September Magazine Cartoon by Paul Combs
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Sep 2011 0 comments
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Aug 2011 FireRescue1: FCC to roll out multimedia, texting support for 911
See the written story by Brooks Boliek of Politico.com at FireRescue1.
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May 2011 Do You Sleep With a Firefighter?
(download)
Fire Sprinkler Facts
- Eight of out 10 fire deaths occur in the home.
- Fire sprinklers save lives, reduce property loss and can even help cut
homeowner insurance premiums.
- Home fire sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in
less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on the
scene.
- Installing both smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler system reduces the
risk of home fire death by 82%, relative to having neither.
- Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water
directly on the fire. Ninety percent of fires are contained by the
operation of just one sprinkler.*
- Nationally, on average, home fire sprinkler systems add 1% to 1.5%
of the total building cost in new construction.
- Home fire sprinklers use only a small fraction of the water used by
fire department hoses.
- Modern residential sprinklers are inconspicuous and can be
mounted flush with walls or ceilings.
For more information go to the Home Fire Sprinkler web site at:
*Automatic Sprinklers: A 10-Year Study, Scottsdale, AZ
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Apr 2011 Charlotte FD Chief "Has a Big Helmet"
Charlotte area radio personalities Woody and Wilcox (and Creepy Jeffrey) seem to think that Chief Jon Hannan has a very large fire helmet. Perhaps it stood out more to them because it is a clean white, but honestly, it's no larger than every other fire fighter helmet of the classic variety.
You can see my PIO friend Captain Rob Brisley floating around the studio taking photos -- and displaying the helmet to the video camera. Props to Charlotte FD for once again showing how fire fighters (and even chiefs) are real people. This is a department that knows how to engage in their community, how to show honesty in the profession, and how to have a good time doing what they do!
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Mar 2011 Ross at the Fire Department
Image quality isn't the best, but this too much fun not to share. Wouldn't be surprised to see him sign up.
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Feb 2011 Four Minutes to Save Your Life
One of the greatest challenges fire and life safety educators have is to help more people understand the importance of working smoke alarms in the home. Perhaps we've said it so many times that people simply tune out the message. The fact is -- almost one-fourth of home fire deaths happen where there are NO working smoke alarms. If we know people die from fire in homes where there is no alarm -- or no working alarm -- why do we continue to ignore the message?
Take four minutes to watch the video in this post. Your life -- and the lives of your loved ones -- is worth four minutes of your time, right?
(download)
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) launched the Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign, encouraging people to install and maintain smoke alarms and sprinklers, practice fire escape plans, and perform a home safety walk-through.The USFA recommends installing smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home; testing them monthly; changing alkaline batteries at least once a year; and installing ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor smoke alarms. For more information, visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms or call the USFA Publications Office at (800) 561-3356.
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Oct 2010 Fire Is...
I've been impressed by the efforts of Dr. Frank Field and his children, Storm and Allison, for many years. As reporters they have seen the tragedy of fire in the faces of the victims. They have heard the stories of sorrow and regret from those that are left behind.
Made possible by a grant by MetLife in 2006, Field and his team released a series of videos designed to help people -- especially middle school kids -- learn the true nature of fire. Through the grant a DVD made its way into fire stations around the country as an insert to Firehouse magazine.
According to Field,
Most fire education in this country is directed at elementary school students, primarily to young children who color pictures and learn to "stop, drop and roll." The middle school students in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades are not taught the truth - that fire is not fun. "Fire Is…" identifies fire as dangerous and shows what can happen when children are burned or killed in a blaze.
Dr. Field's video Fire Is... is being shown across the nation -- in classrooms, on web sites and in homes. I first started using it in my programs in 2006, as well.
Here's the first of the series, called Fire is... Black. Please share it. Dr. Field would be pleased and lives may be saved.
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Sep 2010 Two Living Rooms Went Up in Flames
Demonstration shows sprinkler safety
Two fires set to compare rooms with and without
Updated: Thursday, 16 Sep 2010, 7:50 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 15 Sep 2010, 11:27 PM EDT
- Elizabeth Fields
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Two living rooms went up in flames at the Allen County Fairgrounds Wednesday night. it was part of a demonstration for sprinkler systems. Some think they should be mandatory in all new homes built.
First, fire fighters sparked a small fire in the unprotected room. In less than 2 minutes, it was completely engulfed and smoke was billowing out. It took crews more than 4 minutes to get it under control. Ron Brown, a retired Fire Chief, told NewsChannel 15 the average response time is 10 to15 minutes.
"Many think the smoke alarm is sufficient. That's not the case, smoke alarm will give you a warning but you have to hear the warning and you have to do the right things," he said.
The living room with a sprinkler was spared a lot of fire damage because that fire was out in less than a minute. Even though the evidence was pretty clear, Brown said he understands why people are skeptical. He said all of the sprinklers will not go off in a house, just the one impacted by the flames and there's no chance a smoky stove could se them off either.
"These sprinklers are activated by heat only," he said. "The sprinkler head won’t go off until the temperature of the ceiling is 135 to 165 degrees, then the head will go off and extinguish the fire."
Rob Vincient, Vice President of Shambaugh and Sons, is also working to get sprinklers up in every new house. He said they're more affordable than you might think.
"We estimate anywhere from $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot. That's about the same as carpeting your house," he compared.In 2008 the International Code Council voted to mandate fire sprinklers in all one-and-two family dwellings, but each state has to pass it's own legislation. Sprinklers are not mandatory in Indiana at this time.
via wane.com
A good story to dispel some of the myths about fire sprinklers. Unless you're Bruce Willis or in a Hollywood-type TV show or movie, you're not going to see every sprinkler head activate just because there's a fire. And you won't see them drown a room in water because someone pulled an alarm.
If more people (and businesses) realized that sprinklers activate where needed -- at the point of flames -- we might see less resistance to getting them installed during construction of new buildings and homes.
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Jul 2010 Family blames firecracker for blaze
Family blames firecracker for blaze
The fire left two families without a home.
Updated: Monday, 05 Jul 2010, 8:21 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 05 Jul 2010, 8:21 AM EDT
- Jordan Burgess
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A fire forced families from an apartment building early Monday morning and residents say a firecracker thrown through a window is what sparked it.
A husband and wife suffered minor burns but didn't want to go to the hospital.
The two were able to grab their two kids and make it out just before flames engulfed their apartment in the 3600 block of Otterbein Avenue. Their dog, Gidget, was killed by the blaze.
The fire spread to the attic of the 4-unit building and then to a neighboring apartment where a family of three had to make a mad dash to safety.
Firefighters are still investigating the cause, but those who live in the apartment building say they heard the firecracker get tossed into a bedroom window. They fear that whoever did it had sinister motives because the family is white in a predominantly black neighborhood.
"I think it's racially motivated, " neighbor Haylee Stroud says. Stroud's family was also forced out by the fire.
The Red Cross helped the two families whose apartments were damaged by the fire. Two other families lost power when the fire burned through the lines, but officials say those can be repaired.
via wdtn.com
Just another example of why I dislike consumer launched fireworks. The events surrounding the use of fireworks sparked a controversy here, even if the firework itself was not the cause of the fire.
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Jul 2010 Illustrator Paul Combs
Paul Combs is an amazing talent. His illustrations, drawings and cartoons cover a wide variety of topics. I'm obviously taken to his extensive library of fire department creations. You can see an entire catalog of artwork that you can purchase at his website artstudioseven.com.
Combs is a regular editorial cartoon contributor to FireEngineering.com, and JEMS. He also blogs regularly. His blog posts are good reads and there are great pieces of art to accompany them. Well worth a subscription. Find his blog at http://www.artstudioseven.blogspot.com/Â
In addition to being a classically trained artist/illustrator, Combs is a fourteen year veteran firefighter/EMT at Bryan (Ohio) Fire Department. He serves the role of lieutenant.
I've included an example of Paul Combs' work in this post. Visit his site to see much more.
Rich Palmer
I'm just a singer, songwriter, safety educator, public information officer, new media enthusiast, dad, husband, and fan of many things online.
