FE Volume 146 Issue 8

Testing is underway in Canada to quantify the effect of Class A foam in direct fire attack. The project, “Quantitative Evaluation of Enhanced Water Fire Suppression,” is spearheaded by C. Bruce Edwards, research director of FireTech Engineering, Inc., deputy chief of the Wabasca (BC, Canada) Fire Department, and Fire Engineering editorial advisory board member, and is supported by Forestry Canada, the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal, various fire industries, and several fire departments.

A journey that began 11 months before ended June 6, 1993, off a beach in Queens, New York, when the freighter Golden Venture dropped its frightened cargo of approximately 300 Chinese immigrants into the 52°F waters of the Atlantic Ocean. THE JOURNEY

The aggressive interior attack on a working structure fire is the hallmark of the fire service. While strongholds of interior attack firefighting have elevated this strategy almost to an art form, some departments rarely or never conduct interior attacks—and are opposed to the idea. There is a subtle but growing resistance to aggressive firefighting, particularly among some fire service leaders, apparently motivated by a well-intentioned passion for firefighter safety.

■ SpaceLabs Medical, Inc., has available a 17-by 22-inch, full-color poster that outlines automated external defibrillation (AED) protocol, based on the American Heart Association’s treatment agorithm for ventricular fibrillation and pulseless tachycardia. The poster is free for individuals who are involved in training early defibrillation. Contact: SpaceLabs Medical at (800) 251-9910, ext. 2144.