A Firefighters Own Worst Enemy » command-leadership http://firefightersenemy.com Discussing how to stay safe and prevent us from being our Own Worst Enemy. Wed, 16 May 2012 19:22:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Discussing how to stay safe and prevent us from being our Own Worst Enemy. A Firefighters Own Worst Enemy no Discussing how to stay safe and prevent us from being our Own Worst Enemy. A Firefighters Own Worst Enemy » command-leadership http://firefightersenemy.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://firefightersenemy.com/category/command-leadership/ Two Questions for Future Officers http://firefightersenemy.com/2012/05/10/two-questions-for-future-officers/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2012/05/10/two-questions-for-future-officers/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 18:41:27 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=2179

 

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.
]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2012/05/10/two-questions-for-future-officers/feed/ 1 More Building Construction for Size Up http://firefightersenemy.com/2012/02/03/more-building-construction-for-size-up/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2012/02/03/more-building-construction-for-size-up/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:30:42 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=2120

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.

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2012/02/03/more-building-construction-for-size-up/feed/ 0 Judge Not…. http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/12/11/judge-not/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/12/11/judge-not/#comments Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:42:09 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=2058

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

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/12/11/judge-not/feed/ 3 The Purpose http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/12/05/the-purpose/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/12/05/the-purpose/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:37:41 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=2049

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.

 

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/12/05/the-purpose/feed/ 2 Leaders Need Followers http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/11/21/leaders-need-followers/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/11/21/leaders-need-followers/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:21:16 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=2042

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.

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/11/21/leaders-need-followers/feed/ 1 Reading the Building: Just a Glimpse http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/09/29/reading-the-building-just-a-glimpse/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/09/29/reading-the-building-just-a-glimpse/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:20:58 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=2017

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.

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/09/29/reading-the-building-just-a-glimpse/feed/ 2 One Aspect of the 360 http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/21/one-aspect-of-the-360/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/21/one-aspect-of-the-360/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:28:15 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=1995

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

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/21/one-aspect-of-the-360/feed/ 0 Upcoming Radio Show with “Taking it to the Streets” http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/16/upcoming-radio-show-with-taking-it-to-the-streets/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/16/upcoming-radio-show-with-taking-it-to-the-streets/#comments Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:33:13 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=1991

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

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/16/upcoming-radio-show-with-taking-it-to-the-streets/feed/ 0 Ordinary Buildings and Considerations http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/06/ordinary-buildings-and-considerations/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/06/ordinary-buildings-and-considerations/#comments Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:26:12 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=1982

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

 

]]> http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/08/06/ordinary-buildings-and-considerations/feed/ 2 Basic Tactical Considerations http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/07/23/basic-tactical-considerations/ http://firefightersenemy.com/2011/07/23/basic-tactical-considerations/#comments Sat, 23 Jul 2011 15:57:33 +0000 dc802 http://firefightersenemy.com/?p=1972

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

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