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August 2009

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On the Cover

Houston, TX, Ladder 74 operates during a four-alarm-plus fire that ripped through a larged sprinklered furniture warehouse. Firefighters stopped the fire from spreading into a 100,000-square-foot landmark showroom. The fire occurred on May 21, 2009.

Dedication

This month's Firehouse is dedicated to Lieutenant Robert Strang, 60, of the Melbourne, FL, Fire Department; Fire Chief Mike Gilbreath, 55, of the Double Springs, AL, Fire Department; Firefighter Robert Andrew France, 45, of the Stateline, MS, Volunteer Fire Department; and Captain Manny Rivera, 43, of the Trenton, NJ, Fire Department. who died in the line of duty, March 2009.

Incident Report

On The Job: WASHINGTON

On Thursday, July 24, 2008, a three-alarm fire destroyed a portion of a commercial building in historic downtown Spokane. The three-story structure, known as the Joel Building, was a compilation of five buildings joined together, all with a single flat roof constructed of layers of wood board covered with a thick rubber membrane. A series of firewalls divided the roof into five separate areas. Interior walls were covered by gypsum wallboard and flooring materials consisted of carpet and wood.
DC Metro Wreck

"Unbelievable" was the word most often used to describe the gruesome crash site of the Metro Rail accident in Washington, DC, on Monday, June 22, 2009.

The daily commuter homebound rush was well underway when the first call for help went out at 5 P.M. The initial dispatch call for help was as unbelievable as the crash itself. A "Metro Box" alarm was sounded for the Fort Totten Metro Station on the "Red Line" as the primary location, with additional fire and EMS units being dispatched to the Takoma Metro Station as the secondary location.

Incident Report, Cover Story

Fire Destroys Landmark Texas Furniture Warehouse

Fire swept through a 200-by-300-foot sprinklered metal warehouse, destroying millions of dollars' worth of boxed furniture and challenging Houston, TX, firefighters to protect the company's adjoining 100,000-square-foot building housing its showroom, offices and a smaller warehouse.

Fire Service Leadership

The "Anatomy & Physiology" Of the Structural Fireground

Following-up on last month's quick review of the five basic types of building construction, according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 220, Standard on Types of Building Construction (2006 edition), this article looks at Type I, Type II and Type IV building construction from a strategic perspective.
21st Century Firefighting

"Blinded by science" is an old expression that means "to deliberately confuse someone with highly complex knowledge". For too many firefighters, the same can be said when it comes to firefighting and the phenomenon of fire. For too many firefighters, the act of "putting the wet stuff on the red stuff" is all that is needed to know and the rest is just "blah-blah."

Fire Service Leadership, Run Surveys

2008 National Run Survey

For the 28th year, the career fire service takes to the pages of Firehouse& Magazine to share and compare statistics about company and department activity levels, funding, staffing and pay. A total of 270 fire departments took part in this year's survey, representing 48 states, the District of Columbia and six Canadian provinces. The departments represented in this latest survey protect 84,291,279 people, and they have budgets totaling $14 billion (budgets are listed in millions of dollars).

Higher Education for the Fire Service

College 101

Whether you're starting college for the first time or returning to college after many years, the decision to go to school represents a giant step forward in your professional and personal development. Over the years, I have taught hundreds of first-time students and I have accumulated some tips for success that seem to help many new fire and emergency services students stay out of the "sand traps" and get their get their feet firmly on the ground.
Competition Puts New Emphasis On Adding a Degree to Your Resume

When Jim Clack decided it was time to change jobs, the former Minneapolis, MN, fire chief applied to the Baltimore City, MD, Fire Department. He brought with him 22 years of experience — including being unified incident commander in 2007 of the I-35W bridge collapse that killed 13 people — and a bachelor's degree. The applicant pool, for the most part, had the experience, but lacked Clack's educational credentials. And for the first time in its 150-year history, Baltimore City hired a chief from outside the department.

Fireground Safety

Protecting the Belmont Stakes

"And down the stretch they come!" The most famous words in horse racing are never more exciting than during a home-stretch run at Belmont Park with a Triple Crown at stake.

Belmont Park, host track for the third leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, is in Elmont, NY. The Long Island attraction has been protected by the Elmont Fire Department since its opening day on May 4, 1905. In fact, the first fire company in Elmont can trace its roots to the generosity of August Belmont Jr., son of the German-born banker August Belmont Sr., for whom the track and race are named.
Protecting the Super Bowl: Tampa Fire Rescue

Those who have not hosted a Super Bowl may tell you, "It's just a football game." But ask anyone in a community that has hosted America's unofficial holiday, the Super Bowl, and they will tell you it's a planning-intensive, security-driven super event.