An interesting innovation on tetris, this game combines quick thinking, strategy, and planning to keep your firefighting brain on its toes.

The first of August, my Guatemala Rescue Team left for a week to train their folks in basic rescue techniques. We had to utilize the equipment we were able to get donated. This was composed of mostly hand tools, but did include a hydraulic combi-tool, some reciprocating saws, and stabilization jacks. We were tasked with teaching these folks the basics of ...

FireLink has teamed up with Informed ® to give you these free field guides available for download. These are essential tools for every member of the fire rescue and first responder profession, making it easy for firefighters, command officers, and volunteers to coordinate fire attack, incident command, tactics and more.   1. EMS - Medical Emergencies   2. HAZMAT - Hazardous Response   3. ...

Our world is made up of what some call a melting pot – a mixture of many different races, religions, and cultures. In the midst of these groups are further subdivisions – gender, age, education, social status, etc. All these groupings are but a few of the categories that divide us as people - categories that serve to pit us against ...

Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness and self defense books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness , Maximum Fitness , and SWAT Workout. Certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and as military fitness trainer, Stew has ...

We see the bright yellow buses travel our roads and highways everyday. These buses are not only carrying the future of our country, but the future firefighters, rescue and EMS workers that will inherit our plight to protect and save lives. It is our duty and obligation as rescue workers to be highly skilled and trained in rescuing this precious cargo. ...

Unlike the classic '57 Chevy or the luxury Lincolns and Cadillacs of yesterday, auto designers today are forced to meet many safety, economic, and environmental standards. These three standards affect most every part of the vehicle including the fuel system. h4. Safety One of the greatest threats to human survival in automobile collisions is fire. Ruptured fuel tanks, filler tubes, and ...

*Over the next few issues we will discuss what is required to effectively manage fireground emergencies. We will discuss command failures in this issue. Additional segments will look at command competencies, cue factors, resource management, communications management, command post staffing, and command adjunct materials.* Command Failures One of the lessons that I have learned over the years is that most of ...

Welcome to “The Journey of Grant Writing”. Over the next several weeks we will cover many topics that will assist you in drafting future grant proposals. You may be one of those individuals that maintain a full time job and, like so many of us, you are asked to take on the additional task of grant writing. Hold on, don’t leave ...

I responded to an email from a sailor who loved his Navy job so much that he continued his public service as a firefighter when he retired. As an Aviation Boatswain's Mate, he was one of 35,000 Navy personnel who receive ship-board firefighting training each year. After his Navy service, the retired 38 year old had to then physically prepare for ...

At a Glance • Employment is projected to grow faster than the average as paid positions replace unpaid volunteers. • Emergency medical technicians and paramedics need formal training and certification, but requirements vary by State. • Emergency services function 24 hours a day so emergency medical technicians and paramedics have irregular working hours. h4. Nature of the Work People’s lives often ...

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants are managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program Office. SAFER grants provide financial assistance to help fire departments increase their cadre of frontline firefighters. The goal is to assist the local fire departments’ staffing and deployment capabilities, in order to respond to emergencies whenever they ...

This video training roundup is provided by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is an independent federal agency that investigates chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of the chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failures as well as ...

When we look at stabilization we need to consider taking that extra "few" seconds to access our scene and vehicles, and what it will take to properly stabilize the vehicles involved. We talked about some of the basic wood and plastic cribbing as well as the types of movement we are trying to prevent. I want to look at utilizing the ...

Firefighters control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. The following estimates are a guide to help you navigate, state by state, the fire and rescue employment gauntlet. h4. +Top Five Best-Paying Firefighting Jobs By State+ (_*These stats are based off of mean salaries ending in the year 2009_) State Hourly ...

The Rochester Fire Department is a Paid Department of over 500 Firefighters protecting the Population of approx 250,00 people in a City located on the south shore of Lake Ontario from 18 strategically located stations. The Rochester Department also responds to numerous emergency situations, such as, vehicle extrications, medical emergencies, high-level rescue, hazardous materials incidents, structural collapse, swift water rescue, and ...

This week, a concerned Army Reservist asks, “I have heard about people dieing of drinking too much water. Is this possible?” This is a great question because so many times this issue is taken out of context causing people to stop drinking water altogether. When you read about people who die or get kidney damage “from drinking too much water” you ...

h4. Why did you become a paramedic? I’m also a part-time volunteer firefighter for a suburb of Minneapolis. A few years ago, I took an emergency medical technician course and realized there was so much more to learn. So I did a few ride alongs. That’s where you ride with an ambulance team to see if paramedicine is something you might ...