All Entries in the "Research Hub" Category
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Provisional 2010 Firefighter LODD Fatality Statistics
Provisional 2010 Firefighter Fatality Statistics The United States Fire Administration (USFA) recently released the Provisional 2010 Firefighter Fatality Statistics. According to the report there were 85 onduty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2010, a 6 percent decrease from the 90 fatalities reported for 2009. The 85 […]
Chesapeake (VA) Auto Parts Store Roof Collapse Double LODD 1996
OVERVIEW Fifteen years ago, on March 18, 1996, two firefighters were killed in Chesapeake, Virginia when they became trapped by a rapidly spreading fire in an auto parts store and a pre-engineered wood truss roof assembly collapsed on them. The cause of the fire was an electrical short created when a power company truck working […]
Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire; Final NIST Report Issued
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released its final report on its study of the June 18, 2007, fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C., that trapped and killed nine firefighters, the highest number of firefighter deaths in a single event since 9/11. The final report was strengthened by […]
The Strand Theatre Fire Brockton (MA) 1941; 13 Firefighter LODD
The Strand Theatre Fire Brockton (MA) 1941; 13 Firefighter LODD The Strand Theater, Brockton, MA Strand Theatre Background The Strand Theatre was first erected in 1915 on the site of a previous theatre which was destroyed by fire on April 7, 1915. The Strand Theatre opened in March, 1916 on School Street […]
Survivability Profiling: How Long Can Victims Survive in a Fire?
Survivability Profiling: How Long Can Victims Survive in a Fire? BY STEPHEN MARSAR FireEngineering.com July 1, 2010 In 2007, the United States suffered 118 firefighter line-of-duty-deaths (LODDs), 47 of which occurred in structure fires; two civilians were killed in those same fires. In 2008, there were 114 LODDs; 31 occurred in structural fires; three […]
World Trade Center Bombing-1993 Remembered
At 18 minutes after noon on February 26, 1993, a huge bomb went off beneath the two towers of the World Trade Center. This was not a suicide attack. The terrorists parked a truck bomb with a timing device on Level B-2 of the underground garage, then departed. The ensuing explosion opened a hole seven […]
Engineered Floor I-Joists and Firefigher Safety: Basic Insights
The following videos provide some Basic insights on Engineered Floor I-Joists and Firefigher Safety. The first two video reports are a few years old, but provide some good visual and narrative insights into the current building construction trends, operational limitations and fireground tactical safety considerations. Take the time to review these video clips and gain […]
One Meridian Plaza High Rise Fire: Twenty Years Ago
Fire Operations One Meridian Plaza On what began as an uneventful Saturday night twenty years ago, a fire on the 22nd floor of the 38-story Meridian Bank Building, also known as One Meridian Plaza, was reported to the Philadelphia Fire Department on February 23, 1991 at approximately 2040 hours and went on to burned for […]
The Station Nightclub February 20, 2003 Revisted
A fire occurred on the night of February 20, 2003, at The Station Nightclub located in West Warwick, Rhode Island. A band that was performing that night, during its performance, used pyrotechnics that ignited foam insulation lining the walls and part of the ceiling of the platform being used as a stage. Based on a […]
NIST Wind Driven Fire Simulation Video
NIST Wind Driven Fire Simulation Video Wind Driven Fires Smoke and heat spreading through the corridors and the stairs of a building during a fire can limit building occupants’ ability to escape and can limit fire fighters’ ability to rescue them. Changes in the building’s ventilation or presence of an external wind can increase the […]
The Hubbard Street Fire: The 50th anniversary of a tragic dual collapse
The Hubbard Street Fire: The 50th anniversary of a tragic dual collapse January 28th, 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the Hubbard Street Fire, which took the lives of nine Chicago firefighters: Battalion Chief George Rees Battalion Chief George Kuhn Lt. Charles Rauch Lt. Louis Repkin Firefighter Hillard Augustine Firefighter William Hillistad Firefighter Stanley Sliwinski Firefighter […]
