Author Archive for Christopher J. Naum, SFPE
Physiological Stress associated with Structural Firefighting Observed in Professional Firefighters-Study
Study COOPERATIVE EFFORT WITH THE INDIANAPOLIS FD A primary goal of the project was to investigate the physical rigor of real fire scene work. Fire scene work tasks may differ widely with respect to their cardiovascular and respiratory stress. Therefore, the project sought to illustrate normative data for multiple fire ground tasks including fire attack, […]
Fire Behavior 101; Taking it to the Streets
Fire Behavior Fire Dynamics Fire Dynamics is the study of how chemistry, fire science, material science and the mechanical engineering disciplines of fluid mechanics and heat transfer interact to influence fire behavior. In other words, Fire Dynamics is the study of how fires start, spread and develop. But what exactly is a fire? Defining Fire […]
Albuquerque Fire Department; Learnings from Close Call Collapse and Fire Fighter Injuries
The Albuquerque Fire Department seeks to improve operations from past performance Four firefighters with the Albuquerque (NM) Fire Department were injured during operations at a three-alarm fire that injured raged through the Royal Crown Apartment Complex in southeast Albuquerque on Friday February 4, 2011. The injured firefighters were among four who fell through the floor […]
Survivability Profiling: Taking it to the Streets
Live and Online Taking it to the Streets with your host Christopher Naum will present another timely and insightful look at an emerging element of today’s evolving fire ground. Join in on Wednesday April 20th at 9pm ET for a very special and exciting program discussing the concepts and theory of Survivability Profiling. […]
Analytical Study Reveals Patterns in U.S Firefighter Fatalities
While the number of structural fires in the United States continues to decline, firefighter line of duty deaths (LODD) do not exhibit the same rate of proportion decline. A review of both NFPA and USFA Firefighter LODD annual reports, statistics and retrospective studies and analysis suggest a noted change in the adverse trends noted for […]
USFA Releases Restaurant Building Fires Report
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) has issued a special report examining the characteristics of restaurant building fires. The report, Restaurant Building Fires, was developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center and is based on 2007 to 2009 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Restaurant Building Fires […]
Compromised Floor Assembly Traps (CT) Firefighters
A Taftville (CT) Firefigher was caught in a compromised floor condition while fighting a fire in a residential occupancy on Friday morning April 15th in Norwich, CT., resulting in a mayday and RIT deloyment to support the extrication and firefighter removal from the interior. Published reports from Theday.com indicated a fire fighter issued a mayday […]
Prince William County (VA) Fire Rescue Kyle Wilson LODD 2007; Is This on Your Radar Screen?
Prince William County (VA) Fire Rescue Kyle Wilson LODD Report-Remembrance and Learnings The Prince William County (VA) Department of Fire and Rescue published a comprehensive line of duty death report for Technician I Kyle R. Wilson on Saturday, January 26, 2008. Have your read it? Technician I Wilson was the first line of duty […]
First-Due Residential Fire
Video Clip provided by PGFD Captain Greg Zalenski, Station 812 -College Park (MD)VFD. An mid morning fire in a Single family (SFR) residential structure challenged arriving companies as they went into operations. A video clip depicting the responding fire chief enroute and arrival provides a good sequence of the events, fire severity and growth. The […]
Double Mayday Deployments at Three Alarm FDNY Fire
2 Firefighters Escape Close Call in Belle Harbor: MyFoxNY.com Published reports from various NYC eMedia outlets indicated that two FDNY firefighters battling a three-alarm fire on Saturday April 9th in the Rockaways section of the Borough of Queens (NY) transmitted Maydays signals during fire suppression operations after a fire officer was partially trapped in a […]
Building Construction and Systems Training for Commanders, Company Officers and Firefighters
Building Construction and Systems Training for Commanders, Company Officers & Firefighters New for 2011 An intense and concentrated series of programs examining trends and methods in building construction for the fire service with an emphasize on construction and occupancy risk assessment, structural and construction systems, and their direct relationship on structural combat firefighting operations, firefighter […]
Roof and Ceiling Collapses
There have been two fire ground collapse events this week; the first in Gary Indiana on April 5th, the other in Washington DC on April 8th that resulted in a total of eight firefighters being injured. The collapse conditions presented themselves during the course of operations in which suppression or search and rescue operations were […]
Ceiling Collapse Injures Three Gary, Indiana Firefighters
Three Gary (IN) firefighters were injured when the third floor ceiling of a burning building collapsed on Tuesday April 5th during search and rescue operations. According to published reports their injuries weren’t believed to be life-threatening, but they were taken to a hospital. Battalion Chief Robert Groszewski stated about 20 firefighters responded to the fire at […]
Eleven Minutes to Mayday; What You Need to Know
The Colerain Township (OH) Fire and EMS Department under the leadership of Director and Chief G. Bruce Smith released its final report Investigation Analysis of the Squirrels nest Lane Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths related to the April 4, 2008 Double Line of Duty Death of a Captain and Firefighter in April 2010 coinciding with […]
The Challenges We Face: Issues Confronting Today’s Fire Service
Captain Bill Gustin, Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Rescue Department, provided a stellar key presention during the FDIC 2011General Session on “The Challenges We Face: Issues Confronting Today’s Fire Service” about the whole FDIC “experience.” We have put too little attention on basic engine company operations!” This was perhaps the message that most resonated from Captain Bill […]
