FIRE magazine has recently launched www.thefirechat.com - a new blog that will be updated weekly by experts in the fire industry, and will soon merge with our website's own blog. Our USA correspondent David Milen starts us off with a great blog about firefighting in the snow. Please leave a comment on the blog!

Don't forget to check out FIRE magazine's own blog, the latest addition is from Gary Strong, Cabinet member for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, who looks at the opportunity for merging services.   

 firechatFN 

Excerpt from thefirechat.com:   In order to address some of the issues encountered during a harsh winter conditions, The National Weather Service in the United States offers some insight as far a radar updates on approaching storms, projected computer generated models to indicate possible heavy amounts of snow, and providing various levels of advisories for fire and emergency services to serve as a guide. 

Did you ever have one of those calls, where you found the conditions inside the house were worse than the conditions outside, even with the snow and ice? We got an alarm at 230am for a person with difficulty breathing.
Of course, it's snowing sideways, blowing and drifting snow - below zero temps, where I probably could have walked quicker to the scene than we were able to drive. Naturally, with a few feet of snow, streets not being plowed, and the walks not being cleared, we have to walk with all the equipment down the street for about 3 blocks. Here in the States, that's a haul in adverse conditions. 

 

Date posted:26.01.11