PBI fabrics are renowned for their unique combination of flame resistance, durability and comfort, which…
Issue 56 – December 2017
KIM Software Solutions – Training and competency management application to improve efficiency
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service have collaborated with KIM Software on the highly…
What’s new with… Firefighting Pumps
With the greatly increased emphasis on firefighter safety, the leading manufacturers have boosted their research…
Fighting oil spills with fire
Traditional methods for cleaning up oil spills, like collecting the oil with mechanical skimmers and…
Cancer has become an epidemic within the Fire Service Industry
Firefighters and First Responders are exposed to dangerous toxins every day they are on the…
Maritime terrorism on ferries and the land-based firefighter – Part 1
When we think about terrorism we usually associate it with gunfire and a military or…
A suit to suit
Roger Startin, Joint Managing Director of Bristol Uniforms, explores the complex variations in PPE requirements…
Stopping these 5 habits will lead to a more happy and productive life
The smoke and debris has settled. Hot spots are extinguished. The trucks are clean and…
Bigger is not always better in the age of modern lighting technology
For the last 25 years, lighting manufacturers have been in a fierce competition to out-shine…
The rural water supply challenge
Countless rural communities around the globe face an endemic problem, a lack of a pressurized…
A universal solution for emergency responders
With the world’s eyes watching devastation unfold this summer as a result of Hurricanes Harvey…
Magnolia Fire Department becomes tech-savvy with 3D printer
Prompted by a communication breakdown during a massive wildfire, the department invested in a Gigabot…
GORE® PARALLON™ System Put through its paces in training exercise aboard a German Navy frigate
Brunsbüttel (SH) Fire Brigade was one of the first services to select GORE® PARALLON™ System…
Milk powder or anthrax? Why you need a chemist in your pocket
When fire crews attend incidents involving unknown, potentially hazardous materials, Hazmat officers are called on…
College’s training center offers real-world experiences
Katie Lorenz, a field medic with Austin-Travis County EMS, wades without hesitation into an onslaught…
Firefighter fitness: A functional approach
The fireground demands work capacity – plain and simple. There’s no app for forcing doors, advancing hose lines, or hooking ceiling. Achieving optimal work capacity is dependent on your functional training, which must be dynamic, comprehensive, and built for performance.
Firefighters pride themselves on their strategies, tactics, and skills. But when it really comes down to it, being “fit for duty” is the true foundation of every successful firefighter. You may be a tactical fireground expert, but if you are exhausted after climbing a few flights of stairs in full personal protective equipment, then it is time to take an honest look in the mirror and make some changes.
High rise fires
As cities become denser the requirement to build upward toward the sky will continue. Modern…
Firefighter Mural – Oakland Park Fire Station, Florida
The City of Oakland Park launched a ‘Call to Artists’ regarding a mural project at…
Africa Fire Mission
When a wife drags her husband on a weeklong mission trip, an international effort to salvage African fire departments is not usually what follows.
To call the Mathare Valley a neighborhood is misleading. Sitting on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, it’s densely populated, extremely impoverished, and completely ignored. The official-sounding term for this unofficial community is African Informal Settlement, but most would refer to it as a slum. Almost a century ago in America, it would have been called a shantytown, or Hooverville – a not-so-subtle dig at the president who presided over the Great Depression. No one would imagine any official fire service could reach the narrow and crumbling paths that crisscross Mathare Valley, but from Nairobi – Kenya’s capital – one would expect more.
Ten time-tested truths for the future
Only 4 or 5 months ago (it seems), I was a firefighter on the busiest…