Thirty Year Remembrance: Buffalo (NY) Box 191 North Division & Grosvenor Street, December 27, 1983 As Buffalo (NY) firefighters arrived at the scene of a reported propane leak in a three-story radiator warehouse (Type III Ordinary and Type IV Heavy Timber construction), a massive explosion occurred, killing five firefighters instantly and injuring nine […]

“Operational Excellence is achieved through Tactical Discipline, Tactical Patience and Knowledge of our Buildingsonfire” Understanding the Compartment in various types of occupancies and variation of building types lends itself towards the identification and selection of appropriate tactics with corresponding capabilities in the form of sustainable water flow for the expected fire load package. Understanding the […]

Building Anatomy If you don’t know how the building was built, its materials, the degree of compartmentation, workmanship, level of fixed or passive systems and layout: then how do you expect to effectively and efficiently engage in a structural fire on the building on fire? Many times phased construction on large scale building projects allows […]

A View from the Street The company and command officer’s ability to accurately and effectively read the building  establishes the not only the direction of an incident but also it’s potential outcome. What can you access from this street view of this building, it’s occupancy risks and structural and collapse profile? What type of strategies […]

  On October 17th, 1966, Manhattan Dispatch recorded an alarm from a resident at 7 East 22nd Street for smoke on the 4th floor of a brownstone. Box 0598 was transmitted at 2136 hours. Engine 14, 3 & 16, Ladders 3 & 12, Battalion 6 & Division 3 turn out. Upon arrival, they were confronted […]

A View from the Street; Remembrance and Paying Respect A brief trip on Friday took me to the City of Buffalo, New York. Following business, I made my way to 1815 Genesee Street. As the morning sun began to burn off the light layer of fog, I came upon my destination which at first glance […]

Don’t neglect to look at the little things when conducting a Building Size-up and assessment

Fire escapes can be readily found on numerous buildings of heritage and legacy construction, are you aware of some safety considerations?

The Art and Science of Firefighting is aligning in a manner that will ultimately forge enhancements in…

FDNY Waldbaum Fire and Collapse: 1978-2013 Remembrance Video   The FDNY members killed in the Waldbaum’s fire included: • Lt. James E. Cutillo, Battalion 33 • Firefighter Charles S. Bouton, Ladder Company 156 • Firefighter Harold F. Hastings, Battalion 42 • Firefighter James P. McManus, Ladder Company 153 • Firefighter William O’Connor, Ladder Company 156 […]