Well, one cat's outta the bag. In the continued debate over the efficacy of prehospital spinal immobilization, it would appear from a study published the
January 2010 issue of the Journal of Trauma that prehospital spinal immobilization doubles the risk of death for certain patients. Researchers at Johns Hopkins looked at 45,284 penetrating trauma patients…
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Added by Mike McEvoy on January 14, 2010 at 11:14pm —
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I have retired and am now trying to figure out what to do when I don't have to do anything.
Added by Robert Rhoades on January 14, 2010 at 7:30pm —
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Another EXCELLENT article from Chief Billy G and the folks at Firefighter CloseCalls.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - These are very tough times-and times that are going to probably continue to be stressful politically for us for the foreseeable future. Due to a mixture of the economy and local political opportunity, many fire departments are not going to look the same as they once did. Interesting but very concerning times for so many departments, their members-and their…
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Added by Brad Hoff on January 14, 2010 at 12:06pm —
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The Virginia task force one has its boots on the ground and they are already making a difference. Our brave fellow firefighters and the other members of Virginia task force one hit the ground running and have made a rescue! We your fire engineering are so proud of all of the USAR teams. Having participated a long time ago in the early days of the USAR program I am keenly aware of how much time and energy is required of these fantastic people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 14, 2010 at 11:27am —
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The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:
Name: Leroy Kemp
Rank: Firefighter/Past Chief
Age: 85
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 60
Date of Incident: 01/13/2010
Time of Incident: 0600
Date of Death: 01/13/2010
Fire Department: Tioga Center Fire Department
Address: 60 Fifth AVE, Tioga Center, NY 13845
Fire Department Chief: Milton Kemp (son of…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 13, 2010 at 3:54pm —
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Last year, the number of firefighter killed while on duty was the lowest it has been in more than 15 years. Ninety firefighters died while on duty in 2009, according to a newly released USFA report. It is the least amount of deaths reported by the agency since the total was 81 in 1993. Thirteen of the 90 deaths were classified as Hometown Heroes. Firefighters who die of heart attacks or strokes within 24 hours of a response or training received the designation, which was adopted after…
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Added by Brad Hoff on January 12, 2010 at 6:30pm —
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Added by Paul Combs on January 12, 2010 at 6:00pm —
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We've all seen the ever present Capital One commercials with their famous "what's in your wallet?" catch-line. Some are cute, most are just annoying, but while sketching in front of the TV one evening, it sparked a commentary twist.
I wanted to create something for the Holidays and tie in a New Year's resolution for this particular post, so I began thinking about what I may want to change for the upcoming year. I want to spend more…
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Added by Paul Combs on January 12, 2010 at 8:00am —
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Added by Paul Combs on January 10, 2010 at 6:00pm —
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From STATter911.com: There is some very clear surveillance video as a fake fire inspector makes his rounds in Bethesda, Maryland. Police say the man is using the cover to steal from businesses. Besides Montgomery County, he has hit in the District of Columbia and Fairfax County, Virginia.
here the link to…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 10, 2010 at 12:00pm —
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Does your department have a drug and alcohol policy and what is your departments policy regarding these issues? If your department has no policy how would you handle this? What are your thoughts on giving fellow firefighters another chance if they get busted for drugs or alcohol?
I think this is a good topic to discuss especially on the alcohol dependancy issues, it is a drug that kills and destroys!
Below is an article concerning several PBF…
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Added by Brad Hoff on January 7, 2010 at 1:00pm —
2 Comments
Attached is a link to a great update from the Modesto California PAO Chief Hugo Patino,
our thoughts and prayers are still with firefighter Jason Clevenger for rapid recovery. Our thanks to the Modesto Bee for their excellent coverage of this event. It's refreshing to see an organization approach event with such professionalism and integrity. In all the coverage here you see very little finger-pointing or chest beating rather you see a group of dedicated professionals who understand the…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 7, 2010 at 9:48am —
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-Abandon buildings, fires and firefighters. What is injuring us, the fact that the building is abandon/unoccupied or poor tactics?
-Take a look at this blog.…
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Added by Michael Bricault (ret) on January 7, 2010 at 12:00am —
4 Comments
So it's only been a month and one day since I had my surgeries and I've already injured myself. Today was the first day I've really got to ride my bike, so I decided to go mountain biking up in the mountains by Pine Flat Lake. Everything was okay until I took a turn too fast on a dirt path and found myself tumbling down a 30 foot cliff down into a ravine. Barely had cell phone reception to call an ambulance and half way through the call my phone died. Luckily they got enough information on my…
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Added by Christian Cossey on January 6, 2010 at 1:09am —
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R.I.P. Brother
Please take a moment to read the summary below.
USFA Official Notice
Urban A. Eck, Age: 51, Gender: Male, Rank: Fire Captain, Status: Career
Cause of Death: Stress/Overexertion
Incident Date: 12/31/2009
Death Date: 01/02/2010
Wichita Fire Department
455 North Main, 11th Floor
Wichita , Kansas 67202
Chief: Ron Blackwell
Initial Summary: While operating at the scene… Continue
Added by Brad Hoff on January 5, 2010 at 11:30am —
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I look at the Fire Engineering web page more than once daily. There are several places I go when I visit - one of them being the photo;s on the front page. I skim through and look for good things and bad. I find both (in my opinion).
Kudos' to DFD and the 9th. Battalion. This picture is great (again - in my opinion).

I don't think most departments use aerials enough for "normal" operations. Here is a straight stick, spotted correctly and…
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Added by Skip Coleman on January 1, 2010 at 4:49pm —
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