Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Hoarding Dangerous to Firefighters, NFPA Reports (with Related Video)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
While hoarding can be a crippling psychological disease, it also poses extreme dangers to firefighters who may enter an inflamed structure only to find exits blocked or collapsed ceilings from the sheer volume of goods stored in unlikely places, said Sharon Gamache, program director for the NFPA’s high-risk outreach programs....
The Firefighter's Best Friend (with Related Video)
By Brad Bain and Eli Stern
It’s critical to know that an adequate water supply will be there when you need it. ...
Ford Executive/Firefighter Develops Field Calculator App
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
The app has embedded calculation tools used to determine discharge pressure for firefighting pumps, foam application rates and amounts, critical application rate/flow estimation, and pressure and flow rates for smooth-bore nozzles....
NIST Works on Codes for More Ignition-Resistant Residential Structures (with Related Video)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will use its firebrand generator in a joint, cross-border experiment to evaluate outdoor deck assemblies’ vulnerabilities during wildfires. ...
The Straight Scoop
By Ron Eilken
Scientific analysis shows that, at equal flows and pressures, there's not much difference between smooth-bore and combination nozzles....
Work Smarter, Not Harder
By Larry Marcum
Folding ladders, Class A foam and lightweight hoses all need to be components of the modern WUI apparatus....
NIST Report Details Cause, Behavior of WUI Fires in Texas (with Related Video)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
The Amarillo study is part of a broader NIST program to study WUI fires to gain a better understanding of their behavior, develop standardize data collection and computer modeling tools, and facilitate the creation, testing and implementation of innovative fire protection and prevention methods....
Unconventional Wisdom
By Ron Eilken
While many believe that smooth-bore nozzles offer better penetration and knock-down ability than combination nozzles, scientific analysis suggests otherwise....
Fire Research's Little Robot Delivers Big Firefighting Results (with Related Video)
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
Fire Research Corp. this week introduced “The Little Guy,” a prototype robot designed for large-scale disasters. The robot can carry up to 800 feet of 5-inch hose and deliver 1,000 gpm of water by remote control. ...
No Contest
By Timothy J. Paulus
Multiple studies all indicate that using compressed-air foam instead of water alone greatly improves fire extinguishment and firefighter safety....
Ariz. Chiefs Take Proactive Role at Wallow Fire
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
Because of the magnitude of the fire, the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association dispatched a representative to the Incident Command System. Not since the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski Fire burned more than 500,000 acres has the AFCA dispatched members to assist in a wildfire....
Forest Service Chief Tidwell Testifies to Senate About 2011 Wildfire Response Readiness
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
Tidwell testified that the Forest Service is prepared for the 2011 wildland fire season and is staffed to provide appropriate, risk-informed and effective fire management consistent with the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy....
A Necessary Approach to Reducing Unnecessary Alarms
By Jack Parow
It is estimated that in the United States, 10% of fire-department responses are due to unnecessary alarms, e.g., those activated because of alarm maintenance, malfunction or cooking smoke....
Pump it Up
By Doug Miller
Comprehensive testing reveals that the addition of a hydrant booster valve can increase dramatically water pressure and flow....
Preemptive Strike
By Gerald Hughes
Effective fire prevention always is preferable to effective fire suppression. Here's a primer on how to accomplish it....
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
Last month, I received a call from an assistant chief who was looking for help and information to support his pitch for the use of Class A foam in his department. "This stuff will save firefighters' lives, you know," he told me....
Making the Case
By Thomas Wieczorek and Leonard Matarese
What city managers and mayors need to know about compressed-air foam systems....
What Chiefs Need to Know About CAFS
By Keith Klassen
The use of compressed-air foam ultimately will fail if it is not supported all the way to the top of the organization. Explore what chief officers need to know about, and how they can support, the use of CAF....
A Real-Life Scenario
By Leonard Matarese
Last year, I had a chance to see, first hand, the impact that CAFS can have on real-life outcomes....
Looking Back in Order to Move Forward
By Ronny J. Coleman
The fire service always has suffered from budget woes. Learn from history to craft new strategies for justifying investment in cutting-edge technology — such as Class A foam....
Take Retrofitting to Another Level
By Keith Klassen
The durability of compressed-air foam systems allow them to be used again and again....
Light in the Dark Continent
By Bill Ballantyne
If a country lacking in almost every area of the fire service, by our standards, could realize so great a return by implementing foam or CAFS, how much more could we benefit from this technology back at home, where we already have so much?...
House of Horrors
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
Firefighters assume that the air is safe to breathe during overhaul, but the toxic chemicals emitted by furnishings and building materials may be killing them....
NFPA Research Affiliate Releases Residential Sprinkler Report
By Mary Rose Roberts
The report found that the amount of water used to fight fires in homes without fire sprinkler systems can be higher than the amount discharged by such systems....
A Penny Saved
By Keith Klassen
Actually, many, many pennies, when departments retrofit apparatus with foam systems, rather than purchasing new equipment....
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