Firehouse.com

Firefighting, Rescue, EMS - Training for Firefighters, Firefighter Jobs, EMS, Rescue - Extrication, HazMat, Paramedic, Tactics

June 2009

Photo by: Jimbo Jones

View larger cover View digitial edition

On the Cover A three-alarm fire ripped through a store and the dwellings above off Kings Highway in Brooklyn, NY, on Dec. 30, 2008.

Dedication

This month's Firehouse is dedicated to Firefighter Derek Edward North, 34, of the Stockton Fire Department in Lakeland, GA; Firefighter/EMT Ferdinando Pierno, 55, of Martin County, FL, Fire Rescue; Firefighter/EMT Charles Myshrall, 67, of the North Coventry, CT, Volunteer Fire Department; and Firefighter Michael J. Darrington, 45, of Toledo, OH, Fire and Rescue, who died in the line of duty, February 2009.

Incident Report, Cover Story

On The Job - New York: Multi-Alarm Fire Heavily Damages Plattsburgh Hotel

On Saturday, Nov. 5, 2008, a multiple-alarm fire destroyed nearly half of the Comfort Inn and Suites in the Town of Plattsburgh, NY. At the time of the fire, the building was occupied by approximately 120 people. The two-story building was built in 1988 of ordinary construction with a lightweight truss roof. The 100,000-square-foot building contained 112 guest rooms; a Perkins Restaurant and Bakery; Legends Sports Bar and Brew Pub; Court Club health club; Comfort Inn ballroom; and a lobby.

Incident Report

Interstate Mutual Aid for New York Construction Storehouse Fire

Shortly after 8 P.M. on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, the Suffern, NY, Fire Department was dispatched for a reported structure fire at Washington Avenue and Washington Circle in the downtown area of the village. The initial response also included a heavy rescue from the Tallman Fire Department on automatic mutual aid for a firefighter assist and search team (FAST), regional terminology for what is also commonly known as a rapid intervention team (RIT).

Fire Service Leadership

Rube's Rules of Leadership - Rule 2: Lead from the Front

This second column in the "Rube's Rules" series relates to courageous leadership. Leading from the front is a simple, straightforward behavior that typically can be accomplished mostly with self-discipline and common sense. It is a concept that is easy to understand and easy to write about; however; at times, it seems difficult to perform. Interestingly, it seems that it is more difficult to lead by example for long periods, such as the length of a fire-rescue service career of 25 or 30 years.

Higher Education for the Fire Service

Overcoming Barriers To Testing Fire Hose

The old saying, "putting the wet stuff on the red stuff" has built into it the huge assumption that the "wet stuff" will exit the nozzle with enough pressure to protect firefighters while extinguishing the fire as quickly as possible. There are two essential elements to an aggressive interior attack: air and water. If either is inconsistent, unreliable or not present, the results of the attack are likely to be disastrous.
Rowhouse and Townhouse Fires: Characteristics and Considerations

Fire was showing from the middle of the block of identical three-story rowhouses. The block contained over 60 dwellings with contiguous porch front roofs the length of the block. Engine 45 saw heavy fire blowing out of the first-floor front windows and attacking the underside of the wooden porch roof. The fire then mushroomed laterally to involve the undersides of the roofs of six properties. Window glass was breaking on the exposures and fire was starting to enter those properties.

Emergency Communications

The Success of SAFECOM

This column provides a comprehensive look at the makeup and reviews the successes of the Department of Homeland Security SAFECOM Program.

Fireground Safety

Firefighter Accountability: Critical in Reducing America's LODDs

It has been amazing to watch the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) grow and change into perhaps the best agency preventing firefighter line-of-duty death and injury.
Time to Adjust Our Thinking!

The time has come to change the way we think about protecting ourselves from the hazards of the fire environment. We have to adapt our standard operating procedures (SOPs) to look beyond surviving the immediate hazards that we encounter at every incident scene. We have to place the same emphasis on protecting ourselves from potentially lethal health consequences that may not show up for several years after the incident.
Empower All Firefighters To Stop Unsafe Practices

Firefighter safety must always be a priority for every fire chief. Over the past three decades, the fire service has applied new technology, provided better protective clothing and equipment, implemented modern standard operating procedures (SOPs) and improved training. During this same period, the fire service has seen a 58% reduction in firefighter line-of-duty deaths. But the country has also seen a paralleling 54% drop in the number of structural fires over the same period.
"You Have Firefighters Jumping Out the Rear of the House!" - Part 1

On Sunday, May 25, 2008, a dwelling fire would change the way the Loudoun County, VA, Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management (LCFR) would operate forever. Odds are, readers will be able to relate to this fire — the circumstances and the lessons learned.