Featured Blog Posts – November 2012 Archive (7)

Please read the short note I recieved this morning and call Bob if you can help

Good morning Chief Halton,

I am retired Battalion Chief Bob Mauck who is a subscriber to your newsletters, etc. I am writing today to submit a special request to Fire Engineering.com. I spent two weeks in NJ and NY as a part of the initial response to hurricane Sandy. My great friend and response team partner is now in the area as a Safety Officer. To say the damage and devastation is…

Now that I have your attention, it is time we speak about buckling up. Before your attention wanes because you think this is yet another fire service writer imploring you to wear your seatbelt, realize that I do not wish to speak of seat belts in this post. I do wholeheartedly agree with wearing a seat belt on the apparatus, but that is a subject for another day. Take a look at the photos below, and I want you to take in the stark difference between the two.…

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family - may it be a joyous and safe time! Keep less fortunate friends and loved ones in your prayers and be thankful for everything in your life.



...just beware of the canned cranberries!!

Click link below to see more of Paul's work or to order prints:…

Bleeding the Line

Many habits are formed in the academy and on the drill ground.  Some of these habits are good and some not so good.  We try to create a realistic scenario and environment as much as possible during drill.  Due to many constraints we are faced with the need to adjust what we would or should really do because “this is only a drill.”

Firefighters are taught very early on to open the bale, bleed the air and check the…

From the time the alarm sounds, stresses begin to deteriorate our abilities to function as we do normally. The alarm itself kicks off an acute physiological response which immediately reduces cognitive and physical abilities. We pile on gear which restricts our movement, retains heat, and weighs down our body. The trip to the alarm in the rig is exciting; sirens, the smoke column, and radio traffic continue to ramp up emotion. Now we arrive to find the ball is set in motion; firefighters are…

Has your fire department ever found it necessary to “commandeer” equipment in order to mitigate an incident?

Does your state laws allow in specific circumstances for a representative of the fire department, at the direction and command of a fire department’s ranking officer to take public control of private equipment with legal immunity should that action cause negative reverberations?

Is your fire department willing to go beyond that threshold where it becomes more important…

This photo shows a way to make an SCBA face piece for your RIT bag/kit glove friendly. You can use a garden hose or any kind of rubber tubing or hose that would be easy to grab with a gloved hand. We used a small bungee cord and ran it through the bonnet and attached both ends to the hose. This allows for easy feeling and grabbing the back of the mask with gloved hands.…