FE Volume 145 Issue 8

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RATING YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

RATING YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

Yesterday morning, I spoke to some folks from the National Pest Control Association who were in town to visit their congressmen. After my speech, I asked each of them whom they hoped to see. “Senator Lugar,” one responded. Others chimed in, “Congressman Rinaldo.” “Congressman McMillan.” “Senator Gramm.”
Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting

SECURING TAG LINES TO BASKET LITTERS

Using tag lines is an important part of many rescue evolutions involving rescue baskets. Tag lines are used to maneuver a basket around obstructions when lifting. They also can change the horizontal angle of a basket litter to compensate for load conditions.
Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting
CHEMICAL DATA NOTEBOOK SERIES #75: NITRIC OXIDE

CHEMICAL DATA NOTEBOOK SERIES #75: NITRIC OXIDE

Nitric oxide is a toxic, oxidizing, reactive, corrosive, irritating, nonflammable, colorless gas with a sharp, acrid, pungent, irritating odor. It is used to manufacture a wide variety of chemicals, most notably nitric acid. It also is used as a bleaching agent, which is a function of its oxidizing power.
HazmatTechnical Rescue

CUTTING REINFORCED CONCRETE

The keys to penetrating reinforced concrete during rescue operations are understanding concrete as a construction material and having proficiency in the methods and techniques of concrete penetration. To understand concrete as a construction material, consider its strengths, its weaknesses, and the methods of forming it into various structural components.
FirefightingStructural Firefighting

More FE Volume 145 Issue 8

LAWYERS DECLARE OPEN SEASON ON FIRE DEPARTMENTS

Lawyers Alert, a national publication for the legal community, reported a new trend in its April 13, 1992 issue. “Sue A Fire Department For Fire Damage," the front-page headline thudded like a 15-pound sledgehammer. The rude invitation was a reaction to an important Massachusetts court ease, decided on March 9, 1992, whose implications for the fire service are profound. The City of Lowell Fire Department was sued for negligence and put on trial for fireground operations at a fire that eventually destroyed five mill-constructed commercial buildings.
Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting
MANUFACTURERS’ LITERATURE

MANUFACTURERS’ LITERATURE

Dual-Lite, Wiring Products Division, offers three application manuals for its line EZ-Flex II flexible wiring systems. They target industrial lighting, commercial lighting, and standard and isolated ground power distribution systems.
Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting
TRAINING AIDS

TRAINING AIDS

The International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) offers AIRCRAFT RESCUE AND FIRE FIGHTING ($20), a training manual that provides basic information to help firefighters effectively perform aircraft firefighting and rescue. It also provides the company officer with information necessary for effective command.
Aircraft Fire & RescueTechnical Rescue
PERSONNEL ACCOUNTABILITY

PERSONNEL ACCOUNTABILITY

As the concern for fireground safety continues to grow, more and more fire departments are reviewing the manner in which they keep track of their firefighters on the foreground — accountability. NFPA Standard 1500, Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, calls for a system “to identify and account for the assignment of each member at the scene of an incident.”
Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting
COMING EVENTS

COMING EVENTS

AUGUST 19-PROTECTIVE CLOTHING FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL OPERATIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF NFPA STANDARD 1999, a two-hour teleconference on the Emergency Education Network of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be aired beginning at 2 p.m. EDT. Contact: Emergency Education Network, 16825 South Seton Ave., Room K-009, Emmitsburg, MD 21727, (301) 447-1068.
Fire EMSFirefighting
THE REAR OF THE FIRE

THE REAR OF THE FIRE

Those of you who advocate using positive-pressure ventilation immediately on the foreground for fire attack sometimes are disappointed in me. We get into discussions on priorities on the foreground. Though we always agree that life and its protection are of paramount importance, it is in the rooms behind the fire location and how untenable they will become for trapped occupants where we don’t see eye to eye.
Fire AttackFirefighting

FIRE APPARATUS ELECTRICAL OVERLOADS: A REAL BALANCING ACT

The firefighters were exhausted when they returned to quarters following a multiple-alarm fire in a warehouse that housed bailed paper. Many hours of arduous overhauling, searching for hidden fire in the cold, dark remains of the burnt-out building, took its toll on them. The pumper outside had been supplying not only sporadic bursts of water but also illumination for the fire scene as well as a cab heater, the only place the “watch line” crew could get a respite from the cold and thaw out frozen fingers and toes.
Fire Apparatus
NEWS IN BRIEF

NEWS IN BRIEF

National Fire Protection Association members voted 567 to 131 to accept a revision of NFPA 1500, Standard for Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, without an amendment to establish minimum starting levels. The voting took place at the association's annual meeting in New Orleans in May.
Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting

EQUIPMENT DIGEST

Firefighter SCBAFirefighting Equipment

PPV ON THE FIRE GROUND

Fire SafetyFire Suppression Systems

CELLAR PIPES AND BRESNAN DISTRIBUTORS: ACES IN THE HOLE

Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting

FIRE ENGINEERING

Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting

APPARATUS DELIVERIES

Fire Apparatus

ANATOMY OF AN URBAN MYTH

Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Fire Department LeadershipFirefighting

BASKET LITTER BASICS

Firefighter ToolsFirefighting Equipment

FE Volume 145 Issue 8

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