Fire Rescue EMS Communications

Phil Kouwe | 04/21/2013

Every now and then, the world of technology is rocked by what is known as “disruptive change.” It’s the development of some new device or system that is so radically different than what came before it that it truly transforms the way people do things. Take, for instance, the personal computer or the internet; both are examples of disruptive change that altered the lives of each and every one of us. Today, tablet mobile operating systems and cloud data storage are having similar effects. Read More...

Relevant Tags: COMMUNICATIONS, information, data, system, cloud, mobile, cloud based, tablet computers, dispatch center, information exchange, data storage, server farm

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

By Mike Coffey | 10/05/2012

Fire alarm systems have become commonplace responses in today’s fire service. Between carbon monoxide alarms, general fire alarm activations, smoke detectors, other detection devices and pull stations — we stay busy answering these calls for service. Understanding what the system and devices attached to them are telling us can help identify problems and keep properties from becoming even more of a statistic than they already are. Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, alarm, system, detection, fire alarm, alarm systems, false alarms, detection devices, fire department, returning foundations, detection system, carbon monoxide

Bobby Sheikhan | 08/01/2012

From the time it capsized at a refinery dock in Texas City, the listing barge — loaded with 235,000 gallons of sulfuric acid — began seeping its toxic, corrosive load into the 30-foot-deep waterway. The water mixing with sulfuric acid inside the hull had begun to corrode the steel. This process reduced the barge’s structural integrity and created reactions inside the sealed compartment that generated a cloud of highly flammable, highly pressurized hydrogen gas — just one spark away from a calamitous blast. It was time for a new plan. That plan included federal and regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel expanding the “hot zo... Read More...

Relevant Tags: COMMUNICATIONS, wireless, monitoring, systems, hazmat, response, real time, wirelessly connected, new plan, hazmat teams, sulfuric acid, connected monitoring, monitoring systems, using wirelessly, monitoring equipment

David Greene | 04/29/2011

Having noticed that this issue will contain communication equipment, your author decided that it would be good to examine which types of incidents are dependent upon information and the means by which we exchange that information or what we commonly refer to as communications. Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, information, communications, incidents, trailer owner, effective communication, communications information, hazardous materials, isolation perimeter, driven incidents

Bradley Dean | 07/25/2010

Sometimes the science and the street have trouble communicating. The Trendelenburg position was originally used to improve surgical exposure of the pelvic organs, credited to the German surgeon Friedrick Trendelenburg (1844-1924). During World War I, Walter Cannon, an American physiologist, made the Trendelenburg position popular as a treatment for shock. With the person being placed with their head down and feet elevated, he promoted it as a way to increase venous return to the heart, increase cardiac output and improve vital organ perfusion. Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE,trendelenburg, position, science, patient, trendelenburg position, trendelenburg myth, treatment shock, cardiac output

Michael P. Dallessandro | 07/25/2010

Everyday during my ride to work I take note of all of the school buses on the roads today. After all, it is my job to know as much about them as I can. I am a firefighter and in my full time career I am a school district manager responsible for the safe operation of over 80 buses that travel nearly one million miles annually and transport just under 3000 children to and from school daily. Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE,school, bus, incident, buses, school bus, school buses, school district, bus related, responding school, district manager, bus extrication

Tim Wojcik | 07/25/2010

In 2009, Executive Fire Officer Paul Melfi published the following statement, “Giving a firefighter a portable radio is an investment in saving lives. But you must also provide proper training, policies for radio operations, and equipment maintenance. Personnel must know all the intricacies of the portable radio in addition to being able to operate it, maintain it, and ensure that it is ready for use at all times.” While many departments do have a Radio Operations SOG (Standard Operating Guideline), many do not have an SOG that covers the use/assignment of radios by firefighters in the IDLH environment. So, what does the NFPA have to say abo... Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE,radio, radios, firefighter, idlh, firefighters, department, safety, idlh environment, portable radio, one radio, training policies, proper training

Lorraine Murphy | 10/18/2009

As firefighters battled flames inside the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001 they were faced with an even larger obstacle. Fire rescue personnel, lacking communications equipment compatible with that used by other responders at the scene, including members of the New York Police Department, were unable to receive warnings of the buildings’ inevitable collapse. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Communications,interoperability, equipment, responders, communications, fire, departments, rescue, fire rescue, communications equipment, rescue personnel, ems journal, interoperability key, dhs systems, rescue em

Chris Grant | 10/18/2009

(The following is part two of a two part series on your command plan.) Incident management The term “Incident Command System” has been used since the mid 1980s. In the 90s we termed it “Incident Management System.” No matter what you call the system you use, there are several functions that must be simultaneously completed. NFPA 1500, Incident Management, 8.1.8 Read More...

Relevant Tags: Communications,command, incident, training, management, rescue, system, fire rescue, command system, chris grant, fire ground, fire building, incident command