From the Fire Engineering Vault: Hackensack Ford Fire

On July 1, 1988, five Hackensack (NJ) firefighters were killed in the line of duty during a collapse at Hackensack Ford. The tragic incident underscored just how deadly bowstring truss roofs can be when exposed to fire conditions.

Now you can download Fire Engineering Technical Editor Glenn Corbett’s original August 1988 report on the fire, as well as a commentary by Tom Brennan, the magazine editor at the time.

CLICK HERE to download Glenn’s report (about 4 MB) and CLICK HERE for Tom’s commentary (about 1 MB).

For more on trusses in construction, consider TEN MILES AND TEN YEARS, Construction Concerns for Firefighters: Trusses, Truss Roof Fire, Wyckoff, New Jersey, and Reading A Building – The Bowstring Roof.

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.