Articles from Fire Nuggets...

Using Elevators At Fires
By Vincent Dunn, Deputy Chief (retired)
Fire Department of New York

Each year, firefighters are brought up to fire floors in high-rise buildings by elevators and are forced to run for their lives through a gauntlet of flame, heat and smoke. Recently, two firefighters in Memphis, Tennessee, did not make it out alive.
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Change For The Better?
By Chief John Mittendorf
City of Los Angeles Fire Department

Nineteenth-century essayist James Russell Lowell once said, "The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinion." When comparing the modern fire service with that of just 25 years ago, it is readily apparent that changes have been significant; and only the foolish firefighter will ignore them.
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Handline Selection
By Andrew A. Fredericks, FDNY

Stretching and operating the first handline at a serious fire is the key to saving lives and constitutes the very essence of the fire department's mission. The effectiveness of the first handline as a lifesaving tool is dependent upon several factors.
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Forcible Entry Procedure: "The Rules"
By Mike Lombardo, Captain
Buffalo Fire Department

Forcible entry has become a serious problem for the fire service all over the country. In some high crime areas, we see tougher and tougher entry situations with locking systems that try to stay one step ahead of the criminal element. Unfortunately, we in the fire service are often behind on the techniques and technology necessary for us to do our job. Even in “safe” areas with low crime rates we see change. Every time a local TV station runs a special on crime, there will be an increase in security.
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Security Grates And Bars On Windows: Firefighter Killers
By Dave McGrail, Captain
Denver Fire Department

A Tragic History On September 28, 1992, at 0203 hours, the Denver Fire Department dispatched a first-alarm assignment to a reported building on fire at 1625 South Broadway Street. The engineer/driver of the first due truck company (Truck Co. #16) was Mark Langvardt. This, unfortunately, would be his last alarm. I dedicate the nuggets of experience gained at the expense of Mark’s death to him and his family, as well as to the prevention of future tragedies.
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Transient Hotels
By Ted Corporandy, Battalion Chief
San Francisco Fire Department

We once called them “flop houses.” Today they're “transient hotels.” Whatever you call them, transient hotel fires can present a considerable challenge from command, strategic and tactical perspectives.
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Have You Checked All Sides?
By Paul A. Schuller, Captain
City of San Jose Fire Department

Over the years many "nuggets" have come my way, beginning from childhood up through my career as a firefighter. I have tucked those "tricks of the trade" away to use when I might need them most.
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Dry Standpipe Supply Operations
By Tom Murray, Lieutenant
San Francisco Fire Department

For urban areas, standpipe operations are basic day-to-day operations that must be understood and kept simple so that in the heat of the fire, water can be delivered at the pressure and volume needed to mount an effective fire attack.
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Just In For The Day
By Tom Siragusa, Captain
San Francisco Fire Department

Friday, December 12,1997, was a day like many others. I was detailed to Battalion 10 as an acting battalion chief. In San Francisco, we call it “Like-Work/Like-Pay. Like-Work/ Like-Pay has me detailed to the higher rank of battalion chief, using the most recent promotional list. When a vacancy occurs at a higher rank, the department uses the promotional list to fill the vacant spot on a daily basis. I would obviously prefer to have the permanent appointment, but this is an invaluable way of learning the position, understanding the rank and learning through experience. I have been fortunate lately, as an acting battalion chief, catching some good working fires.
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Don't Give 'Em The Finger
By Phil Whitson, Captain
Mariposa Public Utility District Fire Department

It's a decision that I made long before I entered the fire service. A decision, I might add, that was not very popular at home, specifically with my wife. I worked as a driller on an oil rig, the type of job that is, undoubtedly, one of the dirtiest on earth. As I reflect back on my years in the oilfield and compare it to some of the aspects of the fire service, I notice some similarities. They are both very physically demanding and require special protective equipment for safety reasons: gloves, helmets, safety boots, safety shields and such. In oil drilling work, there is not a piece of equipment used that is not extremely heavy. It's all heavy, sharp, awkward, and ready to hurt you. Not unlike the forcible-entry and extrication equipment we use in the fire service.
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Invisible Danger
By Michael Shaw, Captain
City of San Jose Fire Department

It was an unusually windy Saturday morning, last year, the day before Easter. E30, along with the balance of a structure response, was dispatched to a reported electrical fire in an old four-story, sixty-foot-tall building located at 50 South First Street. Upon arrival, I noticed the building was of ordinary construction with masonry walls and a wood framed interior. At the time it was under complete renovation.
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