Author Archive for Christopher J. Naum, SFPE
Video: Row Homes Burn in Union City, New Jersey
Aerial video from WABC-TV shows several row houses on fire in Union City, New Jersey. (December 28, 2010)
Tactical Patience and the New Considerations of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction
Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction For many of you that have been following my writings and perspectives on building construction, firefighting, command risk management and operational excellence for firefighter safety have long recognized that I have been promoting and advocating the fact the fireground is changining, our stratgies […]
Lessons Learned from Structure Collapse Close Call in SC
Five firefighters were on the second story of a house when the floor tilted, causing three firefighters to fall On June 23, 2010 Engine 109 was dispatched for a single engine response to the area of 398 Huger Street for a report of smoke in the area. Upon arrival at 0949 hours Engine 109 found […]
A Breed Apart
Firefighters line Western Avenue on Tuesday after the funeral of Edward Stringer. (E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune / December 29, 2010) Originally Posted by Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune December 29, 2010 Whatever the date on the birth certificate, in psychological years a firefighter never gets beyond adolescence. Like Edward Stringer, who was buried Tuesday, and […]
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
Recognizing the need to do more to prevent line-of-duty deaths and injuries, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has launched a national initiative to bring prevention to the forefront. In March 2004, the Firefighter Life Safety Summit was held in Tampa, Florida to address the need for change within the fire and emergency services. Through this […]
Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse-PDF Download
Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse PDF Training Aid The recent post titled: Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse has been receiving a considerable amount of attention as the post makes its way throughout the fire service eMedia sites, links, likes, shares and commentary circles, with over 6,000 views in the past […]
Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse
The tragic events in the City of Chicago on Wednesday December 22, 2010, when Chicago Firefighter Edward J. Stringer – Engine Co.63 and Firefighter/EMT Corey D. Ankum, Truck Co.34 were killed in the line of duty while operating at a structure fire in an abandoned one-story brick building in the 1700 block of East […]
Buffalo Box 191 North Division & Grosvenor Streets; December 27, 1983
December 27, 1983 Buffalo, New York Five Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths As Buffalo (NY) firefighters arrived at the scene of a reported propane leak in a three-story radiator warehouse (Type III Ordinary and Type IV Heavy Timber construction), a massive explosion occurred, killing five firefighters instantly and injuring nine others, three of them critically. The force […]
Why we do what we do, for the love of the Job….
Future Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff stands with his dad, Thomas Hoff, during an inspection at Soldier Field in 1960. Thomas Hoff died in the line of duty in a building collapse two years later. (Chicago Tribune / December 22, 2010) A fire commissioner’s words on tragedy, tempered by his family history. 2 firefighters killed […]
Block and Brick Warehouse Construction Live Fire Testing
Another series of experiments were conducted in Phoenix, Arizona using a brick and block warehouse structure with a “traditional” wood frame roof assembly. This set of two experiments included measurement of temperatures and carbon monoxide inside the structure. The building was approximately 150 feet long by 50 feet wide. Infra-red (IR) cameras were used on […]
Wood Frame Structures Live Fire Testing
Four wood frame residential-like structures with different roof constructions were used in a series of fire tests conducted in cooperation with the Phoenix, AZ Fire Department. The roof construction was the primary difference between each structure: asphalt shingles and plywood, asphalt shingles and oriented strand board, cement tiles and plywood, or cement tiles and oriented […]
Statistical Reports: Fire Departments
Topical Fire Report Series The National Fire Data Center’s Topical Fire Report Series explores facets of the U.S. fire problem that affect Americans in their daily lives. Primarily based on data collected through USFA’s National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), each issue briefly addresses the nature and relevance of the specific fire or fire-related problem, […]
Statistical Reports: Firefighter Casualties
Topical Fire Report Series The National Fire Data Center’s Topical Fire Report Series explores facets of the U.S. fire problem that affect Americans in their daily lives. Primarily based on data collected through USFA’s National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), each issue briefly addresses the nature and relevance of the specific fire or fire-related problem, […]
Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study 1990 – 2000
USFA Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study Subject(s): Data and Statistics, Firefighter Casualties, Health and Safety Media: Manuals and Reports Read Online/Download: Adobe Acrobat (PDF)/ Other Help PDF (3.0 Mb) Description: This report identifies trends in mortality and examines relationships among data elements on firefighter fatalites between 1990-2000. Using this analysis, better targeted prevention strategies can be […]
