The United States Fire Administration has released a new technical report that examines the impact of extreme weather and natural disasters on the fire service and the types of service calls most likely to arise as a result of these disasters. "Fire Department Preparedness for Extreme Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters" also addresses equipment and planning needed for departments to be prepared. Safety, mutual aid, shift management, resource identification, logistics and other related issues are discussed, along with examples from case studies of fire departments that have first-hand experience dealing with extreme weather and natural disaster problems.

"Firefighters continue to be called upon to respond to many types of incidents, disasters, and situations — in all kinds of weather, day and night," said U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade. "Our country's fire service is an amazing cadre of specially trained individuals whom the public relies on during emergencies — including extreme weather and natural disasters. This requires all firefighters to be prepared to respond in the most challenging conditions."

This report comes just in time for the National Preparedness Month in September.

The full report can be downloaded here.