HYD #1: This Week In Firefighting

Hey crew!

This is the first issue of The Hydrant! We’ll be publishing on Sunday for now, maybe more later.

Based on last week’s survey, we’re supplying you a variety of news. Please rate the content at the end. We’ll be tweaking the newsletter each week based on your feedback.

A quick thanks to all who filled out the survey. If you haven’t completed it, you still can. click here. — Let’s get started.

1. First Due Ladder Crashes; Fire Escalates To 4-Alarm.

There’s nothing worse than missing your own fire, except maybe crashing the rig on the way. This Floral Park, NY ladder truck was first due to a ripper, but lost control crashing into a bridge. One FF transported, but reportedly doing well.

The basement fire they were responding to escalated quickly. 17 departments responded. For more on the crash and one hell of a fire. Click here.

2. Three Firefighters Injured in EV/Garage Explosion

Remember when fires were on the decline. Fire prevention worked. Well, the free market has fixed that. EV and scooter fires are on the rise and are making fires more dangerous than ever.

These brothers are recovering after an explosion occurred when water made contact with the burning batteries in the EV. Reports say, they were blown back from the fire and the garage door went flying.

Read more on this garage incident here. — Check out UL’s testing video in this issue in the Training Section below.

3. Chicago Firefighters Trapped With Rising Waters!

In the '“Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Firefighter” story of the week. I heard this morning about an incident that happen on March 21st on the Southside of Chicago. There are no official or public reports, but word on the street is that two lieutenants were trapped in a V-shaped collapse from the first floor to the basement.

At least one of the officers was placed on RIT Pack air during the rescue. Both were successfully removed, but while trapped, the water levels rose in the basement enough that one lieutenant wondered if they’d be submerged. Tweet thread: here.

Have you tested your SCBA underwater. It’s worth a try. 🤿

4. Car Lands on 2nd Floor of Home. Driver Rescued.

How? The house is below the adjacent road. Cal Fire and Placer County Fire Department crews (TRT) worked to free the driver after securing the vehicle to the house and wrecker boom extending off the elevated road. The tenants weren’t home. FYI, apparently homeowners doesn’t cover flying vehicles…typical. More pics and story at @calfireney 

Other Fire News:

• Dubai high-rise fire kills 16…more here.

• Bangladesh fire guts thousands of shops…more here.

• Fire breaks out at Disney…more here.

1. Robots Are Here & They’re cute. Will They Take Our Jobs?

You probably heard about the parking garage collapse this week in NYC. I got the alert and was hoping it was a straight collapse and nothing more sinister. The brothers and sisters did their job as usual, but the star of the show was FDNY’s new pet robot dog. Both the dog and drones searched the collapse without fail. This tech definitely makes it safer for us.

With the rise of AI, I asked the guys at work, how long before robots replace us? “Never!” … “Not while I’m on the job!” … “What are you talking about?” 😆 — My guess? “Sooner than later my friends”. — Watch more here

2. UL Study On EV/Garage Fires Matches Real Life.

In news related to the garage fire story above, UL did some testing on EV garage charging set-ups last year. The incident above, while slightly different, yielded the same results as this test.

1. NIOSH Launches Cancer Registry, But Don’t We Know The Biggest Culprit?

NIOSH has launched a registry to reduce firefighter cancer. However, with the discovery that PFAS chemicals in firefighting gear can cause cancer, why isn't the government prioritizing a fix?

This issue was recently highlighted by the IAFF, who filed a lawsuit over the matter. They said, “PFAS “forever chemicals” are found in firefighter protective gear and have been linked to cancer, the leading cause of firefighter death. We need to combat what is killing us. … Cancer is the number one killer of firefighters, and for years, corporate interests have put profits over our lives.”

While this federal study is a step forward, it feels like a bystander observing a fire while the arsonist holds a gas can outside. Despite this, registering for the study is still recommended and may lead to more surprises. Sign-up for the study here.

2. Michigan Volunteers, Part-time, Paid-on-Call Get benefits.

Michigan Volunteers, Paid-on-call, and Part-timers finally get respect and benefits. This is the right thing to do, but the bigger picture is that throughout the country volunteerism is on the decline. Municipalities need firefighters as demand for services grow. More here.

3. Fired Chicago Firefighters win COVID decision.

This week, Chicago firefighters who were fired for refusing vaccinations or compliance with City ordinances got their jobs back…with backpay + interest. Here’s a video from the police union talking about our win.

Regardless of the politics, watching my brothers be forced to leave the job or be fired for their beliefs…sucked. We all knew they’d be back after a court battle, but watching careers end and families suffer was reminiscent of the 1980 Chicago Firefighters strike.

1. FDNY vs NYPD Brawl…I mean Hockey game.

The rivalry continues. Fire won. What would this look like in your town?

2. Firefighter Beer To Benefit Pennsylvania Volunteers

As a tribute to Volunteer Fire Departments (VFDs), Straub Brewery, along with their wholesale and retail partners, recently launched a statewide program to raise awareness and support the critical role of VFDs in protecting Pennsylvania’s communities. More here.

3. Firefighter Documentary on Rural firefighters

The demand for volunteers is spreading like wildfire. All across America, the need is growing and manpower is dwindling. Is the answer robots? Not anytime soon. What may work is getting the word out. This documentary does a pretty good job spreading the message.

Chinese Firefighter Nearly Dies…doesn’t miss an opportunity to jag his buddy.

Watch until the end. This is a video from Chinese state media, so I’m not looking to closely at the details, but whatever happened here, these guys remind me of some firefighters I know. Watch the last few seconds…did you see it? 👩‍🚒 There’s always a guy like this….thankfully.

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