FDNY members and Firefighters from all around the country constantly repeat similar tasks during a regular work tour. Firefighters tend to run into the same problems during training and when they find something that works, they stick with it. There are certain items a ladder company Firefighter has kept on hand for years because they […]
It is very rare that predictions made from engineering research are so clearly demonstrated in the real world. But that is exactly what happened on February 19, 2014, when the bowstring roof structure collapsed at a CVS drugstore at 694 Burke Avenue in the Bronx. A portion of the structure had been examined as part […]
Editor’s Note: This two-part article will focus on mill construction features and fire protection in the first part. Construction features Mill, also called “heavy timber” and “slow burning” constructed buildings, generally are built as isolated structures to reduce the hazard of fire spreading from one building to another and creating a conflagration. They range from […]
On July 22, 2013, Manhattan Box 1584 was received via a verbal alarm at the quarters of Engine 80/Ladder 23. The fire building is on 139th Street, across the street and several buildings down from the firehouse. Engine 80 promptly transmitted a 10-75 for a fire on the top floor of a six-story multiple dwelling. […]
A fire in a building’s cockloft is a game-changing development and, provided the necessary actions are not executed within a few crucial minutes, could mean the eventual loss of an entire building. What may seem like a routine and easily controllable, one-room fire on the top floor of an H-type apartment building when Firefighters pull […]
At 0616 hours on May 2, 2013, Engine 63 was assigned to Box 3677 for a reported non-structural fire in the rear yard of 685 225th Street in the Bronx. While responding, Engine 63 was informed that the Box was being filled out for a second source, reporting a fire at the same location. While […]
Editors Note: This is a siebar to an article on the Metro North train derailment. See feature article. Upon arrival at the Spuyten Duyvil train derailment, the scope of the incident appeared that numerous technical rescues would be needed for extrication. However, gathering situational awareness and communicating this among the Rescue Battalion, Rescues and Squads […]
On December 1, 2013, at 0719 hours, a southbound Metro-North passenger train out of Poughkeepsie, New York, en route to Grand Central Terminal, derailed just north of the Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Station in the Bronx. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported the train’s estimated speed of 82 mph, around a sharp, 30-mph curve, as […]
FDNY carries a variety of gasoline-powered equipment that is required to be operational at a moment’s notice. Condition of both tools and fuel–especially ethanol-blended fuel–is extremely important. The operational readiness and serviceability of FDNY’s equipment are the subject of this article. The Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 mandated the sale of oxygenated fuels in […]
Building inspection is a critical core competency of FDNY field units. Inspections are carried out for two primary reasons: safety of the public and safety of Firefighters. Safety of the public is enhanced when field units identity hazards that endanger occupants of a building. Such hazards may include exit doors that do not open properly, […]
FDNY members encounter many kinds of non-fireproof (NFP) residential buildings during fire and emergency responses or during Building Inspection Safety Program (BISP) periods. When it comes to secondary egress, Firefighters are concerned with whether the building is a multiple dwelling (MD) or a private dwelling (PD). The reason for this is that apartments within NFP […]
The FDNY Foundation is proud to announce upcoming events in 2014 that promote both safety and education and are part of our mission to support the critical lifesaving work of the FDNY. 2013 Fire Commissioner’s Humanitarian Awards Dinner honorees–Joseph M. Fortunato, Chairman and CEO of GNC Holdings, Inc. (third from left), and Howard Lutnick, Chairman […]
I was the second EMS Officer to arrive (after EMS Lieutenant Fred Desarno) at the incident at approximately 2040 hours. Lieutenant Desarno, acting as the initial Medical Branch Director, instructed me to proceed to the south excavation entrance where on-scene workers were clamoring for assistance. I would operate as the Rescue Medic Task Force (RMTF) […]
Building owners and superintendents have increased steps to prevent access, crime and vandalism to their property by installing steel gated doors. Normally, these doors lead to the rear and sides of multiple dwellings. With a much stronger presence of Fire Code enforcement, these gates usually are found to be in compliance with New York City […]
FDNY carries a variety of gasoline-powered equipment that is required to be operational at a moment’s notice. Condition of both tools and fuel–especially ethanol-blended fuel–is extremely important. The operational readiness and serviceability of FDNY’s equipment are the subject of this article. The Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 mandated the sale of oxygenated fuels in […]
