Here it is February. We are well into 2022 and virtually everybody has broken their resolutions.
Statistics say that 80 percent are broken by the second week of February. Some of us, including me, didn’t make any to begin with.
I didn’t know this until recently, but the second Friday of January is called Quitters’ Day when most people give up on any promises they made for themselves to change behaviors or develop new ones.
I hope one that’s still active with some is the need to take better care of our planet. The fire service is trying to do that with electric-powered equipment and vehicles.
In this month’s “To the Rescue” column, Carl Haddon focuses on the attributes of battery-powered rescue and extrication tools and equipment. That’s one tiny way to do a bit to save the environment by reducing the need for internal combustion engines to power rescue tools.
As Haddon points out, there have been tremendous improvements in battery equipment as of late as technology and battery life have improved in the past five years. Portability is an obvious advantage of battery-powered tools, but another is the reduction of emissions from internal combustion engines. Small diesel or gasoline engines are not regulated in the same manner as larger engines that power vehicles. Some of the little single-cylinder engines, especially older ones, can produce a lot of carbon monoxide and soot. Moving to electric-powered equipment and even apparatus seems like a worthy cause.
This leads me to mention that Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is developing a new podcast series on electric vehicles in the fire service, which will be hosted by our Web editor Andrew Corselli and broadcast at www.fireapparatusmagazine.com. The new feature will engage electric apparatus builders and end users in discussions about the pros and cons of electric-powered vehicles. It’s a meaty topic and one that is not without controversy and many different thoughts. Check it out and stay tuned for more.
Additionally, in the March issue, we will publish a comprehensive story about electric vehicles by veteran writer Alan Petrillo. In it, he will talk with three manufacturers of electric apparatus and a few departments using them.
Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is the perfect forum for the fire service to have a serious discussion about electric vehicles. Many people think it’s the next evolution in fire apparatus and long overdue. Others are taking a “wait and see” approach. It’s likely that electric vehicles have a place in the fire service and even as pumpers. Humans have the ability to engineer and build anything as long as it’s economically feasible and there are no other alternatives. At some point, fossil fuels won’t be the answer for everything we power, and we’ll be forced to look for alternatives. We just have to make sure the alternatives meet firefighters’ needs ALWAYS, without question and without fail. I believe that day is not far away. In any event, electric vehicles are in our future, and we need learn everything we can about them; I am pleased that we are taking a leadership role in that debate.
Speaking of learning, and making resolutions, every firefighter and EMT in the nation should resolve to attend this year’s annual Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) International in Indianapolis. It’s only a couple of months away—April 25-30, to be exact.
This year will be different with the co-location of Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) Con, the former EMS Today conference and expo held at the same time and the same place.
For EMT/firefighters like me, it will be like “one-stop shopping.” I can check out all that’s new for firefighting while earning some continuing education credits for maintaining my medical certification. Signing up for either conference gets full admission to both the FDIC exhibits as well as the JEMS Con expo.
As usual, there will be all the FDIC hands-on training, and the JEMS Con will also have H.O.T. classes including a cadaver lab and instructor-led simulations, as well as the fan-favorite JEMS Games final. That’s a live team, scenario-based competition where competitors learn and earn CE credit.
This year is the first time FDIC and JEMS Con are co-located, and it promises to be a stellar event. It’s time to start making plans; looking up travel arrangements; booking accommodations; and, most importantly, registering for the events. Do it. Make it a late New Year’s resolution to go to the “Mecca” for firefighters and EMTs that is Indianapolis in April. You won’t regret it.
