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Well, I couldn’t not post this video. Brotherhood Instructors has this on their Facebook page and it is a great video. Now, before you watch it, there will be some who say “yeah, what about….” and that is fine. The point is that it gives you some good tools to work and train with.
Now, get out there and do it!
Here is a good video of stretching from a standpipe to the fire room. It looks like a good way to control the hose and to reduce kinks prior to charging it.
Let me know what you think and if you have some other ideas or drills that you use.
Stay safe and be careful.
Here are four great videos showing you the differences in the kind of nozzles and set ups for high rise firefighting. If you don’t know about or visited the Brotherhood’s site, you really are missing out on some great stuff. You can also become a Facebook Fan and get regular updates.
Enjoy the videos and visit the Brotherhood regularly.
Go here to see the other videos related to this topic.
This is a photo of an air consumption drill that we typically do during our Mayday training. However, we encourage our company officers to use these like pop quizzes every so often to keep our people comfortable and familiar with their SCBA’s.
This is a simple drill that makes the firefighter be “active” for a duration of time that is dictated by how long it takes for their low air alarm to sound.
Crawling for the SCBA drill.
This provides the firefighter with the opportunity to become familiar with how long they have until their low alarm goes off. This is important, especially in larger structures, because we want them exiting prior to that alarm going off if at all possible.
Once the alarm goes off they just walk or stand as if they were conserving air. This provides them with an idea of about how long they can conserve their air if they do get trapped and their low air alarm does activate.
Is this drill perfect? NO! But, it is a good drill and the more often we put our people on air, the more comfortable and confident they get wearing it.
You can add several other little twists and curves to this drill to challenge their SCBA skills. Get creative and keep it fresh. In many instances, the guys and gals doing the drill will think of new ways to perform it.
Train hard and stay safe.
This is a C-store and filling station with address numbers of 12785.
I was doing inspections the other day and this address was on the list. Not very exciting and pretty standard stuff.
It is a small convenience store with gas pumps out front. I found an exit sign with emergency lights dangling from the ceiling and the battery back-up was not working. Like I said, nothing to note that was out of the ordinary.
Then I look at my list and see the same numerics on another inspection form with a different business name. This is what I find…..
Same address as the filling station. Same owner.
This building is directly behind the filling station in the above picture. Both are labeled on the front of both buildings with the identical address.
Now this building was locked and I was not able to get in, but, this view is at the same elevation as the filling station, but behind it the elevation changes so that it is two stories on the back side.
This building houses offices on the main level and storage on the lower level.
Okay, the point is this, pay attention to your inspections. This is the kind of information you need to pass on. This is a situation that could turn ugly real quick.
Imagine getting dispatched to this address and finding that the filling station is closed. Nobody around and the address is prominently displayed on the store. False call, right?
Well, if we don’t know about that building behind it, even though we see it, we may not associate it with the call because how often are two buildings addressed the same?
Just be aware and alert. Take these inspections seriously and be thorough. Don’t be the one says, “Oops.”
Take care and be careful.
Are you ready for the Torrents of Spring?
With the Winter coming to an end and Spring ushering itself in, we now have a new threat from weather: flooding and moving water.
The weather pros are calling for some pretty significant flooding this season from the melting snow falls.
Be prepared for these events and act safely and appropriately. We all know of the tragedy from West Virginia and let’s do all we can to avoid that from happening again.
Make sure you wear personal floatation devices that are appropriate for emergency services. Make sure those PFD’s are on all apparatus and ready for service.
If you aren’t trained to be in the water, don’t get in the water. Moving water is a force that is easy to underestimate and deadly when miscalculated.
Remember, like ice rescue, throw, tow, row and go. But, even then, if you are not qualified, adequately equipped and trained, let someone who is get in the water.
Stay safe and train in every aspect of our job. Be careful and take care.
Be sure to take a look at Firegeezer and his report on residential fire sprinkler legislation in Pennsylvania.
This is a battle we will be fighting for a long time, but, don’t give up and stay strong on this issue.
Stay safe and fight the good fight.
Cutting the drip loops.
This is a sensitive subject for some, but a basic skill I remember learning as a rookie.
Cutting drip loops is something that not all departments do, but it is necessary in some instances depending on where you are in the country.
In my area you could get utilities on scene in town within minutes whereas the more rural parts could take an hour.
Cutting the drip loops requires some skill and knowledge to be done correctly. You must also have a set of appropriate cutters and ideally, some electrical gloves.
As you can see, there are some hazards associated with this and you must follow your departments policies on this.
With this particular photo, what do you see as a hazard?
When would you consider cutting the drip loops?
Do you have the appropriate tools to cut the loops?
Be careful when dealing with electricity. The ideal tactic is to let the utility company deal with it.
Train to your departmental SOG’s and stay safe.
This photo shows what is supposed to be a light fixture. Now, this is likely in a residential building, like a house, but it is still something that will cause a fire.
Now, let’s say that you get a call for an “odor of” or something similar that makes you check the attic. You pop open the hatch and here you have this.
Depending on your jurisdiction, what do you do? What leverage, if any, do have to correct this right away? It is a tough spot for us as firefighters and company officers.
Let us know how you would handle this and what actions you would take to correct this to the best of your level of responsibility.
Stay safe and be careful.
Thanks again to Captain Jeff Schwering from St. Louis County. Great stuff.
Deploy your people. You are the big boss on this one, what next?
You are the incident commander on this fire. You can deploy who ever you want where ever you want.
I am allowing for your normal response of resources. No cheating!
Don’t worry about what is going on with the personnel in the picture; pretend they are not there.
Explain your size-up and the building characteristics.
Deploy your resources accordingly through what ever a first alarm will bring you. If you want to expand your alarms, hey, have at it. Just let us know.
Sit down with your crews and work this out.
This fire came in as a house fire, unknown victims, called in by the neighbors.
Have fun with it, pass it on, and be safe.
Don't put the dishes away wet!
Have you ever had that house fire, odor of, smoke in the building or electrical call and couldn’t find the service panel? Well, maybe this is why.
People do some of the craziest things. You will see this in a lot of older buildings.
Many of these buildings have been remodeled several times and might have been built without any electric at all. In other cases it is just pure laziness that a panel is in a location like this.
I guess the moral of this post is to look everywhere for the electric service and don’t assume that it is shut off. Make sure of it.
You might have to look behind shelves, false walls and as you can see here, in the kitchen cabinets. Who knows what else you might find.
Be careful and stay safe.
Here is Life Safety Initiative #1:
Light weight construction is everywhere.
This is a picture of some light weight trusses being set on a commercial building.
As you look at this building you can see that it seems to be a series of stores or spaces in a commercial building. Most likely a strip mall type building.
In the old days, these were block buildings with steel roof components, structurally speaking. They were fairly sturdy buildings, still not great, but heavier construction.
Now, it is all light weight wood. No doubt they will put a facade on this building that looks like rock or brick, but it is a house of commercial occupancies. It is also easy to see how fast a fire in the concealed space will consume those truss members, causing very early failure.
In addition, remember what goes on top of these buildings; HVAC units.
Just be aware of what is in your area. Stop by and look at these buildings. Make sure they are properly building fire barriers and walls with penetrations fire stopped.
Use your training and common sense when these buildings burn, they are dangerous in today’s fire service.
Take care and stay safe.
Pillows for fire stopping?
These are fire stopping pillows. These, as you can see are used in fire walls/barriers for large openings.
They are typically used with large data trays or pass throughs that require a rated application.
The important thing to remember here is that there can only be spaces of a specific size. If the spaces left between the pillows and the trays and walls is too large, it will not seal up correctly when heated.
Basically, the way that these pillows work is that when they are heated, they expand (the plastic will melt away) and fill the void. This maintains the fire rating and prevents fire from spreading and smoke spread is contained.
There are several brands and each has it’s own specific way to apply it. Don’t forget, there must be an UL listing for each application and product to meet the minimum fire rating requirements. Make the contractor produce this and show you that it is appropriate.
Stay safe and be careful.
This is a foam eductor. Remember these things?
Hey, do you remember these? You know, before we had foam tanks on all of our trucks?
Before we could pump foam out of every discharge?
This is an old fashioned foam eductor and a bucket of foam.
When is the last time you had one of these in your hands? How about the last time you actually flowed one? Well, unless you just completed a foam class or a Firefighter 1 & 2 class, it has probably been a while.
Don’t forget about this appliance. On a large spill or fire, these are actually easier to use than the tank foam because you can just dip the eductor into the bucket and keep changing out buckets where as you have to haul those 5 gallon buckets and dump them into the tank otherwise. That is a pain in the a@#!
Anyway, they are a useful but forgotten tool on our trucks. Get familiar or re-familiar with them. There are some rules that apply when using them though.
Okay, homework, what are some conditions, requirements or limitations for the use of these eductors? I don’t have any prize, but, this is a great training discussion. Officers, make sure your engineers know how to use these.
Good luck and report back with your answers soon.
What would you do at this point?
There is a lot already taking place here. A hose crew is at the door or inside. A guy is taking out a window or something to that effect on the D side. And someone is on a ladder.
There is some nasty smoke pushing out of this structure. It definitely is under pressure.
Time is running out for keeping this in check and an interior attack. We’ve all been here and we know how this can go.
At this point in the fire, what ventilation tactic would you use and why?
If you need to, redirect these crews and put them where you think they will make the most progress and explain your actions.
Share with your crew and post your discussion points. We always get great feedback and we know you have some goo ideas, so, let’s hear them.
Stay safe and be careful. Get yourself healthy and stay healthy.
What characteristics could you expect with this building?
Just about every jurisdiction in the country has a building like this one.
These are popular in the older downtown areas, especially in smaller towns and main streets.
Some of you may have fought a fire or two in a building similar to this one or done an inspection at one.
Based on your past experiences and this picture, what are some concerns you may have about this building?
How will those concerns determine your strategies and tactics?
What size lines and what conditions will you be looking for inside?
List your responses and share your experiences and thoughts.
This is the type of situation that, if found, needs to be corrected. You might be here on an EMS call, an odor of, or any other non-fire incident. But, the important thing is that you notice it and correct it.
This is pretty extreme, but this is how we stay employed and busy. Be aware and pay attention to those so-called “B.S.” calls. You never know the difference you could make at that particular time.
Thanks again to Captain Jeff Schwering from Crestwood Fire Department. He has found some very interesting things. Thanks Jeff, and keep ‘em coming.
Stay safe out there and be careful.
Here is part two of this video. It is not as long, but finishes up what was gone over in the first video. Again, we are working on getting videos of the other brands to post, so be patient.
Thanks for visiting and pass it along to your friends. Stay safe and be careful.
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