I have revisited chlorine in the hope that my small contribution may engender a heightened sense of urgency and increased awareness of the risks of allowing this material to get into the hands of those who would do us harm.
Amid the chaos and excitement of any rescue operation, there are often important aspects of incident that can be overlooked. Sometimes, the sequencing of tasks becomes disjointed.
Psychological trauma is real, especially for first responders. OSHA reports that one of the top causes of firefighter deaths is suicide.
In a collapse or extrication, we should always think of the six-sided approach.
Tanks must have an adequate water supply and be properly maintained so that they are working during emergencies.
When exposed to cold temperature, the human body begins to lose heat faster than it’s produced.
In the aftermath of any major catastrophe it is all too easy to find fault; fault with anybody or anything, just so long as we can fix blame.
I want to share some thoughts about how we could perform better as emergency responders. A 40-year career has given me plenty of experience in all aspects of this business, good and disastrous. Let’s start with equipment purchases.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, every day, more than 90 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. Rarely is this a case of accidental death, but it's certainly a lack of awareness.
One important item in the surface water rescue standard (as in all the others) is the choice and utilization of the appropriate PPE.
Large platforms do have maneuverability issues, and do take time to set up. This has to be compared with the time, pumps, hose, foam, and staffing needed to develop a 5,000 gpm stream.
Not only do heat emergencies cause hypovolemia (loss of fluid), but loss of blood chemistry (electrolytes).
Learning from a building collapse
Training for rope rescue operations
Communicating Risk to Workers on Scene