Saturday, January 31, 2015   A new computer-based fire-dynamics study by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has helped to clarify the circumstances and violent fire behavior of a lethal 2011 blaze in a San Francisco hillside home. The fire in the multi-story, single-family dwelling claimed the lives of two firefighters.The analysis, conducted using NIST’s Fire Dynamics Simulator, underscores the importance of ascertaining how heat and gases are likely to flow in a burning building before mounting an attack.

Summarized in a report* and a video (see box), the study concludes that the failure of basement windows near where the fire began transformed an interior stairwell into a “chimney for hot gases” that poured onto the first floor, where the downed firefighters were found. Air... [ more ]

Saturday, January 31, 2015  According to firefighters at the scene on Marion Street, this was the “worst case of hoarding they have seen.”

"In over 30 years of being a fireman, this is probably one of the worst I've seen as far as hoarding conditions inside the house,” said Munhall Fire Chief Ed Pletsch.

A 65-year old woman lived at the home; however, she was not there when the fire started.

Channel 11’s Brandon Hudson reported that the injured firefighters fell off a ladder and were taken to an area hospital. Pletsch said one firefighter broke his leg and another bruised his shoulder.

Officials said it was hard to fight the flames because of the conditions inside the home. 

The homeowner is staying with relatives while the fire marshal investigates how the blaze started.

Friday, January 30, 2015  We regret to pass on to you that Firefighter Leslie "Les" Fryman, 58, of the Rosendale VFD (Wisconsin) died in the Line of Duty while responding on a run.,

Firefighter Fryman was a passenger in a tanker/tender responding to a mutual aid structure fire when he went unresponsive. Fellow members treated Fryman and transported him to a local hospital. Firefighter Fryman was subsequently transferred to another hospital where he succumbed to his injury seven days later. The nature and cause of fatal injury is still to be officially reported. Our condolences to all affected. RIP.

Friday, January 30, 2015  Caney (Kansas) Firefighter Cliff Sanders, 55, died in the Line of Duty yesterday after having collapsed at the Caney firehouse while responding to a fire call for a grass fire Wednesday afternoon.

FF Sanders was first transported to a hospital in Tulsa where he died several hours later.

This is the first line of duty death for the Caney Volunteer Fire Department. Our condolences to all those affected.

Thursday, January 29, 2015   A total of eight people were hurt in an Akron (Ohio) house fire this morning. When companies arrived, they had working fire conditions. Three civilians were rescued by the members and were taken to local hospitals with one woman was badly burned, while another man and woman sustained smoke inhalation injuries.
Five firefighters suffered "minor burns" and one had to jump out of a window. Three adults, a man, and two other women, were trapped inside as the blaze blocked a stairway.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015   We have always looked at PPV as another tool-used based upon conditions, in coordination with companies operating and only ordered by command.   

UL is now testing positive pressure ventilation....and HERE are excerpts from an article on ABC7 Chicago.com (entire article link and VIDEO below) about fire fighting testing at Underwriters Laboratories:


Researchers at Underwriters Laboratories in Northbrook [monitor] the oxygen levels and temperatures [in a controlled burn] … to reduce the number of people killed in blazes.  About 150 sensors are strategically placed [two] homes, which are inside a UL warehouse.


“A lot of tactics are coming in question because while the number of fires are going down the number of deaths are remaining the same we are hurting ourselves,” said Mike Halterman, a firefighter and paramedic in Wilmette.


Not only are those firefighter deaths concerning, but so is... [ more ]

Tuesday, January 27, 2015  As we posted Saturday, Phoenix had a CLOSE CALL when some members were caught in some vented fire. The video shows one of those firefighters falling off the roof to the ground as well as the fire conditions following the venting. Check it out HERE:

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/clip/11066799/phoenix-firefighter-suffers-burn-falls-from-burning-home-during-early-morning-blaze

Monday, January 26, 2015   An early morning fire displaced three people and injured one firefighter in South Middleton Township.Citizen's Fire Company Chief Tim Yingst said the cause of the blaze, which broke out around 3:35 a.m. Sunday at 709 W. Pine St., is still under investigation by the state police fire marshal.

One firefighter was hurt when a rafter came down and struck him on the head, Yingst said. He was transported to the hospital with a neck injury and is expected to be released soon.

The American Red Cross is also assisting three people who were displaced by the fire.

Yingst said the fire started in an attached garage and totally destroyed the garage and the two vehicles inside. It spread into the home, causing moderate damage.

Crews had the fire under control in about a half-hour.  

Sunday, January 25, 2015  Five months after being diagnosed with a terminal illness and receiving immense support from the community, Jonesborough firefighter Luke Story died Saturday afternoon with his family and extended family by his side, a news release from the Jonesborough Department of Public Safety said. Story was 37.Story was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in August after doctors at the Johnson City Medical Center identified cancerous masses on Story’s liver and pancreas. Doctors gave Story three months to a year to live, and after that, Jonesborough community members rallied with emotional and financial support by selling merchandise and holding events in his honor.

Story became a volunteer firefighter in Jonesborough at age 19, and became a full-time firefighter three years later. In 2007, he was promosted to Officer in Charge and became a platoon sergeant.

“Sgt. Luke Story spent his adult life serving his community to make it a better and safer place,” Jones... [ more ]

Sunday, January 25, 2015  More than half of the 33 fire stations taking part in a survey tested positive for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) somewhere the building.The survey also found that roughly a third of the stations had at least one employee who tested positive for the antibiotic resistant strain of staph bacteria.

Professor Marilyn Roberts with the University Of Washington School Of Public Health organized the study three years ago after discovering MRSA in both fire houses she tested in Western Washington.

She designed MRSA testing kits and sent them to 33 stations around the state.

She called the results surprisingly high and is helping departments come up with better ways to protect themselves from the bacteria they contact from each other and while treating people during emergency calls.

MRSA was found in common living areas, bedrooms, exercise rooms and other parts of the fire houses.

Some departments are requiring firefig... [ more ]

Saturday, January 24, 2015  Two people, including a firefighter, were injured in a house fire early Saturday morning.
The firefighter was injured as he became surrounded by flames and fell off the roof of the house.
The home is near 11th Street and Polk Street.
There were reports that people may have been trapped inside the home.
Firefighters did rescue a woman from the home who was taken to a hospital. She thought her son was also trapped in the home, but he made it out safely.
The firefighter was also taken to the hospital.
The home was destroyed.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Phoenix-firefighter-falls-from-roof-while-battling-house-fire-289670621.html#ixzz3Pm6GW9WP

Saturday, January 24, 2015  A Richmond firefighter suffered a minor ankle injury while fighting an apartment fire in the 2700 block of Marshall Street Friday evening according to the department spokesman.Crews arrived on scene shortly before 4:30 PM Friday to find heavy smoke coming from an apartment building located near North 28th and Marshall Streets.

The fire was found to have started in the attic and crews had the scene under control shortly after 5 PM.

The firefighter who was injured has been taken to a medical center for addition attention according to Lt. Chris Armstrong with the Richmond Fire Department.

Crews will remain on scene to clear the building of hot spots. At this point there is no cause of the fire. It is still under investigation. 

Saturday, January 24, 2015  For Jeff Smith, a borough firefighter for 33 years, the blaze that destroyed the building at 81 W. Main St was “one of the biggest I’ve been involved with.”Imagine the young volunteers, those who have only been donning their gear for a few years. It’s something they’ll always remember.

Seven firefighters were inside the building when colleagues outside noticed that the smoke was changing color, from gray to a very rich black. That was a sign that “there’s a lot going on, things are starting to be (quickly) consumed, Smith explained.

And it meant the firemen inside were in danger. Immediately the universal alarm was sounded: three 10-second blasts of the air horns on the nearby fire trucks. That means, get out right away. Within minutes the second floor collapsed, the roof collapsed, and the firefighters turned to a “defensive” effort of protecting the nearby buildings, Smith said.

Every fire can be a learning experience, and that’... [ more ]