Names in the News

Names in the News

departments

New Louisville Chief

Larry M. Bonnafon was recently named chief of the Louisville, Ky., Division of Fire, with the rank of colonel. The 23-year veteran has been serving as executive assistant chief under Colonel Tom Kuster, who retired on April 23.

Bonnafon was promoted to assistant chief in July 1976 and to executive assistant a year later. He is 42 years old.

Goodwin Named Director

Mel Goodwin, who formerly headed a fire training program in Wisconsin, has become director of the Arkansas Fire Academy. His responsibilities include supervision of training courses throughout the state as well as at the academy in East Camden.

Goodwin previously was chairman of the Fire Service Division, Madison Area Technical College, Vocational District 4, in Madison, Wis. In that position, he was responsible for a fire science associate degree program, field training for 86 fire departments in an 11-county area, and emergency medical training.

Before going to Wisconsin in January 1976, Goodwin had been chairman of the fire protection technology department at Midland College, Midland, Texas. He also has been a member of paid and volunteer municipal and industrial fire departments and had three years of fire fighting experience in the Air Force.

A past president of the Texas Society of Fire Service Instructors, Goodwin is an alumnus of Texas A&M University with a bachelor of science degree in vocational education-fire protection.

Appel Honored

Arthur W. Appel was named Fire Service Instructor of the Year by the Michigan Fire Service Instructors Association. He was honored for his outstanding contribution in bringing professionalism to the fire service of the State of Michigan.

Appel started his career with the Detroit Fire Department, where he served 31 years. His last nine years were spent as supervisor of training at the city’s fire training academy. As supervisor, he held the rank of battalion chief.

After leaving the Detroit Fire Department, Appel joined the University of Michigan’s Firemanship Training program as assistant director at the university’s North Campus in Ann Arbor. In July 1973, he was named director of the program and held that position until his retirement in June 1978.

Nassau Training Director

Arthur Gladstone, an instructor in the Nassau County, N.Y., Fire Service Academy for the past 15 years, was named chief instructor and director of training.

Gladstone, a 25year member of the Wantagh, N.Y., Fire Department, is president of the New York State Society of Fire Service Instructors. He is a member of the board of directors of the Nassau Chapter of the American Heart Association, as well as co-chairman of its CPR committee. He is also a member of the Nassau County Emergency Medical Services System committee on training.

He has a B.S. in education and a M.A. in safety education. He has a permanent New York State secondary schools certificate as well as an EMT and EMT-A instructor certificate from the New York State Department of Health.

Collins on Burns Board

Captain John J. Collins, community relations officer of the Boston Fire Department and executive director of the Fire Safety Council, was appointed to the public relations advisory board of the Shriners Burns Institute in Boston.

There are 19 orthopedic hospitals and three burns institutes in North America supported by approximately one million Shriners who finance the medical and hospital costs. There is never a charge to the patient.

The Shriners Burns Institute is affiliated with the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Fitness Program Update

The city of Titusville, Fla., has introduced a comprehensive physical fitness program in an effort to offset the possibility of cardiac arrest among members of its fire department.

The program will include the entire combat complement, the administrative and fire prevention bureau staffs. They will participate in a continual physical fitness program, coupled with a bi-annual stress EKG to monitor individual progress. Each participant is evaluated, and assigned a program to reach their optimum physical condition according to individual physical, or chronological characteristics.

Hand entrapped in rope gripper

Elevator Rescue: Rope Gripper Entrapment

Mike Dragonetti discusses operating safely while around a Rope Gripper and two methods of mitigating an entrapment situation.
Delta explosion

Two Workers Killed, Another Injured in Explosion at Atlanta Delta Air Lines Facility

Two workers were killed and another seriously injured in an explosion Tuesday at a Delta Air Lines maintenance facility near the Atlanta airport.