Tuesday, December 2, 2008
No Size Fits All
By Janet Wilmoth
As the foaming systems manager for Pierce Manufacturing, Clarence Grady knows his way around firefighting alternatives to water. He served as both a career...
Permit Required
By Craig Byron
Over the last decade, fire departments and districts have assumed responsibility for an increasingly broader range of special operations. Today there's...
Command On the Go
By I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE
There is little to dispute the importance of a fixed command post, but there is a situation where the use of “command on the go” may be an applicable and effective strategic decision...
Slow & Steady
By Larry D. Donner
Changes in fireground practices — some subtle, others dramatic — have improved safety conditions, though that progress largely goes unnoticed....
Command and the 'Red Flag'
By I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE
At the scene of an incident, it’s not only important that the incident command support the operations section, tactical-level management and single resources when they are going the right direction, but also be ready to challenge their assumptions where appropriate and necessary....
Battle Fatigue
By Dominic Colletti
The war on live-fire training promises to be long, with firefighters among the potential casualties....
Wet-Suited
By Phil Turnbull & J. Michael Turnbull
Water rescues require an agency to identify needs and training levels....
All Hazards
By Timothy Butters
Firefighters once worried only about BLEVE, but hazmat response isn’t for specialists anymore....
Command and the 'White Flag'
By I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE
Sometimes there is tendency on the part of incident commanders to take “determination” to the extreme, and in some cases to the detriment of their strategic goals...
No Lone Stars
By Jeff Saunders, David Fiero & Jay Peacock
Teamwork is key for the Texas USAR Task Force that was deployed more times last year than it had ever been before. ...
Get Distracted, Impede Command
I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE
Though the actions of any other single person rarely determines the outcome of an emergency incident, the actions of the incident commander have greatest potential to affect that outcome. A tremendous amount is riding on every decision that the incident commander makes, including the very survival of both customers and responders. ...
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....
It Needs to be Written
I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE
No Messy Cleanup
By Gordon Lohmeyer
HAZWOPER identifies necessary elements and training competencies for emergency response plans. Make the most of its recommendations in your training....
Tough Lessons
By Grady E. McCright
Rash decision-making when a police officer or firefighter is wounded could be fatal to would-be rescue and medical crews....
Command Presence
I. David Daniels
In the world of performance art, top performers are said to have “stage presence," that certain something that distinguishes those who can captivate the attention of an audience from those who put the audience to sleep. Similarly, “command presence” is an important quality for an effective incident commander, in that it inspires confidence in those that work with the commander, while providing the high level of strategic effectiveness. ...
Take Full Advantage of Fire's Diamond Time
By Ronny J. Coleman
There’s a 10-minute window after we arrive on scene that really determines whether we’re going to make a difference in the outcome of a fire in a structure. ...
Breathtaking Tech Detects Disease
By Douglas Page
Exhaled breath may soon be all responders need to detect infection rapidly after potential exposure to a biological warfare agent....
Seeing Is Believing
By Douglas Page
Hazmat cam gives incident commanders a full view of the hot zone....
Non-Linear Incident Management
I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE
There have been many news stories about the confusion surrounding all levels of the response to Hurricane Katrina. Much has focused on how the response phase of the incident was managed. One new perspective in the National Incident Management Systems is the concept that an incident management is more than just an incident-specific system. Effective incident management is a multi-phased approach that doesn’t necessarily begin or end with the incident itself....
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....
Watery Save
By Jon Jelle
Record-setting rainfall caused floods and mudslides and placed this Southern California county in a state of emergency. Fortunately, the fire and sheriff's departments had two highly trained swiftwater teams already in place....
Industry Knowledge
By Scott Dornan
Texas City, Texas, was a booming port town of 18,000 that offered good jobs in refineries and chemical plants, which had occasional fires and explosions....
Where Is Your Command Post?
I. David Daniels, MHRM, MIFireE
Where you locate your Command Post has an important role in the effectiveness of command. ...
Rapid Results
By Jeffrey Pindelski & Michael Mason
The need for rapid intervention teams on the fireground is here is to stay. Their deployment has led to the successful rescue of numerous firefighters....
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Mutual Aid is a blog of news and views from FIRE CHIEF staff and industry experts — a virtual conversation about the issues important to you as a fire service leader. |
In Service provides information on fleet management, apparatus specifying and maintenance. Keep abreast of new trends and changes to emergency vehicle apparatus. |
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