Lessons from the Fireground: Buffalo (NY) Fire Department On August 24, 2009, 45-year-old Lieutenant Charles “Chip†McCarthy and 34-year-old Firefighter Jonathan S. Croom died in an early morning fire after a partial first floor collapse at a mixed occupancy commercial/residential structure. Basement fires in both residential and commercial occupancies are one of the most […]
Southwest Inn Hotel Fire – 2013 6855 Southwest Freeway Houston, Texas May 31, 2013 Incident Number 1305310305 A few weeks ago on Father’s Day, while in Houston (Texas) on business I stopped by to pay my solemn respects at the site of the May 31, 2013 Southwest Inn fire that claimed the lives of Four HFD firefighters and […]
Buildingsonfire-Lessons from the Fireground Remembrance Firefighter Mark Falkenhan 30 Dowling Circle-Baltimore County, MDOn January 19, 2011, at approximately 1855 hours, a 43-year-old volunteer fire fighter died after being caught in a rapid fire progression. The victim and another fire fighter were conducting a search of a third-floor apartment above the fire, which had started on […]
A fire in a three story multiple family apartment building injured four City of Chicago (IL) firefighters when an interior stairway collapsed during firefighting operations. The building was constructed in 1927 and consisted of 5456 square feet of space with 3-5 apartment units. Built of masonry wall construction with a wood floor joist system, the […]
“Firefighter Falkenhan was a well-respected and experienced firefighter. He died performing his duties during a very complex incident with severe fire conditions and unique fire behavior coupled with the immediate need to perform multiple rescues of victims in imminent danger. It would be easy if one particular failure of the system could be identified as the cause of this tragedy. We could fix it and move on. Unfortunately it is not that simple. No incident is “routine”. MarkÂ’s death and this report reinforce that fact”. From the Baltimore County (MD) FD LODD Report.
A 44-year fire service veteran and a highly regarded national and international instructor, author, lecturer and fire officer, he is a distinguished authority on building construction issues affecting the fire and emergency services and has traveled throughout the United States and internationally delivering training programs on building construction, command management and operational safety. A former Adjunct Instructor with the National Fire Academy, he is a past member of the Board of Directors, IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section and a past Vice-President with the International Society of Fire Service Instructors. A former architect and fire protection engineer, he was the 1987 ISFSI George D. Post National Fire Instructor of the Year. He is the Chief of Training for the Command Institute (NY|DC) is a Consultant to NIOSH (USA) Firefighter Fatality Investigation & Prevention Program and a well-respected Tactical Theorist, researching and developing emerging and cutting edge strategic and tactical operational methodologies and is active in numerous national & international fire service agenda programs and committees. He is the Executive Producer of the Buildingsonfire.com, FiregroundLeadership.com and Co-produces TheFireOfficer.com. He lectures and instructs throughout North America and Internationally