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.
Archives for thoughts
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
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;
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Make your own opinion about other people and other companies. Worry about doing YOUR job correctly first.
- 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.
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.
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
We have a “tradition” based firehouse in my city. It is in a busy area with lots of good work to be done. Keeping it “traditional” requires the chain of command to continually assign new recruits (relatives) to this house. So as time has gone on it has developed an “us versus the rest of the department” attitude. A high percent of the firefighters have a small amount of time on the job. The firefighters actively run officers out of the house if they feel the officer is not adequately qualified (related).
So….This is my question to the 3000ish people that read this.
If you as an officer get assigned to this house how do you handle the following:
1. The firefighters in the house.
2. The chain of command that will be overly involved in your day to day business.
3. The overall atmosphere involved.
My answer:
Classic start tight and then go light theory.
We will follow “the book” word for word as much as possible. Document every stupid little infraction. I believe doing this will help keep the in-laws at bay and also have a written history of my and the firefighters actions incase this becomes a bigger issue, which it may.
I would like to go out training as much as possible within the constrains of the written rules. The high frequency of training, pre-fire planning, district familiarization will hopefully keep them focused on the real reason they are at this firehouse 2X’s a week.
We would check the apparatus and do firehouse maintenance as a crew, all members involved, no excuses.
If this plan does not work I’m sure I’ll hear about it. If it does work on the other hand then we can lower the frequency of the additional training.
It sounds a bit romantic and overly simple. Let me know your thoughts.
This title has sat in my draft box for sometime and for good reason. I thought of this title one day while becoming very angry at another Brother. Quite often firefighter’s use the term Brother, but do not really understand the meaning behind what they are saying. It is just the common thing to say and an easy way to fit in. I want you to think about the word Family and then think about what it means to you and how you feel about your family. Now I know everyone did not grow up in a perfect utopia living like the Brady’s or the Huxtables, but for the most part I think the meaning is understood. Often times growing up if you had siblings you probably wanted to kill them, but the flip side of the coin is you would absolutely kill for them. So I pose my first question? Why is it that we allow envy to creep in our departments or firehouses and run rampant? What happen to facing each other if you had a discrepancy and working it out. Often times now it seems firefighters now conspire with others to gang up on one firefighter. Brotherhood/Sisterhood use to mean looking out for each other at all cost and it was an US against the world not each other. When did it become appropriate to criticize a fellow firefighter ever, or even worse, before offering them help with their issue? One of the greatest Traditions the Fire Service has to offer is the lessons of the past, that are now seemingly not getting passed on because the wrong folks are getting put in place, and yet we allow for this to happen time after time by not putting that person in there place or when they first come helping them understand what they have become apart of. In thinking of Brother/Sisterhood, it means no matter what you will be there for each other unconditionally. If I have something you need, it should never be to good for you not to use it. If you just need someone to talk to I should be offering that listening ear. If you are a little short on cash to make the mortgage and I got it, it should be yours no questions asked. With no favors expected in return. Most of all give the gift of knowledge, share what you know. Now I ask you what does Brother/Sisterhood mean to you?
Quite often we take for granted that when we receive intital training on a piece of equipment that it is the gospel, especially if it comes from manufacture. The sad part is the training you receive is just barely enough to get you in trouble. So this drill is to challenge you to truly get familiar with your equipment. I’m going to ask a few questions.
1. Have you read the manuals that come along with the equipment? Most times the answer is no, they were ripped off and thrown in the trash we are firefighters we saw the demo on the equipment we know how to work it.
2. Do you even know if you still have the operators manuals?
3. Now that you read the manuals what did you learn?
4. After learning that you were doing a lot of things shouldn’t have are you sharing it with members in the dept?
5. Will you take this approach from now on.
We truly need to learn our equipment in and out. Push it to its limits during training so you know what kind of performance can be expected on the fire ground. For firefighters that read this post think back to when a piece of equipment didn’t work right or failed. When you went looking for answers what did you find?
When it’s my week to be the operator, I have my own routine. Just like everybody else has their own. I wash the truck and scrub the hard to reach areas that others don’t do. Then I check the oil, the medical equipment and the rest of the equipment in the cab, then I pull it out front and run the pump. By this time the truck is mostly dry and I get a towel and spend the next 30min or so polishing all the chrome and stainless steel.
Well, during the polish time today a junior firefighter comes up and tells me “you don’t have to put so much effort into washing the piece”. What? Did he seriously say that?
Do you remember the horses? Strong, dedicated, fearless and outdated. Horses had a shaky start in the fire service, just like every new technology does, but they took over and dominated for 60 or so years. There are stories of horses dying in the harness. Horses that were sold that still race towards fire alarms. Horses that would find the fire and the hydrants for the firefighters. Great animals. But it came time for them to go. Guess why? Financial reasons. Don’t think you are exempt from that reason, you are currently allowed to be at the firehouse because your city has not YET cut the staffing to you. You are allowed to be here because the current technology that your city has decided to afford requires the current staffing level. So, yes I do have to put so much effort into maintaining the truck because I am grateful to have this job.
Here are a few other reasons I put so much effort into making the truck look good.
1. The neighborhood\d LOVES to see us out in front of the firehouse washing the truck. Far more people stop and look. Far more people bring their kids to look, and more people ask questions about what we do. Hmmm, customer service? Community relations? You pick the category.
2. Cities will cut staffing as they see fit. Not too many of us have to look very far to see evidence of that, right Lawrence Massachusetts, Wilmington Delaware Rescue 1?. If the neighborhood loves you they will fight for you, you can ask Boston Engine 50 about that. So making friends in the neighborhood is a good thing.
3. New sprinkler heads (not so new now) that turn off by themselves have the potential to make the down and dirty job of firefighting all but obsolete. Much like what happened to the horses. Sprinkler heads like Grinnell’s F920C and others may still be working the kinks out, but when they get these things figured out they will change our job. Also sprinklers may eventually be required in ALL properties. Real estate developers are currently fighting sprinkler installation in new construction, but even if they succeed in postponing it, it’s still only a matter of time. By the time a new firefighter today gets near retirement age the job will be far less dangerous, have far fewer members and have a higher scope of practice than it currently does. It will be a different job.
I polish the truck for me, my crew and for every member of my community.
I polish it for the horses.
Stay Safe
I have seen some great post so far about the 2011 firefighter. All great suggestions and I felt like I would contribute to it in my own words. Firefighters in 2011 really need to commit to getting back to the basics. Almost anytime you inquire about a firefighter injury or a firefighter death it was because the basics in some way were not followed. I’m now seeing engine firefighters who are carrying so many tools they can’t commit to the stretch or even worse can’t estimate it. Firefighters claiming to be truckies, but can’t carry and extension ladder by themselves and forget raising it alone. It can’t be said enough that solid engine and truck work are the foundation for a successful fire ground. Firefighters should also start in 2011 to really focus on how modern day practices of building construction are really affecting us. Brothers like Chief Chris Naum, Chief Cline, Chief Dunn, and many others whom if I try to list by name, will run out of room on this post have dedicated there lives to researching and putting out information on how buildings are built and how they behave when involved by fire. It appears by the line of duty deaths and the lack of training during the initial phases of basics fire training. My hope is that the 2011 firefighter will shed the ghost of Bad Tradition, and embrace what is good, and make some good Traditions of there own. It is now time for us to start being the professionals that we are no matter paid, or volunteer; be accountable for our actions and hold each other accountable for our actions and recognize no matter where you are, you are still a firefighter. So for 2011 I hope all firefighters will pledge to become better at our profession and honor those who have gone before us.
When a brand new firefighter starts on the job it is through their first interactions that sets the tone for the type of firefighter they can become. If a firefighter is brought in to an environment, or dare even I say a “Culture”, that provides for education and learning that increases safety for all.
Increasing firefighter safety means getting back to the basics. Basics are things such as training on how to wear your PPE and the limitations that each piece possesses. Knowing the gear you are wearing was designed to release heat and have a greater tear resistance. It is our job as professionals to read the manuals that come along with the turnout gear and understand the material that your turnouts consist of. This is going to require sitting down taking your gear apart, discussing what each part is, and how it protects you. Firefighters need to have a basic understanding of what the outer shell, the moisture barrier, and thermal barrier really do and how to do maintenance. When breaking down your gear into parts and discussing it, it does not have to be formal but it is training and does have to be educational.
The same has to be done with your SCBA. Check to see if there is a manual available for you to read and if not contact your sales representative or the manufacturer and ask them to get you one. When training with your SCBA ensure that you can put on, take off your SCBA, and handle out of air emergencies. Do you have a pass device on your SCBA? What kind is it? Is the pass device integrated into your SCBA or is it a stand-alone? What kind of batteries does it take and when must they be replaced?
When advancing attack lines know how they are deployed and where to deploy them too. Should there be a second line and where should it go? Should it be right behind the initial line? Should that line be of equal or greater size? Do you pull multiple lines with no water supply? Where is your apparatus placed? Did you leave enough room for the truck? Can you as a firefighter give a size up and recognize fire ground hazards?
In doing a size-up and recognizing fire ground hazards, how well do we know fire behavior? How comfortable do we feel with building construction? These are all factors affecting us on the fire ground. Do you have advanced fire upon arrival? What affect is the fire having on the fire building? What is the smoke telling you?
Every question that I have posed thus far comes down to training.
The only way to know your job is to train, and when you train do it safely.
How do you feel about your training division?
What do you think a training division should do?
Who should be in training?
Tips for a successful training program?
When you first began to study the fire service and its history, one of the first statements you learn is the mission statement. In this mission statement, it states that our top priority is to save lives and then property. When you are attending, your BASIC fire class one of the skills continually repeated is search and rescue. You are taught to get in and search for life whether you are apart of a hose team or just a crew for search and rescue. When operating in a dwelling or building fire you should be conducting search for life if the conditions allow. The reason we are here is to save lives. The Building is secondary. When you are on scene if you are the IC make, sure this basic but critical task is done. If you are a company officer, ask the IC for the assignment if it is not pre-determined. It is never acceptable to find out after the fire has been extinguished that there was a victim inside. When conducting primary searches firefighters must still stick to the basics of right and left hand search patterns; using the tools such as the Halligan, Axe, Hook, and Thermal Imagers to aid finding a trapped occupant. Practice searching as often as you can! I promise you will learn something new all the time. Get the searches done! It is your job!
To Firestudent 1 and Mrs. Firestudent 1, from all of us little helpers, We have the Watch, enjoy the vacation! You deserve it, the SSDD will be around for us all. From all of us at Firefighter Basics, enjoy the ocean. We hope the boats name didn’t start with a T or end in an ANIC! LOL!
Here is a video by Lou that really brings the title to light, but you have to commit to getting the searches done.
What do these two little words mean to you in your life? They have different meanings for all of us I’m sure, but, how much thought do we give to these words in our Professional lives as Firemen and as Brothers
In our everyday lives we are engaged in sports, playing, coaching, watching, etc. We are engaged in our families, by being loving husband or wives, fathers or mothers, watching our children grow into well rounded adults. We own cars, houses, computers, cell phones, you name it, we seem to own it. I’m sure everyone out there could fill the page or pages with more, but what do these two little words mean to us as a Fireman? Look in the mirror and ask yourself, if the same level of engagement and ownership at home, is the same level you put forth, when the bell sounds, if everyone did, this would not have ever been written.
Do you take ownership of the Fire Service? Many of our “brothers” will tell you they do, while they are on that cell phone they own, discussing their secondary job for the next day, in the middle of a light weight building construction class? Think about you and the members you rely on every day. This example is only one of a thousand different examples floating around our Profession.
Is your department, your company, or most importantly you as a Professional Firefighter, regardless, career or volunteer, fully engaged in your Profession for the your tour, however long it might be? Do you train, using relevant training or do or you officers pencil whip it to make everything look in order? Do the officers and the senior members work with the younger, newer members to mentor them, or is that “silly training” we just did a couple months ago? Okay, so what’s your point
Are we as Fireman fully engaged to the job at hand? I say absolutely not for many of us and to me that is unacceptable. Josh Materi, from the Seattle Fire Department put it best. I hope many of you have seen the quote, if not try using that computer you own to search Facebook for it, instead of checking out prospective dates or local pubs. Pay attention to lessons learned by becoming engaged in the recent events going on in our Profession, the rescues in Lowell Mass, wall collapses injuring our Brothers in Detroit, and many more. Become Engaged in our Job, not the fantasy football team you are going up against next Sunday.
Every tour is a training tour; every tour is a learning tour. Fires happen period. We as true Brothers would take a job every shift, but, it doesn’t work out that way. Every time we get on the rig, is a time for us to shine, because we are not being called just to see our smiling faces. We are being called to mitigate someone’s worst day. For those out there that do not like running calls or feel the strong need to drive extra slow to that alarm activation, because you are sure it’s false or we might get disregarded, consider another line of work! This Profession is about so much more than a paycheck and days off. Our Profession is about saving Lives and Property, it is time for all of the Fire Service to stand up look in the mirror and treat Ownership and Engagement as Priority number 1.
No topic today folks. Just let it rip on issues that you feel are affecting the fire service, you in the fire service. your agency.
We have been fortunate here at Firefighter Basics to make a lot of friends of some very well known talented Brothers and some unknown talented Brothers of which all provide training at some level. Whether it is FDIC on down to the Company level in their firehouse. The topic that always occurs or seems to at least is the fact that firefighter’s talk a great game but never want to show up for practice. Firefighters say that want to be the best and want our Profession respected, but is that really true? Do we ourselves really respect our Profession? Do we really work hard at perfecting our craft or do we allow that word that we use called Tradition to continue to be a crutch. Our actions are not imitating our words. It is said that less than 1 percent of the Firefighters in this country are really seeking to be the best at our Profession. I say that strongly because as a good friend put it, ” This ain’t no game. People die in this job. If you think this is a hobby and not a Profession it is just a matter of time before you get someone killed. ” I see Fire Schools and classes getting canceled all around the country for lack of participation. When will we stop looking for a handout and become accountable for ourselves. Sure I agree the department should be seeking to provide great training, but if it is not the responsibility falls on who?
Firefighters need to start being willing to invest in themselves and do everything possible to make it back home at the end of the tour. We are not babies here time to wake up. As I quote the movie ATL ” This grown folk business here “. I ask you to look inside yourself and decide are you ready to make a commitment to yourself, your family, and your Brothers?
Will you be a professional and prepare yourself for the fight. The Choice is yours.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOeUeKi5hG4
Lowell Massachusetts got quite a surprise the other day. They showed up for an alarm and ended up taking 7 people out via ladders. The roof collapsed. The conditions were so bad 1 person jumped, and 1 fatality.
This is a a sad story but a good lesson for firefighters all over. They showed up at 4AM with nothing showing and then all hell broke loose. Lowell did a great job with what they were handed. I wasn’t there, and I cannot say otherwise. But the lesson here is Show Up Ready to Work.
I have 5 reasons for you.
1. Lowell Mass. You DON’T know what’s going on in the building. If you get upstairs and meet a smoke condition what are you going to do? Make the residents wait for rescue because you weren’t prepared? Very unprofessional.
2. It looks professional to the public. Nothing pisses me off more than when we are in contract negotiation season,or any time for that matter, and guys are going in to investigate alarms carrying a pike pole and wearing a T-shirt. I understand you are a salty dog with 3 years on, but at least make it look good for the public. Show them we are ready to work and that we do work hard.
3. It’s in your SOP/SOG. If something happens to you because you were too lazy to wear your gear your department does not have to cover you. NFPA, NIOSH the list goes on and on of agencies that will say it was your fault. Don’t do that to your family.
4. IT’S YOUR JOB! If you call AAA for a jump start and they show up without jumper cables what are you going to think of them? Same thing here. If you get a call for a fire, alarm, etc..and you come running out to get your gear, what is the public going to think of you? Are they going to support any activities your department sponsors, support the city’s purchases of new equipment?
5. If you treat every alarm like it’s a fire one day you’ll be right and everything will go smooth. If you treat every alarm like it’s nothing one day you’ll be wrong and it’ll be a nightmare for all involved.
My take: Show up ready to work, at least put on a show for the locals. If you need your equipment you’ve got it. If you do too many runs to do the job right maybe you should go to a slower house. If the gear is too heavy you should find another line of work.
Good job Lowell, Be safe.
While having a conversation with some veteran Fire Officer’s, the topic of effective communications came up. I often ponder what folks with these fancy degrees, who take a host of speech and communications classes really take away from them. The worst thing that I see administrations do is leave a firefighter’s mind to wonder and guess what is going on. This even applies for the Company Officer. When you get information share it. If it is not a personal issue or personnel matter why are we making information top secret. I do understand that everyone in the fire department does not care to know, but there are many that do. If you are the administrator for the fire department it is imperative if you want your mission to be complete you communicate it to your members. Ensure that they understand in which direction you wanna go in and clear up any misunderstandings. Notice I did not sat they had to agree with it, just understand it and get on board. Most time you will find that if you communicate the information in a logical fashion it will be received very well even if it’s not agreed upon. Communication like I’m speaking of also gains your members trust, and they need to be able to trust that you are looking out for the best interest. So how do we get the information out.
- Monthly newsletter
- Fire Dept Blog site or web based media
- Regular and Special departmental meetings
These are just a few suggestions I’m sure more will be added. What you will find when you control the informational flow things will run a lot smoother. If you look at successful administrations, and company officers they are the one’s who’s member’s are informed, but they are still the one’s controlling the flow.
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