The annual Death and Injury Survey, published by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), reveals that sprains and strains routinely account for approximately 50 percent of all line-of-duty injuries. Even more astonishing is that back injuries, in particular, account for 50 percent of all line-of-duty retirements each year. These types of injuries affect quality […]
During the past few years, a phenomenon known as “Big Data” has swept across the consciousness of a wide range of the economy and our society at large. Stemming from its roots in the corporations of the private sector, the “Big Data” conversation has spread across the global landscape, ranging from government and public policy, […]
Author’s Note: This account is written from the perspective of the members of the first Special Operations Command (SOC) unit on-scene (Squad 288). While the intent is to convey a general impression of overall operations, it focuses on the operations of SOC companies, in general, and Squad 288, in particular. It is recognized that many […]
On the afternoon of June 18, 2013, FDNY units were called to the scene of a reported trench cave-in in the Kew Gardens section of Queens. A laborer, who had been working in the excavation, in conjunction with a heavy equipment operator operating an excavator, had been caught in the cave-in. The site excavation had […]
Chief in quarters! Not so long ago, these three words created more tension and apprehension than could be imagined. In an attempt to promptly reach the housewatch area, Firefighters would jump down pole-holes and run into each other on the apparatus floor. Icy-cold chills would run up and down the backs of newly promoted Lieutenants, […]
It’s approximately 0200 hours when you receive a Class 3 alarm for a three-story retail mall. En route, you receive a second source for smoke on the third floor. On arrival, the ladder Officer radios that he has heavy smoke in a restaurant on the third floor. As the Incident Commander (IC), you initially transmit […]
There are tens of thousands of food establishments in New York City to feed the millions of people who live and visit the big apple each day. Cooking equipment long has been one of the leading causes of structure fires and, for the past 20 years, has surpassed heating equipment to become the number one […]
