, will determine the correct size – no magic, no egos involved and, most importantly, no money wasted. More...
Tool Time
by Raul A. Angulo
Piercing Nozzle Can Be Among The Most Effective
The only nozzle in our arsenal of fire fighting tools that requires brute strength and aggressiveness to operate is the piercing nozzle. There are many types of piercing nozzles on the market, but you can’t help but like using them because they all require firefighters to whack, slam, or ram them into place for operation. More...
USAR Corner
By Mark Saxelby
Starting A USAR Team Isn’t As Easy As You May Think
Starting an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team isn’t as easy as buying a pile of tools and then some kind of vehicle to carry them. That may be how some departments elect to do it, but that’s not the right way. There are many considerations and factors that weigh in on your program development. Initial training, continuing education and staffing are also part of the equation. There are also significant logistical issues to consider before launching down the road in the development of a team. More...
We’ve Got You Covered
by Will Grilliott
To Keep Safe, Wear Your PPE
There has been a lot said in the last five years regarding firefighter deaths and injury, and that’s great. It seems that firefighters, officers and chiefs are all re-focusing on minimizing firefighter injury and, of course, death. More...
The Road Warrior
by Chief Allen Baldwin
Searching For Fresh Rescue Vehicle Designs
As you head out to the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) or many of the other conferences and equipment shows, take some time to see what’s new and exciting in the rescue field, from vehicles to the latest widgets. Attendees and participates have the opportunity see everything under one roof. More...
Special Delivery:
By Tony Lolli
Inter-Canyon Responds With Do-It-All SVI Rescue Unit
When an Inter-Canyon Fire/Rescue crew in Morrison, Colo., responds, they could be rolling over anything from an interstate highway to a wilderness Forest Service road, from relatively flat to mountainous terrain, in summer heat to heavy snow conditions. More...
ARTICLES
Survey Seeks Firefighters’ Measurements In Gear
By Lyn Bixby
If you are a firefighter, Roger Lackore wants your measurements – with your bunker gear on, thank you. More...
ISG Thermal Systems: Providing Sight In Zero-Visibility Conditions
By Ed Ballam
One day the use of thermal imaging cameras will be as common as self-contained breathing apparatus. More...
CAFS Pioneer Mark Cummins Followed Father's Path
By David A. Smith
Thirty years ago, Mark Cummins saw the potential for a new firefighting technology – one that added a foaming agent and compressed air to the water in the hoseline. More...
Ladder 15 Had History Of Damage
By C. Peter Jørgensen
Cruunnnnnch!
Boston firefighters arriving at a reported structure fire in a modern six-story Back Bay apartment building near historic Symphony Hall cranked heads upward at the unfamiliar noise. More...
Maintaining CAFS: Run The System
By David A. Smith
If the best advice for maintaining today’s CAF systems sounds a little simple, that’s because it is. It boils down to three words: run the system. More...
Compressed Air Foam Systems Are Starting To Gain Momentum
By David A. Smith
The oversimplified adage used to call for “putting the wet stuff on the red stuff.” More...
Choosing The Correct Nozzle For CAF Systems
By Dominic Colletti
One challenge when implementing Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) into fire operations is choosing the most appropriate nozzle to enhance fireground foam applications. More...
Human Factors Blamed In Most Near-Miss Reports
By Lyn Bixby
A battalion chief extinguishing an attic fire suddenly runs out of air from his self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). More...
Manufacturers Mobilize To Boost Fire Act Grants
By Lyn Bixby
In what has become an annual rite of spring, manufacturers of fire and rescue equipment are gearing up to try to persuade Congress to reverse the president’s proposed $247 million cut in funding for fiscal 2008 Fire Act grants, a 7-year-old program that has provided more than $3 billion to fire and rescue departments and may be changing the industry. More...
Old-Fashioned Chief Likes Rear-Mount Versatility, Maneuverability
By Joe Mercieri
When it comes to the topic of mid-mount aerials versus rear-mount aerials, I want to be right up front and say I prefer a rear-mount. More...
Mid-Mounts Have Greater Visibility And Lower Center Of Gravity
By Joel Domangue
Which is better, mid-mounts or rear-mount aerials, has been the topic of almost as many debates as what caused the great Chicago Fire of 1871. More...
CAFS Can Be Retrofitted To Existing Apparatus In Fleet
By David A. Smith
When looking to introduce CAFS into a department’s operations, buying new isn’t the only option. More...
Resist The Urge To Buy Equipment Before Training With It
By Matt Moseley
Most rational people don’t just walk into the local do-it-yourself mega mart and buy all the latest and greatest gadgets with no experience in home improvement, unless they have a huge bank account and no regard for the economics of their purchases. More...
Majority Of New Pumpers Are Equipped With Class A Foam
The fire service is often notoriously slow to adopt changes, but 15 years after Class A foam started to appear as a factory option on new fire apparatus, the majority of new pumpers being delivered today are equipped with foam proportioners and Class A foam concentrate tanks. More...
Alert Issued On Radios And Fireground Noise
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is alerting its members to a potential issue – that fireground noise may be disrupting communications with digital two-way portable radios – and is asking them for ideas. More...
Weldon Technologies Introduces Brighter Warning Light
Weldon Technologies is introducing a new light-emitting diode (LED) warning light that company officials are billing as brighter and more reliable than any other. More...
Santa Barbara Fire Department Steps Up To Heavy-Rescue
By Tony Lolli
Of the 88 Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) units in California, 41 have the top Type I state certification. The Santa Barbara City Fire Department (SBFD) recently joined that group. The new rating was possible due to the purchase of a new SVI heavy rescue vehicle and additional crew training. More...
ConocoPhillips Refinery Gets Sutphen Corp. ‘Tank Killer’
By Ron Heal
ConocoPhillips is the second largest refiner and the third largest integrated energy company in the United States, and it prides itself on its safe operations and preparedness activities for potential emergency response situations. More...
Crimson Fire Completes 5-Year Contract With Chicago
By Ron Heal
Five heavy-duty, triple combination pumpers built by Crimson Fire have been put in service with the Chicago Fire Department. More...
Singer Associates Distributes Remote Fire Fighting Unit
Singer Associates is scheduling a series of demonstrations of a wireless remote-controlled mobile firefighting support unit that is imported from Austria. More...