Grass Fire Burns Through Playground
Our Picture of the Week features the grass fires that burned through Oklahoma and Texas this week:
Photo courtesy of KDFW TV.
Location: Tarrant County, Texas
Incident: Grass fire burns through a playground
I found this picture on a CNN article.
No Blogging Today
I won't be posting today because we are visiting family. Visit some of the blogs and websites listed on the sidebar on the right to fulfill your web surfing needs.
Look for new posts tomorrow evening.
Indian River Volunteer Fire Company
The Department of the Week features the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company of Millsboro, Delaware.
Quick Notes:
Indian River Volunteer Fire Company
Location: Millsboro, DE
Type: Volunteer
Stations: 2
Apparatus: 10
Members: 115
Area: 66 square miles
Population Served: 20,000 full-time/50,000 summer
Cool patch:
Visit their site, check out their photo of the day, apparatus and station pictures, and news updates. This is a very nice site.
Are Engines Needed On Medical Calls?
Should fire engines be dispatched on medical calls? Here is an article that addresses that very question (from SentinalandEnterprise.com).
For any potential life or death situation, the Fitchburg fire department will dispatch a fire engine, staffed by three firefighters, along with an ambulance from Patriot Ambulance Inc. with two paramedics on board."We have very good coverage in the city," said Roy.
But some city councilors have questioned the wisdom of paying to send the fire engines to emergency medical calls, saying although the firefighters may help save lives, the fire trucks are getting worn out because they're constantly in use.
"It's basically just an emergency medical response, so you're getting those EMTs to the scene. But now they're showing up in a fire engine, how much more of an expense is that" asked Fitchburg at large City Councilor Ralph R. Romano III.
Those of us in the fire service might be quick to dismiss the question, but we should think it through to make sure we are serving the public the best we can.
Although I live in a rural area that doesn't typically send fire apparatus to medical calls, I can see several benefits to the practice. More personnel to help with the patient, lots of equipment available on the truck in case you need it, fire suppression available in case of a fire (especially car fires), use of the apparatus to block traffic.
Is there a more cost effective way to do this? Could fire departments have a light rescue vehicle (like an SUV) or a mini-pumper to fulfill this purpose?
Feel free to put in a comment and send us your thoughts.
Grass Fires Burn Homes
Big grass fires in Oklahoma and Texas have burned a number of homes and other structures (from FOXNews.com).
CROSS PLAINS, Texas — Fire crews in Texas were monitoring areas hit by grass fires for hot spots Wednesday as a new line of fires was reported in Oklahoma.More than 60 structures were destroyed in the two states Tuesday by fast-moving grass fires that left at least one person dead and injured several others.
These fires were apparently wind driven, which can really make them difficult to extinguish. Why were there so many fires?
Authorities believe they were mainly set by people ignoring fire bans and burning trash, shooting fireworks or tossing cigarettes on the crunchy, brown grass.
Emphasis mine. Hopefully the law enforcement folks can find who started the fires and prosecute them successfully.
The news report has some pictures too.
UPDATE: Here is a local news report from KOCO in Oklahoma City. They have a video too. The video shows how the fire service can use the media to help in evacuations.
UPDATE 2: Here is a link to the story on Firehouse.com (they have pictures too).
UPDATE 3: The fires have consumed over 100 structures and killed four people. Here are articles from Firehouse.com and CNN. The CNN link has some interesting pictures and video.
Poll Results - December 27,2005
We had another good turnout on the weekly poll. Here are the results:
In my opinion, this needs to be decided in each local jurisdiction. Some towns and cities may have big traffic safety issues while others do not have the same problems.
Chief Turns Down Pay Raise
This is an exmple of great leadership (from Firehouse.com).
BRAINTREE - The official record will show that town meeting last night rejected pay increases for three town department heads. But the real news was a pair of impromptu statements by Police Chief Paul Frazier and Fire Chief Gerald Kenney that were ultimately rendered meaningless - at least fiscally - by the final vote.With labor contracts the dominant theme at last night's special town meeting, the chiefs took to the floor to turn down proposed pay hikes they had coming to them, out of respect for their contract-less employees.
...
Kenney did the same. Members of Braintree Firefighters Association Local 920 have been without a contract since their last one expired 18 months ago.
"I would prefer you gave my pay raise to my firefighters," he said. "They put their lives on the line every day."
Kenney also was in line for a $2,065 raise.
Chief Kenney sounds like a good leader that looks out for his firefighters.
Hawkins & Powers Faces Uncertain Future
Here is an article about the future of firefighting aircraft in the U.S. In particular, it focuses on Hawkins & Powers out of Greybull, WY (from the Los Angeles Times).
GREYBULL, Wyo. — In the 3 1/2 years since two of its aircraft broke up in flight, Hawkins & Powers Aviation Inc. has gone from being one of the country's largest aerial firefighting firms to the brink of bankruptcy.It has lost key government contracts for the use of most of its heavy air tankers and essentially has been forced from a business it helped pioneer.
...
Like Hawkins & Powers, the entire aerial firefighting industry faces an uncertain future.
Some companies are struggling to regain financial footing in the 19 months since the federal government canceled contracts for large air tankers used to drop retardant on wildfires. The move was prompted by concerns raised about the planes' airworthiness and public safety after the crashes. Although some planes were allowed to return to service later, their numbers were sharply reduced. And the government has fortified its firefighting arsenal with single-engine air tankers and helicopters.
These companies have relied on older aircraft converted to fight forest fires. Although it is sad to see these companies facing difficult times, upgrading their fleets would help ensure the safety of the pilots.
An example of a newer airplane is the Bombadier 415 that scoops water up out of a lake or the ocean.
Jamaica Gets Large Class of New Recruits
I couldn't find out how many firefighters are in the Jamaica Fire Brigade, but a class of over 200 recruits just graduated from their fire academy (from the Jamaica Gleaner).
THE JAMAICA Fire Brigade received a much-needed boost when a fresh batch of firefighters entered its ranks last week.The firefighters, 207 of them, participated in a graduation ceremony at the Madge Saunders Conference Centre in St. Mary.
According to training officer, Assistant Superintendent Troy Fraser, these recruits were trained in 18 subject areas.
"The importance of self and group discipline, and the relevance of team corporation were inculcated through the continued portrayal of high levels of adherence of standards. During the training period, recruits were exposed to knowledge of the brigade's regulations and culture, tools, equipment, appliances and their usages," Mr. Fraser explained.
The firefighters all underwent basic training in fire suppression techniques during which their minds and bodies were conditioned for the challenging career of firefighting.
This seemed like a huge class to me so I tried to do a little research on the Jamaica Fire Brigade. Here is a link to their website. It has lots of good info.
Here is a link to the World Factbook for basic information about the country of Jamaica.
Round 17 for AFG and Round 6 for Safer
Check to see if you received a grant in Round 17 of the AFG program and Round 6 of the SAFER program.
Bar Fire in China Kills 26
Yesterday, a fire in a bar in China killed at leats 26 people (from Forbes.com).
A fire at an unlicensed bar killed at least 26 people and injured 11 in a Chinese city near Hong Kong, news reports and a local official said Monday.The fire broke out late Sunday in the bar in Zhongshan, a mainland city that abuts the former Portuguese colony of Macau west of Hong Kong, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
No details were given about how the fire started or why the patrons could not escape. If I see further details, I'll post them.
Merry Christmas!
5,000 Visitors
Another internet landmark has been reached here at Firewhirl and Northern Plains Fire. We've had 5,000 visitors come to our website.
Thanks so much. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have.
Firefighter Engulfed by Fireball
Picture of the Week:
Photo by Todd Dudek courtesy of Daily Times.
Fire Department: Salisbury Fire Department
Location: Salisbury, Maryland
Incident: Working fire in boatbuilding shop
This was picked up on the Daily Times via FireFightingNews.com.
This picture is tough to look at because the firefighter was injured. We wish the firefighter a quick and full recovery.
Some Real Christmas Spirit
Read this entry from Mia over at Knit and Play with Fire to see some real Christmas Spirit.
If you have kids at home and they have quite a few stuffed animals and toys that they do not play with, I am going to suggest that the kids themselves go through their toys and set some of them aside. Talk to your kids and tell them what happens to kids toys after a house fire and see if they would like to donate them to a family in your area who has had a fire in their house. This is also a good time to go through the kids clothing and pull out what they do not wear or have outgrown. The easiest way to donate the clothing is to contact your local Red Cross chapter and tell them that you have kids clothing and toys that you would like to donate to families that have been displaced by a house fire. They will work with you. The Red Cross provides the families a place to stay and some money to replace to some of what is lost. But kids do not always understand the money and want toys. This is just a suggestion but it does make a difference to the kids.And just so you know, it is my niece who came up with this idea. She is 9 years old and one of the things on her Christmas list is $100 to use to buy warm clothes for kids whose parents can not afford to buy them warm clothes. This idea is entirely her own. And when I questioned her that she would not be upset if I bought warm clothes and donated them to a family that needed them and that would be her present. Her answer was that was what she wanted for Christmas. (And I did make her a present.) My SIL has been cleaning out the toys that are not played with and we have been getting the toys to families that need them at my niece's urging.
Something Fun for the Holidays
Here is a cool way to spell something with pictures from flickr (from Meta|ateM via WF&DT).
I like it!
Chief Scrooge
Over at Putting Out Fires, there is a post that describes a chief who is really Mr. Scrooge in disguise.
That's why it was a shock today when Ryan got a call from another firefighter who volunteered to trade him shifts so Ryan could spend the holiday with his family. Wha? This guy looked down the list of guys working and saw that Ryan was the only non single, non divorced guy who was working on Christmas, so he called Ryan to offer to let him be with us on the actual day. Can you believe that? Ryan and I discussed it and we both felt bad letting that guy work on Christmas just for us. But we thought maybe this guy needed the sense of family at the fire station that he wasn't going to get at home alone on Christmas, so it was perfect for both of the guys. So Ryan called him back to accept. And I made plans to make treats to take to that guy's station as a thank-you.And then Scrooge came and ruined the holiday for all the Who's in Whoville.
Read the rest of the post to find out what happened next.
To highlight this chief's lack of Christmas Spirit, here is a link to the lyrics of You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. The verse I would apply to this situation is this:
You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Grinch.
The three words that best describe you,
are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk."
Keep the Wreath Green
The firefighters at Station #1 in Chapel Hill, NC, have a good fire prevention idea called "Keep the Wreath Green" (from the Herald-Sun).
CHAPEL HILL -- There's a green wreath at the Chapel Hill Fire Station that firefighters hope stays that way through the holiday season."Throughout the holiday season if we have a house fire we take a green bulb out and put a red one in," said Battalion Chief Barry McLamb.
With the increased risk of house fires during the holidays, things like this can really make a difference and raise awareness. Way to go, Chapel Hill firefighters!
Near Miss: Lost Control of POV
For our weekly near-miss feature, we will focus on an EMS call where the driver lost control of their privately-owned vehicle.
I was dispatched to a Cardic Patient-charlie response in September of 2005. At which time I responded priority three, code three, in my personal vehicle. I drove too fast to the scene and at a dangerous left turn I slid a little bit and entered the opposite lane of traffic where a lost member of my same department was in, less than twenty five yards away. It was only by the grace of providence that I had enough time and yardage to regain control of my vehicle to just barely swerve back into the correct lane of traffic.
This ties in with our poll for this week (see sidebar). It doesn't do any good to drive fast and get in a wreck responding to an incident. Here are some discussion questions for a 10 minute training session:
Do your emergency responders drive safely while responding to an incident (in POVs and apparatus)?
Does your department have policies and procedures on safe driving?
Does your department leadership enforce the policies and procedures when someone drives recklessly?
Firefighters Drag Engine to Raise Funds
Some firefighters in London, U.K., are raising some money by using their muscles (from the BBC via Rescuehouse.com).
A team of firefighters will be giving a show of strength on Thursday when they drag a fully-laden fire engine through the streets of Bolton.The firefighters from London are raising funds for the dependents of Gtr Manchester firefighter Paul Cross who was killed travelling to work.
Sounds like a fun event for a good cause.
Lawsuit Regarding Fire Pole Injury
A woman has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Fire Department because her daughter was apparently injured sliding down a fire pole (from the Chicago Sun-Times via FireFightingNews.com).
It was a field trip to a fire station and students got to slide down the fire pole.But the mother of one student says her daughter's feet and legs were injured when she hit the floor, and now they're suing for negligence.
Denise Troche filed the suit Wednesday against Our Lady of Victory Catholic School and the Chicago Fire Department, claiming they didn't take precautions before her daughter descended the fire pole.
This could be just one more nail in the coffin for fire poles.
Dynamite Cache Burned Up
Here is something you don't run into everyday. The LAFD was involved in a controlled burn to eliminate a cache of unstable dynamite (from LAFD News & Info).
The Los Angeles Police Department had discovered approximately fifty pounds of dynamite stored inside of a refrigerator, located inside a commercial storage building.Upon examination of the dynamite, it was determined to have become so degraded and unstable as to be extremely hazardous to attempt to remove the explosives from the building. A decision was made to conduct a controlled burn of the structure in an effort to incinerate the dynamite and render it harmless.
Read the whole article. It describes in some detail how they went about this controlled burn.
3D Firefighting Tactics
I've heard of 3D firefighting tactics before, but an article from Ivanhoe Broadcast News reminded me of it.
GRESHAM, Ore. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Every year dozens of firefighters in the United States die fighting fires. Explosions, back drafts and flashover fires can trap them inside buildings. Now, a new method of firefighting aims to change that.Engulfed and devoured by flames, within seconds an inferno could surround and overcome even the best firefighters. Edward Hartin is one of the first people in the United States to teach 3-D firefighting -- a method that looks not only at flames, but also the flammable gasses they create.
...
Hartin's firefighters still use a powerful stream of water once they get to the flames, but first, they shoot short bursts of water, creating a fog. "You're providing a buffer zone, in essence, between the firefighters and the fire," Hartin says. Without that buffer zone the gasses can ignite.
The main criticism of this tactic is that it creates steam that could burn firefighters and could push the smoke down obscuring what the firefighter can see.
However, on the second page of this article, they list some impressive results of implementing this tactic:
In Sweden, the number of firefighter deaths was cut in half from 1986 to 2005. The United Kingdom adopted the 3-D firefighting approach in 1997 with even more impressive results. Britain lost 12 men to extreme fire behavior from 1990 to 1996, but from 1997 to 2003, they didn't lose any. France has since made the 3-D technique its official training methodology.
Firetactics.com has tons of info on this technique.
North Madison Volunteer Fire Company
The Department of the Week features the North Madison Volunteer Fire Company of Madison, Connecticut.
Quick Notes:
North Madison Volunteer Fire Company
Location: Madison, CT
Type: Volunteer
Stations: 1
Apparatus: 6
Members: Unknown - email me if you know
Area: 10 square miles
Population Served: 5,000
Their patch is a different style than those that have been featured here in the past. It is a circular patch featuring a shield and a camel.
Be sure to stop by their website and check out the pictures of their new rescue truck, the new addition to their building, and lots more.
Firefighters Accused of Causing Explosion
Some NY firefighters are in hot water over an explosion that was caused by dumping gas down the sink (from Firehouse.com).
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y -- Two firefighters poured gasoline down a firehouse drain, leading to an explosion a few blocks away that badly burned two people, a prosecutor said Tuesday.Both firefighters were indicted on charges of assault, official misconduct, environmental crimes and other offenses, District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Paul Cappello, 37, and Miguel Valle, 44, pleaded not guilty at their arraignments and were released on $5,000 bail.
The men poured gasoline from a fireboat down a slop sink at the Sleepy Hollow fire headquarters in 2004, Pirro said. They were allegedly getting rid of the gas because it had been contaminated with water.
The gasoline flowed through the sewer system to a public housing complex. Vapors were ignited later the same day by two maintenance workers using an electric pump. The explosion left both workers badly burned.
Flammable liquids must be disposed of properly, not dumped down the sink. I'll keep an eye on this one and post updates when they are available.
NIOSH Report on 2004 Cardiac Arrest
NIOSH has published a report on a 2004 line of duty death in New York due to cardiac arrest.
On May 13, 2004, a 42 year-old male volunteer Fire Fighter (FF) suffered a cardiac arrest while battling a residential structure fire. He had engaged in hose pulling and exterior fire suppression activities for approximately 15 minutes. Shortly thereafter, fellow fire fighters reported that he "did not look right." On-scene Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel were summoned to assist the FF, only to find him at the back of the rescue truck in cardiac arrest.Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately begun. Once the on-scene ambulance relocated to the FF's vicinity, advanced life support (ALS) protocols were initiated and continued en route to the hospital. His condition failed to improve. Despite over 30 minutes of resuscitative efforts at the scene, in the ambulance, and at the hospital, the FF died.
The death certificate completed by the medical examiner listed the immediate cause of death as an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) with physical exertion in a hot, humid environment listed as a contributing cause. An autopsy was not performed. NIOSH investigators concluded that the FF's heavy physical exertion, coupled with his probable underlying coronary artery disease (CAD) triggered his sudden cardiac death.
Here is the recommendation from the report that caught my eye:
Phase in a mandatory wellness/fitness program for FFs to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease and improve cardiovascular capacity.
Having a "mandatory" wellness/fitness program is a pretty tall order for small, volunteer departments. Most of the time, these departments are just happy to have people available, regardless of their physical fitness.
Is this a good situation? No way. Even in those departments that are short of volunteers, there needs to be fitness programs available. Here is guide from the USFA on implementing a fitness program in volunteer departments. Tons of info.
Poll Results - December 20, 2005
Hey, we set a new record for votes in a poll - 13 votes! Woo Hoo!
Here are the results:
The results were pretty close on this one. It is a tricky issue, balancing the need to record the details of an incident with the privacy concerns of the folks captured on the video.
My guess is that eventually, video cameras will be installed on most fire apparatus, especially in urban areas.
Gas Explosion Injures Seven Minnesota Firefighters
Seven firefighters from Minneapolis were injured in an explosion (from Firehouse.com).
An explosion rocked a building whose occupants had complained Monday of an odor of natural gas. One firefighter was blown off a ladder and two others were briefly buried in rubble.Seven firefighters were hurt in all, but none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening, officials said.
The blast happened at a former gas station in north Minneapolis that was being used to disassemble computers for scrap metal. The occupants arrived early in the afternoon, smelled natural gas and called 911.
This incident could have resulted in a lot worse than some injuries. Here is wishing the injured firefighters a quick recovery.
Electing the Fire Chief
Lou Angeli has a new story up on his blog "Rescue Us!" about the pitfalls of electing a fire chief.
Even so, the question remains. Does it make sense to "elect" emergency management without regard to qualifications or experience? No way. But the fact is that America's most dangerous job is sometimes run by individuals who don't have the qualifications or skills to lead firefighters and rescue personnel during emergencies.
I agree with Lou's premise, but I'm not sure it would work in small, volunteer departments. It is certainly a good question to ponder.
New Garments for Emergency Workers
The European Space Agency is developing a new garment for emergency workers (from a blog called No Sheep!).
Here is a description from the European Space Agency website:
I-GARMENT will develop full-bodied smart garments equipped with sensors to monitor position, vital signals (temperature and heart beat) of the agents. This information will be sent via a wireless link to Civil Protection Officers in the HQ, processed and returned to the field officers equipped with PDAs and/or TabletPCs.
Check out their website to see some pictures and get a bunch more info.
Trucks will Stop at Stop Signs
There must be other departments in the U.S. that do this, but this is the first I've read about (from the Casper Star Tribune).
Casper fire engines and other fire department vehicles will stop at all red lights and stop signs under a new driving policy, according to the Casper Fire Department....
"Our mission is to protect lives, not endanger them," said Fire Chief Mark Young.
The policy also includes the use of excessive speed, backing up fire vehicles, parking and avoiding collisions. Officials estimate the new policy will cause an average response delay of less than a minute and the safer driving will more than make up for any delay.
The big quote from the story is "Our mission is to protect lives, not endanger them." It's a simple statement, but rings with truth.
At least once per week, there are articles on the internet regarding a collision involving a fire truck. How many injuries and deaths could we avoid by driving a little slower?
Is stopping at stop signs and red lights the answer? I don't know, but perhaps in that department, it is what is required to ensure safety of the public and the firefighters.
New Links
Here are some new links that I've added to the sidebar on the right.
The Maytag Fireman - This is the blog of a firefighter at an airport firehouse. Great name for a blog once you know where he works (hehehe).
Everyone Goes Home - a website dedicated to making sure that all firefighters go home safely.
VolunteerFD.org - a resource for the improvement of volunteer fire departments.
Round 16 for AFG and Round 4 for SAFER
More grant awards were announced on Friday, December 16. Check this page for Round 16 of the AFG program and this page for Round 4 of the SAFER program.
FD Rules and Regulations from 1937
Rhett over at Roanoke Firefighters has a post about the Roanoke Fire Department's Rules and Regulations from 1937. Interesting stuff - how times have changed!
Christmas Tree Fire Video
There is a really cool video of a Christmas tree burning up over at 43 Firefighter. This is a must see.
I saw in the corner of the video that it is from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). They have a Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL). They have put together a 10 minute video of three different flashover situations that you can get for free. Here is the webpage with more details.
UPDATE:
Here is a link to the NFPA's page of Christmas Tree safety tips.
Investigating the Buncefield Oil Depot Fire
Here is a pretty good article about the Buncefield Oil Depot fire. It provides lots of details that I hadn't read before and digs into what happened, why, and will it happen again (from theherald.co.uk).
It was the largest explosion in peacetime Europe. And according to industry experts it could happen again.The blast, at the Buncefield oil depot, near Hemel Hempstead, at 6am on Sunday December 6, registered 2.4 on the Richter scale.
The fire immediately engulfed oil tanks which contained an average of nearly 700,000 gallons each, enough fuel to take a bus the distance to the Moon and back more than 12 times.
Read the whole thing.
Shots Fired at Motel Blaze
Someone fired off some gunshots at firefighters while they battled a blaze at a motel in Eden, NC (from News-Record.com).
EDEN -- Someone shot at firefighters putting out a blaze at the Mar Gre Motel last week, and authorities said the fire that destroyed a portion of the motel still is being treated as arson.Eden Fire Chief Doug Cline said in a news release that multiple gunshots were found in the windshields of two pieces of equipment used to put out the fire Wednesday.
The blaze started after firefighters had gone through a training exercise there earlier in the day.
More details in the rest of the article.
Hopefully they catch the person that is responsible. Some jail time would definitely be appropriate.
Firefighters Covered in Foam
Picture of the Week:
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Fire Department: Unknown
Location: Hertfordshire, UK
Incident: Buncefield Oil Depot Fire, 2005
There were tons of pictures regarding the oil depot fire, but this one was my favorite. I picked it up from the BBC.
Patriarch Partners LLC Buys American LaFrance
For several months we've known that someone was buying American LaFrance. Well, now we know who (from Bloomberg.com).
Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) -- DaimlerChrysler AG's Freightliner commercial-truck unit agreed to sell its American LaFrance emergency-vehicle business to New York investment firm Patriarch Partners LLC for an undisclosed sum.Patriarch will purchase operating assets, including corporate-owned dealerships for LaFrance, the fifth-largest U.S. maker of ambulances, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, the companies said today in statements. Stuttgart, Germany-based DaimlerChrysler will convert a South Carolina factory to assemble Dodge Sprinter vans and share the facility with American LaFrance until 2007.
So, who is Partriarch Parnters LLC?
Patriarch, founded by investor Lynn Tilton, has about $5 billion in assets under management. It owns stakes in MD Helicopters Inc., bicycle maker Huffy Corp., New York textile maker Galey & Lord Inc. and about 60 other companies.
Here is the press release from American LaFrance.
Hospital Fire in China Kills at Least 39
A big hospital fire in China turned tragic with at least 39 people losing their lives (from ABC News).
BEIJING Dec 16, 2005 — Patients leapt from the windows of a burning four-story hospital to escape a blaze that killed at least 39 people in China's northeast, the government said Friday.Thousands of local residents watched helplessly as patients jumped from windows on the third and fourth floors in subfreezing weather after rescuers failed to reach them, the official Xinhua News Agency said. A hospital official said that a father caught his 15-day-old child after a nurse threw the baby from a window.
Witnesses said firefighters struggled for five hours to put out the blaze that broke out Thursday at the City Central Hospital, the largest hospital in Liaoyuan, 600 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of Beijing in Jilin province.
The article also states that 183 patients were successfully transferred to other hospitals. While the deaths are tragic, the staff and fire department did a good job of evacuating so many patients. While we don't have a large hospital, I wonder if we would do as well if we had a fire there.
Fire Danger High in Texas and Oklahoma
I read two newspaper articles back to back that dealt with the same topic. The fire danger in southern plains states like Texas and Oklahoma is still high.
From the Sweetwater Reporter:
The Texas Forest Service reports from Nov. 11 to Dec. 12, Texas has experienced 184 wildfires for a total of 27,447 acres burned. Within the past few weeks, two firefighters have died in accidents responding to fires and two firefighters were critically burned fighting grass fires.
From the Purcell Register:
Purcell, OK -- In spite of last week’s snow, Gov. Brad Henry’s ban on outdoor burning remains in effect across the state. State forestry officials said the meager amount of snow received was insufficient to relieve the fire conditions the state has experienced since November.
It always strikes me as odd that there would be grass fires in winter, but I'm used to having quite a bit of snow and pretty cold temps at this time of year. However, it makes sense that in warmer parts of the country, if there isn't sufficient snow or rain, the cured grass could really be a problem.
Baby Thrown From Burning Apartment
This is pretty amazing. A man caught a baby that was thrown from a burning apartment (from FoxNews.com).
NEW YORK — A mother trapped in a burning third-floor apartment prayed and then dropped her 1-month-old son out a window to the crowd below. The infant was caught safely by a man who plays catcher for his employer's baseball team.The rescuer gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation — a skill he picked up two decades ago as a teenage lifeguard — and the mother was rescued by firefighters. Both were treated at a hospital and released.
There are pictures and a video on the FoxNews website. Thank goodness the mother and baby were both OK.
Near Miss: Responders Ignore Power Lines
This near miss report from the National Fire Fighter Near Miss Reporting System really shows what kind of trouble tunnel vision can cause.
At approximately 0930hrs, a call was paged for MVA (motor vehicle accident). An engine, rescue, 2 BLS units, and a medic unit responded. The EMS units were paid so they were on the street first. I arrived first on scene to find 6 to 8 bystanders at the door of accident vehicle, with another bystander directing traffic on a 2 lane highway. As I was directing the bystander to move away from the vehicle, of which was under power lines of the pole that had been hit, the 1st BLS unit parked beside the pole that had been hit. The crew rushed out, went straight to the accident vehicle and began care. The second BLS unit parked approximately 150ft behind first unit and started out with the same intentions. At this time, I'm still trying to get both units as well as other bystanders away from the pole and the lines, while leaving room for the rescue to do extrication. It was at that time the lines started arcing while attached to the pole. All EMS personnel began to scatter except for the 2 in the SUV. Within seconds the engine arrived followed by the rescue.
It is easy to focus on fixing the problem before doing a proper scene size-up. Do you take a few seconds to really get a good look at the incident scene before taking action? On the way to the incident do you think about what you may face upon arrival?
Pittsburgh FD May Have 250 Openings
The Pittsburgh Fire Department is facing a huge task next year (from Firehouse.com).
Chief Michael H. Huss is emphasizing training as his department seeks to fill up to 250 jobs next year. That's about a third of the department's work force, and the most openings anyone in the Fire Bureau can remember. Almost half of the openings could come from retirements this month. With so many seasoned firefighters leaving at once, the bureau will lean heavily on recruits.To ensure they're up to the task, Huss, who took over the bureau in March, doubled recruit training time from nine weeks to 18, required recruits to undergo lie-detector background checks and added new vehicle rescue and Emergency Medical Technician courses.
...
"By the end of 2006, better than one-third of my department will be new firefighters," he said. "That has never happened in the history of my profession."
I hope all goes well for the fire department. Getting so many new recruits trained up within such a short period of time is going to be a challenge.
We have a small volunteer department in my hometown, but it would be tricky to have 1/3 of the department be new firefighters. The loss of experience from the firefighters leaving the department would really set us back.
Firefighter Resuscitates Dog
Occasionally I'll read of something like this, but I've never posted on it (from the Boston Globe).
SALEM, Mass. --A firefighter stretched the bounds of duty by administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save a dog caught in a fire.Pixie, a 12-pound terrier crossbreed, was not breathing Tuesday when firefighters pulled her from a Salem home filled with smoke and flames.
Pixie was "seizing," with her back arched and mouth wide open. Firefighter Richard LeBlanc put his mouth on the dog's mouth in attempt to breath for the dog and revive it. After another firefighter gave Pixie oxygen, the dog was taken to a local veterinary clinic for emergency treatment.
The dog, owned by Phil and Kathy Kindler, survived.
"She looks good, and she's breathing comfortably," veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth Bradt told The Salem News.
I like reading stories that have a happy ending. Keep up the good work Salem FD - way to go!
Volunteer Department Resigns
This isn't good for the community of Bucoda, WA (from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer).
BUCODA -- Bucoda's fire chief and the entire volunteer fire department have resigned, citing irreconcilable differences with the new mayor, who won by just five votes last month.
This will really put the people of the community in a tight spot. The city will have to contract with other fire departments for fire protection which will cost a ton - probably more than they can afford.
The story contains few details so it is difficult to tell whether the action by the volunteers is justified or not.
Hanover Fire Protection District
I'm a day late on the Department of the Week, but this week it is the Hanover Fire Protection District near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Quick Notes:
Hanover Fire Protection District
Location: 14 South of Colorado Springs, CO
Type: Volunteer
Stations: 3
Apparatus: 11
Members: Unknown - email me if you know
Area: 297 square miles
Their patch features the Maltese Cross and a the symbol from the Colorado State Flag.
Their website has lots of information about their department complete with pictures, run statistics, calendar, and lots of links. Drop by their site and send them an e-mail to let them know that you visited.
Helicopter Costs in South Africa
South Africa entered their wildland fire season, known there as veld fires, at the beginning of December. Here is an article that details the use of Mi8 helicopters on a fire (from www.io.co.za).
Helicopters again came to the rescue on Tuesday, putting out a veld fire on the mountain overlooking Simon's Town in Cape Town, despite windy conditions and "awkward" terrain.
Here is the part that really caught my eye.
The helicopters operate at a cost of about R23 000 an hour, and Venter says the location of the fire determines who pays for them.
That converts to USD $3,626.62 per hour! I'm pretty sure that operating a Type I helicopter in the U.S. would cost at least that much per hour, although I don't have a firm number available.
As a side note, the definition of veld is an elevated open grassland in southern Africa.
No Running in Fire Department in UK
This is just silly (from icCheshireOnline via FireFightingNews.com).
A BAN on running has been introduced at fire stations on Merseyside in a move union officials have branded "ludicrous".The edict prevents officers from working on circuit training or running machines during their shifts.
Many firefighters take part in such training when not involved in call-outs in order to maintain the high levels of fitness required in their professional lives.
But Chief Fire Officer Tony McGuirk has now banned any training involving running - after an injury to one firefighter resulted in a significant court payout.
Accidents happen. It is unfortunate that a firefighter was injured while running. However, a high level of fitness is required to do the job. That type of injury will probably never happen again in that particular department. Sheesh!
Poll Results - December 13, 2005
Here are the results of last week's poll. Only one department currently participates in firefighting competitions. If I had to guess, most departments across the country probably do not participate in these events.
But It's a Dry Cold, Chief
Yesterday I added a link to Lou Angeli's blog, Rescue Us! Today, Lou has posted a nice article about cold weather firefighting. Here is an excerpt, but you'll want to read the whole thing.
But It's A Dry Cold, ChiefTry telling that to firefighters in Indianapolis, who are accustomed to relatively stable Winter weather. Last year by mid-December, they were operating in the coldest air to hit the area since 1887. Just South of Indy, in Bargersville, Indiana, the town experienced 12 consecutive days of sub-zero weather. Years of training and experience hadn't prepared these Johnson County volunteers for this type of firefighting.
I had to laugh when I read the opener to that paragraph. In the article, there are some tips for fighting fires in cold weather. Here is my favorite:
(10) And finally, ensure that extra turnout gear is available, especially gloves. It's recommended that personnel wear layered clothing, rather than bulky articles.
I carry an extra pair of gloves in my gear bag just for this purpose.
Detroit FD Pictorial History to be Published
Mike over at Firefighter Blog has a post about a Detroit woman that is self-publishing a pictorial history of the Detroit Fire Department. Here is the link to the original article (from HomeTownLife.com).
Cheryl Anderson brings together 150 years of visual history for "Detroit Firefighters: A Pictorial History of the People."Using research skills gained through 20 years of genealogy research, Anderson assembled a pictorial history of 4,200 Detroit firefighters, which she is self-publishing this month.
Anderson, a South Lyon area resident for more than 30 years, became interested in recording the history of Detroit firefighters because of her husband, Fred, who served in the Detroit Fire Department for 35 years.
To include pictures of 4,200 firefighters is quite a project. If you live in the Detroit area, this would be a great book to have.
10 Firefighters Sent to Hospital
Ten Chicago firefighters ended up in the hospital after breathing fumes from a fire (via the Chicago Tribune).
"It's a basement fire, and there's very little ventilation," said Michael Callahan, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman. "Some of the firemen were overcome by ammonia as they were exiting the building … (and) were transported to various hospitals."A total of 10 firefighters were taken to local hospitals. Six had been treated and released by this morning. As for the other four, "Everybody's in good condition right now," said Larry Langford, another fire department spokesman.
It's frustrating to read articles from newspapers about fires because they don't usually have enough detail to really explain how something happened.
It sounds like something really went wrong to have so many firefighters affected. What caused the problem? Did the plume of toxic fumes shift into a group of firefighters that did not have SCBA? Did the firefighters doff their SCBA too early? I guess we will have to wait for further reports to find out.
Hopefully, all of the firefighters will make a full recovery.
Fire Crews Battle Fire at Oil Deport
There have been a ton of articles regarding the Buncefield oil deport fire in Hertfordshire, UK. Most of the articles have few details about the firefighting efforts. Here is an article from the Daily Mail that has some details.
Firefighters have so far used 15million litres (3.3million gallons) of water and 250,000 litres (55,000 gallons) of foam concentrate, and had laid 30km (18 miles) of hose to provide water.Some 180 firefighters have been battling to douse the blaze, using 26 fire engines and 20 other support vehicles.
Help had come from 16 other fire services around the country and there had been no "significant" injuries to firefighters.
Crews are using water mixed with foam, trying to cover the blaze in a massive "blanket" to deny it oxygen and cool the oil.
How would you like to help roll up 18 miles of hose!
New Links
It has been awhile since I've added new links to the sidebar, so here are three new links that I read on a regular basis.
Becoming a Firefighter - a volunteer firefighter in northern Virginia posts descriptions and pictures of many of the incidents that he responds to.
Rescuehouse.com - a great website with tons of content including stories, history, news, jokes, poems, and pictures.
Rescue Us! - a blog by Lou Angeli, a filmmaker, who also has written some great stories about firefighting.
Round 15 for AFG Awarded
Round 15 of the AFG program has been awarded. Check the list here to see if your department received their grant.
New Guidelines from the Red Cross
The Red Cross has come out with some new guidelines for CPR and first aid (from the Red Cross website via FireFightingNews.com).
Friday, December 09, 2005 — As the country’s leader in first aid and CPR education, the American Red Cross is working hard to implement newly released first aid and CPR guidelines into training programs. The new Guidelines for First Aid co-developed by the American Red Cross and American Heart Association as well as the American Heart Association’s CPR Guidelines were released on Nov. 28, 2005.The training methods in place now for first aid and CPR are not incorrect nor are they harmful, but improved methods based on new scientific evidence will make it easier for the public to learn CPR and other life-saving skills.
“We are enthusiastic about the new ‘simpler is better’ approach endorsed by research and scientific experts across the country,” says Scott Conner, Vice President of American Red Cross Products and Health and Safety Services. “If learning and remembering these new skills is easier, we feel that the average person will have more confidence to respond to an emergency, and more lives will be saved.”
I think this is a good approach. If you don't use a skill often, it is pretty easy to forget the specifics. Simplifying CPR and first aid techniques will make it easier to remember how to help someone who needs it.
Be sure to follow the link above to read a brief summary of the changes. It looks like these changes will actually take place in the spring of 2006.
Kids Shop with Firefighters
Here is a little holiday cheer for you this morning (from WBKO.com).
For the last 15 years, Bowling Green firefighter Tim Brooks has helped out with the "Shop With a Firefighter Day" to help provide Christmas gifts for kids in the community who need a little help during the holiday....
Children from the community who were chosen for this event were paired up with firefighters for the day, who helped them pick out gifts for the holiday, that was then paid for by the Bowling Green Fire Department.
...
Lucena Davis is a nurse with the Commission for Children with Special Health Care Needs. She helped select several of the children taken on the shopping spree.
"Basically what we do is in our office is we just ask, who do you think is deserving of this? Who would need a little extra assistance for Christmas", says Davis.
Kudos to Firefighter Tim Brooks and the Bowling Green Fire Department. What a great way to really make a difference in your community!
Fire on the Porch
Here is our first Picture of the Week.
Photo courtesy of Jay K. Bradish.
Fire Department: Bradford City Fire Department
Location: Bradford, Pennsylvania
Incident: Working structure fire
I saw this on one of Firehouse.com's PhotoStories. Check it out here with additional pictures and explanation of the incident.
Enjoy!
UPDATE: 09/22/2006 - The photographer requested that this photo be removed from Firewhirl. I removed it immediately. My apologies to Mr. Bradish.
New Weekly Feature - Picture of the Week
We are going to start another weekly feature here at Firewhirl. Every Friday, I'll post the Picture of the Week. This will be the best fire-related picture I can find on the web.
Give me a few minutes and I'll post our first Picture of the Week.
UPDATE: If you have a cool picture that you would like considered for the picture of the week, please send it in. Just e-mail it to me at joe@northernplainsfire.com.
Firefighters Train to Overcome Fear
Here is an interesting article from EMSResponder.com about how firefighters and EMS personnel overcome their fear.
Firefighters, law enforcement officers and those engaging in other risky professions and recreational activities have to override their fears and instincts, or unconscious responses to a stimulus, to do their jobs. They do this through training and repetitive drilling that makes their responses automatic and by learning how to work as a team, metro-area physicians and public-safety providers say....
"The ultimate goal is to have confidence in the equipment and in themselves through a lot of repetition, through mentoring and understanding these things are present," Capt. Parker says, adding that firefighters rely on and back each other to do the job, which boosts their confidence.
"It's OK to have a fear, but the firefighters have a job to do, a mission to do, and are part of a team," he says.
Good stuff. My favorite quote from the article and the way I deal with my fear is this:
"Once you have a task you're working on, if you're concentrating on your task, you're not concentrating on your fear."
The key thing that I picked up from the article is that repetitive training is very important. Train, Train, Train!
Firefighters Fired After Being Caught on Video
A couple of firefighters in Tennessee were fired after an investigation ruled that they did not do their jobs (from Firehouse.com).
Two Loudon City firefighters were let go for not doing their jobs during a deadly blaze.Video taken from a camera inside a police cruiser played a deciding role in the firing of Marshall Miller and Tony Russell.
...
Video from the police cruiser showed the police officer immediately trying to rescue people trapped inside.
While firefighter Tony Russell wasn't ready and was more concerned with a fire hose.
...
The video also showed another firefighter taking his time getting out of a fire truck.
You should read the whole article. There is also a short video report from the local TV station with some of the footage from the police camera.
I don't have a problem with these firefighters getting fired as long as there was a chance for them to make entry and try to rescue people. If entry was not possible, then firing them was probably the wrong decision.
This incident highlights the use of video cameras to hold people accountable for their actions. In today's society, you should assume that your actions are being recorded. Big Brother is watching.
FEMA to be Re-engineered
It looks like FEMA is in for a round of re-engineering, which I think means some serious reorganization (from Firehouse.com).
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday that he is planning to "re-engineer" the beleaguered Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has continued to come in for harsh criticism for its performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.In an interview with The Sun, Chertoff said the overhaul would be modeled on the just-in-time delivery systems widely used in private industry. He plans to announce the changes, part of a plan to modernize the way FEMA does business, next month.
"It almost certainly will yield some changes in every area" of FEMA, Chertoff said. "We have to make ourselves more nimble."
...
The top two weaknesses the overhaul will address, he said, are the agency's logistical planning before and during an event, and its ability to deliver services to victims afterward.
Another goal of the revamped FEMA operation will be to adapt quickly to a change in plans or a disaster on a scale much larger than expected.
The reason I bring this up is that the USFA is part of FEMA. From the tone of the article, it doesn't sound like the USFA will be affected much. However, any reorganization will likely have some effects to all of the branches of FEMA. Hopefully, the USFA will not take a big hit.
Stay tuned.
Near Miss: Defensive to Offensive Tactics
This is a short near-miss report regarding a switch from defensive tactics to offensive tactics, but it raises all kinds of questions in my mind. NOTE: Because this report is so short, there could be other factors influencing the incident that we don't know about.
Dispatched to a building fire. Building was well off on arrival and identified as a vacant/abandoned building. Command initially called for a defensive attack mode. Approximately one hour into the event with no progress made on the fire, command shifted to an offensive strategy and had a company go into the building. Upon making entry into the building floors were giving way and ceiling collapsed with plaster falling on a member's head. An air conditioning unit fell close by one of the members of the attack crew.
What the heck was command thinking? Where was their risk versus benefit analysis? What were they going to save? What were they trying to accomplish?
OK, now I'm done with my list of "Geez, they need to pull their head out" questions. Here is another question that we should examine.
In this situation, does an interior attack crew have to obey the command to enter the building?
I believe in this situation, the interior attack crew has the right and the responsibility to ask the incident commander why the interior attack has been ordered. If the incident commander doesn't have a good answer, the crew certainly has the option to refuse to enter the building.
Chime in if you have some thoughts you would like to share.
Taxi Drivers Respond to Medical Calls
In rural Shropshire, in the UK, taxi drivers are now trained to respond to medical calls and administer aid (from the BBC via FireFightingNews.com).
Craig Richards and Cliff Edwards, from Central Taxis, Horsehay, Telford, carry defibrillators to resuscitate people and are able to attend 999 calls.The volunteers, who can give medical aid before an ambulance arrives, have already saved one life.
Mr Richards said: "Telford's a big place. You've only got a certain number of ambulance drivers."
This is a pretty good idea, especially if the ambulance takes a few minutes to respond. Has anyone heard of this type of thing here in the U.S.?
Camp Meeker Volunteer Fire Department
We missed the Department of the Week last week due to the blizzard here in Miller, but this weekly feature is back!
This week we are highlighting the Camp Meeker Volunteer Fire Department of Camp Meeker, California.
Quick Notes:
Camp Meeker Volunteer Fire Department
Location: Camp Meeker, California
Type: Volunteer
Stations: 1
Apparatus: 3
Members: 20
Area: Unknown - email me if you know
They have a bright yellow patch:
Give their site counter a boost by stopping by and checking out their website. They have lots of good information about their department complete with pictures. They even have their own apparel store to raise money for their department.
SCAMP
A firefighter in the Julian/Cuyamaca Fire District, California, has developed a new tool for firefighting (from the Ramona Home Journal & Julian Journal).
Most of us probably think of a scamp as “a playful, mischievous person,” but “SCAMP”is also an acronym for Self Contained All-Purpose Mix Plant — the latest in modern firefighting technology, and Julian is currently the only community in the country with it.
So, what does it do?
Developed and patented by Tag Gaines, a captain with the Julian/Cuyamaca Fire District, the SCAMP is a smaller, more agile version of the venerable PHOS-CHEK Portable Retardant Base Mixing System used to mix and supply fire retardant to fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft for fighting wildfires.
Read the rest of the article for the details. This technology will make a big impact in areas that don't have permanent air tanker bases.
Homeowners Build Fire Apparatus
A homeowner in California has built his own fire rig to protect his house from wildland fire (from abc7.com).
LA HABRA HEIGHTS - One local man has taken some unusual steps to increase his home's odds of surviving a firestorm. He has set up his own personal firehouse - sort of.George Edwards has been a video photographer here in Los Angeles for the better part of 2 years, during that time he has found himself in the middle of everything including forest fires. So when he and his wife bought property in La Habra Heights a few years ago they were determined to make sure their investment did not go up in smoke.
They decide to take firefighting into their own hands. They took a tractor and added a water tank, installed a high-pressure pump and purchased surplus fire hoses and then got the nozzles they needed.
There are some pictures of their fire tractor to check out too.
I think it is a good thing that this homeowner is taking some responsibility to protect his property. However, there are a couple of things that I didn't see that concern me. Has this couple purchased the proper PPE for wildland firefighting? Have they taken any formal wildland firefighting classes?
If they haven't done either of these things they are really asking for trouble. They could easily get themselves into a situation where they will be seriously injured or killed. They may even endanger firefighters that could be dispatched to extricate the homeowners from the dangerous situation.
I posted about homeowners as firefighters back in September. The original article I read dealt with homeowners refusing to evacuate after an evacuation order was given so that they could protect their property.
Dispatchers Work from Home
Working from home has a lot of advantages, but this is the first I've heard of dispatchers working from home (from Firehouse.com).
Jeannie Kinback's house is just like anybody else's -- sort of.It has bedrooms. A living room. A kitchen and bathrooms.
But then there's the emergency dispatching center located in her dining room -- a fully functional dispatching center plopped right next to her table.
The setup includes a red phone with a special ring, Caller ID and a two-way radio to link with area fire departments and the local ambulance service -- plus the ability to fire up the community's tornado sirens.
...
With today's state-of-the-art regional communications centers, such an arrangement may seem odd. But in rural Sandy Township it's tradition that dispatchers -- there are four of them -- work out of the comfort of their own homes. It's been that way for as long as anybody can remember, back to the days when firefighters' wives were volunteer dispatchers.
And as far as local authorities are concerned, their unusual system -- they don't know of another one like it in the area -- operates just fine so there's no reason to change it.
It sounds like this works great in their community. I would imagine that in jurisdictions with larger call volumes, this set up wouldn't be the most efficient use of money or resources.
PASS Signals Reduced at High Temps
I saw this posted on Firehouse.com yesterday, but didn't take the time to comment:
November 30, 2005 -- Exposure to high temperature environments may cause the loudness of Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) alarm signals to be reduced, causing the alarm signal to become indistinguishable from background noise at the incident scene....
NIOSH reported that, during the investigation of four fire fighter fatalities that occurred from 2001 to 2004, PASS alarms were not heard or were barely audible. The PASS alarms had been certified as compliant to NFPA 1982, 1998 Edition, and involved both stand-alone PASS and SCBA-integrated PASS.
If this turns out to be a persistent problem, it kind of defeats the purpose of the PASS device.
After reading the rest of the article, it sounds like there needs to be more testing to identify the specific cause of the problem. I try to read through the NIOSH publications occasionally, so I'll keep you posted.
Poll Results - December 6, 2005
Ramblin' On About Firefighters
Bruce Campbell writes a column in the High River Times called Ramblin' On. This installment is about firefighters. Here is an excerpt:
When you’re an eight-year-old boy dreaming of growing up to be a firefighter, you imagine it’s about running into buildings and saving some damsel in distress. What you don’t imagine is standing in the freezing cold, watching over a destroyed historical building in the middle of the night to ensure there are no more hot spots and that the site isn’t tampered with before the investigation.
Read the whole column - it isn't long. Bruce writes with humor and sheds light on the mundane but necessary firefighting tasks that the public doesn't often think about.
Ladder Climbing Record
Talk about some serious training on climbing a ladder - check this out (from NZCity via FireFightingNews.com).
New Zealand firefighters are celebrating climbing the equivalent of more than 12 Mount Everests. The challenge involved 10 volunteers from the Fire Service attempting to break the greatest height climbed on a ladder within 24 hours. They climbed a 10-metre tower at Auckland's Viaduct Harbour repeatedly until they had clocked up 109.59 kilometres.
For those of us that don't use the metric system very often, that is a 32.8 foot ladder totaling over 68 miles of climbing!
I Wish You Could Know
Here is a poem I saw on Roanoke Firefighters (via 43 Firefighter). I've posted the entire poem. I also did a little checking and it seems that the author of the poem is unknown.
I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children at 3 AM, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen below you burns. I wish you could comprehend a wife's horror at 6 in the morning as I check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and find none.I start CPR anyway, hoping to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done to try and save his life. I wish you knew the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot-filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke-sensations that I've become too familiar with. I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire, Is this a false alarm or a working fire? How is the building constructed? What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?. Or to call and ask what is wrong with the patient? Is it minor or life threatening? Is the caller really in distress or is he waiting for us with a 2x4 or a gun? I wish you could be in the emergency room, as a doctor pronounces dead, the beautiful five-year old girl that I have been trying to save during the past 25 minutes, knowing she will never go on her first date or say the words, "I love you Mommy", ever again. I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine, squad, or my personal vehicle, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal, my arm tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as you fail to yield the right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic.
When you need us however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, "It took you forever to get here!" I wish you could know my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage years from the remains of her automobile. What if this was my daughter, sister, my wife or a friend? What were her parents reaction going to be when they opened the door to find a police officer with hat in hand?
I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call. I wish you could know how it feels dispatching officers, firefighters and EMT's out and when we call for them and our heart drops because no one answers back or to here a bone chilling 911 call of a child or wife needing assistance. I wish you could feel the hurt as people verbally and sometimes physically abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express their attitudes of "It will never happen to me". I wish you could realize the physical, emotional and mental drain of missed meals, lost sleep and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have seen.
I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone's property, or being able to be there in time of crisis, or creating order from total chaos. I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little boy tugging at your arm and asking, "Is my Mommy okay?", not even being able to look in his eyes without tears from your own and not knowing what to say. Or to have to hold back a long time friend who watches his buddy having CPR done on him as they take him away in the Medic Unit.
You know all along he did not have his seat belt on. A sensation that I have become too familiar with. Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will never truly understand or appreciate who I am, we are, or what our job really means to us...I wish you could though.
Iraqi Firefighters Deal with Unexploded Ordinance
Here is something we don't have to deal with in the U.S. very often (from NewsBlaze.com).
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Firefighters from the Rusafa Fire Station in east Baghdad turned over more than 200 rounds of unexploded ordnance to elements of Task Force Baghdad for destruction Dec. 1.The firefighters gave 65 artillery rounds and 143 mortar rounds to elements of 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery.
This is a continuing effort and partnership between the leadership of the Rusafa Fire Station and 1st Bn., 9th FA to rid the area of unexploded ordnance and denying terrorists potential bomb-making material.
The closest we get to this type of thing is when we hear shotgun shells cooking off at a house fire. I'm glad I live here instead of there.
Bateman Pleads Not Guilty
Here is an update regarding the indictment of Van Bateman (from KVOA.com).
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- A former National Forest Service incident commander charged with setting two wildfires had pleaded not guilty and will go on trial in January....
Bateman was indicted last month on charges he started two wildfires in the Coconino National Forest. The largest burned only 21 acres.
It doesn't say when the trial will start, but we'll have to wait for more news until then.
Here is the original post on Firewhirl with a link to the news story.
FDNY to get New Safety Ropes
We've been following the saga of the escape ropes that the FDNY will be issuing to their firefighters. It looks like they have settled on a design that works without getting caught in the pulley (from Firehouse.com).
The Fire Department has announced that all firefighters will be equipped with personal safety ropes by the middle of next year.The news comes six weeks after a round of ropes were recalled over safety concerns a week after they were distributed.
Firefighters began training on the new kevlar ropes in early October at the FDNY training center on Randall's Island. But during one of those exercises, a firefighter's rope got caught in the pulley that controls the descent and began to fray, prompting the recall.
Now, the fire commissioner says the mechanism that allows firefighters to descend from burning buildings has been fixed so that the rope no longer catches.
If you have a picture or a description of these ropes, please forward to me. Thanks.
Spencer, WI Fire Station Burns
The Spencer Fire Department in Spencer, WI had to respond to a fire at their own fire station (from WAOW.com).
THE SPENCER FIRE DEPARTMENT AND EMS SERVICES ARE STILL IN SHOCK TODAY AFTER RESPONDING TO A FIRE AT THEIR OWN FIRE STATION LAST NIGHT. AROUND 30 SPENCER VOLUNTEER FIREMEN RESPONDED TO THE CALL ON THEIR PAGERS AROUND 9:30 LAST NIGHT. THEY MANAGED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITHIN MINUTES AND KEPT THE DAMAGE MINIMAL TO THE STATION. BUT THEY DID LOSE ONE UNIT, THEIR AMBULANCE. EMS DIRECTOR JASON FOTH SAYS THAT IS WHERE THE FIRE STARTED.. AND WAS CONTAINED. "ONCE PEOPLE STARTED ARRIVING ON SCENE. WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE DOORS TO THE STATION OPEN. PULL THE TRUCKS OUTSIDE. THEN FIGHT IT JUST LIKE ANY OTHER FIRE."
I hate to see this happen to any fire department, but at least they were able to save most of their apparatus and the building didn't sustain much damage.
Firefighter Invention Cuts Out Car Radios
This is a really cool idea (from Serious About News via FireFightingNews.com).
James Hutchison, of Calewen, Two Mile Ash, invented WarnTone to reduce attendance times for emergency services.The device cuts out car radios and CDs at a set distance of 200 metres, giving the message 'Warning, emergency vehicle approaching.'
It allows drivers to pull over in time to allow emergency vehicles to pass.
Firefighter Hutchison, a UK firefighter, spent years inventing the WarnTone. He is having some trouble getting it licensed in the UK. I hope all goes well with the device and that it catches on.
Police Car Burns After Parking on Leaves
Tim over at 43 Firefighter has some interesting pictures of a police car that started on fire after parking on some leaves. First time I've ever heard of something like that.
Here in farm country, the tall grass will sometimes start on fire due to the hot exhaust and catalytic converters on the underside of vehicles.
I was a passenger in our brush truck at a wheat field fire a few years back. The driver parked in uncut wheat next to the tender to refill with water. When he opened his door, flames shot up between the vehicle and the door! Luckily, the tender had plenty of water and they were quick to use it.
Poll Results - December 1, 2005
