There are many Personnel Accountability System options available to fire departments. There are four basic systems to pick from: name tag, passport, bar code and unit identifier; here's a look at what you need to know to find the right one for your department.

Each year on the weekend that closes National Fire Prevention Week in the United States, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation conducts activities and ceremonies that honor the brave men and women who lost their lives in the fight against fire in the 365 days since last year's ceremonies. This year both the Candlelight Vigil and the Memorial Ceremony will be live streamed across the Internet and available for satellite download by cable TV providers in local communities.

Firefighters being electrocuted by a powerline while on an aerial device is largely preventable; make sure your department is taking these safety steps.

One of the cornerstones for improving the safety of personnel on the emergency scene is having a personnel accountability system in place that everyone uses. There are several considerations when choosing a firefighter accountability system. There are many PAS options available to fire departments. There are four basic systems to pick from: name tag, passport, bar code and unit identifier; here's a look at what you need to know to find the right one for your department.

Today, the public scrutiny is almost instantaneous because the Internet and social media platforms give anyone with a device and access an outlet to this "new" court of public opinion. And in this "court" there is no judge and no jury of your peers--only millions of people with Internet access and their own oft-times "half-baked" opinions.

Another thing I've never understood is "down time". What is this "down time"? Do these firefighters and officers know their job functions, their response district, the fire risks in that district, etc., so well that there is no need for training, drilling, touring, pre-planning, etc.? As a Company Officer, how much time are you devoting each tour-of-duty to those four important human capital development tasks?

Once upon a time…with a beginning like that you just know this is going to be a good story, right? Well the good news is that it’s not a fairy tale. It is, however, the fictitious story of how a fictitious municipal fire department, the Cutting Edge County Fire and Rescue (CECFR) Department, created a non-profit organization (NPO) to provide financial support to its customer service efforts. It serves as a model for actual departments to follow.

By:  Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer Thank you to my Guest Bloggers, Branden Husky and Charles Snyder, for their contributions to this space over the past couple of week!  (You’ve given my fingers a well-deserved rest!) Recently, I have had several informative communications via e-mail with folks who are desperately looking for funding sources to help them accomplish their mission ...

Fire apparatus designers and manufacturers are constantly in pursuit of several goals when constructing vehicles for the fire service. There are five basic goals. Manufacturers want to keep them lightweight so the truck can carry the necessary equipment and get the best fuel mileage possible. They want to make it durable so that the customer gets the maximum lifecycle out of the vehicle. They also want to make it cost-effective, easy to repair, and easy to modify so that it can fill several roles over its lifecycle. Increasingly, fire apparatus manufacturers and their customers are using bolted construction to better achieve those goals. Bolted construction for fire apparatus is not new; manufacturers like American La France began bolting or riveting vehicle components on fire apparatus in the 1920s.

Search-and rescue operations in remote wilderness locations or in urban situations following a natural or man-made disaster require specialized tools and equipment for the first responder. Here are 10 search-and-rescue tools and technologies that can improve a department's operations and make them safer, more effective and more efficient.