In Review

Mar/Apr 1998

14.1 K
Swiftwater Rescue
by Slim Ray
1997, CFS Press, 68 Finalee Ave., Asheville NC 28803
244 pages, paperback, $24.95

Swiftwater Rescue offers an in-depth look at swiftwater rescue for the professional firefighter, park ranger, EMS personnel - anyone who may be faced with the possibility of encountering a flood or a swiftwater rescue situation.

Author Slim Ray is an internationally-recognized authority on flood, swiftwater, and whitewater safety and rescue with over 15 years experience in swiftwater rescue, including course development and instruction with Rescue 3 and other training agencies. In comprehensive but accessible detail, Ray discusses such topics as basic rescuer safety, river hydrology, safety and rescue equipment, shore-based, boat-based, and in-water rescue techniques, helicopter rescue, medical considerations, communications, and incident command. Special situations like low-head dams and flood channel rescues are also addressed.

The book is densely illustrated with line drawings and black & white photographs. Ray's book will be invaluable to give public safety professionals a basic awareness of swiftwater rescue concerns, techniques, and hazards. A companion pocketbook, Swiftwater Rescue Field Guide, is also available from CFS for $14.95.

[Also see Nancy Rigg's interview with Slim Ray in the Mar/Apr 1998 issue.]

12.7 K
9-1-1 Liability: A Call for Answers
by Charles C. Ormsby, Jr. and Philip M. Salafia
1998, PowerPhone, Inc. P.O.Box 1811, Madison, CT 06443-0900.
194 pages, hardback. $69.95 + $3.50 shipping.

This new book addresses a hitherto unexplored phenomenon: 9-1-1 legal issues and case law. Published by PowerPhone, a national communications training company, authors Charles Ormsby Jr., a captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the US Army, and Philip Salafia, President and CEO of PowerPhone, spent two years researching legal actions involving 9-1-1 calls. The result is a fascinating and sobering account which will be invaluable to PSAP managers, 9-1-1 administrators, and related professionals.

The days of immunity from liability for 9-1-1 dispatchers are long gone. With more and more attorneys subpoenaing not only police officers and their reports, but 9-1-1 records, tapes, and telecommunicators, PSAP personnel need to know how to meet standards of care and public expectations, as well as understand why litigation occurs. Knowing how to avoid a potential lawsuit is as important as knowing how to defend yourself during one.

The book covers sources of liability, negligence, duty/breach of duty, Pre-Arrival Instructions, and defenses to negligence. Ormsby and Salafia explain the law in clear, everyday language and cite relevant cases for review. The book also includes texts of four landmark 9-1-1 cases, as well as glossaries of both legal and telecommunications terms.

4.6 K

I-Zone Basics
CD-ROM Software Training Program
$49.95, Neotec, Inc., P O Box 91202, Boise, ID 83707.

Created by veteran firefighters Phill Queen and Doug McKelvey along with videographer Alan Simmons and Los Angeles County Battalion Chief John P. Harris, I-Zone Basics is an encyclopedic CD-ROM self-paced training program for understanding wildland-urban Interface (Inter-Zone or I-Zone) firefighting. The authors bring a wealth of experience and expertise, speaking from first-hand knowledge of fighting fire in the I-Zone.

A multimedia program which runs on Windows 3.x and Windows 95, I-Zone Basics covers all aspects of interface firefighting, from understanding the threat to tactical and command considerations, highlighted by video footage from the Oakland Hills fire, Calabazas Fire, and examples of fire shelter deployments, structure protection, and hose-lays that illustrate concepts described in the text. The program features quizzes, tests, and review questions, including a final exam and a course management section for instructors. With the costs of tuition and travel prohibiting many from attending formalized fire or ICS training, this is an excellent method of obtaining and/or providing training without leaving your home or office.


	Mar/Apr 1998
	Swiftwater Rescue by Slim Ray 1997, CFS Press, 68 Finalee Ave., Asheville NC 28803 244 pages, paperback, $24.95 Swiftwater Rescue offers an in-depth look at swiftwater rescue for the professional firefighter, park ranger, EMS personnel - anyone who may be faced with the possibility of encountering a flood or a swiftwater rescue situation. Author Slim Ray is an internationally-recognized authority on flood, swiftwater, and whitewater safety and rescue with over 15 years experience in swiftwater rescue, including course development and instruction with Rescue 3 and other training agencies. In comprehensive but accessible detail, Ray discusses such topics as basic rescuer safety, river hydrology, safety and rescue equipment, shore-based, boat-based, and in-water rescue techniques, helicopter rescue, medical considerations, communications, and incident command. Special situations like low-head dams and flood channel rescues are also addressed. The book is densely illustrated with line drawings and black & white photographs. Ray's book will be invaluable to give public safety professionals a basic awareness of swiftwater rescue concerns, techniques, and hazards. A companion pocketbook, Swiftwater Rescue Field Guide, is also available from CFS for $14.95. [Also see Nancy Rigg's interview with Slim Ray in the Mar/Apr 1998 issue.]

	9-1-1 Liability: A Call for Answers by Charles C. Ormsby, Jr. and Philip M. Salafia 1998, PowerPhone, Inc. P.O.Box 1811, Madison, CT 06443-0900. 194 pages, hardback. $69.95 + $3.50 shipping. This new book addresses a hitherto unexplored phenomenon: 9-1-1 legal issues and case law. Published by PowerPhone, a national communications training company, authors Charles Ormsby Jr., a captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the US Army, and Philip Salafia, President and CEO of PowerPhone, spent two years researching legal actions involving 9-1-1 calls. The result is a fascinating and sobering account which will be invaluable to PSAP managers, 9-1-1 administrators, and related professionals. The days of immunity from liability for 9-1-1 dispatchers are long gone. With more and more attorneys subpoenaing not only police officers and their reports, but 9-1-1 records, tapes, and telecommunicators, PSAP personnel need to know how to meet standards of care and public expectations, as well as understand why litigation occurs. Knowing how to avoid a potential lawsuit is as important as knowing how to defend yourself during one. The book covers sources of liability, negligence, duty/breach of duty, Pre-Arrival Instructions, and defenses to negligence. Ormsby and Salafia explain the law in clear, everyday language and cite relevant cases for review. The book also includes texts of four landmark 9-1-1 cases, as well as glossaries of both legal and telecommunications terms.

	I-Zone Basics CD-ROM Software Training Program $49.95, Neotec, Inc., P O Box 91202, Boise, ID 83707. Created by veteran firefighters Phill Queen and Doug McKelvey along with videographer Alan Simmons and Los Angeles County Battalion Chief John P. Harris, I-Zone Basics is an encyclopedic CD-ROM self-paced training program for understanding wildland-urban Interface (Inter-Zone or I-Zone) firefighting. The authors bring a wealth of experience and expertise, speaking from first-hand knowledge of fighting fire in the I-Zone. A multimedia program which runs on Windows 3.x and Windows 95, I-Zone Basics covers all aspects of interface firefighting, from understanding the threat to tactical and command considerations, highlighted by video footage from the Oakland Hills fire, Calabazas Fire, and examples of fire shelter deployments, structure protection, and hose-lays that illustrate concepts described in the text. The program features quizzes, tests, and review questions, including a final exam and a course management section for instructors. With the costs of tuition and travel prohibiting many from attending formalized fire or ICS training, this is an excellent method of obtaining and/or providing training without leaving your home or office.