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Two Questions for the Company Officer

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This past week I had the pleasure to present for future, current and past company officers in Atlanta. As always, I learn something new from the great discussions and comments during and after the classes. I also am one who tweaks my classes up to the last minute. Good, bad or indifferent, new ideas and different ways to present an issue will enter my mind and I will make the change.

During discussions in one of the classes I asked two very simple, but far reaching questions to the class: What are you going to do today? and What have I done today?

Simple enough, right? This is a technique that I like to emphasize for company officers, and even chief officers. We all have meetings and appointments and the routine things that we do each day. But, the questions are broader than that.

The company officer has to know what to do that day to make the organization, his company and himself better for that day, and in that order. Some things that are accomplished may cover all three at the same time. This is a very dynamic topic, but simply put, he has to have a path and using these questions provides as a daily guide.

So, company officers, what have you done today? Also, ask this of your crew too. You might be surprised what you have or have not accomplished.

This is from the class “Rule of 90′s: A Guide for Success for the Company Officer.”

Sorry for being gone a while, it has been crazy! Stay safe and train hard.

Posted by on August 31, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership • Tagged: , , , , ,

One Aspect of the 360

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I understand that all buildings, for various reasons, will not get a 360 performed on it during a fire. But, for those that we do get to job around, we need to understand what we are looking for.

I recently spoke with an acting officer and asked him what he was looking for when performing a 360. His answer was "fire."  I asked what else? The answer came, "ways in."  We need to make sure we are taking advantage of the information being made available to us while we are circling the building.

This post is going to focus on some basement indicators.  The pictures shown below are just examples of things you might see when making the round.  Keep in mind that at night you need to take a hand light.  For example, the wood behind the basement windows below may not be noticeable with shining a light in the windows on the way around.

        

We must pay attention to what we are looking for when conduction the 360. As you can see, we may be faced with some very challenging situations.  Not only do we need to be aware during the initial arrival, but the RIT will need this information as well.

As always, follow you own operational guidelines and train hard.

This and other topics will be discussed during one of my presentations at Fire Rescue International 2011.  I am presenting for the Company Officer Development track and hope to see you there.

Jason

Posted by on August 21, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, exits, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, forcible entry, mayday, rescues, RIT, scba, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Upcoming Radio Show with “Taking it to the Streets”

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Check the upcoming radio show tomorrow night on "Taking it to the Streets" with Chris Naum.  It is sure to be a great show and a good time.  Here is some more information:

 

Please call in with your questions and get involved in the online discussions that always are part of the shows.

Stay safe and keep training hard.

Jason

Posted by on August 16, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, self rescue, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Ordinary Buildings and Considerations

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Looking at these pictures shows us a building of ordinary construction.  These are usually older buildings and the building we see is typical of many downtown areas.  This particular building has storefronts on the main level with multi-family units above.

            

 

What are the main characteristics of ordinary construction and how do they relate to fire operations?

What are some problems we face with this type of building in many downtown areas that will cause us concern?

What are the challenges with apparatus placment, not just with this buildling, but with many small, downtown buildings?

What are our challenges in regards to exposures and how do we address them?

 

These are just a few issues we face with this type of building. It is important to be prepared for a fire in this type of occupancy.  It will be challenging, especially late at night when that upstairs is occupied and as you can see, access is not necessarily fast.

Share your thoughts and experiences and as always, train hard and thanks for reading.

Jason

 

Posted by on August 6, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, RIT, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , ,