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The Daily Drill 2: VES

2 comments

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? 

 

 

 

Posted by on July 12, 2011 • Filed under: RIT, search, self rescue, situational awareness, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, VES • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

The “Me” Environment

12 comments

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

 

Posted by on July 2, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, rescues, RIT, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, VES • Tagged:

Release the Ladder Rack!

2 comments

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.

Posted by on March 6, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, ladder truck/aerial devices, ladders, rescues, RIT, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, vent, ventilation, VES • 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: , , , , , ,

More On VES

2 comments

Since this has become a “hot” topic, this is an excellent presentation provided by Fire Engineering on their website.  The presentation is given by Captain Mike Dugan of the FDNY, Ladder 123.  This is a great presentation that is not only for VES, but for some basic operations for truck work.

Please watch it and learn something.  There is some great information and presented in a firefighter friendly way.

http://pennwellreg.stream57.com/buildings

Posted by on April 10, 2010 • Filed under: VES • Tagged: , , ,

Training for VES

9 comments
How many of you do VES?

How many of you do VES?

How many of you and your organizations routinely perform Vent, Enter and Search Operations?

When discussing this tactic in some circles there is great debate.  In fact, I have heard outright intolerance for VES.

It boils down to training and experience.  Believe it or not, I have had firefighters actually have to ask what the acronym meant.  Obviously, they don’t perform it.

It certainly has it’s place and is something that can be incorporated into the Outside Vent position.  Especially in jurisdictions that don’t have dedicated Engines and Trucks, this position is even more critical.  In these areas, one fire you may be performing engine company operations while the same day at a different fire you may be the truck company based on the order of your arrival.

I am curious what your policies are and what your training is for this position?

How does your department run in terms of companies and assignments?

Share what you do and how you operate so that we can all learn new ideas and methods to keep us safe.

Take care and train hard and smart.

Posted by on April 8, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, RIT, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , ,

Vent, Enter and Search

9 comments
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: , , , , , , ,