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Adam K. Thiel

Fire News in Focus

Adam K. Thiel is the fire commissioner and director of the Office of Emergency Management in the city of Philadelphia. Thiel previously served as a fire chief in the National Capital Region and as a state fire director for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thiel’s operational experience includes serving with distinction in four states as a chief officer, incident commander, company officer, hazardous materials team leader, paramedic, technical rescuer, structural/wildland firefighter and rescue diver. He also directly participated in response and recovery efforts for several major disasters, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Tropical Storm Gaston and Hurricane Isabel.

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The kicker, though, is whether or not fire departments will be able to afford the latest and greatest devices
For those of us focused on fire, emergency “operations,” arson investigation is often (literally) afterthought
It’s important to recognize extreme pressures our law enforcement colleagues are facing as they also weather fiscal storm
We are completely dependent on fully-functional breathing apparatus to safely and effectively fight today’s fires
I think there are several issues that will substantively change our response environment in 2012 and beyond
Let’s all resolve to keep fighting for adequate resources and attention to help proactively protect our citizens from the ravages of uncontrolled fires
It is absolutely possible to exceed design limits of SCBA and protective clothing on a seemingly ‘routine’ structure fire
Perhaps, citing an oft-quoted phrase, the best idea is to “trust but verify”
Hydrogen-powered vehicles are also likely in our future, and who knows what else