Friday, May 16, 2008
The 4th Element
By Jeremy Keller
The three Es of wildfire mitigation and prevention are joined by ecosystem management....
Data-Driven Decisions
By David Katz
On-site weather-monitoring devices can provide critical information to an incident scene....
They Didn't Stay Home
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
Yesterday's gathering at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom in Chicago was a little late getting started, but once it began, even the small children were quiet....
Tactics Trade
By Bob Galvin
Sharing the critical information contained in preplans can go a long way toward fire and police cooperation....
Collaborative Response
By Dave Hanneman
Effective Unified Command, from the agencies' leadership down to the individuals, begins with relationship-building....
IMT Tackles Katrina Refugee Shelter
The Sandman's Northern Rockies Incident Management Team supported a Hurricane Katrina shelter operation in Levi, Texas, from Sept. 25 to Oct. 7. A coordinated...
Seven Days in May
By Tom Rolinski
For more than a century, the suppression of wildland fires occurring on federal lands has been the responsibility of several agencies, including the U.S....
Standard for Cover
Dick Mangan
Into the Firestorm, a four-part series on the Discovery Channel, offered the public an inside look at the world of the wildland firefighter. It followed...
Federal Response to Katrina Reviewed
The White House has released the administration’s report and recommendations on the federal response to Hurricane Katrina....
Stop the Presses
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
This week's headline news: The response to Katrina really was a disaster. I realize that the federal government is a bureaucracy operated by opposing parties, where trying to make changes is like a committee trying to teach an elephant to roll over. But will we ever be able to say the nation is "prepared"? ...
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Dick Mangan
They say that as you get older, time moves faster. I'm becoming a real believer in that statement it hardly seems possible that we are already into 2006....
20/20 Foresite
By Paul Keller
You know the old adage about how there are only two things certain in life death and taxes? If you're a wildland firefighter, add one more to the list....
Virtual Aide
By Roger C. Huder
The days when every department could afford a fireground aide are ending, but software can be a good substitute.?...
Surviving the Storm 
New Orleans Fire Superintendent Charles Parent talks about what went right and wrong during Katrina and how the department is recovering....
Positive Reinforcement
By Kriss Garcia & Reinhard Kauffmann
Though they’ve been around for 50 years, departments still have questions about the use of ventilation fans in firefighting operations. This primer may help....
Real Fixer-Upper
By Gary Morris
FEMA faces the hard task of repairing its damaged reputation. It’s time for someone at the agency to listen to the fire service’s voice of experience....
Fireground Succession
Bill Sager
As longtime incident commanders retire, institutional knowledge becomes hard to come by for officers making their way up the ranks....
Crime Scenes Need Sense, Not Heroics
By John Linstrom
Many jurisdictions are finding that their personnel are responding to more and more crime scenes, but their training is not meeting the task....
Gift of Security
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
December ends the year with enough deserved holidays for just about everyone to enjoy. The past 12 months have been long and tough for many....
Mitigation Maestro
A longtime proponent of preparedness, James Lee Witt weighs in on what the future should hold for the Federal Emergency Management Agency....
Need for NIMS
By Marko Bourne
The National Incident Management System is intended for all disasters, regardless of cause. Its use allows response assets to come together seamlessly....
Roll Up Your Sleeves
Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
Learning and the Leader
Mike DeGrosky
However, I do know the traits that have traditionally described in the fire service rugged individualism, unilateral decision-making and directive supervision...
Shall We Play a Game?
By Roger C. Huder
No amount of planning can help prepare for major incidents if those plans are never practiced by those who will be in the trenches....
The Power of Positive Pressure
By Kriss Garcia & Reinhard Kauffmann
Despite numerous successful tests of blowers' effectiveness during initial attack, many fire departments use them only for post-knockdown operations....
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