Firefighter Basics » firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com Where Students of the Fire Service Come To Share and Learn Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:26:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Pre- Planning a tool for Fire Ground Survival http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/pre-planning-a-tool-for-fire-ground-survival/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/pre-planning-a-tool-for-fire-ground-survival/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:42:30 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1881 Often times firefighters have to gripe when being told they have to conduct Pre-Planning. During this time firefighters should understand the opportunity that has been afforded to them. Firefighters have to take notice of the construction , and hazards while the building is open to them. Even if a firefighters are on one man company it is no excuse. Here are some suggested steps to help you get started.

  1. First make an appointment to ensure the owner or manager will be there to grant you all access to the building and answer any question.
  2. Gather all forms provided by your fire department for pre-planning. Those things may include even taking a(n) book on building construction which may aid you in writing strategic and tactical objectives.
  3. Firefighters should seek answers on anything they are questioning such as building codes and safety violations believed to have been committed. Seek answers from Fire Marshals or Code Enforcement personnel. Do not give information for which you do not have the authority or don’t know to be an absolute fact.
  4. Ensure you have a site plan as well as a building sketch.

Future post will actually allow you to interact with pre-planning to aid in getting better at this task

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/pre-planning-a-tool-for-fire-ground-survival/feed/ 0 Happy New Year From Firefighter Basics! http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-from-firefighter-basics/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-from-firefighter-basics/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:18:04 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1905 Happy New Year From Jeff, Marques, Scott, and Shawn! May your New Year be filled with Personal, and Professional success. New Content and Maybe a New Look coming next week.

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-from-firefighter-basics/feed/ 0 16 Life Safety Initiatives http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/16-life-safety-initiatives/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/16-life-safety-initiatives/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:59:59 +0000 firestudent1 http://firestudent1.wordpress.com/?p=27
  1. Define and advocate the need for a cultural change within the fire service relating to safety; incorporating leadership, management, supervision, accountability and personal responsibility.
  2. Enhance the personal and organizational accountability for health and safety throughout the fire service.
  3. Focus greater attention on the integration of risk management with incident management at all levels, including strategic, tactical, and planning responsibilities.
  4. All firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices.
  5. Develop and implement national standards for training, qualifications, and certification (including regular re-certification) that are equally applicable to all firefighters based on the duties they are expected to perform.
  6. Develop and implement national medical and physical fitness standards that are equally applicable to all firefighters, based on the duties they are expected to perform.
  7. Create a national research agenda and data collection system that relates to the initiatives.
  8. Utilize available technology wherever it can produce higher levels of health and safety.
  9. Thoroughly investigate all firefighter fatalities, injuries, and near misses.
  10. Grant programs should support the implementation of safe practices and/or mandate safe practices as an eligibility requirement.
  11. National standards for emergency response policies and procedures should be developed and championed.
  12. National protocols for response to violent incidents should be developed and championed.
  13. Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support.
  14. Public education must receive more resources and be championed as a critical fire and life safety program.
  15. Advocacy must be strengthened for the enforcement of codes and the installation of home fire sprinklers.
  16. Safety must be a primary consideration in the design of apparatus and equipment.
]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2012/01/16-life-safety-initiatives/feed/ 0 Hold Your Assignment http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/12/hold-your-assignment/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/12/hold-your-assignment/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:26:45 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1889 Often times aggressive fire companies want to get inside and do work, but it is with that same aggression firefighters get killed. If any firefighter out there could justify why 15 firefighters should be operating in a 1100 sq ft ranch house here is your opportunity. Firefighters have to be thinking firefighters, and use the basics. What do I mean? One company for fire attack, a company to back them up, a company to search and open up. I do realize that the number increases as the square footage goes up but it still needs to be managed. Interior supervisor’s need to recognize when too many companies are on the interior and correct the problem. It has already been proven that it takes 12-14 people for a RIT team to rescue one down firefighter, but yet we continue to put RIT teams in a position to rescue multiple firefighters with only a 3-4 person team. My point being if your position is not to be committed to interior operations your time will come so stand by. Remember the items that burn today are highly volatile and cause conditions to change as well as the inexperience on the fire ground making poor hose line selections, and improper fire ground coordination of ventilation.

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/12/hold-your-assignment/feed/ 0 When to use 2.5 ” ADULTS “ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/07/when-to-use-2-5-adults/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/07/when-to-use-2-5-adults/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:07:02 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1805 A — Advanced Fire Upon Arrival

 D — Defensive Operating Mode (Defensive Operations)

 U  — Unable to Determine the Extent (Size) or Location of the Fire

 L — Large, Uncompartmented Areas

 T  — Tons of Water  (One ton of water per minute with a 1-1/8” tip)

 S   — Standpipe Operations

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/07/when-to-use-2-5-adults/feed/ 0 Failure During Training http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/07/failure-during-training/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/07/failure-during-training/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:10:35 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1779 During the setup a multi-agency drill, a conversation was started after a prop that was going to be used was built. The conversation covered when to remove a firefighter from the prop that will be used as apart of an Air Management course. The statement was made a firefighter starts to lose it you remove them from the prop. My feelings of course is that you allow them to stay there and work it out. My feelings are this way because, I feel that we are giving firefighters a false sense of security. Allowing them to believe that there is going to be a hand to just reach in and grab you when your in trouble. Firefighters who have experienced being lost and disoriented, or running out air know that this is not so. It was said to me that it seems like we just want firefighters to fail this particular skill by allowing them to panic and not pulling them out. My thoughts are the failure would be to pull them out and build that falsehood that help is always going to be right there. The basics are simple and plain if and when you get jammed because if your a firefighter going into structure fires you will, its simple you panic you could very well DIE! Yes I said it! Its a harsh reality,  but true. You have to have a survival attitude and training to go along with it. So I ask you the fire service where is the failure. Is failure allowing firefighters to be pulled out because they panic, or Failure not to let them panic and hammer the point home?

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/07/failure-during-training/feed/ 5 The Greedy Ones http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/the-greedy-ones/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/the-greedy-ones/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:30:24 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1730 Over the past couple of weeks I have become very disheartend with the fire service in my local area. I have realized that there is a lot of  lip service paid to Doing the Right Thing, but very little action as to which. The dishearting comes from the lack of truly sharing resources and information. Even though I have been in the fire service very long when I started thirteen years ago it was expected and acted upon when you had information or were doing a training, that it was going to be shared so as many firefighters as possible could be affected. Now with that being said the Greedy Ones and in this case Greed is not Good. The belief I was given coming up in the fire service and still believe today is share the information, share the training so that many can be affected not just your particular group or agency. Do the days no longer exsist of if I got it you got it. It appears that firefighters now use the mentality of the fish from the movie Finding Nemo Mine! Mine Mine! Who are you? Where did you come from? Last time I checked that ain’t the Brother/Sisterhood I knew or know and/or want to be apart of. My point is as you go out and find new information and you know its validated and correct share it with the masses it does you know good trapped up inside that head of yours.

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/the-greedy-ones/feed/ 4 Kicking Cancer: Daughter of Rock Hill (SC) FD Captain Needs Support – Fire Engineering http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/kicking-cancer-daughter-of-rock-hill-sc-fd-captain-needs-support-fire-engineering/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/kicking-cancer-daughter-of-rock-hill-sc-fd-captain-needs-support-fire-engineering/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:50:26 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1772 Kicking Cancer: Daughter of Rock Hill (SC) FD Captain Needs Support – Fire Engineering.

Please click on this link and help this Brother in need and his little girl. We have order several flash hoods as of this evening.

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/kicking-cancer-daughter-of-rock-hill-sc-fd-captain-needs-support-fire-engineering/feed/ 1 Drilling vs Training http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/drilling-vs-training/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/drilling-vs-training/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:03:10 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1750 As the fire service seems to grow younger, there seems to be a lack of understanding in drilling and then training. Some have the mindset that drilling means training and vice-versa and they would not be far off the mark. However, you have to train before you Drill.

Drills are a series of exercise that provide insight into how well you took in the instruction on a particular skill set (s ) being taught.

Training is just that, training on those skill set ( s ) to gain mastery. Often times now I see the cart put before the horse, and drills are conducted poorly companies perform poorly. When you want firefighters to gain a particular skill set they must be trained to perform and then evaluated through a series of drills.

So I ask you do you train before you drill or are you drilling all the time?

]]> http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/drilling-vs-training/feed/ 0 Investing and Not in a 401 K http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/investing-and-not-in-a-401-k/ http://firefighterbasics.com/2011/06/investing-and-not-in-a-401-k/#comments Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:40:23 +0000 firestudent1 http://firefighterbasics.com/?p=1726 I have written on this topic before but, I feel that it is even more important now. In a time when the Fire Service is under attack by the political hacks who are suppose to be servants of the people, our budgets are being cut and what area normally suffers first is training.  Firefighters are innovative by nature but were spoiled when times were better. Paid firefighters often criticize our volunteer brothers for giving of their time freely but, I employ you to see the lesson in their service. The lesson is investing in yourself. Finding a way to make it happen.  A good friend of mine, once a shining star in the NFL, told me during a discussion over dinner that Pro Athletes are relentless in their pursuit of their goal to make it to their respective leagues. Meaning they don’t just quit because practice is over and they are committed to spending whatever is necessary to go to camps and/or strength in conditioning tool. My point is they are constantly investing in themselves to achieve the optimum performance they expect of themselves. Firefighters have to make that same sacrifice in order to achieve the excellence we swore to provide when we took our oath or accepted the badge.  Even while not get raises and insurance cost on the rise, we have to find our way to increase our training no matter what. The Fire Service is becoming a youthful service and providing realistic and relevant training couldn’t be more important. What I’m getting at is we must be willing to reach into our own pockets to build necessary props and travel to training such as FDIC. I’m not saying the fire department is off the hook for training just saying we can’t sit around crying about what we don’ t have because truth be told we never had a lot before. At least not to adequate levels. So I ask again, will you be willing to invest in yourself? It is up to you to give yourself that edge you are looking for when on the fire ground or during promotional testing. What KSA’s will you bring to the table? Ever wonder why that guy you think is a know it all always has something to say or appears to know just about everything? It is because they invest in themselves. They are the folks who drool at the sight of the new Fire Engineering Books Catalog. They are the guys whom pay for the conferences and spend their vacations on doing fire service related things. Sure their are some who could just never shut up and when challenged can’t produce but what about the person who can? Every asked yourself why?

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