(fireengineering.com)

NEW ON THE WEB. Recently we debuted the Fire Engineering Training Network, an opportunity to get all our valuable training content in one place: a print and digital subscription to Fire Engineering magazine, our online magazine archives, and continued access to the Web-only features you’ve come to know and appreciate. Plus, if you attend FDIC International 2015 this April, membership to the Fire Engineering Training Network is included in your registration fee. To join the Network, go to http://bit.ly/FETNSub.

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FDIC: TRAINING YEAR-ROUND. Have you used Roll Call Tips on www.fdic.com? They are original video tips to start off your day and train the crews. You can also watch Webcasts on Demand of popular FDIC classes and read original training articles by FDIC speakers. New training content is posted daily. Take advantage of the free training until the next FDIC!

FIRE LIFE. In her column What Every Firefighter’s Spouse Should Know, Anne Gagliano writes in “Living with ‘PNS’ in the Firefighter Marriage”: “The greater the excitement at work, the greater the potential for PNS backlash that can debilitate them for family life. The fight-or-flight response produces a biological, hormonal roller coaster that is often more extreme than the worst cases of PMS. Therefore, it, too, must be faced and handled together if firefighter marriages are to survive.” Read more on PNS at www.firelife.com.

WEBCASTS. On March 5, Captain Buster Cooper, Conway (AR) Fire Department, will present “Forcible Exiting: The Fortified Rear Door,” sponsored by Cutters Edge. On March 24, Firefighter Freddie Diaz-Batista, Fort Lauderdale (FL) Fire Department, will present “E-Learning in the Fire Service: Course Development Creation and Training.” Webcasts are free, but you must register. They are archived on www.fireengineering.com for six months.

COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Name: Andrew Zysk. Department: Newport News (VA) Fire Department. Rank: firefighter. Years of public service: 10. Agency structure: paid department.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Workers doing maintenance work with a blowtorch at The Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex in Edgewater, New Jersey, accidentally started a fire that caused massive damage and permanently displaced more than 500 people, according to officials. Approximately 240 apartment units were destroyed by the fire, fought by hundreds of firefighters from neighboring departments. The complex was lightweight wood construction combined with numerous voids in the floors, walls, and attic; it had previously been destroyed by fire while under construction in 2000. The fire highlights the dangers of lightweight wood construction that burns unchecked before the fire department is called and spreads to the void spaces. (Photo by Ron Jeffers.) See more photos at http://bit.ly/FERJefAvl. Send your Photo of the Day submissions to Peter Prochilo ([email protected]).

FEATURED ARTICLES

❚ Kevin Yoos, “How Well Do You Know Your Meters?”: Here are some tips on detectors. (http://bit.ly/FEYoosMtrs2)

❚ Thomas A. Merrill, “The Professional Volunteer Fire Department, Part 18—Delivering the Drill”: Once you plan the drill, the next step is delivery. (http://bit.ly/FEMerrDrill2)

❚ Ray McCormack, “The Loss of Skill”: The training of firefighters is about skill development. (http://bit.ly/FERaySkill)

❚ Mark Wallace, “Fire and Emergency Services Comparative Analysis”: How does your department compare to other departments? (http://bit.ly/FEWalComp)

❚ Douglas Mitchell Jr., “Drill: Vertical Fire Travel”: You can contain vertical spread if you know where to look. (http://bit.ly/FETradVFT)