Fire Rescue EMS News

By David Pease | 01/10/2013

We talked about the statistics of trucks and buses on the highway and the crashes as they pertain to the drivers, road conditions and other factors that contribute to these crashes. We also looked at the classifications of trucks as to their weights and sizes. Knowing the size and weight will aid you in your scene size up and assessment. Not always knowing what the cargo is can present a hazard to the rescuer and the victims. When we talk about heavy vehicle rescue, most think about tractor trailers. We must also think about specialty trucks as they can present more of a problem at times, than the large and heavy semi-trucks. Read More...

Relevant Tags: EXTRICATION EDUCATION, trucks, concrete, rescue, crashes, specialty trucks, heavy vehicle, vehicle rescue, concrete truck, extrication education

By Bob Twomey | 01/10/2013

Recently, while discussing training standards in North Carolina with members of a rescue association, the topic centered on all of the “rescue standards” available to both paid and volunteer rescuers. Mainly, discussion centered around NFPA and IFSAC standards as they relate to the various disciplines in today’s rescue service. Now mind you, the discussions were not against technical standards, but more in support of them, since they require rescuers to be trained similarly, in the same techniques and applications, with the equipment of the agency having jurisdiction (AHJ). But then, a question was asked, “why aren’t there standards covering... Read More...

Relevant Tags: RESCUE A-Z, rescue, training, standards, team, training standards, north carolina

By Adam Snyder | 01/10/2013

(This is part three of a three part series on structural tower rescue.) Last issue we focused our discussion on structural tower management to include tower related emergencies and medical considerations. We also talked about the importance of proper preparation for tower climbing and associated fall protection. In this final article we are going to get into the meat and potatoes of structural tower rescue. We will be discussing tower based and ground based rescues. Let’s look at the key concepts and factors that assist in the determination of a ground based or structure based rescue: Structure-Based Rescues Tower Height Structure based resc... Read More...

Relevant Tags: RESCUE A-Z, tower, rescue, victim, rescuer, team, structural, ground based, structural tower, tower rescue, rescue team

By Dennis Amodio | 01/10/2013

Disasters like Hurricane Sandy that impact large areas and several types of infrastructure, cripple communities and cost us lives are an unfortunate reality we face as First Responders. As firefighters it is our mission to do everything we can to mitigate the impact events like Sandy have on the communities we serve. It is also important for the first responder community to view the preparation for, response to, and recovery from events like Hurricane Sandy as an opportunity to learn how to do our parts better, and as a reminder of how valuable our day-to-day technologies are in training for and mitigating the impact of these large-scale inc... Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE PRE-PLANNING, plans, building, responders, first responders, large scale, pre planning, hurricane sandy, response recovery, situational awareness

Dennis Amodio | 10/05/2012

(This is part three of a three-part series on pre-planning.) More often than not, schools have standard procedures for responding to an incident or emergency that aren’t as effective or efficient as they can be. I know one high school that has their town’s fire department enter the building through the second floor window. The fire department actually uses a ladder to get into the building rather than walking through the door. This happens because the department doesn’t have access to the school’s keys, and the school hasn’t taken the steps to provide the department with the correct situational awareness. A solution to this problem is simple... Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE PRE-PLANNING, schools, planning, electronic, building, emergency, pre planning, first responders, emergency preparedness, fire department

John Bierling | 10/05/2012

Is Command Failure An Acceptable Incident Outcome? One of the very hot topics of this century, so far, is the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) part of NIMS. We discuss them, write about them, train and practice and hopefully use the NIMS and ICS doctrine. Read More...

Relevant Tags: incident, ics, emergency, system, command control, command system, incident management, emergency response, fire service

Adam Snyder | 10/05/2012

(This is part two of a three part series.) Last issue we discussed the importance of structural tower awareness to include construction characteristics, structural tower access and some associated structural tower hazards. This issue we will be focusing on the first part of structural tower management to include tower related emergencies and medical considerations. We will also be discussing the preparation for climbing and associated fall protection. Read More...

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RESCUE A-Z

Jeff Barnes and John Kelley | 10/05/2012

When your district is in need of renovation or expansion of an existing fire or rescue facility, or even a newly constructed station to accommodate growing demands, where do you turn? It can be daunting to consider the many factors that go into facility renovation and construction — from site evaluation to building design to permitting and construction. One of the first steps is to consult with a design build partner who deals with these challenges every day. Read More...

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THE STATION HOUSE

By Franklin H. Russell and Keith Armfield | 10/05/2012

How many times over the past few years have you heard the term rehab or medical monitoring? These terms are some of the latest buzzwords in the emergency services realm. With that being said, how many people truly understand what it means to establish and maintain a rehab sector? In many situations people think of rehab as a bottle of water and medical monitoring as a blood pressure check. The process is much more involved and technical than that. Some situations only require company level rehab such as a single family dwelling fire or a motor vehicle crash with a pin in. Other situations require a formal technical rehab sector being establi... Read More...

Relevant Tags: EMS 2012, rehab, medical, monitoring, responders, medical monitoring, blood pressure, rehab sector, emergency services, heart rate, further evaluation

Ed Henry | 08/01/2012

Rope has been used in the American Fire Service for well over 150 years. It is one of the tools still used in service today, but with many advances thanks to science. As with many things in the fire service, ropes have made the difference in life and death for many civilians and even a few firefighters. The technical advances in ropes and rope gear have been nothing less than unbelievable. As with anything related to life safety, you have many choices in ropes and the components that make Rope Rescue Systems. This article will focus on one-half Kernmantle life safety rope. Again, this article will not discuss brand names or manufactures, but... Read More...

Relevant Tags: rope, knots, fire service, rope rescue, life safety, service tools, american fire, tools ropes, types rope

Dennis Amodio | 08/01/2012

I’ve been in the fire service for over 35 years. I can say with confidence that pre-planning is essential, but not because of my years of fire service experience. What 35 years of experience yields is a long view of where pre-plans have been, a clear picture of where they are now and a good idea of where they’re going. Or where they could go. Or where they should go. That said, I’ve seen my fair share of approaches to pre-planning over the years. There are many different ways to pre-plan, and many different forms pre-plans can take. But it wasn’t until recently that I had the chance to work with a different, more dynamic, more interactive wa... Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE PRE-PLANNING, electronic, planning, information, pre planning, first responders, fire service, situational awareness, planning first

Ken Newell | 08/01/2012

“Should our new station be two floors or one floor?” It’s not unusual for this question to be brought up during the preliminary stages of public safety station design, and it’s one that we’ve heard many times over the years while working with officials on new and renovated stations. If this is your question, there are numerous factors to consider before making a final decision. And, as those who work in emergency services know full well, the best decisions are well-informed decisions. Therefore, let’s examine a few key factors that you need to consider. Read More...

Relevant Tags: EMS 2012, station, fire, multi, building, design, stations, multi story, station design, single story, public safety, fire station, two floors

David Pease | 08/01/2012

Spring has come and gone and we are now in the dead of summer. If the winter was any indication of how the summer is going to be, we could be in big trouble. Hopefully, the temperatures will not be as hot and the humidity will stay down. We lose a lot of training time between the vacations and heat, but perhaps at least the temperatures will be tolerable. I saw some of you at the Myrtle Beach Fire/Rescue show and I’m looking forward to seeing more of you at the fire conference in Raleigh in August. I was involved in a one-day stabilization class at Goldston Fire in June. We had 92 students in attendance from North Carolina and some from Sout... Read More...

Relevant Tags: EXTRICATION EDUCATION, vehicles, fuel, summer, alternate fuel

Bob Twomey | 08/01/2012

Within the last month, I have been part of two serious rescue situations. One was a trench collapse and victim rescue, the other a river rescue within a waterfall from an elevated position. For years, rescuers have been trained that we, the rescuers, are ALWAYS number one, our squad and fellow rescuers a close second, and the victim is third. It has been that way because we have been taught, and rightly so, that “we can’t help someone else when we are busy getting hurt or dying ourselves.” This is valuable advice; I have heard this for nearly 39 years now. In the trench collapse and subsequent rescue, a laborer working on a sewer line projec... Read More...

Relevant Tags: RESCUE A-Z, rescue, trench, victim, real life, life rescues, trench collapse, rescues decisions, river rescue

Adam Snyder | 08/01/2012

The techniques that are utilized in structural tower rescue are designed to enhance the elements of NFPA 1006 — Rescue Technician Professional Qualification/Rope Rescue Standard. This is the first of a three part series on structural tower rescue. This article will focus on structural tower awareness and the importance of incident planning. Structural towers — cell phone towers, radio towers, television broadcast towers and electrical towers — can be found nationwide in the most populated urban cities to the most rural areas. The increased use of cell phones over the last 15 years has increased the number of structural towers in the United S... Read More...

Relevant Tags: RESCUE A-Z, tower, structural, rescue, towers, risk, structural tower, tower rescue, lattice towers, fall restraint, rescue awareness, emergency response, restraint system