Risk Management
Risk management is the practice of keeping firefighters safe, well trained and out of trouble.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue partnered with the Fire Safety Research Institute to run controlled burn experiments and conduct interviews, revealing gaps in training plans, policies and PPE education
Lessons from agencies mastering real-time collaboration under pressure
Fatalities that occur during agility tests and academy drills underscore the need for tougher medical screening, heat-stress limits and on-site EMS
Effective EOCs depend on empowered decision-makers, disciplined structure and trust built long before activation
The risk management expert delivers commonsense wisdom, including three actions he would take if he were in charge
A practical playbook for protecting soft targets without disrupting public life
Firefighters are willing to raise red flags. Chiefs and company officers determine whether those warnings lead to accountability
Modesto firefighters responded to a reported structure fire and conducted an aggressive interior attack and search after 911 calls reported someone inside
Roof failures, floor collapses and basement fires are the moments that test your training
In Cameron Park, a KB Home neighborhood is marketing fire-resistant construction and ember-blocking design as a way to reduce wildfire danger and improve insurability
Collapse during RIT operations highlights the need for improved pre-incident planning and collapse zone awareness at vacant structures
Departments are encouraged to spotlight their CRR efforts and share success stories
Risk identification must go beyond simple yes-or-no questions to consider the various mitigation options
Reports of people trapped inside prompted Fresno firefighters to force entry and conduct searches in a boarded-up office building during a 2-alarm fire
Hartford firefighters faced heavy fire conditions at an abandoned three-story apartment building in the South End and operated defensively
Collapse
Camden firefighters knocked down a predawn blaze at an abandoned building, but heavy fire conditions led to a structural collapse
A multi-agency partnership transformed a trail access challenge into a rapid-response system built around e-bikes and coordinated mapping
The reimagined organization of Firefighter LSIs offers a new framework to shape safety, health and leadership efforts and reduce LODDs
St. Louis firefighters returned with heavy machinery to search the rubble for a homeless person reported missing by others who escaped the fire
NIOSH investigators found that dense fog, lack of road markings, inattentive driving and self-dispatching in a privately owned vehicle contributed to the crash
Investigators found that compromised size-up, poor risk/benefit decisions, weak crew integrity and missed 911 information all contributed to the Leonardtown incident
Honolulu Firefighter Jeff Fiala died after entering a burning home without a hoseline, a tactic now under investigation following a state safety probe
Deliberations begin in a wrongful death case alleging Rock Falls chiefs showed willful, wanton disregard in the 2021 fire that killed Sterling Lt. Garrett Ramos
The course turns NIOSH findings from the Greene County explosion into tactics and policy updates for rapid reefer ID, construction/insulation risks, reefer-specific size-up and chief readiness
While good for protecting your eyesight, be aware that wearing sunglasses as a first responder could be seen as intimidation
Partnership brings early-detection physicals as a benefit to WFCA member departments
After fatal incidents, the board urges NFPA-aligned training, ship familiarization, Coast Guard coordination and stronger port partnerships
Exploring what the survey data reveals about how fireground tactics are executed and how safety culture is perceived
The victim drives the rescue. Your crews’ capabilities dictate the operation.
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