Latest

March 31, 2012

The Dangers of Carbon Dioxide in Fast Food-Type Occupancies

Three people injured–including two Firefighters–as a CO2 leak sparked evacuation at a Phoenix McDonald’s: That was the headline the author saw recently, and wondered, carbon dioxide? That must be a misprint; they must mean carbon monoxide (CO). A typical rookie mistake for a newspaper to confuse CO for CO2, the author mused. After reading the […]

March 31, 2012

Adapting to Novelty: Recognizing the Need for Innovation and Leadership

Repairs to sanitation plows and salt-spreaders usually go unnoticed, but when a truck smashes through a wall and is dangling four stories above the ground, it draws intense media attention. On August 17, 2011, at 0928 hours, a 15.5-ton truck lost control inside the Department of Sanitation’s Central Repair Facility in Maspeth, Queens, and plowed […]

March 31, 2012

Rescue at the East Side Access Tunnel

At 1117 hours on February 10, 2011, Hook and Ladder Company 2 was dispatched from quarters to Manhattan Box 0828 for a UCT-911, unknown type trauma at 28 East 48th Street. Company Officers and members are familiar with this Box–the location of the “world’s largest underground construction site,” aka the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s East Side […]

March 31, 2012

Intro to the East Side Access Tunnel

Currently, the East Side Access Tunnel (ESAT) is the largest public works project under construction within the country and is being completed within the confines of New York City. This ongoing project presents the FDNY with numerous challenges that range from operational response, inspectional responsibilities and inter-agency coordination. This article offers a description of ESAT […]

March 31, 2012

Specialty “Unbreakable” Window Systems, Part I

On July 23, 2011, a punishing heat wave with high humidity continued its hold over New York City. Manhattan Box 1051 was transmitted at 0046 hours for a fire on the fourth floor of a 14-story, luxury, high-rise multiple dwelling, located at 815 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side. While Battalion 10 units were […]

March 31, 2012

Wastewater Treatment Processes

The process of removing contaminants from wastewater–both run-off (effluents) and domestic–is called sewage treatment. It can be processed close to where it is created or collected and transported via a network of pipes and pump stations to a municipal treatment plant. The purpose of wastewater management is to discharge water efficiently and remove solids from […]

March 31, 2012

Units Battle Fire and Heat Wave at Manhattan Sewage Treatment Plant

The City was experiencing a heat wave and July 20, 2010, was part of it. This day was exceptionally hot and humid, with no wind. At 1146 hours, a phone alarm was received at the Manhattan Communications Office, reporting an explosion in the engine room at the North River Sewage Treatment Plant, located at 725 […]

March 31, 2012

Initial Shoring Capabilities of On-Scene Rescue Companies (sidebar to above)

Fires and emergencies can present many hazards. Among these is instability of the structure or an area within it, resulting in collapse or partial collapse. These conditions present a hazard to life in that area. The possibility of secondary collapse further compounds that risk. Unstable areas may have to be shored for rescuers to work […]

March 31, 2012

The Dangers of Carbon Dioxide in Fast Food-Type Occupancies

Three people injured–including two Firefighters–as a CO2 leak sparked evacuation at a Phoenix McDonald’s: That was the headline the author saw recently, and wondered, carbon dioxide? That must be a misprint; they must mean carbon monoxide (CO). A typical rookie mistake for a newspaper to confuse CO for CO2, the author mused. After reading the […]

March 31, 2012

Adapting to Novelty: Recognizing the Need for Innovation and Leadership

Repairs to sanitation plows and salt-spreaders usually go unnoticed, but when a truck smashes through a wall and is dangling four stories above the ground, it draws intense media attention. On August 17, 2011, at 0928 hours, a 15.5-ton truck lost control inside the Department of Sanitation’s Central Repair Facility in Maspeth, Queens, and plowed […]

March 31, 2012

Rescue at the East Side Access Tunnel

At 1117 hours on February 10, 2011, Hook and Ladder Company 2 was dispatched from quarters to Manhattan Box 0828 for a UCT-911, unknown type trauma at 28 East 48th Street. Company Officers and members are familiar with this Box–the location of the “world’s largest underground construction site,” aka the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s East Side […]

March 31, 2012

Intro to the East Side Access Tunnel

Currently, the East Side Access Tunnel (ESAT) is the largest public works project under construction within the country and is being completed within the confines of New York City. This ongoing project presents the FDNY with numerous challenges that range from operational response, inspectional responsibilities and inter-agency coordination. This article offers a description of ESAT […]

March 31, 2012

Specialty “Unbreakable” Window Systems, Part I

On July 23, 2011, a punishing heat wave with high humidity continued its hold over New York City. Manhattan Box 1051 was transmitted at 0046 hours for a fire on the fourth floor of a 14-story, luxury, high-rise multiple dwelling, located at 815 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side. While Battalion 10 units were […]

March 31, 2012

Wastewater Treatment Processes

The process of removing contaminants from wastewater–both run-off (effluents) and domestic–is called sewage treatment. It can be processed close to where it is created or collected and transported via a network of pipes and pump stations to a municipal treatment plant. The purpose of wastewater management is to discharge water efficiently and remove solids from […]

March 31, 2012

Units Battle Fire and Heat Wave at Manhattan Sewage Treatment Plant

The City was experiencing a heat wave and July 20, 2010, was part of it. This day was exceptionally hot and humid, with no wind. At 1146 hours, a phone alarm was received at the Manhattan Communications Office, reporting an explosion in the engine room at the North River Sewage Treatment Plant, located at 725 […]

March 31, 2012

Initial Shoring Capabilities of On-Scene Rescue Companies (sidebar to above)

Fires and emergencies can present many hazards. Among these is instability of the structure or an area within it, resulting in collapse or partial collapse. These conditions present a hazard to life in that area. The possibility of secondary collapse further compounds that risk. Unstable areas may have to be shored for rescuers to work […]