National Safety Culture Change Initiative: Study of Behavioral Motivation on Reduction of Risk-Taking Behaviors in the Fire and Emergency Service Developed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs through a partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration {Excerpts} Controlling and extinguishing hostile fire comes at a great cost to human life and secondarily at great financial […]

Captain Patrick “Paddy” Brown, FDNY Remembrance, One of Many Stories: One of the 343… On September 11, 2001, Captain Patrick Brown and eleven men from FDNY Ladder 3 responded to the attacks at the World Trade Center. His firehouse, Ladder 3, is located in very close proximity to the Twin Towers so his was one […]

As we quickly approach a time when much of the fire service leadership will be retiring we are destine to face the loss of great leadership in the fire service. This could prove to be a tragedy for our profession or we can make it a positive bench mark. A lot is going to depend […]

Join me on Wednesday evening 7/22/15 at 7:30pm for the next edition of Fire and Training on Fire Engineering Talk Radio. Joining me will be colleagues Chris Naum and Joe Pronesti as we explore Training and Operations for Today’s Main Street fires. The discussions will include building construction, renovations or lack thereof, structural stability, re-appropriated […]

Join me Friday April 24, 2015 at 8:30 am in Room 101 as we take an in-depth look at training today’s fire service and the rolls of “Back to the Basics” plays.  We will be taking an in-depth look at the incorporation of science, street training and what our history shows us.  If you are […]

Webinar: National Hydrogen Safety Training Resource for Emergency Responders Date: March 24, 2015 Time: Noon to 1 p.m. EDT The Energy Department’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office announces the launch of a new online national hydrogen safety training resource for emergency responders. Developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the California Fuel Cell Partnership, the […]

Take a look at this interior shot of the following occupancy:

The First-Due: We predicate with certain expectations that fire will travel in a defined manner in a building.

  Taking it to the Streets and Reading the Building: Side by Side   Today’s Street view and Reading the Building opportunity is focused on a large building complex. At first glance it looks like one BIG building. However, closer scrutiny reveals there are three (3) building occupancies sharing common party walls. What gives you […]

What at the Projected Operational Risks? Do they Matter? Photo:CJ Naum, 2013 Taking it to the Streets Vacant, unoccupied, abandoned and derelict buildings continue to challenge emergency response companies at incidents. It’s the buildings of Heritage ““ masonry construction with Heavy Timber, Mill, Semi-Mill or Ordinary Construction systems of three to six to eight story […]