Fire Science Schools

They’ll have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails and cheering them on — that’s the power of Hollywood rescues. Rescue scenes elicit these types of feelings, as movie viewers idolize heroes and dream of being rescued by firefighters, police officers and the average Joe. Believable or not, Hollywood rescue scenes are iconic in pop culture and paint the picture of heroes we see worth imitating. In no particular order, here are 10 Hollywood rescues to die for:

1. Backdraft (1991)

Backdraft produced one of the most epic firefighter rescue scenes of all time, which is filled with brotherly love and kick-ass action. Watch fireman Brian McCaffrey (William Baldwin) catch a wild hose and put out a massive fire to save his brother Stephen (Kurt Russell) and others from a blazing building.

2. The Towering Inferno (1974)

Even with today’s mega special effects, The Towering Inferno, is still considered one of the best disaster films of all time. In this exciting scene, Fire Chief Michael O’Halloran (Steve McQueen) hangs on for dear life, while lowering a hanging elevator filled with people from the burning Glass Tower, and dropping a fellow firefighter onto a safety net from more than 100 stories high.

3. Crash (2004)

The crash scene in Crash is hard to forget. Officer John Ryan (Matt Dillon) reports to an accident with a turned-over car that’s leaking gasoline. The scene is chalked full of emotion and tension as Ryan tries to loosen Christine (Thandie Newton) who is caught in her seatbelt as the car begins to burn.

4. Ladder 49 (2004)

Rookie firefighter Jack Morrison, played by Joaquin Phoenix, gets his first taste of rescuing victims, when he and another firefighter save a woman from a burning house and watch as she is revived in the ambulance.

5. Watchmen (2009)

In this scene from the live adaptation of the Watchmen comic book, superheroes Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II are called to save victims from a burning building. Silk Spectre II gathers everyone into the flying ship “Archie” within seconds of becoming toast herself.

6. Mr. Deeds (2002)

The story of Longfellow Deeds, played by Adam Sandler, is best depicted in his selfless acts and sincerity that he shows in this scene from Mr. Deeds. A memorable, yet absurd demonstration of firefighting occurs when Deeds voluntarily climbs up a burning apartment building to save a woman and her seven (yes, seven) cats.

7. Volcano (1997)
This movie may be your worst natural disaster nightmare, but you’ve gotta give it to subway worker, Stan Olber, (John Carroll Lynch) who sacrifices his life to save the driver of a broken-down train that becomes consumed with flaming lava.

8. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)

Firefighters and “life partners” Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) and Larry Valentine (Kevin James) are sent into a burning building to save Bernie, an overweight man, who adds some…err…fuel to the fire.

9. James Bond – Quantum of Solace (2008)

James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, does it again in Quantum of Solace, where he saves the day (and the Bond girl) from a burning, explosive building. In this scene, Bond opts not to throw his enemy Dominic into the fiery pit, and instead goes to find Camille, who is trapped in a burning room. Just when it looks like the end for Bond, he manages to find his way out completely unscathed.

10. Batman Begins (2005)

After an 8-year hiatus, the Batman series returns with Batman Begins, and this time Alfred is suiting up to save Batman? In this scene, Bruce Wayne falls victim to a fire started by his former trainer and opponent, Ra’s Al Ghul and henchman. With such ease, his over-the-hill assistant, Alfred, forges through the burning mansion, frees Bruce from the falling debris and they safely escape to the dungeon.

In the event of a fire, there are various household items and natural resources that can put out flames and keep them from spreading. Depending on the type and size of the fire, some extinguishers may work better than others. For the slow burning campfires and grill fires, natural outdoor extinguishers can be used. Whereas, quick burning, indoor fires need to be extinguished right away with a reliable extinguisher. For highly combustible and quick spreading fires, always exit the house or building and call your local fire department. Here are just a few of the many household fire extinguishers you can use in an emergency fire:

1. Fire Extinguisher

   Fire extinguishers are designed to put out most types of fires, but each extinguisher is designated for a different type of fire. For example, Class A extinguishers put out fires in ordinary combustibles like wood, paper and trash. Class B extinguishers put out fires from flammable liquids, such as grease, gasoline and paint, whereas, Class C extinguishers are used on electrical equipment fires. Lastly, Class D extinguishers are used on combustible metals, such as aluminum and potassium. Fire extinguishers should be kept in the house, workplace, kitchen, school and anywhere else a fire might occur. Extinguishers should always be visible and accessible, as well as used on the specified fire.

2. Water

   Water is a natural fire extinguisher that works by diminishing the heat of fire, as well as creating vapor that clouds the fire and keeps it from spreading. Water is easy to gather and works quickly on specific fires. Water and water extinguishers can be used to put out Class A fires in ordinary combustibles, such as wood, paper, trash, cloth and plastics. Water should never be used on Class B or C fires because water will cause grease fires to splash and spread further, as well as create shock hazards in electrical fires. Home fire sprinkler systems can also be installed to attack a fire in its early stages and keep it from spreading.

3. Baking Soda

   A common household item that can be used on fires is likely sitting in your cabinet or refrigerator — baking soda. Baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate, which has various purposes like putting out small grease or electrical kitchen fires. Baking soda will help smother and cool fires at the base of the flame.

4. Pan Lids

   One of the quickest and most effective ways of putting out grease or cooking fires is to use a pan lid. Non-glass lids that fit over the pan, skillet or container in which you are cooking in are best to use for smothering a cooking fire. Using a lid will suffocate the fire due to a lack of oxygen, which is needed to sustain combustion. Be sure that the lid has a heat-resistant handle or you wear oven mitts when placing a lid on top of a fire.

5. Salt

   Since sodium chloride (salt) is one of the principle extinguishing ingredients in fire extinguishers, it’s no wonder why it made it on the list. By nature, salt dissipates heat and minimizes oxygen when applied to a fire. Table salt can be used to extinguish grease fires that occur on the stove or in the oven. Fire extinguishers that have salt in it are best used on Class D fires in combustible metals, such as potassium, sodium and aluminum.

6. Soil

   Soil that is free of flammable organic materials is helpful in extinguishing fires. Soil works like other extinguishing materials by absorbing heat and suffocating the fire. Soil is best used on small outdoor fires and cooking fires that are slow burning. It may need to be combined with water and spread around to smother all flames and ashes.

7. Sand

   Like soil, sand produces a similar extinguishing effect of suffocating the fire by absorbing heat and depriving it of oxygen. Generally, sand is better to use than soil in campfires and small fires caused by ordinary combustibles, because it has less flammable materials in it and it’s more dry. However, sand is not a reliable extinguisher for combustible metals.

8. Beer

   Mostly made of water, beer is another good alternative to a fire extinguisher. For grill fires, campfires or engine fires, beer can serve as a quick extinguisher when shaken and poured over the flames. Depending on the size of the fire, multiple cans or bottles may be needed to fully extinguish.

9. Urine

   Whether this is followed by No. 8 or you’re out of water, urine, believe it or not, can also serve as an effective fire extinguisher. Just like other water-based extinguishers, urine is more than 90 percent water, which is enough to put out a fire. While this isn’t the fastest or easiest extinguishing method, it can be done near a small campfire or outdoor fire. Take caution and privacy when urinating over a fire.

10. Blankets, Rugs, Towels

    If you don’t have access to a fire blanket, then household blankets, rugs, draperies and towels can all be used to put out fires. These items are extremely useful when you or another person is on fire. A blanket or any heavy cloth can be wrapped around the body, clothes or hair and padded to smother the fire.

Exotic cars are fun to own and drive, but they are also very expensive. Can you imagine having a car worth over half million and watching it burn to the ground? The question you have to ask, is if you have the money to buy they type of car is it the same as someone who can only afford a $ 50,000 car watching it burn? Most of the exotic cars these days are made of composite materials which when burning, burn very hot and very fast. I’m not sure but I know I’d be coming unglued to watch these cars shown below burn. Here are 10 exotic car fires.

 

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We’ve all been in, seen, or heard of some bad accidents. Well here are 25 vehicles that are totaled; some I’m not even sure how they did it.

Vehicle accident stats show that at a minimum of four people involved in automobile accidents die every hour. These accidents can be due to the fault of the driver, the other driver, or due to a defective vehicle. What is important to take into account is how many fatalities occur every day, excluding the people involved in automobile accidents and sustaining serious personal injuries.

The leading causes for automobile accidents are reckless and negligent driving and also alcohol. Teens, according to the data, cause the majority of automobile accidents. Lack of experience coupled with irresponsible behavior as well as a lack of respect for the safety precautions are the primary causes for such a large number of teenage automobile accidents.

One more reason is the inattentiveness of the driver. Many individuals talk while driving, which may well end up being fatal since it distracts the driver from the road. Despite the fact that hands-free cell phones are the latest trend, the driver will be unable to focus on the road while on the phone. The most effective option is always to park and then take the call, or not take the call whatsoever while driving. These regulations have recently been implemented in several states.

Inattentiveness may also be caused as a result of alcohol, drugs, or the driver being distracted by music inside the car. This may prove to be risky to other drivers on the road and may result in either distracting them with reckless driving or causing side or rear end accidents due to inattentiveness. Such carelessness may even cause pileups on highways and must be averted at every cost.

Automobile accidents may be extremely traumatic, often affecting the individual throughout their life. Besides the physical injuries that may result because of the accident, psychological stress may also be a result. Several precautions can eliminate the prospect of accidents on the roads and provide a safety net. It’s recommended to follow the safety road rules and never drive while on the phone or while on drugs or alcohol.

Firefighters face life and death every time they go to work, and many times in between. They see and deal with situations that many people could never imagine. They are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, but most of all they are Heroes. Here are 20 sites that help tell their stories, show their work and help educate the public.

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If you are doing everyting right, but just can’t seem to shed those pounds off of your body, maybe you are taking or doing something that you didn’t know contributes to weight gains. These are just potential factors to consider, of course you first need to look at your diet and fitness plan to make sure you are not taking in more calories than your body needs.

1. Antidepressants – Drugs like Prozac or Xoloft are often take to counter the effects of depression. Unfotunately, these medicaions and reduce your metabolic rate and can cause hormonal changes that really impact your body and your appetite (making you hungrier)..
2. Steroids – We are not talking about the steroids that weight lifters take to get huge, of course those pack on muscle and weight. We are talking about steroids like prednisone which is frequently prescribed for people suffering from arthritis, skin rashes, or even asthma. They cause you to retain water and accordingly, add weight.
3. Diabetes medications – If you are diabetic or border-line diabetic and taking Diabeta or Diabinese they can actually cause weight gain too..
4. Heartburn treatments – If you suffer from acide reflux or any garden variety heartburn you may find yourself on Prevacid or Nexium. These drugs can sometimes cause a slight weight gain (partially due to the relief you feel from your symptoms).
5. Birth control – Due to the hormonal nature of birth control pills it is very common to experience a slight weight gain when you start taking "the pill." It is rarely more than a few pounds.
6. Migraine relievers – If you experience migraine headaches and find yourself fighting weight gain you might want to consult your physician to see if they can prescribe a different medicine for the migraines that is known to have less of an effect on weight gain.
7. Seizure preventatives – If you experience seizures and are taking regular medication you may want to see if you can switch to Zonegran or some medication known to be weight neutral.
8. Lack of sleep – If you don’t get enough sleep normally 8 hours per night, your body can’t function as it normally would and begins to store more fat.
9. Stress – Our bodies do not react to stress well (all kinds of stress work, family, or a combination). Stress causes the body to slow down as well meaning you can also begin to store more fat due to the stress.
10. Lack of fiber – Fiber is really an interesting thing, the more fiber you eat the fuller you feel so lack of fiber can cause you to eat more than you normally would, you might switch to a high-fiber diet and see if that helps you lose weight..

There are many different factors that can cause you to struggle with losing weight. If you feel like you have exhausted the obvious things like diet and exercise, then you should look at these and other possible causes of weight gain to see if you can identify something other than diet and exercise that could be causing problems for you.

Many people are currently looking for a new job whether they were victims of the latest round of layoffs or just tired of their current job and wanting to try something new. Don’t forget the latest round of college graduates as well. If you are one of the people applying for a new job and just aren’t getting anywhere with you job search, it might be that something on your resume is a red flag for HR departments. Check your resume over and make sure that you do not include any of the following:

Top Resume Mistakes

1. Sexual preference – You would be surprised how many times this is put on a resume and it absolutely should not make any difference. Many people that review resumes still have a prejudice about sexual preference and basically you don’t know what their preference is so you really need to leave this off your resume. This includes any associations that you might belong to that will tip the reviewer off about your sexual preference.
2. Religion – This is similar to sexual preference in that it has no bearing on your ability to do the job and can therefore only be negative. This usually comes up in resumes on sections about hobbies and other personal interests. Just be careful in what you put in any of those sections if you feel you need a section like that on your resume.
3. Problems at your last job – Your resume is NOT a good place to elaborate on problems that you encountered on previous jobs (even if you are just trying to show how you overcome problems). Just try to always spin comments about previous positions to be things you accomplished and not how stupid your last boss was or how you did things in spite of something in your old work environment.
4. Hatred of Old Bosses – Generally you don’t have to get into anything about your old boss. My boss was an over-bearing micro manager that couldn’t let anything leave the company without reviewing it themselves… Again, your resume is NOT the place to rant. In fact, when you are looking for a new job don’t rant anywhere (twitter included).
5. Odd Jobs Not in Your Field – It’s usually not good to include every job that you have had since you graduated from high school. At some point, you need to drop off your experience as a fry cook at McDonalds unless it is relevant to the job you are applying to. If you worked your way through college, odds are those jobs won’t help you get the next job of your dreams.
6. Age – Again, many people have an idea about what age of candidate they are looking for and assume people outside that range just aren’t going to fit in with the current team. You really need to be careful about dates like when you graduated from high school. Depending on your years of experience you may not be able to avoid tipping your age, but you may choose to leave some jobs off of your resume to make your age less obvious.
7. Political Preference – Why, why, why do people put this on their resume. Politics are so subjective that you are almost guaranteed to cause a problem by listing political affiliations again including any organizations that you may belong to which will make your political preference obvious.
8. Social Security number – People reviewing your resume do not need personally identifiable information like your social security number. You should never put this on your resume, if you get far enough into the process you can give it to them when or if a background check is required.
9. Photograph – Even if you are the best looking person in the World, don’t put a picture of yourself on your resume. Even though people are not supposed to consider how you look, they will. You just can’t win and in most cases it is better for that to be left unknown until you interview in person.
10. Physical attributes – Most people wouldn’t think of putting their height and weight on their resume, but we still see both frequently. It’s just not necessary and you never know how people will interpret thin or fat or tall or small people. Again, it just should not matter for most jobs.

So the over-arching rule is pretty simple. Unless something is actually relevant to the position that you are going for, you probably do NOT need it on your resume. It is not good to over-load your resume with information that doesn’t speak directly to your qualifications for the job you are applying for. In general this is why we recommend customizing your resume for each job to make sure that you provide only what is necessary to get that sepecific job.

Definition of a fireman: A worker assigned to a fire department who is responsible for engaging in fighting and extinguishing fires. They also protect life and property and generally are under the management of the fire chief who reports to the city manager or sometimes the mayor.

A fireman has a really difficult job that is really the ultimate in danger and actually one of the most selfless careers that a person could pursue. Whether they are rescuing people from a burning building, caring for their medical needs, or rescuing a cat from a tree (yes, they do actually do this sometimes although very infrequently).

Before pursuing a career as a fire fighter you really need to decide if you are able to put people’s needs ahead of your own survival as is often required on the job. You also need to be able to make a split second judgment call as sometimes you have to decide who to save based upon their likelihood of survival. It’s tough to have to leave people behind at times knowing that you may not be able to get back to them. Actually, it’s pretty hard to fully explain to someone that is not in this line of work.

Every fire fighter has to pass the following tests:

1) Exams include theory and physical tests.
2) You have to pass a physical exam.
3) You have to pass psychological tests including a polygraph (lie detector test).
4) You generally will have to get through an in-person interview with the department.
5) You need to be a certified first responder with defibrillation (CFR-D)

Other Requirements

1) You normally have to be 21 years old or older with a minimum of a high school diploma or GED.
2) You have to be a U.S. citizen.
3) You generally have to have a valid U.S. driver license.

With those basic requirements you also have to compete with a lot of other candidates. It’s highly recommended that you pursue a college degree (associate’s or bachelor’s). You will definitely have an advantage if you get a Fire Science degree from an accredited college.