On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Valparaiso firefighters worked to contain a fast-moving inferno that destroyed at least 200 homes and which the mayor described as intentionally set. The wildfire started on the outskirts of the city and spread due to strong winds and dry conditions as Chile continues to suffer through its worse drought […]
A 33 year-old man allegedly kicked his way through a glass door early Friday morning at a Manhattan Jewish university residence hall and started three separate fires using matches meant for lighting a Hanukkah menorah as students were sleeping. Fire department officials said the blazes were quickly brought under control and there were no injuries […]
The California Highway Patrol has set up a task force to investigate a rash of attacks on moving vehicles on two freeways since February. At least 61 incidents have occurred on Highways 101 and 156 in Monterey County this year, including five in six minutes this past weekend. Only minor injuries have been reported from […]
A Florida man attempting to rob a jewelry store last week injured a worker there when the ricochet from a shot he fired hit her in the head. The man fled the store while being fired upon by the owner and an employee. During the escape, the man and his partner abandoned their rented van […]
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 […]
When Craig Fugate became Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in May 2009, he pushed his organization to change their disaster response to “go big, go early, go fast and be smart.” Not surprising that with a firefighting background, this motto was adopted from best practices of fire departments. On December 13, 2013, […]
Editors Note: This is part of a 4-Part Series entitled Man in the Mud. See feature article. 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 […]
Editors Note: This is part of a 4-Part Series entitled Man in the Mud. See feature article. By prior arrangement, on the evening of March 19, 2013, I was at Fire Department Headquarters. The initial call for a construction worker trapped in the Second Avenue subway tunnel came in at approximately 2030 hours. While monitoring […]
Editors Note: This is part of a 4-Part Series entitled Man in the Mud. See feature article. On arrival, Chief Hayde observed a construction worker trapped up to his chest in a clay and water slurry solution. Ladder 43 personnel had secured him with a lifesaving rope that was draped over a steel shoring strut. […]
Whosoever saves a single life saves an entire universe.–taken from the Talmudic Tractate Sanhedrin 4:5, as referenced/verified by Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, FDNY Chaplain. Initial response On Tuesday, March 19, 2013, at 2033 hours, units were assigned to respond to Manhattan Box 1233 (a medical emergency; male buried in mud at a construction site) at the […]
In recent years, the importance of ventilation at “modern-age” fires has been stressed on FDNY members and the seriousness of this factor cannot be taken lightly. Although controlling the door and wisely venting windows have been drilled into all members since basic fire behavior lessons in Probie School, Firefighters now have the foresight from experience […]
