Firefighters Without Borders donate equipment
Since 2008 the B.C.-based Firefighters Without Borders Canada charity has donated 13 fire trucks, more than 1,000 sets of turnout gear, over 400 SCBAs, and other gear totalling 20-plus tons of equipment valued at more than $2 million. Recipients have been located in...
What should happen when mutual aid becomes standard response
When a fire department is woefully under-staffed should taxpayers elsewhere bear the burden of this deficiency -- and have their firefighters put at risk? http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index.ssf/2013/05/poll_should_towns_cut_back_ass.html
Fire alarm testing pokers ‘are gimmicky waste of money’
The fire service should be spending money on life saving equipment and not gimmicks is the opinion of readers who have reacted to this story about plastic sticks for homeowners to press buttons on their smoke alarms....
Surrey smokes competition at fire awards
The City of Surrey received a 2013 Community Health and Safety Program Excellence Award from the International City/County Management Association for its approach to fire prevention through a targeted smoke alarm giveaway program. The program sends firefighters...
NFPA report, “US Firefighter Deaths in 2012 Second Lowest in 35 Years”
Good news from the NFPA. On-duty firefighter deaths in 2012were the second lowest in 35 years and the number of sudden cardiac arrests was the lowest on record....
Chrysler recalls 2.7 million Jeeps due to potential fire risk
Chrysler Corp. recalls 2.7 million older model Jeeps over fuel tanks that can rupture and cause fires in rear-end collisions. The recall affects approximately 180,000 vehicles in Canada....
B.C. man appeals $860,000 fine for starting wildfire while camping
The BC Wildfire Act allows the province to recover wildfire suppression costs from people deemed responsible for causing the fire. Ability to pay is not a factor....
Million dollar house fire sparks concern about old insulation
Fire officials have not confirmed the exact cause but say the home had 40 year old cellulose insulation in the attic. Cellulose resembles finely shredded newspaper with a fire resistant spray on it. This article says that the spray wears off leaving an...
New 27 million dollar fire hall at CFB Esquimalt
The state-of-the-art emergency centre at CFB Esquimalt replaces a Second World War era building too small for the department’s needs. http://www.timescolonist.com/news/world/cfb-esquimalt-s-firefighters-find-room-of-their-own-1.315945
NASA satellite photos of Saskatchewan wildland fires
NASA's Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. Actively burning areas are outlined in red. The three fires shown here are more than 100 hectares in size (>247 acres)....
NIST live fires will benefit research and firefighter training
Eight houses will be burned to test ventilation methods used to prevent or at least delay flashover. In conjunction with the experiments, the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) will videotape and develop training modules that will be...
New roof anchor may make firefighting safer
A Massachusetts firefighter has designed a new roof anchor that provides a secure and stable working platform for firefighters as they use chainsaws and other tools to cut into roofs....
Drones could help fight forest fires
Thunder Bay professor and students to test programming drones for smoke and fire detection. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/story/2013/05/24/tby-fire-smoke-detecting-drones-research-lakehead-university-thunder-bay.html
Slave Lake wildfire probe ends without charges
The arson investigation into the massive wildfires in Slave Lake two years ago is over and no charges will be laid. The 12 police officers who worked full time on the case exhausted all leads and say no more work will be done unless additional tips come in....
5 ways to calm ‘feedback fires’
What we can learn from celebrity meltdowns. This has nothing to do with firefighting but lots to do with leadership. http://www.forbes.com/sites/joefolkman/2013/05/27/5-ways-to-calm-feedback-fires-what-we-can-learn-from-celebrity-meltdowns/
Phoenix firefighter dies after being crushed between engine and ambulance
A firefighter was crushed between an engine and an ambulance as the vehicles were being repositioned at a fire scene. http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/22290866/2013/05/19/firefighter-injured-while-fighting-mulch-fire
Mall owner sues Slave Lake and its fire department
The company that owns the Slave Lake Shopping Centre is suing the Province, the town of Slave Lake and its fire department for $3 million in damages caused by fire crews battling the wildfire that ripped through the community in May of 2011. The company claims...
Police and fire services to work together on prevention issues
Could joint police/fire efforts work for your community? Activities will include joint home fire safety and crime prevention visits and promotion of joint safety campaigns....
Recent Articles
Yellowknife to Fort McMurray: lessons from the frontlines of Canada’s worst wildfires.
Volunteer firefighters see doubling in tax credit.
Oro-Medonte fire chief smokes out several ways to boost revenue.
Ahead of likely ‘ferocious’ wildfire season, fire chiefs lament drop in volunteers.
Vancouver firefighters get $2.8M from city to procure gear free of cancer-causing chemicals.
