Firefighting

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the early history of firefighting in America. It focuses in particular on the city of Hackensack and the formation there of a voluntary fire brigade. The paper further describes hazards that were encountered in the early days of American firefighting and today. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of the firefighters themselves understanding building structures and reporting conditions up the chain of command.

From the Paper:

"Although there was plenty of controversy surrounding the issue, wherein some stated that it was plain human error, and bad judgment, while some others stated that it was because of interference, or due to mechanical malfunction, the actual truth, as it was later discovered, was that the firefighters had been inadvertently transmitting their communications on a general channel, and since nobody listened to it, no one knew that they were all trapped upstairs, and therefore, no one could rescue them. Since the fact cannot be proved beyond reasonable doubt, and since not one of those firefighters in the incident came out alive, one must believe that a combination of different factors led to such grave fatalities in the firefighting department of Hackensack, in July 1, 1988, in New Jersey. (The Hackensack Fire Radio Communications Issue) "

More papers on Firefighting:

• Essay # 9846 : "New York City's Firefighting History"
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• Term Paper # 112694 : "Modern Firefighting Equipment"

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