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Which Way is Out?

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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.

Posted by on August 27, 2010 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, mayday, RIT, search, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Blog Carnival 5: Minimum Standards?

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I have had this discussion several times with fellow fire service professionals.  It is something that is also asked of me in a more indirect manner by friends and family when talking about my job.  The fire service professional usually has one answer and my family and friends are shocked that there aren’t any standards.

Personally, I believe that there needs to be, at least at the state level, a system that requires continuing education and minimum job performance evaluations.  I have heard that the last thing the fire service needs is more unfunded mandates required by non-firefighting personnel.  To that comment, I agree.  However, it cannot be overlooked that we are in a time and era of firefighting like we have never seen before.  We have all heard someone say that “this ain’t your father’s fire service anymore.”

I have been a paramedic for 17 years and I am required to acquire a certain number of continuing education units over a five year period.  In addition, the CEU’s must be in particular categories and areas in order to keep me a well rounded educated paramedic.  It works and it is expected by the public.  After all, do you want a medic that is keeping up with the profession or one that got his license and then never did another thing in his career working on you or your family?

Well, that is exactly what we have in the fire service. We have what I believe is a majority of our peers getting “in” and never doing anything extra.  I know firefighters who are more interested in their side jobs and hobbies than they are in the profession in which so many depend on his skills.  I have heard one say that he has no desire to go get any extra training or to read the trade publications because he “just isn’t that in to it.”  WTF!

I have seen guys fight and fight to get into the academy. They spend ten weeks learning very basic information that must be continually expanded on and re-learned over years to become proficient.  Then they get hired and never do another thing in their career.  This leave us open for scrutiny and makes the fire service a dangerous place.

Although I am not a big fan of making government a part of the fire service as we know it, I am fearful that if we don’t fix some of our own problems they will fix them for us.  Part of the fix should include requiring recertification, fitness testing and job performance evaluations. Now before some of you have a complete seizure, hear me out.

First, there should a required number of CEU’s that must be obtained in each discipline over a predetermined amount of time.  For example, you have to get formal training in ventilation, forcible entry, etc, every three years.  Yes, your employment would depend on it, just like my medic license. I want to know that the person crawling down the hall is up to date with our SCBA techniques and rescue drills in the event that something goes bad.

As I said before, I don’t think that this should be regulated by a national standard so much as state oversight.  The reason I say this, as much as I would like to see a national standard, is that each state is unique in its needs.  If you are a firefighter in California you will need more extensive training in wildland than someone in Missouri.  The examples are endless, so I believe each state should meet minimum national requirements and then can adapt their own program.

I think we only hurt ourselves when we don’t train and encourage measurable professional development.  We owe it to the people we protect and to our peers and to our families to be highly trained and educated professionals.  The only way to be “professional” is to continually train and learn about our profession.

Posted by on July 29, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, forcible entry, scba, search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , ,

Changes in Building Features

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Changes in building features.

These pictures show how buildings are altered over the years and with change of ownership and/or occupancy type.

You can see that what used to be windows are now bricked in.

This is very common on older buildings that had numerous windows and in some cases they are not very efficient.  Owners will frame or brick them in just to eliminate the problem all together.

The problem is we don’t know what the inside sill and frame-out of the inside of the window is like.

This is important to note when your doing your 360 or pre-planning.

When firefighters become lost or disoriented we are taught to find a window or door on an outside wall.  The inside of this building may feel like windows to the gloved hand, but in reality it has been blocked up.

A firefighter may spend a great deal of time and energy trying to get out the “window” and not move on to an actual egress point.

Keep these things in mind and get to know your area. We probably all have these buildings with these feature changes in our area and we have an obligation to point these out to our newer firefighters.  Stay prudent and be involved in your jurisdiction’s building construction and occupancy types.

Stay safe and keep cool.

Posted by on July 24, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, exits, fire codes, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, mayday, RIT, search, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, vacant building fires • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Removal Up Stairs–Video

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This is a video we did for a company drill. I know that everyone has their favorite method and some will not like using webbing for this. This is just an additional option you have. It really does give a little assistance with lifting. We have found we have a bit more leverage using the webbing.

However, you have to practice and practice with webbing in order to be proficient, otherwise it takes too long.

Stay safe and be careful.

Posted by on July 20, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, mayday, rescues, RIT, search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , ,

First Impressions

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What is your first impression?

When I first saw this picture one particular characteristic caught my attention.

In my area, and I am sure it is the same in many other jurisdictions, people are trying to do more with what they have.

We are finding more families living together and they must make some accomodations for those added individuals.  What I am referring to is the garage being converted into living space.

I understand that this is not unusual and the practice can make a really nice family room or large master bedroom.  The difference we have been seeing is that they still look like garages from the outside. When’s the last time you searched the garage as part of your primary search?

Just be aware and consider this on your next fire.  This also is a reason you need to stay familiar with your area.  And, the next time your on a “routine” residential fire, you might just want to check the garage.

Stay safe and be careful.

Posted by on June 21, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, forcible entry, rescues, RIT, search, situational awareness • Tagged: , , , , ,

What’s In Your Pockets?

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Since day one in the fire service, we have each had that one thing that we always carry in our gear.  A screw driver, pliers, wire cutters, rope or webbing.  Over the years we might accumulate more or downsize to just what we need.

What do you carry on your person?

I am always curious when I hear some state that they don’t want any extra weight on them, that their gear is heavy enough.

As you can see, we recently were issued the external harnesses.  We had members that complained about the weight and extra attention that needed to be paid to getting into the gear. I personally have not had any problems and I will post on these harnesses another time.

The matter at hand is “what’s in your pockets?”  I have things that I always carry with me no matter what and there are some items that I would like to add and just haven’t done it yet.

I keep a 30 foot piece of webbing, two cords, wire cutters, (need new ones), regular pliers, screw drivers, a  center punch and I wear a flash light on my coat.  There are some items that I need to add, but for now this is what I have.  For example, I would like to add a 25 and 50 foot section of 8mm rope, wooden wedges and a new pair of spring loaded wire cutters.

Flash light on the coat.

What do you carry and why?  Do you have any great stories of needing any of your tools and were glad you had them?

Share your input and give us your recommendations and suggestions on what to carry and why.

Stay safe and be careful out there.

Posted by on June 15, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, fires, forcible entry, rescues, RIT, scba, search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Great Training Opportunity

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Three days of ball busting training evolutions on acquired structures!

If you missed FDIC, you have to make this training event.

I have had the opportunity to spend some time with Nate and  Kevin and they are the real deal.

The training is real and practical.  It is stuff you will use in real life, on real calls.

You just can’t afford to miss this.  The price is right and the location is in the middle of the country.  I just can’t say enough about the classes and teaching style of the Brotherhood Instructors.

Even if you can only make one day, it is worth the travel.  But, beware, you will be whooped by the end of the weekend.

Get to the Brotherhood Instructors Facebook page and look at their videos, blogging and pictures for an idea of what they do.

See you soon and train hard with The Brotherhood!

Posted by on June 10, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, forceable entry, forcible entry, fun stuff, rescues, RIT, scba, search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, vacant building fires, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Factors to Consider

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What do you notice that could be crucial to your decisions?

We have recently had discussions about size up, so I thought this would be a good picture to post.

If you are the officer pulling up on this one and nobody is out front, what are some immediate “red flags?”

I know this one is easy, but it just drives the point home.

What if this was a vacant house and you noted the same conditions and “red flags?”  Would it change how you approach this fire?

What would be your tactics and how much would you risk as the first arriving officer?

Let’s talk fire!

Stay safe and keep training.

Posted by on June 1, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, rescues, search, situational awareness, training-fire-rescue-topics, vacant building fires • Tagged: , , , , ,

Fundamentals, Basics, Training, Oh My!

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Last night I had the pleasure to listen to and get in on a discussion on Art Chief Reason’s new FirefighterNetcast radio show.  The show was fantastic and the content was interesting and stimulating.  However, the topic that came up that really got my attention was when he and Dave dove into the subject of risk vs. benefit and safety vs. extinguishment.  I know, I know, this has been beaten with a sledge hammer over our collective heads for the last year or so.  But, I just can’t figure one thing out; when did it become okay to perform different risk analysis and size-ups for assumed different buildings?

Now listen, I understand that if a vacant building is leaning and crumbling you have to take a different approach, but overall, your first 90 seconds should be very similar, if not the same, on every a call.  I don’t buy into the segregation of calls and how you look at them in theoretical terms.  I think that this is a crash course for failure.  Oh, and I get that a commercial building is different from a residential building, but the basics are the same.

Before you start slamming me on this, hear me out.  We are taught as company officers to size-up a call and/or building as soon as we get the dispatch.  We should be familiar with our area and resources that are or are not backing us up.  We should be more than competent at basic size-up skills and ideally get a look at three sides of the building before we ever get off the apparatus.  We can determine within seconds and relay to our back stepper what size line to pull and give instructions to incoming units before we hit the ground.

We have heard of and there are some teaching victim profiling; determining if there is someone in the building or not and if it is survivable.  While I understand what is trying to be done in regards to keeping ourselves safe, why should it be any different from your size-up and basic training as a company officer?  A building is tenable or it is not, no matter if it is occupied or not occupied.

Decisions, decisions.

Decisions, decisions.

It seems to me that the real problem is intermingled between fewer fires, thus we have less real-world experience.  The second part of this is that we have not compensated for that lack of real-world experience as a whole.  The experience we cannot help, but the training has to change for company officers and improve.

The fire officer when confronted with a crisis situation pulls from past experiences to determine what he should do.  Those past experiences include actual calls, education and training.  We have already determined that we are all getting less experience because fires are down.  The other part of this is that the training has to be meaningful and relevant.

If our training doesn’t match what we are expected to do under extreme circumstances, we will fail to make the proper decision at those times.  So, when the company officer pulls up and has a working fire in any building, he is pulling from his past experiences, or lack of, to make his decision on a course of action to take.  This is critical and I think it goes back to mastering the basics and being able to identify potentially hazardous conditions at any fire without trying to run down two separate matrixes based on occupied/unoccupied.  That is just confusing.

When an officer pulls up to the building or situation his experience and training will kick in if trained appropriately.  Whether it is a two-story, occupied house or a single-story vacant house, the process should be the same and the decisions made from the same variables identified by the company officer.

–What is showing?

–What kind of construction?

–Life safety indicators?

–Conditions at present time and where will they be in 5 minutes?

–360

–Is it safe to enter or is it not?

These seem simple, but several other factors can be determined from each of these and the company officer will make these decisions in seconds and minutes.  If the building is not safe to enter, don’t enter.  If there is a chance to search safely, whether occupied or not, search.  If the building can safely be entered to extinguish the fire, whether occupied or not, enter and extinguish the fire.  If the building is not structurally sound, occupied or not, don’t enter.  Why make it so hard?

I truly believe we can over think some of this.  If we have officers making bad decisions, we need to look at our training and drills.  We need to look at what emphasis we put on career/professional development and make sure our fire ground leaders are competent.  But, don’t confuse the issue by buzz phrases and methods that just complicate fire ground decisions.

The bottom line is that the sooner we put a fire out, the better opportunity any victims will have.  Use common sense and training and past experiences to make prudent, sound decisions that take into account all factors.

I am sure that I will rub someone the wrong way with this, but I have been kicking this around for a long time and thought I would try to put in the blogosphere.  So, no offense meant and train hard and frequently.  Don’t complicate things, remember our mission and master the basics.

Tenable or not tenable, vacant or not.

Tenable or not tenable, vacant or not.

Posted by on May 18, 2010 • Filed under: administration-leadership, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, rescues, RIT, search, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Take the Entire Window

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Here is a short but good video from our friends at Brotherhood Instructors and Urban Firefighter Magazine on taking the window.

Do yourself and those inside a favor, take the entire window.

Train and stay safe.

Posted by on May 10, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, enter, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, forceable entry, rescues, RIT, search, situational awareness, vent, VES • Tagged: , , , , , ,

FDIC 2010 Large Area Search Video

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Posted by on April 27, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, rescues, search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , ,

Back to Basics Part 6: SCBA Drills

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SCBA consumption drill.

SCBA consumption drill.

This is a photo of an air consumption drill that we typically do during our Mayday training.  However, we encourage our company officers to use these like pop quizzes every so often to keep our people comfortable and familiar with their SCBA’s.

This is a simple drill that makes the firefighter be “active” for a duration of time that is dictated by how long it takes for their low air alarm to sound.

Crawling for the SCBA drill.

Crawling for the SCBA drill.

This provides the firefighter with the opportunity to become familiar with how long they have until their low alarm goes off.  This is important, especially in larger structures, because we want them exiting prior to that alarm going off if at all possible.

Once the alarm goes off they just walk or stand as if they were conserving air.  This provides them with an idea of about how long they can conserve their air if they do get trapped and their low air alarm does activate.

Is this drill perfect?  NO!  But, it is a good drill and the more often we put our people on air, the more comfortable and confident they get wearing it.

You can add several other little twists and curves to this drill to challenge their SCBA skills.  Get creative and keep it fresh.  In many instances, the guys and gals doing the drill will think of new ways to perform it.

Train hard and stay safe.

Posted by on March 28, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, RIT, scba, search, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , ,

Cool Tool Ideas

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I good way to keep two tools together. Picture from Brotherhood Instructors

I good way to keep two tools together. Picture from Brotherhood Instructors

Here is a cool way to get two tools to stay together.  Firefighters can get real creative when they want to.

This is a good example of getting out of the chair and doing something to help the fire service.

Using multiple tools can make forcing entry much easier and more effective, so it is beneficial to have more than one tool.

The last post was about bringing tools, so I thought this was appropriate.  To see some other tool drills and ideas, click the picture for Brotherhood Instructors site.

Posted by on February 24, 2010 • Filed under: enter, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, forceable entry, search, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent • Tagged: , , , ,

Back to Basics Part 2: Bring Your Tool!

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Take your tools and be prepared for the fight!

Take your tools and be prepared for the fight!

When going in to do battle you must be prepared.  So many times I see crews going in to make an interior attack with just the hose line and now a TIC.

These firefighters look prepared for the fight. The hose is flaked up the stairs and waiting for water.  The crew is masked up and ready to go.

If you look hard,  you can see that two of them have tools in hand or on their belt.  And, look at the firefighter on the right, he has his hood on.

Taking a tool could mean the difference in you making it out of a bad place or not.  Not to mention it gives you additional reach while doing a search.

The uses are endless and important to you and your crew.  You may need to breach a wall, open a ceiling, force a door or two, just to mention  few.  How about a purchase point or anchor point to get yourself out of a basement??

Get with your officer and find out what each of you prefers to use and how you can compliment each other with bringing different tools.  But, hey, if you all want to bring the same tool, just bring it!

Remember, doing the little things keeps us out of trouble and gets the job done right.

Take care and stay safe.

Posted by on February 22, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, rescues, search, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , ,

Company Discussion: Vacant Building

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Vacant or not vacant: To go or not to go?

Vacant or not vacant: To go or not to go?

Recent discussions about vacant buildings and how we should handle them led me to post this scenario.

I have my own opinion on vacant buildings which I will post later.  But, the discussion can get heated, depending on who you are talking with.

It seems most chiefs are of the opinion that vacant buildings are write-offs and company officers and firefighters want to aggressively attack these buildings and perform search and rescue if conditions permit.

Without further delay, let’s move on to the scenario.

You have arrived on the scene of this fire and it has been reported vacant.  It is winter and cold outside.  It is just outside of town, about 2 minutes from the city limits.

There are no hydrants but you have adequate personnel and apparatus to begin operations with approximately 4000 gallons on the initial response.

What are your initial actions and how do you approach a vacant house?  Why do you what you choose and what conditions were considered?

Remember, everyone has an opinion and we can all learn valuable lessons from everyone.  Also, this was an actual fire I was on.  So, I can fill you in on how we did in a few days.

Let’s hear it all and stay safe.

Posted by on February 5, 2010 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, search, situational awareness, vacant building fires • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Secondary Searches

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Here is a video that emphasizes the practice of a good, thorough secondary search.

We have all been in a fire that we were assigned the task of performing a secondary search. I have also been part of a team that we probably were not taking our task as seriously as we should have because we missed the first in jobs.

But, as we can see from this video it is important and necessary. Be thorough and check every hiding place you can think of. Think about where someone, especially a kid, would hide and check it.

Be safe and remember, every task and assisgnment is important.

Posted by on February 2, 2010 • Filed under: rescues, search • Tagged: , ,

Know Your Buildings

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Where is your means of egress?
Where is your means of egress?

 

This picture is something that needs to be noticed when you are pre-planning or doing inspections.

This is an old commercial building with a large basement.  The sprinkler system is down here and there is a huge fire load.

What you are looking at in this picture are the windows boarded up in the basement. These windows exit directly to the outside and the bottom sill is even with the ground outside.

We are taught that when we get disoriented, to get to an outside wall and feel for doors and windows for escape.  We might not recognize this as a way out with the plywood over the windows. 

Additionally, this is a good example of why you should always have a tool with you when you make the interior.  If you did recognize this for what it is, you could breach it and get out.

Remember, we need to train and plan for the unexpected and use sound, basic skills to keep us out of trouble.  If we do these  things, that is the best way to stay safe and still do our job effectively and as expected by the public.

Stay safe and be careful out there.

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, exits, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, inspections, search, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , ,

Vent, Enter and Search

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Is this a situation that VES would be deployed?

Is this a situation that VES would be deployed?

This building looks to be a very large residential home, or more likely a mutli-family dwelling.

It appears that the majority of fire is on the second floor.

It is night time and the chance that it is occupied is good.

This could be a good time to use interior crews to start an aggressive search with a hose line since we really can’t see any fire.

At the same time, we can have some outside vent guys laddering these windows and performing vent, enter, search tactics since the building appears to be large.

Now, this is somewhat controversial in some parts, like mine, but I think it is an effective tactic.  The key here is to have adequately trained personnel who have experience and can make good decisions in the risk vs. benefit area.

Additionally, there needs to be coordination with the interior crew. And, hey, if you have enough on scene to send in an attack line and a search crew, good for you.  That just isn’t always the case.

Just remember, if you are performing VES, know where you are, have a tool. You may only be able to sweep the room with a tool because of heat.  If you do get in a room, your first bit of business is to shut the door to the adjoining spaces. Oh, make sure you have got  a radio.

What do you think out there?  Any other ideas?  Let us know and share your knowledge.

As always, thanks for stopping by train everyday.

Photo by: http://www.eurekafirerescue.org/2010Pictures.html

Posted by on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: enter, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, rescues, search, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , , ,