Firewhirl: August 2005 Archives

Out of the Office Until 08/31

FYI, I'll be out of the office until the afternoon of 08/31. Until then, there probably won't be any new posts.

Poll Results - August 30, 2005

New Orleans FD Prepares for Hurricane Katrina

Are you wondering what the New Orleans FD is doing as it faces Hurricane Katrina? Here is an article from Firehouse.com that sheds some light:

The New Orleans Fire Department is preparing for a worst case, doomsday scenario that could produce significant damage and injuries, but vastly limit the agency's ability to respond in the hours leading up to and perhaps days after Hurricane Katrina makes landfall early Monday.

As winds hit 45 miles per hour sometime before Midnight Sunday, the city's fire and EMS personnel will not be responding to emergencies.

"Our primary concern this point is the safety of our personnel and equipment," Charlene Barthe, Public Affairs Coordinator for the New Orleans Fire Department, told Firehouse.com late Sunday.

It could be hours -- or longer -- before responders may be able to roll once again.

"It could be well longer than after [Katrina] passes, depending on what happens as the waters rise," Barthe said. "If it rises [to the streets] we won't be able to get out to respond [until it subsides]."

...

Fire Department personnel have been assisting with evacuations and operations at the Superdome -- the NFL stadium where over 12,000 citizens unable to evacuate the city are seeking shelter.

...

Approximately 200 members of the department were on duty Sunday, one of three platoons in the city. Personnel assigned to Monday's platoon were expected to report to work on time.

...

The New Orleans Fire Department has 33 stations with 759 personnel.

I would think trying to prepare for emergencies during a hurricane would be very difficult. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people and firefighters of New Orleans.

08/29/2005: Grass Fire

Saturday afternoon, around 4:30 PM, we were paged for a grass fire about 12 miles outside of Miller. I wasn't as quick to get to the fire hall as I usually am, and I still was the second person there. I knew right away we were going to be short on firefighters.

When we arrived at the fire it was burning beneath a tree strip, out into a pasture, and into a corn field. The corn wasn't burning, but the dried leaves and stalks on the ground from previous years were burning. Luckily, the fire wasn't burning with much intensity. We didn't have any trouble getting a handle on it.

In the fenced in pasture that was burning, there was a very upset horse. The horse wasn't really in any danger since the fire wasn't burning very fast, but try telling that to a horse.

By the time we had it extinguished, we ended up with plenty of firefighters. They just weren't all able to respond immediately. We had three brush trucks and three pumpers.

Unfortunately, to put out the fire in the corn field, we had to drive out into the field and mash down a bunch of the corn.

The cause of the fire was a controlled burn (rubbish fire) that got out of control.

New Station the Result of Hard Work

Congratulations to the Blaine Volunteer Fire Department on their new station. This is an amazing project - check it out (from WBIR.com):

The $80,000 Blaine Volunteer Fire Station Number 2 was paid for and built by the people who live there. There were no grants, no government help, just gifts of time and money.

"Completely fundraisers and donations," says Indian Ridge Resident Shirley Irwin. They had bake sales, fish fries, spaghetti suppers, turkey shoots, and yard sales. It all added up.

"Once you pull together, you can do anything," said Irwin's son Dewayne, who helped head up the fundraising and building efforts.

It's remarkable that they did this without any grants of government assistance. Good for them. Job well done.

Appropriate Management Response for Wildfires

Here is another article about the changing tactics for wildland fires. From the Missoulian:

For nearly a century, Forest Service firefighters toiled under a policy that every fire discovered in the wilds was to be extinguished before 10 a.m. - the hour considered the start of the next burning cycle.

If firefighters didn't catch the blaze, then it was time to bring in more yellow shirts, helicopters and slurry bombers to do whatever it took to douse the flames before the next 10 a.m. deadline.

It was a policy on which generations of Westerners learned to depend. Fire was bad and it had to be beaten back. It didn't matter that fighting the fire could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a day. It certainly didn't matter that the fire might actually be doing some good.

But those days are well on their way to being over.

...

Using a process called "appropriate management response," Bull said officials identified five of the six as fires that would benefit the forest if allowed to burn. The evaluation process included consideration of a variety of factors: firefighter safety, potential resource benefits of allowing the fire to burn, and costs of fighting the fire.

Interesting stuff. I'm happy to see more coverage of this in the media.

Yates/Car and Driver Update

Watch this short video from WUSA 9 News on the Yates/Car and Driver issue I posted about earlier.

I still haven't received a reply to my emails to Yates and Car and Driver Magazine.

MDA Fill the Boot Campaign

Check out the IAFF website on the Fill the Boot Campaign which will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). There are lots of interesting articles about firefighters raising money for the MDA.

USFS Wildland Fire-Use Program

Here is an excellent and educational article from the Ravalli Republic on the U.S. Forest Service's wildland fire-use program.

However, if you describe the wildland fire-use program as the Forest Service's "let burn" policy, you'll be quickly corrected.

It's an honest mistake though, said Chris Ourada, incident commander for the Salmon-Selway complex, which is located almost entirely on the West Fork Ranger District.

He refers to Yellowstone National Park and the summer of 1988, when lightning-caused fires burned nearly 800,000 acres and changed the face of the America's first national park.

At the time, the park's policy was to allow naturally caused fires to burn. That meant they didn't really have any management options, Ourada said.

But in the wildland fire-use program, fire managers have the same options available as they would on a fire they would actively suppress, the only difference is wildland fire-use fire is used for resource benefits, he said.

If you want to understand how important wildland fire is in maintaining a healthy forest, you should read the whole thing.

Western Wildfires Burn Homes

A pair of wildfires out west have burned some homes.

Deer Creek Fire in Oregon (from KVAL-TV):

Near Selma - Governor Ted Kulongoski has invoked the emergency conflagration act for a wildfire burning in Southern Oregon. The Deer Creek Fire has already charred at least four homes and hundreds of acres since it broke out Thursday.

Manton Fire in California (from redding.com):

MANTON — A wildfire that forced the evacuation of this entire town and burned at least 20 buildings continues to blaze toward the northeast early this evening.

The blaze had burned over 1,000 acres by 11:30 p.m. Friday and continued to burn to the north and east. Some 800 firefighters were battling the blaze.

I probably wouldn't have posted on these fires individually, but its unusual that on the same day, two separate fires would each take out multiple structures.

Skinny Firefighter to the Rescue

I got a kick out of this story from Fire Engineering.

WESTFIELD, N.J. - At 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, Jim Pfeiffer is used to being called skinny. But Pfeiffer's beanpole status came in handy Monday, when the 25-year-old firefighter slipped into a narrow crevasse to rescue a toddler trapped 9 feet underground.

...

Said Pfeiffer: "The guys used to laugh at me for being so skinny, but I guess in this case it paid off."

I can relate to Firefighter Pfeiffer. I'm the designated attic explorer on my fire department since I can fit through the entrance into the attic fairly easily. However, I have to leave the heavy lifting to the big guys on the department.

This story just shows that it takes all shapes and sizes to get the job done.

Round 2 of AFG Awards Announced

Go here to see if your department was awarded a grant in the second round of the AFG program.

Chaplain Mychal Judge of the FDNY

Read this thoughtful tribute to Chaplain Mychal Judge (from East Side / West Side: New York City History via Firefighter Blog).

Apartment Fire in Paris Kills 17

All fires that result in fatalities are tragic, but France has had its share of tragedies this year. This is the second fire this year that has had a large number of deaths (from Fox News).

PARIS — A blaze raced through a Paris apartment building housing African immigrants early Friday, killing 17 people, up to half of them children, officials said.

The fire also injured about 30 people.

Many of the victims were from the west African nation of Mali. Others were from Senegal, Ghana and Tunisia, according to building residents.

It was the second blaze since April to take a devastating toll on African migrants in Paris.

What Motivates an Arsonist?

Here is an interesting story from the BBC regarding the motivations of arsonists.

Mr Huff lists six potential motives for arsonists: revenge, excitement, profit, vandalism, extremism, and to cover another crime.

"Excitement is one of the big ones for wildfires," he tells the BBC News website.

Apparently, arsonists don't fully consider the consequences.

The deadly risk of starting a fire may seem obvious to some, but Mr Huff says the arsonist often does not intend to endanger life.

Elderly homeowners, local volunteers, and many firefighters have perished this year in Spain and Portugal.

"That's the rub," says Mr Huff. "When the arsonist strikes the match, he doesn't really know the ultimate consequences."

I don't really know much about arson or arsonists, but some prison time seems in order for those that start a fire that endangers or kills people.

Portuguese Douse Wildfires

Finally, Portugal is seeing some relief from the devastating wildfires it has faced. This from the Mercury News:

LISBON, Portugal - Cooler temperatures helped firefighters bring most of Portugal's devastating wildfires under control Thursday, although several small blazes broke out, authorities said.

...

Earlier this week, the National Authority for Forest Fires estimated that fires had burned through 445,000 acres so far, compared with 320,000 acres last year. But the figure is well below the 2003 of one million acres, the worst year for wildfires in the last two decades.

There has been tons of media coverage this year on these fires, even though they have not burned even 50% of the acreage that burned in 2003. I think this is because there have been firefighter fatalities both in Spain and Portugal.

New URL for Firewhirl

We've changed the URL for Firewhirl. It is now located here (http://firewhirl.com). Don't forget to change your bookmarks.

CPR to be Revamped

This is an interesting article (from Firehouse.com) about future changes to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is crucial when people collapse with cardiac arrest, but it's hard to perform correctly. Now major efforts are under way to improve how doctors, paramedics and average bystanders do the job: New CPR guidelines are due this fall, and high-tech machines that promise to help are already showing up in ambulances and offices.

Not yet proven is whether using technology -- like a chest-squeezing gadget or sensors that coax rescuers to pound harder -- to spice up the 40-year-old resuscitation technique really will save lives.

Emergency-care specialists agree that CPR today doesn't save as many lives as it could.

''We've got our work cut out for us to make sure CPR is done better,'' says Mary Fran Hazinski of the American Heart Association, which is finalizing new recommendations designed to do just that.

This will have to be a major campaign to retrain all of the folks out there that have had CPR training over the years.

FDNY and NYPD Bicker

Read this article from Firehouse.com about a turf battle between the FDNY and NYPD.

Is the bickering really worth it? The incident involved a mail box. Sheesh!

New Zealand Faces Volunteer Shortage

It looks like the U.S. isn't the only country where volunteer fire departments are short of firefighters. Check out this article from the Ashburton Guardian.

Your volunteer fire brigade needs you. Volunteers are needed as rural brigades across Mid Canterbury find themselves struggling to make up numbers for call-outs during the day as work takes volunteers out of the area.

Mayfield chief fire officer Ian Feilder said the problem of attracting a full reserve of volunteers was discussed at last night’s annual meeting of the brigade held at the Mayfield Rugby Clubrooms.
“New members are always welcome,” he said. “Our biggest problem, as with most brigades, is during the middle of the day.”

Mr Feilder said while the situation was not dire for Mayfield, rural brigades often struggled to have enough members to respond to a call-out in the middle of the day.

“At Mt Somers they have real big problems.”
Chief fire officer Barry Kerr confirmed Mt Somers was under pressure between 7am and 7pm.

“We just haven’t got the men in the village during the day to run the brigade,” he said. “The day’s going to come when there’s not going to be enough to go out.”

Sound familiar? Those paragraphs could have been cut from any number of U.S. newspapers, except for the N.Z. lingo like "brigade" and "call-out".

No 10 Codes Allowed

Do you still use 10 codes in your radio communications? We still use a few in our fire department. To continue to be eligible for federal funding, departments will need to discontinue the use of 10 codes and use plain English. This from WOODTV:

Codes like 10-4, 10-15, and 10-20 are all part of sort of secret language police and firemen use to talk to each other, but now the federal government says they need to stop or risk losing funding.

...

"We're saying, in order to continue federal funding from any departments and federal agencies, they need to meet those requirements by the end of FY '06 and that includes the plain English standards," says Gil Jamieson of FEMA.

I think that using plain English makes good sense. Less confusion, new firefighters won't have to learn the 10 codes, and in the long run it will probably save time.

I'll try to find the regulations at FEMA and post a link later.

No Response from Yates or Car and Driver

Regarding this post, I haven't heard a thing from Brock Yates or Car and Driver magazine. Neither of them have responded to my e-mails. Stay tuned.

EU Sends Firefighting Equipment to Portugal

Portugal is still burning up and they asked for assistance from the European Union. It looks like the EU is responding by sending planes, helicopters, and personnel. Check out this article from the BBC.

Spain and France have each sent two water-dropping aircraft and another is due to arrive from Italy on Monday.

Two helicopters are being sent from the Netherlands and three from Germany, along with experts to help tackle around 27 blazes in wood and farmland.

The fires have left at least 15 dead and 140,000 hectares destroyed.

Be sure to check out the pictures too. The links are on the right side of the BBC article.

Trail to Honor Ed Pulaski

Ed Pulaski, the guy that saved 39 firefighters from a wildfire in 1910, and then later invented the pulaski firefighting tool, was honored at the dedication ceremony of a trail that will named after him (from the Billings Gazette).

The Big Blowup killed at least 85 people, destroyed entire towns and burned 3 million acres along the Montana-Idaho border. It prompted the U.S. Forest Service to begin aggressively fighting wildfires for the rest of the 20th century.

Pulaski, an early Forest Service ranger, is celebrated for leading his crew to the abandoned mine shaft, saving 39 of the 45 firefighters as raging flames swept over the creek valley. The tool he invented eventually became standard equipment for wildland firefighters across the country.

If you've fought wildland fires, you have probably been on the business end of a pulaski. Great tool. Someday, I'd like to hike this new trail.

Poll Results - August 23, 2005

Here are the results of last week's poll:

Slowly, but surely we have more people voting in the weekly poll.

Slow Down - Safety First

Better think twice before really putting the hammer down as you drive to the incident. From the Detroit Free Press:

A Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department firefighter has been charged with negligent homicide, more than five months after the fire truck he was driving was involved in a fatal crash.

Firefighter Cory Carlton, 26, was arraigned and released on a $1,000 personal-recognizance bond after surrendering Thursday. He could face up to two years in prison if convicted of the misdemeanors, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported.

Prosecutors allege Carlton was on the way to an emergency call when he sped through a stoplight March 8 and struck a sports utility vehicle driven by Matthew Garrisi, 28. The collision in Grand Traverse County's Garfield Township killed Garrisi's wife, Rebecca Garrisi, 28, and the couple's 11-month-old son Jesse.

In contrast, the FDNY is taking some heat because their response times have consistently been slower over the past few months. Is a few seconds of quicker response really worth the chance of killing someone in an accident?

Unmanned Aircraft to Scan Wildland Fires

This article from the Mercury News details how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be used to monitor wildland fires. This is really cool.

Firefighters across the West are getting a high-tech ally in their battle against wildland flames: A remote-controlled spy plane that doesn't mind smoke, can see in the dark and never sleeps.

Scientists have been testing whether flocks of the planes - similar to the spy drones the U.S. military flies over Iraq and Afghanistan - can help track the direction and behavior of fast-moving flames.

After the experimental flight of three unmanned aerial vehicles this summer, the U.S. Forest Service will launch the first real-life deployment next spring. The plan calls for planes to traverse a dozen Western states, mapping real forest fires 24 hours a day.

This is really going to help firefighting efforts. Fire managers will have a better idea of which fires need more resources. It will also allow fire managers to deploy resources more safely.

Effects of Fire Suppression on Long Island

In the West, there has been a lot of discussion about what the effects of fire suppression are on the environment. Typically, the fuel load gets higher and higher because wildland fires are not allowed to clean out dead material.

This effect has been documented in the pine barrens of Long Island (from Newsday.com).

Even in portions of the pine barrens where conditions are less extreme, fire still plays a role by weeding out less hardy types of plants and clearing out underbrush. But decades of fire suppression leading up to the 1995 fire hampered this natural process, allowing other flora such as tree oaks to move in alongside the previously dominant pitch pines and scrub oak. The trees grew tall and formed canopies that shaded out the ground below. This diminished the area of true pine barrens, which are characterized by a mix of widely spaced pitch pines and scrubland with openings that let light pour in.

UPDATE: The fire mentioned in this post is the Sunrise Fire. It is the 10th anniversary of this fire. Here is another article about the fire itself (from Newsday.com).

Real Fire at Fire School

There is nothing like some authentic training to get you up to speed. Check out this article from the Boston Globe about an explosion and fire at the firefighting training facility at Naval Station Newport.

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. --A 4,500-pound propane tank exploded at Naval Station Newport on Thursday morning, causing a large fire at the firefighting training facility there.

The tank, one of two near the building, exploded with a loud boom shortly after 7 a.m., said David Sanders, a spokesman for the Naval station. The fire, which could be seen around the area, was extinguished around 8:30 a.m.

There were no injuries, and the cause was being investigated by the Navy, Sanders said.

It is unfortunate that some property was destroyed, but this kind of thing tickles my funny bone. Other headlines that would give me a chuckle would be "Arrests made at Police Academy" or "Injuries Sustained at EMT Class". It reminds me of The Far Side comic strip.

Author Claims Departments Won't Respond

Via a story from Firehouse.com, I learned that author Brock Yates has made an interesting statement in one of his articles. Brock writes for Car and Driver magazine. In the September 2005 issue regarding hybrid cars, Brock states the following:

And speaking of the environmental component (the glamour issue centered on the brave new world of hybrids), a number of EMT and fire crews have announced that they will refuse to rescue victims trapped in such vehicles, openly fearing electrocution or fatal acid burns.

It is difficult for me to think that emergency crews would refuse to rescue trapped victims. If there are departments that would refuse to respond, what departments are they? This from the Firehouse.com article:

Neither Car and Driver Magazine nor Brock Yates responded to Firehouse.com's request to identify which fire departments made these alleged announcements, and fire service leaders questioned the veracity of the statement.

In today's internet world, if you make a statement, you better be prepared to back it up. So far Yates hasn't responded, but I just found this story this morning so he may be formulating his response.

I'll be sending an e-mail to Yates and to Car and Driver myself. I'll post about their responses. Stay tuned.

I want to point out that the article was focused almost solely on the viability of hybrid cars. There were no other references to emergency crews in the article.

First Round of 2005 AFG Awards

The Department of Homeland Security has announced the first round of grant awards for the 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. This first round is for $205 million. Here is the link to the press release and you can check who received grants here.

Good luck to all!

Rain Puts Out Grass Fire

We had big thunderstorms last night and along with that, lots of lightening. About 6:30 PM, we were paged to a grass fire that was sparked by the lightening. The fire was 14 miles out of town, near Lake Louise State Park. By the time we got there, rain from the thunderstorms had put the fire out. We didn't pump a drop of water.

This was a pretty typical fire for us. Mostly we have grass fires; however, this is the first one I've responded to that was totally extinguished by the rain. Fourteen miles is a fair piece, but it isn't the farthest we have to go.

Introducing the Miller Fire Department

Well, let's start a new feature of Firewhirl today.

I belong to the volunteer fire department in my hometown of Miller, SD. Going forward I'll post about the incidents that we respond to as well as any other news that affects our department.

Here is a little background info:
Firefighters: 36
Apparatus: 5 pumpers, 3 brush trucks, 1 light rescue, 3 brush trucks
Stations: 2
Primary coverage area: 546 square miles
Population served: 3,000

Our coverage area is rural farm and ranch land with two small towns. Miller has a population of 1,500 and St. Lawrence has a population of 250. We have a station in each town, although the towns are only 2 miles apart, which is something of an anomoly in South Dakota.

Another Stolen Truck

Here is a story about a truck that was stolen from a fire department in Hickory, NC (via WSOCTV.com).

Police said a Hickory rescue squad support truck was stolen and the thief led officers on a chase eight miles through the city.

The chase ended in the east end of Hickory on along some railroad tracks. Emergency crews had to remove all of the equipment before a crane could move the truck off the side of the tracks.

According to police, Omar Rueda-Rodarte came up to the rescue squad base appearing sick. Police said, once inside the building, Rodarte he got into the truck and drove through the garage door.

This follows on the heels of a stolen fire department vehicle in San Francisco.

These are some very expensive joy rides.

How to Name a Wildfire

Did you ever wonder how wildfires get their names? Here is an article that explains it all (from Firehouse.com).

Firefighters Build a Swing Set

This is a great article about some firefighters making a difference is someone's life outside of their regular firefighting duties.

You don't want to skip this one.

UFA Drops Support of WTC Memorial Foundation

The Uniformed Firefighters Association has dropped its support of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. The foundation is in charge of the development of the memorial at the World Trade Center site. This from Newsday.com:

Steve Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said in a statement that his "membership and our 9/11 families believe that the memorial design will take away from the memory and sacrifice of the firefighters who bravely gave their lives during the most horrific terrorist attacks our country has had to face."

The union stated its intentions in a July 26 letter to the foundation but announced its withdrawal publicly on Tuesday.

The Freedom Center and the Drawing Center are parts of cultural space long planned at the World Trade Center site. But in recent months family members have waged a campaign to remove the two institutions from the site, saying they could include anti-American exhibits and draw attention from a planned memorial museum.

I may be a bit naive, but it shouldn't be this hard to create a memorial. I guess there always has to be someone throwing a wrench in the works. I'm not sure who has thrown it this time.

Portuguese Wildfires

Sounds like Portugal is still having big trouble with wildfires (from Forbes.com). Here is a snippet from the story I found interesting:

Portugal has a largely volunteer firefighting force and firemen are often seen battling blazes wearing T-shirts instead of specialized protective gear.

Fighting fires without PPE is a recipe for more injuries and fatalities.

How to Stop a Thief?

Here is a story from KTUV.com about a San Francisco FD SUV that was stolen:

Investigators say someone stole a San Francisco Fire Department SUV while a rescue captain was responding to a medical call late Sunday night. The supervisor had left the keys in the ignition, which is department policy, since they need to leave the lights on.

There must be a way to stop this kind of thing.

A keypad could be installed that would require that a code be entered. Once the code was entered correctly, the driver would then be allowed to shift the vehicle. The downside is that all of the firefighters would need to know the code. Probably wouldn't work in a large department.

Each vehicle could have a card reader, like the card readers on hotel room doors. Then every firefighter could be issued a card. To enter the vehicle, they would need to insert their card. This would require quite a bit of overhead maintenance because you know that cards will be lost or stolen. Those cards would need to be deactivated.

Does anyone else have a good idea?

Poll Results - August 16, 2005

Here are the results of August 2 - 16 poll. The results are in a new format.

Still not many folks responded, but it is twice as many as last week!

Air Tanker No. 1

Cool article on the first air tanker in the U.S. (from the Chico Enterprise-Record).

Indonesian Departments Lack Equipment

Here is an interesting report from the China Post on forest fires in Indonesia.

Indonesia local fire departments, lacking sufficient fire trucks and other firefighting equipment, have been battling forest fires with buckets of water and garden hoses. So far, they have refused offers by other Asian nations to help douse the blazes.

Geez! I thought some of the departments around here were a little short of equipment, but not nearly as short as the departments fighting these fires in Indonesia.

Mixed Bag on Beard Ruling

U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson issued a ruling regarding the Washington D.C. firefighters that have refused to shave their beards. From the Washington Times:

Both sides claimed victory yesterday.

Attorney Arthur Spitzer, who represented the Muslim firefighters on behalf of the D.C. chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he was satisfied that the judge's order left intact a preliminary injunction prohibiting fire officials from terminating the Muslim firefighters.

The judge also stated fire officials must now test the men to see whether they can get a proper fit with their beards.

Mr. Spitzer said if the firefighters pass the test, then they've won. He said the real issue is the fire department's effort to institute a grooming policy.

However, Judge Robertson's ruling also states the department has the right to remove from active-duty status the firefighters who fail the test, regardless of their adherence to religious beliefs.

This means that the fire department can't terminate the firefighters simply because they refuse to shave their beards. However, if the firefighters can't pass the face mask fit test, the department can at least remove them from active-duty.

I'll be watching to see if these firefighters do pass the fit test. If I hear anything, I'll post it. Stay tuned.

To Sound the Siren, or Not?

Do you have a siren in your town that sounds when there is a fire? Where I'm from, every town has one. In my hometown, they sound it at 8 AM (time to get to work), 12 PM (lunch), 1 PM (time to get back to work), and 6 PM (supper time). It also sounds when there is a structure fire - although this doesn't happen every time because the guys that activate the siren are on the fire department. They sometimes forget to blow the siren in their haste to get to the fire station.

Here is an article about a town that is struggling with the question of whether to keep sounding their siren:

Newell told the Mason Valley News Wednesday, “The siren is kind of an old-time thing, a traditional thing.” He added he could understand the traditional aspect but when it has been going off as often as it has recently, “When it blows every 15 minutes, something needs to be done, it becomes a distraction.” He added with the local fire calls going up, “It’s hard to tell citizens they have to live with it.”

At least in my hometown, I think we can do away with sounding the siren for fires. All of our firefighters carry radios and pagers so it really is unnecessary.

Close Call on Tarkio Fire

From the Billings Gazette, some firefighters deployed their fire shelters as a wildfire burned past them:

Barbian said the three men who took cover under emergency personal shelters, which all firefighters carry, were unharmed.

"They were able to get into a safety zone, so it all worked out," he said. Such zones, sometimes places that already have burned, were identified earlier as part of a safety plan.

"The fire shelters worked," Barbian said. "They did what they're supposed to, and we have three people alive because of it."

He said the fire burned right over the firefighters as they hunkered down inside what are essentially lightweight, fireproof tents. After the fire passed, they were able to return to camp, he said.

There is a good lesson here. If you can make it to a safety zone and deploy fire shelters, you've got a good chance to survive. However, it's best to use your training and experience to stay out of situations that would require a shelter deployment.

French Air Tankers Return to Firefighting

From the Santa Fe New Mexican, an article about the return of French air tankers to firefighting.

PARIS - They're the daredevils of Europe's skies: pilots who swoop through blinding smoke, soaring flames and bone-jarring turbulence to drop water onto summer wildfires that rip through parched forests.

On Thursday, the pilots of France's fleet of Canadair water-dumping planes will return to the skies after a 10-day grounding at the height of fire season _ restoring firefighters with one of their most powerful weapons.

The planes were grounded Aug. 1 when two Canadair CL 415 pilots plunged to their deaths on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Though the cause of the crash is still not clear, safety experts have checked all 10 remaining planes in the fleet and pronounced them fit to fly, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

It looks like the U.S. isn't the only country that has to deal with air tanker problems.

European Fire Pictures

Check out the photos from the BBC on the European wildfires that are ravaging Spain, Portugal, and France.

My favorite is the lady in the blue hat and skirt with a hand tool right on the fireline.

When Fire Strikes

Here is an excellent article from MarketWatch on what a homeowner can do to protect their home from wildfire:

On Oct. 26, 2003, my parents and I watched a local news reporter comment on tragedy, destruction and shock from Scripps Ranch, a residential community in San Diego. The street she stood on was being ravaged by wildfires from end to end, as firefighters frantically aimed hoses in every direction. The reporter then called our attention to one house, zooming in on the address and confirming our worst fears.

Our home.

My parents and I had been evacuated to a nearby hotel earlier in the day. There we sat in numb disbelief as we saw our burning walls and roof folding on top of each other, and could just make out my mom's grand piano -- a present from my dad and me -- burning and collapsing into a pile of rubble in the front window.

You'll want to read the whole article.

Chicago FD Initiates SERT

The Chicago Fire Department is launching a new team called the Special Event Emergency Response Team (SERT) - (via Fire Engineering). They are making use of some cool vehicles for transportation like Segways and Mini Response Vehicles (MRV).

"Our city events are growing every year. These larger crowds also cause greater congestion making it difficult for regular ambulances, trucks and engines to get to those in need. Therefore, we must use vehicles that can maneuver through crowds and bring medical attention to injured victims or fire suppression to a fire or a hazmat situation."

I wonder if I can talk my fire department's board of directors into buying a Segway. I've seen them, but I've never had the chance to ride/drive one. Looks fun!

Rural Firefighting Institute

I ran across the website for the Rural Firefighting Institute. I didn't know there was such a thing. Here is what they are about:

The demands and expectations placed on the already overburdened members of North America’s small, rural, and remote fire departments increases with each passing day. We have done so much with so little for so long that more and more is expected of us.

To this end a group of concerned long-time members of the rural fire community proudly announce the creation of the Rural Firefighting Institute (RFI), a not-for-profit institute dedicated to the improvement and advancement of fire prevention and control for small, rural and remote fire departments.

Check out their website.

Bear Lake Township Fire Station Burns Down

Whenever I hear about a fire station burning down, I really feel for the firefighters of that department. Especially if it is a volunteer department that probably has few financial resources.

According to this report from the Traverse City Record Eagle, the Bear Lake township fire station burned down a few days ago. The worst part about it is the fact that a firefighter was seriously injured:

A Bear Lake Township firefighter is in stable but serious condition after he and other members of the department battled an early morning blaze that destroyed their station.

Officials said Rolland Sargent, 48, of Kalkaska, is at Hurley Hospital in Flint with burns over 40 percent of his body after he was injured in a fire that gutted the township's fire station on M-72 Thursday morning.

Our prayers are with Firefighter Sargent and our thoughts are with the Bear Lake Township Fire Department.

Youth Firefighting Programs

Here is an article from News 10 in Syracuse, NY, about the possiblity of the Trumansburg fire department recruiting kids as a young as 16.

At age sixteen there are a lot of firsts. You get your driver's license and take the SAT's. For Mike Meskill, he also wants to be a volunteer firefighter. If the Trumansburg Fire Department gets their way, he will be able to do just that. They are trying to lower the minimum volunteer age to 16.

There are many established programs out their for youth to be active in firefighting by joining a fire explorer post. Check out the Fire Service Exploring website for details.

The main issue I see here is safety. The fire ground is a dangerous place and it is difficult enough to keep adults from doing stupid things. How much more difficult is it to keep teenagers from getting into injured or killed?

What are your thoughts on this issue? Are sixteen-year-olds too young to be firefighters, even on a limited basis?

New Poll - Training Hours

Don't forget to place your vote in the poll for this week. It deals with how many training hours you have accumulated this year.

You'll find the poll at the top of the sidebar on right side of the main Firewhirl page.

School Fire Destroys Residences

From KOMO 4 News (via Firefighting News):

Firefighters on Monday began to assess the damage from a 37,000-acre wildfire that whipped through canyons, wheat fields and forestland in southeastern Washington, destroying more than 100 residences near Pomeroy.

That's a lot of homes. When fires get that intense there isn't much to do except to get out of the way.

50 Years of Air Tankers

Check out this article on the 50th anniversary of air tanker use in the U.S. (from the Chico Enterprise-Record):

A ceremony marking the 50th birthday of aerial firefighting will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Willows Airport.

In 1955, the Mendocino National Forest began the organized use of airplanes for direct wildland firefighting, thus beginning the era of using air tankers for fighting fires.

Read the whole article.

Poll Results - August 9, 2005

Here are the results of our first poll. Unfortunately, the audience of Firewhirl isn't very large, so we only had one response (mine). Oh, well, in time the audience will grow. On to the results:

Question:
How many brush trucks do you have in your department?

Results:
Zero - 0
One - 0
Two - 0
Three or more - 1

Jayhawks Staff Fire Station in Iraq

I haven't heard much about the firefighting efforts in Iraq, so when I ran across this article from the Topeka Capital-Journal, I thought I would post it. It has a Kansas University slant to it, but as long as you aren't a big Husker fan, it shouldn't bother you too much.

Peavler said he and the rest of the team train Iraqis in medical, rescue and firefighting techniques. A translator lives with the team at the fire station.

Antony Standifer, a Topeka native and an Air National Guard member, is part of that team. Standifer, who works for the Topeka Fire Department, said the firefighters' job is "to save lives and then property" no matter what twists and turns the war may bring -- or how miserable the weather.

"It's very hot and dirty and sometimes you feel like your skin is going to start cooking in the sun," he said in an e-mail to The Topeka Capital-Journal. "The wind, when it blows, feels like 1,000 hair dryers blowing in your face at once and you can't get away from it."

That is the best description of Iraq weather that I've ever heard.

I salute our firefighters serving in Iraq - stay safe!

National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System

Here is a great new site - the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System. What is it? Here is the description from the site:

The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System is a voluntary, confidential, non-punitive and secure reporting system with the goal of improving fire fighter safety. By collecting and analyzing information on near-miss events, improvements can be made in command, education, operations and training.

I think this is a great tool that every department should utilize. You can review near misses from other departments and have safety discussions regarding those incidents.

Need a training idea? Here it is. Choose an incident type, look up some reports, and have a discussion.

Union Advises Firefighters not to Volunteer

I may not have the needed perspective here, but this just seems wrong to me (from Firefighting News):

The president of a New York City firefighter's union is advising his members not to serve as volunteer firefighters. In his monthly online report, Uniformed Fire Officers Association President of Local 854 Peter Gorman told members not to be volunteer firefighters in their home communities. He says the so-called "two-hatters" could jeopardize union health benefits if they got sick or injured on their volunteer jobs, reported New York City cable news channel NY1.

It seems to me that the union is telling firefighters what they can do on their own time.

Double Check Escape Routes

According to the Modesto Bee, a federal report is out on a line of duty death from 2004. One of the key finding was the fact that even though safety zones and escape routes had been identified, the safety zones couldn't be reached quickly.

"However, due to the steepness of the slope and rapid change in fire behavior, they did not all reach safety," concludes the report by a joint investigative team formed by the state forestry department and the U.S. Forest Service.

Among the factors:

"Escape routes were inadequate to allow sufficient time for the firefighters to reach safety zones."

Another major finding was that the fire crew did not consider what the fire might do, instead basing their tactics exclusively on what the fire was currently doing.

I'll find the official report and post a follow up.

Portugal Wildfires

On the international front, Portugal is apparently burning up (via the LA Times):

More than 2,700 firefighters battled about 30 wildfires racing through parched woodland on Portugal's hottest day of the year Thursday, and authorities warned temperatures would continue to exceed 104 F through the weekend.

About 790 vehicles and 21 aircraft supported the fire crews who fought against strong, hot winds from Africa, the Civil Protection Service said.

Portugal is enduring its worst drought on record and woodland is tinder-dry, officials said.

Spain has had a rough fire season too.

Trouble in Paradise?

Did you know that Hawaii has big fires too. Check out this article from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on the 25,000 acre (yes - 25,000) Waikoloa Fire.

A 25,000-acre grassland fire bordering Waikoloa village in West Hawaii was declared contained yesterday.

A separate 2,500-acre fire along Akoni Pule Highway to the north of Waikoloa was considered 90 percent contained, Hawaii County Civil Defense official Neil Gyotoku said.

Increased wind speeds at Akoni Pule, up to 40 miles per hour, were giving firefighters concern as night fell, but the winds were carrying embers out to sea, meaning no danger as long as the wind direction did not change.

Out of the Office Until 08/05

Just wanted to let everyone know that posting to Firewhirl will be slim to non-existent for a couple of days. I'll be out of the office picking up a truck in Phoenix. Expect some new posts on Friday, August 5th.

Norwegian Coal Mine Fire

I'll try to throw in a post once in awhile about incidents outside of the U.S. I like reading them because it shows the similarities and differences in the fire service across the world.

This story from Science Daily is about a new coal mine fire in Norway:

A fire in a Norwegian coal mine was out of control Monday and a mining company says it could take weeks to put it out.

Aftenposten reports the fire started on Saturday in the Svea Nord mine in Longyearbyen on Svalbard in the Arctic Archipelago from sparks from drain pipe welding.

More than 1,000 meters of Svalbard's largest mine was burning Sunday afternoon and emergency crews were working non-stop.

There are hundreds of coal mine fires worldwide, but it looks like we can add one more to the list. From what I've heard, these are very difficult to extinguish and can burn for decades.

Report Recommends Improved PPE

A new report published by Unconventional Concepts Inc. has some interesting recommendations for improving firefighting PPE. This from Yahoo! News:

Unconventional Concepts Inc. (UCI) Tuesday released a comprehensive report, "The Development of Human Factors Engineering Requirements for Firefighters Protective Equipment," that U.S. Fire Administrator David Paulison immediately hailed as "required reading for America's fire service."

Sponsored by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center/National Protection Center and conducted in coordination with the Ames Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the UCI report offers an unprecedented systems-level assessment of the gaps and deficiencies contained in the current firefighting standards and studies, as well as what Paulison described as "several astute recommendations."

I don't have time to find the study right now, but watch for an update with the actual location of the study.

Tent for a Fire Hall

If you think that your fire hall has problems, check out this article from the San Luis Obispo Tribune about the Morro Bay Fire Department. Their fire hall is a tent!

The temporary circus-like tents housing Morro Bay's fire engines won't come down until next spring at the earliest, even as the city has completed the planning process for a new permanent garage.

Morro Bay's fire station was damaged in the Dec. 22, 2003, San Simeon Earthquake. So fire Chief Mike Pond is looking forward to the permanent vehicle bay -- the department's fire trucks will have been in tents for two years by the time it's built.

The tents have been problematic for the station, which is one of the busiest in the county -- rivaled only by Arroyo Grande.

They're subject to blowing off and ripping, power failures, lead to rust on the equipment and are a farther way for firefighters to run to while responding to an emergency.

I've seen some interesting fire halls - old barns, shacks, someone's personal garage, but this one is new to me. I hope the Morro Bay firefighters have a speedy transition to better facilities.

Introducing Poll of the Week

We are introducing a new feature to the blog today. Each Tuesday, a new poll will be posted. The results of the previous poll will also be posted on Tuesday.

If you have suggestions for the poll question, please send them in. Don't forget to vote!

Emergency Dispatchers

Firehouse.com has a great article on emergency dispatchers in Laramie, WY.

Firefighter Command Raging Inferno

I saw an ad on the internet for this game. Does anyone know something about it? Is it good or is it lame?