The CTIF Commission for Women in Fire & Rescue Services meeting in Madrid

Lessons Learned / Return of Experience News

News Archive

2023

Fire brigade finds fires in modular timber apartment buildings spread quicker and are more time cons...

A fire in a five story wooden modular building took 50 hours to extinguish due to ember...

Fire brigade finds fires in modular timber apartment buildings spread quicker and are more time consuming to extinguish

Photo from MSB´s full scale test of using cutting extinguishers on EVs in 2022.

Lessons Learned from the world’s first known case of using a cutting extinguisher on an EV-fire

Håvard Hauge from Norway had to make a quick risk analysis before deciding he felt ok w...

Lessons Learned from the world’s first known case of using a cutting extinguisher on an EV-fire

The Bronx: Low income tower blocks with Manhattan in the background. Photo by Alex Drainville. Creative Commons Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

FEMA launches new national plan for fire safety - on the anniversary of deadly Bronx fire

The US Fire Administration will have the power to identify the causes of fires like the...

FEMA launches new national plan for fire safety - on the anniversary of deadly Bronx fire

2022

Screenshot from the video released by the the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (USCSB).

Ignored warnings: Investigators release lessons learned video from the deadly Loy-Lange boiler explo...

A failing Semi Closed Receiver has been determined the cause of the explosion which sen...

Ignored warnings: Investigators release lessons learned video from the deadly Loy-Lange boiler explosion

Screenshot of SVT.se news story. Video images shows Stena Scandica only minutes away from very shallow waters near the island of Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Swedish Marine Rescue Society

Passenger ferry literally minutes from disaster after onboard fire in August

Through bypassing and rewiring the burnt communications cables control of the ship coul...

Passenger ferry literally minutes from disaster after onboard fire in August

The island of Ischia, before the landslide. . Ischia - view from Castello Aragonese. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons license Autho Markt Tistan from Bristol, UK

Unsafe construction considered the underlying issue behind the Ischia landslide tragedy - 1,3 millio...

Italy: A State of Emergency was declared after a landslide killed at least 8 people and...

Unsafe construction considered the underlying issue behind the Ischia landslide tragedy - 1,3 million more Italians living under threat of landslides and floods

Car has flood damage from Hurricane Irene. Original public domain image from Flickr Public Domain Free U.S. Government Image

Electric vehicles catching fire after being submerged in salt water during Hurricane Ian

Several electric vehicles have been reported spontaneously catching fire after they hav...

Electric vehicles catching fire after being submerged in salt water during Hurricane Ian

The town of Ribarroja on 4 August 2015. Wikipedia Commons. Author:19Tarrestnom65

Two spanish towns near Valencia install giant sprinklers for urban protection against wildfires

The so called Guardian towers are 24 meters / 79 feet tall, and 40 of these sprinkler ...

Two spanish towns near Valencia install giant sprinklers for urban protection against wildfires

Photo: Screen shot from Sacramento Metro Fire Department Facebook video

Fire department ad hocs new extinguishing method for EV battery fire - with minimal water runoff

The Tesla was moved on its side but kept reigniting due to the residual heat. The fire ...

Fire department ad hocs new extinguishing method for EV battery fire - with minimal water runoff

2021

US - Canada heatwave map July 2021. Illustration by the European Space Agency

After the 2021 heat dome that killed 800 - BC hires hundreds of new paramedics

A severely understaffed ambulance system had thousands of residents wait for up to seve...

After the 2021 heat dome that killed 800 - BC hires hundreds of new paramedics

Grand Canyon National Park: Prescribed Pile Burning, May, 2019 1114 Grand Canyon National Park fire managers have been initiating prescribed pile burning during the last week of May, 2019, as weather and fuel moisture conditions allow. This photo was taken on Thursday, May 30, 2019.

Modern forestry practices may be partly to blame for North American wildfire crisis

“Even if we were able to turn back the dial on climate change we would still have wildf...

Modern forestry practices may be partly to blame for North American wildfire crisis

Kinderdijk, Holland. Photo: Flickr

The Netherlands may have escaped the floods partly through better preparedness

Holland has a history of keeping strong defences against the sea, and this preparedness...

The Netherlands may have escaped the floods partly through better preparedness

Overview if the Beijing shopping mall where a lithium battery explosion killed two firefighters on April 16.

Accident analysis of the Beijing lithium battery explosion which killed two firefighters

Here is the downloadable report from the incident, translated within the network of the...

Accident analysis of the Beijing lithium battery explosion which killed two firefighters

Full scale fire test with a mining vehicle in a mine, performed by Rickard Hansen. Screenshot from a video.

The passive fire protection of mining vehicles in underground mines

It is highly important to mitigate vehicle fires in underground mines before they happe...

The passive fire protection of mining vehicles in underground mines

Firefighter exercising doing pushups. Photo: Wikipedia Commons License.

Exercise reduces the risk of being severely affected by covid-19

Being inactive more than doubled the risk of being hospitalized compared to being activ...

Exercise reduces the risk of being severely affected by covid-19

The front cover of the French report on the Covid-19 crisis

Firefighters feeling excluded and undervalued in the early phase of Covid-19

Firefighters did not have priority access to PPE and were not included in the communica...

Firefighters feeling excluded and undervalued in the early phase of Covid-19

Bronnie Mackintosh is a Winston Churchill Fellowship recipient. As a station officer with Fire and Rescue NSW, she travelled the world to research how international fire agencies are changing their workforces to be more reflective of the diverse communities they protect. Photo: Screenshot from the TedX talk video.

How diversity in Fire and Rescue will build a safer society

Bronnie Mackintosh travelled the world to research how international fire agencies are ...

How diversity in Fire and Rescue will build a safer society

The photo shows the airport in Sicily when the corona virus first appeared there. Photo by TV.com

Early detection and closed borders is how Taiwan claims to have conquered the Corona virus

How did such a densely populated country become the best in the world at fighting the n...

Early detection and closed borders is how Taiwan claims to have conquered the Corona virus

Clip art of a male and a female firefighter https://www.cleanpng.com/png-firefighter-digg-stumbleupon-firefighter-973980/

Research shows male firefighters may be stronger - but overall work performance can be the same or b...

Men are muscle strong, but women firefighters´aerobic capacity is the same or better. T...

Research shows male firefighters may be stronger - but overall work performance can be the same or better for women

2020

The upper floors of Grenfell Tower after the fire. Photo by Wikipedia

Ex-employee admits fire tests for Grenfell styrofoam panels were fake

Celotex behaved in a “completely unethical” way, admitted Jonathan Roper, a former assi...

Ex-employee admits fire tests for Grenfell styrofoam panels were fake

Photo showing the truck and the LNG tank after the accident

Lessons learned from accident with a heavy LNG powered vehicle - now in several translated languages

Traffic accidents involving LGN vehicles require different intervention procedures than...

Lessons learned from accident with a heavy LNG powered vehicle - now in several translated languages

Map over Seoul and Incheon, South Korea. Illustration by Google Maps

Oil mist explosion may have caused the construction site fire that killed 38 people in South Korea

Many workers were trapped underground and died before the 335 firefighters called out t...

Oil mist explosion may have caused the construction site fire that killed 38 people in South Korea

Firefighters in Italy wearing hazmat suits during the pandemic. Photo by Marco Aimo Boot.

Italy´s Lessons Learned about their rapid COVID-19 outbreak could help the rest of the world

Italy´s advice: Isolate the infected into separate hospitals"! - "The biggest...

Italy´s Lessons Learned about their rapid COVID-19 outbreak could help the rest of the world

Corona pandemic first responder in Italy, during the worst of the crisis there.

New rescue procedures forced into place for pandemic stricken countries in lockdown

Read how CTIF member Marco Aimo Boot operates in Italy during the current Corona-shutdo...

New rescue procedures forced into place for pandemic stricken countries in lockdown

Meredith McQuerry, an assistant professor in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. Her research investigated the different problems male and female firefighters have with flexibility and range of motion in their protective equipment. Photo from FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS THE OFFICIAL NEWS SOURCE OF FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Florida research proves male and female firefighters need different turnout gear

A Florida researcher has now proved in a study what CTIF has been stating for many year...

Florida research proves male and female firefighters need different turnout gear

Both the police and fire service attended the fire on Ytterøyningen (image: Corvus)

Explosion on Norwegian battery hybrid ferry may have been caused by the fire extinguishing system

A seawater fire extinguishing system that had been installed as an additional safety pr...

Explosion on Norwegian battery hybrid ferry may have been caused by the fire extinguishing system

2019

Police helicopter, Ambulance and Fire Truck

Saving Lives is not Enough - a UK study on how to protect burn victims more effectively

This report sets out ten recommendations (Elements) for improving the pre-hospital care...

Saving Lives is not Enough - a UK study on how to protect burn victims more effectively

Garbage construction fire test.

Sudden collapses during fires a very real danger for firefighters in new US buildings

Collapse of load bearing elements in just over 3 minutes with new OSB construction beam...

Sudden collapses during fires a very real danger for firefighters in new US buildings

2018

Roman Sykora

A lecture on Hazardous Materials with CTIF HazMat Chair Roman Sykora

A lecture with practical HazMat knowledge and lessons learned from the CTIF Seminar in ...

A lecture on Hazardous Materials with CTIF HazMat Chair Roman Sykora

Tommy Baekgaard Kjaer

"We are all in this together - the toxins in the smoke don´t come knocking on your helmet to ask if...

Tommy Baekgaard Kjaer ended the Brussels Seminar 2018 with a powerful lecture on Health...

"We are all in this together - the toxins in the smoke don´t come knocking on your helmet to ask if you are getting paid to put out fires or not"

Fire sprinkler mounted on a roof. Photo by Wikipedia

Use of Automatic Fire Sprinklers in Domestic Environments

Dramatic decline in fire deaths since UK regulated sprinklers in high rises: This paper...

Use of Automatic Fire Sprinklers in Domestic Environments

Detonation of one of the bombs that were used to fight the fire in the county of Dalarna, from the point of view of the cockpit of the fighter jet. Photo by Swedish Air Force

See video of the Swedish Air Force bombing a forest fire with fighter jets

The Swedish Air Force used the Jas 39 fighter jet to bomb the shooting range north of ...

See video of the Swedish Air Force bombing a forest fire with fighter jets

Jas 39

2018 wildfires: Swedish Air Force successfully used fighter jets with bombs to blow out a forest fir...

The bomb had a very good effect on the wildfire, according to chief Johan Szymanski at...

2018 wildfires: Swedish Air Force successfully used fighter jets with bombs to blow out a forest fire

Photo: image of fire at arrival emergency services Photo 2x ©RV (Luc Alain de Haes)

Lessons Learned from an accident involving an LNG truck

Traffic accidents involving LGN vehicles require different intervention procedures than...

Lessons Learned from an accident involving an LNG truck

Man breathing fire. By Pexel

Panic and Human Behavior in Fire & Emergency Situations

Emergencies do not always bring out the worst in humans. In this research article Navid...

Panic and Human Behavior in Fire & Emergency Situations

Dany Cotton

BBC documentary interviews firefighters at Grenfell Tower

Dany Cotton, the first ever female boss of the London Fire Brigade. BBC´s Katie Razzall...

BBC documentary interviews firefighters at Grenfell Tower

Photo: Paul Grimwood, EuroFirefighter.com

Under Ventilated Fires - A more dangerous firefighting environment

By Paul Grimwood. The hazards associated with under-ventilated building fires are incre...

Under Ventilated Fires - A more dangerous firefighting environment

Burn victim and firefighter. Photo: Eglin Air Force Base

Burn injury treatment: Extended cooling reduces chances of survival

CTIF Associate Member IFA discusses how burn victims should be treated with Johannes Ho...

Burn injury treatment: Extended cooling reduces chances of survival

Grenfell Tower by air

CTIF´s Dennis Davis on Grenfell Tower: Revisiting Residential Highrise Fire Safety

The in-depth paper behind the lecture about this tragic and complex event is now availa...

CTIF´s Dennis Davis on Grenfell Tower: Revisiting Residential Highrise Fire Safety

A firefighter during the aftermaths of the WTC attack. Photo: Pixabay.com

The firefighters at Ground Zero: Stories of extraordinary bravery, loss and guilt

9/11 DOCUMENTARY: Three hundred and forty-three New York firemen died in the terrorist ...

The firefighters at Ground Zero: Stories of extraordinary bravery, loss and guilt

New Jersey Garbage truck explosion

Explosions during interventions involving compressed gas powered vehicles

LPG, LNG and LBG vehicles can explode with a violent force capable of killing humans an...

Explosions during interventions involving compressed gas powered vehicles

Screen shot of video

Are you exposing yourself to cancer risks when taking off your gear?

Wrists, neck and groin are especially high risk areas where you may need to pay extra a...

Are you exposing yourself to cancer risks when taking off your gear?

Dilsem-Stokken

The EV accident in Dilsen-Stokkem: Intervention guidelines for Plug-in Hybrids

The times when vehicles were only fuelled by diesel, petrol - or in some exceptional ca...

The EV accident in Dilsen-Stokkem: Intervention guidelines for Plug-in Hybrids

Rochefort roof blast

Smoke build-up in hidden spaces = deadly surprises

Smoke buildup in hidden spaces is one of the most dangerous situations in structural fi...

Smoke build-up in hidden spaces = deadly surprises

Graniteville Chlrone Distaster, Aerial view

The Graniteville Chlorine Disaster

On January 6th, 2005, 9 people died, over 500 were injured, and more than 5000 were eva...

The Graniteville Chlorine Disaster