Mainly because it’s better to have them and not need them.

If you ask around Boston Fire you will get 4 common answers.  Most likely after they ask you why a firefighter would even ask a question like that.

1. Why not?

2. It’s a good practice

3. We have to.

4. The Engines can be more aggressive because they know ladders will be in place.

The number one answer was no surprise to me.  But I’ll mix 1 & 2 as essentially the same thing.  Why not throw a lot of ladders? It’s good practice.  Throwing ladders at a fire that is under control gives the real world practice that cannot be duplicated on the training ground.  If the fire is not under control there is no Manpower lost bringing a ladder to the building when the crew is already walking up .  The worst outcome would be the ladder gets laid on the ground near the front of the building so the company can go right in to work.  That ladder will be placed as needed later or put away after the fire.  If the building has sustained a good amount of damage, and you have the manpower, there is no reason to leave the portable ladders on the truck.   You can tell good companies from “not-so-good” companies in the actions they take in the support role. Why does the last engine in bring a big line to front door?  If you need it, it’s there and if you don’t need it, it’s good for the practice.  The companies that show up empty handed or say “we’ll grab it if we need it” don’t do as well as the “we do it every time” companies when it’s time to perform.  In Boston the same thing applies to Truck companies.  If a truck consistently shows up without a ladder they are hard pressed to grab one and throw it when needed, granted they will get it done.  One of the main truck company rules is “If you cannot get your aerial into operation you bring a ladder and put it to the building, your company will have a ladder to the building”.

The 3rd answer “We have to” is not as obvious if you have never been to Boston.  The layout of Boston does not lend itself to having aerials wherever you want them.  The roads in Boston are essentially paved cow paths that meander around terrain features and public grazing areas like Boston Common.  Just like many old cities, Boston’s housing stock  averages 100+ years old, and they were built as close to each other as possible.  The result of that are vast neighborhoods where there are only narrow walkways to access tiny backyards.  These houses have large back porches stacked on top of each other for tenants to hang laundry out and enjoy some fresh air.   Just inside the porch on one side or the other is the rear egress, so when the wooden porches would light up, one means of egress would be taken with it.  Another part of this is that no firefighter wants to be in a building with only one way out, throwing many ladders became a necessity.

Many areas of Boston are made of reclaimed land; hills were scraped down and used to fill in low laying sections of the city. This is not unique to Boston and is very common in other parts of the USA.  The first floor in the front is street level and the back is an additional 1-2 floors down.  This was done so the fill they had would go further by not having to bring all the elevation up, just the street level.  That in itself does not make a difference, but Boston decided that more units would be better than having alleyways or access to the rear of the buildings.  So getting to the rear became a real chore for firefighters. I recall an old timer telling me “We would grab the 40’, go 2 doors down and walk through that unit to get to the rear”.  The idea being the fire may be in the exposure unit but hopefully not extended into the 2nd unit down and it would be quicker to walk through someone’s house than trying to found a way around the buildings.

The average street in Boston usually only allows for 2 aerials to make it to the building, many times, less than that.  Not many sections of the city have the electrical utilities underground, there are not many driveways or garages causing vehicles to block corners and congest the street, these are just a couple of things that make successfully placing an aerial difficult in any city but a particular nuisance in the North East because of the narrow roadways.  When more than 2 aerials can be put into operation, the scene looks like an aerial party with every aerial on scene attempting to get their stick to the roof. Even then you will still find extensive ground ladders to the building.

As for the final answer “Engines can be more aggressive knowing ladders will be placed”, this contributor is on the fence.  I’m not a gambler.  How would an Incident Commander explain to someone’s family if a firefighter got hurt because a ladder was not in place in time?  How do you explain we USUALLY have ladders up pretty quickly, but THIS time we didn’t?  I’m not against this mentality, and know people who have benefited from and firmly believe in it.  A friend was on the first due truck searching the 3^rd floor of what turned into a 4 alarm, 3 building fire when things started to look bad.  The stairway started to look like a less attractive option so his boss said “let’s move to the front windows, there should be a ground ladder up by now”, and there was.  So yes, Boston can be more aggressive knowing the ground ladders are on the way and the engine companies can be bold because they know the trucks will be also.

For Incident commanders in Boston throwing ladders is not an option, getting water and getting ladders to the building go hand in hand.  Many times at fires in Bostonyou will see a guy rolling a ladder from one window to the next or watch someone else move a ladder from the side of a building to the rear.  Do you know why they could do that?  Because the ladders were already there.  You cannot redeploy something that is still on the truck.  Running down the street to get a ladder that you desperately need now only adds time and potential delays.

I enjoy looking at pictures that were taken at fires and asking questions about what I see.  Not Monday morning quarterbacking, learning from what others did.  Sometimes you will see a roof ladder in a window or to the second floor porch at a very low angle.  Why?  One guy threw it while the rest of his crew was running the line, or it was the only ladder available on the nearest truck.  It may not be perfect but it is a usable and redeployable ladder.

If that is not enough to strengthen the case for excessive ladder use, let’s consider a few other things.  The best RIT crew is the one you never need. Boston’s RIT SOP calls for proactive RIT crews to ladder for secondary egress. How better to get quickly familiar with a building than to walk around and place ladders based on the conditions found in case you or a company inside needs them.  With the big push on flashover awareness how can a department say they are aware and concerned about firefighter’s safety and in the same breath say there are too many ladders to the building?

Construction styles have changed just like construction materials.  It is now not uncommon to find Philly style apartments in Boston (Middle floor of a 3 story shared between 1^st and 3^rd floor units) where this never used to be the case.  Even recently there was an upper floor fire and the only way to get to the seat of the fire was from an exterior staircase in the rear, a staircase that burned out.  Some homes and buildings just have confusing layouts and odd stairway patterns that cause longer hose lays and further travel distance for egress if needed.  Why not throw more ladders?  If a stairway gives out during a fire you cannot just give up that egress, it’s easy to find and firefighters will be attracted to it, you have to get a ladder in there to prevent firefighters from falling and getting injured.  The closer the ladders are to the point of need the quicker they can be put into use and the potential for injury will be lessened.

I’ve heard people complain about excessive laddering and the drawbacks,  get over it.  The only drawback I can put any stock into is the fear of firefighters getting hurt deploying ladders that will not be used.  If injury is a valid concern on your job then maybe you need to do more training, whether it is physical or ladder operations.

During the Boston Fire Academy recruits will climb over 2,000 stories on ladders, all ladders combined; roof ladders, 24, 35, 40, 50 and aerials.  They will each have to throw the ladders dozens of times and also have to prove to themselves the biggest ladder they can personally deploy on their own.  The recruits will also deploy Pompier ladders individually and as a group in the form of chain Pomps.  With a start like that there is no question about the importance Boston puts on laddering a building.  Recruits that start the fire academy afraid of heights still have a healthy respect for heights after but have no reservations about working from a ladder.

So the bottom line is the same as for everything else on the fire ground; call for the equipment, put it in place, if you don’t need it you can put it away.

I’d rather have it and not need it.

Photos courtesy of The Legendary Billy Noonan  http://www.billnoonanfirefotos.com

Photos courtesy of Stephen Walsh     http://www.box714imaging.com/

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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!

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You arrived fire showing, Alpha, Bravo Second story .

Often times firefighters miss the opportunity to get it right on the drill ground by failing to work on steps in small segments. In order to be able to gain proficiency we must start at understanding why we are using the hose load we are using and the pros/cons when stretching in your response area. What are the streets like? What are the dwelling sizes? What are the building types? Are you prepared for extended stretch?

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So when one of the recruits challenged me in a race to assemble and don an SCBA, I accepted. The challenge is to mount the bottle, attach the lines, turn on the bottle, don the face piece and start air flow. But of course I had to handicap it in my favor. I told him the only way I would race him is if we put flash hoods on backwards first. I won.

With that in mind today’s drill is SCBA familiarization. This floated to the surface after watching the recruits struggle with the maze confidence course. There is nothing life threatening in there. It is a chance for them to work through a search and negotiate some obstacles. Some obstacles require the removal of the pack, and there are some entanglements but nothing that should be too difficult to work through. The recruits had a difficult time, which is to be expected. We also ran a couple of seasoned guys through during that same time and a couple had SCBA issues that I can only attribute to lack of familiarization with the equipment, but  they did make it through without “dying”.

My opinion is that training should be harder than any expected reality. Anyone can kneel down and assemble a bottle and harness. Try to make it harder.

Start with all necessary equipment laid out in front of you however you like, some guys kneel on their gloves  etc… The standards I used for a successful finished product in this drill are; Mask on flowing air, pack on your back fully opened cylinder with straps adjusted and seatbelt on, 2nd PASS activated, gloved hands in the air.

The levels I had the recruits do are as follows.

1. No restrictions

2. Gloves on

3. Gloves on and a flash hood on backwards.

4. Gloves and reversed hood on, equipment messed with.

For the “Equipment messed with” the instructors would go around and rearrange the layout, randomly tighten straps, buckle the seatbelt, turn the bottle or even the harness around. For the recruits that were really good we would tangle lines and straps.

I wish I had pics, maybe I do….

Good luck to you, and stay safe.

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Towards the end they started asking questions about firehouse life.  Some of the questions had to do with when exactly will they be expected to drive and operate the pump.  That is not a set answer.

We still have a patrol desk and a member on “watch” 24hrs a day.  So naturally the Probies are expected to learn that first.  They are supposed to use the pit as their base of operations, whenever they are done with a task they return to the pit. I personally believe the apparatus has priority over everything else.  So my Probie will help check the piece and also their personal equipment first.  Other officers think they should do housework first, I think that is a narrow minded view as I believe that teaches the most important thing in the firehouse if mopping the floor. It’s not.

After they learn the pit and get themselves in the watch rotation it’s time for them to start driving back from runs and also practice driving around the district.  We do not have a driver or operator position so everybody takes turns driving.  From the time they are in the watch rotation and driving back from runs map tests will start in earnest.  When they show competency in the district and a few special responses we have then it is time for “The Test”.

Most of the apparatus in our city run a 500 gallon tank.  Not a lot.

We Nose into a hydrant and when the probie says go this is what happens:

1: Open up the deck gun

2: Charge a 100′ section of 2 1/2 so we can play water.

3: Hook up the hydrant and get water into the tank before you run out.

It usually takes a couple of attempts, but after they get it they feel confident in their abilities, and we do too.

Questions? Comments?

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Is this an acceptable drill for your new engine or truck company?

One of the highlights of my profession is the networking you are allowed to do.  A person I consider a Ture Brother, Mentor, and Friend has always maintained that where we missed the mark in the fire service is to break training down into smaller segments. We must began to recognize that training firefighters does not have to be a clubbing over the head, death by powerpoint, but yet it must meet the requirements of being Realistic, and Relevant. There are a few points when injury or death occurs that can be pointed out an Ineffective command system, and firefighters who were trying to operate outside Basics. I understand that accidents happen as well based off of decisions made by others, but that too can be linked back to a failed understanding of the Basics!

For new and aspiring fire officers remember training does not have to take all day, but has to be effective and have a measurable outcome at the end. Remember to take nothing for granted when training. A great place to start is by taking your policy manuals and ensuring the policies are truly understood and you become amazed it what drill s you can pull just out of them. If you do not have a policy manual then start with your expectations and your desired fire ground performance. The hardest part will be consistancy.

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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

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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;”….

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

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

photo by author

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

photo by author

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

photo by author

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

Stay safe! ~EMAGUY

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1. Full turnout gear w/o SCBA
2. Room setup like a bedroom
3. Hand tools
4. Department SOP’s for search

Remember to cover the basics

1. Check the door for heat before opening
2. when you enter the room check behind the door. Even though it may not stop there could be a decent pocket for a small person or child
3. Pick a pattern left or right
4. Use tool to keep you oriented to wall depending on the search you are doing
5. Ensure that you are actually finding the windows and doors
6. Communicate size of room. No point in crowding into a small room

We will provide different illustrations of various techniques. If you are looking for books or videos Fire Engineering and Fire Department Training Network

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