EARTHQUAKES: LESSONS FROM THE PAST, PART 2

EARTHQUAKES: LESSONS FROM THE PAST, PART 2

It takes constant effort to ensure that fire and rescue professionals are familiar with the dynamics of postearthquake structural collapse operations as well as the use of survivability profiles to determine where live, viable victims are likely to be found and to determine when it is appropriate to end search and rescue operations.
They Died For What?

They Died For What?

"It's a damn, crying shame." "They shouldn't have been in that building." "They died for what-a couple of vagrants who weren't even in there?"
Roundtable – Rapid Intervention Teams

Roundtable – Rapid Intervention Teams

Different departments call a designated crew ready to act if a firefighter is lost, trapped, or injured by various names. In New York and in the eastern part of the country, it is the FAST (firefighter assist and search team); in Pittsburgh, the "GO" team; and in still other departments, the RIC (rapid intervention crew) or the RIT (rapid intervention team).
Company/Association News

Company/Association News

The first 50 BULLARD thermal imaging devices were distributed to New Jersey fire departments under a $7.5 million program intended to equip all the state's 750 departments. Additional devices will be produced at the rate of 100 per month until all departments are equipped.
Apparatus Deliveries

Apparatus Deliveries

The Walled Lake (MI) Fire and Rescue Department protects residential and business occupancies and some light industries. Captain Matthew D. Salow, a full-time fire officer, says that last year, 70 percent of the department's calls were medical. This SEAGRAVE pumper is designed to carry basic life support (BLS) equipment and standard firefighting equipment. The three-square-mile district of 7,000 includes a five-mile-wide lake.
Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Since the Colombine High School tragedy, the Littleton (CO) Fire Department has seen an outpouring of positive and negative emotions in our community and nationwide. The tremendous support from fellow firefighters across the country has aided our department in healing from an unthinkable mass-casualty incident.
EYE and FACE safety:are your firefighters protected?

EYE and FACE safety:are your firefighters protected?

The national fire protection association (NFPA) reported 3,830 cases of eye injuries in 1997. The human eye is very susceptible to damage and can be a quick route to permanent injury and medical disability. This is unfortunate, because the eye is also one of the easiest parts of the body to protect.