Lessons from the Fireground; December 27,1983 Buffalo, New York Five Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths As Buffalo (NY) firefighters arrived at the scene of a reported propane leak in a four-story radiator warehouse (Type III Ordinary and Type IV Heavy Timber construction), a massive explosion occurred, killing five firefighters and injuring nine others, three of them critically. […]
The Waldbaum’s Supermarket Fire and Collapse: FDNY 1978 Honor, Remembrance, Learning’s The Waldbaum Super market fire, Brooklyn, New York occurred on August 2, 1978. Six firefighters died in the line of duty when the roof of a burning Brooklyn supermarket collapsed, plunging 12 firefighters into the flames. The fire began in a hallway near the […]
Lessons from the Fireground: The Strand Theater Fire Brockton (MA) 1941; 13 Firefighter LODD 1941-2017 The 76th Anniversary and Remembrance of the Strand Theater Strand Theatre Background The Strand Theater was first erected in 1915 on the site of a previous theatre which was destroyed by fire on April 7, 1915. The Strand Theatre opened […]
Remembering the “23rd Street Fire” October 17, 1966-2016; 50th Anniversary and Remembrances 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 […]
Lessons from the Fireground: FDNY Lt. Howard Carpluk, Jr., Â and FF Michael C. Reilly August 27.2006 Box 33- 2797Â 1575 Walton Avenue, Bronx, New York On August 27, 2006, FDNY Lieutenant Howard Carpluk, Jr., and FF Michael C. Reilly died in the line-of-duty after the floor they were operating on during fire suppression operations […]
Lessons from the Fireground: Buffalo (NY) Fire Department On August 24, 2009, 45-year-old Lieutenant Charles “Chip†McCarthy and 34-year-old Firefighter Jonathan S. Croom died in an early morning fire after a partial first floor collapse at a mixed occupancy commercial/residential structure. Basement fires in both residential and commercial occupancies are one of the most […]
Lessons from the Fireground- Third Avenue Collapse FDNY 1956 4065 Third Avenue Bronx (NY) April 4, 1956 FDNY- Box 4-4- 2904 Bronx (NY) Box 2904 was struck at 20:40 hours on April 4, 1956 for a reported fire in the basement that had communicated vertically into the first floor and had spread into the wall […]
A 44-year fire service veteran and a highly regarded national and international instructor, author, lecturer and fire officer, he is a distinguished authority on building construction issues affecting the fire and emergency services and has traveled throughout the United States and internationally delivering training programs on building construction, command management and operational safety. A former Adjunct Instructor with the National Fire Academy, he is a past member of the Board of Directors, IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section and a past Vice-President with the International Society of Fire Service Instructors. A former architect and fire protection engineer, he was the 1987 ISFSI George D. Post National Fire Instructor of the Year. He is the Chief of Training for the Command Institute (NY|DC) is a Consultant to NIOSH (USA) Firefighter Fatality Investigation & Prevention Program and a well-respected Tactical Theorist, researching and developing emerging and cutting edge strategic and tactical operational methodologies and is active in numerous national & international fire service agenda programs and committees. He is the Executive Producer of the Buildingsonfire.com, FiregroundLeadership.com and Co-produces TheFireOfficer.com. He lectures and instructs throughout North America and Internationally