All,

It was one year ago today that Toledo Fire Rescue FF Pvts. James "Jamie" Dickman and Stephen Machcinski's were killed in the Line of Duty in an apartment over commercial structure fire, later determined to be arson. The department and NIOSH report are still pending. PLEASE be sure to listen (and share) the audio link below.

Abou-Arab, 62,  is being held in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $5.85 million bond. He is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, each with death penalty specifications; two counts of murder; eight counts of aggravated arson, and one count of tampering with evidence. 

RADIO/VIDEO OF THE TOLEDO FIRE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqzFjhIhxmY

MUST LISTEN/LEARN:

RAW EDITED RADIO TRAFFIC FROM INITIAL TOLEDO FIRE DISPATCH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk2NCEmQsiU&feature=youtu.be

MORE VIDEO: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo032kUVs8M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84503534&v=BNsz8fkP3Nw&x-yt-ts=1421914688

MORE on the one year anniversary of the tragic loss HERE:

http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2015/01/26/Toledo-honors-fallen-firefighters-a-year-after-tragedy.html

RIP.

===UPDATE: Video from Phoenix Shows FF Thru The Roof:

As we posted Saturday, Phoenix had a CLOSE CALL when some members were caught in some vented fire. The video shows one of those firefighters falling off the roof to the ground as well as the fire conditions following the venting.

Check it out HERE:

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/clip/11066799/phoenix-firefighter-suffers-burn-falls-from-burning-home-during-early-morning-blaze

===ARE YOU A "FAN" OF POSITIVE PRESSURE?

We have always looked at PPV as another tool-used based upon conditions, in coordination with companies operating and only ordered by command. 

UL is now testing positive pressure ventilation....and HERE are excerpts from an article on ABC7 Chicago.com (entire article link and VIDEO below) about fire fighting testing at Underwriters Laboratories:

Researchers at Underwriters Laboratories in Northbrook [monitor] the oxygen levels and temperatures [in a controlled burn] ... to reduce the number of people killed in blazes.  About 150 sensors are strategically placed [two] homes, which are inside a UL warehouse.

"A lot of tactics are coming in question because while the number of fires are going down the number of deaths are remaining the same we are hurting ourselves," said Mike Halterman, a firefighter and paramedic in Wilmette.

Not only are those firefighter deaths concerning, but so is the new speed of fires  - because of newer construction, open floor plans and newer furnishings. In just a 90 seconds, the open box with synthetic furniture made of chemicals was swallowed by flames, while the open box with vintage furniture took more than 13 minutes.

Now, UL Consumer Safety Director John Drengenberg and his team are testing positive pressure ventilation. They'll still need to perform several more tests and get more data but, they're trying to figure out if opening certain windows and increasing airflow to the fire with fans, can manipulate the flames.

"In this case it looks like if the house was vacant and nobody was in the house, the fan would have done a good job of helping to get the smoke out and letting the firefighters come in and attack the fire which was in the living room. However if there was someone in the house, especially in the bedroom, with the window open it could have been disastrous," Dregenberg said.

"This is data that is ground breaking. Nobody has ever done this ... firefighters on scene know how to fight a fire but nobody knows how the fire progresses and they might want to change their tactics if some of these data points show maybe breaking the window to get at the fire may not be the best thing," Dregenberg said. UL's research will be complete in a few months. They are doing about 20 more test burns. Thanks to ACDave for the links to this.

MORE INFO HERE:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/cutting-edge-fire-research-could-help-save-lives/487081/

As discussed earlier, since it came out, we have looked at PPV as another tool-used based upon conditions, in coordination with companies operating and only when ordered by command. We'll be interested to see the progress and final outcomes on the testing.

Take Care. Be Careful. Pass It On.

BillyG

The Secret List 1/26/2015-2030 Hours

www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com 

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