Saturday, November 21, 2009
SuperCritical Air Pack Lightens Firefighters' Load
By Mary Rose Roberts
Colorado State University researchers will use an existing device from Niwot Technologies that can cool firefighters as they work....
ReconRobotics Unveils Rescue Robot
By Mary Rose Roberts
ReconRobotics introduced the Recon Scout Rescue, a 1.3-pound reconnaissance robot that can be used to locate victims, explosive devices or hazardous materials. Once deployed, the robot transmits real-time video to operators working the incident, said David Gustafson, the company’s director of commercial sales. ...
CFD Turns Trucks into Mobile Hot Spots
By Mary Rose Roberts
The technologies installed turn the trucks into mobile hot spots that support voice, video and data transmission from the vehicles to the city's OEMC...
Electric Grid, Emergency Communications Vulnerable to Electromagnetic Weapons
By Mary Rose Roberts
Gale Nordling, president and CEO of Emprimus, recently testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology about how electromagnetic devices can be used against public infrastructure, specifically the electric grid....
Are We There Yet?
By Donny Jackson
Public-safety communications infrastructure has improved greatly since 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. But questions persist as to whether the policies and plans currently in place are adequate for another event of that magnitude....
Research Institute Unveils Firefighter Tracking Prototype
By Mary Rose Roberts
Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced a prototype to track firefighters on scene is in the testing phase and — once it is proven — will be available to the market in approximately two years....
Pass it on
By Paul Wormeli and Andrea A. Walter
A federal program aims to standardize information collection and sharing across emergency agencies....
Dress to Protect
By Donna Brehm
The process of donning turnout gear is simple — the technology and principles behind it aren't....
Infrared's Evolution
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
Thermal imagers have decreased in size and cost — but not in popularity — since their early days as a military tool....
Trend-Setters
By Ed Ballam
New features inside and out are designed to keep emergency-vehicle occupants safer....
OnSite ERT Tracks Firefighters at Scene
By Mary Rose Roberts
ERT Systems recently released OnSite ERT, a rapidly deployable system for tracking emergency personnel and equipment at a scene, said company president Dennis Carmichael. ...
Traditional Solar-Energy Systems Stay Active During Fires
By Mary Rose Roberts
Electrical wires that run into traditional solar-energy systems may present a danger to firefighters during building fire, said Patrick Chapman, chief technology officer of SolarBridge Technologies, who said they can continue to generate electricity even as a fire engulfs a building....
Mesh Network Powered by Trees Detects Fire Dangers
By Mary Rose Roberts
The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have tested a wireless environmental-monitoring system used to help first responders prepare for wildfires and disastrous events....
Company News
Pierce and Harley-Davidson raised $135,000 for National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School of Dayton, Ohio, purchases Flame-Sim software; and more....
Back to School
By Dave Plank
A new DHS training program aims to develop and certify communications team leaders....
Nerve Center
By Mary Rose Roberts
Modern emergency operations centers are changing the nature of a fire chief's job....
Central Nervous System
By Jesse Theodore
The Orange County Fire Authority uses computer mapping to coordinate the activities of all parts of its organization....
Fire Locator Aggregates Wildfire Data
By Mary Rose Roberts
Pitney Bowes' research arm, Advanced Concepts and Technologies, recently launched the Fire Locator, a software-based data aggregator available to the public and public-safety agencies....
Can-Do Decon
By James Careless
Departments demand top performance from their decontamination facilities and chemical-identification devices....
PASSing Concerns
By James Careless
NFPA 1982 has done much to improve the quality of personal alert systems. But more changes are needed....
Teching Out IM
By Rick Markley
Tropical Storm Fay battle-tested a Florida jurisdiction’s GIS incident management system. ...
Fire Science Lab gets $100,000, Five-Year Pledge
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has received a $100,000 pledge from Chicago-based Rolf Jensen Associates to help fund a new, state-of-the-art fire sciences laboratory....
Congress Restores Funding, Passes Fire Bill
Congress passed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2009 as part of a year-end spending package....
Think Outside the Box
By Carrie Cleaveland
FDNY finds and corrects faults in the cables connecting the city’s fire box alerting system more quickly....
Katrina’s Reach
By Nancy J. Rigg
Many lessons on swiftwater and flood rescue have traveled far beyond the gulf to the federal level and to states across the country. ...
| Commentary | Special Reports | Station Style |
|---|---|---|
|
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. |
Station Style focuses on the architectural design and needs of fire and emergency stations today. See the latest in design trends and learn about the Fire Station Design Awards. |
