Saturday, November 21, 2009

Upgraded Water Supply Saves Town 

The May 2007 issue of FIRE CHIEF featured Stanley, Iowa, and the improvements it made to its water supply. Those improvements were put to the test recently and helped save the town from a wind-driven fire....

'Wood' You Know? 

Recently I took a road trip with two safety officers to the National Fire Academy for a meeting. During the trip, we had a discussion about new construction materials that pose serious threats to firefighter safety — threats that are increasing rather than decreasing....

Scenic Duty 

By James William Witt, Ph.D.

Multi-jurisdictional planning and response are key to wildfire suppression in historic Red Rock Country. ...

Cold Shock 

By Robert D. Stephan

Mass decontamination in frigid temperatures can be particularly problematic. Alternative facilities and dry decon are two options. ...

Upgraded USAR 

By Kenny Shaw & David Martin

The Dallas region’s needs revealed that a Type I urban search-and-rescue team would be a better fit than the originally planned Type III task force. ...

Forgotten Customers 

By Dan Sisson

It’s important to consider the transient members of the community when preparing for possible emergencies....

Pressure Precepts 

By Kriss Garcia & Reinhard Kauffmann

As more incident commanders turn to positive-pressure ventilation as part of their firefighting attack strategy, the potential for injuries rises. ...

NIST Tests PPV in High Rise 

By Kevin Daniels; Managing Editor

Recent positive-pressure ventilation experiments in an abandoned Chicago high-rise have helped to put some hard numbers behind experience and anecdotes....

Operational Periods: An Important Command Tool 

By I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE

Most public safety service delivery systems have been established to mitigate relatively short incidents. These systems rely on a quick response with resources of an adequate quantity and quality to “overpower” an event. In the event of an incident that exceeds the capacity of those resources, however, incident commanders may have difficulty adjusting. ...

High Aspirations 

By Keith Klassen

Your department took the plunge and purchased a compressed-air foam system for your new apparatus. You've heard the talk about enhanced operations and...

Liquid Assets 

By Chris Cavette

The use of tankers or other water supply apparatus was relatively rare 50 years ago. A few innovative departments saw the value of such vehicles, but...

Md. Town Mandates Sprinklers for New Homes 

In the near future, all new homes built in Frederick, Md., will have at least one thing in common: a fire sprinkler system. The Frederick Board of Aldermen has passed an ordinance requiring all newly built one- and two-family dwellings to have sprinklers....

Polish Pilgrimage 

By Mary Beth Michos

A trip to the Main School of Fire Service in Poland finds a fire service eager to learn....

Competitive Benefits 

By Jim Weiss & Mickey Davis

It can be hard to replicate the high stakes of vehicular extrication during training. ...

Safe Returns 

By Jeffrey Pindelski

Make sure firefighters train in rapid intervention while taking the proper precautions....

Tests Show Reduced Resin Fire Protection 

Unsaturated polyester resins are classified by NFPA 30 as Class I flammable liquids, often Class IC, based on their styrene content. However, because UPR is a viscous liquid with a low vapor pressure and a high density, it has been postulated that UPR stored in drums might behave more like a melted plastic than a non-miscible Class IC liquid when subjected to fire, enabling the use of reduced fire protection system designs as compared to protection schemes ordinarily required by NFPA 30 for Class IC liquids. A recent test supports this conclusion...

Another Perspective 

by Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director

During last week's Chicago Fire Department Life-Safety Conference, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis spoke during the general session. Yantis, who was at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, discussed some of the events during that period from a military perspective. He also offered his list of lessons learned over the past five years...

Command Coaching 

By I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE

The role and function of the incident commander can be compared plausibly with the pivotal positions of major sports teams. Incident commanders and quarterbacks, pitchers and point guards are similar in that all are leaders of teams and must be not only physically but mentally gifted to be most effective. Another similarity is that great players tend to flourish with the guidance of great coaches. Few would argue that Michael Jordan was the greatest player in the history of the NBA, but he didn’t win a championship until Phil Jackson became his coach. Can the same comparison be made with respect to incident commanders ...

Stay Afloat 

By Sean Hidalgo

Catastrophic events often remind first responders of the need to continually hone and refresh their skills. Hurricane Katrina and the flooding in the...

Backstage Pass 

By Janet Wilmoth

What's the difference between fans at a Nine Inch Nails concert and listeners at a classical music event? The Rosemont (Ill.) Public Safety Department...

Consider the “Safety Sandwich” 

By I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE

The command and management structures of the National Incident Management System are intended to be modular and scalable based on the size and complexity of incident. Some safety officers, however, have expressed concern about a potential limitation in the ICS portion of NIMS...

Permit Required 

By Craig Byron

Over the last decade, fire departments and districts have assumed responsibility for an increasingly broader range of special operations. Today there's...

No Time-Outs in Tactics, Responses 

By Ronny J. Coleman

Here's a question for you: How long does it take to play a one-hour football game? The answer is that it depends on the number of time-outs. Football...

So Long, Strauss! 

Last month I took my Mom to an André Rieu concert to celebrate her birthday. More than 11,000 people crowded the Allstate Arena, which is located across from O'Hare International Airport. As the festive opening number ended, however, my mind began to play "what if." What if a plane came down too early into the arena? What if something caught fire and demanded a mass evacuation ...

Command On the Go 

By I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE

There is little to dispute the importance of a fixed command post, but there is a situation where the use of “command on the go” may be an applicable and effective strategic decision...