By Alan M. Petrillo
The Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department is on a mission to mitigate firefighter sleep-deprivation issues in its existing fire stations by renovating dorm areas, and in new stations, designing sleeping spaces and running customized alerting systems to combat the problem.
The Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department is renovating dorm areas in its fire stations to a configuration similar to this dorm in its Station 1, where dorm walls have been extended into the ceiling and well-insulated. (Photos courtesy of Phoenix Fire Department.)“The old open dorm space went away a long time ago,” says Jim Zwerg, Phoenix Fire’s architect and facilities manager. “When the city of Phoenix adopted the International Building Code (IBC), changing from the Universal Building Code, all of our stations went to individual dorm spaces because the IBC considered sleeping spaces in fire stations under a residential designation, which meant individual dorm rooms for firefighters.”
Zwerg points out that after the market crash in 2009 and 2010, most of the renovations to Phoenix’s fire stations were put on hold—until 2014 when Phoenix renovated Station 33 with the aim of changing its dorms to help mitigate the issue of sleep deprivation. “Stations that are in proximity to the freeways, (Interstate 10 and Interstate 17, as well as several state freeways), and those in heavy call volume areas, some of their companies are going out every 15 to 20 minutes on a call,” Zwerg says. “A firefighter on a 24-hour shift doesn’t get a lot of sleep in those stations.”
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Posted: Nov 10, 2021
Toyne—Trout Creek (NY) Fire District pumper. International HV607 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,000-gallon water tank; Toyne custom slide-out shelving; FRC SPA260/Q70 scene lights. Dealer: Nate Shakerley, Shakerley Fire Truck Sales, Clifton Park, NY.
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VIDEO/PHOTOS: A large fire that overcame a junkyard Tuesday afternoon in Southwest Philadelphia continued to smolder hours after firefighters gained control of the inferno that sent thick black smoke billowing across the city.
Fire crews from multiple departments responded to the construction waste recycling facility on the 3700 block of South 61st Street just before 4 p.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTXF-TV FOX 29 Philadelphia
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Posted: Nov 10, 2021
At community events where first responders are present and the U.S. flag is raised, you’ll see many of the men and women working for fire, police, and other emergency services salute. That’s how you know they are military veterans.
“Service members both past and current are allowed to salute in civilian clothes,” said Spicewood Fire Chief Sam Stacks, a U.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: DailyTrib.com
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Posted: Nov 10, 2021
The engineering department at Texas Tech University headed down to the Lubbock Fire Rescue Training Facility to gain first-hand experiences as a firefighter for their latest project.
Suman Chowdhury, with the Department of Engineering at Texas Tech, says the project isn’t actually for a grade, it’s about the safety of firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KLTV ABC 7 Tyler
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