By Alan M. Petrillo
Robot vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) are expected to have a future in the fire service once the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues new regulations for use of UASs in civil airspace. Some incident commanders (ICs) see UAS use as a method of investigating a fire scene before committing resources, providing intelligence that could only previously be obtained from fire boots on the ground. Wildland fire managers envision UASs overflying wildfires to provide a bird's-eye view of their behavior, track, and intensity.
Other ICs see the possibility of using ground-based robots to investigate a fire scene, like a crawling robot with three-dimensional thermal imaging to paint a picture of the interior of a structure fire. Likewise, some ICs are looking to the near future where fire suppression robots can be used in places where ICs would not want to put human firefighters.
Unmanned Aircraft
On the UAS front, the FAA has been charged by the United States Congress to meet a September 2015 deadline for integrating commercial UAS (often confusingly called drones) into United States airspace. But, the Department of Transportation's Inspector General recently warned that the FAA will miss the deadline because of unresolved technological, regulatory, and privacy issues. However, the FAA says it intends to accommodate UAS operators at limited locations around the country. Typically, a certificate of authorization (COA) from the FAA is required before a public agency can officially operate a UAS. A COA is an authorization issued by the Air Traffic Organization to a public operator for a specific unmanned aircraft activity. The FAA conducts a comprehensive operational and technical review as part of the approval process to ensure the unmanned aircraft can operate safely with other airspace users.
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1 A Darley Stinger quad-rotor unmanned aircraft system (UAS) makes a training run, operated by a firefighter from New Zealand Fire and Rescue. (Photo courtesy of W.S. Darley & Company.)
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Alternatively, civilians are allowed to fly unmanned aerial aircraft, usually rotor-type units that look and act like miniature helicopters, as long as the aircraft stay below 400 feet in altitude, don't interfere with other aircraft, and don't operate in air restriction zones like around airports. A number of fire chiefs report civilians flying such aircraft near fire scenes, including wildland fires. Other chiefs report firefighters using such devices as "hobbyists" at fire scenes.
Mike Mocerino, Stinger project manager for W.S. Darley & Company, says his company makes the Stinger, a UAS that employs a quad-rotor design and weighs less than 4.5 pounds with a flight time of between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on its configuration. Mocerino says the Stinger "allows first responders to quickly and effectively survey a fire scene or hazardous incident within minutes."
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2 Hovering opposite a fire training tower, a Dar
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Posted: Sep 17, 2014
If we were to ask fire and EMS chiefs to identify the five most important skills they must bring to the table in order to serve their communities most effectively, the ability to navigate political environments would surely be on that list.
Yet if asked to assess their level of expertise for each skill set, most would report that political acumen is the one they're least adept at or feel comfortable with.
During the panel discussion at the FRI 2014 general session, one of the panelists said about himself and all fire chiefs, "We're all politicians now."
Respectfully, we disagree that this must—or even should—be the case. In this series of articles, we'll provide four sets of proven suggestions and tips that will help you hone your ability to be political without being a politician.
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Posted: Sep 17, 2014
One of the biggest shifts that most rising leaders have to make is the shift from being the go-to person to someone who builds teams of go-to people. As you take on more and more scope in your leadership role, you can’t continue to operate as the go-to person who acts as if you’re personally responsible for everything that happens. You need to be accountable and own the results but you can’t expect yourself to do everything that leads to the results.
That, of course, means that you need to be really effective at delegation. Unfortunately, a lot of leaders aren’t that good at it. Too often, they delegate something to a team member and it doesn’t get done well, or on time or at all. One of the big reasons this happens is because too many leaders take a “one size fits all” approach to delegation. As I’ve written here before, effective delegation needs to be custom-fit to the people involved and the tasks that need to be accomplished.
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Posted: Sep 17, 2014
Most all of a vehicle’s energy and the forces that act upon it while driving are ultimately transmitted through wheel studs, so we must ensure they continue to do their job by routine inspection and proper maintenance practices using the correct tools.
Routine inspection at the company level includes checking for loose lug nuts on the daily inspection and learning to recognize the signs of loose lug nuts. Loose nuts can be identified most often by streaks of rust or discoloration radiating outward on a wheel from the nut. Visible cracks in lugs nut, studs, wheels, or loose lugs are unacceptable and should be repaired immediately. Ultimately, a loose wheel is already in a state of failure and this is where the maintenance facility comes into play. Your maintenance department, person, or independent shop should include a torque verification of these wheels on a routine basis to minimize the risk of such failure. There are additional methods and products available to recognize or prevent problems early such as Zafety Lug Lock, Rollock, or the application of frangible lacquer.
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Posted: Sep 16, 2014
By Rafael Guerrero / Yakima Herald-Republic
YAKIMA, Wash. — Dozens of emergency responders from across the state joined Yakima firefighters and other local officials Thursday morning outside the Yakima Convention Center in honor of the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
With a fire engine draped in the American flag as a backdrop, local fire officials paid tribute to the thousands of civilians and emergency responders who lost their lives following a series of commercial airplane crashes in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.
We will never forget 9/11,” said Capt. Tom Schneider of the Yakima Fire Department.
The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks came hours after President Barack Obama announced to the nation that an ongoing effort to “degrade and destroy” a growing terrorist threat in Syria and Iraq would intensify...
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