The Fire Rebels

Interesting article on new techniques to fight fires

By clinging to traditional methods, Hartin argues, US fire departments are needlessly endangering firefighters' lives. In 1983, he notes, there were 3.4 US firefighter fatalities per 100,000 fires. In 2002, the most recent year for which data is available, the rate was 3.5. That represents 101 fatalities each year, about a fifth of them due to extreme fire behavior. "We're not getting any better at this, and that's ridiculous," Hartin says.

"Firefighters don't like to talk about science and theory," Hartin says. "They are tradition-bound, practical people, but each time they see one of their buddies survive something he shouldn't have because of the new methods, we'll gain acceptance."