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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

What about the Brother’s Collyer?

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We hear the term “Collyer’s Mansion conditions” thrown around a lot.  As soon as you hear it visions of crap piled floor to ceiling pop into your mind.  With good reason, the Collyer brothers really set the bar in the hoarding game.  If you want to know more about them go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collyer_brothers

This type of hoarding really didn’t start getting properly identified until the turn of this century.  It was mostly thought of as a form of OCD, which most often it is not.  The diagnosis of hoarding is still being determined.  The current diagnostic criteria for hoarding is still just a proposal for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , or DSM-V which is due in May this year.  It is a VERY complicated mental issue, but, that is not our concern.  Our concern as firefighters is the well being of the neighborhood first and the hoarder’s well being second.

There are more ways to classify hoarders than anyone can imagine: Pure Hoarding, Hoarding plus OCD, organized hoarder, Common hoarder, animal hoarder, etc, etc… Just to show that this phenomenon is still not understood.  Either way 3-5% of the population can be diagnosed with some type of hoarding disorder (#1)

When we come across a property that looks like it’s occupied by a hoarder the first thing to remember is that  this is a private residence and it is not up to us to dictate how someone should maintain their home. It is first and foremost a legal minefield that we just stepped into.

DO NOT JUDGE.  The Mayo Clinic says many hoarders have limited social interactions (#2) and we most likely will put them on the defensive right away and reduce any chance of remedying the problem.  The 2 that I have had to deal with I walked through the property and acted like it was normal,  asked them about social interactions and family.  I also asked them if they had smoke detectors and what was their plan to exit in case of a fire.

Asking around the firehouse I’ve come up with 8-10 stories involving hoarders.  Most of them did not end well for the homeowner.  Most of them involved the home owner dying and the neighbor calling because of the smell.  A couple of the stories involved fires, one of them the occupant was not found until a week after the fire, buried under the stuff she had acquired.

If you have to write them up for something remember to not make it an issue about them or the stuff, but make it about the threat to the neighborhood.  Our most recent hoarder lives in a single family home.  We got called to the house because of a repair man he had at the house called 911 to complain.  I advised the homeowner to make sure all exits were easy to use in case he had a medical emergency or if there was a fire.  Honestly there is very little benefit in writing up an 81 year old man for hoarding. mainly because there is no law, and secondly because it will not accomplish anything.  I also reported him to the “Hoarding task force” that the city runs because they are better equipped to handle these things.

  I have joined my city’s Hoarding Task Force and I’ll have more info shortly.

 

#1 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.20797/abstract

#2 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hoarding/DS00966/DSECTION=symptoms

Posted in fire-rescue-topics, Thoughts, Uncategorized

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February 26, 2013 • 1 comment

“He writes his own headlines”

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What does “Writing his own headlines” mean?  That’s when someone spends so much time thinking about how this is going to look in the news they forget they have to do the work before the story gets written.

Example:

“Hey Lt Can I borrow one of your guys for this medical call?  My guy is cooking supper.”

“Of course, no problem” was my reply.

1/2 hour later both companies get a call for a Central Station Alarm, and the cook shows up on his piece to go.  When we return the cook asks my guy to cover for him again.  I say No.  He says “But how can you let US run short?”

I understand the cook is doing something for the benefit of everyone in the house that’s why I have no problem running short if his boss does have a problem running short.  My guys are not here to fill in so you can cherry pick your calls, either we cover you or we don’t.  So, in order to prevent digressing into an all out rant, let me be a bit more positive.  Or try.  All companies are equally important in the fire service.  If a company was not needed believe me the bean counters would close it.

If you think that chasing the beeping boxes all day downtown makes you a more important firefighter than the firefighter that works in the retirement firehouse in the affluent neighborhood, you are wrong.  It’s just your job, volunteer or paid.  For the paid guys who think they are more important than the vollies ask the residents of Breezy Point about how important their volunteer companies are.

What makes a company more important than another one?  Nothing on a day to day basis. No resident cares as long as someone shows up.

Knowing your job and doing your job when it matters makes you a BETTER company, more PREPARED Company.  I’m sick of hearing about the “Elite” companies that just drew a short straw that one time. EVERY TIME. Wow, the “Elite” company has a straight up figure eight in the feeder….. that IS awesome.

You know what, I’m going to go negative.  It’ll be more fun this way.  Here is a short list of ways to tell if your company is spending more time writing their own headlines then they are making the story worth reading.  Please feel free to add your own.

1. Oh jeez!  I thought Stedman Court was off Stedman Ave, why would it be 3 blocks away?

2. If you can get to the address, but not to the fire.

3. If you can get to the roof, but dog gone it that guy yesterday didn’t fill the saw.

4. If you know what every other Fire Company did at the incident.

5. If you know what every other Fire Company did WRONG at the incident.

6. What the hell is he checking that tool for?  We never use it.  He must be new.

7. I didn’t know they were building this massive apartment complex in my district.  Those lazy Fire Prevention guys should have told us.

8. We don’t need training, they do.

9. Look at them wearing their equipment while investigating.  Are they afraid of fire or something? It’s just an alarm.

10.  Its not our fault the piece is all beat up.  It’s too big for our district, the city should have thought of that.

Maybe you should have a look in the mirror and see what is really there.  You cannot be that unlucky, maybe you just suck at this.  There is hope, and training is the light at the end of the excuse tunnel. If something is going wrong every time you go out and it always seems to be someone else’s fault, um, sorry but it’s not them…it’s you.

Let’s do the Jeff Foxworthy thing; “You might be writing your own headlines if;”….

 

Posted in Motivation, Thoughts

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January 16, 2013 • 1 comment

I’m Sorry If It’s Too Loud

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Okay, so I know that it’s been a while since I have last posted, so I thought I’d start with a short one as I dust off my keyboard. This story occured a few months ago, and I have been meaning to share it, but haven’t gotten around to it, until now. One thing that I have always advocated to everyone is the standard morning checks of one’s equipment prior to starting the shift. In addition to the standard SCBA checks of checking the bottle, turning it on and hearing a PASS device arm, I also allow my PASS to alarm after the 30 second time out. Once it alarms, I silence it, then re-activated it by pushing the manual activation button before silencing it for good. Upon completing this ritual, a “senior” firefighter came up to me and said, “You know that’s pretty loud, right?”
Of course, my reponse went something like this, “Well ya, I think it’s supposed to be, right? So when I fall through a floor, someone may hear it and help me, right?”
Thus, he replied, “Well, you don’t have to check it every morning, the things do work, and they are pretty loud in the morning. Do you really think it’s necessary to go that far in your checks, that is why we carry radios, so you can call the Mayday if you need it.”
Well, I had to leave it at that, because I was clearly not going to change this firefighter’s mindset, yet still knowing that I am in the right. I also elaborated to him that there are only 2 things on the fireground that I can control which could save my life: My PASS device and my radio, which was another thing he didn’t seem to understand. I always change my own battery in the morning at shift change, and tell my guys to get in this habit as well. This way, you know you are startign fresh in the morning, and not depending on someone else to do it for you. I know in many departments and companies have a good policy of the chauffer doing this job, but I still recommend taking the additional 30 seconds to make sure yourself that you are ready to go to work. No one else is responsible for your life, but you. Anyways, in closing, take a few extra minutes and really go over the equipment that could mean the difference between being heard and saved versus not working and being dead. We can only hope that this culture of safety will continue, and that we can contiue to lower the LODDs in this country every year we think this way.
-Ladder Jack

Posted in Drills, Education/Training, Engine Tips, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, LODD, Thoughts, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Truck Tips, Uncategorized

October 25, 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

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

Five 4 Friday

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Just a few rants for the week

  1. Don’t assume because a firefighters career has been prodominatly in the South that they are stupid
  2. When fighting commercial structures always secure two water supplies
  3. When you decide to promote up does not mean you have to be a jerk, but it does mean you have to do your job
  4. stay in the best physical condition possible or the stairs you have to climb will tell on you
  5. When you are truly the best running your mouth does not display, but performance will tell

Fell free to add to the list and vent. No names, but feel free to let go

Posted in firefighter-safety-health, Thoughts

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July 13, 2012 • 1 comment

Happy 4th of July!

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Thank you to all our Military personnel. Our Freedom exsist because of you!

Posted in news, Thoughts

July 4, 2012 • No comments

10,000 Hours?!

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How do some firefighters get really good at their job and some, well, not so much. I was just perusing Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” and one of the focuses of the book is the 10,000 hour rule to become an expert or successful. I don’t plan on reading the book, but I’ve heard this 10,000 hour number before.

10,000 hours….

5 years full time employment (40hrs a week)

10 years part time

For the average firefighter that may take an hour a shift to check the piece; 64 years, if you do 3 shifts per week

OUCH! And that is just operating the piece and the equipment on it, not RIT training, not roof operations, not EMS skills, not fitness all of which a firefighter should be an expert at. Or is it 10,000 hours of “firefighter job related stuff”? Either way, I’m nowhere near it.

Now Gladwell is far from THE authority on the subject, having written about other people’s research and weaving in some interviews for flavor, but the idea is interesting.

I may have brought this up before, but have you ever watched someone at an incident farting around with a power tool like a monkey fornicating a football? Don’t you just think “Come on guy, the switch is still off”? How much time has he spent with that saw? How many hours? Minutes? He is acting like it’s his first time.

We ran a 2 1/2″ line in an attempt to fill our local pond on my last shift. The crew was all experienced and professional and I would consider a most of them to be experts. I asked for a solid stream (built into the nozzle) we had an issue finding it, when the hydrant was charged it gave the line too much pressure, We had a difficult time with apparatus placement to have an easy escape in order to stay available for responses.

The placement issue was all me. It was a silly new officer mistake. I try not to micro manage so I let the driver pick the placement based on my requirements, now I know better. The line problems were just rust. Not equipment rust, but firefighter rust. I know they are good at their jobs, it was a good refresher for all. The total delay or inconvenience was negligible and barely noticeable to anyone watching but everyone involved knew what happened and how to fix it.

When we were harassing each other about it later one of the younger firefighters ask what we were talking about and why it was an issue. So I see we need to do it again and get him a little closer to the 10,000.

Every time you put your hands on that piece of equipment you are learning something about it. All those little things that make checking the piece faster and easier for you also make you more familiar with it. The more familiar you are, the better you are but also the more complacent you become, not getting into that today.

Do I think the saw needs to be checked every day to be maintained? No. I do think it needs to be checked every day to maintain our readiness and competency with it. I can understand getting rusty with a 2 1/2″ line, 75% of our work is handled with an 1 3/4″, but there is no excuse for not knowing your saw, ladder, EMS equipment.

Are you going to get 10,000 hours of training and become an “expert”? I doubt it. Most of us have long passed the expert level at sleeping or channel surfing, maybe Grand Master level for some. But the general idea here is that you need to get your hands on that stuff. Get your face in the books.

Become a student of the fire service.

 

Posted in administration-leadership, command-leadership, Drills, Education/Training, Engine Tips, Motivation, Thoughts

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June 28, 2012 • No comments

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment

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I was trying to teach my children about doing quality work and making sure you can put your name on everything you do.  Of course one of them asked “But isn’t that a lot of work?” Yes, yes it is.  But the effort is the biggest part of any job well done.  Like Ghandi said.  Most of the time it’s the struggle that determines if the outcome is desirable or not.  In the fire service if you do good training and drilling you will do good work.

I thought of Rocky Valentine for some reason.  Rocky was the main character in an old 1960’s Twilight Zone episode called “A Nice Placeto Visit”.  Rocky was a career criminal that was gunned down after robbing a pawn shop.  He wakes up to Pip, his new person assistant for the afterlife.  Pip grants every wish Rocky has.  Rocky has amazing luck in this new afterlife, everything works out for him.  He doesn’t have to struggle with anything.  He wins at the casino every time, the ladies love him, his every wish is granted etc…  After a month of this Rocky gets bored and frustrated with everything working out all the time.   He tells Pip “I don’t belong here in Heaven, I want to go to the other place or I’ll go nuts!”  Pip asks him “What makes you think this is Heaven?”

In my new firehouse I go out with the guys and we do a little drill every day.  I’m not a ball buster and I am not trying to test anyone.  We go out as a crew and do something.

The last time we went out was to run the deck gun.  Nothing fancy, run water and play with tip sizes and talk scenarios and water flow.  One guy has been on for 3 years and that was his first time operating the deck gun.  I have to wonder when the previous officer expected this firefighter to learn this basic skill.  I can guarantee if they went to a surround and drown and that firefighter could not get the deck gun going the officer would lose his mind.

A firefighter I worked with months ago called me to complain that a firefighter that just transferred in ran the line around the stair case instead of up the center; they ran out of line short of the fire.  Tragic.  So now if we are out on a call and see some funky access or architectural oddities I ask the crew how they would handle it.

I’m not an engine guy so I am most definitely learning while we do it. But we are doing it.  When it comes time for us to work, we will work and hopefully it’ll work out right.  Other companies that I have worked at like to sit back and talk about the fires they had.

You are only as good as your last fire, right?  What about your next fire? What about the satisfaction of a job well done?

I think the deck gun qualifies as a basic firefighter skill.  I think shagging a line qualifies as a basic skill also.  Do you really want to be known as the company that messed up a BASIC skill?  Advanced stuff and the once in a lifetime things are fun to prepare for but if you mess up a basic skill on the fire ground you will wear that mistake forever.

 

 

Posted in command-leadership, Drills, Motivation, Thoughts

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June 7, 2012 • No comments

WHY?

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Hey everyone, I’m back like a really bad habit! How often in your next tour will you as a fireman or a company officer hear the word “Why” come out of a members mouth? This word can be good, bad, or just downright insubordinate. This is my getting back in the grove, so this will be short, but for anyone that knows me at all, much more is coming on this issue! Drillmaster’s challenge is simple. Count the “Why’s” your next tour, keep track positive or negative. Let me know and we are off to the races! I’m back, more opinionated as ever Brothers! Always remember those who came before us on this Memorial Day Weekend! we are our Brothers Keepers!

Posted in administration-leadership, command-leadership, firefighter-safety-health, Motivation, Thoughts

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May 27, 2012 • 2 comments

Legacy Tactics Part II by Training 38

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So what does it take, to effectively manage a scene and not be labeled as a “Legacy” department?

First, you must understand your response area, resource availability and the ability of your personnel.

Secondly, once you arrive on scene, paint the picture gives a “Windshield size-up”. Then you must exit the vehicle and conduct a 360 degree walk-around. If the Incident Commander does not complete the initial walk around, a seasoned firefighter or officer must complete the walk-around. They will know what they are looking for and be able to relay the critical information to the incident commander via radio or face to face. During the walk-around, scene observations are made, roof line, initial smoke and fire conditions. Reading smoke is critical.

Next, the incident commander must quickly develop a plan. One that weighs Risk vs. Benefits. Once the plan has been established, ACCOUNTABILITY has to be established and utilized. ACCOUNTABILITY has been a façade for many departments that acted as a security blanket for years.  Tactics have to be given, in order of priority based on the fire ground priorities/strategies. Once these tactics have been thought of and handed down to the company level will then employ functional assignments/tasks.

Communication from the crews to the Incident Commander or Operations sector and communications from the Incident Commander or Operations sector to the crews has to be a priority. This is the only way to achieve better accountability.  Benchmarks have to be utilized by using a checklist (Tactical Priorities). These bench marks will drive the overall tactics, which in turn will cause the incident commander to reevaluate their strategies.

This will not be foreign material to “Modern” departments, however “Legacy” departments will be at a loss with the information and the mind set of what has to be accomplished.

I commend those that are a “Modern” department and I pray for those that are still a “Legacy” department. There is more at stake than an ego and hiding behind the “It’s always been done that way” attitude. Families, communities and organizations are at stake. If you are an officer and want to gamble, go to Vegas or Atlantic City. Don’t gamble within your own department.  If you don’t want to stand up for your safety, your family’s safety and change within the department. Then do the fire service a favor and change professions and allow someone else who is willing to affect change to take your place. Start early with young firefighters, introduce them to the NFPA standards, professional journals, well grounded web sites. Learning never stops and more than ever, we as a fire service cannot sit idle by as hydrocarbon based materials become more and more volitile and building construction becomes more lightweight/deadly.

Posted in Building Construction, command-leadership, Education/Training, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Thoughts, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics

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May 17, 2012 • 3 comments

Legacy Tactics Part I by Training 38

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I have viewed the “Legacy vs. Modern Room” video that was done by NIST a dozen times. Every time I watch the video, I wonder how many departments are still operating as a “Legacy” department with tactics. Strategies have pretty much stayed the same throughout time, Life Safety, Incident Stabilization and Property Conservation. The last two always seem to switch based on what we as a fire service has presented to us upon arrival.

“Legacy” departments have not stayed up with building construction, fuel loading and validated articles, classes or the NFPA standards. When I started my career almost twenty years ago, NFPA standards were just a number on a label in the gear. Little did I realize back then, what they really meant or how few actually pertained to firefighting. In the recent years, 2in/2out, Rules of Air Management, Rapid Intervention Teams, Manning standards have hit the fire service. Understanding that these documents are national consensus standards and not law or regulation is a hard thing to swallow. The fire service has seen some major advances in the quality of PPE and apparatus design. However, this comes with a cost. The first thing you probably thought of was cost. Let’s look past the cost and look at how many departments don’t know that these documents even exist. This is the start of the “Legacy” department.

In recent years, NIST and UL have done extensive research on room by room comparisons, fuel loading, burn through times and even what can be accomplished tactically from a 5 person crew down to a 2 person crew.  NIST and UL have been major advocates in promoting firefighter safety.  When you view the videos and can’t see what has been done for the fire service with the research, well then, please don’t play the part of the incident commander.

Numerous articles have been published in recent years with some very solid research that has had a major impact on the fire service as a whole. Articles dealing with building construction, effects of fog stream nozzles, positioning, command and control. There are numerous reputable professional journals that are on the market today, that if you say you can’t find the information that you are looking for, then you are not looking. The internet has allowed us to watch some very interesting videos and well some less that desired tactics and training.  The “Art of Reading Smoke” has become a major part of the fire service. NIOSH reports unfortunately give us history lessons of what does go wrong.  To many NIOSH reports have the same items that seem to have a consistent theme: Command and Control, Communications, Standard Operating Policies and Training.

“Legacy” departments have been put into motion well before the call for service to respond to a working incident ever goes out. Change is not an option. Evaluation of current practices of tactics is not even considered. When these above mentioned items are not considered, read or even researched, the term that runs ramped through the firehouse is “We’ve always done it that way” or “It’s worked like that in the past”.

Why it is then these departments are surprised when something bad happens or even worse a close call occurs and nothing is learned from the incident.

Building construction has to be a driving force into our tactics. As materials become more lightweight and cost effective, benchmarks have to become part of our everyday fire scenes. Checklists have to be used to make sure that we are still on track and not deviating from firefighter safety and survival. “Legacy” department’s incident commanders and members will have denial and frustration. Why, because the admittance of being labeled as a “Legacy” department means there is a lot of catching up to do and a lot of changes that need changing. The likely hood of these departments truly changing is slim to none. Now I am sure there are some that will change. But, understand this cultural change. The “Legacy” departments will not even understand the 16 Rules of Engagement for the Incident Commander and the firefighters will not understand the 11 Rules of Engagement for Firefighter Safety published by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Departments do not want to admit how the lack the resources, knowledge or procedures to change. Firefighters will not understand in a “Legacy” department what they are doing wrong or what they need to be looking for.

Posted in Building Construction, command-leadership, Education/Training, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, Thoughts, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics

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May 14, 2012 • 3 comments

R.I.T Friend or Foe

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The discussion of Rapid Intervention continued to come  up among various groups. So from my vantage point R.I.T is both a Crutch and a Foe. I see as I go on vacation and travel for departments who have a solid grasp on training dictates the outcome of your operations where RIT is truly a service provided for when an incident happens the IC has his Spec Ops team to ensure everyone goes home. Now my problem is the department who leans on RIT as a crutch when providing poor fire ground operations, and/or not wanting to address reckless behavior on the fire ground. So my question are we so focused now on saving our own that we now don’t see training on the basics as the prevention needed to successfully make rapid intervention the most boring job on the fire ground?

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

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May 7, 2012 • 2 comments

The Elite Company

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Often times fire companies will start to come together but start going in the wrong direction due to poor leadership or lack thereof. Members of the company will start to believe their own self made hype and will began to put distance between them and other members of the department. To become truly elite it takes Years of Service, Calls for Service, Training and Humility. Over time the members of the company must prove themselves worthy of the title of Elite given to them by their Brothers and Sisters as they test their Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities each day.  When companies take time to develop, stay low key, work hard and become a value to everyone through Service and Brotherhood they will be looked as Elite. A company’s success is not based upon one person(s) it is a company’s ability to grow, stay progressive and deliver quality service to all. To anyone reading this and find it offensive you, may fit the bill. You can correct this issue by coming back to earth and earning the respect back of your peers and doing your part.

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April 24, 2012 • No comments

Happy New Year From Firefighter Basics!

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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.

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January 4, 2012 • No comments

Kicking Cancer: Daughter of Rock Hill (SC) FD Captain Needs Support – Fire Engineering

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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.

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June 23, 2011 • 1 comment

Mother-in-Law is back in town

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 Well, my wife’s mom is back in town.  My kids are excited that they would now get more help with their homework.Grandma was an elementary school teacher for 40 odd years before retiring to focus on her true passion; making my life miserable. 

 I found it interesting that they would look forward to her arrival because last time she was here they actually asked me “When is she leaving, nothing is goood enough for her?”.  I can only imagine they LIKE her high standards.  They really do want people to ask more of them. 

So, in an attempt to make this relevant to the fire service….I went to my next assignment as a rental officer the other day.   No big deal I know these guys, and they know me.  I’ve worked with them at incidents before and done training with them.  Before I could get through my first cup of coffee one of my new, and temporary, crew asked me about elevator incidents.  I told him we could go out that day and see a few different types and go over some basics.  He said “That’s why I asked you.  I knew you’d take us out and show us.” 

 The boss of the house also seemed pleased to have me on his company.  He hinted at the fact that I did not get the best group in the house and that others may have refused the spot because of the crew.  I could care less who I get, I have a job to do and they are part of it.  I partially believe that a “bad” crew is a reflection of the officer. 

We took the chain saw apart and visited the elevators at the nearest mass transit stop on the first day. The next tour we went to a high rise under construction for a preplan, a couple of the guys didn’t know the site was going on, let alone in their district.

We will see how long before they get tired of me and ask “when are you leaving, nothing is good enough for you?”

Stay Safe.

Posted in Thoughts

June 17, 2011 • No comments

“Brother,” …It’s More Than Just a Name

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Yesterday, I had the unfortunate pleasure of attending a firefighter’s funeral in the town where I began my fire service career, a little over fourteen years ago. This brave firefighter and family man collapsed suddenly in cardiac arrest, after charging the hydrant for his crew, at a building fire earlier this week. Despite the best efforts of the paramedics on-scene, the fire service has added another name to the long list of firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs).
The purpose behind me writing this column, is to ask the question of what makes up “The Brotherhood?” Many of us hear those words sang around the kitchen table while sipping our coffee, or when someone needs a hand putting a roof on their house over a weekend; but has the title of “Brother” lost its meaning? Does it really make a difference if the firefighter was a paid/ career firefighter, or if they were a call/ volunteer firefighter? In the case of this LODD, the firefighter was a volunteer, from a department of about two-hundred.
I ask this question, only because of how disappointed I felt because of the turn-out, while standing in the pouring rain on a 4o degree day, paying my respects to this firefighter. Having attended too many firefighter funerals to count, I know of the usual turn-out, and how many people usually make these events. This funeral had maybe two-hundred firefighters total, show up. The worst part, to me, was that not even half the membership of this particular department showed up to honor their fallen comrade; and they had mutual aid companies covering the town for the duration of the day. Where was the so-called “brotherhood” then? Was it because of the poor weather conditions? Was it because this firefighter died outside the building, and not inside? Or even worse, was it because he was a volunteer, and not a career firefighter?
Today, I am employed by one of the larger fire departments in the country, but will always remember my humble roots. This is one of the reasons why I would not have missed this funeral. Many people forget that the paid/ career firefighter is in the vast minority within the fire service. “The NFPA estimates that there were approximately 1,148,100 firefighters in the U.S. in 2009. Of the total number of firefighters 335,950 or 29% were career firefighters and 812,150 (71%) were volunteer firefighters” (Karter, 2010). It is the volunteer fire service that protects the greatest majority of this country. I am also confident that the majority of the readers of this article would fall into this category, as well.
Most of us are aware, but maybe forget, that the funeral is not for the man or woman being carried on the back of the fire engine; but is for the family members who make just as great a sacrifice in their loss of their loved one. You can see it in their eyes, when they walk by the saluting masses or when they follow the casket for its final ride to the cemetery in the limo; and standing tall are hundreds to thousands of firefighters saying their farewells. Even with the low turn-out to yesterday’s ceremony, the family still seemed thankful for the support of their loved one’s fellow firefighters.
As of today, there have been thirty-one LODDs in the United States (USFA, 2011). We still lose, on average, around one-hundred firefighters every year, due to firefighting operations. Approximately forty to fifty percent of those are due to cardiac-related issues, and that figure has remained constant for over a decade. The United States Fire Administration’s (USFA) 2009 Annual report on firefighter fatalities showed that within the ninety firefighter fatalities, forty-seven were volunteers, with thirty-six being career and 7 were wildland agency firefighters (USFA, 2011). This still shows that volunteers incur the greatest amount of LODDs within the fire service; so why would the turn-out to one of their funerals be any less than a member of their paid/ career counterparts?
When someone calls me their “Brother,” I usually have to take it with a grain of salt. It used to be that I could consider any other firefighter “My Brother,” but those days are slowly drifting away. The fire service is slowly forgetting how united we once, and always were; it truly was a family. Many of us could probably boast about being closer to some of our co-workers, than our own blood relatives. Where did this go? Yesterday opened my eyes further to the chasm that is slowly dividing more and more of us each day. Is one firefighter’s death less important than another’s, because he volunteered his time versus making it a career? Because he died providing one of the most essential functions on the fireground, water supply, and not hugging the nozzle or being disoriented on an upper floor?
When I joined the fire service over fourteen years ago, I remember a feeling of belonging that few get to experience. It truly was joining another family. It’s this feeling that still drives me to visit some of my old friends in this volunteer fire department. This is the same department that I still go to, to recharge my vigor and zeal for the fire service, when my department has me feeling run-down or frustrated. It’s these men and women that I look into their eyes, and see a true passion for being a firefighter, not just a simple paycheck and pension opportunity. Is this the fire department you joined? If not, I encourage you to be the voice of change. Bring back this fellowship, and remember what this job is really about. Career or volunteer, helping others is the simple task we all swore our lives for. If this doesn’t sound like you, maybe it is time to seek another calling or career. The fire service is one of the strongest and greatest families out there, let’s continue to remember that.

References
Karter, M.J., Stein, G.P. (October, 2010). U.S. Fire Department Profile. National Fire Protection Association.
United States Fire Administration. (2011). Firefighter Casualty Reports & Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/ffmem/ffmem_results.jsp?p_mn_status=1&p_last_name=&p_first_name=&p_fd_city=&p_fd_state_code=&p_death_year=2011

Posted in in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, LODD, Thoughts, Uncategorized

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May 16, 2011 • 5 comments

Tech rescue rant…

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Ok, let’s talk technical rescue for a minute.  High risk/low frequency. 

 Will you get one in your town?  Yes.

Will you be able to identify it for what it is?  Probably not.

Will you get hurt at this incident?  If you’re lucky, yes.  If unlucky, you’ll die.

I’m not good at drama, that’s as close as I can get.  My gripe and or whininess stems from training with people FOR YEARS and the minute they get a technical rescue they forget most of their training.  I don’t care if you can tie a knot.  I don’t care if you know a good way to attempt the rescue safely.  I do care that you at least give a crap about your own safety and wear your damn safety equipment the same way you do EVERY TIME WE TRAIN.

Fire helmets are not for tech rescue they are bulky and extremely top heavy, your neck muscles wear out fast if you are not standing upright the entire time.  Hell, your neck gets tired if you ARE standing up.  When you are in a hole, on a wall or have climbed into some odd place you want a lighter helmet, and my department has them available.  Yes, my favorite line from guys is “I’m a firefighter, I wear a fire helmet”  Awesome, go over there, distract the cameras by modeling your helmet and wait for a fire to break out near here, because you aren’t going anywhere till this job is done.

Command staff, do me this one little favor; TAKE COMMAND!  That’s right, you spent half of your lifetime to get that white coat, now use it.  You know your men.  You know better than to send the best guy over the edge leaving you with second best to get him and the victim out.  You know better than to leave your guys in a hole for 2 hours while 20 guys wait around the top.  Make it happen.  Rotate your men, a decent technician will not quit until forced to. 

What about this zone thing, what is it called.  Oh yeah!  Hot, Warm, Cold.  Get the men/women back.  They are professionals, they can handle it.  The crew should not look like a bunch of rubber-neckers that stopped and got out of their cars to stare.  Things need to get done, lots of things.

OK, let me stop and move onto something informative. 

 Thanks to Wikipedia we have this: 

Technical rescue refers to those aspects of saving life or property that employ the use of tools and skills that exceed those normally reserved for fire fighting, medical emergency, and rescue. These disciplines include rope rescue, swiftwater rescue, confined space rescue, ski rescue, cave rescue, trench/excavation rescue, and building collapse rescue, among others… Often involving multiple jurisdictions.

Hmmm, sounds bad. Lets see the numbers here.  Are you trained to the “would be rescuer” standard or “professional rescuer”?

Confined space 60% of deaths were “would be rescuers”.

Swift water 50% “would be rescuer”

Trench 65% “would be rescuer”

Not to beat history to death but from Mexico City in 1985 on through Oklahoma city 1995 and through more “modern” times like Katrina, ”would be rescuers” die frequently at technical rescue operations because they don’t know the dangers.

So I wonder, if you are a “professional rescuer” shouldn’t you act like it?  Sure you’re a macho tough guy, but really? Are you more concerned about “saving” a dead body than protecting your own life?

 60% of  ”would be rescuers” are killed in technical rescue operations.  Don’t you owe it to your family or co-workers to at least know when to set the brakeand wait for the knowledgeable guys to show up?  Even if they SUCK to deal with, you live and get to continue working.  Tough guy get’s to show off, and everybody gets to go home.

Fires= go fast

Tech rescue= wait a minute…

Stay safe.

Posted in command-leadership, Education/Training, major-incidents, rescues, Thoughts

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April 18, 2011 • 4 comments

Automatic Aid, Mutual Aid, and Consolidation Nothing New

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Nothing pisses me off more than ego trips that could potential kill firefighters, and Civilians. I have been reading lately about Fire Service Administrators ( Not Leaders ) there is a significant difference that like to play the ignorance card when it comes to putting the best foot forward when it comes to providing emergency service to the public. It is not a secret and it is not frowned upon to use any of the three componets listed in our title. I can hear the older firefighters now we had firefighters back in our day. We fought fire with four guys and we got it done. Well hats off to you sir and glad you made it this far, but this is not your old fires. I will not bore you with the rambling of how many people it effectively takes to get the job done and still save a little something for the next alarm, but I will say to every Administrator ( City Mangers, Chiefs, and other politicans ) I do hope that the public starts to sue the hell out of you for your ignorance. In fact if a firefighter or civilian dies I hope you get jail time for your neglect. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Firefighters it is time to stand up for yourselves and stop allowing your lives to be put in jeporadry for someones ego. All of the above are not new ideas and its about damn time someone else brings the subject to light.

Posted in fire-rescue-topics, Thoughts

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March 28, 2011 • 2 comments

Not Attending FDIC? If not tell us what your doing this week

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While sitting at home feeling sorry for myself about not being at FDIC with all of the other 30,000 brothers and sisters there; A good friend reminded me it is not what they are doing at FDIC, but what are you doing at home to keep yourself sharp.

So I ask you the same. Not attending FDIC? What will you do this week to ensure you are Combat Ready?

Posted in Thoughts, training-fire-rescue-topics

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March 22, 2011 • 1 comment

Am I My Brothers Keeper?

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I’ve been spending some time training the probie lately.  What a good time.  Where does that motivation go?  What should I teach him?  At what point does my “teaching” become “storytelling”? How long before he becomes the next whining lump on the couch?

My goal: Prevent him from becoming a couch creature, ever.

Here’s what I’m telling him;

  1. You are going to hear a lot of different things from different people.  Don’t argue, just agree with them and do it their way for that day.  You will find your own methods, you just aren’t allowed to right now.
  2. If someone doesn’t answer your questions adequately go to your officer or me.  I’ll have time for you; I’ll get you the best answer according to our SOP’s.
  3. Until you prove yourself and/or you are off probation your priorities are as follows; getting here early, checking your personal gear, checking/washing the truck, then house duties, finally you will be the last one to leave at the end of shift, sorry.
  4. When we do drills ask questions after the evolutions, not during.  Then ask for clarification if needed, get it done right during training.  Also during training is when we have time for mistakes and redo’s, not during incidents.
  5. Stay away from the coffee table until you know the first and last names of everyone there, and then sit there quietly until invited into discussion.
  6. Listen to the war stories, but try to find the truth in them.  Try to figure out what was done incorrectly to end up in that situation.  Ask you officer if you have questions, don’t ask the storyteller.
  7. I know you want to learn tech rescue, we’ll get there.  Learn the pump and medical protocols first.  We will get to the rest later.
  8. Make your own opinion about other people and other companies.  Worry about doing YOUR job correctly first.
  9. No naps, don’t park/wash your car in the firehouse, keep your butt in the radio room.

10. These guys are not going to be around when you are 80 years old sitting in a rest home.  Hopefully your family will.  Be Safe, always remember your family when you are at work.

11. Wear your equipment.  Let the “salty dogs” get caught with their pants down, they will have some excuse that makes it someone else’s fault that they weren’t ready, you have none.

12. Always have promotion in the back of your mind.  Find an officer to emulate.  Study, study, study there is a lot to this job and plenty of nationwide opportunities for knowledgeable and motivated personnel.

I’m not a mean guy and there are exceptions to everything, but I think if he follows this general outline he’ll be just fine.  Even if he does make some mistakes I think he’ll be better off then the probie on another group who asked the officer to move his car out of the firehouse so the probie could wash his own car.

Good luck all you new guys.  This is the greatest job.

Be Safe.

Posted in Thoughts, training-fire-rescue-topics

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March 8, 2011 • 1 comment

Proper line placement….

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Article after article is written by many in regards to placing the first line into operation. Since this is one of the most basic fundamentals of being a firefighter, why do we have so much trouble in placing the first line into operation correctly? Is it, because we are moths drawn to a flame? Is it not being able to think on your feet? Is it tunnel vision? Or is it ignorance? We as fire service professionals have to get past the “yanking” it off the truck mentality. Take time when you get to the engine. It doesn’t matter if you call them preconnects, speed-lays or cross-lays. It doesn’t matter what load is carried. One thing that all fire hose loads have in common is they will all become a big pile of spaghetti and have multiple kinks in the line if not deployed correctly.

One simple maneuver will help the deployment and actually speed the process and prevent frustration. Pull the line away from the point of entry (Where you are going to go in and attack the fire). Clear the hose bed, put tension on the line. NOW proceed towards the door. Nothing to in depth here. You may be wondering, well we don’t have a building to train in. Go to the local park. Pick an object that would be the “front” door and deploy your handline. This will give you practice on obstacles and having to size up your deployment. Use the parking lot of the station, use a traffic cone as your point of entry and go in between the parked vehicles. Go to a new house being built and talk with the crews. Explain what you want to do and see if they will let you deploy your handlines. Let them know it is all outside work. Obstacles are good practice, because we never ever encounter obstacles on the fireground. Empty parking lots never allow us the chance to practice around obstacles. If you have a burn building or training tower then great. Practice outside/inside hose advances. If you don’t have either of those. Then use the apparatus bays. You see where I am going with this. These aren’t three hour drills. These are quick drills that 4 or 5 people can accomplish in an hour to an hour and a half with everyone getting their chance to pull line. Even the officer and engineer needs to have a little hands on time.

Why, you ask? Keep in mind that “Murphy’s Law” will come into play somewhere during the working fire. Remember that selecting the appropriate sized hose line is important. Putting the line into operation without a hitch is even more important.

Posted in Thoughts, training-development

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February 21, 2011 • 1 comment

Advice to all Probies

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The latest crop of future leaders emerged from the physically and mentally demanding fire academy 1 week ago.  First off; Congratulations, and great job. Welcome to the best job on Earth.

Now that we got past that “LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING KID…“:

1.Forget EVERYTHING you learned in the academy.  Those book smart idiots don’t know shit about how real firefighters work.

2. Top priority everyday is to make sure the coffee is made.  Get your equipment ready after that.

3. Learning your streets is your second priority after the coffee.  I know you aren’t allowed behind the wheel for a year but you need to know all the streets right now.  Where’s Action Court?  Ha, Wrong!  It’s a street off Action Road that doesn’t have any buildings on it, actually it’s just a named driveway, learn your streets kid.

4. Never leave the truck without a tool.  if it’s a minor car accident bring the pick head axe.  The ambulance drivers can do the medical crap, that’s beneath us.

5. Always carry the pick head axe when investigating alarms.  It looks cool as hell and you can hit things with it.

6.If you wear your tank while investigating an alarm you are a punk and/or scared.

7. Take that suspension and ear flap crap out of your helmet.  You look stupid.  As a matter of fact we could put in the oven for a couple of minutes and take that shine off.

8.In order to be a more streamlined and effective firefighter you have to control your weight.  Dump the search rope, pliers, cable cutters.  Take the liner out of your Bunker pants.  You already have an integrated pass so get rid of that stand alone nonsense.  Now let’s get some cake and watch Wheel of Fortune.

9.Those guys down the street on the west side are so caught up following the book that they forgot they are supposed to be aggressive firefighters.  If you see them stop to catch a hydrant drive around them and we’ll run a line off the tank.  We’ll be alright but if we run out they can fill us.

10. I’ve been on this job so long that I don’t need to check my equipment or the truck.  Besides, the guy yesterday should have done it all.

11. I don’t care if you are a grown man who did 3 deployments to Afganistan as a combat medic.  You don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m a better medic than you’ll every be.

12.  “There I was at that 4 alarm fire……Just me….against the Red Devil…..”

This is advice I’ve heard people tell Probies.  Most of these are direct quotes.  The caliber of leadership can sometimes be astounding.

Stay Safe

Posted in command-leadership, Thoughts, training-development, Uncategorized

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February 7, 2011 • 4 comments