The scope of operations for many fire and emergency services organizations has expanded greatly over the past 50 years or so. First came the delivery of emergency medical services; this was followed by response and management of hazardous-materials incidents.

Big water goes by many names in the fire service. Master stream appliance, monitor, water cannon, deluge set (gun), turret pipe and wagon pipe are just a few of the more common tags hung upon the equipment that firefighters rely upon when a big fire needs big gallons per minute.

Protective clothing and equipment manufacturers have been making tremendous strides in developing performance-based products, and nowhere is that more evident than in the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear world.

I'm a confirmed hose jockey for life — even in retirement. But even an engine guy can appreciate the simplicity and functionality of one of firefighting's most basic tools: the ax. It has no moving parts, relatively easy care and maintenance, and is built to last a long time.

Fire service ventilation practices have evolved greatly in both their applications and the equipment that firefighters have at their command. Ventilation, also known as smoke removal, has seen its stock price increase in terms of its more frequent and timelier implementation on emergency scenes.

Imagine the communications and information sharing challenges that a small town in the United States would encounter if faced with events like these:

The call comes in to your community's 911 public-safety answering point (PSAP) — your emergency communications or dispatch center. Lives, property or both are in peril and the call goes out to members of your department who jump into action. The needed resources are on their way.

The portable radio is the single-most versatile piece of equipment that a firefighter or officer can carry into a hazardous situation.

Was that one brutal summer or what? Well, don't take too long to catch your breath because winter weather has already begun to arrive in some parts of the country, and it's only October.

I was contacted several weeks ago, following the posting of my piece, “Navigating the Used Fire Apparatus Marketplace," by a reader, Billy Claunch with an offer of his expertise. Claunch is vice president of sales for Brindlee Mountain Used Fire Apparatus, the largest dealer of used fire apparatus in the United States.