Firehouse Magazine

In This Issue: January 2012

Joel Rosenbaum/The Reporter/Vacaville

Fairfield, CA, Truck 35 repositions due to radiant heat and advancing flames during a seven-alarm fire at a plastics-manufacturing plant. Twelve departments responded to the fire on July 26, 2011. See cover story on page 48.

Dedication

This month’s Firehouse® is dedicated to Firefighter Charles Sparks, 49, of the Adair County, KY, Volunteer Fire Department; Fire Police Lieutenant John Lackovic, 60, of the Valley Forge, PA, Volunteer Fire Company; Firefighter Travis Lee Miller, 31, of the Waterloo-Grant Township, IN, Fire Department; Firefighter Deon Jason Classay, 42, of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fort Apache Agency, in Whiteriver, AZ; Firefighter Gaston Gagne, 46, of the Baytown, TX, Fire Department; Captain Jeffrey Scott Bowen, 37, of the Asheville, NC, Fire Department; and Captain Kyle King, 53, of the Perry, OK, Fire Department, who died in the line of duty, July 2011.

FIREGROUND OPERATIONS: How to Nail Your First-Due Strategic Responsibility

by Mark Emery
Created: January 3, 2012

Warning: This article is intended to push your buttons; it may even offend you. The truth is often uncomfortable and meaningful change requires courage. It is time for the fire service to take a...
FIRE SERVICE TECHNOLOGY: SPECIAL REPORT: Public Safety Communications Update

by Charles Werner
Created: December 13, 2011

More communications-related activity than ever is impacting public safety. There are a number of reasons for this. First is the continued development and implementation of P25 standards for...
The Equitable Building Fire

by Paul Hashagen
Created: December 6, 2011

In its day, no other private business building in the world could compare with the Equitable Life Assurance Building in New York City in respect to the magnitude of the monetary interests assembled...
Firehouse interview: Edward S. Kilduff FDNY Chief of Department

by Harvey Eisner
Created: December 6, 2011

Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Harvey Eisner interviews FDNY Chief of Department Edward S. Kilduff.
20 Tough Questions For the Fire Chief

by Dr. Richard Gasaway
Created: December 2, 2011

The poor economy has had a considerable impact on municipal budgets and, subsequently, on fire department budgets. Elected officials are feeling the pressure to reduce operating expense and they are...
The Apparatus Architect

by Tom Shand and Michael Wilbur
Created: December 1, 2011

The past few installments of The Apparatus Architect reviewed some history of cab design and the most recent innovations that have led to improved vehicle performance and increased safety for...
On The Job California: Seven Alarms At Plastics Plant

by Jay K. Bradish
Created: November 29, 2011

On Tuesday, July 26, 2011, a seven-alarm fire in the storage area of a plastics factory in Fairfield, CA, required the resources of 12 fire departments. The fire was caused by workers using a blow...
Tech Rescue: Accidental Hypothermia Calls in Horses

by Tomas Gimenez
Created: November 1, 2011

With the increased numbers of horses in urban and suburban areas, it is now common for fire-rescue departments across the country to respond to calls involving horses trapped in mud, fallen through...

University of Extrication: Jammed Door Skills Training

by Ron Moore
Created: January 3, 2012

SUBJECT: Jammed-Door Skills Training TOPIC: Simulating late-model, lightweight-vehicle door construction OBJECTIVE: Create a simulation of a jammed door on an older, acquired vehicle that...
Firefighter Health & Wellness: More Departments Promote Wellness Initiatives

by Dr. Raymond Basri
Created: January 3, 2012

The medical services provided to professional firefighters at large municipal departments vary widely throughout the United States. Typically, these services focus on identifying injuries and...
As Firehouse Sees It: Another Tragedy

by Harvey Eisner
Created: December 13, 2011

W e didn’t start the fire, but the incident still takes lives years later. On Sept. 11, 2001, the collapse of the World Trade Center killed 343 FDNY firefighters. Six years later, the Deutsche...
THE FIRE SERVICE PIO: How Important Is a Designated Public Information Officer?

by Timothy Szymanski
Created: December 13, 2011

For the past 41 years, I have worked in every position from firefighter all the way to fire chief and all the positions in between, such as paramedic, fire service instructor, fire and life-safety...
The "Five Deadly Sins" Of Thermal Imaging

by Brad Harvey
Created: December 9, 2011

Every month, this column emphasizes how a thermal imager can make a firefighter’s job easier and safer. This month’s column is part one of a two-part series concentrating on training...
EVOC: Computer-Based Diagnostics For Fire Apparatus Safety

by Michael Wilbur
Created: December 8, 2011

When I was conducting an emergency vehicle operations class in Canada, I found a fire department that takes its apparatus to a local heavy-duty truck dealer every year to be evaluated by a computer...
Marketing ICS: Marketing the Privilege to Serve As a Firefighter

by Ben May
Created: December 6, 2011

Very few people have any idea just how difficult it is to become a firefighter in our country. This is yet another reason why marketing is so important for the profession. The fact is that fire...
EMS: Changing the Future Of EMS in 2012

by Gary Ludwig
Created: December 6, 2011

When President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the two laws became collectively referred to as the...
Close Calls: A "Bad Day" on the Fireground – Part 2

by William Goldfeder
Created: December 2, 2011

A fire department in Texas had a "bad day" at a house fire, with two firefighters suffering burns. Because the officers and members took a critical look at what happened – what they did, how they...
Fire Politics: A Great Friend Is Gone, But Never Forgotten

by Dennis Compton
Created: November 30, 2011

A few years ago, I was asked to write this monthly Fire Politics column for Firehouse ® Magazine. The person who had written the column for many years before me was Hal Bruno. Hal was a professional...
The Fire Scene: Sewing a Grape

by John J. Salka, Jr.
Created: November 22, 2011

Now that I have your attention with the odd-sounding headline, let me explain. I’m watching a medical show on TV and a scene opens where several emergency room doctors are sitting in some type of...
Leadership Lessons: The Power Of the Company Officer

by Kimberly Alyn
Created: November 18, 2011

What is the most powerful and influential position in a fire department? No, it’s not the chief. It’s the company officer. Unfortunately, many chiefs and company officers don’t recognize this...
RUBE'S RULES OF LEADERSHIP: Rule14: "A Thousand Fathers"

by Dennis Rubin
Created: November 7, 2011

At about 7 o’clock on a cold January evening, I was driving east on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, GA. I was headed to a South Trust Bank ATM. I had just left fire headquarters when my cell...
Three Simple Ideas to a Healthier Fire Service

by Dr. Raymond Basri and Eric Bergman
Created: April 28, 2011

This is the last of three columns in which we revisit issues related to attaining the goal of a healthier fire service. The first installment (March 2011) covered effects of stress and overexertion on...

News 1/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: December 12, 2011

November Line-of-Duty Deaths Four U.S. firefighters died in November. One career firefighter and three volunteer firefighters died at four separate incidents. All four deaths were attributed to...
Hot Shots 1/12

by Firehouse Staff
Created: December 9, 2011

FORT WORTH, TX, NOV. 3, 2011 – An early-morning fire fanned by high winds and low water pressure hampered firefighters as they battled a fire in a warehouse. EDISON, NJ, SEPT. 20, 2011...
Scuttlebutt 1/12

by Steven Shaw
Created: November 29, 2011

Memorial Grant Aims to Keep First Responders Safe Bentley Systems, Inc. has awarded a research grant to the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Scientific and Educational Foundation named in...
Rekindles 1/12

by Paul Hashagen
Created: November 22, 2011

MARQUETTE, MI: JAN. 3, 1912 – The Miner’s National Bank at Ishpeming and the Negaunee State Bank at Negaunee, three miles apart, were both destroyed by fires that broke out at the same time. It...

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Firehouse Magazine Insider

Firehouse Managing Editor Elizabeth Neroulas talks with Tim Szymanski about his article, " The Fire PIO: How Important Is a Designated Public Information Officer? " that appears in the January 2012 issue of Firehouse Magazine . Szymanski shares the various duties of the public information officer (PIO) and how they not only work with the media, but also the citizens through various methods of outreach. Listen as the two discuss the importance of a PIO in a day and age where the media is...

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