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A.C.T now!

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Over the last year, what did you do to increase your emergency services knowledge, skills, and abilities? What supporting educational programs did you complete? What training classes did you attend? Most importantly, what changes in behavior did you implement after attending the programs?

Here’s a three step process to help you further your abilities and provide new information to fellow crewmembers. The process can be remembered using the acronym A.C.T. The letters stand for:

A- Attend a class.

C- Contribute to the classroom conversation.

T- Take-back what you learned to your crew.

Don’t just “ATTEND” any course. When you peruse a course catalog or conference schedule in search of a course to attend, think about topics of interest to you. Remember, the idea is to increase your knowledge about subjects you find interesting and want to learn more about. If you could care less about driving or pumping an apparatus, don’t register for a pump ops course!

“CONTRIBUTING” to the course can occur in a variety of ways. You hear other students with questions about what is being presented but the other students will not ask the instructor? CONTRIBUTE by asking the question for the other student. Trainers love questions! If the instructor asks for assistance with a demonstration or needs some help, volunteer! Your participation will be greatly appreciated.

“TAKING IT BACK” is the most important thing you do with your new knowledge, skills, and abilities. The department spent money to send you, one person, to the class. Why not help the department get the biggest “bang for the buck” and spread the new material with your co-workers and others?

Grab the fire academy course catalog, thumb through a training conference schedule, or check out your county fire association’s website. Select an interesting class, register, and attend the program. When you come back to the station, share what you learned with your co-workers. Alternately, search the web for a computer basd course, complete the course, and share what you learned with others.

Hurry! A.C.T. now! Operators are standing by!

Posted in administration-leadership, Education/Training, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, Motivation, Thoughts, Training, training-development, Uncategorized

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April 24, 2013 • 1 comment

Are the EMERGENCY EXITS clear??

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With Christmas arriving in the next few days, many retail stores have greatly increased the amount of stock on shelves. Unfortunately, some businesses may go overboard and place products and/or packing materials in emergency exits. Restricted, or blocked, emergency exits have been contributors to great loss of life during fires. When this problem is identified, firefighters must quickly notify the store manager and make sure the problem is immediately corrected. If you’re not 100% sure about fire codes, speak with your company officer about your findings. If the company officer is not sure, NOTIFY THE FIRE MARSHAL or FIRE INSPECTOR and work with him/her to correct the problem!

Here are some photos I’ve taken in various locations around the country. A short explanation accompanies each photo.

Photo #1: Blocked exit. Beyond the blocking, these smaller items will become tripping hazards for people exiting the building. Move the trash! (Extra points for you if you noticed the pile of trash impedes access to the fire extinguisher.)

photo by author

Photo #2: Blocked emergency exit. In this photo, an emergency exit has been blocked by store employees. No store employees were present to quickly move the blocking device. This emergency exit is very wide and designed to move large numbers of people to safe areas. Note the items intruding into the exit access.

photo by author

Photo #3: Blocked exit discharge. Emergency exits must lead building evacuees to a safe area. This emergency exit discharge is significantly restricted by the automobile; as evacuees come upon the vehicle, they slow evacuation! (Super-extra points if you noticed this emergency exit is too narrow for code and is a ROLL-UP door!!)

photo by author

Be a proponent of fire safety whenever you are out in the community, whether on, of off, duty. Company officers: share emergency exit information with your crew. Ask the crew if anyone has ever found an obstructed or blocked exit? If so, how did he/she handle the problem? Let your crew know what the departments policy is for blocked emergency exits.

Stay safe! ~EMAGUY

Posted in Building Construction, Education/Training, fire-prevention-education, firefighter-safety-health, Training, training-development

December 20, 2012 • 3 comments

MVA- What’s your action plan?

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The photo illustrates significant vehicle body damage. Consequently, emergency responders should expect decesased occupants or serious occupant injuries and a potentially lengthy extrication time. This car was involved in a high speed accident; the car hit two trees and came to rest against a third tree. This photo was taken in a salvage yard.

Photo by author

1. How will you use your resources?

2. What is your plan to make the scene safe?

3. Access the patient(s)?

4. Extricate the patient(s)?

5. Can you think of additional resources requiring “special call”?

Post your response in the Comments section. Let’s hear what you, and others, think about this extrication challenge!

A few of my thoughts:

1. My resources will be devoted to controlling hazards and determining if there are any survivors.

2. Expect hazardous fluids (gasoline, antifreeze, etc.) to be released in this accident. Are power lines involved? Control the hazards and increase responder safety.

3. Accessing portions of the vehicle to determine if anyone survived (back seat passengers) may be difficult. Tearing and/or cutting away portions of the vehicle may be necessary for access. Also, consider the need to remove the bodies of those not surviving the accident to allow access and/or extrication of survivors.

4. Expect a longer than normal extrication time and more paramedic and patient interaction. The vehicle has extreme body and frame damage. An advanced extrication consideration would be to make selective cuts to the vehicle and allow the frame and body to move, opening up the passenger compartment and allowing for more rapid patient extrication.

5. Special resources I would consider may include persons with advanced extrication knowledge and skills and a tow truck to assist with extrication operations.

Posted in command-leadership, Education/Training, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, patient-management, rescues, special-operations, Training

September 20, 2012 • 4 comments

Charleston and Columbia, SC area responders: NFPA 472 Radiation Technician (8hr) program

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If you are in these areas, this is an awesome opportunity to attend a FREE US Department of Energy Radiation Technician training program. The course uses radiation sources with significant strength; this offers an excellent opportunity to see how radiation instruments react in real radiation fields. Additional course and contact information is in the below, attached PDF (SC TMERRTT).

SC TMERRTT

Posted in Education/Training, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, special-operations, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics

September 16, 2012 • No comments

I LOVE YOU, DO YOU LOVE ME? CHECK “YES” OR “NO”.

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No, this isn’t about some sixth grade love note. This is about how well YOU conduct a check-off and inspection of apparatus; about how well you look at your equipment before you place a check on the sheet, indicating the item is present and ready for service. It’s a short story about how a person made a mistake and placed an unsafe piece of equipment on a truck; how two other apparatus operators DID NOT do an adequate check/inspection of equipment and allowed an unsafe piece of life safety equipment to be available for use by firefighters.

A few weeks ago, I was conducting a training class with a hazardous materials team. The class moved from the classroom to the training ground. Time to work on practical skills and conduct fun training evolutions! Then, something weird showed up on the equipment tarp. The item on the tarp was something I hadn’t seen in about 15 years. One of the face pieces on the 4.5 SCBA units was a very old piece not approved for firefighting use. The old, outdated piece has a nylon headnet with only two tightening straps, no nose cup, and…..NO EXHALATION VALVE!! So, this face piece will melt onto your head under high heat conditions, will fog over and obstruct your vision, and (without an exhalation valve) will lift your face seal every time you exhale. Oh boy, I feel safe now!  Here’s what was found:

Here’s what should have been placed on the truck. Note the fire retardant headnet for use in high heat conditions, four tightening straps to assist with maintaining a good face seal, nosecup to prevent fogging, and exhalation valves.

Photo by author

The face piece was inadvertently placed on the truck during an equipment reload after a significant haz mat response. Rather than wait for the usual equipment to dry, someone dug into a box of old masks and pulled this one for use. It was attached to a regulator and the SCBA was returned to the truck. No one noticed the unusual item attached to the SCBA. The next two shifts, the apparatus operators visually confirmed an SCBA was occupying the appropriate space and placed a check in the box. Did the operators verify headnet straps were fully extended and the face piece was clean? Doesn’t appear so. Did they confirm air was in the cylinder? Don’t know.

When conducting daily or weekly apparatus inspections, every item must be properly inspected. If it has an engine, run it. If it contains pressure, inspect it, and record the pressure. If it has straps, verify they’re extended and ready for the next user. Life safety equipment must be given a thorough check! Don’t assume everything is okay because the piece of equipment is in the correct location. The daily or weekly check is conducted to confirm equipment is present and in proper working condition.

Apparatus operators, are you conducting adequate checks on your equipment during periodic inspections? Company officers, are you occasionally checking behind your normal and back-up apparatus operators concerning equipment checks? Do it! The safety of you and your crew depend on it.

Posted in administration-leadership, Education/Training, firefighter-safety-health, Training

September 13, 2012 • 3 comments

“I hate you, papa.”

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Those were the last words of a dying child, beaten for hours by her mother’s boyfriend. The man beat the child for most of a day; when EMS and law enforcement were finally summoned, the limp child was found in her bed. Hospital staff worked to revive the child; however, she succumbed to her severe injuries. A law enforcement officer in the ER noted the girls last, powerful words in his incident report. Another article told the story of a child beaten to death by both her mother and father. When brought to the hospital, the child was covered in bruises, old and new. X-rays showed current and old broken bones. Neighbors said the child was constantly screaming in that house. The grandparents said they were concerned for the child’s safety. No one, neither family nor neighbor, intervened for these children.

As firefighters, many of us wear our leather helmets with pride and see the fire service as protectors of all people. Without a search warrant, we have unique opportunities to see what other agency representatives rarely get to see: the inside of a home, bared to us without much attempt to whitewash living conditions. Firefighters are in houses for medical calls, public service calls, and fires. We are able to see how people are in their day-to-day lives.

On your next medical call, when examining and caring for a child, will you look a little harder at what you see? Will you assess the child and try to determine his/her wellbeing?

1. Is the child overly dirty and uncared for?
2. Condition of diapers? Changed, as needed?
3. Child look in good physical condition and well fed?
4. Appear to have an exceptional number of bruises and/or other injuries?
5. For age, appear to appropriately respond to stimuli?
6. Living conditions: acceptable or unsafe squalor?

Today, at the kitchen table, discuss this article. Ask if any member has run across anything similar in his/her past work. How was the problem handled? Does your organization have a method to report child and/or elder abuse? If there is not a policy or other method, does your organization need one? What do you think should be in the policy? Until the policy is developed, how will you and your crew handle a call similar to those in the above paragraph?

Children don’t have the necessary skills to communicate in the adult world. It’s up to us, as adults and as firefighters, to speak for those without a voice. Will you have the courage to protect a child and report a situation to social services?

Silence is acceptance; inaction is approval.

Posted in administration-leadership, Education/Training, ems-topics, Motivation, patient-management, Thoughts

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September 7, 2012 • 4 comments

Haz Mat Technicians! Here is a GREAT opportunity to increase your response knowledge and skills.

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Click on the link for information about a FREE US Department of Energy Radiation Specialist course. The course will be held in Albuquerque, NM.

Specialist ABQ

Posted in Education/Training, hazmat, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized

August 29, 2012 • 4 comments

Hello from the EMAGUY!

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Thank you for the introduction, firestudent1. I’m EMAGUY, another contributer for the site with a strong desire to learn. I have a diverse background, including fire, ems, and emergency management. My fire experience includes paid (county and industrial) and volunteer; my emergency management experience includes time at a county agency and healthcare positions.

In some articles, I may include a different viewpoint than you’re used to; however, I hope the different perspective helps you see the point I’m trying to make. Also, if you have a question, thought, or concern, post a comment! Maybe your comment will help generate additonal conversation about the topic.

Here are some article ideas I have:
Haz Mat: there’s always opportunity to learn something to keep us safe at haz mat incidents.

Fire and EMS: articles designed to help you operate more efficiently and effectively on the scene.

Company officers: the critical link between department administration and members. It’s a tough job; we’ll look at some ways to make better operational decisions, manage staff, and provide quality company level instruction.

Training officers: how to develop a training program and plan, covering regulatory and department requirements for all staff, including: firefighters, company officers, instructors, and department administration.

Again, thank you firestudent1 for providing me the opportunity to work with you and The Basics crew!

~ EMAGUY

Posted in administration-leadership, command-leadership, Education/Training, ems-health-safety, ems-topics, fire, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, Motivation, Thoughts, training-development, Uncategorized

August 27, 2012 • No comments

Unexpected Haz Mats

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Generally, emergency responders expect to happen upon hazardous materials when responding to transportation or fixed facility incidents. Sometimes, haz mats (or potential haz mats) may be found in unexpected locations. Familiarity with haz mat container shapes and colors can be important clues indicating the presence of haz mats.

Crews responded to a grass fire on a cold day. The fire was running through some overgrown back yards; the fuels were light and about 18-24 inches high. A slight breeze was blowing, keeping the moderate smoke condition low to the ground. While pulling a hose line toward the fire, a long, cylindrical object with round ends was spotted! What’s a pressure container doing in a back yard?? The Incident Commander was informed of the finding. Flames around the cylinder were knocked down, the cylinder was removed from the burn area, and crews were able to determine the object didn’t pose a hazard.

Photo: author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This object wasn’t the only potentially hazardous item found. A 1.5 gallon, plastic gasoline container and a portable shop air tank were found in the burn area. Several tires were burning, requiring staff to remain clear of the tire smoke while extinguishing the fire.

Photo: author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Always be on the lookout for potentially hazardous items. Sometimes, hazardous items will be found in unexpected locations. For a quick drill at the kitchen table, discuss this subject with your crew. What unusual conditions has your crew found? What examples can you bring to the table (pun intended) for this drill?

Posted in Education/Training, hazmat, training-development

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August 20, 2012 • No comments