Check out a roundup of Web-only articles you may have missed on the Fire Engineering site in May 2019.
Are Regional Applications Always a Good Thing?
“Memorial Day is a good benchmark to start working on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant applications,” writes Kevin Mulrooney.
Preplanning for Fires in Self-Storage Warehouses
James Kirsch discusses the many different concerns of storage facilities.
The Importance of the On-Scene Radio Report
Thomas N. Warren dissects all aspects of this essential fireground communication.
Training Minutes Revisited: Ladder Tips
In this Training Minutes video, Mike Ciampo shares some tricks of the trade for setting up ground ladders, including safe climbing techniques, methods of entering windows, and much more.
Humpday Hangout: Straight Talk: Fire Service Chaplains
In this week’s Humpday Hangout, host Dan DeGryse speaks to Rob Fisher and some guests who serve as fire department chaplains. The calling and mission of a chaplain is to support and connect with those of us in the fire service.
Plan B
Firefighters need to keep a “Plan B” in their minds if their initial course of action on the fireground fails. David DeStefano runs through several examples for truck and engine operations.
Command & Control: The Value of Scene Assignment SOPs
The heart of command, control, and accountability on the fireground is the creation and enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs). Anthony Avillo on how SOPs can eliminate confusion and make your fireground strategies more effective.
Training Minutes: Forcible Entry on Storefront Doors
In this new Training Minutes video, Mike Ciampo and company discuss methods for establishing a gap for forcible entry on aluminum doors. They also cover saw positioning for effective cutting.
Behavioral Health: Rescuing the Rescuers
We need to raise the bar when it comes to mental health support in the fire service, says Todd LeDuc.
The Fire Service in an Anxious Peace
Although World War II was over, the optimism of the postwar period became more uneasy as the fire service contemplated the possiblility of a World War III.
Training Minutes Revisited: Removing Victims via Aerial Ladder
In this Training Minutes video, John Riker demonstrates how to remove unconscious victims by packaging them on a Stokes basket and lowering them down the aerial ladder.
To Ambulance or Not to Ambulance?
“Small volunteer fire departments need to consider not only the financials, but also the operational, administrative, and cultural changes that adding ambulance service to their mission will bring,” writes Joseph V. Maruca.
Humpday Hangout: The Importance of Apparatus Committees
In this week’s Humpday Hangout, Frank Ricci talks to his guests about apparatus committees and trends in spec’ing out aerial and heavy rescue apparatus.
Training Minutes: EMS Transport for a Patient Who Is in Custody
In this new Training Minutes video, Steve Hamilton reviews methods for transporting a patient who has been arrested by law enforcement and requires handcuffs.
Engine Company EMS: Talking About What Happens at Work
First responders have come a long way since the dark ages of “what happens at work stays at work.’ We no longer have to suffer in silence, says Michael Morse.
Redefining the Clean Cab Concept
Frank Leeb reviews the clean cab concept, which is based on the desire to minimize firefighter cancer risk. But how can a clean cab be accomplished without sacrificing operational effectiveness?
FDIC INT’L POSTSCRIPT: Eric Hurst on ‘Mastering Social Media and Photography’
Continuing Fire Engineering‘s look back at FDIC International 2019, today we feature South Metro (CO) Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Eric Hurst, who instructed students on getting their departments’ message out to the community through the increasingly relevant avenue of social media, with an emphasis on visuals through photography.
Training Minutes Revisited: Side-to-Side Fire Attack
In this Training Minutes video, Ray McCormack demonstrates an alternate way of using the handline when conducting a fire attack in a narrow area filled with potential debris, such as the aisles of a commercial structure.
The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Becoming an Officer
Deciding to become an officer is an important choice many of us have made in our volunteer firehouse. Tom Merrill takes a look at the responsibilties such a move entails.
Humpday Hangout: Your New Rig…Design to Delivery
In this week’s Humpday Hangout, hosts Terry McGrath and Chief Rick Lasky talk with their guests about all the work that goes into developing a new fire apparatus.
Training Minutes: Tips for Measuring Blood Pressure
In this Training Minutes, Mike McEvoy reviews some tips for measuring blood pressure in patients.
Truck Company Operations: Using the Rotary Saw, Part 2
In his second article on the rotary saw, Mark van der Feyst focuses on operational considerations when cutting.
Video: Heart Disease In The Fire Service
Food on the Stove presents a short documentary on heart disease in the fire service. The focus is on D.C. Fire and EMS Lt. Kevin McRae and the incident that took place on May 6, 2015.
Why Are We Here?
“It does not matter if we are career, volunteer, big city, or small town; the oath we swear to protect our people doesn’t change,” writes Joe Martin.
Surviving a Mayday: A Company Officer’s Perspective
Micah Kiger’s lessons learned and reinforced from fire incidents.
Improved Growth and Commitment Using Servant and Transformational Leadership
In the fire service, our people truly are our greatest asset. Jason Ness describes two approaches to leadership that may yield positive results in your department.
Humpday Hangout: Buildings Under Construction, Demolition, or Abatement
This week, Mike Dugan and other members of the panel will discuss the vulnerability of buildings under construction, demolition, or renovation.
Shipboard Solutions for the Land-Based Firefighter
Steven Zeliff says the best way to control a shipboard emergency is to preplan with all the potential agencies available.
Training Minutes: Preplanning Hazards in a Commercial Basement
In this episode of Training Minutes, Paul Dansbach investigates some of the challenges firefighters might face when stretching a line into a commercial occupancy.
Feet, Forks, and Fingers Fight Firefighter Cancer
Russell Osgood discusses the importance of adopting the best practices for cancer prevention by no tobacco use, diet and exercise.
Starting a SWAT Medic Program
In this training program from the Firefighters Support Foundation, Medford (OR) Battalion Chief Tom McGowan addresses an unmet need by describing how an agency should go about starting a SWAT medic program.
First-Due Battalion Chief: Complacency
Danny Sheridan discusses automatic alarms and how to address becoming complacent with these responses.
Mayday Monday: The Role of the RIT
Are you ready to respond to a firefighter in distress? Tony Carroll shares some information on out-of-air emergencies and the role of the rapid intervention team.
Improving Fire Safety on Construction Sites
Jim Tidwell looks at the importance of the fire service getting up to speed on all the latest codes to prevent fires in buildings under construction.
Firefighters and Higher Education: Enhancing an Individual, or Checking a Box?
G. Howard Blythe argues that scrutiny of educational institutions and their programs is necessary to ensure that firefighters and fire officers are getting genuine value from their forays into higher education.
Humpday Hangout: RIT and Fireground Survival Training
In this week’s Humpday Hangout, the panel will discuss the importance of frequent, high-impact drills for firefighter safety and survival, and provide best practices for implementing rapid intervention team (RIT) training programs at the local level.
Water-Related Missing Persons Operations
Josh Pearcy has some tips for first-arriving members at the scene of possible drowning calls.
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In Case You Missed It: April 2019 Firefighting Articles
In Case You Missed It: March 2019 Firefighting Articles
