CPR Performance Counts

Quality Improves Survival
A monograph sponsored by the CPR Improvement Working Group and published by Elsevier Public Safety. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the U.S., and the quality of CPR delivered has a direct impact on ROSC. This monograph alerts health care professionals to the disparity between how they perceive their performance and their actual CPR performance; and the role that retraining, monitoring and feedback play in the delivery of quality CPR.

Quality Makes the Difference
Fifty years after the introduction of CPR, we clearly know that immediate, uninterrupted and properly performed CPR saves lives. We know how to do CPR; now we must close the gap between knowing how to do CPR and the way we actually perform CPR. Providers now have more opportunity than ever to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The focus must shift from “Do CPR” to “Do CPR right.”

A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT-P | Bentley J. Bobrow, MD | Marion Leary, RN, BSN

Perception vs. Reality
An international survey of health care providers to assess 1) provider perceptions of their CPR knowledge and ability, 2) recall of recent CPR performance, 3) adoption and implementation of CPR Guidelines, 4) attitudes toward the importance of CPR, 5) perceptions of CPR training and quality improvement, and 6) level of awareness and experience with CPR measurement and feedback systems.

Robert E. O’Connor, MD, MPH

The Science of CPR
Although CPR has been used for many years in conjunction with other resuscitation interventions, recent studies demonstrating the reality of its use in clinical settings and linking its quality to patient outcomes have revolutionized attitudes surrounding the importance of properly performed chest compressions.

Dana Peres Edelson, MD, MS | Deborah Walsh, MS, RN

Retraining Pays Off
Case studies of some interesting techniques and guidelines for improving CPR from around the world.

Teresa McCallion, EMT-B,

Change Our Philosophy From "Do CPR" To "Do CPR Right"

A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT-P | Bentley J. Bobrow, MD | Marion Leary, RN, BSN | From the CPR Performance Counts Issue

An EMT who recently underwent full CPR retraining using CPR feedback described the experience as “invaluable.”
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“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The impact of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is enormous, taking the lives of nearly 300,000 people each year in the U.S.(1) Although survival rates vary widely, they are still generally low (less than 10%) in most areas of the country.(2) Yet many communities have significantly improved their survival rates.(3-5)

The common theme in the communities saving the most lives from OHCA is high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Growing scientific evidence suggests that simple changes in technique, especially focusing on ensuring the proper compression rate, depth and chest wall recoil, minimizing interruptions and avoiding over-ventilation, markedly improve survival.(3-5)

These concepts are becoming better understood, but there remains a huge gap between what we know and what we consistently do. The 2005 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (6) stressed the importance of quality CPR. However, an enormous opportunity for improved translation of high-quality CPR into the everyday practice of our EMS systems and hospitals remains. This is why the new 2010 AHA CPR Guidelines (7) clearly advise providers to focus on the quality of CPR delivered throughout resuscitation attempts for adult and pediatric victims of cardiac arrest, both inside and outside the hospital.

The 2010 Guidelines also emphasize that in order to close the knowledge-practice gap and save more lives, emergency medical providers should develop a culture of measuring and ensuring high-quality CPR.

The Physiology of CPR
The goal of CPR is to optimize blood flow to the vital organs, particularly the heart and brain, in order to maximize the chance of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and a good neurologic outcome.

Effective CPR generates blood flow to vital organs until circulation is restored by defibrillation or other therapy. CPR also been shown to prolong the duration of ventricular fibrillation in OHCA victims,(8) thus expanding the window of opportunity for successful defibrillation.

CPR Quality Matters
“CPR is CPR, right?” Absolutely not.

There is a vast difference between the coronary and cerebral perfusion pressures generated by poor-quality and high-quality CPR. It is this critical forward blood flow to the heart and brain during CPR that best determines ROSC and survival.(9)

The Current State of CPR
“Our professional CPR is fine, right?” No, again.

Unfortunately, without any measurement or feedback, CPR quality is usually poor and has been equated with “trying to drive at night with your headlights turned off.” Despite the fact that CPR is a critical link in the chain of survival, it is often unmonitored and performed with inconsistent quality in both the in-hospital
and out-of-hospital settings.(10,11)

Wik demonstrated this during 176 adult OHCAs by continuously monitoring all chest compressions and ventilations using modified defibrillators programmed for CPR data collection in recently retrained paramedics and nurse anesthetists. He found the quality of CPR was dramatically different from that recommended by the AHA Guidelines. Only 28% of the compressions had a depth of 38–52 mm, and chest compressions were given only 48% of the available time during resuscitation.(10) It has been suggested that shallow chest compressions may be identical to interruptions in CPR if the compressions are not deep enough to generate a functional cardiac output.(12)

There are many reasons why manual CPR is difficult to perform, including rapidly occurring physical and mental fatigue (within one to two minutes); changes in chest wall compliance during resuscitation; prioritizing other interventions; and trying to perform CPR on a soft surface or while transporting patients down hallways and stairways, or in moving ambulances. All of these factors make hitting the proper rate, depth and recoil a moving target.(13)

These findings have spurred develop­ment of a variety of FDA-approved CPR feedback and mechanical-assist devices. Feedback devices provide rescuers with real-time audio-visual feedback, instruct them on how to deliver Guidelines-quality CPR, give them the opportunity to precisely review their performance and guide training.

CPR Feedback Strategies
Experts propose three strategies to develop a culture of high-quality CPR and improve outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest.

1. Implementation of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) program. As Lord Kelvin said in 1883, “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.”

Standardized data collection tools are now available to accurately monitor cardiac arrest and resuscitation metrics inside and outside the hospital. Some of these tools include the National Registry of CPR (www.nrcpr.org) and the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (www.mycares.net).

Monitoring, reporting and benchmarking cardiac arrests are fundamental steps to improve survival and, in some ways, are “interventions” themselves.

2. Use of real-time audio-visual CPR feedback. Feedback devices provide audio and visual CPR feedback, along with prompting, to assist providers in delivering AHA-recommended compression depth and rate, and limit interruptions to compressions. Some devices also provide feedback on chest wall recoil and the rate and tidal volume of ventilation.

There is a perception by health care providers that their CPR skills are adequate, but in reality, when CPR is monitored without feedback, that’s often not the case. Even with feedback devices, it has been shown that proper CPR performance must be continually monitored, “coached” by the feedback device and periodically corrected by the provider.

The gap between the perception of performing quality CPR and the reality of inadequate performance only adds to the many reasons why survival rates for this patient population are so dismal. A recent observational study showed that trained health care providers performing actual CPR at one urban hospital became fatigued after roughly 90 seconds and that their chest compression depth decreased accordingly over time.(13)

3. Utilization of CPR data for provider feedback and training. Although CPR monitoring devices with feedback are one solution, they should be used in concurrence with debriefing after arrest events to bolster CPR education. Two different studies, one simulation and one clinical, conducted in the hospital setting demonstrated that debriefing offered in conjunction with CPR monitoring resulted in marked improvement in CPR quality at subsequent CPR events.(14,15)

Conclusion
Fifty years after the introduction of CPR, we clearly know that immediate, uninterrupted and properly performed CPR saves lives. We know how to do CPR; now we must close the gap between knowing how to do CPR and the way we actually perform CPR. Providers now have more opportunity than ever to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The focus must shift from “Do CPR” to “Do CPR right.”

Santa's Christmas Truck

Here's an interesting video I think we should all take a look at. It's an interesting use of fire apparatus, I quite enjoyed it.

For Santa's Christmas Truck Click Here

Lightweight Wood Structures Are Becoming More and More Dangerous

Lightweight wood frame structure fires are among the most dangerous types of incidents for firefighters

By Chief Gary Bowker (Ret.)

Photo Gary Bowker Today's lightweight wood frame structures include commercial buildings which can be massive in size, creating huge un-sprinklered void spaces with the entire structure being wrapped in foam insulation.

Today's residential structure fire is not your daddy's residential structure fire. Today's lightweight wood frame structure is burning faster, failing sooner, and often doing so with tragic results, much quicker than traditional wood frame structures built in years past.

In just the past few months we have seen three separate fire incidents in Fargo, N.D, Coatesville, Pa., and Harrisonburg, Va., that have involved large wood frame apartment buildings, which resulted in close calls and firefighters being injured.

Each of these incidents occurred in lightweight wood frame "disposable" structures. As the Ol' Professor, the late Francis Brannigan taught "The Building is your Enemy, Know your Enemy." Today the lightweight wood frame structure fire is the enemy. It has evolved into one of the most dangerous types of structure fires you will encounter.

A fire in today's lightweight wood frame structure is a structure fire on steroids and can devastate anyone and anything in its path, including unsuspecting firefighters. To understand why this is occurring, we must first look at the history of wood frame construction in our country and define what a "disposable" structure is.

We must know where we have been in terms of construction and culture in the American fire service in order to understand and appreciate where we are going. Fire officers must understand the nature of the risk we face in order of effectively managing it.

Origins of the constructions
Wood frame (Type V) construction has been used extensively in this country since the 19th century for homes and businesses. During the great American expansion westward, many prairie towns were built exclusively of wood frame material.

Lumber was plentiful and cost effective but the fire problem it posed was significant. As building and fire codes evolved, Ordinary (Type III) construction usage increased for business and industrial use. Quick recovery after a fire was essential for economic survival. Most homes though continued to be built of wood frame construction well into the 20th century.

It is essential to understand that wood frame structural members used in home construction during that time period utilized full dimension lumber, which yielded more mass for structural support during a fire. Floors and roofs were typically built using a minimum dimension of 2 x 8 and 2 x 6 inch solid wood. The walls and ceilings were typically covered with plaster and lath, giving the structure reasonably good resistance to a room and contents fire.

These structures were built to last a lifetime and could survive a moderate to serious fire, generally speaking. Typical fire loads used during that era consisted mainly of natural materials for furnishings and contents, which continued into the 1950s.

It was also during this time that traditional aggressive interior firefighting operations were becoming well established or "hard-wired" into our fire service culture. However, in the 1970s, a significant shift began to occur in the wood frame construction dynamic, with the introduction of smaller 2 x 4 inch lumber use in floor and roof truss support systems.

With the use of smaller dimension lumber in structural supporting systems, "lightweight" construction was born, and has continued to evolve into lighter, cheaper materials with less mass for structural support. Less mass means quicker failure. The combustibility of lightweight building components has also greatly increased from those used in traditional wood frame construction.

The vast majority of new homes and apartments, fast-food restaurants, hotels, and commercial buildings constructed in the past 20 years are lightweight wood frame. Lightweight or engineered wood frame support systems include smaller than 2 inch dimension wood products that are not solid lumber.

Glued and finger-jointed wooden trusses, and Truss/Joist I-Beams (TJIs) made of wood chips or particle board that are pressed together with combustible adhesives to eliminate waste, are commonly found today.

In addition most of these newer wood frame structures are wrapped in synthetic insulating material, which adds to the fuel load, speed, and toxicity of a fire. Wood frame structures today are not built to last like the wood frame structures were prior to the 1970s. Today's wood frame structure is "disposable."

Much in our society has become disposable, from diapers to appliances to homes. Time is money and less material and waste is money. So it should come as no great surprise as to why this has occurred within the building industry.

__________________________________________________________

About the author:

Gary Bowker is a retired fire chief with the U.S. Air Force, and is the past fire chief with the Sumner County Rural Fire District #10. Chief Bowker recently retired as fire marshal with the City of Winfield, Kansas, a community of 12,000 people. Chief Bowker has more than 36 years of fire service experience and now teaches an associate instructor with the University of Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute. He also serves as a Kansas advocate with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's Everyone Goes Home program and speaks frequently on firefighter life safety and health issues. You can contact Chief Bowker at glbowker@hotmail.com.

Plamondon VFD Suspends Service As Burnout Sets In

The demands of Highway 63 have proved too much for another northern fire department.

The 16-member Plamondon volunteer fire department suspended service along the highway that links Edmonton and Fort McMurray on Dec. 1 in an effort to prevent burnout, said Mitch Newton, manager of protective services for Lac La Biche County.

Plamondon, about 200 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, took on sole responsibility for a 150-kilometre stretch of Highway 63 in July, one month after the Wandering River fire department suspended highway service.

In 2009, the Wandering River department had 52 calls for service on the highway.

When Plamondon took over, its volunteers saw their traditional monthly workload of eight hours each double, and in some cases triple, Newton said.

The decision was prompted by the onset of winter driving conditions and a failure to reach a service agreement with Athabasca County, which would see Plamondon alternate Highway 63 responsibility with Athabasca departments on a monthly basis.

The suspension means the remaining fire departments will be spread thinner and response times will be slower, said Arnie Derko, former fire chief for Grassland Fire Department.

Derko, who remains a member with Grassland, stepped down from the position in August after 10 years when the job became too stressful.

Early Wednesday morning, the Grassland department spent eight hours covering a collision between two semi-trailers on Highway 63. A lumber truck lost control and slammed into a tanker made to carry ammonia hydroxide.

The tanker was empty but the truck's cab caught fire. Derko said the crash highlights how regional fire departments are expected to respond to hazardous material calls when they don't have the proper equipment.

And after working all night on the highway, volunteer firefighters still have to go to their day jobs.

"You get burnout because you're not resting," Derko said.

"If you're at horrific scenes, there's other things. It becomes a lot to ask of your regular Joe to go out and do this -- to be on this highway."

Regional fire departments have mutual aid agreements with surrounding areas, and the loss of one has a domino effect on others. When Grassland is out at collisions on Highway 63, they have to rely on the Boyle Fire Department to protect their community.

Trent West, fire commissioner for the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said that's a common occurrence across the province, and is the reason mutual aid agreements exist.

He said Wandering River brought the issue with Highway 63 to light in June, and the AEMA was working with fire departments to improve volunteer recruitment and retention, and was encouraging departments to share successful strategies.

Derko said the province's efforts weren't good enough.

"They say they'll help us with recruiting, but these are small towns," he said. "Where are we supposed to get the people for recruiting?"

Brian Cornforth, president of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association, said the province is expecting too much of volunteer firefighters.

"We're struggling to maintain systems with volunteers, and they expect these people to take on all these extra responsibilities," he said. "We need to take a more serious look at this."

Cornforth said the province's 10,000 volunteer firefighters struggle to find funding for training and equipment. While West said the province has grants for emergency services and gives funding to municipalities, Cornforth said that money has been drying up over the years.

Volunteers are required to have higher levels of training for highway response than in the past, including traffic control and extracting people from vehicles. But while training costs have gone up, Cornforth said funding has gone down.

"It's extremely discouraging when you're a volunteer and you have to buy your own equipment to serve your community," he said.

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Highway+takes+toll+volunteer+fire+crew/3956549/story.html#ixzz18InN1JFZ

Bonnyville Volunteer Firefighters Walk After Safety Concerns

Workplace inspectors are in Bonnyville, Alta. Thursday investigating concerns of volunteer firefighters over the safety of their equipment.

Thirty volunteer firefighters walked off the job last week.

The equipment is old and doesn't meet safety standards, said firefighter James Sharun.

“For us to go back there is going to have to be large scale changes made,” he told CBC News.

“At the end of the day it isn't the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority that fights fires, it's the volunteers that fight fires.”

Last week Sharun wrote a letter to the fire authority board detailing the firefighters' grievances.

After sending the letter Sharun was fired from his volunteer job, he said.

The letter, signed by 14 firefighters, describes problems with maintenance or replacement of breathing gear and protective clothing.

"We got millions of dollars in shiny new trucks in our halls,” said Shrun. “We look great going to the scene but unfortunately when we get there we aren't protected in a lot of cases."

Two Occupational Health and Safety inspectors are in Bonnyville investigating the complaints.

The fire authority was unavailable to comment

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/12/09/edmonton-bonnyville-firefighter-grievances.html#socialcomments#ixzz18ImPboRo

2yr Old Rescued From Vending Machine

Girl rescued from vending machine in Pa.

Press Association Mediapoint

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A two-year-old girl spent 15 minutes stuck inside a toy crane vending machine in a Pittsburgh-area shopping center, authorities said.

Moon Run Fire Chief Paul Kashmer said the girl did not seem upset by the ordeal in the food court at the Mall of Robinson, in Robinson Township.

The girl apparently climbed up the chute into which the coin-operated crane drops prizes.

To view the video, click here http://www.firerescue1.com/rescue/articles/920605-Girl-rescued-from-vending-machine-in-Pa/

4yr Old Rushed To Children's Hospital After House Fire In Serious Life-Threatening Condition

Boy's condition upgraded to stable after house fire

A four-year-old boy was injured after a blaze broke out at this home on Falshire Dr. N.E. Friday, December 10, 2010.

Updated: Fri Dec. 10 2010 17:57:16

ctvcalgary.ca

A four-year-old boy is in hospital after a Friday morning fire in the northeast.

Crews were called to the blaze on Falshire Dr. N.E. around 10 a.m.

Nicola Lakusta, 35, was on the second-floor of the home and managed to jump out to escape the smoke.

But she was screaming that her son Dylan was in the basement and couldn't get out as flames were raging at the stairs.

Firefighters went into the home and brought out the child.

"We extinguished that fire while we were going about doing a search for the child," said Brian McAsey with the Calgary Fire Department.

"We were able to find him extremely quickly. He was semi-conscious when we found him. We were able to get him outside the building and deliver him up to EMS."

The boy was rushed to Alberta Children's Hospital in critical, life-threatening condition but is now in stable condition. His mother has been released from hospital after being treated for minor injuries.

Nicola's sister-in-law said the fire may have been started by Dillon playing with a lighter, but fire officials are still investigating and have not released an official cause.

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Elissa Carpenter reports on a four-year-old boy injured in a house fire

The four-year-old boy who was trapped in a house fire Friday morning is now out of hospital and back home with his family.

Dylan Lakusta was trapped in the basement when fire broke out in his home.

His mother Nicola was upstairs and unable to get to him.

She frantically called for help and when firefighters arrived, they fought a wall of fire to get to the boy.

Dylan was semi-conscious when rescuers found him.

He was taken to hospital in life threatening condition, but made an amazing recovery and was released Friday night.

The Lakusta's are now staying with family outside of Calgary until their home is fixed.

My Opinion

This is yet another story about how playing with fire is VERY dangerous. My heart goes out to the Lakusta's. I've known Nicola for a very long time. Heck, she used to babysit me when I was a little boy. With all the support here in Carseland, I'm sure they'll make a speedy recovery both physically and money-wise. I'm extremely glad to have seen Dylan tonight as I was talking to Nikki's brother Jason. He was standing in the doorway looking to see what Uncle was doing talking to the people in the truck, which was us of course. Now onto the other important stuff. Playing with fire can be extremely dangerous and statistics for around Christmas time show us that house fires go up during the holiday season, with the burning of fires in the fireplaces, and candles in the house. This time just as much as anytime we should be very careful of these sources of ignition. Not to mention the lighters and matches that go along with starting these. So let's be extra careful this holiday season and hopefully something like this doesn't happen again.

Bowstring Truss Collapse Reported By NIOSH

The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program has released the investigation report of a California career firefighter seriously injured in a bowstring truss roof collapse

Read the Report:
Bowstring Truss Collapse Injures Firefighter

A-Side of fire building. (NIOSH/Adapted from Google Maps® satellite image.)

On May 21, 2009, a 36-year-old male career fire fighter was seriously injured while operating in a non-designated collapse zone of a commercial structure when an overhang of a bowstring truss roof system collapsed and struck him.

The first arriving company officer reported a working fire in a single story Type II warehouse. The officer looked under a steel roll-up door that was raised approximately three feet off of the ground and saw heavy fire towards the rear of the structure from floor to ceiling.

Per department procedures, the first arriving companies went into a “Fast Attack” mode.

Crews attempted but were unable to enter the structure because the steel roll-up door wasn’t functioning and the man door was heavily secured. The department’s Deputy Chief arrived on the scene 9 minutes after the initial crew and determined that the fire should be fought defensively, however, this command was not relayed over the radio or verified with all crews.

A crew was operating a 2 ½-inch handline just outside the structure approximately 20 minutes after the first apparatus arrived when the overhang collapsed and trapped the nozzleman.

Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: scene management and risk analysis, a well-involved fire in a structure with hazardous construction features, and fire fighters operating within a potential collapse area.

NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should:

• ensure that they have consistent policies and training on an incident management system
• develop, implement and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) that identify incident management training standards and requirements for members expected to serve in command roles
• ensure that the incident commander conducts an initial size-up and risk assessment of the incident scene before beginning fire fighting operations
• ensure that the first due company officer establishes a stationary command post, maintains the role of director of fireground operations, and does not become involved in firefighting efforts
• implement and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) that define a defensive strategy
• ensure that policies are followed to establish and monitor a collapse zone when conditions indicate the potential for structural collapse
• train all fire fighting personnel on building construction and the risks and hazards related to structural collapse
• conduct pre-incident planning inspections of buildings within their jurisdictions to facilitate development of safe fireground strategies and tactics

Florida Firefighter Wins Award For Mustache

Fla. firefighter wins top mustache award Winning firefighter recently founded local mustache group to promote firefighter fatality awareness and funds

By FireRescue1 Staff

Photo American Mustache Institute Firefighter Brian Sheets is presented the Mustached American of the Year award for his contributions to the mustache and charity world.

Related Resource: Firemen with Mustaches Related content sponsored by:

ORLANDO, Fla. — America's top mustache belongs to a firefighter in Florida. Brian Sheets earned 22 percent of more than 500,000 votes to claim the title of the Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year.

The firefighter, EMT and EMT instructor from the Orlando area beat out high profile candidates including governors, journalists, athletes, movie stars and city mayors.

Firefighter Sheets was presented the award at the American Mustache Institute's annual 'Stache Bash charity benefit on Saturday.

The charity benefit raised money for cancers that affect men, such as prostate cancer. The fundraiser worked through Movmber, an international charity that encourages men to grow mustaches.

"Winning is a great honor for me, as well as for all the firemen who have served under the influence of the mustache," Firefighter Sheets told the American Mustache Institute.

"A man without a mustache — is he really a man? I believe not, considering the command presence and extraordinary power that comes with one. And this great honor tells me my beliefs are taking me in the right direction."

Firefighter Sheets founded Firemen with Mustaches, which builds awareness about firefighter fatalities and seeks to raise funds for the families of fallen colleagues.

The Goulet Award is not a "best mustache" award, but recognizes the person who best-represents or contributes to the Mustached American community.

NY Fire Chief Suspended For Testicles On Fire Truck

NY fire chief suspended for 'testicles' on fire truck. Acting on public complaints two months ago, Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick told volunteer Chief Daniel Fee to castrate the truck

By Kieran Crowley
The New York Post

NEW YORK — The mayor of a Long Island village has suspended its fire chief for 30 days - because he refused to remove a crude set of plastic testicles from a fire truck.

The item is a novelty $24.95 pair of "Bumpernuts" — colored bright blue — that had been affixed to the rear end of the rig.

Acting on public complaints two months ago, Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick told volunteer Chief Daniel Fee to castrate the truck.

But last week, Hardwick took a tour of the firehouse and noticed that while the cojones had been removed from the outside of the vehicle — they were relocated inside the cab, still clearly visible.

"The gesture was offensive, insensitive and unprofessional," said Hardwick, who added that Freeport residents "expect better" from their volunteers.

Fee, 47, could not be reached for comment.

Firefighter Charged For Failure To Stop At Red Light With Lights and Siren Going

Vaughan firefighter fined $500 over fatal crash

View larger image

Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service work to free an injured driver from a vehicle involved in the crash, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. The driver later died.

ctvtoronto.ca

A Vaughan firefighter has been fined $500 for a February incident in which a fire truck he was driving ran a red light, colliding with a car and leaving that vehicle's driver dead.

According to a news release issued Wednesday by York Regional Police, Gianmarco Solimena, 30, entered a guilty plea before a justice of the peace to one count of "disobey red light -- fail to stop."

At about 10:35 a.m. on Feb. 2, a Vaughan Fire and Rescue Services pumper truck with emergency equipment turned on was heading to a call, eastbound on Major Mackenzie Drive West.

It struck a northbound Toyota that had exited from the northbound lanes of Highway 400 and was turning left onto Major Mackenzie. The light had turned green for the Toyota's driver.

"The impact caused the Toyota to spin and then strike a light standard," police said.

Paramedics took the Toyota's driver, who was the only occupant of his vehicle, to hospital. Doctors there pronounced him dead.

The collision also left four firefighters with minor injuries.

After the collision occurred, the firefighters immediately went to work trying to extricate the Toyota's driver from the vehicle.

Police said at the time that emergency vehicles do not have the right-of-way and can only enter intersections if it is safe to do so.

York Police said the Toyota driver was the 11th of 23 people to die on the region's roadways so far in 2010.

My Opinion

This is yet another story of what we in our department have been told every time we take our emergency driving course, which is minimum once a year. Just because we have lights and siren running, doesn't mean that we are given the right-of-way. We are asking for the right-of-way to make it to an emergency, but we CANNOT take it. A red light or stop sign still means to stop and CLEAR the intersection before proceeding. This obviously wasn't done. We, as first responders, need to do our part and help, not hurt the situation. Watch your rate-of-closure, speed, and clear intersections properly. This act alone will reduce traffic accidents involving fire apparatus, ambulances, and police vehicles dramatically if we could ALL do it. We know there's an emergency, but we have to remember it's not ours, let's not make it our emergency.

Brad MacMillan

4 Firefighters Hurt In Fire Truck Rollover In San Antonio

4 Texas firefighters hurt in fire truck rolloverOne firefighter was pinned inside fire engine for more than an hour

WOAI-TV

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Emergency crews worked for over an hour to free a firefighter who was pinned inside the fire engine after it rolled over on the way to an emergency call. It happened on the access road of southbound Loop 410 near Culebra Road.

Officials say the crew from Fire Station #35 was responding to an emergency call just after 6:00 p.m. Sunday when the driver lost control and rolled the truck onto its side.

Crews worked to cut through the truck and rescue the firefighter, who was trapped in the backseat.

Chief Charles Hood with the San Antonio Fire Department commended the rescuers saying, "They were very professional, the same way as if it had been a civilian or one of their own.

"After the fact they may go back to the station and look at the devastation to the fire truck and then I think it may hit them."

Four firefighters were transported to University Hospital with bumps and bruises. The Chief couldn't say if the crew was speeding, but said there would be an investigation.

San Antonio Firefighters Injured; Ladder Truck Rolls Over During Response

SAN ANTONIO - Four San Antonio firefighters have been hurt in a ladder truck wreck when the vehicle ended up on its side while making a turn.

Related

• Four Firefighters Injured When Truck Flips
• Fire Truck Rolls Over Trapping Firefighter

Fire Chief Charles Hood says the accident happened Sunday night as the crew helped respond to a structure fire.

Hood says the four firefighters suffered bumps and bruises. All were transported to a hospital. Names of the firefighters and further details on their conditions were not immediately released.

Hood says one firefighter had to be cut from the ladder truck.

The accident is under investigation by the fire department and San Antonio police.












Fire Truck Rolls Over, Trapping Firefighters

SAN ANTONIO -- A 36,000 pound fire truck rolls over trapping a San Antonio firefighter inside.

The crew had been on their way to a fire when suddenly the massive truck flipped onto its side trapping one firefighter and sending three other firefighters to the hospital.

There were more than one hundred fire crews out trying to help their brothers after the truck rolled near a very busy intersection on the west side of the city Sunday evening. Crews were out all night long working to prop up the truck, which is a total loss, and eventually have it towed.

This all went on while traffic was shut down at Culebra Road and Loop-410 heading south. San Antonio Fire Department officials said Fire Ladder truck No. 35 was responding to a structure fire on Pinn Road just after 6:00 pm Sunday.

Fire officials said as the 36,000 pound truck was heading westbound on Culebra, it attempted to turn left onto the access road of Loop-410 when it rolled on its side.

Four firefighters, whose names have not been released at this time, were inside the truck. Three were able to get out relatively quickly; they sustained minor injuries. However, the fourth one was trapped inside for about an hour because his foot was pinned. He sustained a leg injury and was taken to University Hospital with the other three firefighters. Fire officials said all four firefighters will fortunately be okay.

Authorities believe the firefighters were all wearing seat belts at the time of the accident and are grateful they made it out alive.

"The thing about a truck like this is that there are air bottles, radios, clip-boards; all kinds of projectiles flying through the air when something rolls like this so there is a chance for things to hit you. So we are very blessed that these injuries weren't more significant tonight,” San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood said.

Both the San Antonio Fire and Police Departments are both investigating the cause of the truck rolling over.

Firefighter Struck By Unlicensed Driver

Firefighter struck, killed in crash at SC fire sceneAnother firefighter was in critical condition after two oncoming vehicles collided and were sent in the direction of the firefighters

Editor's note: Reports from multiple sources say the van Ortega was driving rear-ended a car, sending it into the median on the interstate. The car then hit two fire trucks, before striking firefighters Chance Zobel and Larry Irvin while they were tending to the brush fire.

WLTX

Expert Analysis Another tragic loss of a firefighter along our nation's roadways By Adam K. Thiel I think about roadway safety a lot; even more so on those occasions where I stop to help stranded motorists or arrive first on scene to a vehicle-related incident. While I always wear my traffic vest, carry a handlight when it's dark, do my best to position where I block the scene and place flares to provide advance warning, I know it's one of the most risky activities in the fire and emergency services. A great resource for learning how to protect ourselves along the highways and byways of the U.S. is the Responder Safety website sponsored by the Emergency Responder Safety Institute and Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association.

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — The driver that Highway Patrol troopers say was responsible for a fatal accident that killed a firefighter and left another in critical condition Saturday has been charged.

Troopers with the South Carolina Highway Patrol charged 34-year-old Neida Ortega of Sumter with driving too fast for conditions.

Sgt. Kelley Hughes said the investigation will continue, though troopers completed an accident reconstruction Saturday.

Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said Firefighter Chance Hyatt Zobel, 23, was killed Saturday as he responded to a brush fire at 2:15 p.m. near mile marker 81 on Interstate 20.

Another firefighter, Larry Irvin, was also injured in the crash, and remains stable in critical condition at the hospital.

Officials say emergency vehicles were parked on the inside lane on the eastbound side of I-20.

Troopers say two vehicles were approaching the scene from behind, when a van driven by Ortega collided with another driven by a person from North Carolina.

Jenkins said flags will continue to fly at half-staff at all fire stations.

He asked that the community to pray for the familes as well as the Columbia-Richland Fire Department.

Zobel became a firefighter in 2007 and was a three-year veteran of Engine Company 4 and worked out of the firehouse on Spears Creek Church Road.

Jenkins says Irvin has been with the Fire Department for more than three years and was with Engine Company 4 and also stationed at Spears Creek Church Road

My opinion

This story further exemplifies the NEED for traffic control, and proper scene safety. Including setting up a shadow to protect the scene. This can also be used on grass fires, not just MVC's and medical calls. Don't forget to set up and block not just the lane the incident is in, but at least the lane next to it as well. Set your cones in an angle so that driver's don't just hit a wall and have time to merge over. Giving drivers advanced warning with signage, lights, traffic control, traffic vests for everyone on scene so they can be seen, and traffic wands for the firefighters controlling traffic. We happen to have a vehicle made especially for traffic with a construction style sign to direct traffic, and has an absorbent amount of traffic cones, both of our halls have a 4'X4' fluorescent pink sign reading EMERGENCY SCENE AHEAD that we set up. We use blocking techniques with our apparatus, and when working on or beside the highway we all use high-vis vests. We, thankfully, haven't had any incidents involving injured firefighters.

Training Fit For A Firefighter

A training regimen fit for a firefighter Nov. 16, 2010 - The Firefighter Health Evaluation and Training Workout Manual is the only health and fitness manual developed exclusively for firefighters. This specialized workout takes into account both the cardiovascular strength that firefighters need to respond quickly and the stabilization provided by improved muscle strength to keep firefighters injury-free. The manual is a comprehensive twelve-month health and fitness regimen. Each month the exercises build in complexity and difficultly, so after twelve months of this regimen, you will be at the peak of your physical performance. This is a great resource for new recruits or established veterans. For more information, or to purchase the manual, visit the Annex Bookstore.

Man and Woman Charged After Kids Padlocked In Trailer

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Greenville police have charged a man and a woman with unlawful neglect of a child after investigators say they locked three children in a mobile home that caught on fire.

Related

• Deputies: Parents Charged After Padlocking Children In Mobile Home
• Three youths padlocked inside burning home, deputies say
• Mother, boyfriend charged after children escape locked burning house
• Deputies: Children Found Locked Inside Burning Home
• Retired Firefighter Radioes For Help, Saves Lives

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office said 31-year-old Angel Gilliland and 42-year-old Alberto Rodriquez-Carrera were arrested Tuesday.

Arrest warrants say Gilliland is the mother of a 9-year-old, 13-year-old and 16-year-old who were padlocked inside the mobile home.

Deputies say the children broke out a window to escape the fire and suffered minor injuries. All three were taken to a hospital for treatment and are in the custody of the Department of Social Services.

Firefighters had to use bolt cutters to get into the home and extinguish the fire that started near the kitchen stove.


My Opinion
My goodness what are people thinking these days!? If you don't think you can care for your kids, there are services out there that can take them. There are also services out there to help you if you're strapped for cash, and I'm sure you have friends that can take them for the day if you need a day off. You don't padlock them in the trailer when you notice it's on fire! I know some of the facts are missing here, but why would you need to padlock your trailer with kids in it at all? Period. This story is horrific, and shows how common sense really is lost nowadays. These parents have horrible morals and ethics, and should be psychologically tested for stupidity.

Brad MacMillan

Can You Open This Door?

Not all doors are created equal. Take a look at this door and decide how you would attack it’s integrity to force it open. There is a lot that the characteristics of a door can tell you about how it is hung and secured.

Although this seems like a very simple skill and knowledge that everyone should know, I am continually surprised by how many don’t really understand how to use forcible entry tools. I’m sure you have seen the guy just beating a door to death but not getting anywhere because he is attacking the door the wrong way.

Share your thoughts, experiences and techniques with all of us on how you would attack this door. If you have photos, post them or send them and we will post them for you.

Stay safe and train hard.

Posted by dc802 on October 30, 2010 on http://firefightersenemy.com/2010/10/attack-this-door/ Go there to find some great ideas on how to attack this door.

Responding To An Incident

During the week, a Michigan volunteer firefighter was suspended for improper use of lights and siren. Click here for the story. A good quote that we can all use is this:
""The incident you are responding to already happened, and driving like a mad man to get there will not change that. It may actually cause another unintended incident." — mjf2

Although us getting there is a priority to safety especially in an MVC and us trying to focus on the golden hour, but we have to remember that it's not our emergency. This is someone else's emergency and we DO NOT want to create yet another emergency. If it's a collision in a personal vehicle responding to the accident, we've not only created another incident, but we've lost the manpower for however long. If this happens in fire apparatus, then we not only lose the manpower, we also lose use of the apparatus while it gets checked out and repaired.

When responding to/from the hall to go to a scene, follow the speed limits and all signs, it doesn't take long and you'll have a much better chance of making it. Lights and sirens don't GIVE you the right-of-way, they are like asking for permission to have the right-of-way. Make eye contact, make sure everyone knows you're there, then proceed. Don't drive too fast for the current conditions, and although this may be difficult to judge sometimes, use common sense. If it's snowy and icy out, reduce your speed and make sure you make it to the scene safely. All of these are also included when you're returning to the hall. If it's foggy out, reduce your speed. One of the best ways to think clearly is before you even leave the hall, stop, take a deep breath, and calm yourself down. If you can calm your adrenaline down, you can make better, more clear decisions.

Be safe, and be sure you make it home safe, every time, always. Use better judgment than what's been happening lately. There have been a rash of stories lately about accidents involving responding firefighters and fire apparatus. Plus you can also have incidents involving other apparatus. Clear your intersections properly. Don't get complacent.



Brad MacMillan

Can You Buy A Hero At The Dollar Store? The Bravest Of The Brave

An ordinary day at work took a heartbreaking turn when York Regional Police Platoon Sgt. Rob Cullen was called to a home in Keswick last week. Moved and determined to honour the man found lifeless and alone, Cullen sent his story to AM640 Radio.

THE LETTER

Last night, while working in my usual role as a police platoon sergeant, we were called to a VSA . . . vital signs absent, in the basement apartment of a house just north of Keswick.

The victim was 78 years old. A retired firefighter, he had served from 1959 to 1989 with the North York Fire Department. It no longer exists, having been enveloped by the Toronto Fire Department. The victim had succumbed to a heart attack.

His small basement apartment was very tidy. Upon the walls were tons of framed photos. Pieces of history from 1940s and ’50s baseball, hockey, entertainers, and horse racing. Certificates of gratitude from the North York Fire Department, the City of Toronto, and the pigeon racing club he belonged to after he retired. He had a very organized collection of 78 rpm records from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Ella, Fats Waller . . . and he had the turntables to play them. The last album he played was Frank Sinatra.

He was very well read. Books of history lined his bookshelves, with an emphasis on Ontario and especially Toronto history. His specialty was the Avro Arrow . . . the huge limited framed edition print on his bedroom wall reflected his interest. Maybe sometime, somewhere, he saw the world’s greatest plane fly. He was a huge supporter of our troops. An article from the Toronto Sun about the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion sat on his desk. Pictures of cops and firefighters were found here and there.

But as we found out, he had no next-of-kin. As the sergeant, it was my job to notify them. I had no one to visit, no one to see. No nieces or nephews, no sons or daughters. He was truly alone.

Satisfied with what I had seen, I left the detectives and constable on scene to await the coroner, and have the body removed to its final rest. As I walked down the driveway, the constable followed me out and said, “Hey Sarge, wait up! Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Whatdya need?”

“Sarge, they’re gonna carry this guy out in a plastic bag. All the neighbours are watching. He was a firefighter for 30 years. Sarge he’s got no one . . . we can’t let him go like that. Can you find us a Canadian flag, so that when they take him out of the house, we can lay it on the gurney when they roll him to the hearse?”

7:30 on a Tuesday night. Where to find a flag? . . . Yup, the Dollar Store. The only thing open and, sure enough, they had one. Contrary to popular opinion, not everything at the dollar store costs one dollar. At this point, the cost was not really an issue. I bought the flag, and took it back to the scene.

The coroner released the body, and firefighter Robert Wilson was brought up from his apartment. Before he left the door, the flag was draped in its full glory across him, to honour the life of a man who was willing to give it at any time. For the 50 feet it took to take him to the removal vehicle, the neighbours watched in silent respect. The people from the funeral home tucked the flag secure and removed it with him. I expect it will be buried with him, too.

For a short time, the time it takes to walk a body 50 feet, he wasn’t alone. He was a firefighter, a hero. He was a Canadian. All it took was a flag to show it.

Maybe it’s time we find our heroes before their only honour comes from a dollar store.

Amy Dempsey

My opinion

I thought this was a very touching story and I send out a VERY BIG KUDOS to these officers. They did an extremely commendable thing and I hope the best for them in their future endeavors. Remember Karma works both ways everyone.

ROBERT MILLS
Lowell Sun

LOWELL - It started as a routine "box alarm," one of hundreds city firefighters respond to every year.

The automated alarm at 353 Bridge St. came in no different than any other, and when firefighters arrived a little after 4 a.m. they saw no signs of smoke or flames, said Deputy Fire Chief Michael Donnelly.

Some firefighters went to the front of the four-story building at the corner of Bridge and Second streets. Donnelly went to the side.

"I saw a person up on the fourth floor -- in trouble," Donnelly said.

Firefighters immediately grabbed a ladder and began climbing toward that man, but the unseen flames inside the building quickly grew too much for him to bear.

"Just as we got to him, he jumped," Donnelly said. "The conditions in the room became such that he couldn't stay there."

Crews immediately called for paramedics and MedFlight, but things would quickly get even more challenging.

"It all went to hell in a minute," said Donnelly.

At the front of the building, firefighters saw four people trapped on the fourth floor, and five trapped on the third floor.

Resident Kris Wilmot, 21, said he and his friend, Jeff Grigg, woke up when they began choking on smoke inside Wilmot's third-floor apartment. Also in the apartment was Grigg's younger brother, Matt, and two girls.

"Everyone started panicking," said Grigg, who helped fight fires in the Army when he served from 2006 until earlier this year. "I opened up the door and got knocked on my ass by the flames."

Grigg said the third-floor hallway was full of fire, leaving no chance for escape.

Soon firefighters would simultaneously use an aerial ladder to reach the residents on the fourth floor and a ground ladder to get those on the third floor out a window and to the ground.

Wilmot and Grigg did not even have time to put on pants. Four people were rescued from the floor above, crying as they climbed off the ladder truck.

The man who jumped was flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston in critical condition. Three other residents were hospitalized.

As other residents, some shirtless, others in pajamas, huddled inside Dunkin' Donuts across the street, firefighters realized there was still at least one man inside the building, on the rapidly burning fourth floor.

Flames towered 20 feet or more into the sky from the rear of the building, and 10 feet or more from fourth-floor windows at the side as incredulous neighbors gathered across the street.

Firefighters from Ladder 3, Engine 7 and Engine 6 climbed back into the building, one perilously rolling over a railing on a narrow balcony four floors up as he made his way inside.

Among those firefighters, according to Fire Chief Edward Pitta, was Lt. Jason Strunk, Lt. David Keene, Capt. Brett Dowling, and Firefighter Russell Fisette.

Two of them would suffer injuries before returning to the ground.

As loud blasts of the horns on an engine and a ladder truck told firefighters to get out of the building, where the roof would soon collapse, initially no one emerged from the windows.

And then one after another, firefighters made their way out a window and onto the narrow iron balcony where they had entered. Behind them they doggedly pulled a man's body.

Firefighters were unable to get the body over the balcony railing and onto an aerial ladder as flames grew closer and more intense.

One firefighter leaned forward to grab the man's hand as flames shot 10 feet into the air from a window just a couple feet in front of his face.

Donnelly said he eventually had to order his men to stop that effort, fearing they too would be killed.

And crews on the ground soon had no choice but to turn on high-pressure hoses, blasting both the flames in the windows and their colleagues with a stream of water than can carry more than 100 pounds of pressure -- enough to knock a man down at close range.

Firefighters on the ladder and balcony appeared temporarily stunned as the streams of water struck them while going from window to window to beat down flames that would return in a matter of seconds.

They straddled the balcony one by one, shifting over the edge four stories up and into the box at the end of the ladder.

The last firefighter over the railing was blasted with water several times just to beat back the flames so close to his back and the tank of oxygen strapped to it. Soon he too rolled over the balcony railing, and the weary men made their way down the ladder.

Two of those firefighters were later taken to the hospital, Fisette due to smoke inhalation and Strunk due to a back injury. They were said to be OK last night.

Flames had by then engulfed the fourth floor. The roof soon collapsed as the fire progressed to four alarms and Donnelly and Deputy Chief John Dowling directed dozens of firefighters.

The intensity of flames would prevent firefighters from retrieving the body on the balcony for more than an hour, when they later used a saw to cut through the railing and then pull the man onto the ladder.

Police closed both Bridge Street and VFW Highway as fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles filled the lanes. Soon National Grid would cut power to the entire block, killing the lights in Dunkin' Donuts and Walgreens where residents and onlookers had gathered.

Volunteers from the Merrimack Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross arrived at the scene, trying to find those left homeless or injured.

Dozens of firefighters would continue to battle the blaze from around the building for hours, some perched atop ladders even higher than the roof as dawn arrived and investigators made their way to the scene.

Volunteer Firefighter Dies Enroute To Call

GHENT, N.Y. - Authorities say a volunteer firefighter has died after his pickup truck crashed into a utility pole as he responded to an emergency call in a Hudson Valley town.

Columbia County Sheriff David Harrison Jr. says 52-year-old William Akin was headed to the scene of a traffic accident around 9:10 p.m. Tuesday when his pickup slammed into a utility pole on Route 66 in the town of Ghent, 25 miles southeast of Albany.

Harrison says Akin was pronounced dead at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Akin was a volunteer with the Ghent Fire Company.


My Opinon

This is a tragic story. One that hopefully won't be repeated but probably will. All too often volunteer firefighters responding in their personal vehicles die or become injured from injuries going to a call. Whether or not they have lights or sirens, doesn't seem to make a difference, it mostly seems to be excessive speed. We all want to make it to the call, but sometimes we don't think about the sacrifice we're making by speeding to get there. This is why we have fire apparatus. I'm not saying he was speeding, but it tends to be a going trend among us volunteers. My heart goes out to those affected by this incident, and hopefully we all learn from this.

NIOSH: Improper Ventilation Caused Flashover Death

Investigators say crews failed to recognize signs of an imminent flashover; firefighters were between the fire and ventilation points

By Ken Robinson
FireRescue1 Associate Editor

Image NIOSH A diagram shows the location of firefighters just prior to the flashover, with windows ventilated on the north, east and west sides of the small house.

Related Articles: Rookie firefighter killed by explosion in Ill. fireFirefighters, police honor fallen brother in Ill. Related Resources: Read the full NIOSH reportVideo: Hundreds gather for Ill. FF funeral Related content sponsored by:

HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Uncoordinated ventilation caused a flashover that killed one firefighter and injured another when both failed to recognize signs of rapidly deteriorating conditions, investigators found.

Insufficient staffing was also cited as a key contributing factor in the incident, as crews on scene were stretched thin according to a NIOSH report released Tuesday.

Rookie Homewood Fire Department Firefighter-Paramedic Brian Carey was killed of smoke inhalation on March 30 while assisting in search and rescue of a reported victim trapped in a house fire, the report said.

Responding to reports of a downed brother, firefighters conducting a search discovered Firefighter-Paramedic Carey entangled in a hoseline and not wearing his helmet or facepiece, and without a hood.

Firefighter-Paramedic Karra Kopas, who had entered the structure along with him, was injured in the fire and had to be rescued four feet from the front door where she said her gear melted to the living room carpet.

At the time of the flashover, firefighters performing ventilation were not coordinating with hoseline and search and rescue crews inside the house, according to the investigation.

Both Firefighters Carey and Kopas were between the fire and the ventilation source.

"One firefighter accounts heavy, turbulent, black smoke pushing from a window on the B-side after it was broken," the report said.

"Shortly after, the house sustained an apparent ventilation-induced flashover."

NISOH says the thick, black and heavily pressurized smoke that exited through ventilation should have been acted upon as a warning sign.

"The IC, and individuals working on the exterior, need to recognize this as a potential for extreme fire behavior and evacuate interior crews," the report said.

In addition, investigators recommend training firefighters under realistic conditions to indentify the signs of an imminent flashover.

"Obtaining proper training and hands-on experience through the use of a flashover simulator may assist interior firefighters in making sound decisions on when to evacuate a structure fire," the report said.

The inability to appropriately coordinate fireground operations may have been directly tied to inadequate staffing.

"Due to short staffing, the ambulance personnel were tasked with fire suppression activities, thus taking them out-of-service as a medical unit," the report said.

The incident commander, a Lieutenant, was also required to ride and operate as the officer of an Engine Crew due to short staffing.

"This removed him from his command response vehicle which would have allowed him to command at a tactical level versus having to potentially perform tasks," the report said.

Investigators also found an accountability system was never put in place and a personnel accountability report was never conducted following the incident.

As a result of the incident, NIOSH made the following key recommendations for fire departments to follow:

• Ensure that a complete 360-degree situational size-up is conducted on dwelling fires and others where it is physically possible and ensure that a risk-versus-gain analysis and a survivability profile for trapped occupants is conducted prior to committing to interior firefighting operations
• Ensure that interior fire suppression crews attack the fire effectively to include appropriate fire flow for the given fire load and structure, use of fire streams, appropriate hose and nozzle selection, and adequate personnel to operate the hose line
• Ensure that firefighters maintain crew integrity when operating on the fireground, especially when performing interior fire suppression activities
• Ensure that firefighters and officers have a sound understanding of fire behavior and the ability to recognize indicators of fire development and the potential for extreme fire behavior
• Ensure that incident commanders and firefighters understand the influence of ventilation on fire behavior and effectively coordinate ventilation with suppression techniques to release smoke and heat
• Ensure that firefighters use their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and are trained in SCBA emergency procedures.

Two Feet Better Than One For Forcible Entry?

The photographer is an early arrival on this detached garage in an alley in Vancouver, BC. What really caught my eye on this one begins at 1:55 on the video. Synchronized, but unsuccessful forcible entry on the second garage door. Sometimes even teamwork doesn’t get the job done.

Lowest LODD On Record In 2009

The annual USFA firefighter fatalities report listed 90 on-duty deaths; heart attacks remained the leading cause of death

By FireRescue1 Staff

EMMITSBURG, Md. — Heart attacks were still the leading cause of fatalities for firefighters on duty in 2009, which had fewer overall on-duty deaths than recent years.

The annual USFA firefighter fatalities report released Wednesday listed 90 on-duty deaths for the year, which the administration says is "one of the lowest totals in more than 30 years of record."

Stress/overexertion accounted for 50 of the deaths, including 39 deaths due to heart attacks.

The remaining on-duty deaths were split among various other causes like vehicle collisions, falls, and fatal injuries of other origins.

The report also showed:

• 16 firefighters died in duties associated with wildland fires, compared to 26 such fatalities in 2008
• 30 firefighters died while engaging in activities at the scene of a fire
• 15 firefighters died while responding to or returning from 13 emergency incidents in 2009, which compares to 24 responding/returning fatalities in 2008
• 10 firefighters died while they were engaged in training activities

The report points out that the death total matches the lowest on record when factoring out the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003, which counts firefighters who die as a result of a heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of duty-related activities.

"When not including these fatalities in a trend analysis, the 2009 total 77 firefighter fatalities equals the lowest number of firefighter losses on record (77 on-duty firefighter deaths occurring in 1992) over the past 33 years," the report said.

The USFA sees the low total as part of a greater overall trend in the decline of on-duty deaths.

"Over the past ten years alone, the trend shows a 14 percent reduction in on-duty firefighter fatalities but we must continue every effort to be sure that when it comes to firefighter health and safety, everyone goes home," Acting United States Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines said.

Off Duty Firefighter Saves Wheelchair-bound Woman

PUYALLUP, Wash. - A fire official says an off-duty firefighter pulled over Tuesday when he spotted a Puyallup house fire and rescued the wheelchair-bound woman inside.

Central Pierce Fire Assistant Chief Randy Stephens tells The News Tribune that the unidentified woman suffered minor smoke inhalation but was otherwise unhurt.

Stephens says the Graham, Wash., firefighter was driving by after picking his son up from school. He kicked open a door and found the woman.

Another passer-by noticed smoke and flames coming from the back of the home and tried to douse the fire with a garden hose.

Investigators say the blaze started on a back porch where a small refrigerator was plugged into an outside outlet. Damage is estimated at $70,000.

Residents Anxious To Return Home After Highrise Fire

Demetre Papadopolous and his dog Pluto were out for a walk when the fire started.

DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR

Debra Black Staff reporter

Sharon Dougherty only had time to grab her housecoat to cover the nightgown she was wearing, hop on her scooter and leave her first-floor apartment.

The 66-year-old, who suffers from diabetes and high-blood pressure, was one of hundreds residents left homeless after their 30-storey apartment building at 200 Wellesley St. E. was evacuated Friday night after a major fire.

Fire officials speaking to reporters Saturday estimated that 1,700 people were affected by the blaze, but revised that figure on Sunday back to 1,200 as they had originally said Friday.

After a restless night at a nearby community centre, Dougherty waited anxiously Saturday hoping she could get back into her apartment.

But as the day progressed it became clear it would be a while before she would be let back into her home. She had hoped at the very least to be able to go back in to pick up her charger for her scooter, some clothing and valuables.

“It just makes you confused,” she said as she waited, fretful about how she would charge her scooter. “But you just roll with the punches — whatever comes. You take one step at a time.”

It seems unlikely any of the residents, many of whom are immigrants or physically or mentally challenged, will have access to their suites over the weekend.

Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire as well as the extent of water, electrical and structural damage done to the building.

The investigation is in “its preliminary stages,” said Scott Evenden of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office. It may be many months before fire officials determine the cause of the blaze.

The building did not have sprinklers on every floor, Toronto Fire Service Commander Bob O’Hallarn said Friday. But because it is an older building it is not required by code to have them.

The fire is “probably as ferocious an apartment fire as I’ve ever seen,” said O’Hallarn.

“We really don’t know when residents can go back,” he said. “We have to assess structural, electrical and water damage. We must have a proper fire-alarm system.”

Residents of the building milled around the Wellesley St. Community Centre on Saturday, which is just across from the apartment building.

Many of them had spent a sleepless night there on cots, worrying about what was going to happen. Their gaze often drifted upwards to the charred and blackened balcony of the apartment where the fire began on the 24th floor. Nearby, on an adjacent balcony, a Canadian flag flapped in the wind.

“It’s terrible. I couldn’t sleep. I was all shook up,” said Gail Lacroix, 57.

Lacroix, sat on a scooter outside the community centre on Saturday with her little dog, wondering where she would stay until she could return to her home.

She suffers from lung disease and asthma and needs oxygen. “If I lay down, I can’t breathe,” she explained.

Demetre Papadopolous sat forlornly leaning against the wall of the community centre, his dog Pluto covered in a Red Cross blanket by his side. He had been out walking with his dog when the fire started. He said he slept on the floor of a nearby building on Friday night.

Doughtery, with a blanket covering her lap, is worried about the possible damage to her apartment. Although she lives on the first floor, water from fighting the fire had flooded through the vents and destroyed her floors.

“I’ll phone my sister,” she said, hoping she could stay there for a few days.

A team from Toronto Community Housing and the Red Cross worked most of Saturday to help residents, getting medicine, food and accommodation for those who were in need.

Some residents, however, opted to stay with relatives or friends rather than spend any time in a shelter. One resident, who asked not to be identified, stayed at the Royal York hotel Friday night because she had apartment insurance, she said. “I’m a basket case,” she said. “I didn’t get a chance to get my VISA or my meds … I don’t know what I’m going to do after Monday.”

Located in the heart of St. James Town, one of Canada’s most densely populated areas; the building with 711 units is one of the largest public housing units in the country.

The fire is believed to have started in unit 2424 where Stephen Vassilev lived. He left his apartment Friday morning only to return to find the building in flames. His one-bedroom unit was full of law books and legal papers, pertaining to a legal dispute in Elliot Lake.

“I believe it was arson” meant to destroy the documents, said the 59-year-old man on Friday night. “It’s arson for sure so that my story could not be told.”

Toronto fire officials and officials from the fire marshal’s office confirmed that the apartment where the fire started was full of “debris.” They ruled out any possibility of the fire starting on the balcony.

On Friday night many residents had been put up in the Wellesley Community Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital, a University of Toronto exam centre and a Toronto Community Housing seniors’ building on Christie St. north of Dupont St., said housing spokesman Barry Koen-Butt.

“This is Toronto's Katrina,” said John Ploeg, a disabled resident who said Friday night he would not be able to sleep on the cots he was being offered.

Toronto Fire Chief William Stewart said Friday the blaze “was nothing like I’ve ever seen in my 39-years,” adding highrise fires are usually resolved in under an hour.

However, firefighters remained on scene Saturday evening, monitoring the building for flare ups and smouldering debris, said Capt. Adrian Ratushniak.

Fourteen people were hospitalized Friday night, including three children, one of them just a month old. Three of the injuries were described as very serious. Three firefighters were also taken to hospital and as many as 10 were treated for heat exhaustion.

By Saturday evening, seven residents — including a mother and daughter — were still at St. Michael’s Hospital, but they were all “doing well and in good spirits,” said housing spokesman Koen-Butt.

At least 120 firefighters and 27 fire trucks were on the scene, which at one point was deemed a seven-alarm blaze.

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