(fireengineering.com)

BY JOHN F. “SKIP” COLEMAN, TECHNICAL EDITOR

I remember when the Toledo (OH) Fire/Rescue Department got its first thermal imaging cameras (TICs)-two or three helmet-mounted ones. They stayed in the box most of the time after the newness wore off. We eventually got some smaller hand-held TICs. To the best of my recollection, they, too, were not widely used.

When I teach search, the question of TICs comes up from time to time. I would be discussing search techniques and someone would raise his hand and say, “Hey! What about thermal imaging cameras?” I usually respond, “What about them?” Now, I don’t want to sound like an old retired guy, but I am not yet convinced that the TIC is as good now as it will be someday. Usually, most departments that have them have only one per apparatus. Someday every firefighter will have a built-in TIC in the lens of the self-contained breathing apparatus face piece. Until then, the TIC is a tool with limited capabilities.

Roundtable questions: Does your department have a TIC? When do you actually use one? Does your department have a written policy concerning its use? Answer at emberly.fireengineering.com.

WEBCASTS

Join us for monthly Webcasts featuring the best of Fire Engineering authors and FDIC speakers. On July 25, Firefighter Mike Donahue from the Elizabeth (NJ) Fire Department will speak on technical rescue training. On August 15, Chief Ron Kanterman will speak on “Critical Leadership Concepts for Today’s Fire Service.” Webcasts are free, but you must register!

FIRE LIFE

In “What Every Firefighter’s Spouse Should Know: Semper Fi,” Anne Gagliano writes: “Two people don’t just magically happen to find each other with all the right, perfect ingredients that somehow combine to create success. Trust, openness, and communication-these are the answers.” See more at www.firelife.com.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: A daytime response for a fire in a dwelling had firefighters from the Detroit (MI) Fire Department) battling fire in three houses-two occupied and one vacant. Firefighters had to wait for a working aerial ladder to arrive to get a handle on this fire with master streams. (Photo by Dave Traiforos.) See more photos at http://emberly.fireengineering.com/photo-of-the-day.html. Send your Photo of the Day submissions to Peter Prochilo (peterp@pennwell.com).

FEATURED ARTICLES

Gregory Havel writes in “Construction Concerns: Fire Resistance of Doors”: “Since we were in Firefighter I class, we have known that some doors are listed as fire-rated and need to be kept closed (or held open by a smoke detector-operated door holder) and that other doors are not fire-rated.” (http://bit.ly/156QZoB)

Jerry Knapp writes in “Do It Drills”: “Training fire department members is always a challenge. Here is a type of drill that has been very successful for me as a department training officer.” (http://bit.ly/WXtKj1)

Becki White writes in “They’re Not Listening to Me! Reevaluating Your Fire Safety Messaging”: “I wonder why the work of hundreds of firefighters and fire educators spreading the fire safety message isn’t sinking in. It may be because we aren’t choosing the right message-or we parrot messages without understanding their true meaning or how our audiences interpret them.” (http://bit.ly/12Hko8J)

Vicki Schmidt writes in “Preplanning Detours: You Can Get There from Here”: “Whether it’s a simple fender-bender multi-vehicle crash or an incident involving significant resources, mitigating roadway hazards is a major concern for conscientious chiefs and commanding officers.” (http://bit.ly/14lp3gh)

Lance C. Peeples writes in “Carbon Dioxide: The Hidden Danger”: “In the past, restaurants used small-volume pressurized tanks to carbonate their fountain drinks. These small pressurized tanks held little potential to inert the atmosphere in the large areas typically found in a restaurant, but this is not the case with large cryogenic containers such as Dewars. Several recent examples illustrate the danger.” (http://bit.ly/13Vw0cf)

COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Name: Ron Kay. Department: Toledo (OH) Fire/Rescue Department. Rank: lieutenant. Years of public service: 24. Agency structure: paid department.