Moving and handling individuals, particularly plus size individuals, is becoming an ever more common situation, presenting a challenge for those working in the emergency services. The ProMove Bari-kit was developed in collaboration with manual handling specialists in the Fire and…
Issue 55 – September 2017
Hazmat 2017 – Pivotal event reaches 10 year milestone, with record attendance levels
Hazmat 2017 marks the biggest and best year in the event’s history. For the 10th year running, the National Chemical Emergency Centre’s (NCEC) hazmat event brought together a wide cross-section of professionals working in hazmat and chemical incident response to…
How to choose a fan
Selecting a fan for firefighting and rescue operations, much like a hand line nozzle, comes down to ensuring you have the right flow performance for the right mission. Flow performance includes flow volume, pressure, and stream pattern. The right combination…
UKFSC 2017 – Record breaking year for the United Kingdom Firefighters Sailing Challenge
The 14th United Kingdom Firefighters Sailing Challenge (UKFSC) took place from the 8th to the 11th of May 2017 and provided another action-packed, fun-filled regatta along with a number of record-breaking moments for this annual yacht racing event between emergency…
Training for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) in the UK
USAR in the UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) has undergone some dramatic changes over the last few years. Given that the formal introduction of the capability didn’t start until after the events of 9/11, the capability has never truly…
Leicester hosts ‘hot’ competition
The British Firefighter Challenge (BFC) 2017 made Leicester its home for this year’s competition after a tremendously successful debut in Nottingham Jubilee Campus one year ago. Fire engines and hundreds of spectators flocked to Magazine Square, De Montfort University on…
Class A Foam – A force multiplier in structural and wildland firefighting
As a largely misunderstood firefighting tactic, the use of foam has at times been confusing to the fire service. The result is that many municipal brigades/departments have avoided the use of foam, especially Class A foam, and have transitioned to…
The realities of firefighting and mental health
In June, the London Fire Brigade responded to one of the most tragic incidents the international fire service has witnessed in years. In the middle of the night, some 40 apparatus and hundreds of firefighters descended upon a 24-story apartment…
The environmental impact of fire service activities
The explosion and subsequent fire at the fuel storage depot at Buncefield are familiar to most fire fighters; the issues linked to extinguishing the blaze are well versed and have been incorporated in to the training of many fire and…
Overfilling tanks: Disasters and prevention
The recent 3-part article by Shelley and Tarantino said “Overfill ground, dike, or bund fires result from piping or tank leakage. This may be caused by operator error, equipment or instrument failure.” Filling the tank to the point of overflow,…
Plus size evacuation – What is the solution?
One of the consequences of modern living with its obtundents of high energy foods and energy saving devices is that it is all too easy to consume more energy than we are using. If the human body takes in more…
Fit for action
When designing PPE for firefighters, providing protection against the dangers of fire is of course paramount. Thanks to the work of leading international fibre and fabric manufacturers, there are now several highly specialised materials available on the market offering a…
The Deadly Dozen: Twelve barriers that can impact situational awareness – Part 3
Flawed situational awareness is one of the leading contributing factors in first responder near-miss and casualty events. Over the past ten years I have uncovered and researched over one hundred barriers that can flaw first responder awareness and, perhaps more…
Supplemental evacuation equipment for high-rise towers
“Learn from history or you’re doomed to repeat it”. You’ve heard this before. I’m just preaching to the choir. Just recently we experienced another horrible fire loss, this time in London. The focus quickly centered on “Cladding”, and the media…
An unfair hand
Most of us enter the fire service knowing that danger and risk are inherent parts of the job. We know that we will be exposed to heat, smoke, and flame, but many do not realize the hidden dangers that we face far away from the fireground.
Becoming a firefighter is a choice. But it is a choice that comes with a requirement to fully commit to the higher standards that come with the profession, regardless of whether you are paid or volunteer. As David J. Soler shares in the book Firefighter Functional Fitness, “The deck of cards is stacked against firefighters and their health. When we took the firefighter oath, we never knew that our life expectancy would automatically be reduced by the hazards that confront us. Take your pick: Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, inhalation hazards, dehydration, overexertion, heat stress, sleep deprivation and disorders, traumatic and thermal injuries, psychological and emotional stress, PTSD, infectious disease, physical assault…. On and on, the list of hazards and ‘career side effects’ continues with almost no end in sight.”1
International Floodfighting Masterclass 2017
Our 2017 Masterclass in flood response and rescue techniques centred on Charlotte Fire Department (CFD) and North Carolina Emergency Management, USA continues from nearly a decade and a half partnership programme of exchange visits of first responders and managers, including…
Flood Expo – The World’s largest flood exhibition and conference is coming to London
On the 27th & 28th of September, London ExCeL will once again swing open its doors to the Flood Expo 2017 – the world’s largest exhibition & conference designed to showcase the latest innovations that further the way that floods…
Lincolnshire firefighters enjoying “many benefits” of new kit
Firefighters at a UK fire and rescue service have become the first to successfully introduce new kit as part of an industry-leading procurement programme. The introduction of new garments comes at a busy time for the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue…
The Emergency Services Show 2017 Exhibitor Showcase
Expertise and equipment at the UK’s largest event for emergency services Returning to the NEC, Birmingham, UK from 20th to 21st September 2017, The Emergency Services R UK from 20th to 21st September 2017, The Emergency Services Show offers fire…
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Balancing firefighter protection is like a 3-Dimensional chess game
The alarming rate of cancer diagnoses among firefighters is very real and very serious. What we know is that firefighters have an increased risk for several types of cancer. Fires produce hundreds of toxic compounds; and some are carcinogenic. Everyone…