Firefighters, or
firemen, are
rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous
fires that threaten civilian populations and
property, to rescue people from car accidents, collapsed and
burning buildings and other such situations. The increasing
complexity of modern industrialized life with an increase in the
scale of hazards has stimulated both advances in firefighting
technology and a broadening of the firefighter-rescuer's remit.
They sometimes provide
emergency medical services. The
fire service, or
fire and rescue
service also known in some countries as the
fire
brigade or
fire department, are some of
the
emergency services.
Firefighting and firefighters have become ubiquitous around the
world,
wildland areas to
urban areas, and on board
ships.
Firefighters are held in high regard around the world. This causes
firefighting to be one of the five trusted public service
professions.
Firefighting worldwide
In some countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany,
Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States, there are often
paid, or
professional career firefighters working.
Additionally, there are
volunteer firefighters
(who are theoretically unpaid) and
retained
firefighters (sometimes called on call firefighters, who
are paid for the specific time they are on duty, i.e. permanent
part-time career firefighters) on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
In
such countries as the United Kingdom
and Ireland
, the use of additional retained firefighters is
standard. In Portugal
, the use of
volunteer firefighters is standard, along with career
firefighters.
In
Australia there are volunteer brigades
which are mostly unpaid rural services (although traditionally they
are paid by their employers if called out during working
hours).
In
Germany
, volunteer fire departments, called the
"Freiwillige Feuerwehr", are established in every town: even the
biggest German city, Berlin
, with more
than 3.6 million inhabitants, has volunteer firefighters besides a
career fire service. In fact, only 100 German cities (most
of them are towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants) have a career
fire service, called the "
Berufsfeuerwehr," but in every one of these cities
a volunteer fire service exists, too. In cities with a career fire
service, volunteer fire brigades support the career fire service at
big fires, accidents and disasters. Many of the so-called volunteer
departments (usually in towns with 35,000 to 150,000 inhabitants),
except in very small towns and villages, are a mixed service of a
core of career firemen who are supported by true volunteer
firefighters should the need arise. However, the official title of
those departments is nevertheless "volunteer fire service".
structure in
Austria
is similar
to Germany.
There are just six career fire services in
Vienna
, Graz
, Innsbruck
, Klagenfurt
, Salzburg
and Linz
. As
of 2007, some 4,527 volunteer fire departments, the back-bone of
the Austrian fire service, could rely on about 320,000 men and
women voluntary firefighters as active members. Fire departments
exist in even the smallest villages, where they contribute to
community life, usually by organizing fairs and other fund-raising
activities.
In
Venezuela
, there are, beside the types mentioned above,
University Firefighters. They attend any emergency inside
the campus and the zones around; however, their most important job
is to develop new technologies in this area, thanks to the high
level of education of its members: in the Simón Bolívar University
Volunteer Fire Department, around 80% of its members have a
university degree or are in the process of obtaining one.
In
India
municipalities are bound by law to have a fire
brigade and participate in a regional fire service. Each
city has its own fire brigade. The main functions of firefighting
services in India are provision of fire protection and of services
during emergencies such as building collapses, drowning cases, gas
leakage, oil spillage, road and rail accidents, bird and animal
rescues, fallen trees, appropriate action during natural
calamities, and so on. Industrial corporations also have their own
firefighting service. Each airport and seaport has its own
firefighting units.
In
Japan
, fire services are organized on a city/town/village
basis. There are 894 fire headquarters and 3,598 volunteer
fire corps. These have a total of 155,000 active career
firefighters and 21,000 vehicles with 4,800 fire houses; 920,000
volunteer firefighters share an additional 51,000 trucks.
In
Romania
, the
Romanian
General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations is responsible
for fire fighting and civil defense.
Goals of firefighting
The goals of firefighting are (in order) saving lives, saving
property, and protecting the environment. As such, the skills
required for safe operations are regularly practiced during
training evaluations throughout a firefighters career. In the
United States, the preeminent fire training and standards
organization is the
National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA). Often initial firefighting skills are
taught during a local, regional, or state approved
fire academy. Depending on the requirements of
a department, additional skills and certifications such as
technical rescue and Para-medicine may also be taught at this
time.
Firefighters work closely with other emergency response agencies,
most particularly local and state police departments. As every fire
scene is technically a
crime scene until
deemed otherwise by a qualified
investigator, there is often overlap
between the responsibilities of responding firefighters and police
officers such as evidence and scene protection, initial
observations of first respondents, and
chain of evidence issues. The increasing
role of firefighters in providing emergency medical services also
brings firefighters into common overlap with law enforcement. One
example of this is a common state law requiring all gunshot wounds
to be reported to law enforcement agencies.
Fire fighting has several basic skills: prevention, self
preservation,
rescue, preservation of
property and
fire control. Firefighting
is further broken down into skills which include size-up,
extinguishing, ventilation, and salvage and overhaul. Search and
Rescue, which has already been mentioned, is performed early in any
fire scenario and many times is in unison with extinguishing and
ventilation.
Prevention
Prevention attempts to ensure that no place simultaneously has
sufficient heat, fuel and air to allow ignition and combustion.
Most prevention programs are directed at controlling the energy of
activation (heat).
Fire suppression systems have a
proven record for controlling and extinguishing unwanted fires.
Many fire officials recommend that every building, including
residences, have
fire sprinkler
systems. Correctly working sprinklers in a residence
greatly reduce the risk of death from a fire. With the
small rooms typical of a residence, one or two sprinklers can cover
most rooms.
In addition, a major duty of fire services is the regular
inspection of buildings to ensure they are up to the current
building
fire codes, which are enforced so
that a building can sufficiently resist fire spread, potential
hazards are located, and to ensure that occupants can be safely
evacuated, commensurate with the risks involved.
Other methods of fire prevention are by directing efforts to reduce
known hazardous conditions or by preventing dangerous acts before
tragedy strikes. This is normally accomplished in many innovative
ways such as conducting presentations, distributing safety
brochures, providing news articles, writing public safety
announcements (PSA) or establishing meaningful displays in
well-visited areas. Ensuring that each household has working smoke
alarms, is educated in the proper techniques of fire safety, has an
evacuation route and rendezvous point is of top priority in public
education for most fire prevention teams in almost all fire
department localities.
Self-preservation
Self-preservation is very critical. The basic technique
firefighters use is to know where they are, and to avoid hazards.
Current standards in the United States recommend that firefighters
work in teams, using a "
two-in,
two-out" rule whenever in an
IDLH
(Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health) environment.
Tools are generally carried at all times and are important for not
only forcible entry but also for self rescue. A Self Contained
Breathing Apparatus (
SCBA) delivers air to the
firefighter through a full face mask and is worn to protect against
smoke inhalation, toxic fumes, and super heated gasses. A special
device called a
Personal Alert Safety
System (PASS) is commonly worn independently or as a part of
the
SCBA to alert others when a firefighter
stops moving for a specified period of time or manually operates
the device. The PASS device sounds an alarm that can assist another
firefighter (
Firefighter Assist and Search
Team), in locating the firefighter in distress.
Firefighters often carry personal self rescue ropes. The ropes are
generally 30 feet long and can provide a firefighter (that has
enough time to deploy the rope) a partially controlled exit out an
elevated window. Lack of a personal rescue rope is cited in the
deaths of two New York City Firefighters, Lt. John Bellew and Lt.
Curtis Meyran, who died after they jumped from a fourth floor of a
burning apartment building in the Bronx. Of the four firefighters
who jumped and survived only one of them had a self rescue rope.
Since the incident the Fire Department of New York City has issued
self rescue ropes to their firefighters.
In the United States, 25% of fatalities to firefighters are caused
by vehicle accidents while responding to or returning from an
incident. Many firefighters are also injured or killed by vehicles
while working at an incident (Paulison 2005). Recently a new
enforcement being made by departments requires, firefighters to
wear a bright yellow reflective vest over their turnout coats while
working vehicle accident to be more visible to the other drivers on
the road. However, a large percentage of firefighters also succumb
to heart disease, in the line of duty.
Rescue
Rescue operations consist of searching for and removing trapped
occupants of
hazardous conditions.
Animals may also be rescued, if resources and
conditions permit. Generally
triage and
first aid are performed outside, as
removal from the hazardous atmosphere is the primary goal in
preserving life. Search patterns include movement against room
walls (to prevent rescuers from becoming lost or disoriented) and
methodical searches of specific areas by designated teams. Unlike a
fire control team, a rescue team typically moves faster, but has no
hose to follow out to safety through the smoky darkness. A rescue
rope may be needed for tethering a team involved in exceptionally
dangerous conditions.
Incident commanders also arrange for standby search and rescue
teams to assist if firefighters become lost, trapped, or injured.
Such teams are commonly, and often interchangeably, known as
Rapid Intervention Crews
(RIC), or
Firefighter
Assist and Search Teams (FAST). According to "
two-in, two-out", the only time it is
permissible for a team of firefighters to enter a burning structure
without backup in place outside is when they are operating in what
is known as "Rescue Mode". Rescue Mode occurs when firefighters
have arrived at the scene, and it is readily apparent that there
are occupants trapped inside who need immediate rescue. At such a
time, properly equipped firefighters (exercising good judgment
tempered by training and experience) may enter the structure and
proceed directly to victims in need of rescue, RIC will then be put
in place when resources permit.
The
Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse
fire
provides a stark example of disoriented rescuers
perishing when their air supply was exhausted during a fruitless
primary search and subsequent RIC searches.
Searches for trapped victims are exhaustively detailed, often
including searches of
cupboards,
closets, and under
beds. The
search is divided into two stages, the primary and secondary. The
primary search is conducted quickly and thoroughly, typically
beginning in the area closest to the fire as it is subjected to the
highest risk of exposure. The secondary search only begins once the
fire is under control, and is always (resources and personnel
permitting) performed by a different team from that which did the
primary search.
Rescue operations may also involve the extrication of victims of
motor vehicle crashes (abbreviated MVC). Here firefighters use
spreaders,
cutters, and
hydraulic rams, collectively called
hydraulic rescue tools—known better
to the public as Jaws of Life—to remove metal from the patient,
followed by actually removing the patient, usually on a backboard
with collar, and transferring to a waiting ambulance crew in the
cold zone. More technical forms of rescue include subsets such as
rope rescue,
swiftwater rescue,
confined space rescue, and
trench rescue. These types of rescue are often
extremely hazardous and physically demanding. They also require
extensive technical training. NFPA regulation 1006 and 1670 state
that a "rescuer" must have medical training to perform any
technical rescue operation. Accordingly, firefighters involved in
rescue operations have some kind of medical training as first
responders, emergency medical technicians,
paramedics or
nurses.
Fire control

Firefighters trying to save an
abandoned convent in Massueville, Quebec, Canada
Fire control (or
fire fighting) consists of depriving
a
fire of
fuel (Reducing
Agent),
oxygen (Oxidizing Agent),
heat and/or the chemical chain reaction that are
necessary to sustain itself or re-kindle (also known as the four
components of
The Fire
Tetrahedron). Firefighters are equipped with a wide
variety of equipment to accomplish this task. Some of their tools
include ladder trucks, pumper trucks, tanker trucks, fire hose, and
fire extinguishers. Very frequent
training and refresher training is required.
Structure fires may be attacked, generally, either by "interior" or
"exterior" resources, or both. Interior crews, using the "two-in,
two out" rule, may advance hose lines inside the building, find the
fire and cool it with water. Exterior crews may direct water into
windows or other openings, or against other nearby fuels exposed to
the initial fire. A proper command structure will plan and
coordinate the various teams and equipment to safely execute each
tactic.
- See also Fire
suppression for other techniques.
Structure fires
Buildings that are made of flammable materials such as
wood are different from so called "fire-resistant"
buildings such as concrete high-rises. Generally, a
"fire-resistant" building is designed to limit fire to a small area
or floor. Other floors can be safe simply by preventing smoke
inhalation and damage. All buildings suspected of being on fire
must be evacuated, regardless of fire rating.
While sometimes fires can be limited to small areas of a structure,
wider collateral damage due to smoke, water, and burning embers is
common. Utility shutoff (such as gas and electricity) is typically
an early priority of arriving fire crews. Furthermore, fire
prevention can take on a special meaning for property where
hazardous materials are being used or stored.
Some fire fighting tactics may appear to be destructive, but often
serve specific needs. For example, during "
ventilation" firefighters are
often forced to open holes in the roof or floors of a structure
(called "vertical ventilation") or open windows or walls (called
"horizontal ventilation") to remove smoke and heated gases from the
interior of the structure. Such ventilation methods are also used
to locate victims quicker as visibility increases and to help
preserve the life of trapped or unconscious individuals due to the
poisonous gases inside of the structure. Vertical ventilation is
absolutely vital to firefighter safety in the event of a
flashover or
backdraft
scenario. Releasing the flammable gasses through the roof often
eliminates the possibility of a backdraft and by the removal of
heat the possibility of a flashover is reduced significantly.
Flashovers, due to their intense heat (900–1200° Fahrenheit) and
explosive temperaments are almost always fatal to firefighter
personnel. Precautionary methods, such as busting a window out,
often reveal backdraft situations before the firefighter enters the
structure and is met with the circumstance head-on. Firefighter
safety is the number one priority.
Whenever possible, movable property is moved into the middle of a
room and covered with a heavy cloth tarp (a "salvage cover"). Other
steps may be taken to divert or remove fire flow runoff (thus
salvaging property by avoiding unnecessary damage),
retrieving/protecting valuables found during suppression or
overhaul, and boarding windows, roofs and doors against the
elements and looters.
HAZMAT
Firefighters in the United States are frequently the first
responders to
HAZMAT incidents. The
Occupational
Safety and Health Administration standard
1910.120 defines four standards of training
First responder awareness level, First responder operations level,
Hazardous materials
technician, and Hazardous materials specialist.
EMS-based
paramedics are typically trained to the awareness
level, whereas career and volunteer firefighters are often trained
to the operations level or better.
Occupational health and safety
Cardiovascular disease
Firefighting has long been associated with poor cardiovascular
outcomes.
In the United States
, the most common cause of on-duty fatalities for
firefighters is sudden cardiac death. In addition to
personal factors that may predispose an individual to
coronary artery disease or other
cardiovascular diseases,
occupational exposures can significantly increase a firefighter's
risk. For instance,
carbon monoxide,
present in nearly all fire environments, and
hydrogen cyanide, formed during the
combustion of
paper,
cotton,
plastics, and other
substances containing
carbon and
nitrogen, interfere with the transport of oxygen in
the body.
Hypoxia can then lead to
heart injury.In addition, chronic exposure to
particulate matter in
smoke is associated with
atherosclerosis.
Noise
exposures may contribute to
hypertension and possibly ischemic heart
disease. Other factors associated with firefighting, such as
stress,
heat stress, and heavy physical exertion, also
increase the risk of cardiovascular events.
Heat Stress
Heat injury is a major issue for fire fighters as they wear
insulative clothing and can not shed the heat generated from
physical exertion. Early detection of heat issues is critical to
stop dehydration and heat stress becoming fatal. Early onset of
heat stress effects cognitive function whch combined with operating
in dangerous environment makes heat stress and dehydration a
critical issue to monitor. Fire fighter physiological status
monitoring is showing promise in alerting EMS and commanders the
status of their people on the fire ground. Device such as
PASS device alerts once a person has stopped
moving. Physiological status monitors measure a fire fighters vital
sign status, fatigue and exertion levels and transmit this
information over their voice radio. This technology allows a degree
of early warning to physiological stress. These devices are
similiar to technology developed for
Future Force Warrior and give a measure
of exertion and fatigue. They also tell the people outside of a
building when they have stopped moving or fallen. This allows a
Fire Chief to call in additional engines before the crew get
exhausted and also gives an early warning to firemen before they
run out of air, as they may not be able to make voice calls over
their radio. Current
OSHA tables exist for heat
injury and the allowable amount of work in a given environment
based on temperature, humidity and solar loading.
Structural collapses
Another leading cause of death during firefighting is structural
collapse of part of a burning building (e.g. a wall, floor,
ceiling, roof, or
truss system). Structural
collapse, which often occurs without warning, may crush or trap
on-duty firefighters. To avoid loss of life, all on-duty
firefighters should maintain two-way communication with the
incident commander and be
equipped with a
Personal Alert Safety System
device (PASS).
Communication and command structure
Image:NSWFB112.jpg|
New
South Wales Fire Brigades station officer (Red helmet) and
firefighters (Yellow helmets)Image:FFDSF0145b.jpg|A company of U.S.
firefightersImage:PBCFR firefighters1.jpg|Firefighters of
Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue
have radios to stay in constant communicationImage:MFRD Rescue
Helicopter.jpg|
Malaysian Fire and Rescue
Department Helicopter Crew
The expedient and accurate handling of fire alarms or calls are
significant factors in the successful outcome of any incident. Fire
department communications play a critical role in that successful
outcome. Fire department communications include the methods by
which the public can notify the communications center of an
emergency, the methods by which the center can notify the proper
fire fighting forces, and the methods by which information is
exchanged at the scene. One method is to use
megaphones to communicate.
A telecommunicator (often referred to as a
dispatcher) has a role different but just as
important as other emergency personnel. The telecommunicator must
process calls from unknown and unseen individuals, usually calling
under stressful conditions. He/she must be able to obtain complete,
reliable information from the caller and prioritize requests for
assistance. It is the dispatcher's responsibility to bring order to
chaos.
While some fire departments are large enough to utilize their own
telecommunication dispatcher, most rural and small areas rely on a
central dispatcher to provide handling of fire, rescue and police
services.
Firefighters are trained to use
communications equipment to receive
alarms, give and receive commands, request assistance, and report
on conditions. Since firefighters from different agencies routinely
provide mutual aid to each other, and routinely operate at
incidents where other emergency services are present, it is
essential to have structures in place to establish a unified chain
of command, and share information between agencies. The U.S.
Federal Emergency
Management Agency has established a
National Incident Management System. One component of
this system is the
Incident
Command System.
All radio communication in the United States is under authorization
from the
Federal
Communications Commission (FCC); as such, fire departments that
operate radio equipment must hold radio licenses from the
FCC.
Ten codes were popular in the early days
of radio equipment because of poor transmission and reception.
Advances in modern radio technology have reduced the need for
ten-codes and many departments have converted to simple English
(clear text).
Ranks
Commonwealth
Most fire brigades in
Commonwealth countries (except
Canada) have a more "civilianized" nomenclature, traditionally
structured in this manner:
| Firefighter |
Leading Firefighter
- :(or Crew Commander)
|
Sub Officer
- :(or Watch Commander)
|
Station Officer
- :(or Station Commander/Manager)
|
Assistant Divisional Officer |
Divisional Officer |
Assistant Chief Fire Officer
- :(Scotland: Assistant Firemaster)
|
Chief Fire
Officer
- :(Scotland: Firemaster)
|
|
Most firefighters wear yellow helmets, but
Station Officers and above wear white
helmets. Though these colours are not universal and depend upon the
service. Rank is further indicated by black stripes around the
helmets.
France
French civilian fire services, which historically are derived from
French army
sapper units, use standard French
Army ranks. The highest rank in many
departments is full Colonel.
Japan
Japanese Fire Department's rank insignias are place on a small
badge and pinned above the right pocket. Rank is told by stripes
and Hexagram stars. The design of the insignias came from older
Japanese style military insignias. Sometimes rank can be shown as
different color like of the fire jacket for Station Commander.
Whites and gray are reserved for EMS. Orange is reserved for
rescuer.
Firefighter
- :One Star with one stripe across
|
Assistant Fire Sergeant
- :Two Stars with one stripe across
|
Fire Sergeant
- :Three Stars with one stripe across
|
Fire Lieutenant
- :One Star with two stripes across
|
Fire Captain
- :Two Stars with two stripes across
|
Battalion Chief
- :Three Stars with two stripes across
|
Assistant Chief
- :One Star with solid background
|
1st Assistant Chief
- :Two Stars with solid background
|
Deputy Chief
- :Three Stars with solid background
|
|
Fire Chief
- :Four Stars with solid background
|
|
USA

US Fire Department Rank Insignia
In the
United
States
helmet colors often denote a fire fighter's rank or
position. In general, white helmets denote chief officers,
while red helmets denote company officers, but the specific meaning
of a helmet's color or style varies from region to region and
department to department. The rank of an officer in the U.S. fire
service is most commonly denoted by a number of speaking trumpets,
a reference to a
megaphone like device
used in the early days of the fire service, although typically they
are called "bugles" in today's parlance. Ranks proceed from one
(lieutenant) to five (fire chief) bugles. Traditional ranks in
American Fire Departments that exist but not always be utilized in
all cities or towns include:
Firefighter
- :no bugles
|
Engineer/Technician/Sergeant
- :no bugles
|
Lieutenant
- :1 bugle
|
Captain
- :2 either traditionally side by side
- :or less usually crossed bugles
|
Battalion Chief
- :2 either side by side
- :or more traditionally crossed bugles
|
Division Chief or Deputy/Deputy
Asst.Chief/Commissioner
- :3 crossed bugles
|
Assistant Chief/Commissioner
- :4 crossed bugles
|
Chief/Commissioner
- :5 crossed bugles
|
|
The basic US fire department unit is a small unit called a
"company" (under a lieutenant) which is equivalent to a
commonwealth "watch" (under a sub-officer). A US fire captain is
thus often equivalent to a commonwealth sub-officer, and a US fire
lieutenant to a commonwealth leading firefighter.
Still some other American Fire Departments such the FDNY use
military rank insignia in addition or instead of the traditional
bugles. Additionally, officers on
truck companies have been known
to use rank insignias shaped like axes for Lieutenants (1) and
Captains (2).
The various grades of Divisional Officers and CFOs are indicated by
one or more
impellers on their
epaulettes or the collar of their firefighting
uniform, as opposed to the bugle insignia used in the USA.
Firefighter equipment
A partial list of some equipment typically used by firefighters:
History of fire brigades
The
history of organized combating of structural fires dates back at
least to Ancient Egypt
. Many
people put out fires back in biblical times, but whether people did
it for a living is unknown.
Firefighters were known in the
Roman
Republic, but only as privately organised and funded groups
operating as more of a business than a service. This ad-hoc
approach was later revolutionised during the
Principate to become the first truly professional
firefighting service.
Augustus called for
the creation of a trained fire guard, paid and equipped by the
state. Known as the
Vigiles, they were
organised into cohorts and also served as a night watch and a city
police force.
Today, fire and rescue remains a mix of paid, call, and volunteer
responders.Some Fire and Rescue Services in the UK employ retained
firefighters who are typically on call with pagers from their homes
and/or place of work; a small number of unpaid volunteer
firefighters are also used in some services.
Miscellaneous traditions

An 1879 illustration of
firefighters
In popular literature, firefighters are sometimes depicted with
Dalmatian dogs. This breed
originated in southern Europe to assist with herding
livestock and run along with
horses, and in the days of horse-drawn fire vehicles,
the horses were usually released on arrival at the fire and the
Dalmatians would lead the horses through traffic and to a safe
place to wait until the fire was out. Dalmatians also filled the
role of protecting the horses' feet from other dogs as equipment
was being transported to the fire scene.
In reality, most fire dogs were
mutts pulled from the street (and thus
cheaper to acquire). In addition, Dalmatians have a reputation for
skittishness and congenital defects, such as
deafness due to inbreeding.
Many fire companies around the world, especially in the United
States, develop annual
Beefcake
calendars. In these calendars, handsome and/or muscular
firefighters appear scantily clad and sometimes cavorting. Calendar
proceeds function as fund raisers for their fire department and for
charities. Other forms of fund raising may include traditional
Firemen's Balls (gala events attended by fire-fighters and
supporters from the community), community fairs, and ding-a-ling
car washes (where the price is whatever donation one wishes).
Gallery
Image:FF Helmet.JPG|American Firefighter (Metro)
Image:TFS
Firefighter.JPG|A Canadian
firefighterImage:DC firefighter.jpg|An American
firefighterImage:Rescue-Millais-L.jpg|
The Rescue, a 1855 painting by
John Everett
MillaisImage:Demorest-fire.jpg|Firefighters in
Demorest,
Georgia
, U.S., responding to a fire
alarmFile:Aa RN firefighter 00.jpg|British naval men in firefighting gear on
HMS Illustrious , Liverpool
, 25 October 2009File:Aa RN
firefighter 01.jpg|British naval man in
firefighting gear on HMS
Illustrious , back view, Liverpool
, 25 October 2009
See also
References
- Österreichischer Bundesfeuerwehrverband: Statistik
des ÖBFV
- National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Alert: Preventing
Fire Fighter Fatalities Due to Heart Attacks and Other Sudden
Cardiovascular Events. July 2007.
- BioHarness www.bioharness.com
- OSHA Technical Manual (OTM) - Section III: Chapter IV: Heat
Stress[www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_4.html ]
- National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Alert: Preventing
Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters due to Structural
Collapse. August 1999.
- National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Alert: Preventing
Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters Due to Truss System
Failures. May 2005.
External links