Fire Incident Reporting: Accurate Data Will Market Your Department

By Michael J. Barakey

Your engine company is dispatched for a report of smoke in a building. It turns out to be a fire in a garbage can in a bathroom at an office building. The fire is smoldering, and you extinguish it with a water can. The fire is contained to the metal garbage can of origin. Light smoke is in the bathroom, with an odor of smoke on the floor. You clear all units with the exception of the first-arriving engine and ladder truck. While the truck company clears the smoke, you gather appropriate information for your fire report. The damage is isolated to the garbage can, with the paint and wall covering charred and smoke stain on the wall and ceiling. The cause is accidental, isolated to discarded smoking materials in the wastebasket. Once back at the firehouse, you hand the information collected for the fire report to the firefighter in the jumpseat. As the officer, you have a rule that the jumpseat firefighter completes the fire incident reports for all calls except working fires.

Construction Concerns: Safety Valves

Article and photos by Gregory Havel

Pressure vessels--including boilers, water heaters, compressed air tanks, and water pressure tanks--operate under internal pressure greater than the atmospheric pressure, and are required by codes to be equipped with pressure relief valves, also known as safety valves.

Fire and building inspectors with busy daily schedules often don't have time to attend valuable skill-enhancing training sessions. In 2005 the U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Academy introduced Coffee Break Training. Coffee Break Training is a weekly one-page training notice that provides technical training in fire protection systems, building construction, codes and standards, inspection techniques, hazardous materials and administrative tips. Weekly issues have been compiled into Volumes and those Volumes are being made available through NFA Online. There is an exam following each volume.

Wisconsin Fire Service Guidebook 5th Addition

Wood I-Joist Floors, Firefighters and Fire

Structure Fires in Residential Board and Care Facilities