Brian D Butler's Blog (8)

DEALING WITH METAL AWNINGS

Have you ever tried to ladder a building in the 'middle of the row' with metal awnings over the porch and every window? If so, you know what a real pain in the a** it can be. Whether aerial devices or ground ladders, metal awnings can complicate proper ladder placement when the…

Photos by Brian Butler/Rob Dooley

A few years ago while doing a fire preplan at an old parking garage downtown in our first due, we discovered the seven deck parking garage had no standpipe. So every year, we conduct a training exercise to make our own standpipe. There are several methods to deliver water to an upper deck…

Photo by CDC

Part 2 of basement fires will branch out to cellars and basements in commercial taxpayers, garden apartments, brownstones, rowhomes, and structures on slopes and hills. For part 1, click here.

Obviously, there are some similarities between residential and…

Photo by Steve Barnes / Times Union

Fires in parking garages are rare incidents, which is why we should prepare for them by conducting fire preplans. A vehicle fire inside of a parking garage may seem like a simple job, until you arrive to find two cars burning on the top deck under solar panels with no standpipe, or an O.O.S (out of service) FDC.   

Most fires in parking garages are burning vehicles. These PG fires can be…

Photo by Brian Butler

Every minute of the day brings the potential for a machinery rescue response. Think about it, how many vehicle extrications are there in the U.S. every single day? How many rings are cut off by rescue companies and emergency room personnel every single day? How many kids get their fingers stuck in toys, bicycle parts, or their head stuck between railings every single day? If we put vehicle extrication aside,…

By Brian Butler

We are currently starting to see more photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roofs in urban area housing, especially in New Jersey which has the most solar panels per square mile in the U.S.  PV solar panels will be problematic when performing roof ventilation and ladder placement. In addition, the panels are always energized and their added…