FE Volume 163 Issue 3
The Latest
Ground Ladder Tactic for Below Grade Access
Tactical success in firefighting requires mastering a variety of skill sets that may be simple or complex, involve individual tasks or team operations, or be support functions or critical to mission success. The emergency scene is dynamic and uncertain, often requiring us to do more than basic fundamental operations. We often must improvise and adapt to succeed, finding a way to apply standard skills to nonstandard applications. Competence in the fundamentals better prepares us to handle the unexpected, enabling us to adapt our skills to solve a broader range of unusual situations and to achieve operational success.
Truck Company Tools Across the Country
Across the country, firefighters use different tools to perform truck company operations. Mike Ciampo has an overview.
Wind-Driven Fire Research: Hazards and Tactics
Fires in high-rise buildings create unique safety challenges for building occupants and firefighters. Smoke and heat spreading through the corridors and the stairs of a building during a fire can limit building occupants’ ability to escape and can also limit firefighters’ ability to rescue them. In 2002, there were 7,300 reported fires in high-rise structures (buildings of seven stories or higher). Most of these high-rise fires occurred in residential occupancies such as apartment buildings. In fires that originated in apartments, 92 percent of the civilian fatalities occurred in incidents in which the fire spread beyond the room of origin.
More FE Volume 163 Issue 3
Smells Like Food
Thanks for putting Mike Ciampo in Tom Brennan’s old spot on the back cover. For many years, Random Thoughts was the first thing I read. I enjoyed the no-nonsense, street-smart tips and the Irish humor Brennan displayed each month. Now we have another fire service treasure filling some very large shoes. I look forward to many years of no-nonsense articles. It really is the “basics” that allow us to do this job safely, and I know Mike Ciampo is up to the task.
Filing a Flight Plan
The initial period of any out-of-control situation that requires effective command creates a fairly standard challenge for the first boss to arrive at the scene of whatever is causing the problem. That person must decide how he is going to personally behave so he can begin to stabilize and then resolve the problem while ensuring responder safety. That boss can be greatly affected by the urgency of the event and the critical need for effective action at that very moment.
Start a Second Line
We arrived as the second-due engine to a fire in a two-story detached private dwelling. The first-due engine and truck were positioned halfway up the block and were beginning operations. The engine was stretching and had a hydrant, and the truck was raising its aerial. As we approached the scene, the second-due engine chauffeur spotted a hydrant at the intersection of the narrow block. He parked the engine so it would not interfere with the second-due truck’s access and to check that the hydrant was usable. Remember, even though the first-due engine has a water supply, it is the responsibility of the other incoming engines to position at or near hydrants and test them for serviceability in case the first-due engine’s water supply is inadequate. Personnel may have to stretch an additional supply line to another engine using “hand-stretching” or the apparatus itself.
PRODUCTS/SERVICES/MEDIA
From All-A-Board, the CRESCENT RECLINER is a contract-grade unit designed to handle the rigors of the fire station. Each unit features a double-doweled northern hardwood frame with miter blocks at stress points and a nearly bulletproof mechanism, both protected by a lifetime warranty. Includes hand-tied, five-gauge, heavy-duty springs; block and conjugated microfiber Dacron fill to help maintain loft; an extra-soft seat and back with lumbar support, and a 375-pound weight capacity. (800) 882-2753. Web site: www.allaboardinc.com.
Names in the News
CURT VARONE is the new fire service division director for the Legal and Liability Risk Management Institute (LLRMI). The division provides risk management and litigation support to fire and emergency service organizations comparable to the law enforcement services they have provided since 1987. Previously, Varone was division manager of the Public Fire Protection Division at the National Fire Protection Association. A practicing attorney for the past 24 years, Varone is also a 37-year fire service veteran, and served 29 years as a firefighter with the Providence (RI) Fire Department, from which he retired in 2008 as a deputy chief.
APPARATUS DELIVERIES
The Clinton City (UT) Fire Department uses this SMEAL quint to protect a primarily residential area that has had a rapid increase in commercial and light industrial properties, says Assistant Chief Guido Smith. It is used as an engine or a truck as the operation dictates. The long ladder addresses setbacks and the truck is first-out on in-city alarms for automatic alarms and structure fires.
COMPANY/ASSOCIATION NEWS
FIREMAN’S FUND INSURANCE COMPANY and its employees have donated $94,496 to the American Red Cross to support Haiti relief and redevelopment efforts. Since the earthquake, employees made individual donations to the American Red Cross totaling $47,248; Fireman’s Fund matched that amount, and made a total donation of $94,496 to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Following the earthquake, Fireman’s Fund pledged to match any employee donation up to $1,000 per person to the American Red Cross. www.firemansfund.com.
Legal and Psychological Effects of Workplace Harassment
As firefighters, we thrive on action. We are problem solvers, priding ourselves on working through problems and issues, particularly when called to assist complete strangers, regardless of the hour. We jump on our rigs and arrive at incidents to provide the highest level of service and professionalism to our community. Our question is: Do we provide this high level of service and professionalism to each other?