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Remembering Lieutenant Alan Wadleigh Northfield Fire Rescue
Fellow Brothers and Sisters:

With your permission, as time and space permits, as part of my commitment to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, I am going to use our magazine to support our awareness campaign. Part of the awareness campaign is sharing our losses and sorrows. Cancer is non-discriminatory and it is a plague within our profession. It is a fight we can win and it is a mission we must embrace. For more information on how you can support the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, go to http://www.firefightercancersupport.org/index.cfm?section=1
We all wish to share or sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Lieutenant Alan Wadleigh of the Northfield (IL) Fire Rescue Department. Alan passed away this morning after an eight year battle with cancer. Lt. Wadleigh served the department for 29 years and prior to that served with the Schiller Park Fire Department for four years. Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Wake:
Thursday, May 29th, 5pm-9pm Friday, May 30th, 5pm-9pm Haben Funeral Home 8057 Niles Center Rd Skokie, IL 847-673-6111
Funeral:
Saturday, May 31st, 11:00am Central United Methodist Church 8237 Kenton Skokie, IL
Interment will be private.

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posted by Bobby Halton
5/29/2008 09:09:00 AM

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If you have been diagnosed as having a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, you are invited to participate in a very important, short, anonymous survey of firefighter MRSA infections and family members affected. The survey is being conducted by Mike McEvoy of Albany Medical College (New York) and EMS editor for Fire Engineering magazine. To participate, please send an e-mail to Mike McEvoy at [email protected].

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posted by Peter Prochilo
5/19/2008 03:34:00 PM

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Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas has submitted a letter to Mayor Joe Riley informing the city of his intention to retire on June 27, 2009. Thomas' announcement comes almost one year after the tragic June 18 Sofa Super Store Fire where 9 Charleston Firefighters lost their lives. There have been numerous calls for the chief to step down from both internal and external critics of Chief Thomas.

The draft report from NIOSH was released last week and fire event analysis by the city hired panel of outside experts is due to be released today or tomorrow. For local coverage and more on Chief Thomas' decision: http://www.wcbd.com/midatlantic/cbd/home.html

The nationwide search to hire a new Charleston fire chief will probably begin immediately. The mayor has indicated he will be working closely with Union officials to select the very best person to help the organization recover and continue to serve the community of Charleston. Additional staffing has also been discussed we will post those details as they become available. Thanks to Firefighter Hourly for assisting Fire Engineering with this report.

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posted by Bobby Halton
5/14/2008 12:56:00 PM

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On May 11, we ran a story on the site entitled "Fewer in MA apply as part-time firefighters." This headline, which was writted by Fire Engineering staff, does not accurately reflect the content of the article, which deals with communities in New Hampshire, not Massachusetts. We apologize for the error.

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posted by Peter Prochilo
5/14/2008 11:12:00 AM

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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released an important safety warning for fire departments using certain types of aerials.

From the NIOSH Web site:

NIOSH recommends that all fire departments utilizing aerial ladder trucks with locking (pin-anchored, lever actuated, clamped) waterways immediately take the following actions to reduce the risk of fire fighters being struck by unsecured waterways or parts of the waterway...


Read the whole thing HERE.

Update: On on our community site, Fire Engineering advisory board member Bill Peters weighs in on the incident discusses in the NIOSH investigation. CLICK HERE to read Bill's remarks.

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posted by Peter Prochilo
5/09/2008 09:20:00 AM

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2 Comments:

Blogger FireAppWP said...

The following information came from Chief Billy Goldfeder's Secret List. This is some important information that everyone needs to think about.

In light of this weeks URGENT NIOSH SAFETY ADVISORY (link below) related to AERIAL WATERWAYS, there has been another aerial ladder waterway failure. While the Fairfax City (VA) FD was performing Driver/Operator training with the ladder truck, the nozzle, fly section of the waterway and associated metal structure separated from the aerial ladder and fell 70 to 80 feet to the ground. Fortunately, no one was in the vicinity and all of these components landed in a wooded area.

Their preliminary investigation indicates possible human error. The device used to secure the nozzle, after moving it from the "rescue position" to the "waterway position," was not correctly secured in either position. It was also determined that the gate valve for the waterway inlet was in the closed position when water was being pumped to the ladder. When it was opened, a significant force of water, under pressure, was introduced to the waterway. This likely provided the energy to eject the waterway and nozzle assembly. A representative from the manufacturer will be in Fairfax City next week to take a look at the device and vehicle.

Sat May 10, 01:45:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Near miss advice said...

Firefighternearmiss.com is an anonymous web based reporting system where you can post similar reports. There is one report posted in the system refering to an unpinned waterway. If this has happened to your department, take a moment to share the lessons you have learned with the rest of the fire service community.

Thu May 29, 09:09:00 PM EDT  

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Via The Post & Courier (charleston.net):

The nation's largest firefighters union pledged Monday to fight Charleston Mayor Joe Riley's decision to delay the release of an investigative report detailing how nine city firefighters died in last year's Sofa Super Store blaze.


Read more about this one HERE.

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posted by Peter Prochilo
5/06/2008 10:49:00 AM

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