FSJ YEARBOOK
FIRE SERVICES YEARBOOK
MALLOW FIREFIGHTERS IN CORK WASH OVER 200 CARS, AND RAISE €3,250 FOR CHARITY
THE LATEST FIRE SERVICES NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TOP 5 FIREFIGHTER MOVIES OF ALL TIME
SPRING ISSUE
THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE LIFE-SAVING WORK OF FIRE SERVICES TOP 10 PODCASTS THAT EVERY FIREFIGHTER SHOULD LISTEN TO
CEF is the expert supplier of electrical products and services for professional buyers and installers all over Ireland CEF Ireland branch locations
6
Castlebar 094 902 7196
Limerick 061 423 310
2
Cork 021 432 1820
Mullingar 044 938 5515
3
Dublin City 01 878 8180
Naas 045 898 099
4
Dundalk 042 932 7305
Red Cow 014 242 042
5
Finglas 018 239 000
Sligo 071 915 1820
Letterkenny 074 910 6100
Tralee 066 710 395
1
11
7
8
4 1 8 5 9
10
3
7
6
13
12
We have teams of experts across the country ready to support you with technical expertise, design schemes and site visits; all at no cost and with no obligation. We’re like an extended part of your team.
10
11
12
Waterford 051 372 825 13
2
But we’re not just about getting you the right products for your installation; we also offer an extensive range of value added services to help you with any project, however large or small.
9
We provide the following services free of charge for our customers: • Energy management surveys
• Emergency lighting schemes
• Internal and external lighting schemes
• Fire alarm schemes
• Heating, under-floor heating and electric water heating schemes • Ventilation schemes
• Home automation schemes • Motor control gear design • Switchboard and panel board design
Speak to your local Branch Manager for details
CONTENTS
3 NATIONAL NEWS
19 FAMOUS PEOPLE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BEGAN THEIR CAREERS AS FIREFIGHTERS
7 LIFESTYLE
13 TOP 10 PODCASTS THAT EVERY FIREFIGHTER SHOULD LISTEN TO
23 TECHNOLOGY
29 THE LIQUIDATORS EUROPE’S FORGOTTEN HEROES
34 THE HIDDEN HEREOS OF THE BELFAST BLITZ
37 I WAS A FIREFIGHTER AT GRENFELL TOWER
While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of content herein, UMA Ltd. cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may arise. The opinions are the contributors’ own and may not reflect those of the publisher, its clients or contributors. EDITOR:
LAVINIA MATIES
DESIGN:
LEAH BYRNE
ASSISTANT EDITOR: ADVERTISING DESIGN: ADVERTISING PRODUCTION:
DAN BYRNE
FSJ supports all action for a cleaner environment. With this in mind, we ask you to please recycle this magazine when finished with it. DISCLAIMER: While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of content herein, UMA cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may
DAPHNEE BRANCHY
arise. The opinions are the contributors' own and may not reflect
& IULIIA SHCHUKINA
those of the publisher, its clients, suppliers or the Fire Service.
RYAN HARMON & OCÉANE LASSERRE
FireServicesJournal 3
2 Fairview, Dublin 3 (01) 853 3333
Kavanagh@propertypartners.ie
Property Partners Kavanagh is one of the leading firms in Fairview, Dublin 3 for the last 21 years. Our office is experienced in House Sales, Lettings, Property Management and Valuations. We provide expertise in the area of Residential and Commercial Properties. TRUSTED FOR A PERSONAL APPROACH AND EFFECTIVE, LASTING PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS OUR PEST CONTROL SERVICES INCLUDE:
• Baits and Traps • Proofing • Spraying • Wasp nest Removal 54 Grey Square, Portrane, Co. Dublin, K36 RK76 T: +353 (83) 010 2411 E: houseandhomepestcontrol@gmail.com www.houseandhomepestcontrol.ie
If you would like a member of the Property Partners Kavanagh team to view your property for a no obligation FREE VALUATION in the strictest of confidence, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01 853 3333.
www.propertypartners.ie
NATIONAL NEWS
MALLOW FIREFIGHTERS IN CORK WASH OVER 200 CARS, AND RAISE €3,250 FOR CHARITY Firefighters recently joined forces with North Cork Civil Defence to help raise funds for the Irish Community Air Ambulance. It was an insanely busy day for firefighters in Mallow on the 29th January after they juggled their unpredictable work with a sponsored charity car wash that raised thousands of Euros. The local population from the North Cork town turned out in their hundreds to support the local Civil Defence and fire station who gave their motors a good scrub down with proceeds going to their friends in the air ambulance service. The big day saw raised €3,250 for the Irish Community Air Ambulance - a fully charity-funded service that’s shown time and time again that it’s vital for the region. Last year, their HeliMed92 crew attended 512 emergency calls. Hundreds of people turned up to support the wash, and the firefighters also had to rush out to two call-outs in the area. As a result, the lads had a rather busy day. MALLOW’S HERO FIRE CREW - HTTPS://WWW.CORKBEO.IE/NEWS/LOCAL-NEWS/MALLOW-FIREFIGHTERSWASH-OVER-200-22924006
“SO TODAY HAS BEEN A Firefighter Callum Jack Robinson thanked for their support, saying the BUSY, HARD-WORKING everyone €3,250 raised was “far beyond” what they DAY FOR MALLOW FIRE were expecting. “I had never expected such a great turnout BRIGADE. EVEN WITH from our community and I, along with my colleagues, are truly humbled. TWO CALL-OUTS, WE “I want to thank you all immensely for turning up today to show your support. STILL MANAGED TO YOU all have made a difference. WASH OVER 200 CARS “I just want to give a special shout out to all my colleagues at Mallow Fire Brigade and TO FUNDRAISE FOR North Cork Civil Defence for giving up their time for this great cause. THE IRISH COMMUNITY “I owe you all, Finally, after counting all donations. I am glad to say that we, as a AIR AMBULANCE.
and it just goes to show that we as a community are a great bunch, willing to pull together for our neighbour” said Jack. Sources: www.corkbeo.ie
team, raised a whopping €3,250.00. “This figure is far beyond what I expected,
FireServicesJournal 5
NATIONAL NEWS
LORD MAYOR WELCOMES 35 NEW FIREFIGHTERS INTO DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE THE MOVE COMES TO ADDRESS STAFFING SHORTAGES IN THE CITY’S FIRE BRIGADE.
Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland has welcomed 35 new firefighters into Dublin Fire Brigade. Staff shortages in the Dublin Fire Brigade have been reported and according to an experienced firefighter the shortages could place both the public and Dublin Fire Brigade personnel at risk. Recently, after months of intensive training, 35 firefighter paramedic recruits completed their passout parade. They were assigned to various Dublin Fire Brigade Stations throughout the city, and their first watch began on Saturday. Lord Mayor of Dublin City Council Alison Gilliland said:
“I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE OUR NEW FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS AND WISH THEM A LONG, SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE.”
“They join an effective, efficient and committed essential service in the city and I have no doubt that they will make a great contribution to it. She added: “I am also delighted to confirm that another firefighter recruit class is scheduled to commence on February 7th next, with 45 new recruits joining Dublin Fire Brigade to commence their training.”
ALISON GILLILAND (IMAGE: LABOUR.IE) DUBLINLIVE.IE
However, veteran firefighter Luke McCann previously told Dublin Live that Dublin City Council are “gambling” with the safety of the public and firefighters by allowing “crisis” staff shortages to continue. Sources: www.Dublinlive.ie
LIFESTYLE
TOP 5 FIREFIGHTER MOVIES OF ALL TIME Being a firefighter is a difficult but thrilling career, so watching actors portraying your work on the big screen can be exciting, but also at times frustrating. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong. If you’re on the lookout for some of the best firefighter movies ever created, we’ve compiled a list below that are well worth a watch.
1. Only the Brave, (2017)
Only the Brave is a biographical drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer. It’s based on Sean Flynn’s GQ article “No Exit.” The film includes an ensemble cast including, Josh Brolin, James Badge Dale, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller, Alex Russell, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Hardy, Thad Luckinbill, Geoff Stults, Scott Haze, Andie MacDowell, and Jennifer Connelly.
Storyline
The storyline of the film is based in 2007 Prescott, Arizona and is based on true and tragic events. Eric Marsh of the Prescott Fire Department is frustrated fighting forest fires when the Type 1 or “Hotshot” front line forest fire fighting crews from afar overrule his operational suggestions to his area’s sorrow.
To change that, Marsh gets approval from the Mayor to attempt to organise an unprecedented certified municipal-based Hotshot crew for Prescott. To that end, Marsh needs new recruits, which includes the young wastrel, Brendan McDonough, to undergo the rigorous training and qualification testing for the most dangerous of fire fighting duties. Along the way, the new team meets the challenge and the hailed Granite Mountain Hotshots are born. In doing so, all the men, especially McDonough, are changed as new experience and maturity is achieved in fire-forged camaraderie. All this is put to the test in 2013 with the notorious Yarnell Hill Fire that will demand efforts and sacrifices no one can ignore. Verdict: Only the Brave manages to portray a fairly accurate portrayal of the sacrifices these firefighters made and the tragedy that occurred less than ten years ago.
2. Burn (2012)
Burn is an American documentary film co-directed and produced by Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez.
Storyline
The documentary takes place in the city of Detroit, Michigan. As a result of a huge increase in fires among the crumbling
urbanscape of abandoned structures, the city has been in severe decline in recent years.This documentary follows the lives and challenges of the Detroit Fire Department members who are on the front lines of this taxing battle. Faced with constant emergencies and diminishing budgets, Detroit firemen are committed to protect the city as best they can, whatever the cost. Verdict: Burn captures the danger (and, yes, joy) of putting out fires, as well as the futility of putting out fires in a city riddled with arson. An action-packed documentary that allows viewers to make personal connections with these men and women who protect Detroit and its citizens.
3. The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Towering Inferno is an American film produced by Irwin Allen with an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. The film, directed by John Guillermin, is a co-production between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros, marking the first time two major Hollywood companies have collaborated on a film. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and was the highest-grossing picture of 1974. The film was nominated for eight Oscars in all, winning three of them.
FireServicesJournal 7
LIFESTYLE
HTTPS://LETTERBOXD.COM/FILM/BACKDRAFT/
Storyline
A fire breaks out in a state-of-the-art San Francisco high-rise building during the opening ceremony, which is attended by several A-list visitors. An overworked fire chief and the building’s architect must work together in the struggle to save lives and calm fear, while a corrupt, cost-cutting contractor attempts to avoid responsibility for the tragedy. Verdict: While entertaining to watch, the Towering Inferno belongs firmly in the popcorn genre of entertainment rather than a realistic depiction of firefighting activities.
4. Backdraft (1991)
Backdraft is an action thriller film directed by Ron Howard and written by Gregory Widen. The cast members of this film include Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rebecca De Mornay, Donald Sutherland, Robert De Niro, Jason Gedrick, and J. T. Walsh. The picture received positive reviews from critics and grossed $152.4 million
worldwide when it was released in 1991. It also received three Oscar nominations and was followed by a sequel later, Backdraft 2, in 2019.
Storyline
Two Chicago firefighter brothers, who don’t get along, have to work together while taking part in an investigation of a string of arson/murders. This in-depth look into the jobs and personal life of firefighters includes plenty of pyrotechnics and special effects. Verdict: Although the film’s depiction of firefighting is unrealistic at times, it remains a wonderful work of cinematic storytelling, and the special effects are spectacular throughout.
5. Ladder 49 (2004)
Ladder 49 is a disaster thriller directed by Jay Russell and written by Lewis Colick. Some of the famous actors that star in the film include Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta. The film grossed $102 million worldwide.
Storyline
Probationary fireman Jack Morrison evolves into a seasoned veteran in a Baltimore fire station under the watchful eye of his mentor, Captain Mike Kennedy. However, Jack has reached a fork in the road since the sacrifices he’s made have put him in danger several times and have had a severe influence on his relationship with his wife and children. As a result of his response to the worst fire of his career, he becomes stuck within a 20-story structure. He experiences flashbacks of his life as he drifts in and out of consciousness. Deputy Chief Kennedy is desperately coordinating the attempt to save him. Verdict: The effects in Ladder 49 are fantastic, although they’re a little too theatrical. While there is some emotional depth in the film, it is far too vague to be a meaningful tribute to firefighters. Sources: www.imdb.com
LIFESTYLE
TOP PODCASTS THAT EVERY FIREFIGHTER SHOULD LISTEN TO PODCASTS HAVE GROWN MASSIVELY IN POPULARITY OVER THE LAST DECADE. THEY ARE A GREAT ON-THE-GO CHOICE AS THEY CAN BE EASILY DOWNLOADED ON APPS LIKE SPOTIFY AND ITUNES. STAYING UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST TRENDS IN FIREFIGHTING AND FIRE SAFETY CAN BE DIFFICULT, BUT THERE ARE MANY EXCELLENT PODCASTS FOR FIREFIGHTERS TO LISTEN TO
FireServicesJournal 9
LIFESTYLE
1. NFPA Journal Podcast - 4.4 rating on iTunes
The NFPA Podcast is the place for safety professionals to stay up to speed on the fast-paced world of electrical, fire, and life safety. Hear in-depth conversations with people on the ground about how they are dealing with new challenges and staying on top of evolving technology in order to keep the world safe. It includes interviews with professionals in the fields of fire, electrical, and life safety. New episodes every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. It’s available for download on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and online.
2. Firefighter Training Podcast4.8 rating on iTunes
The podcast, by Fire Chief Peter Lamb, is designed for firefighters who want to learn more about training, firefighter safety, current events, and how to further their careers. Chief Lamb has over 35 years of experience and has taught all over the US on a range of themes, including tactics, incident command, training, and operations, in addition to being an author. You may download the podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, and the internet.
3. Code 3 – The Firefighters’ Podcast- 4.3 rating on iTunes Code 3 is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Orr. It is aimed at all ranks of firefighters, from fire chiefs to newbies. The host of the podcast, Scott Orr, is an award-winning journalist, who has covered topics on fire, EMS, police beat for most of his 30-plus year career in news. These bite-sized episodes aren’t only for firefighters; they’re also for anyone curious about what it takes to work in this field. Scott interviews a diverse group of individuals involved in the fire service, FireServicesJournal 10
from Chiefs to Probies to Engineers. The podcast is available to download on iTunes, Stitcher and online.
4. The Standard - “Forge Your Life”- 4.8 rating on iTunes
professionals, students, and researchers. It’s available for download on iTunes and online.
7. On the Line
The podcast, hosted by Craig Stalowy, Tom Johnson and John Spera, is geared toward firefighter development in fitness and leadership. This podcast focuses on assisting firefighters in taking personal responsibility and accountability in order to become great leaders in both their professional and personal lives. It’s available for download on iTunes and online.
This podcast is geared toward today’s wildland firefighters. It features the most up-to-date news about training, tips, and educational information on what to expect as a wildland firefighter. Listen to knowledgeable hosts, Charlie Palmer and Brent Ruby, along with new guests every episode, as they discuss every aspect of this dangerous job. It’s available to listen to online.
5. SAMatters Radio- 4.9 rating on iTunes
8. Disaster Dads- 5.0 rating on iTunes
The Situational Awareness Matters podcast by Dr. Richard B. Gasaway is dedicated to improving first responder safety. The mission of Situational Awareness Matters is to help you to see the bad things coming in time to avoid bad outcomes by improving your understanding of human factors, situational awareness and decision-making under stress. Listen and learn from hundreds of incredible interviews with first responders who survived near-miss events. It’s available for download on iTunes, Stitcher and online.
6. EM Weekly- 4.9 rating on iTunes
This weekly emergency management podcast is hosted by Todd De Voe. The podcast features news and interviews. It discusses trends and issues that impact emergency management, first responders, military, education, public safety, communications, disaster volunteer organisations, public health, humanitarian groups, NGOs,
Are you in need of a good laugh? The Disaster Dads use their years of experience as emergency responders to share amusing stories that will help you prepare for whatever disaster comes your way. This podcast is hosted by real-life dads who are former volunteer firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) with over 60 years of cumulative experience. It can be downloaded via iTunes, Stitcher, and online.
9. FireRescue1‘s Side Alpha- 3.9 rating on iTunes
The Side Alpha podcast from FireRescue1 puts fire service leaders and emerging leaders in front of the most pressing issues confronting firefighters today. Side Alpha is hosted by Chief Marc Bashoor of FireRescue1.com and FireChief.com, who writes the Chief’s Forum column for FireRescue1.com. Side Alpha is available for download on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher and Spotify.
LIFESTYLE
10. Firefighter Toolbox Podcast - 4.8 rating on iTunes
Firefighter Toolbox Podcast is for those firefighters and fire officers who want to take their firefighting and leadership skills to the next level. This podcast features interviews with firefighters, leaders, and specialists to understand what it takes to be a successful firefighter and leader. This podcast seeks to provide the necessary tools for people who want to enhance their skill set, so they can be the best firefighter and leader they can be. The Firefighter Toolbox has a goal to provide firefighters with “positive energy and resources to share with their station, crews, and younger firefighters to reinforce and complement the lessons and training being taught at the station. Available to download on iTunes and online.
11. Journeyman Firefighter Podcast- 4.8 rating on iTunes
This is a podcast that creates the feeling of having a conversation with your friends around the coffee table in the fire station. The podcast is hosted by Kiel Samsing, Grant Schwalbe, and Andrew Zysk. They speak to firefighters from a variety of
backgrounds and roles, and they discuss why they choose this profession, their training, hobbies and everything in between. The podcast can be downloaded on iTunes and online.
12. The Volunteer Firefighter Podcast- 4.8 rating on iTunes
with thought leaders who share their perspectives and experience. Kevin Sofen, the show’s host, is a co-founder of the WeRespond smart firefighting community and is passionate about smart technology, the future of public safety, and the crucial combination of the two.
If you are a volunteer firefighter, then this podcast is for you. In each episode, a group of rural volunteer firefighters discuss how their department works together to innovate, adapt and overcome the challenges they face both on and off the fire ground. This podcast approaches themes from the perspective of a volunteer firefighter, which makes it unique from other firefighting podcasts. Available to download on iTunes or online.
13. Smart Firefighting podcast4.8 rating on iTunes
Kevin Sofen hosts the Smart Firefighting Podcast, which discusses real-world smart technology deployments through conversations with technologists, innovators, companies, and forwardthinking public safety and government agencies. Every week, there are interviews
Sources: www.firerescue.ie www.podcastsapple.ie
FireServicesJournal 11
LIFESTYLE
STRESS BUSTERS WHAT FOODS SHOULD BE ON YOUR MENU FOR 2022
With the start of a new year comes the opportunity for a fresh start, so if you’ve been feeling stressed out lately, it’s time to make a change, and it can be as simple as altering your diet. Stress is a typical issue for many, but it’s often a huge burden on firefighters. There are numerous variables that cause stress in the body; a hectic job, lack of sleep, family commitments, and equally what we eat and how our digestive system, immune system and nervous system are functioning. Stress raises your need for particular nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B, selenium, and magnesium.
feel. Sipping a warm drink has a calming impact regardless of flavour, but certain herbs, such as lavender and chamomile, have been demonstrated to have a relaxing effect on the body. Teas like peppermint, oat flower, and lemon balm are also recognised for their relaxing powers. Green tea can also help you to relax. Its leaves contain the amino acid theanine, which aids relaxation and stress reduction. According to studies, theanine also aids in the reduction of anxiety, so try a warm cup of herbal tea the next time you’re feeling stressed and anxious.
more flavonoids than black tea, red wine, and apples, among other high-antioxidant foods. There are many brands of dark chocolate available, however, the best option is to choose a dark chocolate that is made with as few ingredients as possible. Green & Blacks 85% organic dark chocolate is a great choice as well as Lindt’s 85% cacao, extra dark chocolate.
Whole Grains
Dark Chocolate
Eating a well-balanced, healthy diet is essential in order for our bodies to cope with the physiological changes brought on by stress. Here is a list of foods that may help with stress relief.
Herbal Tea
Incorporating dark chocolate in your diet can help you feel less stressed in two ways: chemically and by how it makes you feel.
Herbal teas aid in the promotion of feelings of warmth and calmness. It’s not always the nutrients in food or drinks that help you relax; sometimes it’s how they make you
Cocoa, which is abundant in dark chocolate, has been found to be rich in a class of antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been linked to a number of health benefits, helping to reduce stress by lowering levels of stress hormones in the body. It’s crucial to pick a high quality dark chocolate brand. In fact, high-quality dark chocolate has
Carbohydrates cause the brain to produce more serotonin, a hormone that improves mood and decreases stress. People who are stressed experience improved levels of concentration when their serotonin levels are raised. It’s ideal to consume complex carbohydrates, which take longer to digest, for a consistent supply of this feel-good hormone. Whole-grain breads, pastas, sweet potatoes and morning cereals, such as old-fashioned porridge, are all good options. Complex carbohydrates can also help you feel more balanced by keeping your blood sugar levels in check.
LIFESTYLE
Avocados
ounces of fatty fish twice a week for a healthy dose of feel-good omega-3s.
Nuts
pressure received vitamin C before a stressful task, their blood pressure and cortisol (a stress hormone) levels recovered to normal faster. Other fruits that are particularly high in vitamin C are grapefruits and strawberries.
Warm Milk
Getting adequate potassium is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure, and half an avocado provides more potassium than a medium-sized banana. When stress makes you crave a high-fat treat, a small amount of guacamole made from avocado could be a good option. Avocados are heavy in fat and calories, so keep that in mind while eating them. Avocados are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These essential acids have been shown to alleviate stress and anxiety, increase attention, and improve mood.
Healthy fats may be found in pistachios, as well as other nuts and seeds. A handful of pistachios, walnuts, or almonds a day may help decrease cholesterol, reduce inflammation in the arteries of your heart, reduce the risk of diabetes, and protect you from the effects of stress.Nuts are also high in minerals, such as B vitamins, magnesium and healthy fatty acids.
Fatty Fish
Citrus Fruits
Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help protect against heart disease, depression, and can also prevent surges in stress hormones. Eat at least 3.5
Oranges are on the list because of their high vitamin C content. This vitamin has been shown in studies to reduce stress hormone levels while also improving the immune system. When persons with high blood
Another traditional bedtime stress reliever is a glass of warm milk. Calcium has been shown in studies to help with anxiety and mood changes. Skimmed or low-fat milk is often recommended by dietitians. Warm milk has a calming effect on both physical and psychological levels. For example, for those who grew up sipping warm milk before bed, the ritual might signal that it’s time to sleep. Many also find it intrinsically calming to sip a hot beverage while cuddled up on the sofa.
Sources: https://www.everydayhealth. com/diet-nutrition-pictures/how-toreduce-stress-with-diet.aspx and https:// www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshowdiet-for-stress-management
FireServicesJournal 13
LIFESTYLE
FAMOUS PEOPLE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BEGAN THEIR CAREERS AS FIREFIGHTERS HERE ARE 5 CELEBRITIES YOU DIDN’T KNOW, STARTED THEIR CAREERS AS FIREFIGHTERS The road to becoming famous isn’t easy, which is why many music and film celebrities had to work at regular jobs before they got their big break. You often read in the news about celebrities working as shop assistants, waiters, or even cleaning lion cages at a zoo, like Sylvester Stallone did before he famously played Rocky Balboa. But have you ever wondered which celebrities worked as firefighters before they became famous? Here are 5 celebrities you didn’t know, started their careers as firefighters:
1. Steve Buscemi - Actor, Director and Former NYC Firefighter
Steve Buscemi originally trained as a firefighter when he was 18 years old and worked as a New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984, with Engine Company No. 55, in the Little Italy section of New York.
ABC’s Station 19. He also directed the indie documentary film A New American Dream, which won the grand jury at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival.
The day after the September 11 attacks in New York, he returned to his old job and worked 12-hour shifts for several days alongside other firefighters, searching for survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center.
Hanlon has also acted in episodes of Sex and the City, NYPD Blue Criminal Minds, Law and Order, and other shows. He joined the New York City Fire department as a firefighter in 1992 and in 2001,Hanlon asked the Fire Commissioner to let him film a documentary on Tony Benetatos, a probation FDNY fireman. He wanted to show people what it was like to be a New York City firefighter. The September 11th attacks occurred while the documentary was being made and Hanlon released his documentary as the series 9/11, which aired on CBS.
He subsequently left the service to pursue a career as an actor, but he has remained involved with firefighter issues in New York.
2. James Hanlon- American TV producer/director and former NYC firefighter
3. Robert John Burke-Actor and Firefighter
Steven Vincent Buscemi is an American actor and filmmaker. He is well known for his roles in movies such as Reservoir Dogs, Desperado, Con Air, Armageddon, Ghost World, Big Fish, and the political satire, The Death of Stalin. Steve Buscemi is also known for his many collaborations with the Coen brothers, having appeared in six of their films: Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and also Paris, je t’aime.
James Hanlon is an award-winning American TV Executive Producer and Director. He is best known for his directorial and executive producer work on the documentary series 9/11 for which he won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award and the Edward R.Murrow Award. He also directed episodes of various TV shows including NCIS: Los Angeles, Chicago Fire NBC and
Robert John Burke is an American actor who is best known for his roles in movies such as RoboCop 3,Tombstone, and Thinner. In the 2000s, he rose to fame, for playing the role of Mickey Gavin on Rescue Me.
LIFESTYLE
He also starred as Bart Bass in the sensational teenage drama ‘Gossip Girl’, Ed Tucker in Law and Order and also in a number of other film and television roles including Netflix’s Intrusion. Burke became a New York City firefighter in 2002 and then joined his hometown’s volunteer fire department, where he rose through the ranks to captain 13 years later. When he is not acting, he volunteers as a fireman.
4. Jack McGee - Actor and former FDNY firefighter.
Jack McGee is an American television and film character actor. Throughout his acting career, he has appeared in over 100 films and TV series. He is best known for his role as Chief Jerry Reilly on the television series Rescue Me. He appeared regularly on the FX series for three seasons, and in 2010 he co-starred as
Hickey on the Spike TV comedy series Players.McGee has also starred in popular movies such as The Fighter, Gangster Squad and Basic Instinct. In 1977, He became a firefighter for the New York City Fire Department. He was a member of FDNY Engine Company 38 and Ladder Company 51 in the Bronx as a firefighter. After serving as a firefighter for over ten years, he left in order to pursue the dream of becoming an actor.
the theme song “How Do You Talk to an Angel? The single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He is a musician as well as an actor, having released three solo albums: “Jamie Walters,” “Ride,” and “Believed.” Many people don’t know that he also became a firefighter and paramedic in 2002.
5. Jamie Walters -Actor, singer, qualified firefighter and paramedic
James Walters is an American actor and singer. He made his film debut In 1991, opposite John Travolta, Heather Graham, and Gwyneth Paltrow in the film Shout. On the Shout soundtrack album, Walters sang the song “Rockin’ the Pad.” He is also well known, for his role on the Fox series The Heights, in which he also sang FireServicesJournal 15
TECHNOLOGY
THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE LIFE-SAVING WORK OF FIRE SERVICES IN JANUARY 2022, SEVENTEEN PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING FIRE IN THE BRONX, NEW YORK. IT WAS CAUSED BY A SINGLE, DEFECTIVE SPACE HEATER IN ONE, SMALL APARTMENT ROOM, BUT THE LOSS OF LIFE WAS ENORMOUS. Deadly as these urban fires are, they are only half the story – the other half being taken up by almost constant, horrific images of wildfires all over the world, from Australia to Europe to the American Pacific Northwest. These fires make headlines so often because their occurrence is increasing. Drier grounds, hotter temperatures, more lightning strikes, unprepared communities – all of these combine to make the threat of damaging fires more severe now than ever. This is the reality that firefighters have to face when reporting to work every day, but one ever-evolving tool in their armoury is the development of new technologies – solutions that make their jobs safer and more efficient. So, in 2022, what are the tech solutions receiving solid attention?
FireServicesJournal 16
For starters: data, data, and more data. Data is everything, from in-the-moment information about a blaze and what it might do next, to longer-term information about a fire fighter’s health and well-being. Data will help plan the next moves, judge who is fit to do what, and pinpoint locations across the globe where a wildfire is likely to strike next. Of course, data means far less to progress if it isn’t shared, and so much of the focus on data depends on different individuals, departments, agencies exchanging it with each other. Only then can they hope to paint the fullest picture of what’s going on. The Internet of Things (IoT) that will fuel this development is expected to feed information on everything from CCTV cameras, to fire detection systems, monitoring technology, gas detection, and even traffic management, so that a fire truck
or ambulance racing to the scene of a disaster will have more control of the roads they use. All of this is so important because it helps firefighters make vital decisions in far less time. Where in a building to tackle first, what kind of gases would someone be exposed to there, where victims might be trapped – all can be delivered today with clarity that hasn’t been seen before. It is also likely to be complemented by increased use of mobile technology, according to international tech giant Samsung. The firm believes that the use of mobile technology in emergency services will “take off” – making use of innovations like 5G data, specialised smartphones to communicate, and view important advanced information such as building plans and wind patterns.
TECHNOLOGY Tracking Health
In the United States, 96 firefighters were killed while on duty, and the majority of those deaths were down to issues that might not commonly grab the most attention. Over-exertion, stress, and other related medical issues were the proven numberone cause of fatalities amongst these 96 according to Industrial Fire World. Other factors like smoke inhalation, falling objects, and explosions were given heavy attention but didn’t rank as the most important. Out of this problem comes a desire to accurately monitor a firefighter’s health and well-being as far as possible, and new tech solutions are being deployed to do just that.
For forest fires, the basic premise is the same. AI and data analytics technologies are being used to give feedback on air quality, environmental conditions, meaning they can more accurately pinpoint locations where a fire is likely to develop next. If it does develop, the data can show what tactics work best to control a blaze and ensure it doesn’t spread. The pandemic shut down many traditional channels and prompted fire services across the world into a modernisation programme. Without a doubt, these tech-based developments are still a work in progress. Good data feeding in from so many different sources takes time to roll out properly, but given its vast potential when situations become urgent, it is one to watch this year and beyond.
Going Green
As with so many other industries, tech is also being developed to make firefighting greener. The world continues to pour endless attention into sustainability, particularly after major climate change milestones, like COP26. And now, fire services are jumping on board too. One simple example is the electric fire truck. They are not commonplace yet by any means. In fact, most have barely gotten out of the testing phase. One was even deployed for active services in the US state of Wisconsin last year. This engine – the first of its kind in America – sits six people, includes a 500-gallon (approx. 1,900L) water tank, and enough space to store over 500m of hose. “Electric vehicles are the future of fire services,” Steven Davis, Fire Chief in the city of Madison WN where the engine operates, told Industrial Fire World. “Many communities of Madison’s size have goals to establish green fleets within the next decade. The challenge will be to get city councils to fund the equipment.” Electric fire engines are relatively new and will need to prove that they can match – and eventually replace – the capabilities of traditional engines so that work isn’t compromised. But aside from the example in Madison, more prototypes have been developed in European countries like Austria and Denmark. Watch this space to see when these begin to see active service.
Smart personal protective equipment (PPE) is being rolled out to those in the field – equipment that can measure heart rate, speed, altitude among other things. If Fire Officers can see this information in real-time, they can question and plan in real-time too. They will be able to detect, for example, if and when a firefighter falls to the floor, they ask why, try and make contact, and get a better idea of what that fighter is facing.Similarly, if a firefighter’s heart rate goes into levels that signal overexertion, commanders can instruct them to withdraw until it’s safe to resume their work. Another big tech solution expected to gain traction this year is mobile mesh networking, designed to address the problem of inadequate communication channels. This is more of an issue for firefighters working away from urban areas, where connectivity is easy to come by. By contrast, rural areas are commonly affected by lapses in signal, and a lack of terrestrial alternatives should they be needed. This is where mesh networking comes in. It’s a technology based on interlocking communication “nodes” – much like a WiFi router in a large house and boosters in other rooms. Mesh networking can enable instantaneous communication in off-the-grid areas, it can do this over a large geographical area if needed, and it’s cheaper to run compared to other communication methods like satellite devices.
FireServicesJournal 17
HISTORY
THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE OCTOBER 1871 REMEMBERING ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE OCTOBER 1871
The Great Chicago Fire burned ferociously through the city from October 8th to October 10th, 1871, destroyed thousands of buildings and killing an estimated 300 people. The devastation wrought by the conflagration at the time cost an estimated $200 million in damages. The legend goes that the fire was caused by a cow kicking over a lantern in a barn, however other theories surrounding the blaze have laid the blame at arsonists or the possibility that even a meteor might have been responsible for the event that left an area of about four miles long and almost a mile wide of the Windy City, including its business district, in complete ruins. Following the blaze, reconstruction efforts began quickly and spurred great economic development and population growth. Whatever actually started the fire, there is little dispute of where it started. It had been subsequently proven that on the Sunday evening of October 8, 1871, something ignited a fire inside the barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary at 137 De Koven St. on Chicago’s west side. After the flames had finally subsided on Tuesday morning, the Great Fire had consumed more than three square miles (some 2,000 acres) of the city, taken 300 lives and left 100,000 without homes, which was around a third of the city’s population. Believe it or not, the O’Leary’s house was located upwind of the fire and survived totally undamaged. In the aftermath of the fire 51 people who were near the fire when it broke out, along with experts brought in to examine the scene, came to the conclusion that it was unable to identify the cause. This resulted in a host of other theories being speculated on in the wider community. Apparently there were some inconsistencies in the testimonies of Daniel “Peg Leg” Sullivan and Dennis Regan. Sullivan’s house was located across the road and to the east of the O’Leary’s. He testified that, after visiting the O’Leary’s, he walked across the road, proceeded past his own house, then sat in front of William White’s house, one door up. Sullivan said he could see the fire break out later and ran to the O’Leary’s to help save the animals. This didn’t quite add up for the authorities, due to the fact that the view from William White’s house to the O’Leary barn was
NOTORIOUS INFERNOS blocked by the James Dalton house. Regan testified that he heard music as he passed the McLaughlin house, where a party had been going on, on his way to help with the fire. This also didn’t match up with other testimony given by Mrs. McLaughlin who said that the fire had started after the music stopped. Locals had suggested a theory that the two men were in the barn, where they had been hundreds of times and began to argue. In the midst of a fight they perhaps accidentally knocked Mr. Sullivan’s pipe from his hand, leaving it on the ground and sparking the initial flames. Another theory surrounding the cause of the fire is that it may have been ignited by a fragment of a rogue comet that touched off upstate Wisconsin and Michigan on the same night. Scientists have speculated that fragments from Biela’s Comet could have ignited the Great Fire in Chicago but it has often been rejected. Chicago at the time was a place where the manufacturing East met the agricultural West of the U.S. This was also a time when the nation was beginning to flex its financial muscles on the international stage. There was an ever-increasing influx of people, money, goods, and information. There was the lake front and the branches of the Chicago River, which split the city into north, south, and west; each sector buzzing with commercial activity. Ten railroads converged on Chicago. The city was linked by rail coast to coast. Seventeen grain elevators had a total capacity of about 12 million bushels. The city had averaged about two fires a day during the previous year, including 20 in the previous week. The largest of those had occurred on the Saturday night, on the eve of the “Great Fire.” After the fire began at the O’Leary’s it surged straight to the centre of town, aided by gusting winds. The blaze then unexpectedly jumped the South Branch of the Chicago River around midnight. Splitting in two yet again, the fire consumed Conley’s Patch, a shanty town of Irish immigrants. These were tightly packed wooden structures that offered no resistance to the blaze. By 1:30 the raging fire had made its way to the city’s
courthouse tower. City officials released the prisoners’ moments before the great bell came crashing through the ceiling of the basement of the building. In the south side of the city, the offices of the Chicago Tribune, whose editors throughout the summer had railed against lax fire safety standards, were completely destroyed. The fire was now so massive and widespread that even the ground was in flames. The streets and bridges were all made of wood which provided sufficient fuel for the inferno. The river was also vulnerable, as several vessels on the water and grease that had been dumped along the banks of the river also ignited. The runaway inferno was now showing signs of what fire fighters call a “convection effect.” This is where a fire has the ability produce a concentrated updraft allowing it to move forward on its own accord without help from any wind. Air from all directions was getting sucked into the centre of the flame. This generated a whirlwind effect that carried flaming debris high into the sky. The flaming debris landed onto the city waterworks, destroying the structure and effectively shutting down any firefighting efforts. As the fire marched relentlessly north, another phenomenon known as spontaneous combustion resulted in buildings bursting into flames without coming into contact with the main body of the fire. In the North Division of the city, tens of thousands of ethnic Scandinavians and Germans had more time to escape than those in Conley’s Patch, yet nearly all suffered the same fate — the loss of whatever dwelling in which they had resided. Miraculously, only the mansion of real estate millionaire Mahlon D. Ogden was spared from the flames, saved by a shift in the wind. Eventually the fire reached the edge of the city with only prairie grass and dry sod to feed the flames, and expired on its own. The burned-out, bedraggled, and newly homeless flocked together in disoriented groups on open stretches of prairie west and northwest of town; in the South Division, refugees huddled along Lake Michigan, in the North Division, they hunkered down at the south end of Lincoln Park and along “the Sands,” a scrap of lake shore just north of the river.
HISTORY
AFTERMATH OF THE FIRE, CORNER OF DEARBORN AND MONROE STREETS, 1871
People who previously had little reason to speak to each other were shepherded together in one group. As one historian put it, “One could find Mr. McCormick, the millionaire of the reaper trade, and other north-side nabobs, herding promiscuously with the humblest labourer, the lowest vagabond, and the meanest harlot.” The aptly called “Burnt District,” a map of which appeared in virtually every printed account of the fire, comprised an area four miles long and an average of three-quarters of a mile wide — more than two thousand acres — including more than 28 miles of streets, 120 miles of footpaths, and at least 2,000 lamp posts. Gone, too, were countless trees, shrubs, and flowering plants in “the Garden City of the West.” Approximately 18,000 buildings and about a third of the valuation of the entire city went up in flames. Even though half of that amount was insured, several company failures cut the actual payments in half. Those structures and businesses left standing were located on the west or south sides of the Burnt District. They included most of the heavy industries, including the stockyards. The downtown railroad depots
were totalled, but not the far more critical rail lines themselves. What the fire could not touch was one of Chicago’s most important assets, its location. It made the city more accessible to resources and markets throughout the nation and the world at a time when the United States was assuming a role in world leadership in industrial enterprise. Because of Chicago’s pre-fire economic momentum and commercial ties and the unique geographic situation, the city was in a good condition to be able to rebuild. One thing the Great Fire hadn’t taken from the people of Chicago was their grit and determination to rebound from the tragedy. The city would in time become bigger, better and ultimately wiser. The great fire had brought the best out of the citizens of Chicago.. Joseph Medill, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, put out a special edition trumpeting, “Chicago will rise from the ashes!” Potter Palmer, whose new hotel and 32 other holdings were destroyed in the fire, set out immediately to raise capital for reconstruction. Jonathan Scammon broke ground on a new, fully pre-rented office building only four days after the fire. The confidence and
1869 MAP OF CHICAGO, ALTERED TO SHOW THE AREA DESTROYED BY THE FIRE (LOCATION OF O’LEARY’S BARN INDICATED BY RED DOT)
enthusiasm of those men and others rang up and down the social ladder, calling Chicagoans to the challenge. City officials, in makeshift offices in the First Congressional Church on the city’s west side, set the price on bread, forbade wagon drivers from charging more than what was normal, and limited saloon hours, in order to keep looting and price-gouging to a minimum. They also banned smoking. Even before the fire burnt itself out, plans were being made to remake the city. Within days, even as the rubble was being removed, enterprising small businesses erected sheds and stands. Business traffic began to move again. Within six weeks, more than 200 stone and brick buildings had been started in the South Division alone. By 1872, $50 million had been pumped into construction. In 1873, amid a national recession, Chicago proudly hosted the Inter-State Industrial Exposition, which promoted the city and the Northwest (of that era). By 1885, America had its first skyscraper, the nine-story high Home Insurance Building. Over the next two decades, hundreds of millions of dollars would pour into Chicago. By the end of the 19th century, the city was well on its way to recovery. FireServicesJournal 19
HISTORY
THE LIQUIDATORS EUROPE'S FORGOTTEN HEROES WORKING IN THE RADIATION ZONE.
“THE ACCIDENT WAS PLAYED DOWN AT THE TIME BY THE SOVIET AUTHORITIES AND IT WAS ONLY WITH THE FALL OF THE USSR, AS NEW DOCUMENTS EMERGED, THAT THE TRUTH OF THE DEVASTATING INCIDENT HAS BEEN REALISED. THANKS TO THE FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY WORKERS, THEN KNOWN AS THE In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster ‘LIQUIDATORS’, NOW KNOWN NOW AS THE in the Ukraine resulted in the most severe demonstration of what can happen when nuclear power goes wrong. ‘FORGOTTEN HEROES’, CHERNOBYL NARROWLY In the aftermath of the devastating explosion, thousands of firefighters, AVOIDED A SECOND EXPLOSION.” soldiers and other emergency crews battled the imminent threat of a second explosion, which would have rendered Europe uninhabitable. Facing impossible odds and fatal radiation doses they succeeded. They were known as the 'Liquidators.' By Antonia Musgrave.
Lyudmilla Ignatenko was the wife of firefighter Vasily Ignatenko, who died from radiation poisoning 14 days after he courageously fought the fires at Chernobyl in 1986. She talks about the events that followed the explosion, and how it took her husbands life. As she nursed her husbands in a special radiation hospital days after the event she remembered the day before; “There’s a photo of us all in the building. Our husbands are so handsome! And happy! It was the last day of that life. We were all so happy!” Vasily was exposed to fatal amounts of radiation when fighting the fires at Chernobyl and as a result spent 14 days waiting for the poison to consume him until he was finally released. Lyudmilla describes how his body fell apart from the radiation in his blood; “The last two days in the hospital -- I’d lift his arm, and meanwhile the bone is shaking, just sort of dangling, the body has gone away from it. Pieces of his lungs, of his liver, were coming out of his mouth. He was choking on his internal organs. I’d wrap my hand in a
bandage and put it in his mouth, take out all that stuff. It’s impossible to talk about. It’s impossible to write about. And even to live through. It was all mine.”
Her shocking story is just one of many of the Chernobyl survivors. Chernobyl was the greatest disaster in the history of nuclear power, claiming the lives of hundreds at the time of the explosion in 1986, and thousands to this day. The power station that was in Chernobyl, suffered a problem in a reactor that led to an explosion releasing deadly radiation throughout the area, leading to levels of contamination throughout Europe. The accident was played down at the time by the Soviet authorities and it was only with the fall of the USSR, as new documents emerged, that the truth of the devastating incident has been realised.
THE ‘BIO’ ROBOTS ON THE ROOF OF THE REACTOR.
Thanks to the firefighters and emergency workers, then known as the ‘Liquidators’, now known now as the ‘forgotten heroes’, Chernobyl narrowly avoided a second explosion which would have been 10 times more powerful than Hiroshima, it would have wiped out half of Europe. On the 26th of April 1986 at 1:23am a routine test began on reactor 4 in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, during the procedure the reactor plummeted to an unexpected low and unstable level of activity. The reactor should have been shut down, however operators chose to continue the test, causing a catastrophic explosion in the reactor building. The blast caused a fire that burned 1,000 meters high, releasing radioactive vapors that turned the sky orange and red. Machine operator Youri Korneev, described the scene as ‘beautiful’, adding that the colors were like ‘blood against the blackness of the sky.’ The first firefighters on the scene battled the blaze without adequate protective clothing and were exposed to lethal doses of radiation. Some of the firefighters climbed into the machine hall to fight the fires there. All were extinguished, except for the graphite fire deep inside the reactor. Despite fighting the blaze with tonnes of water, it
HISTORY
LIQUIDATORS WHO COVERED REACTOR 4 IN A CONCRETE SARCOPHAGUS.
would not die. Two firefighters died that night, with 28 following over the next few months, due to fatal radiation doses. They were the first of thousands that would die as a result of Chernobyl. With the graphite fire still burning and releasing copious amounts of destructive radiation into the atmosphere, emergency workers attempted to fight it by suffocating it under numerous sandbags. This helped initially by locking the fire inside the reactor, but lead to the threat of a second explosion that would have left almost all of Europe uninhabitable. Following the explosion the Ukrainian authorities made little effort to inform the public of the accident, or more importantly the risk of radiation. Leaving the people of Pripyat, just 3km from the plant, exposed to the deadly radioactive vapors that were 15,000 times higher than usual. The towns people were left to consume the fumes for three days. Four days of exposure would have been fatal. People complained of a metallic taste in the mouth, unaware of the explosion and the risk to their lives. The authorities have claimed that they were trying to avoid panic at the time by withholding information. On the third day 1,000 buses were sent to Pripyat to evacuate the town, which to this day is a ghost town, completely deserted and uninhabitable due to the radiation levels. From April 26-27 the cloud that formed over the explosion traveled north over Russia and released radioactive rain on Stockholm. Within the next few weeks the cloud traveled around Europe to Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, France and Great Britain raining along the way contaminating crops and pastures. Despite the explosion, the radiation cloud traveling through Europe and the evacuation of Pripyat, the Soviet Union remained silent. Ukraine refused to acknowledge the situation, encouraging people to celebrate May Day festivities in highly radioactive areas. Disturbingly all
necessary to go under the plant through the pipes to create a room that would protect the radioactive magma from the water. For this the authorities drafted miners from a small town in rural Russia to create a tunnel under the plant. The surviving miners have described how the risk of the job was dramatically understated to them at the time. They were completely unaware of their exposure to radioactivity, therefore did little to protect themselves at the time. The tunnel would take just over a month to complete, giving the miners ample time to become seriously ill from the poison they were exposed to. 8,000 liquidators were employed in the ‘clean up’ process, and it is now thought that the job claimed 2,500 lives. Although, this statistic does not feature on any official documentation. After avoiding a second explosion, the focus then turned to the radioactive matter that covered the area. Remote controlled machines were used to clear the roof of the reactor so it could be buried inside a tomb of steel and cement. However, due to the high levels of radiation at this point, the robots went haywire and threw themselves off the reactor. Russian soldiers were then brought in to take over from the robots, gaining the name biorobots.
footage of these festivities have disappeared from the Ukraine National Archives. The worst was yet to come. The ‘clean up’ of Chernobyl began by employing thousands of emergency workers, firefighters, soldiers, doctors and nurses to become part of the ‘liquidation’ of the area. The radioactive dust that covered Pripyat and the surrounding areas had to be cleaned up, earth was bulldozed into ditches and covered with cement. Similarly houses had to be knocked down and buried, and cats and dogs had to be killed. During this time, 10 days after the explosion, authorities discovered that 195 tons of nuclear fuel was still burning, creating an incredible heat that was gradually melting the sand creating the threat of a second explosion. If the radioactive magma made contact with the water, used originally to extinguish the fire, it would cause an explosion that would raze the city of Minsk, 320km away, and claim thousands of lives in a matter of hours. The military sent in firefighters, now Professional, regarded as national heroes, to drain the contemporary water from under Intercoms, access the reactor. The control and smart firefighters were home solutions, exposed to deadly amounts of available radioactivity, adding nationwide. to the everincreasing death toll. With the threat of a second explosion still looming, it was decided that it was
01 497 7877 | info@Natcom.ie Kenilworth House, Kenilworth Road Rathgar, Dublin 6 www.natcom.ie FireServicesJournal 21
HISTORY Each soldier made their own suit covered in lead to protect themselves from the radiation and took turns to shift the rubble and build the tomb. This was the most dangerous job in the most dangerous area. Bio-robots were sent on to the roof of the reactor to clear graphite and radioactive matter. The soldiers worked in shifts of 45 seconds, any longer would have been fatal. After their 45 second shift the soldiers would come down feeling drained and nauseous, some suffering nose bleeds. The soldiers received a ‘liquidator certificate’ and a bonus the equivalent of $100. However having paid the price, most of the biorobots are now dead or suffering greatly with ill health and/or disability. For those still alive, the war continues. Most are unable to work, due to the exposure at Chernobyl survivors aged 50 struggle like 70-year-olds. Due to Ukraine’s adverse economic situation, approximately 1,000 people have returned to the exclusion zone following the explosion and lived with unnaturally high levels of radiation. It is now widely accepted that the Chernobyl accident has resulted in a massive increase in thyroid cancers in the three countries most affected. 680 cases of thyroid cancer have been recorded in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. There was also an outbreak of the cancer in the south of France where the Chernobyl cloud had rained days after the explosion. Most disturbing though is the link Chernobyl has
DESERTED SCHOOL AND PARKLANDS AT PRIPYAT.
with child deformity. There has been a substantial increase, in affected areas, of children with birth defects. Causing speculation that it was caused through the pregnant women’s intake of radioactive crops that were contaminated by the disaster. From the day reactor 4 exploded to the present day, there has been dispute over the information given by the Ukrainian authorities regarding the levels of radiation and the death toll. At the time of the accident in 1986, the public was not informed of the radiation levels measured during the recovery work; the figures that were published were falsified. The firefighters, rescue workers and liquidators had not been made aware of the acute danger of the radiation they were being exposed to.
reactor’s heat and radiation, because on the inside, not much has changed since the meltdown. Of the 190 tonnes of reactor core mass, an estimated 180 tonnes are still there, in the form of dust and ash. Despite the heroic efforts of the liquidators, that first sarcophagus was never meant to last and a long-term solution was still needed. Yet until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the true situation at the site remained unclear. This became the technical basis from which the rest of the world would address the problem.
To this day it is still unknown how many the Chernobyl disaster has affected. According to the official 2002 Ukrainian statistics and subsequent projections based on them, 15,000 to 50,000 people are estimated to have died from the disaster. The suicide rate is also claimed to have risen drastically. Chernobyl is still a concern to the Ukrainian government even today. Since 1986, the ruptured reactor in unit 4 has been contained by a temporary sarcophagus. This isolates the destroyed reactor with a thick mantle of steel and concrete. The sarcophagus is designed to contain the
The accident at Chernobyl has had a huge impact on the environment especially in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. In addition, it has had a negative impact on the health of the hundreds of thousands of people involved in the clean-up and those who still live in heavily contaminated areas. Due to the long half life of many of the radionuclides released a huge area will remain contaminated for generations to come. It is important too, that we remember and acknowledge those who risked, and gave, their lives to prevent a second explosion and clean up the fallout and radioactive debris that the Chernobyl disaster left behind.
Unveiled in November 2016, Chernobyl’s new sarcophagus took two decades to make. Bigger than Wembley Stadium and taller than the Statue of Liberty, it will seal in the entire disaster site for 100 years.
HISTORY
THE HIDDEN HEROES OF THE BELFAST BLITZ IN APRIL AND MAY 1941, BELFAST WAS BOMBED BY THE GERMAN LUFTWAFFE, RESULTING IN HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE, MANY INJURIES AND MAJOR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST FOR HELP, FIRE BRIGADE CREWS FROM DUBLIN, DUN LAOGHAIRE, DROGHEDA AND DUNDALK, WENT NORTH TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF BELFAST. THIS IS THE TALE OF THAT NIGHT AND HOW IRELAND RISKED IT’S NEUTRALITY BY SENDING IT’S FIREFIGHTERS TO HELP. Up to April 1941, nobody ever expected Belfast to be targeted by the Luftwaffe, mainly because it was believed the city was beyond the range of their bombers - all that changed with the fall of France. Belfast was bombed for the first time on April 7 with the shipyard badly damaged but it also demonstrated to the Nazi war strategists that Belfast was virtually unprotected. The city was practically a sitting duck for their next, more serious assault on April 15/16 - though followed by the bombardment in early May - which was by far the worst of the three. It is believed the objective was to knock out two key industries; Shorts factory which manufactured planes, and the Harland & Wolff shipyard, which supplied warships to the British government. The Nazi bombardment left parts of Belfast virtually unrecognisable and the city's emergency services completely overstretched. Much of the city centre and the northern areas were devastated. Stretches of well-known streets such as the Antrim Road, York Street, the New Lodge Road and Duncairn Gardens were destroyed. As dawn broke the full extent of the damage from the attack was realised.
RESCUE WORKERS SEARCHING THROUGH RUBBLE AFTER AN AIR RAID ON BELFAST (EGLINTON STREET, 1941)
The immediate problem for Belfast was fire, of which there were approximately 200. Adding to the problem, the waterworks on the Antrim Road has been hit during the bombing and many water mains had been damaged. There was also a shortage of equipment to pump water from the River Lagan. It was becoming apparent that Belfast’s fire service could not cope and a call for emergency assistance was sent first to London, and then to Dublin. A team of 200 firemen from Liverpool and Glasgow was quickly organised and dispatched by the British government. As welcome as this was, it would take 24 hours for these teams to reach the city from Britain. It was clear, Belfast needed more immediate help. Although there’s a lack of official accounts about what happened next, it’s believed that John McDermott, the Minister of Public Security in Northern Ireland, sent an urgent plea for help to the Dublin Government. The response to Stormont’s plea for help by Éamon de Valera’s government was remarkable, given the historically tense relations between the two jurisdictions and the state’s policy of neutrality, and possible repercussions from Germany.
Upon receiving the request for assistance, volunteers were sought from brigades in Dublin, Dun Laoghaire, Drogheda and Dundalk. Poor record keeping has made compiling a list, or providing an accurate figure of volunteers, nigh on impossible. Whatever their numbers, following assurances were given that their families would be looked after, should the need arise, volunteers along with approximately 13 appliances and ambulances were soon headed north. In the early hours of April 16 1941, a line of fire brigades quietly crossed the border at Killeen, from where they were escorted to the smoking ruins of a devastated Belfast by the RUC. Fighting fires on this scale was all new to the firefighters from the South and many were shocked by what they found. As noted in Sean Redmond’s book Belfast is Burning, one of the men, John Kelly described “Human bodies and dead animals lying all over the place.” Aside from witnessing the horrors of war first hand, firefighters were struck by the overall lack of oxygen, due to the extent of the fires and the intense heat generated. The men were warmly welcomed to the city, The Belfast Telegraph wrote, on April 17: FireServicesJournal 23
HISTORY
HARLAND AND WOLFF SHIPYARD SOON AFTER THE BLITZ, 4/5 MAY 1941
“One of the most urgent tasks was the extinguishing of fires. Thanks to the ASF and regular fire services, not forgetting the splendid help from the Dublin fire service, who reached the Ulster capital after a three hour dash, the majority of the fires have been dealt with.”
by the Belfast Fire Brigade, as reported by the Irish Independent at the time, the Belfast Fire Brigade approached Dublin to offer assistance if required.
what they might find there, nor personal they were to face, firefighters and ambulance crews volunteered to travel to Belfast in its hour of need. Knowing that fellow human beings on this island were suffering provided sufficient motivation to go without hesitation.
AND ASSURANCES. SUFFERING CAN BE In the same issue, an editorial remarked on: This was not the last time southern crews A GREAT LEVELLER, would travel north to bring aid and assistance to Belfast. A few weeks after the CUTTING CLEAR Easter Tuesday blitz, firefighters from Dublin and Dundalk returned to the city following THROUGH ALL PETTY another raid on May 4, which left a further 191 people dead. PREJUDICES.” Within weeks of battling fires from Nazi bombs in Belfast, Dublin firefighters would face the same ordeal closer to home, as Dublin also felt the wrath of the fascist war machine later that month.
At 1.30am on Saturday, May 31, the Luftwaffe attacked the North Strand area. Thirty-four people were killed, 90 were injured and nearly 300 houses were destroyed. Some people believe this was a German reprisal for sending help to Belfast. The assistance provided was not forgotten
“THE MAGNIFICENT SPIRIT WHICH PROMPTED FIRE SERVICES FROM EIRE TO RUSH TO THE ASSISTANCE OF THEIR COMRADES IN THE NORTH. THIS IS THE GOOD NEIGHBOUR SPIRIT IN ACTION AND IS WORTH MONTHS OF SPEECHES FireServicesJournal 24
Further reading: S. Redmond, Belfast is Burning 1941 (Dublin 2002). B. Barton, The Blitz: Belfast in the war years (Belfast 1989).
Close to one thousand people were killed in the Belfast Blitz; the greatest loss of life in a single night air raid during the war on these islands, outside London. Given the scale and suffering inflicted upon Belfast by the Luftwaffe’s deadly aerial bombardment it is surprising that it is not more widely known. Surprising 10’ Pizza (with 2 toppings) still is how the heroic + Garlic cheese efforts of fire brigade (or curry chips) € crews from Dublin, + Battered Sausage + Any Can Dun Laoghaire, Drogheda and Dundalk during Belfast’s hour of need is somewhat overlooked. The politically sensitive nature of sending fire fighters to Belfast at the time and the difficulties created by censorship in the South led to pretty meager newspaper .00 reporting, which no €8 doubt contributed to this but they deserved to be remembered, and chicken burger meal honoured. In 1941, not knowing
R. Fisk, In Time of War: Ireland, Ulster and the price of neutrality 1939-45 (Dublin 1983).
10’ Pizza (with 2 toppings)
13
.99
+ any milkshake + Chicken nuggets (6) + cookies (2) + Chips
11.00
€
€
Doner / chicken kebab meal
13.99
€
11.00
fish & chips meal
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
I WAS A FIREFIGHTER AT GRENFELL TOWER-AND THIS IS WHAT IT WAS REALLY LIKE “TWO PEOPLE CHOKING ON THE STAIRCASE SCREAMED THAT THERE WERE FIVE MORE PEOPLE ON THE FLOOR ABOVE. COULD I LIVE WITH THE THOUGHT THAT SAVING TWO LIVES IS BETTER THAN TAKING THE RISK TO GO UP AND POTENTIALLY SAVE NO ONE? “
As always we were woken with a start: the lights came on and the automated Tannoy voice started shouting our call signs. Getting dressed I looked at the clock. I had lain down less than an hour ago. I headed down the pole to the trucks and was handed the call slip "Make pumps plenty.” What? That's a big incident. Approaching the tower we could see that this was a bad one. The sky was glowing and parts of the building were already starting to fall down. We received our brief: 23rd floor, people stuck in their flat. Go! Weighed down carrying 30kg-plus of equipment, not including our fire kit and breathing apparatus (BA), we made our way up a crowded stairwell, struggling to make progress. Around the ninth floor we lost all visibility and the heat was rising. Still we continued up and up through the blackness. We reached what we believed to be the 19th or 20th floor but there was no way to tell. It was here where we found a couple trying to find their way out, panicking, choking, blinded by the thick toxic air. A quick gauge check showed us that the amount of floors we'd climbed had taken its toll; we were getting low on air.
THEM, WHAT STATE WOULD THEY BE IN? Decisions The couple were shouting and screaming to us between choking coughs, trying to tell COULD THE TWO OF us there were five more people on the floor above. I had horrible decisions to make and US GET THAT MANY There was no way we could make it to the 23rd floor and back to the bridgehead.
a very short amount of time to make them. We had stopped and lost our rhythm on the stairs; would we have enough air to leave this couple and to reach the next floor? Was the information we were getting from these people correct? After all, they were frantically panicking as they choked and suffered from the heat. If we let them carry on down the stairs alone, could they find their own way out?
“IF WE WENT UP ANOTHER FLOOR, WOULD WE ACTUALLY FIND THE FIVE? IF WE FOUND
OUT, ESPECIALLY IF ONE OR MORE WERE UNCONSCIOUS? HOW WOULD WE DECIDE WHO TO TAKE?” Did we have enough air to make it back down to safety ourselves from where we were? Could I live with the thought that saving two lives is better than taking the risk to go up and potentially save no one? Come on, think! I thought to myself. Am I doing enough? Can I give more? Am I forgetting any of my training? Stop. Breathe. Think. Then I started to panic. FireServicesJournal 25
INTERNATIONAL NEWS Why haven’t we seen another crew for so long? Will another crew find them? The radios are playing up... have we missed an important message? Have all crews been pulled out? Is the structure still safe? Come on, make a decision...and make it quick, these people are choking. I tried to radio down to entry control. “Alpha Control Priority!” No response. I tried again. Still no response. Where are they? What’s going on? “Go ahead with priority, over.” “Alpha control, two casualties found approx 20th floor, crew now escorting them down, request another BA team be committed to reach flat on 23rd floor. Five casualties are reported apparently trying to make their way out on the floor above. Over.” “Message received.” OK, we really needed to get out. “Let’s go! Grab my arm.” Down and down we went. I heard a shout from behind me from my partner: the female casualty had become unconscious. My partner had to drag her down alone. I couldn’t help. One of them was carrying a little girl. I handed off my casualty to the firefighter who had a free set of hands. “Please take him out,” I shout, “we’ll be right behind you.” I turned to go and help my partner, but then he handed me something I’d not seen initially: a firefighter’s helmet. Why does he have this? Where is the firefighter it belongs to? Then I saw him. He was missing his helmet but was with my BA partner wearing no helmet and no breathing apparatus. “Are you ok? Where’s your BA set?!” He had given it to a casualty, he tells us, coughing, delirious from the heat and smoke. Still, he tried to help carry the casualty. Helping others is still his first thought.” Get down those stairs, get down to the bridgehead!” I shouted at him. I took the casualty down to the ground floor, while my partner remained with the fireman we found, administering him oxygen at entry control on the fifth floor.
“ASCENDING BACK TO THE BRIDGEHEAD TO FIND MY PARTNER, I SHUT MY SET DOWN AND I TOOK MY MASK OFF, HOPING FOR A DEEP BREATH OF CLEAN AIR. I SUCKED FireServicesJournal 26
IN A LUNGFUL OF LIGHTISH SMOKE. I COUGHED AND RETCHED, BUT IT WAS STILL CLEAN ENOUGH TO BREATHE. “ It was better than the air higher up. Then we were off again and we took the firefighter down and out with us. As we got outside, we were desperate for a drink of water, collapsing on the grass by the leisure centre. Colleagues were all around us, tunics off, their T-shirts soaked through with sweat, no one able to talk. We were all looking up at the building we had just come out of. It was getting worse. The fire was everywhere. It was hard to comprehend that we were just in there.
Going back in
We caught our breaths, serviced our BA sets with new oxygen cylinders, and then we were ready to go again. At a cordon a woman pleaded with me. Crying and pushing her phone at me, she said she had her friend on the line, a mother with a child, both trapped on the 11th floor. It threw me and I struggled to reply. I looked across at a police officer and pointed, telling her he will take her to the people who will take her friend’s information and pass it on to the crews inside. Stay on the phone with her, I said. Tell her not to give up, we are still coming. We are still getting to people, I promised. A while later, a senior officer was telling us he knew we’d already broken all the policies we have. He said he knew the risks we had taken but that’s not enough: we are going to have to take more. There are still a lot more people who need us. He said he was going ask us to do things that would normally be unimaginable – to put our lives at risk even more than we already have. Everyone was looking round at each other, listening to this officer try to motivate us into action again. He didn’t need to, though: we were ready for it. This is what we train for. Hour after hour, my colleagues were pushing themselves above and beyond what you’d think was humanly possible. As the light broke, trucks with fresh crews arrived and those of us who were there early on were swapped over. No one wanted to leave, everyone willing to give more, but eventually we all had to leave the
scene. In four hours’ time we would be on duty again so we had to try to rest. I showered, but the smell of smoke wouldn’t go away. I washed three times before giving up. I felt beyond tired but I couldn’t sleep. There was too much going on in my head. I had no appetite but I knew I needed to eat. I found a bed in the dorm room and eventually managed 45 minutes of sleep before waking up. I washed my face, got dressed and was ready to report for roll call, ready to do it all again. This is only a small part of the things we saw and did on that night. Other stories will come out but some won’t. Some will be kept by firefighters and the other emergency service workers hidden away deep in their thoughts, never to pass into words, but those emotional scars will be there forever. We are a funny bunch – we like to laugh, to play jokes on each other; sometimes we are silent and won’t tell you what we are thinking about. We laugh off the goodnatured banter directed at us from outside the service and mostly manage to do the same with the insults we get as a public service, even when it’s not always easy to do so. But it is especially hard to think about those insults during times like this. When I think about all the things I’ve heard and seen on the news or social media, where people are calling us lazy or greedy because we dared to show anger at cuts to our service and the 1 per cent pay rise we’ve had imposed year after year, it’s difficult. After all that, I want to ask you this. If at some point we ask for your support or go out on strike, know it’s not because we want to: it’s because, when we say cuts are dangerous, it is you who we are looking out for. The original version of this article appeared as a Facebook post by Save the Fire Service UK.
HISTORY
FIRE ENGINE DEVELOPMENT EARLY FIRE APPLIANCES RELIED ON EFFORT RATHER THAN EFFECTIVENESS. HERE WE TAKE A PICTORAL LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FIREFIGHTING APPLIANCES, FROM THE HAND POWERED PUMPS OF THE 18TH CENTURY UP UNTIL THE AGE OF STEAM, WHICH REVOLUTIONISED THE CAPABILITY OF WHEELED MANUAL PUMPS LIKE THIS ONE WERE DEVELOPED IN THE LATE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
Manual Pumps
The latter part of the seventeenth century was a landmark time for the development of the early manually pumped, wheeled fire engine. Prior to this time, pumps were carried to the scene of the fire by firemen, but regular occurrence of serious fires at that time added purpose to the quest for more powerful and efficient fire engines as well as for ancillary equipment to assist in the battle against flames.
RICHARD MASON OF PHILADELPHIA BUILT THIS WHEELED MANUAL PUMP C.1792.
DATING FROM AROUND 1800, THIS MANUAL FIRE ENGINE SAW SERVICE AT THE WOOLWICH ARSENAL ORDNANCE MILITARY DEPOT, IN SOUTH-EAST LONDON.
FIREFIGHTING SERVICES. Horse Power A further improvement in firefighting came when manual pumps were mounted on horse-drawn chassis. Apart from increased mobility and response speed, this development also meant that manufacturers could produce heavier and more powerful pumping units. Better design, stronger metal components and more robust pumping mechanisms combined to keep manual fire engine development moving forward at a steady pace.
HORSE-DRAWN VEHICLES, CARRYING PUMPS AND MEN, SPEEDED UP RESPONSE TO A FIRE.
IN THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY, BUSY FIRE BRIGADES BRED AND KEPT THEIR OWN HORSES AT BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS.
THIS MODEL 1881 MERRYWEATHER MANUAL FIRE ENGINE CARRIED A TOOLBOX ON WHICH THE FIREMEN SAT AS THEY WERE TRANSPORTED AT SPEED TO THE FIRE.
FireServicesJournal 27
HISTORY
IN THE PAST, STATELY HOMES AND COUNTRY ESTATES, LIKE INDUSTRY, MIGHT HAVE OWNED THEIR OWN FIRE ENGINE, SUCH AS THIS C.1866 HORSE-DRAWN MANUAL PUMP.
A LATER INNOVATION OF THE HORSE-DRAWN FIRE ENGINE WAS TO CARRY LADDERS AND EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS MEN, TO THE SCENE OF THE FIRE.
The Age of Steam Steam power was first successfully applied to a firefighting pump in 1829, thereby revolutionizing the service. Fire brigades no longer had to rely on a team of straining volunteers to get a decent firefighting jet of water. They simply let the steam drive the powerful jets of water for them.
THIS SCALE MODEL OF A SHAND MASON STEAMER, SEEN FROM THE REAR, GLEAMS WITH BEAUTIFUL ENGINEERING. THE ORIGINAL C.1880 FIRE ENGINE WAS USED BY THE METROPOLITAN FIRE BRIGADE.
WITH THEIR STEAM PUMP AT THE READY, THESE C.1900 FIREMEN ARE READY TO CONFRONT A FIRE.
ONE OF THE MERRYWEATHER’S FIRST HORSE-DRAWN STEAM FIRE ENGINES, THIS MODEL WAS BUILT IN 1863 WITH THE STEAM ENGINE MOUNTED MIDSHIPS HORIZONTALLY. LATER MODELS PRODUCED BY THIS ENGINE MANUFACTURER HAD THE STEAM ENGINE IN A VERTICAL POSITION AT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE.
THE FIRST AMERICAN STEAM-DRIVEN FIRE ENGINE WAS CONSTRUCTED BY PAUL HODGE. IT HAD TO BE JACKED UP TO ALLOW THE REAR WHEELS TO ROTATE AS FLYWHEELS.
Excerpts taken from: Firefighting: Heroes of fire and rescue through history and around the world. Published by Southwater, an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd.© FireServicesJournal 28
+353 85 749 4163 | info@sofagalaxy.ie Unit 3 Malahide Industrial Estate Coolock, Dublin 17
SOFAGALAXY.IE LIVING ROOM BEDROOM DINING ROOM KIDS ROOM
KITCHEN OFFICE GARDEN FURNITURE BATHROOM
Day or night We’re here Day or night
Best wishes and continued success to An Garda Síochána from all at Samaritans Ireland.
when life’s We’re here difficult when life’s If life’s hard right now, we’re here to listen so you don’t have to face it alone. If life’s hard right now, we’re here to listen so you don’t have to face it alone.
difficult
Contact Samaritans free – day or night, 365 days a year Call free on
116 123 116 123 Contact Samaritans free – day or night, 365 days a year
E Cm alal iflree on
jo@samaritans.ie
maarrititaannss.i.eie/CentralOfficeURL jo@ssaam A registered charity
