24 Nov 2020: Cold-Weather Firefighting- Ideas and Issues

Ice covers an engine at a 2015 fire in Schenectady, NY.

Winter Fire Safety and Tactics

Well, it’s happened again – winter is upon us. In our little High Desert Valley, summer and winter both bring with them their own very unique challenges. In that spirit, I put together a little bit of a training/reminder on what to look for, what to expect, and what to work on as we prepare for and fulfill our duties during the coming winter- even if we can’t get together and train in person.

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association, our very own Firefighting safety watchdogs and overlords) has a page with PDF fire safety digests and other resources for you to read, remember, and share with people who might come to you with questions about fire safety during the holidays and the cold season that's upon us.

There're always a few fire safety articles to look at from insurance companies, and here's one from Rockford Mutual about the six most common causes of fire during the winter. A worthwhile and quick reminder of things to watch out for in our own and other's homes.

From North America’s "Kingpins of Cold" at the Toronto Fire Services (TFS) and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), this video introduces some of the difficulties that firefighters encounter while extricating during extreme winter weather- a time when such accidents are prone to happen.

 

Click here for a little more from Ontario Tech on this study from 2015.

Aaaand... some more information and situational awareness points from in a video from the Great White North:

I hope this intro and review of cold-weather issues and safety brought to mind some ideas or actions for you to bring into your practices as we head into this cold season. Spend a little more time over the week searching out articles and videos on info that sparked your interest- that way you’ll become a sort of specialist at watching out for such situations or hazards. 

If we each think, train (even if only on our own), and develop situational awareness and practices for the station and the fire ground, we'll be safer as a team and help others in our community stay safe, as well.

Feel free to post comments, additional information, or any ideas on the subjects brought up here or on how we can make this site more useful. Keep in mind that the comment posting tool is found at the bottom of each post.

 

Thanks for your time and Happy Holidays!