All Blog Posts (3,174)

Mike McEvoy's third Training Minutes video is up. It's EMS training, on treatment of chest wounds. Watch it at www.fireengineering.com/videos.





Steven De Lisi's new Haz-Mat Survival Tips column talks about getting documented training on atmospheric monitors for your department. Click the… Continue

What is it that we love about the job? What are the little things? For me it has to be the sound of firehose flaking off the rear of the rig as your laying a line into a good job. Even inside the cab of the truck you can still hear the "zip-clunk" as section after section of hose feeds off into the street. Or maybe it is the time at shift change when we all are gathered around the kitchen table. There is plenty of coffee and lots of laughter. Or maybe it is the smell of the apparatus bay. The… Continue

In response to the troubling prevailing trend of declining volunteerism in the Fire Service...oh the hell with that...let's call it what it is, we're in trouble folks....the numbers are bad, the kids aren't signing up and the current membership is aging at a rate that almost guarantees the death knell for Volunteer Fire Departments.

What to do? I've created and have almost completed writing a program that my organization (The Firemen's Association of the State of New York...aka FASNY)…

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This chart…

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I believe that the day I stop learning is the day to quit this job. I'm looking for anyway to increase my knowledge in all subjects pertaining to the fire service. If you have any ideas please let me know.

I have been fortunate to be associated with so many great firefighters in my fire service career and it seems only natural that this site would further enhance that experience. In a recent blog post, I asked for information on response safety for a report I am working on for the Indiana SAFE Fire Service Initiative [This initiative is modeled after the 16 Life Safety…

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I am the IFIA [Indiana Fire Instructors Association] District 6 Representative and am at the service of the 13 counties within my District. Many of the fire schools in Indiana…

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A year from now, what will this fire training community be like? Will we use to promote our profession, our lifestyles as firefighters? Or, will it slowly turn into a second thought as the novelty wears off of it? When I joined I was number 76 or so, as of this post there are 389 members, what will it be like at 1,000 members, 10,000 members, or even 100,000 members. So far it has turned out quite good. With just a few keystrokes I can interact with leaders in the fire service. I can network… Continue

A common practice in the fire service is to allow firefighters to work in a position that is above the position they currently hold. Every department has a different phrase for this, such as: riding out, working out of class, working up, or even wearing the big pants. As fire officers we have to be sure that those that fill-in for us are capable of doing the job. The best way to set these firefighters up to succeed is to provide them with the training, support, and encouragement they… Continue

The first 5 min of an incident is the most critical yet that is when you hear the most unnecessary radio traffic. Thinks before you speak on the radio. Is what your going to say going to have an impact on the incident or is it something that can wait.

When things go bad on the fire ground they go bad fast. Let the crews fighting the fire have the radio courtesy they deserve.
Something to think about!!

During the last week of February we responded to a car fire on the highway. Nothing too difficult, done a bunch of them. What makes this one memorable is that the 4X4 transfer case (located on the rear of the transmission) exploded sending fragments over 50 feet away. All of these types of transfer cases are vented in order to release pressure during normal operations. Apparently the pressure increased too fast for the vent or seals causing the case to explode. The manufacturer recommends…

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If so, join the FDIC group. And visit the groups section and create your own groups.

Fire department releases another view of January vacant building fire

You may recall the fireground video from Stockton California where the local news station reported that the chief had some questions about the actions of his firefighters on that video. The story gained…

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Fire department releases another view of January vacant building fire

You may recall the fireground video from Stockton California where the local news station reported that the chief had some questions about the actions of his firefighters on that video. The story gained…

Continue