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Posted: Jan 26, 2018

Purchasing Foam for Fire Apparatus

So, it is time to purchase a foam concentrate for the first time or replenish your current foam concentrate supply. What do you need to do now?

There are several considerations before you rush out to purchase those heavy buckets of bubble-making concentrate. The most important thing to remember, regardless of whether this is your initial purchase or you are replenishing your inventory, is to not let money be the sole deciding factor in your decision-making process. Many departments simply let the per-gallon cost of foam concentrate drive their decision on what to purchase. This can have disastrous consequences that will end up costing you a lot more than the savings you realized from buying a cheaper concentrate.

What Type?

The first decision in making a foam concentrate purchase is to determine what type of foam concentrate will be needed to properly protect your community. There are several options available on the market today, so determining the hazards to be protected is very important. If you live in a rural community with few or no Class B hazards, then you shouldn’t focus on purchasing Class B foam concentrate. On the contrary, if you have a large amount of Class B fuel storage in your community, you shouldn’t focus on Class A foam. If you have a mix of Class A and Class B fuels, then examining a proven National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 18, Standard on Wetting Agents, compliant concentrate might be your best choice. You should spend time reading NFPA 18; NFPA 1150, Standard on Foam Chemicals for Fires in Class A Fuels; and NFPA 11, Standard for Low-, Medium-, and High-Expansion Foam. These three standards will provide you with the information you need regarding the types of foam concentrates available on the market and the fires they will properly work to extinguish. It is very important to do your research in determining what type of foam concentrate will best suit your community. You don’t want to invest a large amount of your community’s money in a concentrate that will not suit your needs.

If you determine an NFPA 18-compliant foam concentrate is best for you, then you have a little extra homework. You should request that the manufacturer provide you with a copy of its latest independent testing data showing the results for tests outlined in NFPA 18. The majority of NFPA 18 foam concentrates have been tested by Underwriters Laboratories to determine if they meets or exceed the testing outlined in NFPA 18. The manufacturer can provide you with a copy of its test data so you, the end user, can use performance data to compare the performance of the different NFPA 18-compliant foam concentrates. If you compare this test data, you will be able to determine which concentrates are the better performing concentrates. This research will greatly assist you in determining the best performing concentrates available to your department. If the manufacturer refuses to release its independent testing data, that should be a red flag regarding the concentrate’s performance abilities.

Compatibility

Your foam concentrate’s compatibility with other concentrates is an important factor in the purchasing process. If you are purchasing a foam concentrate for the first time, then concentrate compatibility is not going to be as big of a concern. If you are replenishing your current inventory, it is vital that whatever new foam concentrate you purchase be compatible with the foam concentrate already in your department—especially if the concentrate is going to be placed in a tank using an onboard delivery system. If you decide to take the low-bid approach and switch t

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Posted: Jan 26, 2018

MultiBrief: Pay Attention To More Than Just Apparatus Gauges And Components

Being a driver is not just being a "sidewalk" firefighter while the others are actively fighting the fire on the interior. They need to be inherently aware of the operations and keep their antennas and feelers on always. During live fire emergencies and operations, drivers need to remain diligent about the activities occurring around them. They cannot remain focused on the pump panel or aerial operations only; they need to be vigilant about their surrounding area and radio communications.

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Posted: Jan 26, 2018

Data Analytics for the Fire Service

fama forum Paul C. Darley
 
For many years, numerous speakers at virtually every major fire service gathering have focused on data and data analytics.

For many years, numerous speakers at virtually every major fire service gathering have focused on data and data analytics.

Interpreting and using data have become routine in fire service management. Decisions on a wide range of critical issues such as funding, apparatus purchases, station placement, and staffing are backed and validated using data obtained from a wide variety of sources. The famous British politician Benjamin Disraeli once said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” He was referencing the statistical interpretation of data, today referred to as data analytics. Understanding how to correctly and effectively analyze data is mandatory to good management today.

Today, the ability to analyze data has evolved greatly and improved dramatically. Data analytics is the task of extracting meaning from raw data using customized computer systems. These systems segregate, organize, and model the data to draw conclusions and identify patterns. While data analytics is generally used when referring to big data, it can be used with any type of historical data.

Even the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute reported on the data they have been collecting on fire behavior. I encourage you to check out their cutting-edge research at https://ulfirefightersafety.org/ and https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/firegov-fire-service.

FAMA photo

Unlike any time in history, the influx of data today has influenced decisions and literally transformed the world. The whole world is focused on data and extracting meaningful information from them. The fire service is no exception. Sifting through the data can be overwhelming, and this is where data analytics comes in.

In January 2017, Forbes published an article titled, “Is Big Data Analytics the Secret to Successful Fire Fighting?” It was written by Bernard Marr, author of Data Strategy. In the article, Marr makes the following point: “Firefighters generally manage to safely and efficiently tackle the most common emergencies they are called to with a minimum of waste. But, problems most often arise during ‘black swan’ events. So, in that four minutes driving to an incident, I want information that is way more structured—I want to be able to put up a red flag which says, ‘You are going somewhere which may not be the standard—which may be something you haven’t encountered before.’ ”

In his article, Marr talks about starting a “Firebrary,” which he describes as a standard library or glossary of firefighting terms and definitions that can be shared between departments to ensure they are literally speaking the same language. “This was a vital step, because otherwise no matter how big and exciting their data set gets, everyone has to be interpreting it through the same lens, or insights and predictions could be based on a flawed analysis,” he wrote.

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Posted: Jan 26, 2018

Data Analytics for the Fire Service

fama forum Paul C. Darley
 
For many years, numerous speakers at virtually every major fire service gathering have focused on data and data analytics.

For many years, numerous speakers at virtually every major fire service gathering have focused on data and data analytics.

Interpreting and using data have become routine in fire service management. Decisions on a wide range of critical issues such as funding, apparatus purchases, station placement, and staffing are backed and validated using data obtained from a wide variety of sources. The famous British politician Benjamin Disraeli once said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” He was referencing the statistical interpretation of data, today referred to as data analytics. Understanding how to correctly and effectively analyze data is mandatory to good management today.

Today, the ability to analyze data has evolved greatly and improved dramatically. Data analytics is the task of extracting meaning from raw data using customized computer systems. These systems segregate, organize, and model the data to draw conclusions and identify patterns. While data analytics is generally used when referring to big data, it can be used with any type of historical data.

Even the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute reported on the data they have been collecting on fire behavior. I encourage you to check out their cutting-edge research at https://ulfirefightersafety.org/ and https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/firegov-fire-service.

FAMA photo

Unlike any time in history, the influx of data today has influenced decisions and literally transformed the world. The whole world is focused on data and extracting meaningful information from them. The fire service is no exception. Sifting through the data can be overwhelming, and this is where data analytics comes in.

In January 2017, Forbes published an article titled, “Is Big Data Analytics the Secret to Successful Fire Fighting?” It was written by Bernard Marr, author of Data Strategy. In the article, Marr makes the following point: “Firefighters generally manage to safely and efficiently tackle the most common emergencies they are called to with a minimum of waste. But, problems most often arise during ‘black swan’ events. So, in that four minutes driving to an incident, I want information that is way more structured—I want to be able to put up a red flag which says, ‘You are going somewhere which may not be the standard—which may be something you haven’t encountered before.’ ”

In his article, Marr talks about starting a “Firebrary,” which he describes as a standard library or glossary of firefighting terms and definitions that can be shared between departments to ensure they are literally speaking the same language. “This was a vital step, because otherwise no matter how big and exciting their data set gets, everyone has to be interpreting it through the same lens, or insights and predictions could be based on a flawed analysis,” he wrote.

Read more

Posted: Jan 26, 2018

Data Analytics for the Fire Service

fama forum Paul C. Darley
 
For many years, numerous speakers at virtually every major fire service gathering have focused on data and data analytics.

For many years, numerous speakers at virtually every major fire service gathering have focused on data and data analytics.

Interpreting and using data have become routine in fire service management. Decisions on a wide range of critical issues such as funding, apparatus purchases, station placement, and staffing are backed and validated using data obtained from a wide variety of sources. The famous British politician Benjamin Disraeli once said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” He was referencing the statistical interpretation of data, today referred to as data analytics. Understanding how to correctly and effectively analyze data is mandatory to good management today.

Today, the ability to analyze data has evolved greatly and improved dramatically. Data analytics is the task of extracting meaning from raw data using customized computer systems. These systems segregate, organize, and model the data to draw conclusions and identify patterns. While data analytics is generally used when referring to big data, it can be used with any type of historical data.

Even the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute reported on the data they have been collecting on fire behavior. I encourage you to check out their cutting-edge research at https://ulfirefightersafety.org/ and https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/firegov-fire-service.

FAMA photo

Unlike any time in history, the influx of data today has influenced decisions and literally transformed the world. The whole world is focused on data and extracting meaningful information from them. The fire service is no exception. Sifting through the data can be overwhelming, and this is where data analytics comes in.

In January 2017, Forbes published an article titled, “Is Big Data Analytics the Secret to Successful Fire Fighting?” It was written by Bernard Marr, author of Data Strategy. In the article, Marr makes the following point: “Firefighters generally manage to safely and efficiently tackle the most common emergencies they are called to with a minimum of waste. But, problems most often arise during ‘black swan’ events. So, in that four minutes driving to an incident, I want information that is way more structured—I want to be able to put up a red flag which says, ‘You are going somewhere which may not be the standard—which may be something you haven’t encountered before.’ ”

In his article, Marr talks about starting a “Firebrary,” which he describes as a standard library or glossary of firefighting terms and definitions that can be shared between departments to ensure they are literally speaking the same language. “This was a vital step, because otherwise no matter how big and exciting their data set gets, everyone has to be interpreting it through the same lens, or insights and predictions could be based on a flawed analysis,” he wrote.

Read more

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