Lessons from the Fireground: FDNY Lt. Howard Carpluk, Jr.,  and FF Michael C. Reilly August 27.2006 Box 33- 2797  1575 Walton Avenue, Bronx, New York On August 27, 2006, FDNY Lieutenant Howard Carpluk, Jr., and FF Michael C. Reilly died in the line-of-duty after the floor they were operating on during fire suppression operations […]

Eleven Minutes to Mayday: Lessons from 2008 Resonate Today

Taking it to the Streets with your host Christopher Naum and regular guest Joe Pronesti for a conversation and remembrance- “Buffalo, Bronx and Basements” Join us on Tuesday evening August 25th at 7:30pm ET on; Taking it to the Streets with your host Christopher Naum and regular guest Joe Pronesti for a conversation and remembrance- […]

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 […]

Remembrance: Lessons from the Fireground-FDNY Black Sunday 2005-2015 Remembrance: Lt. Curtis Meyran, FF. John Bellew, FF. Richard Sclafani, Lt. Joseph BiBernardo and the Survivors The call had come at 7:59 on a Sunday morning, the day after a January blizzard had shut down the city. There was still more than a foot of unplowed snow […]

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 […]

On March 14, 2001 the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department lost firefighter Brett Tarver at the Southwest Supermarket fire. Remembering Brett Tarver and the Lessons Learned In that event, it was 5:00 in the afternoon, the grocery store was full of people and fire was extending through the building. Phoenix E14 was assigned to the interior […]

Nothing is ever routine;…… pause to reflect and remember the demands of the job and the inherent risks and the sacrifices made each and every day in this noble profession of the fire service.
Another beloved brother firefighterÂ’s sacrifice, protecting the citizens of his great city.

“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.