By Todd Shoebridge | 01/11/2012

Hypoxia, asphyxia, cardiac arrest, and then death. Hopefully, I have your attention. Modern technology has changed the way we fight fires, and the ways fire burn. Due to the chemical make-up of manufactured materials, fires today burn hotter, flashovers occur more rapidly, and the smoke is much more toxic. As a result of these factors, firefighters have been dying at a greater rate than ever before from toxic chemical compounds like Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN). In the mid 70s George Kimmerle listed eight major factors that can cause death in fires and to those that are involved in them. 1 They are as follows: Direct consu... Read More...

Relevant Tags: hcn, firefighters, fire service, carbon monoxide, manufactured materials, cyanide hcn, todd shoebridge

| 01/11/2012

What are the pros and cons of adding zincs to my apparatus and why aren’t they installed from the factory? Sacrificial anodes are a long established corrective measure to slow or eliminate galvanic action within the apparatus plumbing system. Back in my day — when I was a puppy in this industry — all apparatus water tanks were made of steel and coated with some type of inner coating to prevent ‘corrosion.’ Tanks sprung leaks on an all too regular basis. Tank warranties required that the tanks be disassembled annually to restore corrosion protections and assure that none was occuring — like we were going to take the tanks apart annually, ya r... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Ask Ernie, apparatus, system, pump, service, coolant, cooling system, ask ernie, galvanic action, reserve apparatus, pros cons, attained maximum, nfpa 1911

By Willie Wimmer | 01/11/2012

Well brothers and sisters, let’s get started, this is the first of a four part series on how to spec a new piece of apparatus. These articles will give you insight and give you a few more things to think about other than what brand and what color. Each article will cover a different aspect of your process. I wanted to write this series because of some recent experiences I have had while in the field regarding some apparatus and items. These are things that should have been caught at the beginning of the spec process. Read More...

Relevant Tags: All About Trucks, apparatus, trucks, big boys

By Daniel J. Cimini | 01/11/2012

Is your department doing the checks needed to make sure your apparatus is ready to respond to a call? Most fire departments do not have a full time maintenance shop — most fire apparatus repairs are sent to a third-party fire apparatus repair facility. In these economic times we are facing financial challenges in our budgets, but there are several things that firefighters (career and or volunteer) can do on a regular basis in the fire station to head off issues early on and that will help to prevent the need for costly repairs. Read More...

Relevant Tags: All About Trucks, fire, apparatus, maintenance, pump, tank, department, inspection, fire apparatus, fire department, ready respond

By Brad Maness | 01/11/2012

In an earlier column we discussed the organization of your rapid intervention team (RIT) and how to overcome several roadblocks early on. Having a well trained, equipped team of firefighters ready to deploy for a fireground emergency should be a necessity. Even though most of us understand the extreme importance of staffing this team, not many firefighters jump at the thought of filling the RIT assignment. For those that don’t usually have a positive outlook regarding this assignment, you are inherently placing yourself and other firefighters at risk. Read More...

Relevant Tags: rit, equipment, officer, rit officer, rapid intervention, incident commander, intervention team, radio traffic

By Dave Murphy | 01/11/2012

Unless you live in a cave, you have probably noticed these are pretty tough economic times. Your last raise in pay is probably a distant memory while most everything else has gone up in price. Conversely, emergency services resources are most likely not as plentiful as they were a few years back. As a result, current firehouse conversations most likely expound on what you don’t have, as opposed to what you do have. While this is normally construed as a natural reaction to an adverse situation, it is ultimately one’s words and our subsequent actions that distinguish who and what we are. Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, positive, fire department, fire service, emergency services, positive thinking, dave murphy

By Joe Mancos | 01/11/2012

Sitting in a training class in Emmitsburg Maryland I overheard a fellow student ask another, “So, why are you here?” The answer he gave did not surprise me but it did make me think. His answer was short, to the point and honest, “Because chief told me to be here.” I asked some one else in the class the same question, and an answer I received was, “I will get a pay raise for completing this class.” We should all ask ourselves the same question when we participate in training, “Why am I here?” Read More...

Relevant Tags: EMS 2012, class, training, student, ems, fire rescue, emergency services, training session, rescue ems, public safety

By David Pease | 01/11/2012

Last issue we looked at several items that could be used in search and rescue — the Coaxsher Pack and the Hennessy Hammock. Both proved to be excellent field gear for search. There is a new system coming out from Delorme that hopefully I will get to evaluate utilizing their PN-60 GPS unit. The GPS unit will be able to receive and send information and texts. We are living in a time of rapid expanding technology that we have a hard time keeping up with. Between computers and iPhones, and the applications that continuously come out, it is almost impossible to keep up. As my folks tell me, I am still living in the stone age, as my cell phone is a... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Tools of the Trade, book, excellent, rescue, resource tool, excellent resource, extrication book, tools trade

Molly Thomas | 01/11/2012

When my children were very young, our family was on vacation at the beach with friends. My friend’s youngest child Luke was busy at the water’s edge, happily jumping waves and chasing a beach ball. In no time at all, Luke was not within our sight. We scurried to find him, spotting him in the distance where he had obviously lost himself in play. When he realized that he could not see us, a visibly upset Luke came running up the beach, and exclaimed to his mother, “Where were you? I lost myself!” Read More...

Relevant Tags: identity, theft, fire, credit, information, security, identity theft, social security, theft protection, security number, credit card, personal information, theft prevent

By Brian Griffith and John Kelley | 01/11/2012

Most fire departments ask two questions when circumstances require that they either build a new station or renovate and/or build an addition to their existing facility. Those questions are, “What does it cost?” and “When can we move in?” If your department is in this position, this article will attempt to assist in answering the first question. Read More...

Relevant Tags: cost, fire, future, design, build, site, building, maintenance, initial cost, future maintenance, maintenance costs, life cycle, new station, design build