Author Archive for Christopher J. Naum, SFPE
Remembrance: Waldbaum’s Supermarket Fire and Collapse FDNY 1978 – 2011
The Waldbaum’s Supermarket Fire and Collapse FDNY 1978 – 2011 The Waldbaum Super market fire, Brooklyn, New York occurred on August 2, 1978. Six firefighters died in the line of duty when the roof of a burning Brooklyn supermarket collapsed, plunging 12 firefighters into the flames. The fire began in a hallway near the compressor […]
Medical Office Building Multiple Alarm Fire Leds to Fire Captain LODD and Multiple Firefighter Injuries
John Ostendorff/John Ostendorff A multiple 4-alarm fire took command of a medical office suite located in a five story non-sprinklered Medical Center Office Building in the City of Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday July 28, 2011. The mid-day fire was reported on the fifth floor at 445 Biltmore Center medical offices and was found extending […]
The Hyatt Regency Skywalk Collapse 1981; The Begining of Urban Heavy Rescue
The Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse July 1981 On July 17, 1981 a suspended walkway collapsed in The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring 216 others during a tea dance. At the time, it was the deadliest structural collapse in U.S. history. This event and a subsequent series of other […]
Society of Fire Protection Engineers Activities
Free Webinar: A Focus on the Next Generation of Open-Area Smoke Detection Technology: Register now for a free webinar on smoke detection in large, open spaces. The webinar will be conducted on Thursday, July 28, at 2:00 pm, U.S. Eastern Time. SFPE will award 0.1 CEUs for participating in the entire webinar. For […]
Near-Miss Report of the Week
As an officer, you need to stay abreast of operational issues and situations in order to be knowledgeable and conversant with the variables that may affect company deployments and subsequent operations. The National Fire Fighter Near Miss Reporting System (FFNMRS) has a vast collection of resources that are a few keystrokes and links away. One […]
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
Video Clip recorded live by Fire Department Network News TV (FDNNTV) at the 50th IAFF Fire Fighter Convention in San Diego, CA on August 23, 2010. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, also known as NIOSH, is a federal agency that is part of the Centers for Disease Control. NIOSH has a mission […]
Large Loss Building Fires Report
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) have recently issued a special report examining the characteristics and causes of Large Loss Building Fires (PDF, 834 Kb). The report, developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center, is based on 2007 to 2009 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). From […]
Residential Fire Sprinklers Save Lives
Residential Fire Sprinklers Save Lives In 2009, only 20% of reported fires occurred in one- and two-family homes but these fires caused 70% (2,107) of all civilian fire deaths. Homes also account for the largest share of civilian fire injuries and direct property damage. Despite the fact that these figures represent improvement over the last […]
Panelized Roof Dangers for Firefighters
Panelized roof dangers for firefighters Clark County, Nevada, Firefighter Colin Kelley discusses the construction and precautions firefighters should take when working on buildings with panelized roofs. FlashoverTV is powered by FireRescue1.com Panelized wood roofs have been in use for more than 40 years west of the Mississippi, where wood has always been plentiful, but […]
Texas Captain; 2010 LODD Report Issued with Lessons Learned
Captain Araguz, a 30 year old, 11-year veteran of the Wharton Volunteer Fire Department made Captain in 2009. He lost his life while battling a multiple alarm fire a the Maxim Egg Farm located at 3307 FM 442, Boling, Texas on July 3, 2010. The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office issued the Fire Fighter Fatality […]
Firefighters Trapped and Killed in Rescue Attempt Gloucester City, New Jersey Building Collapse 2002
Three Firefighters and Three Sisters Killed in Gloucester City, New Jersey Building Collapse during Fire Attack, Rescue Operation, July 4th, 2002 Gloucester City (NJ) Collapse 2002 On July 4th, 2002 at 0136 hrs.,The Gloucester City Fire Department was dispatched to 200 North Broadway for a reported house fire. Responding units were advised that occupants may […]
Remembering Hackensack and Gloucester
As we approach the July 4th holiday period, two significant LODD incidents previously occurred during this time frame that hold a number of lessons learned related to command management, operations, building construction principles and building performance, fire behavior and the ever present dangers of the job. Take the opportunity to learn more about these events, […]
National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System; Untapped Resource
Have you heard about the National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System (NMRS)? Have you used the NMRS Reports, or submitted a near miss event? Did you know there is a wealth of resources available on the NMRS web site or that there is a Report of the week that is published weekly? If not, this is […]
Supervisor cleared on all charges in Deutsche Bank Building Fire that killed 2 FDNY Firefighters
Published reports are being stating that the least senior of three construction officials in the Deutsche Bank manslaughter trial was acquitted of all charges today — after telling jurors that he had no idea the giant pipe he helped remove from the basement had anything to do with providing water to firefighters. A construction foreman […]
188 Days of Opportunity to make a Difference: Surviving the Fire Ground
During this week, there were on average, over 8,600 structure fires in the United States. According to NFPA statistics the following occur on average in the U.S; A fire department responded to a fire every 23 seconds. One structure fire was reported every 66 seconds. One home structure fire was reported every 87 seconds One […]
