Lighting strike, middle of the woods....................

This past week I was able to watch one of the not everyday task with the Newark Ohio Fire Department. Neighbors a half mile away had called in "smoke in the area", but not sure where it was coming from and what was burning. 450' of hose line stretched from the street reached this very large and tall oak tree, burning from the inside out, from bottom to top. The roar of the fire traveling up the chimney was loud, made me think of how loud a multiple acre forest fire would be. After several attempts to extinguish the fire, the firefighters cut the tree down, covered the tree and area with foam infused water. 

Helmet Cam..............................

Found at Facing Backwards

Dirty fire....................

Difference of 1st, 2nd & 3rd alarm fires...................

Some where within Facebook, a person asked the differences of 1st, 2nd & 3rd alarm fires. Newark Fire Department's Assistant Chief Dave Decker responded with a brief and detailed description. I just hope know one cares about copyright etc.

• The alarm assignments in Newark are set up for "Residential fires" and "High risk/value" which is a commercial occupancy or multi-family dwelling such as an apartment.
  
  Initial alarm for a single family dwelling is 3-engines, 1-ladder, 1-chief, 1-medic. The working fire announcement gets you an additional engine to act as a RIT crew which is a safety crew, and an additional medic for an EMS sector just in case of any injuries. 

  
  

  2nd alarm gets you an additional 3&1 (3 engines - 1 ladder) plus an air supply unit and a chief officer when available. 

  
  

  Each subsequent alarm provides an additional 3&1 plus an EMS unit and another chief officer.
  
  Commercial fire assignments are beefier because of the increased fire load and staffing necessary to combat the fire. Initial assignment is a 4&2 assignment. 4-engines, 2-ladders, 1-chief, 1-medic. Again, the working fire gets you an extra engine for RIT and medic for the EMS sector.
  
  Most departments follow something very close to this with 1 exception. Departments in areas without hydrants will have a number of tankers on each alarm to provide water where there are no hydrants .

  
  

  Editor's note: No where in the assignments it mentions Newark Fire's Unit-G, but usually responds to all first alarm assignments. If not, there would be no one present to bother the assistant chief in command.

  
  

  
  

Thermal imaging, tools of the trade............

The photo above is of a Thermal Imaging camera held by Lt. D. Rehbeck of the Newark Fire Department during a recent house fire. The gray background around his hand and the camera is heavy smoke as the camera is pointed at the living room window. The light glow area of the photo is the "hot" area, showing firefighters where there is most likely fire above the ceiling and in the walls. The dark areas are "cooler" areas that have not absorb so much heat (but you still would not want to touch the items with your hand).

The dark black area is actually the hose stream being shot onto the ceiling from the firefighters standing at the front door, thus the water is cooler from the 15 degree temperature during the early morning fire. This has become a great tool not for just finding the seat and hot spots of a fire, but also locating any victims to rescue who could not get out of the fire building.

A thermal imaging camera can be purchased for around $10,000. 

Click here for more information from Wikipedia.

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher..........

"Fire extinguishers. You pass them all the time as you walk the hallways at work or school, and hopefully at home too."

"But no matter how many times you’ve seen them in your day-to-day life, you’ve probably given little thought as to how you actually use one. Maybe it never crossed your mind, or maybe you assume it’s so simple it’s not something you need to learn."

Learn something today! Click here for complete blog post by The Art of Manliness.

Thanks to Park National Bank's Dave Hardy for passing this blog post along.

In case of fire, Tweet.........

Thank you Kurt Harden for allowing me to share this!

Accountability, everyone goes home.......

11 years ago today, 8:46am..............

Everyone goes home...............

www.everyonegoeshome.com

Latest buzz question I receive about fire hydrants...............

Fire Hydrant Painting Project

The City of Newark Water Dept. has started painting the tops of fire hydrants various colors to show firefighters the flow rate of the hydrant. Blue tops designate the greatest flow rate, followed by green, orange and red with the lowest rate. The department has tested the flow on about 1,500 of its 2,000 hydrants and plans to complete the painting of all hydrants by the fall.

Lucy 1998-2012

Lucy "The Fire Dog" passed away yesterday, after battling old age for the past week, in fact 15 days after her 14th birthday.

Amazing personality, loved to be around anyone. Early on in life, her first job was to listen for the fire tone of the Newark Fire Department. She would hear the tones before I could, during the day she would quickly sit up and stare, during the night she would jump onto my chest to make sure I would wake up. For eight years she traveled to night time fires, often beating me to the garage door. At intersections on the way, she would hear the truck's sirens and would spin around standing on the console box to see them whiz by us. After the initial knock-down of a fire, I would have to move the car closer so she could see all the action. It was not uncommon to see firefighters in full gear rolling around with her on the ground, stopping on the way to their truck and look in the car to pet her. Her largest fire duration was eleven hours, downtown Newark, Ohio on South 3rd Street known as the "Arwebb Fire". During her senior years she would wake up to the tone, elect not to ride along but wait up for me to come home. Her attendance of fires was recognized several times by the media.

Great enjoyment was what she brought to Carol and I and she was very deserving of being pampered like a lady should be.

The three bells have rung and she has been called back to quarters.

Kramer drives a fire truck...................

A Tuesday night fire & a good nieghbor..............

Second floor fire, terribly dirty job tearing down the ceilings

with insulation falling all over you.
No one was home, but the cat

Alive with difficult breathing, O2 was administered

After the cat is mobile, a kind neighbored agreed to take the cat into his home

until the owner arrived home.

THAT IS WHAT BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR IS ALL ABOUT!!!!

From the Secret List.............

From the Secret List:
Hey,
Here is an update from FDNY on the Firefighters seriosly injured in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Dec. 19. As you know, Firefighter Robert Wiedmann, 38, from Rescue 2 received second- and third- degree burns on more than 50 percent of his body - including his face, hands and head - while fighting that two-alarm fire on Prospect Place. Firefighter James Gersbeck, 52, from Rescue 2 also was seriously injured in the fire."Everyone's working to get Rob back to his regular self," said his brother, Douglas Wiedmann. "He's an excellent firefighter and certainly is our hero."Dr. Roger Yurt, Director of the Burn Center, said he expects Firefighter Wiedmann to be in the hospital for about six to eight weeks, having approximately one surgery a week with a long road to recovery after sustaining burns to over 40 percent of his body - including his head, face and back.Doctors are providing a positive outlook saying that while most people in a similar situation would need to be put in a medically inducted coma, Wiedmann remains psychologically and physically strong. "He's very strong," he said of the 14-year veteran of the FDNY. "We've seen his psychological strength and his ability to deal with this." He is alert and communicative and he mouths words or spells out words using a board."He's always asking how we are; he's more worried about us than himself," he said.Dr. Yurt said he does not expect Firefighter Gersbeck, a 25-year veteran of the FDNY, to have a long hospital stay, noting that he has second and third degree burns that will probably heal on their own with the proper care.
Speaking of both Firefighters Wiedmann and Gersbeck, he said, "They are truly the bravest and two of the best firefighters I know."Both men also acknowledged the generosity and kindness of the members of Rescue 2, who have visited the hospital and supported the family since the fire."We can't express what your support means to us," Mr. Wiedmann said. The members of Rescue 2 are hosting several blood drives throughout the five boroughs over the coming weeks and more information will be posted here and on our home page as soon as it's available.
Take Care-BE CAREFUL.
BillyG
The Secret List 12-22-11 / 1722 Hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

Christmas tree fires........

The video belows shows the difference of keeping the moisture content of your live Christmas Tree at 100% and below 50% as most people do. Please make sure to turn up the volume and watch the timer. You will hear the glass ornaments exploding, kind of sounds alike another holiday and the use of firecrackers.


This video was produced by NFPA.

9/11 INITIAL FDNY DISPATCH

"EVERYONE GOES HOME"

EVERYONE GOES HOME, DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN

MUNCIE -- "Perhaps because they do their jobs so effectively, it is easy to overlook the extreme danger that firefighters encounter on a routine basis."

Click here for the entire article.

As reported by The Secret List:

The Muncie (Indiana) Firefighter killed in the Line of Duty yesterday at Tabernacle of Praise on Muncie's south side has been identified as Firefighter Scott Davis. Davis, 40, was killed when a roof collapsed in the burning church about 1615 hours.FF Davis, married and a father of 3 children, was a former Yorktown fire chief. At 1915 hours last night FF Davis' body was recovered from the collapsed building and placed inside a waiting ambulance and a procession of emergency vehicles was organized that followed the ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. The collapse reportedly occurred about 15 minutes into the operations.
MORE COVERAGE HERE w/Photos & Videos: http://www.thestarpress.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06cmenA0kYI

ANOTHER REASON WHY FIREFIGHTERS & EMTs EARN THEIR PAY

PSYCHO PUSHES EMS CREW OUT AND STEALS THE AMBULANCE
and: The Tip of The Day.

In Albuquerque (New Mexico) on Friday, a screwball drug filled patient went nuts, pushed the rear crew out of the unit, pushed the driver out and took the ambulance for a ride, while not wearing any clothes. The patient's father said his son had also climbed onto the rooftops of neighbors that morning and that's why his wife called police.That'll do it every time.
APD cops finally gained control of the patient. However, both Albuquerque PD and Albuquerque FD crews still recommended that Albuquerque Ambulance Service staff restrain the patient before taking him to the hospital BUT the Albuquerque Ambulance crew decided not to.
"At the time of transport he was cooperative so the restraints were not used," an EMS spokesperson said. "We would rather not restrain people if they're being calm and cooperative."

TIP OF THE DAY: If a patient is acting irrational, is found climbing amongst the neighborhood rooftops and the cops have to taze him to get him to calm down, consider having the cops restrain the patient and if EMS must transport the patient, do it WITH a cop in the back.

This report sent via The Secret List by Fire Fighter Close Calls.

FDNY