Camp Victory Firefighters in Iraq
Here are some interesting pictures of firefighters based at Camp Victory in Iraq (from thetension.blogspot.com). They responded to a fire caused by a rocket attack.
Highway Scene Safety
Here is an interesting article about a deputy fire chief and a state trooper disagreeing about scene safety on a highway (from dailyrecord.com via FireFighterCloseCalls.com).
ROCKAWAY TWP. -- A deputy fire chief was arrested and held in handcuffs for two hours Sunday night following an argument with a New Jersey State Police trooper after the firefighter refused to move a fire truck that was blocking the right lane of Route 80.
Read the whole article. It isn't too long and has a lot of interesting details about what happened.
The most important point that I took from this incident is that a good relationship with law enforcement is critical to scene safety. Something that I'm going to look into in my jurisdiction is who has the authority to close traffic lanes at an MVC. A little preplanning could save a lot of heartache.
VentEnterSearch.com
I ran across this website while doing some surfing today.
VentEnterSearch.com
The lost art of the fire service
It is a great blog with lots of practical knowledge about truck company operations. Be sure to stop by their site and spend a few minutes. I've added a link to the sidebar at the right so that I can visit them regularly.
Static Electricity Flash Fire at Gas Pump
I've never seen a flash fire at a gas pump caused by static electricity, although I've read the safety signs posted at the pumps. Courtesy of LAFD News and Information, here is a short video of just such a fire.
Video of Static Electricity Flash Fire at Gas Pump
The person in the video actually handles herself pretty well.
Be sure to check out the safety tips at the above link to learn how to avoid this kind of fire.
Fire Training for Congressional Staffers
This is an excellent way to get the message across to our legislators (from Firehouse.com):
COLLEGE PARK, Md.-- For close to 15 years, Congressional staffers have traded the comforts of Capitol Hill for the heat of a dark, smoky room.
The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) and Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) played host to more than 50 participants at the annual event, held Nov. 17.
"It helps bring an awareness of the fire service," CFSI Executive Director Bill Webb said. "For most of them this is their first exposure and it kind of brings it all home."
The three-hour crash course allowed those involved to participate in a mock extrication, handle fire hoses, extinguish a controlled burn and experience a building fire up close. Each person donned full turnout gear and was issued an SCBA for the burn building.
Read the whole article. Hopefully this hands on experience will really make an impact on the congressional staffers so they know how important the AFG program is. Too bad we can't get the actual senators and representatives to participate in this training session.
Also, here is a link to the CFSI.
Happy Thanksgiving
Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Firefighter Wayne's Last Post
Firefighter Wayne over at Firefighter has published his last post. Wayne has tons of historical knowledge of the fire service and he created a blog to share that knowledge. If you haven't had the chance to read some of his posts, take a few minutes and read a few. Here is a link to his first post.
Thanks for sharing your stories, memories, and history with us, Wayne!
Market Fire in Guatemala Kills at Least 15
Tragic fire destroys market and lives in Guatemala City, Guatemala (from FOXNews.com).
GUATEMALA CITY — An enormous fire at Central America's largest open-air market Monday killed 15 people, including three minors, and sent up columns of smoke visible six miles away. Witnesses said the blaze was sparked by a lit cigarette.
The fire broke out in an area of illegal fireworks stands set up temporarily near a section of the permanent market where corn and beans are sold year-round, said fire department spokesman Ricardo Lemus, who confirmed the number of deaths.
Someone was extremely stupid - first to operate an illegal fireworks booth in a crowded market and second, for smoking cigarettes near their illegal fireworks booth. Sheesh!
On another note, there is an interesting picture of the Guatemalan firefighters at FOXNews. Just follow the link above.
Esperanza Fire Green Sheet
I've seen a number of news stories that mentioned a report issued by the California Department of Foresty and Fire Protection regarding the Esperanza Fire. However, I had a hard time finding the report. After some searching, I finally found it. Here is the Esperanza Green Sheet (from wildlandfire.com).
From the report:
Forecasted weather and the seasonally dry vegetation conditions categorized the fire with a high probability for large development. The fire produced a rapid rate of spread with extreme fire behavior conditions with wind dominancy. These conditions displayed increased spotting potential with flame lengths of up to 90 feet. A rate of spread of 20 mph was observed on level terrain. Wind and slope alignment produced a greater rate of spread to 40 mph which caused temperatures to exceed 1220 degrees Fahrenheit ahead of the fire front.
The fire was in full alignment with wind and slope at the time of the burn over. The fire drastically increased in velocity due to the converging of forecasted winds out of the northeast and terrain effects. The fire environment dominated the atmosphere with area ignition conditions surrounding the fatality site. A convection column of up to 18,000 feet high occurred.
Pretty wicked fire behavior, especially the part about area ignition. I'll keep an eye out for the NIOSH report which should have additional details.
Venture II Safety Glasses
Over at Northern Plains Fire, we now offer Venture II safety glasses from Pyramex. Check 'em out.
Compression Only CPR
A new study shows that compression only CPR (no rescue breathing) may save more lives than regular CPR (from FireFightingNews.com).
The new CPR developed at the University of Arizona has tripled survival rates for cardiac-arrest patients rescued by Phoenix paramedics, a preliminary study shows. This is the latest in a mounting body of evidence suggesting that the "new CPR" -- doing chest compressions only -- can save more lives than the old CPR, which includes mouth-to-mouth breathing.
However, the evidence has not persuaded the American Heart Association -- the group that issues national guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- to fully adopt chest-compression-only CPR for victims of sudden cardiac arrest.
Interesting. This should be studied further in more cities to see if the results are similar.
Advertising on Emergency Vehicles?
A Salem, MA selectman brings up the possiblity of advertisers sponsoring emergency vehicles:
The official Wal-Mart police cruiser? The Home Depot fire engine?
The additional revenue would be nice, but I'm not sure this is a good idea. The article lists some of the drawbacks. These include hurting the image of the emergency services, forcing the emergency service to choose which advertisers are appropriate, and safety.
Devils Den Accident Investigation Report
The accident investigation report for the Devils Den fire in August, 2006 has been released. Here are a couple of paragraphs that jumped out at me:
As a result of these factors, the AFMO had little or no choice of an adequate escape route or safety zone at the time of the fire. His location in the chimney; in heavy fuels; in steep, rocky terrain; above the main body of the fire; at 1350 hours in the afternoon; on a
southwest aspect; in mid-August; and in southwest Utah where extreme fire behavior had been exhibited and observed for the last five plus weeks all aligned to drive the high intensity/short duration event that claimed the AFMO’s life.
...
As the Investigation Team completed their work on these causal and contributing factors, we were cognizant of the fact that much of this incident was the result of mistakes made by the victim. At the same time, we want to stress that whatever his thoughts were as he went – and then stayed too long – in the canyon, based on his reputation and experience, we find his intentions were noble, honorable, and in the best interests of his people and the land. His tragically short lapses in judgment should never obscure his greater contributions to wildland fire fighting. Indeed, they should heighten our desire to learn all we can from this accident to help all firefighters be more safe and effective in the future, from novice to the most experienced.
There is a lot of information in the report and anyone that works on wildland fires should read through it.
Cost to Outfit a Firefighter
Warning! This post is an unabashed attempt to improve firefighter safety.
Check out the picture at the top of the page at FirefighterCloseCalls.com. Its priceless.
Here is an easy way to improve your safety:
Do you have someone on your department that is always getting hurt or finding themselves in dangerous situations? Make sure that you don't stand too close to them at the fire scene (hehehe).
International Firefighting Weblog
There is a new fire-related blog on the internet. It is called the International Firefighting Weblog (hat tip to Rhett over at Roanoke Firefighters). Check it out.
I'm also adding it to the sidebar on the right.
Informed Field Guides
Take a minute and look over our new addition to the NPF website - Informed Field Guides. From fire to EMS to law enforcement, we've got them all.
These guides are pocket sized, waterproof, and alcohol-fast. They are a great way to refresh your memory. I keep one in the glove box so that while I'm waiting to pick up my kids at one of their activities, I can study a little.
Firefighting Foam Approved to Kill Bird Flu Poultry
The federal government has approved the use of firefighting foam to kill poultry that has been infected with bird flu (from heraldsun.com).
Foam can be used to suffocate floor-reared flocks -- chickens and turkeys raised primarily for meat -- to contain deadly bird flu, APHIS spokeswoman Karen Eggert said.
I looked around on the internet for some more specifics on the techniques that should be used, but didn't find anything.
Add this to the expanding role of the fire department.
Redneck Volunteer Fire Department
This made me laugh. You might be a redneck volunteer fire department if...
(here is my favorite) - Your rescue truck can smoke the tires.
Also, you know you're a firefighter when...
Jay Leno's Fire Truck
Here is a five-minute video showing the 1941 American LaFrance fire truck that Jay Leno owns. It is completely restored and looks great. He uses it to haul his motorcycle.
Here is the webpage from jaylenosgarage.com with the details.
CFSI Adopts Resolutions
The Congressional Fire Services Institute has adopted three resolutions.
They sound good to me. Check 'em out.
New Product Line - Chieftain PPE
Check out our new product line over at Northern Plains Fire - Chieftain PPE.
We are carrying all of the products that Chieftain Safety offers including turnout gear, wildland PPE, helmets, and EMS PPE.
We've even got a special going right now on wildland PPE.
Firewhirl is Back!
It has been a long time since I've posted an entry here at Firewhirl (over 4 1/2 months), but now I'm back at it.
Thanks to all of you that have continued to check in once in a while. I sure appreciate it.
The content of Firewhirl will be slightly different that what is has been. There will be fewer posts (hopefully at least one post each day), and more of the posts will be deal directly with what is happening over at my business - Northern Plains Fire. However, there should be plenty of posts dealing with the issues, events, and changes within the world of firefighting and my thoughts in those areas.
Over the next couple of days, I'll be cleaning up things here at Firewhirl and getting things back in working order.
As always, feel free to drop me an email and let me know what you think.
