Category Archives: TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

Webbing in the Fire Service, Part I: Brown & Fulkerson’s “Utility Strap”

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Fred Malven

WEBBING IN THE FIRE SERVICE. If you carry anything other than gloves and a hood in your pockets, there’s a better-than-average chance that you’re carrying some webbing in one form or another. This is the first segment of a series … Continue reading →

Posted in 01. LADDERING & ELEVATED OPERATIONS, 10. OTHER SPECIAL OPERATIONS, TOOLS & EQUIPMENT | Leave a comment

Rounding Out the Departmental Tool Cache– The “Fire Hammer”

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Fred Malven

PERSONAL HAND TOOLS IN A DEPARTMENTAL TOOL CACHE. This is a long short-story. The details may vary, but the general plotline will be familiar to a lot of firefighters– finding the “perfect” personal handtool(s) and integrating it/them into day-to-day local fire operations. This particular chapter deals with my flirtation with “sledgehammers.” It’s not an account […]

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Posted in TOOLS & EQUIPMENT | 4 Comments

Oklahoma City (OK)– Station 22, A Fire Tool Hot Spot

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Fred Malven

MID-WESTERN PERSONALITY. Oklahoma City, with a population of over 650,000, is the largest city in Oklahoma. In terms of population, it is the 29th largest city in the U.S. But, occupying 621 square miles, it is the 9th largest U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in STATIONS & PLACES, TOOLS & EQUIPMENT | Leave a comment

The “Smith-It” & One-Person Entry

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Fred Malven

THE SMITHIT CONCEPT. Back in one of the very first posts on this site, in a write-upentitled “Truck 15’s House– Baltimore, MD” (under Stations and Places of Note), it was mentioned in passing that when Baltimore City Firefighter Jerry Smith (a very … Continue reading →

Posted in 04. ENTRY & ACCESS, TOOLS & EQUIPMENT | Leave a comment