FireWatch

FireWatch is a service that provides links to news stories from the fire community that have attracted our attention.

Volunteer firefighters feel the strain

Volunteer firefighters are feeling the strain as they take on more and more unpaid responsibilities that exceed their traditional tasks of battling flames and responding to medical emergencies and motor-vehicle crashes....

SF fire chief bans helmet cameras in wake of crash

San Francisco's fire chief has explicitly banned firefighters from using helmet-mounted video cameras. Chief Joanne Hayes-White said she issued the order because, "There comes a time that privacy of the individual is paramount, of greater importance than having a...

Judge orders FDNY not to use apparatus over 10 years old

FDNY officials argued that older trucks are critical response vehicles for non-fire calls.  “This award will potentially endanger numerous lives by frustrating the only means of transportation available to numerous lieutenants and captains employed by the FDNY.”...

Inmates fight fires, reclaim their lives

The Colorado Department of Corrections “SWIFT” (State Wildland Inmate Fire Team) program helps inmates learn teamwork and also provides a potential post-prison career and gives back to communities by performing an important role in a fire-prone state....

Vancouver, Washington Fire Department test SUVs for medical calls

The initial review of a pilot project by the Vancouver, Washington Fire Department suggests responding with SUVs rather than engines to low priority calls will keep engines available for priority calls and cost less money. The department spends $1.34 a mile to drive...

Spanish company developing drones for wildland firefighting

A Spanish company has developed drones capable of carrying and dispersing a large quantity of liquid at the site of a fire. The unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are launched from transport planes, fly to the location of the fire using the guidance system developed...

Bed bug treatments leave homes in flames

Investigators have linked a number of fires to radiant heaters used by exterminators. Last year a 50-unit condominium in Edmonton burned when exterminators used propane fired heaters to bring the temperature in the infested room above 120 degrees. Exterminators say...

Fire problems caused by Chinese lanterns

Fire chiefs in the UK call for an "urgent review" into the use of Chinese lanterns. The lanterns have become an increasingly popular sight at weddings, Halloween celebrations, music festivals and even funerals.   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23129276

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