Latest

June 1, 2014

Metro North Train Derailment: Rescue Operations

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 […]

June 1, 2014

Metro North Train Derailment

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 […]

March 31, 2014

Gasoline-Powered Tools and Ethanol-Blended Gasoline: What You Need to Know

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 […]

March 31, 2014

Risk Based Inspection System (RBIS)

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, […]

March 31, 2014

Secondary Egress from Multiple Dwellings

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 […]

March 31, 2014

FDNY Foundation’s Upcoming Events Go Big, Go Early, Go Fast and Be Smart: Fifth Alarm at Manhattan Box 1626

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 […]

March 31, 2014

Rescue Medical Care

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) […]

June 1, 2014

Metro North Train Derailment: Rescue Operations

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 […]

June 1, 2014

Metro North Train Derailment

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 […]

March 31, 2014

Gasoline-Powered Tools and Ethanol-Blended Gasoline: What You Need to Know

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 […]

March 31, 2014

Risk Based Inspection System (RBIS)

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, […]

March 31, 2014

Secondary Egress from Multiple Dwellings

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 […]

March 31, 2014

FDNY Foundation’s Upcoming Events Go Big, Go Early, Go Fast and Be Smart: Fifth Alarm at Manhattan Box 1626

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 […]

March 31, 2014

Rescue Medical Care

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) […]