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Mike McKenna

Practical PPE

Captain Mike McKenna has more than 31 years of professional fire service experience including 19 years as a fire captain and seven years as a fire district safety officer. Capt. McKenna has been instructing Fire Technology at American River College since 2000, and has more than 16 years of fire service program management and problem solving and solution development.

Capt. McKenna has been involved with the NFPA fire service standards development since 1988 and sits as a member of NFPA 1971 and NFPA 1801. He has published several articles on firefighter issues and has developed risk management solutions as a Fire Service Risk Management Consultant for Bragg & Associates of Roseville, Calif. Capt. McKenna can be contacted via e-mail at
Mike.McKenna@firerescue1.com.

LATEST ARTICLES
The visibility of department members the fireground and on the roadways is critical to reduce the risk of injuries
The structural ensemble is one huge balancing act with many trade-offs
There are numerous demands from the fire service and promises from manufacturers, but in many cases things are not working out as expected or promised
The better the risk assessment, the better the PPE meets the expectations of the organization
As the year draws to a close, asking yourself ‘what if’ can provide some telling answers
Proper and thorough risk assessments are critical when in comes to choosing personal protective equipment for your fire department
The fire service is using electronic PPE more often in firefighting applications and the overall reliance on electronic PPE is increasing
The fire service might benefit in many ways from garments that are lighter and more breathable
You need to begin to think about the fire environment in a practical, three-dimensional concept
Structural hoods not only protect face from radiant heat and combustion products but can serve as an early warning device for firefighters