Here is a short video that you can use for a drill or training night. Feel free to use however you like. This is from a recent basement fire and what was looked for and what was done. There are some considerations to think about. This is not everything for all basement fires. Just a simple tutorial. Feel free to add your experience and ideas to this video.
Stay safe,
Jason
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 “That guideline is outdated and inefficient.”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
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.
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.
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
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
Here is a post from a very good friend and very wise fireman, Lance Peeples. Lance is a firefighter/paramedic with the Webster Groves Fire Department in St. Louis County. Check it out and give some feed back.
Review the following video and consider how YOUR fire department operates when answering the following questions:
1. Is VES indicated if PPV is used by your department? What safety precaution should the operator of a PPV fan perform before starting the fan?
2. Notice how the VES firefighter enters head first. Very experienced instructors often recommend grasping the window frame with the head and upper body protected by the wall and then entering with the opposite foot. This permits the firefighter to make an emergency ladder slide if necessary.
What is another advantage of this technique?
3. On your first alarm assignment who is the firefighter assigned the responsibility for VES. Who is the firefighter that will assist him in this technique?
4. If the assisting firefighter ascends the ladder to orient the searching firefighter how can the ladder be butted? Does it always need to be butted? Could a tool be driven into the grounds at the butt of the ladder to prevent it from sliding?
5. Are the tools (hook and halligan) needed for VES mounted near the riding position of the member who is responsible for this function or are they mounted on the other side of the apparatus underneath the water rescue rope and drinking cups?
6. Notice how the roof ladder projects into the window slightly. However, the ladder is already at a very low angle that could result in the butt kicking out. Should the ladder tip be removed from the window to allow for easier emergency exit/victim removal or does the angle of the ladder preclude this? What are possible solutions?
7. Some of the commentators below the video are critical of opening the door upon preparing to leave the room…what say you?
I have to admit that I am a proponent of safety. I believe in wearing seat belts. I believe in wearing all of your protective gear and equipment. I believe in being healthier. I believe in doing a 360 and situational awareness. These are just a few of the safety issues that I believe in.
What I will never understand is a statement that puts us, the firefighters, above the victim that could still be saved. This is not new but something that I just have to get off of my chest.
I recently wrote an article "Techniques for VES". The beginning of the article specifically states that two firefighters are always ideal for operating. With that being said, I understand that there will always be those that disagree with things that I write, and I'm fine with that. What I am not fine with is the recurring theme of "never" do this and "never" do that.
When I instruct I am very careful about not using "never" and "always." We know that in our business those two words can come back to haunt you. Although the article was about VES, I know that that is a hot button topic. What prompted the article was a training I attended and questions about the tactic.
The fact is that we train for ideal conditions and we want to always have a 2 in 2 out situation. But, we know the real world is not always so kind. Statements like, "Safety of your crew and yourself always come first, no matter what the situation" are troublesome to me. Where does this leave the people in the burning building or under the debris?
Text books are great and operating in this manner is great. But, what if you are the one checking the windows in the rear and you see a hand on the glass? Your by yourself and your equipped to make a quick grab from the window. Do you wait for three more people? Or, do you take a calculated risk and perform VES that you have trained for? I for one am going to do what I can to give that person every opportunity to live. This falls in the same category of an officer that told his guys to "never" search without a hose line. Is that really the case? We know that it's not.
Out of the norm tactics are dangerous, but not necessarily reckless. There is not nor should there be a "cookie cutter" way of doing things in a figurative sense. Our job and environments are dynamic. Should we have standards and guidelines based on best practices and methods that have worked for decades? Absolutely! But, we should not be so entrenched in our own ways as not to perform to what situation we are faced with at the time. The only way to be able to do that is to train for those situations and in order to train for them you must believe that those situations can happen.
All fire ground activities are best performed in teams. Is it possible that one firefighter may need to make a save utilizing VES? Yes. Is it dangerous? Yes. So, it lends itself that if is is possible, dangerous, and we could be placed in that situation, that we should train for it.
I just don't see our profession and our tactics in a "black and white" world. I see the need to adapt and overcome. But to do that we must expect these situations and train for them.
Stay safe,
Jason
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
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:
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.
I spend a lot of time looking at buildings and thinking about "how would I do this or that" and what kinds of challenges would exist should a fire happen. It drives my wife nuts! You know what I mean? You go to an establishment or an event and you are looking around for exits, sprinklers, fire alarms and just the general layout of the building.
It is good for us to identify these different characteristics on a frequent basis. Even if it isn't in your area, I believe it keeps you sharp. It's like practicing all of the things you have learned in your head. Granted, you aren't manipulating a tool or pulling a line, but you can do all of those things in your head. What would you do with this type of door? How about this wierd little addition and the ventilation problems that it poses? These are all considerations you can do any time and any where.
Here a few pictures from a recent trip to Nashivelle, TN. We were walking back from LP Field after the half-marathon and this building was right next to the pedestrian bridge we were on. I stopped and started taking pictures and thinking. Of course I got behind and my wife had to explain to everyone else in the group that I was a just a wierd firefighter who does this all of the time.
Take a look and share what you see and all of the different considerations and challenges that could be recognized during a fire in this buillding.
Take care and train hard.
Jason
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
Here is a great video of some basement removal techniques. This is another video from Dale Pekel, who looks like he may have gotten a promotion? Dale? Anyway, these props are able to be used for multiple drills and Dale is very generous with how to build them.
These two techniques are great and you can see that one must be comfortable and well trained in the use of the SCBA. Confidence comes from continued use and training. You must master the basics and know your tools like the back of your hand. This allows you to perform the more advanced tasks without worrying about the simple things because they become second nature.
Train hard and stay safe. Thanks Dale for another great video.
Jason
As with most departments, and mine is no different, trying to get guys in the habit of throwing ground ladders takes a lot of work. We know the benefits of doing this and there is a great article in the most current issue of Urban Firefighter Magazine that gives some great direction on how and when to use these valuable tools.
Typically, those throwing the ladders are the firefighters and officers riding on the trucks and not those that are driving them. There are some exceptions to this rule depending on how your department operates. In the area that I work, the apparatus driver is tasked with water supply and support.
Any time we have multiple stories we want ladders thrown. Any time we have people on the roof, we want ladders thrown. It is an important task and one that must be trained on and made a permanent part of your operations. However, this post is not about the actual act of throwing the ladder, but how we can make this job easier for those that do.
As apparatus drivers when we pull up to the scene of a working fire we are thinking about charging the appropriate line, getting the right gallons per minute to your interior crews and finding a water supply source before the tank water is exhausted. That is a lot to do and you normally do it all on your own. Well, there is one more thing I would like you to add to your list.
Depending on what type of configuration you have on your apparatus, the ladders on today’s engines and trucks are not convenient to get to. We have them on the top of the truck so that they have to be lowered to get to them. They are placed “through the tank” with an access panel on the rear of the apparatus which if you lay line can make them impossible to remove because they are blocked by charged lines coming off of the truck from a rear discharge. There aren’t many traditional stowed ladder configurations on apparatus anymore.
As operators we have to keep this mind. The photo I have posted shows the lowering arm that the ladders are stowed on. This arm is lowered for firefighters to gain access. One of the downfalls to this is that the access to compartment space is limited, but not entirely blocked.
Once we get water to our crew and have established a water supply, take a second to check overhead and on the side for obstructions and lower the ladder arm. If ladders are needed they are ready for deployment and easy to get to. The RIT crew can use them for preventative measures by throwing ladders to create an egress point for firefighters and rescue teams can use them to make quick access to upper floors for search and rescue.
What about the compartments? Before you lower the rack, take out the equipment that is most commonly used that must be deployed fast and have it ready to go. On this particular truck, the PPV fan, the RIT bag and some spare SCBA bottles would be removed prior to lowering the rack.
Get familiar with your ladders and how they are removed. Know what obstacles you might face in placing the ladders in operation based on your apparatus configuration. Be prepared and train on these facts.
As always, follow your local guidelines for operating on the fireground. We must continue to train and do the simple things perfect. Master the basics and don’t forget to use your ground ladders.
In this age of the fire service, most jurisdictions have at least one thermal imaging camera, if not several. Ideally, we would like to have one on every apparatus. But, of course, budgets and priorities will dictate how many each department feels they can afford and need.
What was once a tool advertised mainly to find victims in building fires, we have found many more uses for this piece of equipment. It can be used for hazardous materials responses to identify product that may be producing heat. It can be used to help find a lost person in open space outdoors. We can use it to check for extension after a small stove fire or for chasing down fire in concealed spaces.
For as many uses as we can name, and I by no means named them all, there are multiple ways that they are deployed. My preference is for the officer to come off of the truck or engine with the TIC. Everyone has their own method of operation, but to me the officer makes the most sense.
The officer should be behind the nozzleman and should watching changing conditions at all times. While doing this, it is easy for him to scan the room or area with the TIC to watch for heat currents, changes in temperatures or victims unseen because of smoke. These again are not the only things that the officer needs to be doing.
So, the question that I am posing is “Who takes the TIC and how do you deploy it?” What are your guidelines and how do you operate with it?
In addition, how does it get carried? Do you prefer a strap? Do you carry it in your hand? Give everyone some input and ideas about what does and has worked for you.
What are some other uses not mentioned and offer some training ideas for the folks here? Just remember, this is a tool and should not take the place of masterful search techniques and hard work.
Stay safe and train like you work, hard.
The next type of construction that we are going to talk about is Type V, or wood frame construction. This is the most commonly used type of construction in most jurisdictions. This type of construction is typically associated with residential occupancies, namely single-family dwellings, but many commercial buildings are now built using wood frame construction.
Years ago, wood frame meant real dimensional lumber. A 2×4 was really a two inch by four inch piece of wood. Roof systems were stick built with rafters of dimensional lumber that were connected with a ridge beam. We forget that this traditional type of construction is wood frame. Balloon frame is also a type of wood frame.
We have just gotten so ingrained that wood frame mean light weight, or now commonly known as “low mass” construction. This “low mass” construction uses engineered products that makes construction faster and cheaper to build. Although these components like engineered I-joists and roof truss systems are very strong for the engineered loads, they fail miserable during fire conditions.
We just need to remember the hazards and myths of this type of construction. One is that if one truss fails they all fail. I like to ask the classes that I teach if any of them has seen a house constructed with wood truss systems with a part of the roof burnt off and the rest of it still intact? The answer is always yes.
I am not saying that these truss systems are safe, quite the contrary. All I am saying is that we need to keep our firefighters educated about these systems. I know there are some chiefs and instructors upset with some of this, but we can operate on and under these roofs with some careful size-up and thoughtful tactics. One thing I have learned in the fire service; never use the words never or always. There is always a circumstance or situation that will challenge both.
Now, characteristics about this type of construction. There are void spaces everywhere and these components use a lot of glue to help keep them together. These buildings are getting bigger on the residential side and this construction type is very popular for many commercial buildings like fast food joints, restaurants and strip malls.
Something we need to keep in mind also is that some of these wood frame buildings look like masonry or brick, or type 3 buildings. These are just veneers and we need to understand the challenges dangers associated with that. Masonry and brick veneers can easily collapse of the foundation and still kill or seriously injure firefighters.
Pay attention to your area and be familiar with the buildings you may have to operate in. Know the different characteristics of the construction types and the challenges each one poses for us operationally.
Train hard and stay safe.
This marks the 6th anniversary of the Black Sunday fire in New York City. Two brothers, Lt. Curtis Meyran and Lt. John Bellew. Four other firefighters were severely injured after jumping out of the fourth floor of an apartment building, Firefighters Jeff Cool, Lt. Joe DiBernardo, Firefighter Eugene Stolowski and Firefighter Brendan Cawley to escape severe fire conditions.
These men’s families and own lives have been forever changed and we need to honor their sacrifices and learn from the events that happen at that fire. This fire could happen to any of us. Train hard, honor the fallen and remember the lives and families left behind.
Stay safe and train hard.
The importance of having a tool with you can’t be stressed enough. Besides using it for forcible entry and venting windows or other operational functions, it can save your life.
It should be a habit that every time you come off of the truck for an alarm there should be a tool in your hand. And take a tool that you can do something with. Some of the most common tools are the Halligan and a flat head ax. You can take a pick headed ax and/or a sledge hammer, depending on what your function or task is.
One thing that you might want to consider is what are going to do with that tool? Everyone has their favorite, but can you use each tool on your truck efficiently and successfully if needed? You should. One tool that I am not a big fan of is the closet hook or a short hook. We have these on our trucks and they are about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long and have a fiberglass handle.
Your not going to be able to force much with that tool. In addition, if you need to start busting stuff up to save your a#$, it has limited potential. Choose your tool wisely.
One instance that your tool may become very handy is in a situation that you might get jammed up in a basement. Several scenarios could play out that finds you in a basement on your own and needing to get out. For those of you that don’t have basements in your jurisdiction, you may need to get through a wall or debris.
Most of the basement windows in our area are above head level. The exterior of the window is at ground level. This creates a challenge for us trying to get out of these windows, which are narrow and rectangular in dimension, in full gear and SCBA. You can use different techniques and you would want to call for help. But, your tool selection may be very important during this crisis.
A few months back we held a bailout class that included ladder bailouts, window bailouts with personal harnesses and basement bailouts. One of our deputy chiefs built a prop for the basement bailout that simulated the need to get yourself out of the basement quickly. (Thanks to Dale Pekel for assistance with the plans for the prop.)
In this drill the firefighter, wearing full PPE, used a halligan to step on to get purchase to lift himself up to the window and pushing through. It sounded a lot easier to the guys doing it than what it was. It is not easy to squeeze that tank and self through the small opening. We emphasized the use of the tool and having the appropriate one for the job.
Some thought that they would be able to pull themselves up like doing a pull up. Well, it became painfully obvious that even the most fit guy would be lucky to do that with full gear on. Even if he got up to the sill, it was impossible to get through the window without losing your grip. The tool is crucial.
It was a great learning experience and hit home the point about taking a tool every time. They understood the different roles and functions that one tool can provide, including saving themselves.
This all boils down to mastering the basics. Take a tool, take a tool. It is simple, basic firefighting. When we master the basics it all becomes habit and we don’t have to think about the basic stuff when we need to use some advanced skills. It just comes naturally.
Stay safe and train hard!
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.
Here is a video from our friend Dale Pekel that shows a technique for rescuing a firefighter through a floor. Everyone has their own thoughts and methods for different types of rescues and this one is no different. It is not applicable for all downed firefighters but has a place in your tool box.
Take this and train and use it for your department. Thanks to Dale for making these videos and stay safe out there.
Some training partners and I recently had the opportunity and honor to travel to rural Missouri to help with some safety and survival training. It was a one day event on a Saturday and the department and area that we were in is staffed solely with volunteers. We realized very quickly that these men and women were eager and a little anxious at the same time about this series of drills.
My background in the fire service started in a volunteer department and I am still very involved with that agency as a volunteer and as a part-time staff position. I understand the obstacles that are present in these very small, rural, and underfunded fire departments. This department covers over 300 square miles with no paid staff and a budget that is a small line item in most urban career departments.
The one thing that I had to remind myself is that this is one of only two days off that these firefighters were getting this weekend and they were spending it at a voluntary training. There was not a lack of effort or interest on the part of this group of volunteers. Even coming from a similar background, but not as rural as this department, I had really forgotten “where I came from” in the sense that in both agencies that I represent, we very seldom lack for most things; especially training.
This day we were requested to present and run drills for Mayday and RIT along with some safety and survival techniques. When we asked how many of the 16 firefighters had had prior Mayday training, only one held up his hand and he mentioned it was limited. Most had not heard of LUNAR or the parameters for calling a Mayday. This was an important part of the class that the training officer wanted to make sure we covered.
I have taught free classes for years and have never regretted it. Those free classes have typically been state sponsored courses that allow us to charge or not. In my area we border some smaller departments that have small budgets and we try to help those districts and departments by not charging or only charging for materials. It is something we can do to help our neighboring departments and firefighters.
These larger trainings that are manpower intensive and require some travel and a lot of prep time, we typically charge for. There is also time away from our families and we like to get some compensation for our time away and efforts. We are never going to get rich, but it does cost money to put these trainings on. This weekend we agreed to do this for free, and am I glad we did.
The whole group of us agreed that we felt a sense of having really helped these firefighters and there was a huge feeling of satisfaction. I don’t mean in a “pat me on the back” kind of way. It was the satisfaction of knowing that there are people that need this and just don’t have the resources or even the information to find the resources. These firefighters will probably not have many opportunities to get to state or regional fire schools and will likely never make it to an event like FDIC. They are bound to their area by budgets and resources.
By the end of the day everyone had rid themselves of their anxiousness and had been very willing to participate. The RIT drills we do last and we had teams wanting to go through more than once and were getting very good at them. They were commenting on the things that they had learned and were asking lots of questions. It wasn’t because we were good, it was because they were wanting and needing this kind of training and they were taking advantage of the circumstances before them.
Oh, and we were invited to their annual Christmas party/fish fry. They go gigging and then fry it up that night for their Christmas party. Brotherhood is alive and well in rural Missouri and we are trying to clear our schedules to make the party.
What I am asking all of us to do is to pay forward the opportunities, experiences and hard work that we have been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of. I know that you can’t always accommodate all situations, but we, as a fire service cannot forget about the less fortunate in our own profession. I feel we have a duty and an obligation to find these smaller departments and offer them our help and not wait to be asked.
Here’s my challenge; this upcoming year, for those of you that have the means and resources, go out at least three times to departments that are less fortunate and their areas and host a class. Find out what they need and give it to them. If you can’t provide what they need, I’m sure you have the contacts and network to get if for them. If you don’t, let me know and I will assist you in getting them what they need.
This Christmas, let’s remember to be generous and to be kind. Pass it forward this coming year and for years to come.
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
Jason
I recently had the pleasure to spend some time with Chief Dave McGrail from the Denver Fire Department. Besides discussing high rise and stand pipe operations, we talked about the Denver Drill and the circumstances from which it was derived.
Most have heard the story of Mark Langvardt and the fire that took his life. The following videos show just how difficult it was for Denver firefighters to rescue firefighter Langvardt. You can see the desperation and helplessness on their faces as they work to exhaustion to save their downed Brother. They were doing everything that they could to rescue him and were met with almost impossible conditions and a situation that they were not familiar with.
This is why we need to learn the lessons that our Brothers and Sisters all over the country can teach us about training for situations like this. We must train for and be prepared for bad things to happen. We cannot take a day off from training and we have to take RIT seriously, no matter how “routine” the fire seems to be.
Please remember Mark Langvardt and the Denver Fire Department while watching these videos and all the others who have sacrificed. We owe it to them to train hard and often and to learn from those experiences.
Stay safe and be a Bulldog about training. It makes all the difference in the world.
How often do you practice with these?
So, we all have these on some piece of our fleet. Most places will have a set of these on every truck.
The questions that I want to pose are these: How often do you drill with them? What are the instances that you would use them? Do you every practice with gloves and low/zero visibility?
I know that where I am we don’t use these very often but the potential certainly is there. I have seen many drills where they get aired up and then put away. It is also important to understand where they are useful other than vehicle rescues.
The main area I am pointing to here is RIT or FAST activities. If you include this in your RIT cache, do you regularly drill in zero or low visibility. Let me tell you, it is a totally different experience.
You must understand leverage points and counter points or balances. Whatever terminology you want to use, if you lift from one side, you have to expect the opposite to move as well.
So, when you drill for these, lift something, anything, like pallets with full visibility. Watch what happens to the opposite side of the lift and make notes. When you get into the dark you will have to crib, raise, and lower all by feel. Oh, and up on red and down on blue is difficult at best.
After training, let us know how you identify the difference and how you communicate those instructions.
Keep up the good work and train hard.
This may seem a bit simplistic, but I am always surprised when I ask someone to close their eyes and hand this prop to them. After I hand them the hose I ask which way they would go to get out of a building?
Follow the Male Lugs Out
This is typically with no gloves on and they are just standing or sitting there, so they are not stressed or in a tough situation. But, most get it wrong. Why?
Well, I say it is because of the lack of fundamentals and not enough training on the simple stuff. In this instance it is basics of hose, in my humble opinion anyway.
If you are well versed in hose operations and how the hose is deployed and which end of an attack line is at the truck and which end is inside the building, you should have no problem with this “pop quiz.”
Take the time to learn about your hose. More on hose lays later, but this little drill that can be done anywhere and any time is valuable and a good discussion starter.
By the way, when they tell you which way they would follow, make them tell you “why” so that you know they aren’t just guessing and watch them squirm.
Remember the fundamentals and stay safe.
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