June 2007

 

                          

                      COLUMNS

Fire Industry Today

by C. Peter Jørgensen

Ann Stawsky, director of communications at Pierce Manufacturing for the last several years, has been named Vice President of Marketing Communications for Oshkosh Truck Corporation, parent company of Pierce. Oshkosh Truck (OSK-NYSE) is one of the country’s largest makers of military vehicles, with diversified subsidiaries worldwide. More..

Apparatus Ideas

by Bob Barraclough

The Time Has Come To Start Thinking Small

Ever heard a firefighter say that his rig was too big and unwieldy to negotiate normal traffic? In a major U.S. city, that was the excuse given by a department for an increase in response times and accident rates. More..

EMS Equipment

by Will Chapleau

Avoiding Poisoning By CO Monitoring

All of us in the fire service know something about carbon monoxide poisoning. We make plenty of calls for CO detectors going off in homes every year. We bring our monitors in to measure the CO content of the air and in some cases we remove people from hazardous atmospheres. More..

Chief Concerns

by Richard Marinucci

Moving Water Effectively Is Key To Putting Out Big Fires

In today’s fire service, the best way we know how to put out a fire is pour water on it. Our job is to overcome the BTUs with enough water to cool the fire. More..

Keeping It Safe

By Robert Tutterow

Saving Firefighters’ Lives Requires Special Focus

The National Fallen Firefighters’ Foundation (NFFF) conducted its second line of duty death (LODD) summit in March at the Fireman’s Fund Headquarters in Navato, Calif. The first summit was in 2004 in Tampa, Fla. From the first summit, came the 16 Life Safety Initiatives. The more recent summit identified ways fire departments can meet the initiatives. More..

USAR Corner

by Mark Saxelby

USAR Vehicle Selection Requires Much Planning

A significant asset of your new Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) cache will be the equipment used to transport the equipment. Making the decision and finding the right vehicle to move your stuff can be expensive as well as challenging to meet the needs of your agency, city or region. More..

The Road Warrior

by Allen Baldwin

Rescues Can Require Effective Water Supplies

When it comes to rescue operations, moving water can be a very important support element. Rescues can be from a structure fire situation or from a vehicle accident, and fire suppression is critical in those situations. More..

Pump Talk

by Gary Handwerk

Getting The Most Out Of Skid Units

Over the last few years, we have been seeing more and more flatbed-style trucks equipped with portable pumps, tanks and tool boxes entering the U.S. fire apparatus fleet. More..

Special Delivery

By Tony Lolli

Castleton (Vt.) Gets A Real Tanker, A 2,300-Gallon Toyne

As is the case with many rural fire departments, the Castleton (Vt.) Volunteer Fire Department’s tanker for many years was not really a tanker. It was a 1978 International fuel oil truck that was donated to the department. More..

 

                                ARTICLES

NFPA Committee Recommends Retiring Fire Hose After 10 Years

By Lyn Bixby

A National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) committee is suggesting that all fire hose be retired after 10 years of use, a proposal that should attract the attention of fire departments across the country because many of them are using hose older than that. More..

Tanker Calculations And Pre-Planning Are Critical

By John Clauson

On the fire ground, it’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. This was the philosophy imparted to me in Pearl River, N.Y., during my early years in the fire service. The community had hydrants, good ones, at regular intervals and a tanker was a truck with 1,000 gallons of water and drafting was something that was done once or twice a year. More..

Training Is The Key To Safe Tanker Operation

By Joe Mercieri

Tanker operations are a vital part of rural firefighting. Unless rural departments are fortunate to have a pond, river or lake nearby to draft from, the only other water sources are the water on board the engines and tankers, or tenders, depending upon your region. More..

Nozzle Selection Depends On Philosophy And Components

By David A. Smith

Firefighting requires a range of key components – among them pumps, hose and nozzles – to deliver water to a fire. More..

Marion Rescue Storage System Eliminates Need To Climb

By Tony Lolli

Rescue gear that’s used only occasionally is often relegated to the top cabinets, and when it’s needed, someone has to climb up to get it. More..

Eagle Has Powerful SCBA Fill System

Eagle Compressors, Inc., has introduced what it describes as its most powerful breathing air cylinder fill system, the EagleAir RAPTOR. More..

Ferrara Redesigns Inferno Custom Cab

Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc., has redesigned its custom cab and chassis to better withstand the rigors of daily use by firefighters. More..

Turnout Sensor Triggered By Temperature

To monitor critical temperatures, Viking Life-Saving Equipment has introduced the first National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) turnout gear with built-in Thermal Sensor Technology (TST). More..

KIMTEK Expands Product Line

KIMTEK CORP, headquartered in Westmore, Vt., expanded its line with two new products, the FIRELITE Transport Pacer skid unit for firefighting and rescue operations and the Emergency Utility Vehicle (EUV), which is built on a Polaris Ranger chassis. More..

Searchlight Reaches 1-Million Candlepower

Streamlight is making a new 1-million candlepower, high-intensity, handheld, searchlight capable of illuminating objects one mile away. More..