FC_Command Post_: Think Time

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August 28, 2008	SUBSCRIBE	UNSUBSCRIBE	PREFERENCES

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Table Of Contents

	Think Time
	Study Targets Firefighters' Heart-Attack Risk
	IAFF Calls for Catastrophe Protection
	Forest Service Diverts Funds to Wildfire
	Fired Officials Win Court Rulings
	Personnel Changes in Ga., Pa., Tenn.
	World Firefighter Games Held in England
	Maybe Digital Radios aren't the Problem
	Actions Speak Louder than Words
	Does the Name Sam Spear Ring a Bell?
	Patient Data Care Boosts EMS Worth
	Full Calendar at FireChief.com

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From Janet's Notebook

Think Time

By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director

For a variety of reasons, including an airline fiasco that left me without luggage for four days, I decided to drive from Chicago to Denver for Fire-Rescue International. I needed some think time, and driving a five-speed doesn't let you do much else.

The drive took around 16 hours, with an overnight in Council Bluffs, Iowa, but it was amazing. Many times, I wondered where would rescue workers come from if there was an accident on those stretches of I-80. This is the land of small volunteer fire departments, and none were visible from the interstate. Instead of 4- to 6-minute response times, it could 15 or 20 minutes before help arrived. A Chicago suburb’s EMS was proud that it's response to a heart-attack victim spanned 42 minutes from on-scene arrival to rolling the patient into the operating room for surgery. A heart attack could be fatal traveling across the vast cornfields of Nebraska.

But I did more than just reflect on response time; I thought about lack of time, good uses of time and more.

During breakfast on the last morning of FRI, I told a few of my buddies that I felt my “B.S. detector” was broken — I had been wowed by a few individuals, impressed with their vision, intelligence and achievements. I felt inspired by these very likeable personalities, but after working with them on various projects, I learned they weren’t dependable. Were these revered individuals just all talk? Click Here for More ...

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Top Story

Study Targets Firefighters' Heart-Attack Risk

Indiana University has monitored local firefighters to find the past six months for a way to help lower the risk of heart attacks. Researchers monitored the heart rates of 56 members of the Indianapolis Fire Department to determine which job aspects create the most dangerous stress. Click Here for More ...

WHP Trainingtowers

Quality Live Fire Training Simulators. The quality built into a WHP Simulator towers above the rest. These simulators are designed to withstand the rigors of fire training. Call 800-351-2525 to discuss your next training building. If you only build one training building, build the best. www.trainingtowers.com

In the News

IAFF Calls for Catastrophe Protection

The International Association of Fire Fighters joined ProtectingAmerica.org to call for state and federal laws that provide comprehensive catastrophe protection. Click Here for More ...

Forest Service Diverts Funds to Wildfire

The U.S. Forest Service estimates spending on fires could reach $1.6 billion this year, and so has begun diverting funds, expected to reach a total of $400 million, from other areas through the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Click Here for More ...

Fired Officials Win Court Rulings

California courts found in favor of two deputy chiefs with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, ruling that their firings without pre-dismissal hearings were unconstitutional. Click Here for More ...

Personnel Changes in Ga., Pa., Tenn.

The Coweta County (Newnan, Ga.) board of commissioners has approved a new organizational structure that it hopes will streamline reporting and set up succession planning. Clearfield Volunteer Fire Department's four companies will merge into a single entity. In response to the upcoming retirement of Fire Chief Ed Mitchell in October, Maryville, Tenn., plans to restructure the fire and police departments, consolidating the chief's positions to public safety director. Click Here for More ...

World Firefighter Games Held in England

The World Firefighters Games 08, hosted by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in Liverpool, England, saw more than 3,000 firefighters from more than 30 countries competing in events ranging from soccer and horse riding to tests of strength and fire service-specific tasks. Click Here for More ...

All of us at Bumperchute® Co. are convinced that our unique and terrific tailgate canopies are the right choice for First Responders everywhere. Give us a call at 1-866-232-8189 or e-mail us and let us show you what we can do for your team. info@bumperchute.com

From Mutual Aid, a FIRE CHIEF Blog

Maybe Digital Radios aren't the Problem

By Glenn Bischoff

Tests conducted by a radio technician in Florida suggest that the problem isn’t the digital radios at all, but rather firefighters who haven’t been trained adequately on how to use them in high-noise environments. Click Here for More ...

As Seen in FIRE CHIEF

Actions Speak Louder than Words

By Jim Wilson

It is important to pay attention to body language, but it is even more important to pay attention to changes in body language. Communication is not a static event. Click Here for More ...

Does the Name Sam Spear Ring a Bell?

By Ronny J. Coleman

Sam didn’t stop with getting the two-platoon system. He didn’t stop with getting the guys a raise. Sam continued to ﬁght for the basic rights of those he served with. Click Here for More ...

Patient Data Care Boosts EMS Worth

By Bruce Evans

As budgets tighten, ﬁre and EMS organizations will starve or thrive based on their ability to demonstrate their worth and effectiveness to the community. Click Here for More ...

The 5th Annual FEMSA Fire Service survey is online now! Please click here to participate. Sign up to have your department be entered into a drawing to win $5000 worth of gear from any FEMSA member company!

Upcoming Events

Full Calendar at FireChief.com

Do you have an upcoming event to share with our readers? Please send information to Carrie Cleaveland, Assistant Editor, at carrie@firechief.com.

SEPTEMBER

16-Hour Foam Operations & Applications
4-5, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

8-Hour Industrial Fire Training
8, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

Florida Firefighters Safety & Health Conference
8-10, Orlando, Fla.
Contact: Florida Fire Chiefs' Association, 386-676-2744

Rescue I-Plus
8-12, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

8-Hour Foam Operations
16, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

Confined-Space Technician II
15-19, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

Rope Technician II
15-19, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

8-Hour Firefighter Survival Skills-Flashover
19, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

8-Hour Hazardous Material for First Responders-Awareness Level
19, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

16-Hour Incident Command System /Incident Management System Training
22-23, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

30-Hour Basic Industrial Exterior Fire Training
22-25, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

Trench & Structural Collapse
22-27, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

20-Hour Basic Rope Rescue
25-26, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

Rescue from Fall Protection
29-30, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

8-Hour Pre-Emergency Planning for Industrial Facilities
30, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

OCTOBER

Tower Work & Rescue
1-3, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

30-Hour Basic Industrial Interior Fire Training
6-9, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

Fast-Track 120 Confined-Space & Rope Rescue Certification
6-11 and 13-18, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

8-Hour Industrial Fire Training
13, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

40-Hour Industrial Fire Team Leader
13-17, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

The Art of Reading Smoke
18, Pontiac, Ill.
Contact: Fire Training Resources

Annual Rope-Rescue Refresher
20-22, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

8-Hour Foam Operations
21, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

FDSOA's Annual Safety Forum
27-31, Orlando, Fla.
Contact: Fire Department Safety Officers Association, 508-881-3114; www.fdsoa.org

Firefighter Escape
27-28, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

Off-Shore Rig Rescue
27-31, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

Petzl EXO End-User Training
29, Baton Rouge, La.
Contact: Roco Rescue, 800-647-7626; www.rocorescue.com

10th Annual Technologies for Critical Incident Conference and Exposition
29-31, Chicago
Contact: Center for Technology Commercialization, 508-870-0042

8-Hour Firefighter Survival Skills-Flashover
31, Beaumont, Texas
Contact: Industrial Safety Training Council, Trisha Kelley, 409-833-2378 ext. 1134 or Jim Philp, 409-833-2378 ext. 1108; www.bestcomplex.com

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