HYD #4: Bullet Proof Helmets & Magic Mushrooms

Hey Crew!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who have supported us along the way! 💐 Here’s your Sunday Morning Size-Up 🌅 — Let’s get to it!

In This Week’s Issue: 

• 🇮🇹 Truck Explosion Sets Off Inferno

• 🚑 Ambulance Stolen During Fire

• 🇩🇪 German FFs Ambushed

• 🍄 Magic Mushrooms Treating PTSD

• 🔫 Bullet-proofing Fire Helmets

• 👋 Shout-outs!

Milan, Italy: A van exploded in central Milan on Thursday afternoon, causing a major fire that destroyed about a dozen parked cars and damaged a nearby pharmacy and two apartments. EV? Nope. The explosion was reportedly triggered by oxygen cylinders inside the van, and one person was injured.

Long Beach, CA (🚑): A 31-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly stole an ambulance from a fire department while firefighters were battling a blaze in Long Beach, California. The man crashed the ambulance into a telephone pole after driving it less than half a mile from the scene of the fire. He was later found nearby and arrested.

Ratingen, Germany (🇩🇪): Two police officers and 10 firefighters were injured (some seriously) in an explosion in a residential building.

The explosion happened after police responded to a call about a person in distress. When they arrived, they found a fire in one of the rooms and a man who then used a device to set off an explosion.

Heavily armed police stormed the flat and arrested a 57-year-old man. A body was also found in the apartment, which is believed to be the man's mother. Side Note: 97% of German FFs are Volunteer.

EV KILLER (🧌): A British company has developed a new fire engine that can extinguish electric vehicle fires with only 240 liters (63.4 gallons) of water. The HILOAD 6×6 RIV is a 6-wheel drive that is equipped with a special system called the Coldcut Cobra.

The system uses a combination of water and dry powder to extinguish the fire. The water cools the battery and the dry powder smothers the flames. The HILOAD 6×6 RIV is still in development, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way firefighters respond to electric vehicle fires.

Avoiding Danger (❌): After 3 FF’s died in 2022, Baltimore City's Code X-ray program was launched to mark vacant homes with red X's to prevent firefighter injuries and deaths.

Similar to Chicago’s “Red X” program and Detroit’s de-prioritizing of abandon structures years ago, arriving companies can recognize that an offensive attack will be high risk and low reward.

Quick Water:

EV FIRE ENGINE (⚡️): Boulder Fire-Rescue purchased a Rosenbauer electric fire engine, the first of its kind in Colorado. The engine is expected to improve firefighter safety and reduce emissions. It is expected to cost $1.78 million and arrive in late 2024 or early 2025…but how do you extinguish it, when it catches fire? Maybe that British EV Killer 🧌

Bullet Proof Fire Helmets (🔫): Researchers at S&T and Texas Tech University (TTU) are developing a bullet-resistant firefighter helmet in response to the increasing number of active shooter incidents in the United States.

The helmet is made of a lightweight, composite material that is strong enough to stop bullets from handguns and rifles. It also has a built-in visor that can protect firefighters from flying debris and shrapnel. The helmet is still in the prototype stage, but will incorporate additional tech to make helmets better connected and protective. Click below to find a very good report from DHS.

Magic Mushroom Healing Firefighters (🍄): Arizona has awarded $1 million in grants to research teams studying the use of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, to treat PTSD and depression.

“I couldn’t believe how many police officers and firefighters came to me and said they’ve had PTSD for years and this was the only thing that helped,” Sisely said of psilocybin assisted therapy.

The results of these studies could help to pave the way for the FDA to approve psilocybin-assisted therapy as a treatment for these conditions.

NIST PFAS Study (🦀): The latest study on the cancer causing chemicals used in our turnout gear was published this week. Long story short: It’s bad. Most of the PFAS is found on the outer layer of PPE. The suggestion is that the chemicals used for water resistance be changed to non-PFAS. Worth the read.

Shout-outs! 

A big thanks to Darrell Perkins for sharing our link and referring others to the Hydrant. Your unique link is at the bottom of the email. Share that link and we’ll do the rest. Fun swag and perks coming soon.

Finally, Thank for reading this week! I’ll leave you with this. Remember back in 1980’s when a full CPR class took days? Wow, no longer. I’m glad I sold that CPR training business 🤦‍♂️. Have a great week and stay low!