Robert Avsec, Battalion Chief (Ret.)

FireRescue1 • 18th March 2024

7 factors to consider in your next information management system

The importance of fire departments using data – collecting it, analyzing it, developing solutions from it – should no longer be in question. The challenge now is how to process more data faster – for preparedness, prevention, operational insights, and firefighter safety and wellbeing. This is where information management systems come into play. But how can fire department decision-makers identify the right solution for them? Start with the following seven factors: • Comprehensive solution. Look

FireRescue1 • 26th February 2024

The ventilation/cancer prevention connection

A time-tested acronym for fire suppression, RECEO-VS stands for Rescue, Exposures, Containment, Extinguishment and Overhaul, with the tacked-on Ventilation and Salvage addressed as a “when needed, where needed” tactical operation. But as we’ve learned more about the increased risks for firefighters to develop cancers (when compared to the public) from the chemicals, chemical compounds and carcinogens present in the smoke of today’s structural fires, firefighters must reevaluate the importance o

FireRescue1 • 11th December 2023

Source capture: The gold standard for keeping toxins out of fire stations

Fact: The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012 reclassified diesel exhaust (DE) from probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) to carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) based on evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer. Fact: Research shows that firefighters are at risk of exposure to the gases and diesel particulate matter (DPM) present in diesel exhaust in fire stations. Fact: Research shows that prolonged exposure to DE or DPM can increase the risk of cardio

FireRescue1 • 25th September 2023

5 firefighter safety issues we shouldn’t still be talking about

“A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action” was a popular 1993 song by country music performer Toby Keith. Hard to believe that it’s been 30 years. It’s also hard to believe that there are still firefighter health and safety issues of roughly the same age that garner so much discussion even today. During the 30 or more years that some of the problems listed below have been on the fire service radar, how many firefighters have been killed or injured? How many firefighters have had their lives or

FireRescue1 • 27th June 2023

Fireground contaminant exposure control: Is the fire service really committed?

By now every firefighter or fire officer should know that during fire suppression, overhaul, live-fire training and fire investigations, they are being exposed to the chemicals, chemical compounds and carcinogens present in the smoke of today’s structural fires – even after they return to the fire station and begin cleaning and decontaminating fire apparatus and equipment. They must also know that the International Agency for Research on Cancer identified the occupational exposure of firefighte

FireRescue1 • 15th June 2023

The Vulcan Clutch: Taking portable lighting to new heights

When Streamlight brought its Vulcan line of portable hand lights to the fire equipment market, it was a ground-breaking advancement in portable hand lights for use by firefighters and EMS personnel. The rechargeable and waterproof Vulcan hand light gave firefighters a personal lighting device with a 180- degree articulating head that used three C4 LED bulbs within deep-dish parabolic reflectors to produce a tight beam with optimum peripheral illumination. Its rechargeable 8800 mAh Lithium-Ion b

FireRescue1 • 17th May 2023

KrakenEXO SUPER II Fire Hose: UL tested and fire combat ready

Once upon a time, the 1 ¾-inch fire hose was THE technological advancement for fire hose used as a fire suppression handline. The 1 ¾-inch fire hose provided firefighters with the capability to deliver a 200-gpm fire stream using a handline that could easily be managed by two firefighters. This advancement in fire hose technology was important for many fire departments that were facing staffing reductions in the late 1980’s due to reduced budgets, in career and combination departments, and decl

FireRescue1 • 30th January 2024

5 tool types new firefighters can’t live without

The adage “Jack of all trades, master of none” has never been more applicable to today’s firefighters. Every day, firefighters are confronted with various emergency scenarios where the combination of a sharp mind and the right tool means the difference between success and failure. The problem: Many of those situations don’t happen when a firefighter can quickly get the required tool from the apparatus on location. Experienced firefighters, being resourceful individuals, often make clever use of

FireRescue1 • 24th January 2024

5 tips for new engineers

Congratulations! You’ve taken the next step in your fire service career by becoming an engineer. While fire departments may have different titles for this position (e.g., driver/operator, motor pump operator, chauffer), they all have the same responsibilities: Get the apparatus and personnel to the scene and back safely, and once on scene, operate the fire apparatus safely, effectively and efficiently to support tactical operations. Here we’ll cover five things that every engineer must do, espe

FireRescue1 • 2nd January 2024

‘It takes time to find your spot’: Lessons from 1 chief’s transition to battalion chief

The promotion from firefighter to company officer is the most difficult for many firefighters because it requires them to create a degree of separation from their peers if they are to effectively function in their new role of leading, guiding and directing firefighters. Their daily action must be congruent with being an “agent of the fire chief” because that’s what they are. The second most difficult promotion is getting a battalion chief’s badge pinned on your shirt. That promotion puts you in

FireRescue1 • 22nd December 2023

How to get firefighters, and rigs, ready for winter

No matter how mild the forecasters say the coming winter will be, if you live in the north, you know there will be stretches when freezing cold and heavy snow conspire against man and machine. And we all know how these conditions can hamper firefighter safety and effectiveness on the fireground. Over the past few years, I’ve written several articles on cold-weather preparations for both people and rigs. I’ve also asked for some input from fire service colleagues to find out how they get past wi

FireRescue1 • 4th October 2023

The future is now: Improving firefighter safety through connectivity

Is there any more terrifying radio traffic on a fire scene? What comes next? The incident commander (IC) attempts to pinpoint the firefighter’s last known location and condition over the radio – provided the firefighter can continue to communicate verbally –activates the RIT and sends them off in search of the firefighter in distress, all while trying their best to continue with the original scene operation. A successful rescue depends on those involved being able to remain calm, make confiden

FireRescue1 • 18th May 2023

KrakenEXO SUPER II Fire Hose: UL tested and fire combat ready

Once upon a time, the 1 ¾-inch fire hose was THE technological advancement for fire hose used as a fire suppression handline. The 1 ¾-inch fire hose provided firefighters with the capability to deliver a 200-gpm fire stream using a handline that could easily be managed by two firefighters. This advancement in fire hose technology was important for many fire departments that were facing staffing reductions in the late 1980’s due to reduced budgets, in career and combination departments, and decl

FireRescue1 • 2nd May 2023

How to calculate and overcome friction loss

One of the pump operator’s primary goals is to provide the fire attack crew with the necessary water flow to get their job done. There are plenty of things that the pump operator must get done in the early stages of a fire, and none are more important than this. One of the pump operator’s critical tasks is determining what pump discharge pressure to set for each supply or hand line. To determine this, the pump operator must first know the total gallons per minute flow, that is, the desired resu

FireRescue1 • 20th April 2023

‘Pop quiz, hotshot’: Is your portable radio up to the task?

Question No. 1: What actions must a firefighter take when they find themselves in a mayday situation? • Push the emergency activation (mayday) button on their portable radio or remote microphone. • Activate the PASS on their SCBA or standalone PASS device. • Following mayday acknowledgment by the incident commander (IC), transmit your status over your portable radio using a pneumonic like LUNAR (location, unit, name, air supply, resources needed) or a simple “Who, what, where?” model. • All the

FireRescue1 • 29th March 2023

Document upload feature set to elevate alerting app

Is your agency still relying on 20th-century tools (e.g., mobile pagers) to alert your members of calls for service? Do your members still miss calls for service because of the narrow bandwidth used by those pagers? The good news: In recent years, new technologies have given rise to alerting apps for wireless devices (e.g., phones, tablets) that can provide firefighters with a variety of dispatch information. One such alerting app from eDispatches, which is available for both iOS and Android d

FireRescue1 • 14th March 2023

8 reasons to wear a Euro-style helmet

For many fire departments, response to structure fires represents an exceedingly small percentage of their emergency responses. Those same fire departments are responding to greater numbers of call for motor vehicle crashes with victim extrication, wildland urban interface fires and situations that require tactical rescue operations (e.g., trench, high-angle rescues). So, why do the overwhelming majority of firefighters and officers still wear a traditional-style fire helmet – a helmet style fi

FireRescue1 • 8th March 2023

‘Risk a little to save a lot’: A new look at an old mantra

“The more things change, the more they remain the same.” That phrase comes to mind every time I see pictures and videos of firefighters entering a structure fire to engage the fire but are obviously no longer in the hazard area, walking around the exterior of the building, still wearing their contaminated PPE and SCBA, with their facepiece hanging down in front of them. Or equally disturbing, firefighters, walking around the building still wearing their contaminated bunker pants with their equa

FireRescue1 • 22nd February 2023

‘How it used to be’: Glamorizing our past sends mixed messages to new members

I’m done reading blog posts that start with something like, “Firefighting has been and always will be a dangerous job and we accept the risks when we take the job ….” Done. Until we stop glamorizing the job of a firefighter with stories of “how it used to be,” we will never get the newest and future generations of firefighters to understand – really understand and take it to heart – that when you look at the facts, most risks in this industry should be extinct. After all, we have the knowledge,

FireRescue1 • 10th January 2023

170 years of badgemaking

Since its founding in 1852, Blackinton, the V. H. Blackinton & Co., Inc., has been a privately held and family-owned company that’s well-respected by public safety agencies for its innovative design and manufacturing of badges and uniform insignia. That tradition continues under the guidance and leadership of the Roque family. “My grandfather began working for the company in 1947 after he returned home from World War II where he served as a combat medic,” said Andrew Roque, son of current Presid