Latest

March 31, 2013

Labor Day, 2012, Brooklyn Fourth Alarm: Not Your Ordinary Multiple Dwelling Fire

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. In Crown Heights, Brooklyn, this day is highlighted by the annual West Indian Day Parade. Festivities, such as the J’Ourvet Festival, typically start during the overnight hours prior to the actual parade, with smaller gatherings all around the Crown Heights and East Flatbush communities. FDNY planning for […]

December 1, 2012

Watch Out for Rooftop Protective Barriers!

When roof Firefighters arrive at a fire in a building that has a rooftop fence, they often question: Why was that fence installed in my way? The answer is simple: The building owner probably did not have a choice. The prevalence of protective barriers on the rooftops of existing and proposed buildings is associated with […]

December 1, 2012

After Action Review for Bronx Box 44-3217, April 14, 2012 — Lessons Learned/Reinforced (sidebar to above)

The adage that no two fires are ever the same is a familiar refrain to everyone in the FDNY. Perhaps it has never been more appropriate as on the afternoon of April 14, 2012. This particular incident eventually required multiple alarms, using approximately 200 Firefighters in four buildings, before the fire was placed Under Control. […]

December 1, 2012

The After Action Review: A Learning Tool for Developing Better Firefighters

An After Action Review (AAR) is a structured assessment discussion for analyzing operations. It is used to determine what occurred at an incident and why it happened. Additionally, an AAR can generate information concerning how your organization can do things better. It functions as a performance improvement tool. Four-alarm fire (Bronx Box 44-3217, 730 Van […]

December 1, 2012

Man in Machine!

Forty-six years ago, Rescue 3 was summoned to the emergency room of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx to assist doctors with a problem. A young man had been transported with his hand enmeshed in a commercial meat grinder. The doctors believed that their only medical alternative was to amputate the hand. At the time, Rescue […]

December 1, 2012

Tornadoes Touch Down in Brooklyn and Queens (Again)

Closely spaced tornadoes ripped through a small beach community in Queens and a Brooklyn neighborhood on Saturday, September 8, 2012, causing downed power lines, uprooted trees and minor structural damage. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported. A bystander captured this shot of the tornado touching down in Breezy Point.   The first extreme weather event […]

December 1, 2012

SCUBA Dive Rescue Operations: A Familiarization Course that Addresses Supervisory Concerns

When civilian drowning casualties began to steadily increase within the confines of the Rockaway Peninsula 2008 through 2009, Battalion Chief Michael McGrath, Battalion 47, sought input from various FDNY units that respond to water emergencies in an attempt to streamline FDNY operations within his Command. Subsequently, Chief McGrath inquired into the feasibility of a Self-Contained […]

March 31, 2013

Labor Day, 2012, Brooklyn Fourth Alarm: Not Your Ordinary Multiple Dwelling Fire

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. In Crown Heights, Brooklyn, this day is highlighted by the annual West Indian Day Parade. Festivities, such as the J’Ourvet Festival, typically start during the overnight hours prior to the actual parade, with smaller gatherings all around the Crown Heights and East Flatbush communities. FDNY planning for […]

December 1, 2012

Watch Out for Rooftop Protective Barriers!

When roof Firefighters arrive at a fire in a building that has a rooftop fence, they often question: Why was that fence installed in my way? The answer is simple: The building owner probably did not have a choice. The prevalence of protective barriers on the rooftops of existing and proposed buildings is associated with […]

December 1, 2012

After Action Review for Bronx Box 44-3217, April 14, 2012 — Lessons Learned/Reinforced (sidebar to above)

The adage that no two fires are ever the same is a familiar refrain to everyone in the FDNY. Perhaps it has never been more appropriate as on the afternoon of April 14, 2012. This particular incident eventually required multiple alarms, using approximately 200 Firefighters in four buildings, before the fire was placed Under Control. […]

December 1, 2012

The After Action Review: A Learning Tool for Developing Better Firefighters

An After Action Review (AAR) is a structured assessment discussion for analyzing operations. It is used to determine what occurred at an incident and why it happened. Additionally, an AAR can generate information concerning how your organization can do things better. It functions as a performance improvement tool. Four-alarm fire (Bronx Box 44-3217, 730 Van […]

December 1, 2012

Man in Machine!

Forty-six years ago, Rescue 3 was summoned to the emergency room of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx to assist doctors with a problem. A young man had been transported with his hand enmeshed in a commercial meat grinder. The doctors believed that their only medical alternative was to amputate the hand. At the time, Rescue […]

December 1, 2012

Tornadoes Touch Down in Brooklyn and Queens (Again)

Closely spaced tornadoes ripped through a small beach community in Queens and a Brooklyn neighborhood on Saturday, September 8, 2012, causing downed power lines, uprooted trees and minor structural damage. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported. A bystander captured this shot of the tornado touching down in Breezy Point.   The first extreme weather event […]

December 1, 2012

SCUBA Dive Rescue Operations: A Familiarization Course that Addresses Supervisory Concerns

When civilian drowning casualties began to steadily increase within the confines of the Rockaway Peninsula 2008 through 2009, Battalion Chief Michael McGrath, Battalion 47, sought input from various FDNY units that respond to water emergencies in an attempt to streamline FDNY operations within his Command. Subsequently, Chief McGrath inquired into the feasibility of a Self-Contained […]