From the category archives:

Industry Articles

Oregon Governor Signs Fire Fighter Cancer Presumption Bill

April 28, 2009

April 28, 2009 – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has signed state legislation (HB 2420) expanding the list of cancers presumed to be work-related for Oregon fire fighters. The law is effective January 1, 2010.
“This was a very proud moment for Oregon fire fighters,” says Oregon State Fire Fighters Council (OSFFC) President Kelly Bach. “Over the [...]

Read the full article →

A Look at LACoFD Air Firefighter-Paramedics

April 14, 2009

LACoFD air operations firefighter-paramedics are trained for virtually any emergency situation.
Working with one pilot, two firefighter-paramedics staff each LACoFD helicopter air squad. The air operations section staffs three air squads 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, drawing from its total fleet of six Bell 412s and three Sikorsky S-70 Firehawks.
Each day, three multi-mission [...]

Read the full article →

2009 AFG application opens April 15

April 13, 2009

The Department of Homeland Security has posted the FY2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program Guidance on the AFG Website. The application period is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Applications for these grants must be received by Wednesday, May 20, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern [...]

Read the full article →

Firefighters Love St. Patrick’s Day….here’s the History of the Holiday

March 17, 2009

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.
On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in [...]

Read the full article →

New Las Vegas School to Train Emergency Responders

February 22, 2009

High school students aspiring to become paramedics or dispatchers will have a new opportunity to pursue their goals when Veterans Tribute Career & Technical Academy opens this August.
The school will be the first of its kind in the state, offering general education classes as well as introductory training for law enforcement, paramedics, 911 dispatching and [...]

Read the full article →

There’s a nationwide crisis in emergency medical response…

January 23, 2009

The dispatcher had said, “21-year-old male, trouble breathing.” But when paramedics Russ Bryant and Mike Haley arrive on the scene in North Philadelphia a few minutes later, the man is breathing just fine.
“What’s going on?” Bryant asks him gently. “I tried to eat a whole stick of butter,” he says. “On a bet. For a [...]

Read the full article →

INSIDE THE COMMAND POST – EPISODE 2

December 8, 2008

A look at the first arriving company and chief officers as they arrive on scene, give their size-up, perfrom a dynamic risk assessment of the situation, start developing an IAP and building the IC system. This video shows a working commercial fire as well as three apartment fires, one of which is vacant and abandoned.

Hope [...]

Read the full article →

Fresno Fire Department Gets New Training Tool

December 5, 2008

A unique new training tool for the Fresno Fire Department was unveiled Thursday. It’s called a “flashover simulator” and recreates the intense conditions that occur when heat causes flammable gases to spontaneously ignite, creating a rolling ball of fire.
The phenomenon causes an estimated one out of every ten firefighter deaths.
A grant from the Fireman’s Fund [...]

Read the full article →

Entering Through the Door, Falling Through the Floor

November 21, 2008

The concern about the poor performance of the engineered lightweight wood construction under fire conditions is nothing new. We have known about it for more than a couple of decades. Obviously, the very first name that comes to mind when talking about this subject is the legendary Francis Brannigan, and his famous Building Construction for [...]

Read the full article →

Fire Apparatus Collision Video

October 29, 2008

Here is a video of two Fire Apparatus responding to a call and colliding with one another in St. Louis.
It is a stark reminder of why we must pay attention to intersection signals and communicate/coordinate with other responding vehicles.
Insane Crash With Two Fire Trucks
Was this a preventable collision?

Read the full article →