Fire Engineering and Fire Engineering Books were sad to learn of the passing of longtime magazine and book author Paul Shapiro.
Shapiro specialized in the research, development, and training of large-flow water delivery systems and fire stream management. His extensive research and outcomes of large-diameter hose, both as supply and discharge lines, had been published frequently in fire service trade magazines. Shapiro made significant contributions to fire response efficiency with his application-based research of large-caliber fire streams working with handline and master stream operations.
Recognized nationally as an expert in his field, Shapiro was an engineer with Las Vegas (NV) Fire & Rescue for 28 years until his retirement. His department gave him the Engineer of the Year award for 2006. He was a certified fire instructor III for the State of Nevada, had served on the faculty of many fire academies throughout the United States, and was named 1999 Instructor of the Year by the Colorado Fire Academy.
Shapiro was the author of Large Volume Water Delivery (Fire Engineering Books), which kept an open mind about old and new concepts in hose evolutions and fire stream productions. It espoused that large-diameter hose was not the only fix; it needed to be blended with the latest innovations in moving water.
Captain Bill Gustin, Miami-Dade (FL) Fire/Rescue, and Technical Editor, Fire Engineering, said of Shapiro’s passing: “My department acquired five-inch large-diameter hose (LDH) in the early 1980s. I was tasked with training the department with no prior knowledge or experience in LDH. Fortunately, I found Paul Shapiro’s articles on LDH and water supply; what a blessing. My department’s LDH operations are directly from the pages of his articles and, later, his books. There is no one in the fire service who has done more for water supply and pump operations than Paul Shapiro. He believed that pump operations was the best position in the fire service and was extremely proud of the title of engineer. His pride in being an engineer has inspired hundreds of firefighters who ‘send the water.'”
Captain Clark Lamping, Clark County (NV) Fire Department: “There are individuals among us who talk the talk, and those who walk the walk. Paul Shapiro absolutely walked the walk. He was passionate about training not only in his own department but departments around the country and South America. He taught at our department several times and refused to take a single dollar for his time. He is considered the father of large water delivery. I can say the fire service is better now because of his contributions and his dedication to our safety and the safety of the people we serve.”
Cristian H. Guzman Caro is a Chilean firefighter who interpreted for Paul Shapiro on his first visit to teach at Caro’s fire department in 2012. They stayed connected, and Caro served as his assistant/interpreter in two more visits to teach in Chile (2013 and 2014): “Paulie traveled to the other side of the continent, just to continue sharing knowledge and training on large water delivery. Paulie was so passionate and good about his craft, that after three different trips to Chile, the impact of his teachings went beyond our borders and has reached countries like Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. His legacy stretches all the way to the southern hemisphere, inspiring and mentoring firefighters like myself down the road.”
Dennis LeGear, LeGear Consulting: “Paul Shapiro was the first to have a 400-gpm mobile heavy stream with a shutoff using 2.5-inch hose; his brainchild led to better versions that were much needed. Paulie’s 1 3/8tip@50psi@400gpm150lbsRF blitz line with a 2.5-inch shutoff and grab bar is just the type of crazy that leads to innovation. To me, Paulie was the father of the mobile blitz heavy stream handline monitor, and this device led to all the others similar devices produced by the major nozzle companies. The fire service lost a great in heavy fire steam development and a person who was not a group thinker, willing to up nozzle pressures and push equipment. Our friendship led to large parts of my thoughts around volume, placement, and velocity of heavy fire stream development.”
