Fire and rescue personnel and industrial brigades from around the world are invited to this year’s free-to-attend Emergency Services Show. Returning to Hall 5 at the NEC, Birmingham, UK from 20th to 21st September 2017, the growing event gives visitors…
Issue 54 – June 2017
FSI North America® – Review and update your decontamination shower systems capability
The attacks of 9-11 seem like just yesterday in the minds of most in the fire service. Yet it was 15+ years ago. Those attacks prompted budgeting authorities worldwide to spend significant funds to upgrade, modernize, and improve the capabilities…
Fire Raiders Limited – Proudly African, South African born and bred
Fire Raiders manufacture a comprehensive range of fire-fighting and crash rescue vehicles innovatively designed to meet the specific requirements of the unique African fire and rescue vehicle market. Additionally they are key agents for the supply of some of the…
What’s new with… Firefighting vehicles
With the greatly increased emphasis on firefighter safety, the leading manufacturers have boosted their research and development efforts to provide the end user with the safest, most efficient and reliable firefighting vehicles. In this Buyer’s Guide we highlight the latest…
Agility Technologies Corp – The first live streaming 360° technical rescue camera
Agility Technologies Corporation (ATC), was established with an ambitious mission to put the “Tech” back in Technical Rescue by harnessing recent advances in technology and building practical rescue solutions. ATC founders’ combined over 30 years of experience in the development…
Solar panels and the DC danger zone – reducing risk factors – Part 2
In Part 1 of this article featured in the last edition we discussed the rise of solar energy from a cottage industry just a few decades ago to becoming a genuine mainstream electrical source. We discussed how legislation, safety and…
Firefighter mental health, resiliency, and ensuring you are mentally fit
PTSD. This acronym, slight and neat, has wreaked havoc upon those it afflicts. “I thought I was stronger than this”. This small, world-destroying statement is not something that is uncommon to hear. Due to the strong “hero” image within the…
Rescue drone awareness and its impact on emergency response
The potential for drone technology in the realm of emergency response is undeniable and truly exciting. However, this technology is failing to meet its true potential through inaccurate purchasing decisions and ill-informed best practices. It has long been known that…
Air cargo – the dangers within…
So, there you are, sitting with your watch in the crew room after a quiet day, with nothing more exciting than an overheating hand dryer in the airport terminal to deal with. Your shift is almost finished and your thoughts…
Special vehicles manufacturing from Poland
Special purpose vehicles are to be customized as much as possible. Unlike general purpose vehicles either personal or trucks firefighting and rescue units must fulfill very specific needs. They depend not only on the region and country, laws, certificates, regulations…
TERC USA – Transportation Emergency Rescue Committee
TERC is dedicated to providing todays emergency rescue personnel with the latest innovations, technology, and education in auto extrication and patient removal, through hands-on training and sanctioned extrication challenges. TERC – USA is an IRS registered 501 (c) 3 Not-…
Fire Chief speaks of plight to fight illicit waste
Over recent months Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has faced significant operational demand at waste fires and high risk waste sites around the county. The problem is not unique to the county and the scale of the wider national…
Train the brain: Clean gear could save lives
The grim statistics don’t lie: 68% of all firefighters develop cancer. These heroes use their education and training to assess dangerous situations and make split decisions that save lives, but are we overlooking critical education that could save theirs? To…
The British Firefighter Challenge 2017
A new event involving Firefighters testing their skills and fitness to the limit started last year in the UK. The British Firefighter Challenge was born after a group of friends, who competed in similar events across the world representing Great…
Mini pulley systems – a rope-rescuer’s multitool?
There’s nothing new about pulley systems that are small enough to put in a bag and take anywhere. They were being used in rescue in the 80s but they have seen a renaissance in recent years culminating in some of…
Cancer and the firefighter – how decontamination showers can help
Over the years the incidence of cancer among firefighters has been shown to be far higher than that of the general populace, and the studies and proof of same can be found the world over. The following are taken from…
Virtual reality technology is within fire department’s reach
New developments in technology have brought the capability for all fire departments to utilize immersive virtual reality. This equipment costs significantly less than what previous forms of virtual reality hardware cost, and has brought the technology within grasp of fire…
Tactical principles and techniques to optimize firefighting in tunnels
Tunnel fires are rare incidents, but they may have severe consequences: a lot of people can be affected. Seen from the fire service’s point of view, the risks in tunnels mainly result from the long distance between the safe area…
The Deadly Dozen: Twelve barriers that can impact situational awareness – Part 2
The research I have conducted over the past ten years has focused on the barriers that impact first responder situational awareness and subsequently contribute to errors in decision making. There are more than one hundred potential barriers to awareness. In…
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Expectations and a higher level of standards
When I joined the fire department, I held many expectations of how it was going to be in the fire service. What it would be like as a firefighter, my duties and responsibilities, the situations I would find myself in,…