EGH Illinois

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced there were 85 onduty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2010, a 6 percent decrease from the 90 fatalities reported for 2009. The 85 fatalities were spread across 31 states. Illinois experienced the highest number of fatalities (9). In addition to Illinois, only New York (8), Ohio (8), Pennsylvania (7), and Kansas (5) had 5  [ Read More ]

How does the bench press or bicep curls help a firefighter lug two and half inch hose down a hallway or lift a 300-pound patient up off of the bathroom floor? Does having bigger trapezius muscles or a stronger gluteus help us breach a wall quicker or force a door more easily? It’s no secret that strength training helps us look and feel good, but does lifting weights translate to  [ Read More ]

The NFFF has rolled out an updated page for the International First Responder Seatbelt Pledge. This was done in an effort to compile all the resources in one place. The main website now for Seatbelt Safety is http://everyonegoeshome.com/seatbelts/ The new site includes quick access to the pledge, training resources, PSA videos, list of 100% compliant departments, and current news stories. Have You Signed the International First Responder Seatbelt Pledge? Download  [ Read More ]

For the first time in the San Antonio FD’s history, 3 Firefighters (including a Captain) have been suspended for traveling at an unsafe speed and not buckling up while responding to a fire last year. Following this story, is another story below, about a Connecticut widow as well as Firefighters who have tried to sue each other over a crash of 2 responding apparatus. In San Antonio, Ladder 35 rolled over, seriously injured one  [ Read More ]

Building a stronger heart is the best life insurance there is. Each year heart attacks take the lives of more firefighters than all other line of duty deaths, and hundreds more are forced into early retirement. One often over-looked and underestimated solution to this epidemic is cardiovascular exercise. We all know that regular cardiovascular exercise makes your heart stronger and more efficient, burns calories, lowers your blood pressure and helps  [ Read More ]

They are sometimes called “flashbulb” memories.  Most of us have them.  They are little moments in time that are connected to an event in the past – where the sights, sounds, and smells stick and it seems as if it happened just recently.  This is a real phenomenon that is the result of an event that has enough significance to cause emotional injury. Healing is realized when, slowly, we no  [ Read More ]