Nick J. Salameh's Page

In honor of September 11, 2001, this space is dedicated to:

• The men, women, and children who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and beyond as a result of that day.

• The men and women who struggle to live today as a result of September 11, 2001.

• The men, women, and rescue dogs that responded and worked tirelessly to save lives and to recover lives on September 11, 2001, and beyond. 

• The men…

Whether you call it Vent, Enter, Search (VES) or Vent, Enter, Isolate, Search (VEIS) doesn’t matter. What matters is that you know and understand the tactic and practice it frequently to build and maintain proficiency.

VEIS is an effective method for entering a structure from an alternate location, generally from a window, to search survivable space for trapped occupants. It is essential to isolate the room…

I recently viewed a video of a warehouse fire that reminded me of how frequently I see fire departments applying residential structure fire tactics to warehouse size fires. I often wonder what the root cause of operating this way is. Is it due to a lack of knowledge, improper training, lack of preplanning and underestimating the resources required, department culture, complacency, habitual operations of doing the same thing for every fire call, or simply a…

I recently reviewed the “25 Things Probationary Firefighters Should Know and Do” in order to build a great firefighter reputation, created by fire service leaders Frank Viscuso (retired Deputy Chief, Town of Kearny Fire Department) and Michael Terpak (retired Deputy Chief, Jersey City Fire Department). I’ve seen similar lists that frequently address the probationary firefighter, but what about the rest of us? Shouldn’t there be a similar list for…