As you can see, this is a huge obstacle for those wanting to get out of that door.  I have had companies do inspections and when I asked about the exterior, especially the rear of the building, I would get blank stares. It is important to check out the exterior in particular where the exit […]

You can see the problem here, right?  This is a common problem in warehouses, mercantile stores and the “big box” stores, especially the large do-it-yourself stores.  We have to make sure that these lanes are not ‘permanently’ blocked.  The exception is if they are using the lift to move merchandise to or from high shelves, […]

Here is another look at a residential house fire.  What challenges might we have with this fire and where would your first attack line go?  Where would you put your second line and what size?  How would your size-up be transmitted?  What type of contruction are you assuming?  Post you comments and I will post […]

On this day in 1924, children and their parents were gathered in the Babbs Switch School for a visit from Santa Clause. It would end up being a tragic Christmas story and a reason for inspections and codes.  The school had been recently painted with terpintine used for paint thinner.  After windstorms had damaged the […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc-IZhpIYwk] I know this is older but is worth mentioning and showing again. Be careful out there and take time to look for basements.  Stay safe.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIyZx8uIMh0] Here is an older, but good reporting video from Dave Statter on building construction and how it affects our efforts. Stay safe.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlkfrsFXFK8] Here is a good video showing a ridge cut for venting a roof vertically.  Don’t forget that on a real fire, you need to wear SCBA and it is still optimum to have a roof ladder to help to operate off. In addition, care must be made to ensure that the roof is stable enough […]

We can see that there is a working fire at this building.  It is very likely a good choice to vertically ventilte this building. However, how a commanding officer could allow his people to put themselves in this situation is unacceptable. There are at least two firefighters on this roof with smoke and fire below them […]

This is a good working fire and I can see mutliple hose lines going into the structure. It is unfortunate that it is a fire that is ruining someone’s Christmas. With that being said, it is good to see some ladders on this structure since it appears there are crews upstairs. To the left of […]

This is a repair shop that is not sprinklered, it was built prior to the code, and that also does fabricating.  They have added on without permits for several years and now is a dangerous place to be.  They have taken some measures to meet the inspection requirements, but, as you can see, there are […]