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March 31, 2011

Revisiting the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire on its 100th Anniversary

Fire law is written in tears, so it is said. Never more so than with the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire, the 100th anniversary  of which is on Friday, March 25, 2011. It will be observed more elaborately than usual by the FDNY, public officials, garment industry unions and relatives and friends at fire scene ceremonies […]

March 31, 2011

A Primer on Portable Power Saws

At least twice a day, the unmistakable sound of the portable power saw’s gasoline engine can be heard in firehouses across the City as members perform their required tour checks of this vital tool. In the years prior to the introduction of the portable power saw, members of the FDNY were forced to manually cut […]

March 31, 2011

West Side DSNY Pier Fire Threatens Con Edison Facility and Fuel Barge

On a warm and windy Saturday afternoon, September 4, 2010, Battalion 9 units responded to Manhattan Box 0913 for a report of a fire on Pier 97, located at West 57th Street and 12th Avenue. Pier 97 is occupied by the Department of Sanitation, New York City (DSNY). The pier extends more than two football […]

December 1, 2010

A Unique Roof — The Sawtooth, Part II, Firefighting Procedures

In Part I of this article (see “A Unique Roof–The Sawtooth, Part I, Construction Features, by Assistant Chief Ronald R. Spadafora, in the 3rd/2010 issue of WNYF), trademark construction features were discussed. Part II focuses on fighting fires safely and effectively in buildings with sawtooth roofs.  Photographs for this and Part I showcase New York […]

December 1, 2010

An Updated Guide to Handling Class 3 and Class E Alarms

The article, “Class 3 and Class E Systems–Making Them Work for Firefighters” (also by this author), described how to administratively handle unnecessary/unwarranted Class 3 and Class E alarms. (See the 4th/2008 issue of WNYF.) Due to the new Building and Fire Codes (2008) and the new Building Inspection Safety Program (BISP) Manual, chapter 5, Reference […]

December 1, 2010

FDNY Chemical Protective Clothing Upgrade

Haz-Mat Operations is in the process of upgrading the Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC) issued to units in the Hazardous Materials Response Group. Goals The main goals of the upgrade project are threefold: increase Department response capabilities with mission-specific protection; improve responder safety; and decrease physical impact on responders. History The 1995 Sarin attack on the […]

December 1, 2010

FDNY Members Mitigate Another Andrew J. Barberi Ferry Crash

May 8, 2010, started out as a typical Saturday morning, with units performing committee work and preparing to attend multi-unit drills (MUD). That calm was shattered shortly after 0900 hours when the ferry, Andrew J. Barberi–the same ferry that was involved in the fatal accident on October 15, 2003–slammed into its slip at speed at […]

March 31, 2011

Revisiting the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire on its 100th Anniversary

Fire law is written in tears, so it is said. Never more so than with the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire, the 100th anniversary  of which is on Friday, March 25, 2011. It will be observed more elaborately than usual by the FDNY, public officials, garment industry unions and relatives and friends at fire scene ceremonies […]

March 31, 2011

A Primer on Portable Power Saws

At least twice a day, the unmistakable sound of the portable power saw’s gasoline engine can be heard in firehouses across the City as members perform their required tour checks of this vital tool. In the years prior to the introduction of the portable power saw, members of the FDNY were forced to manually cut […]

March 31, 2011

West Side DSNY Pier Fire Threatens Con Edison Facility and Fuel Barge

On a warm and windy Saturday afternoon, September 4, 2010, Battalion 9 units responded to Manhattan Box 0913 for a report of a fire on Pier 97, located at West 57th Street and 12th Avenue. Pier 97 is occupied by the Department of Sanitation, New York City (DSNY). The pier extends more than two football […]

December 1, 2010

A Unique Roof — The Sawtooth, Part II, Firefighting Procedures

In Part I of this article (see “A Unique Roof–The Sawtooth, Part I, Construction Features, by Assistant Chief Ronald R. Spadafora, in the 3rd/2010 issue of WNYF), trademark construction features were discussed. Part II focuses on fighting fires safely and effectively in buildings with sawtooth roofs.  Photographs for this and Part I showcase New York […]

December 1, 2010

An Updated Guide to Handling Class 3 and Class E Alarms

The article, “Class 3 and Class E Systems–Making Them Work for Firefighters” (also by this author), described how to administratively handle unnecessary/unwarranted Class 3 and Class E alarms. (See the 4th/2008 issue of WNYF.) Due to the new Building and Fire Codes (2008) and the new Building Inspection Safety Program (BISP) Manual, chapter 5, Reference […]

December 1, 2010

FDNY Chemical Protective Clothing Upgrade

Haz-Mat Operations is in the process of upgrading the Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC) issued to units in the Hazardous Materials Response Group. Goals The main goals of the upgrade project are threefold: increase Department response capabilities with mission-specific protection; improve responder safety; and decrease physical impact on responders. History The 1995 Sarin attack on the […]

December 1, 2010

FDNY Members Mitigate Another Andrew J. Barberi Ferry Crash

May 8, 2010, started out as a typical Saturday morning, with units performing committee work and preparing to attend multi-unit drills (MUD). That calm was shattered shortly after 0900 hours when the ferry, Andrew J. Barberi–the same ferry that was involved in the fatal accident on October 15, 2003–slammed into its slip at speed at […]