gadgetguy

I recently had a chance to visit the Middleton, WI which is just outside Madison, WI. They are combination career - paid on call dept. Only their Chief Officers are paid and the rest are on call volunteers. Their leadership does some unique stuff that to attract and retain volunteers. It reminded me of the way firehouses were used in the old days sort of like a community center. They welcome firefighters to bring their kids to the station and have extra stuff to have things there for them to do whiel hanging out with Mom or Dad. They offer cut rate babysitting and exercise classes at the station. It is all in an effort to try to help the volunteers to not take time away from their family when volunteering which helps in retention. In these days of dwindling volunteers they have a waiting list. http://www.mifd.net/mifd/Welcome.html The other most interesting thing that they do is to run their fire command vehicle first out with a ultra high pressure a/b foam mounted on a skid pack in the back to effect a quick knock down with the on duty officer. It sounds like they sort of use it like the old indirect fog attack method in conjunction with a traditional direct attack with smooth bore nozzle hand lines. It is just another tool but the big advantage is how it reduces water damage and cuts the heat down dramatically in a fire. What Chief Aaron Harris told me is that the typical size of a droplet of water coming out of the high pressure foam system is 60 times smaller than a droplet of water coming out of fog nozzle which dramatically helps absorb heat. What I read on the manufacturer’s web site was that it creates miniscule water droplets delivered at an extremely high velocity. This method to extinguish fire quickly separates the fire from the fuel source and leaves a thin foam blanket in the wake to prevent the fire from reigniting. Here’s how they use it. When they receive a fire call, the on duty command officer responds to the fire call carrying the ultra-high pressure fire suppression system. If the command officer can use the system to keep a fire in check or to begin putting out a dumpster fire, car fire, or small exterior fire, they will immediately engage it. They use the system to try to reduce the effects of the fire while their volunteer firefighters are responding, first responding to the station, and then to the fire call in their Class 1 engine. They do not use the system alone for interior attack; however, they will at times use the UHP system at a structure fire but always in conjunction with a hand-line off of a Class 1 engine. They rely on their Class 1 engine, the tools, and firefighters it carries to respond and mitigate their fire calls. They also use the system for fighting brush, grass, and wildland fires. The Chief said that the insurance companies are starting to ask questions of the larger city departments near them in Madison and Milwaukee about the water damage they see there vs. a similar fire in Middleton. Anyone else using this type of system for structural firefighting? Here's pictures of their command vehicle and the unit in the back? I also thought you'd enjoy the color scheme of their tower ladder. The Cardinal emblem is their football teams logo.

As there are many, many 9/11 memorials all over the country today. This is very moving experience at the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield in Kennesaw, GA. It gives you pause as you walk between all of them and realize each one of them signify the almost 3000 lives lost on 9/11. Thanks to all those that helped put this tribute togeother so we will never forget. http://kennesaw.11alive.com/news/news/81276-kennesaw-3000-flags-911-victims-it-all-so-personal

I was wondering if anyone read the article in USA Today about the cardiac save in MN where a dozen people or so took turns doing CPR on a guy for 96 mins and the patient is fine now walking around. What a cardiac save! http://yourlife.usatoday.com/mind-soul/doing-good/story/2011/03/Dozens-of-people-perform-CPR-to-save-one-heart-attack-victim/44427376/1

Bill KE4NFQ Atlanta

Guys, just to let you know there are multiple commercial flights flying over the Tappan Zee bridge area every day leaving from Westchester County Airport like the one I 've been on every week going to Atlanta on Airtran. Here's an example of of an ice rescue boat the West Lake fire dept has in Erie,PA. It's too small to handle the patient load of a a commercial airliner but it could make some difference when dealing with ice in the river till larger boats arrive and is something that can be used when your normal fireboats are put away for the winter http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...2200360/-1/NEWS

Gang, When I try sending a email to that address it bounces back which urban legends says has been going on since 2002.

If your dept has a aerial that has a pinnable waterway the following safety advisory should be of interest to you. A friend advised that when the waterway was pressurized at this fire and the waterway failed. It was like blowing the cover off of a straw with tragic consequences. Apparently this has happned to other depts but only this incident had the LODD so far. TODAY-NIOSH released another excellent SAFETY BULLETIN related to potential waterway failures. This report was prompted by the horrific LODD of Lawrence Park (PA) Asst Chief Mike Crotty-who recently gave his life when a waterway literally flew off the end of an aerial ladder that was flowing at a working fire. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/SafetyAdvisory05052008.html

I thought some of the members of this forum especially those with fire rescue boats covering the Hudson River or lakes might find this article and video of my former fire dept in Erie, PA acquisition of the latest technology in ice rescue boats interesting. Just when you thought you put away the boat for the winter and a rescue call comes in ... http://www.westlakefiredepartment.com/ Scroll down to Rescue 3 news 2/19/08. There are two articles and 2 videos.