CO AI Wildfire Detection Bill Gets Initial Approval

CO AI Wildfire Detection Bill Gets Initial Approval

A Colorado Senate committee on Thursday unanimously voted to move forward a bill to create a $2 million pilot program that would station cameras on mountaintops and use artificial intelligence to monitor the footage and help detect early signs of a wildfire. The bill will move to the state Senate Appropriations Committee next.

Read more

‘The stuff you see on a daily basis, it’s not normal’: A night inside Vancouver’s busiest fire hall

‘The stuff you see on a daily basis, it’s not normal’: A night inside Vancouver’s busiest fire hall

Fire Hall No. 2 on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is the busiest in the city, and arguably the busiest in Canada. And the number of calls for help keeps rising.

In December, the hall saw 1,600 calls for service – 600 more than the average for the second-busiest hall and about 1,100 more than the city’s other stations.

Lt. Dale Maffie has been a firefighter for 18 years, and currently serves as an officer on the Hall No. 2 medic truck. He said because of the intensity of the job, firefighters can only be stationed at the hall for about a year, before moving to another location.

Read more

Rethink Battle-Ready Intelligence

Rethink Battle-Ready Intelligence

Fire departments must rethink their current standard operating procedure and guidelines and perform a risk-based building analysis for firefighter safety, similar to a “Community Risk Reduction Plan” to reduce the fire and all-hazard threats pertaining to the fireground. Having a sound “Firefighter Risk Reduction” brainpower data program of gathering and distributing relevant building data with a battle-ready intelligence mindset (“Know Before You Go”) will prove to be a game changer in preparedness, affirming strategies and facilitating tactical decision making.

Read more

FDNY Firefighter Suffers Fatal Injury While Preparing for Training

Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Firefighter William P. Moon II was critically injured earlier this week. This morning, it became clear that Firefighter Moon, a 21-year FDNY veteran, will not survive his critical injuries. His family has made the decision to donate his organs to save the lives of others.

Just before noon on Monday, December 12, while preparing for a drill inside his firehouse—Rescue Company 2, located at 1815 Sterling Place in Brooklyn—Firefighter Moon fell approximately 20 feet and suffered a serious head injury. He was immediately treated for his injuries by his fellow Firefighters and was then rushed by FDNY EMS to Kings County Hospital in critical condition.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for New York’s Bravest, and for our entire city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Firefighter Moon was a dedicated public servant, who spent more than two decades saving the lives of New Yorkers and will continue to do so in his passing. We join the entire Fire Department and every New Yorker in mourning his loss, and pray for Firefighter Moon, his family, and his friends.”

“Our hearts are broken for Firefighter Moon’s family and friends, and for our entire Department. He spent his life helping others, here at the FDNY, and on Long Island, as a volunteer Fire Chief. Firefighting was in his bones, and he embodied the spirit and passion of our Department. He was passionate about organ donation, and just as he saved countless lives working out of the firehouse, he will continue to save lives in his passing,” said Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

Firefighter Moon was appointed to the FDNY on May 5, 2002. He began his career in Ladder Company 133 in Queens, where he worked for 20 years before being detailed to Rescue Company 2, in Brooklyn earlier this year. In addition to serving the FDNY, Firefighter Moon also served as a member of the Islip Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island, including serving as their Chief of Department in 2017.

Firefighter Moon, 47, was an Islip resident. He is survived by his wife, Kristina, and their two children.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, on Monday, December 12, 2022, FDNY Firefighter William P. Moon, II, 47, was preparing for a drill inside the firehouse when he fell approximately 20 feet and suffered a serious head injury. He was immediately treated by his fellow firefighters and was then rushed to the Kings County Hospital in critical condition. On Friday, December 16, 2022, it became clear to his family that he would not survive his injuries and was declared “brain dead.”

Firefighter Moon was an organ donor and his organs were transplanted to those in need. His official date of death was Monday, December 19, 2022. He had 21 years of service.