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Two Questions for Future Officers

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I get asked frequently by up and coming firefighters all of the time about what they
should concentrate on in order to be prepared for promotion. Of course, there are the
typical replies about certain types of training and education along with career
development paths. Most are enthusiastic and really into the job and others want an
easy way to a gold badge
.
In recent months I have started to offer some new suggestions after witnessing
firefighters jockeying for a new officer's position and I am sometimes met with quizzical
looks. It is somewhat simplistic, but I really wanted to break down the promotional
questioning to make the candidate take some reflection of his/her career. In many
cases, the candidate will know when he tries to answer what his odds are of being
chosen.
 
Before some of you go on a rant about how promotions are more complex than what I
am about to offer, just humor me for a moment. This is not the ONLY questions that
need to be posed. However, by asking them you will see and hear most of what you
need to know. If you are the candidate, you too will find yourself either prepared for the
questions or you will be fishing for an answer that sounds good.
 
If you are a potential candidate ask yourself these two questions on a regular basis to
determine where you are in your career. This is not competition with others, it's about
you and how you develop yourself. If you are already an officer, these questions should
be a time of introspection. If you are the interviewer you will likely know the answer to
these questions before they are answered, and that's okay. It disallows a lot of BS from
the candidate.
 
So, here they are:
1. What have you done in the past 90 days to improve yourself, the department and
those around you in respect to the profession of firefighting?
2. What have you done over the last three to five years to prepare yourself to take on a
formal leadership position that separates you from the other candidates?
 
Okay, let's start with number one. Why would we ask the 90 day question first?
What do most officer candidates do as soon as a promotion is posted or an officer
retirement is announced? That's right, the race is on to take on new projects, kick up
the training and enroll in classes. They will start "acting" like a leader and they are a
little more friendly. We know what's going on, come on!
 
For those that train everyday, that treat people with respect, that go out of their way to
help and that offer to take on projects, all for the right reasons, this is easy. Others that
don't do this on a daily basis will sound real good and will have this confident smile
because they just nailed it! Wooo hoooo, they have just given the best answer to a
candidate interview and they feel invincible. But, we know it all started just weeks ago
and that the motivation is just for the badge. Now comes the decider and it will separate
those that love the job and those that are employees.
 
Now we ask the second question and the employee just looks at you for a moment, a
bit perplexed. There are some "uhs" and "ums" and they are trying to figure out what
you want to hear. They, in my experiences, will start to replay what they did over the
last 90 days. Most of these folks have not performed or strived to make himself better
over the years, much less worried about those around him. It will become obvious that
his track record is to perform when there is something in it for him, but only then. The
spaces in between are spent doing other things, if anything at all.
 
The candidate that is prepared will have a list of classes, trainings, ideas, projects
and conferences that he has shared with his fellow firefighters. This will be a consistent
trend that will very likely transfer over to his career as an officer. In addition, as a formal
leader, he will very likely encourage his crew and/or shift to do the same and he will
have high expectations for performance. This is the guy you want to promote.
I understand that you are not going to promote based solely on these two questions
nor am I condoning that. There is much more to a promotional process than two
questions. But, what I do believe is that when the candidates are interviewed, these two
questions can be a strong indicator of who is just an employee and who is a firefighter.
 
Asking yourself these questions on a regular basis will not only prepare you for
possible promotion opportunities, but they will build a strong foundation for who and
what you are in the fire service. Be a firefighter with integrity, respect, honor, tradition
and pride. If you can't answer these questions with pride and conviction, then you might
be in the wrong profession.
Posted by on May 10, 2012 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership

More Building Construction for Size Up

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Here is a quick look at a building that offers more than one considering in regards to construction characteristics. The building in the photos is currently a resale shop. This building has been a tack shop, lawn equipment, sold boats and trailers. If you look hard at the front, it has been added onto.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The right side of the building was the original and the left was an addition. The front and side walls are wood frame with a brick veneer. As you can see, there is a parapet wall on three sides of the building. Both sides have been rearranged multiple times on the interior to accommodate the occupant of the moment. The original roof was flat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This side view shows some exterior doors and the brick veneer. We can also see the electric service and a boarded up window. This two doors lead to different areas of the building and are not adjoining. You can also see that the parapet wall appears to be very tall and of combustible material.

 

This is the rear view and the most telling about this building. We can see that the back wall is different from the other three walls. The back wall is of block. We can also see that the roof is a lean to type of construction and knowing the history of this building, it is a “rain roof” or “roof over” that covered an old flat roof.

We can also see the parapet wall is brick on the two side walls with support ties. We know that those connections are very likely going to fail during a fire. There is a lot of void space that could be difficult to get to due to the “rain roof” and early collapse of the parapet wall should be expected.

In addition, the importance of the block wall in the back is important for orientation as well. If we get inside and get to a wall that is block, we have a pretty good idea of where we are. We only would know this by pre-planning and/or doing our 360.

These are just a few of the considerations you must think of when presented with this building or one like it. Discuss this with your crews and identify buildings that are similar in your response areas.

Train hard, stay safe, and remember those who have fallen for the lives of others. Please especially remember the families of Chief Kyle Ienn, Firefighter Doug Haase, Chief David Flint, Fire Lt. Kevin West who all left us this week.

Posted by on February 3, 2012 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire codes, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, in-the-line-of-duty • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Judge Not….

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I’ve done it and you’ve done it. It is going to happen again and it’s going to happen soon. With every line of duty death the Monday morning quarterbacks come out and tell us all what they should have or should not have done. We preach and teach to learn from these tragedies by understanding the circumstances surrounding the incident. But, what are we doing to make sure that this doesn’t happen?

Our job is dangerous. Worcester Fire Department is a highly trained department and according to some reports I have gotten, fight these types of fires every year. There are some additional factors like high winds and possibly illegal renovations that compromised the structural integrity of the building. Neither of these two factors can be anticipated or controlled. We have a job to do and when we are told that someone is in a building, we do what we can to get to them. As I write this I have not heard confirmation that there was or was not a victim found.

I have no doubt that we could dissect and scrutinize what happened and we would have done this or that differently. We will hear how simplistic it should have been and others pounding the table that we don’t enter buildings that are compromised. Guess what? As soon as that building catches fire it is compromised!

What frustrates me more is that in the fire service many are real good at solving problems after the fact and few try to identify and solve them before they are actualized. It’s not just judging the YouTube video or a line of duty death, no, it’s many things. “That guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.” “That guideline is outdated and inefficient.” “That small time volunteer fire department doesn’t know what they’re doing.” Of course, most of these “kitchen table experts” have no desire to be proactive or to put themselves out there to take the lead on a project to make a positive change.

Sometimes, and I’m not saying this is the case yet, things are not preventable. Sometimes we are going to lose. We hope not, but we are running into burning, compromised buildings to save lives and property. When someone comes to us and is telling us someone is in the building, if we can make a push, we will and we should. This is what we do and why we are here. There is no time to run down a check list to determine if a certain profile is met. We don’t have time to switch our size up decision making. We have to consider the situation presented to us at the time and use our training and experience to do our best to attempt a rescue.

But, if we do want to be Monday morning quarterbacks I suggest a different approach. Take your expertise and knowledge to some less fortunate departments in regards to resources for training and teach. Share your experience and knowledge with these departments and individuals to keep bad decisions being made on the fire ground. I believe that this is the best way to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for others. Whether there were mistakes or not, we can help to prevent those who don’t have resources to perform appropriately on the fire ground.

We recently did a class in a remote part of our state and had two firefighters arrive with some hand-me down gear and SCBA. Neither had worn the gear before and neither had ever had on an SCBA. They stated they had been fighting fire with self purchased boots, gloves and helmets. That’s it. Nothing more. This is still happening. We had to pull these two firefighters aside and walk them through some basics about gear and SCBA operations. We took extra time with them just to teach them basic firefighter skills. They were more than willing to learn and were eager.

The point is this: let’s put our efforts into training and teaching firefighters to operate safely instead of beating up departments, officers and firefighters after the fact. Can we learn from these tragic events? Absolutely! We should learn lessons in a constructive manner from not just tragic events, but from every call we run. There is always something to learn whether things went well or not so well.

Train, be tolerant and make a difference in a positive way. Stay safe and thanks for reading.
Jason

Posted by on December 11, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, major-incidents, mayday, news, rescues, RIT, scba, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, vacant building fires, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , ,

The Purpose

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This is a very simple post but one that I am finding is ever more important. Take a look at the picture and what is the first thing that you think of? What do you see? We've all done this drill or scenario and we have all at one point or another felt the anxiety of being "stuck" in a box, tube or tight spot. Some may have had instructors that guided us through and others may have been screamed at they needed to get out or they were going to die in there.

The main purpose of this post is to find out what we are trying to accomplish. It is more than just getting through the prop. We want to emphasize calm and deliberate actions. I like to point out the small things. Calm breathing and think one step ahead. What is at the other end and how should I prepare my next action accordingly? Is there a drop off? Is there a tighter space? I also like to practice getting to my pockets. Whether I actually need to or not, if I get into a position that I would need them, I have practiced that. I will be confident that I can reach my wire cutters in a tight spot. The same with my flash light; can I turn it on? Do I have an extra one I can get to?

Can I reach my radio? Can I reach my PASS device? I like to feel the space I'm in with one hand and arm to determine what the shape of the space I am in. It may just help me with placing my tank. It's not always on the bottom corners. There could be debris or the opening may be wider at the top. Feel the shapes and contours.

I know this sounds simplistic and time consuming. It is! But, if we do it over and over again, we will be better and faster at it. With these drills it's not always about speed. Creating good habits that will be easy to recall in a crisis situation just may save your life.

 

Posted by on December 5, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, mayday, rescues, RIT, scba, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , ,

Leaders Need Followers

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Here is a quick video that uses a unique perspective to shine a light on leadership and followership. I really enjoyed the video and I think the message is perfect. A great picture of leadership in action; in a little different setting. I hope you enjoy and learn something from it. Thanks for humoring me.

Posted by on November 21, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Reading the Building: Just a Glimpse

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As you may know, I am playing with a different format. It wont be all of the time for every blog, but something a little different. So, here is one based off an article that I did. Please be patient as I work with this. Hopefully, it will enrich your blog reading.

Thanks, and let me know what you think.

Posted by on September 29, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, rescues, RIT, search, situational awareness, size up • 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: , , , , , , ,

Basic Tactical Considerations

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This post is just a simple challenge of tactical considerations.  The photos that are posted show a single-family house that had fire venting from the C/D corner when first units arrived.  The first in crews could not make the entire hallway on the first push do to intense heat and smoke.

The smoke was banked almost to the floor even with the fire venting from that corner bedroom.

What are some considerations that must be looked at with this fire?  What would be your next plan of action?  Why ist there so much heat and smoke with the fire venting the exterior?  What is your size up?

Share your thoughts and answers with everyone and use this as discussion with your crew.  

As always, train hard and stay safe,

Jason

Posted by on July 23, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, search, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, vent, ventilation • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Storage in the Stairs

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We know the importance of inspections and identifying hazards in the buildings that we serve and respond to.  This is just a simple reminder of one hazard that depending on it's location in the building, can be missed.

Combustible storage under stairs or in the stairwell can cause some serious problems.  Even in sprinklered buildings this is a hazard.

The pictures you seeshows a pile of combustible storage in the stairwell and under the stairs in a hotel.  You can also see that this is in the means of egress area next to the exit door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke from a fire from these combustible materials can make the use of the stairwell almost impossible and access for firefighters difficult.  Occupants are expected to use the stairs during a fire and a large mass of people filling a smoke filled stairwell is disastrous.

This building also is equipped with standpipes in the stairwells, so making that connection would be difficult for fire crews trying to make the connection.

Keep an eye on your buildings and explain this situations to your crews to impress the importance of inspections and mitigating these hazards before they become problems.

Train hard and stay safe.

Jason

Posted by on June 25, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire codes, fire sprinklers, fire-prevention-education, fires, high rise, inspections, situational awareness, size up, training-development • Tagged: , , , ,

Standpipe Crowding

3 comments

We have discussed standpipes in the past, but I think it is worth mentioning again. Standpipes in large and high rise buildings are our water source. It is important to know the location of these devices and to ensure that they are not obstructed.

In addition we need to know and understand if they have pressure reducing devices and how that affects our operations.  Study up on these systems and know how to adapt and trouble shoot the stand pipes in your area.

The picture shown is a stand pipe in a hotel. I went to ice in the hotel I was staying in and this was right next to the ice machine.  I didn't measure it, but this standpipe would be very difficult to connect to. Additionally, if we did get connected with hose only, there would certainly be a kink at the coupling, further reducing our pressure.  

This might be a time when we would try to put an elbow on the connection prior to connecting our hose.  However, I think that with this particular standpipe connection, it would be a stretch just to get the elbow connected as well.

Know your buildings and their systems. Prepare for these types of problems and come up with solutions before you have a fire. Thanks for reading and train hard.

Jason

Posted by on June 19, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, fire codes, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, high rise, inspections, situational awareness, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

The Door to Nowhere

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We have all been taught to control the door. I have watched countless firefighters try to kick in doors, bulldoze their way through them along with every other tactic that does not include a set of irons.  Here is one reason why control in forcing doors is so important.

This door is in a city hall that my son was practicing in. The area that the door is in used to be a balcony that goes all the way around the gym with two doors that lead to the main floor of city hall.  Over the years, as they ran out of space, they began to make office space on that balcony.  

The door is almost always locked and access to this area is likely to be searched during a fire.  The hazard here is obvious, but the lesson for any situations: control.

By using proper forcible entry techniques with a set of tools, you can control the door and be cautious about what is behind it.  A fall from this door could be disasterous. We have to be ever diligent to master the basics.  A lack of basic forcible entry skills could result in a Mayday and RIT situation which makes a hazardous situation even more so.

Be smart, know your area and train hard. Master those basic skills and require it of your crew if your the boss. Stay safe and thanks for reading.

Jason

Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, forcible entry, inspections, mayday, rescues, RIT, self rescue, situational awareness, size up • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Engine House Training, LLC

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Engine House Training, LLC is a new training group based in St. Louis, MO. We have been doing training together for a long time and finally decided to do something formal with it.  As much as we like to train, we are great friends and have a blast with what ever we are doing.

The web site and blog site are not fully operational yet, but blogs should be coming in the next day or so.  In the meantime, we have launched our Facebook page and would really like to have you check it out.  We have already posted a great deal of material to the page and some of it you have seen before from this site.  You can also follow us on Twitter.

The primary mission with Engine House Training, LLC is to give firefighters the tools they need to survive each and every call.  Although our curriculum is based on self survival, Mayday, and RIT, we place a heavy emphasis on basic skills that will hopefully keep firefighters from needing to use the techniques that we teach.

Here is a quick list of our instructors and their backgrounds:

 

Jason:
  Jason Hoevelmann is a Deputy Chief with the Sullivan Fire Protection District and a firefighter/paramedic with the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District. He has over 20 years of fire service experience and has been an instructor for the last 15 years. He is Instructor Level II and Officer II. He holds a BS in Fire Service Administration from Eastern Oregon University and presents at FDIC and Fire Rescue International as well as other regional conferences.  He has been published in Fire Engineering magazine and OnScene magaizine and writes a monthly column on FireRescue1.com. He is on Missouri Strike Teams 5 and 3.  He is a board member of the ISFSI, a board of director on the IAFC/FLSS and is on NFPA Technical committees for Fire Officer qualifiations and Fire Service Instructor qualifications.
 
 
Gary Graf:
  Gary is a Battalion Chief/Training Officer with the Pacific Fire Protection District. Gary has been in the fire service for over 20 years. Gary helps coordinates training for Tri County Training, Franklin/Jefferson County Task Force 5 and for MUFTRI.  Gary has specialized in all aspects of rescue and firefighter survival.
 
Dave Konys:
Dave is a Captain with the Sullivan Fire Protection District and has been in the fire service for over 10 years. Dave is a fire service instructor 1 and has taught extensively on firefighter safety and survival.
 
Frank Lipski:
 Frank is a firefighter/paramedic with the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District and has been in the fire service for over 15 years.  Frank holds a Bachelors of Science in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University. Frank specializes in rope rescue and firefighter safety and survival techniques.  He is a member of St. Louis County Task Force 3 and is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
 
Andy Seers:
Andy is a Captain/Paramedic with the Creve Coeur Fire Protection and has been in the fire service for the past twenty one years. He holds an Associates Degree in Fire Protection Technology and is a Level I certified fire service instructor by the State of Missouri. He is a member of the St. Louis County Strike Team 3 and the St. Louis Co Hazardous Material Team.  He has been teaching safety and survival training throughout the State of Missouri for the past ten years. 
 
We appreciate your support and hope to have a long relationship in the fire service with all of you.  If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.
 
In Training,
Jason, Gary, Dave, Andy and Frank

 

Posted by on June 4, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fdic 2011, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, MUFRTI, rescues, RIT, scba, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, special-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , ,

How Many Uses Can You Come Up With?

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It's Sunday and I was just sitting at work and I started thinking about an anchor point that I was taught with webbing. Not having tied it in a while I went out and made sure I remembered how to get it done. Lucky for me my memory is still intact.

The other guys came over and we had a short lesson for it's uses and showed them how to tie it too.  This led into a morning of going over some very simple, but effective, ways to use the webbing that we carry.

Everyone has their own ideas about why they carry a certain length of webbing or rope. But, don't limit yourself to the harnesses and escape systems that utilize webbing. The pieces I keep are for a multitude of "basic" practices that assist me, when needed, in actual firefighting.

We can use them for controlling doors, advancing a large line, searching off of a line and more.  I would like you to all share your webbing stories.  What lengths do you carry? Why? And are there any special tricks you have picked up from some experienced guy in the house?

Take care and remember our troops and their families this Memorial Day.

Posted by on May 29, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, forcible entry, mayday, rescues, RIT, search, self rescue, situational awareness, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Where Goes the Second Line?

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We all know that it is easy to fall into a rut when it comes to training and even operating at what is labeled the "routine" call. Especially for those that are in suburban, mostly bedroom communities.  

If your like most of the country, you pull past the house to get three sides, stretch a pre-connected hand line and make entry into the front door.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?  And, more times than not, this works just fine.

However, sometimes the bigger issue becomes where to take the second line? What apparatus does it come from and what size should it be?  What about the length?

For most single-family, single story homes, line placement becomes mundane and we get a bit complacent.  The second line many times gets pulled from the same rig as the attack line and goes in the same door as the attack line.

Again, I prefer a seconday apparatus for the back up line, but in most house fires the front door is appropriate for the back up line too.  Of course, it all depends on what is taking place and many other variables as well.

One of the biggest problems I see quite often is on two story house fires.  The first line goes to the fire up stairs and the back up line is at the door.  One of the primary concerns is the integrity of those stairs.  That second line needs to go to the stairs to protect the egress for the crew operating on the second floor.

The same has to be done if you have an attack team on the first floor and a search team on the second; a line needs to be deployed to the stairs.  We must protect that  egress point.  In addition, note changing conditions to the search team and the attack team.  Maybe the fire has spread or can't be found by the attack team and your observations are important.

What are your operational guidelines for the back up line?  Share you experiences and thoughts.

As always, stay safe and train hard.

Jason

Posted by on April 23, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, rescues, RIT, search, situational awareness, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Fire Service Books

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This is a little off the beaten path for me and my blogs, but it is something that I have been paying more attention to lately.  I have been laid up from a hernia repair and have been reading and doing a little research for other projects and it occurred to me that I utilize the same three books on a regular basis.

No matter what level you are at in the fire service, you should be building a decent sized library of fire/emergency related books.  This is one more method to staying sharp and on top of your game.  Having quality information to turn to for those forgotten tricks of the trade or to remember a characteristic of a certain type of construction is paramount and makes you a better firefighter.

Here are the three books that I use on a regular basis and why.

1. “Building Construction for the Fire Service,” 3rd Edition, by Francis L. Brannigan.

This book was one I got during the mid 90′s for a college course and I have it highlighted, marked and it is never too far from my grasp. The great thing about this book is that it has never gotten outdated.  The information is still relevant and insightful.  This is definitely one book that should be on your shelf.

Make sure you look at the “Tactical Considerations” in the chapters that give some ideas on how to apply the lessons to firefighting tactics.

2.  ”Collapse of Burning Buildings: A Guide to Fireground Safety,”  by Vincent Dunn

This book has a great deal of content that is covered in Brannigan’s book but more directly applied to the collapse of these buildings.  Chief Dunn goes into great detail how these buildings collapse and the problems that different types of collapses cause.

The illustrations are great examples for those that need some visual help and you can apply this information immediately as a firefighter and fire officer.  This book is a great tool to have company discussions with. Sit down with your crew and pick a chapter or topic and start playing out scenarios in your jurisdiction where these dangers exist.

3. “Safety and Survival on the Fireground,” by Vincent Dunn.

This book is everything firefighting.  Just about anything that you want to know about firefighting is in here. The great thing is that the information is short, to the point and easy to apply to situations.

Keeping these books and others within reach is a good way to stay engaged. These resources gives you valuable information at your fingertips when you need it. It is also a good way to pass on information to others and to have meaningful conversation about “fire stuff.”

Stay safe and keep your mind on the task at hand, becoming a better firefighter.

Other places to get books for the fire service:

Fire Engineering

Fire Service Books

FireBooks.com

FireRescue1

IFSTA

The Fire Barn

These are just a few, if you know of others, please let us know.

Posted by on February 4, 2011 • Filed under: backdraft, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire stopping, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, forcible entry, heavy timber, high rise, i joists, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, trusses, vacant building fires, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Type III Construction

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Lately we have been discussing different types of construction. So far we have covered the characterisitics of Type I and Type II construction.  This is some really basic rookie school stuff, but it is so important to be able to identify these different building charaecteristics. We know that fire behavior is directly linked to the type of construction and the fuels invovled.  It also plays a major role in determining our tactics as company officers and firefighters on the fireground.

So, a quick review of what we have covered so far:

Type I or Fire Resistive is protected, non-combustible construction. Typcially steel and concrete with it’s structural components protected with fire resistant materials to meet or exceed two hour fire ratings.

Type II or Non Combustible is just that, non combustible construction. It’s structural components are not protected by fire resistive materials, but can be sprinklered.  These too are usually built with steel and concrete, similar to Type I construction but without the fire resistant protection.

On to Type III construction.  Type III construction is also referred to as Ordinary construction and is very common in a great deal of our older downtown areas.  It is not limited to those areas but this was the primary method of building during the early and middle part of the 20th century.

This type of construction is identified by masonry or brick exterior walls with wood joists and interior structural components.  Type III construction is very rarely protected with sprinklers and they have concealed spaces.  These buildings in many communities have been remodeled and altered due to the age and use of the building, so concealed spaces are a real concern.

During a fire the interior structural components are attacked and failure of these components can cause an exterior wall to fail at the same time.  The joists, for example, will rest in the masonry or brick wall and may be used to support the exterior walls. When these joists fail or burn out, they can compromise the support of the exterior wall it is connected to.

Here are some pictures that show some Type III construction.

Take a look at your area and determine where your different types of construction are. Discuss and plan for fires at those buldings and how you would operate at each one.  What are some different challenges each pose for you as a firefighter or company officer operationally?

Train hard and remember, master the basics.

Posted by on January 27, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, fire sprinklers, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, inspections, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Missouri Winter Fire School

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Every winter for the last 29 years firefighters from all across the state of Missouri have gathered to attend classes by well know state instructors as well as highly regarded national figures in the fire service.  This year, the 30th year, is no different.

The annual Winter Fire School opens with a large exposition and registration on Friday afternoon that lasts into the evening. This is a great time to network, get a look at apparatus, tools and other fire service equipment.  This is usually one of the more popular parts of the weekend besides the drinks and story telling at the local establishments.  (Tiger, you need to get down here sometime and collect a lot of story telling stuff.)

This year’s events begin February 4th and wind down on the 6th.  They even allow me to instruct there, that’s how kind they are and their willingness to throw a guy a bone.

In the past Chief Billy Goldfeder, Chief Alan Brunacini and Dave Dodson have instructed at this conference.  This year’s line up is just as good including Chief I. David Daniels, Chief Smokey Dyer, Lt. Mike Wilbur, Chief Alan Brunacini,  Glenn Gaines, Tim Sendelbach, Chief Clyde Pfisterer and more.

There are webcasts available featuring instructors Chief Richard Gasaway, Chief Forest Reeder and Chief John Mittendorf.

With these lineups the Missouri University Fire Rescue Training Institute offers some of the best classes and instructors from all over the nation.  If your close or looking for something to do, you need to get here to experience the networking and Brotherhood that this conference has to offer.  Look me up, we can get a drink; or two.

Stay safe and we would love to see you in Missouri next month.

Posted by on January 11, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, MUFRTI, rescues, RIT, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Size Up Drill

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There is a lot of talk about the different kinds of size up in regards to survivability profiling.  Although I respect those views, I just don’t think we are doing ourselves in the fire service justice by creating an additional “method” for performing your size up.

I still believe that a size up is a size up and the information you gather during it, along with experience, training and knowledge, will direct you into the right direction.  If the building is tenable or not; if it has burned before; if it is in poor condition; it doesn’t change how you size up. What changes is how you use the information.

That is if you have trained properly.  Let’s face it, not all company and chief officers are adequately trained in giving a thorough size up and applying that information into your strategy and tactics.

So, here is a little drill that is simple but yet effective.  I am going to give you four sides of a single-family dwelling and you need to size it up.

In addition, what can you tell about the layout of the house just by looking from the outside?  What are the indicators or clues that you are using to make these educated guesses?

Share your experience and techniques, new officers and firefighters need this  stuff, so be generous.

Train often and stay safe.

Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, situational awareness, size up, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, vacant building fires • Tagged: , , , ,

Get the Whole Picture

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This is just a reminder to get the whole picture when doing inspections and pre-plans.  Just don’t get lazy when doing these prevention functions.  Especially on larger buildings that require some effort to get around.

Recently I did an inspection at a local nursing home.  It had been awhile since I had been there because we have the crews do most of these inspections.  There were some things I had forgotten about and had I not taken some extra time, would have missed.

As I walked out the back of the building this is what I saw.  Unremarkable, really.  However, to the right is the drive that leads from the front of the building.

Apparatus coming to the rear would get a view similar to this if they were assigned to the rear.

This second picture is the view from the other corner.  What do you notice?  It is kind of tough to see and unless you are aware and really looking for it, you might miss it. Especially at night or in rain or snow and with smoke conditions.

If you look real hard you will see one end of an 1000 gallon LP tank jutting out from behind the shed.

If you were to walk over there and actually take a look, this is what you would see.

These are two 1ooo gallon LP tanks that are near the rear property lines.  These feed the appliances in the building with the exception of the generator, which has it’s own smaller tank.

But, there are separate shut offs for each line going into the building, but it is not typical.

The lines and shut offs could easily be missed entirely if prior experience with this building is not known.

This is one of the numerous shut offs for the gas lines going into the building.  They are all up high on the building and some are actually on the roof.

It just points out the importance of knowing your buildings, in particular your high life hazard buildings.

Take some extra time to ask the maintenance person a lot of questions, they usually like to show all of the little intricacies of the building.

Be safe and be familiar with your response area.

Stay safe and be careful.

Posted by on November 23, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, fire codes, fire-prevention-education, firefighting-operations, inspections, situational awareness • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Seat Belts and SCBA’s: Practice

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Since we are looking at the Denver Fire Department for some great training information in relationship to firefighter rescue and survival with the Denver Drill, let’s look at another issue that Denver has attacked. Seat belts and SCBA’s.

It is a common known fact that firefighters are killed and injured each year because they were not wearing their seat belt. I personally have heard firefighters and officers make statements that are just flat out ignorant in regards to wearing seat belts.

It takes too long to do; I can’t get it on over my gear; I can’t get packed up and put my seat belt on. There are many more, but the bottom line is that a few extra seconds allows us to arrive safely and to actually make the save or make an attack on the fire.

If we don’t arrive safely, we can’t do our job. We owe it to ourselves, the people we serve and our families to arrive to calls and back safely.

The Denver Fire Department has put together this video that shows some practical solutions and methods for putting on your seat belt over your gear and pack. Put aside you ego for a few minutes and learn something and then pass it on. Officers, make your crews watch this.

Please stay safe at all times and be careful.

Posted by on October 24, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, firefighter-safety-health, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , ,

Passing “It” On: Part 1

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I recently taught an Instructor 1 class and one of the things that I really like to make a point to emphasize is that we need to  pay attention to those firefighters and officer who are “salty” and who have been around a while.

We know that we have to attend classes and that we must get our noses in the trade journals and worth while web sites, but do we really listen when our more senior members are “telling stories?”  If not, we really need to start paying attention.

As a disclaimer, not all senior members will share or they just have never been engaged in the fire service. But, even some of those guys have something to offer even if they don’t realize it.  Each story has a lesson and we need to recognize this and absorb all we can while they are here.

Okay, so where I am going with this?  A few days after finishing this class, we were doing the dinner dishes and the discussion came up from a couple of the younger guys about fires and training.  Some how the conversation turned to commercial buildings, more specifically strip malls and fast food restaurants.

Out of curiosity I asked one of them what the first thing they would do if they responded to one of these buildings with a slight haze, odor of smoke or even an alarm sounding?  His first response was to go to the electric panel.

Well, as most of you may know where I am going with this, we advised him that he was wrong.  He had never been taught to take a pike pole and lift a ceiling tile as soon as you walk in the door.  This is critical information and I was shocked that his captain had  not covered this at some point.  Granted, he spends a large majority of his time on an LSV, but this is something he should have known.

What we did was have a very informative training lesson while doing dishes. I am pretty sure this will stick with him for the rest of his career as we discussed some case studies on this type of fire.  It didn’t take a lot of class preparation or Powerpoint slides, just an eager firefighter and some older ones willing to share.

Talk fire and rescue.  This has to be a normal activity in the fire house.  If we can instill this in the newer generation they will pass it on also.  We owe it to them to give them every little nugget of information that we can, sometimes whether they want it or not.

What was passed on to you by someone that you worked or trained with? How did it change what you did in the fire service? Let us know your story and keep on fighting the good fight.

Stay safe and train hard.

Posted by on October 13, 2010 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, forcible entry, line-of-duty, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

How Do You Honor Them?

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With the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial weekend upon us, we all will take a moment to reflect on those that have been lost, not just this past year, but in years and decades past. Although some may never have been directly impacted by a Line of Duty Death, we all feel for the families, friends and fellow firefighters who have lost Brothers and Sisters.

Many of us will lower our flags, others will hold ceremonies and events, and some will be in front of their computers watching the live feeds on the internet to watch the event. Unfortunately, some will go about their everyday business and not think twice about what this weekend means. Those folks are just “employees” and are not engaged in the fire service.

Even for those of us that understand the significance of the upcoming weekend, do we really make it mean something? Do we do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen to us, our fellow Brothers and Sisters and our families? The answer is probably not.

As we mourn those we have lost and pray for them and their families, we must take inventory of ourselves. We must recommit this weekend to train more, train harder, stand up to the “slugs” of the fire service. We must wear our seat belts every time we get on our apparatus and demand that the rest of the crew do the same.

We must do a 360 on working fires. We must check our equipment every day and ensure that it is all in good working order. We must mentor, coach and encourage our younger generation of firefighter and instill in them the traditions, pride, honor and “right” way of doing things.

With all the things that we must do, we must recommit to taking care of ourselves. We must get in shape and eat healthier. We owe it to our citizens, our Brothers and Sisters, our families and to ourselves to be the best we can be every time we answer the call. In addition, if the leadership in your organization isn’t taking the lead on these issues, become that leader. Make a difference and stay engaged. It’s contagious and you will inspire someone.

So, tell us, what have you been doing to honor their sacrifices? What lessons have you learned and passed on to honor their sacrifices? How have you ensured that we “never forget” and honor those who have fallen?

Posted by on September 29, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, firefighter-safety-health, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Perfect Company Officer

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This is a post for you to voice your concerns and ideas on what the “perfect” company officer is or should be.  Always a hot topic, I believe that the company officer drives the department. Sure, the upper brass can make things difficult or better, but the company officer is with his crew every shift, out on the streets really making a difference, or not.

In today’s fire service we are a jack of all trades. Firefighter, rescue technician, fire prevention advocate, plumber, electrician, odor sniffer and so on.  But, some of the most important aspects of that position are forgotten or just not cared about.

Our company officers have the ability to greatly influence the direction of the firefighters and the organization.  If you have an officer that is positive, trains frequently and is engaged in the job, his people will likely follow suit.

However, if your officer dislikes training, PR, and getting out of the recliner, his people will likely follow suit.  They have a great deal of influence. I have personally seen the trainsition a firefighter made going from a positive officer and crew to a captain that just doesn’t give shit.

What are the attributes of your ideal company officer?

Tell us about some great experiences and not so great experiences?

What words of wisdom have been passed on to you that have really “stuck” in regards to the company officer position?

In my mind it boils down to this; if an officer is not willing to or does not continaually improve himself as an individual and leader and firefighter, he will never be able to improve his crew. He just wont have the respect and credibility to facilitate that improvement. If it isn’t important to him, it wont be important to the crew.

Train hard and lead effectively.

Posted by on September 24, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , ,