Skip to content

Archives for

See all posts in the network tagged with

Chief on Scene and In the Smoke

2 comments

Chief, where are you supposed to be?
Chief, where are you supposed to be?

 

Hey, Chief, get out of the way.  I applaud the effort and the fact that you want to go get it, but we need you back away so you can keep a watchful eye over your guys.

Every chief has had the urge to get a little smokey every now and then, but we need to know our responsibility.

First of all, this chief is also close to the IDLH, breathing that smoke is not good for you.  Although the fire is vented out the roof, we could still see a flash fire out the front door where the chief is standing.

Second, we need him commanding or doing the function he was assigned.  Nothing wrong with an aggressive chief, but remember your safety and tasks.

We all have been here, nobody is exempt. Remember, you set the example, so try to stay out of these situations.  Again, this is just a picture and this guy may have only been there for 10 seconds, but that might be all it takes.

Stay safe and be careful out there.  No offense chiefs, I have to include you in these posts too.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , ,

More From Arizona–Yikes!

2 comments

Here is more on the situation in Arizona.  I have attached the letter from the Fire Marshal.

Things are getting crazy out there.  Be careful and we  need to rally the troops and fight these cuts.  Some of these programs are crucial for training and resources.

 

AZbudgetannouncement[1]

 

Read this letter, it is frightening what is happening.

Stay safe and be careful.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, firefighter-safety-health, funding-staffing • Tagged: ,

If It Keeps Tripping, Just Tie it Down

No comments
Ingenuity never killed anybody right?

Ingenuity never killed anybody right?

Who can identify what is wrong here?  It should be pretty obvious and this is one reason we need to look at the panel boxes when we do our inspections.

First, there is not 36 inches of clear working space. But, that is not the kicker.

The great thing here is that the person must have gotten tired of tripping the breaker so he just tied it “Open.”

I have to admit, I haven’t seen this one before, but, you just never know what you will find out there.

This will definately cause an over load and could easily cause a fire. If the breaker is tripping then something is wrong to begin with.

Be diligent and remember the small things count. Check those panel boxes.

Stay safe, train hard.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, fire codes, firefighter-safety-health, inspections • Tagged: , , , , ,

Bulging Walls

2 comments

The integrity of this building is already compromised.
The integrity of this building is already compromised.

This is the type of thing you would want to note on an inspection or pre-plan.

If you had a working fire inside this building, getting a view from all sides would be important to find something like this.

This is telling you that this building is already under stress and if attacked by fire it could fail faster than expected.

You might notice smoke pushing from this or even fire. The important thing is to keep it in mind if crews are working inside or even on the exterior.

Just another example of the need to keep your eyes open on inspections, pre-planning visits and on the workers.

The photo was found at brotherhood trainings website. Check them out at http://brotherhoodinstructors.com

As always, stay safe and be careful.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, inspections, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , ,

Fire Stopping Penetrations Part 1

1 comment
What's Good for One is Good for the Other.

What's Good for One is Good for the Other.

This is a great picture of how fire stopping is done.

As you can see, one penetration has been fire caulked while the one right next to it has  not been.

Many times each subcontractor will be responsible for doing his own fire stopping.  This at times will get confusion for some generals as to who has done what.

On other occasions, this may be an existing building that a new utility was added to and nobody bothered to do any fire stopping.

When accepting fire stopping make sure that the product and the application are compatible with the proper UL listing.  Each manufacturer has different products and applications, but they need to meet the appropriate UL listing.

In addition, depending on what type of occupancy this is, those wires may need to  be plenum rated.  Ask for specifications and ensure that the materials being used are appropriate.

Stay safe and I will be posting more on fire stopping.  It is crucial in keeping fire travel to a minimum.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, fire codes, fire stopping, fire-prevention-education, fires, training-development • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,