firefighters

Volunteer, On-Call, and Employees Fire Departments:  Understanding the Law

This article discusses some of the statutes applicable to volunteer and on-call firefighters and emergency medical service personnel. Such persons perform the majority of this important first responder work in our municipalities, and the law has given them special protections to encourage their contributions to our collective public safety.

Q: I would like to be a firefighter in my municipality. What are the requirements?

Managing a fire department has never been easy, but it has never been quite as challenging as it is today. Fire service leaders face numerous obstacles, including:

The New Hampshire legislature this year passed two bills intended to prohibit municipalities from requiring fire suppression sprinklers in residential dwellings. One of those bills was vetoed by the Governor and is currently awaiting override votes in the House and Senate. Whether that bill ultimately becomes law or not, the ability of municipalities to require sprinklers for new homes has been severely restricted.

There are many liability challenges facing today's fire service and fire chiefs. Constantly changing civil rights laws and technology have brought issues forth never conceived of before that are now an everyday occurrence.

Ever think you would have to worry about one of your staff immediately videotaping an emergency and, within a minute or two, uploading it to the Internet for broadcast around the world? What is social media and why do you need a policy on it? Welcome to fire service concerns of the 21^st century.

Crowds gathered in downtown Durham on Monday, March 14 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Durham Fire Department. Most fire departments date back to the 1950s, and only a few can claim the length of history of Durham's Fire Department. Serving as master of ceremonies for the event, current Fire Chief Corey Landry shared key points in the department's history.

The American Red Cross (ARC) Granite Chapter has honored several groups of local heroes, including Deerfield Police and Fire Department personnel.

Few careers—in any field—require the level of physical fitness needed by police and firefighters in departments throughout the state. We (the people they keep safe) directly benefit from first responders who keep themselves in shape. And safety departments that provide quality, worksite fitness programs help their employees stay in optimal physical condition. Here are profiles of two departments in New Hampshire which are truly “walking the talk" when it comes to promoting worksite fitness.

Salem Police Department

By Ron O’Keefe

Across the country, recent news stories bear headlines such as these when reporting on motor vehicle collisions involving emergency responders:

• • Fireman charged in fatality
• • Charges against firefighter dismissed
• • Family of fallen firefighter sues town

According to the National Fire Protection Association, 34 percent of firefighter deaths in 2004 occurred while responding to or returning from alarms.¹