2011 Year in Review
As 2011 comes to a close, we reflect on the biggest fire service stories and concepts of the year. Read accounts of the year’s most memorable incidents in our first-person features, and don’t forget to see if your most unforgettable call made it onto our list of Facebook fans’ calls of the year!
I think there are several issues that will substantively change our response environment in 2012 and beyond
The cheese we have enjoyed in the fire service has changed and doesn’t taste too good
We have less staff, less resources, less understanding of the types of buildings we are responding, plus a lack of sprinkler systems
I am worried that we have been collectively conditioned to accept risk as a sort of rite of passage
Local firefighters and EMS personnel played a critical role, and in many cases the singular role, in responding to and mitigating the impact of disasters
From mutual aid to social media, things are changing for the fire service
We must examine which practices are working and which ones aren’t
Firefighter ‘got up on the deck gun, and he aimed at people’s legs and just nailed them with water and drove them back’
French Camp Firefighter Brandon Wilson was on paid administrative leave for a year
Veteran firefighter’s postings deemed a violation of department conduct
Police were called to restrain the man, who had to be disarmed and handcuffed before he would stop shooting at the fire