Fire Accountability & Incident Command | American Trade Mark Co.

Choosing The Right Command Boards To Improve Fireground Communications

At American Trade Mark, we offer incident command boards for departments of all sizes and styles of firefighting fireground communications. Which is the right command board for your team? We’ve gathered some information to help you make the right choice. Our Available Options All of our incident command boards are made to stand the tests of a busy fire scene. We understand the need to keep things sturdy, yet compact, and most of all, to get all the information you need...
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7 Strategies For Effective Fireground Communications

Ensuring effective fireground communications for both firefighters and incident command with strategic planning and gear from American Trade Mark. Time is of the essence during an incident, so it’s necessary that all fire personnel are on the same page with each other, using clear and organized radio communication techniques. We provide tips and tools to help make that happen. Tips For Effective Communication We've put together seven simple tips for you to consider as you create and revise your department's fireground communications protocols and...
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Fire Department Communication Tips For Bad Weather

Improve fireground communication and firefighter safety with fire department communication tips for bad weather from American Trade Mark, your reliable source for accountability and incident command tools nationwide. There’s no such thing as a snow day for firefighters. Inclement weather only makes the job at hand more vital and dangerous. Having a good safety plan in place that addresses severe weather goes a long way to lower risks and prevent disaster. Tips For Communication During Inclement Weather Rain, hail, wind, and...
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ISO & Incident Command – Working Together For Safety

At American Trade Mark, we understand that the incident commander and incident safety officer are anything but redundant on an active fire scene. These two roles work in tandem to keep everyone on-site informed and as safe as possible. We want to help you with more effective IC & ISO fireground communications. ISO Vs. IC If IC and ISO aren't different names for the same duty, then what's the difference? While the incident commander is responsible for overall fire scene order...
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Tools For Coordinating Emergency Response

Track departments and communicate more efficiently with tools for coordinating emergency response from American Trade Mark. When multiple departments get involved on high-stress scenes, you want to be as prepared as possible. Preplanning and the proper gear may give you the edge you're looking for. Clear Communication Is Essential For maximum safety and swift action, you need to know who is where, what your resources are, and to be able to quickly communicate changes as your scene evolves. The same concept...
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Better Incident Command In The Wildland Urban Interface

As fires in the wildland-urban interface continue to rise, so do the demands on structural-based fire departments to face these challenging environments. At American Trade Mark, we want to better equip incident commanders and their fire crews for the unique circumstances that arise in the WUI. Unique Challenges Of The WUI The balance between firefighter safety and fire suppression priorities becomes even more challenging during wildland-urban firefighting. The incident commander has to not only accurately record the status of the scene...
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Reducing First Responder Stress With Incident Command

We want to help incident commanders find ways to reduce firefighter stress with tips and tools from American Trade Mark. With traumatic and destruction situations always one call away, it's no wonder awareness about first responder mental health and instances of firefighter PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) has increased. Fortunately, critical incident stress management starts with incident command. Tips For Incident Commanders Prevention is the best remedy for many adverse health effects in first responders, including mental health issues. Using incident command...
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Incident Commander Tips For Volunteer Firefighters

As a nationwide provider of firefighter accountability and incident command equipment, American Trade Mark understands that approaches to fireground command can be as unique as the departments managing these situations. Volunteer fire departments are often the most distinct being made up of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and talents. We’ve put together some basic tips to help the volunteer firefighter in an impromptu IC position. Tip 1 - Be Ready To Command When your crew is the first to arrive...
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Future Advancements Of Incident Command Systems

Before diving head first into the latest and perceived greatest, at American Trade Mark, we want you to know that there are many other considerations to think about for today’s incident commanders. With new technologies permeating every aspect of life, from thermostats to wearable health gear, many of us look forward to future advancements in incident command systems. New Incident Management Technologies Emergency response, asset tracking, accountability, incident recording, and more are promised by many of today’s computer-based incident command systems....
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History Of Incident Command & Firefighter Safety

Incident command and firefighter safety have come a long way since Benjamin Franklin’s 1736 bucket brigades. By examining the 100-year history of real progress in how we track fires, firefighters, and other emergency personnel on all types of scenes, we can see the difference that modern tools, like those from American Trademark, can make. The Early 1900’s - In Military Mode As described in documents dating back to 1916, early fire leadership operated in a military-style chain of command. This worked...
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