Category Archives:

My 2014 Take Away
January 19, 2015 | fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, historic fires, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, major-incidents, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics | dc802 | No Comments

Since the end of 2014, I have been reading and listening to year end thoughts and data related to the fire service. There has been discussion on types of calls, near misses and, of course, line of duty deaths. Numbers are broken down and categorized for each type of injury or death that is fire […]

Company Drill: Standpipe Operations
November 29, 2012 | buildling construction, fire sprinklers, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, high rise, historic fires, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, major-incidents, mayday, RIT, scba, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, Training, training-development | dc802 | No Comments
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  This is a great drill from a great Brother and friend, Lance Peeples of the Webster Groves Fire Department in St. Louis County.  Look for more great material from Lance in the future.     Daily Drill 1: Standpipe Operations   “The Daily Drill” is designed to spark discussion about operational issues in YOUR […]

Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire Remembered
May 28, 2010 | buildling construction, fire codes, fire sprinklers, fire-prevention-education, fires, historic fires, inspections, major-incidents, mass-casualty-incident, training-fire-rescue-topics | dc802 | 13 Comments
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These factors are all too familiar.  We see the same failures in these large loss of life fires in assembly occupancies.  We sometimes take our inspections and prevention activities lightly because it is not “fun” or interesting to some.  Remember these fires and the lives that have been lost because of poor prevention measures and a lack of life safety measures in these buildings.

Cleveland School Fire of 1923
May 20, 2010 | buildling construction, fire codes, fire-prevention-education, fires, historic fires, inspections | dc802 | 6 Comments
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That night 77 people lost their lives at a school event that should have ended with celebration and refreshments. Instead the community was tasked with finding the bodies of those who did not make it out.

Honoring Tradition
May 13, 2010 | historic fires | dc802 | No Comments
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As I made a right from the lobby, there is a short hallway that honors the fallen Chicago firefighters over the past 200 plus years. They have a badge for each one in a glass case and it is sobering to say the least. There is a great number of badges on that wall for those that made the ultimate sacrafice. When you see how many have given their lives for their fellow man, it truly is a humbling experience.

Thomas Hotel Fire, 1961
January 14, 2010 | buildling construction, fire codes, fire stopping, historic fires, inspections | dc802 | No Comments
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Simple oversights on fire inspections could make a difference in an emergency. Be thorough and enforce the fire codes.

Mercy Hospital Fire 1950 Kills 41-Davenport, IA
January 7, 2010 | administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, historic fires, inspections | dc802 | 3 Comments

Another history lesson that helps to prove fire sprinklers save lives. Learn from our past without repeating it.

1964 Indiana Nursing Home Fire
December 18, 2009 | fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, historic fires, major-incidents, mass-casualty-incident, rescues | dc802 | No Comments

On this day in 1964, a nursing in Fountaintown, Indiana caught fire around 3:00AM.  A nurse reportedly saw the fire in the kitchen and hall way and started screaming for everyone to get out. The first state troopers on the scene stated that the fire moved very fast throughout the first floor and that although […]

Special Events, Watch for Them
December 17, 2009 | fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, fires, historic fires, major-incidents, mass-casualty-incident, training-fire-rescue-topics | dc802 | No Comments
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On this day in 1961, not that long ago, a circus tent caught fire in Niterói, Brazil.  The fire killed 323 people including many children. It is suspected that a disgruntled worker set the fire, but that has been disputed by some. It is another example why we have codes and permits for these special […]

The Great New York Fire of 1835
December 16, 2009 | fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, historic fires, major-incidents, mass-casualty-incident, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics | dc802 | No Comments
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On this day in 1835, a great fire swept through New York destroying over 500 buildings and claiming the lives of two people. The fire reportedly did what would be hundreds of millions of dollars of damage. The fire started on Merchant street and spread quickly through the lower Manhatten area.  Firefighters battled below freezing […]

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