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Be The Warrior!

ARE YOU A WARRIOR? Are you a fire service warrior?

At a recent meeting of FOOLS International, Int’l President Eric Depoto sounded off about the FOOLS niche in the fire service. He compared the FOOLS to some of our “less assertive” brothers on the job. He made an analogy to the above scene from “300″. He compared the FOOLS to the Spartans; a passionate, well trained and focused group who are dedicated to their craft and never lose site of their mission versus the Athenians who fight when its absolutely necessary but would rather occupy their time with other unrelated tasks, resulting in mediocre performance in time of battle. Sound familiar? He closed by passionately encouraging us (the fire service at large and the FOOLS as missionaries) to ”BE THE WARRIOR“.

Fire service warriors (FOOLS) are true practitioners of their craft, and thrive on sharing their passion and knowledge for the job with any and all who will listen. They tell “war stories” at the kitchen table; not because they are bragging, but because there are lessons to be learned from every incident whether it be a large problem or a fine detail that can make a difference at the next run. They understand that trust and brotherhood are forged in sweat and soot.

They may also be found with a tool, grinder, file and paint in their hands (and possibly a cigar clenched in their jaws) because they understand that every aspect of the job is equally as important. The tougher the challenge, the more focused and determined they become. Their unbridled “passion for the profession” is unmistakable. They are the 30 percenters, the go-to guys when something has to get done right the first time.

Are you a Spartan or an Athenian? Are you a Warrior? Are you preparing your crew to be fire service warriors?

I encourage and challenge you to be a leader, be a brother, BE THE WARRIOR!

Equations or Effectiveness? Have We Become So Smart We’re Stupid?

The following article is a great “peek” into the state of the modern fire service and shares a very honest and accurate observation as to our possible direction and future as the American fire service. It is being shared with permission from Joe Brown, www.justlookingbusy.wordpress.com. Enjoy!

How did it come to be this way? Is this truly the future of the fire service, to not fight fires at all? It’s hard to be called out for being wrong when you stand on the side of over-cautiousness with a second helping of safety. And alas that is where the nation’s authors have gone to avoid confrontation, a catch phrase contest on who can be the safest.

I have a new catch phrase for you, “Return to Effectiveness”. Effective actions combined with appropriate timing to achieve a positive outcome. Effectiveness = fires go out, people get rescued, the fire department does it’s job.

Don’t sell yourself short… read the rest of this great post at www.justlookingbusy.wordpress.com

Posted in Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Lessons Learned, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics

Tagged brown, DCFD, fire, firefighting, joe, kentland, mentoring, safe firefighter, safefirefighter, safety, strategy, tactics, Training

No comments Posted by safefirefighter on May 18, 2011

Basics for Understaffed Truck Work: Search

Regardless of staffing, our primary reason for existence is to find and help those who cannot help themselves… to save lives. We accomplish this by entering IDLH atmospheres, locating and removing victims. Victims are not the only reason why we search buildings. A well-trained and experienced crew should enter the building ahead of the hose line, search for and find the fire. By searching for victims AND fire, we can increase the speed of fire attack and extinguishment which creates a safer fireground for everyone.

Some of the most basic ways to search a building are the Directional Search (Left-hand/Right-hand), Oriented Search and Vent-Enter-Search. Each of these methods demand an effective size-up of the building and fire conditions as well as consideration of the staffing, training and experience of your crew.

Here are some examples:

A two firefighter search crew could easily search an 1800 sqft, 1-story single-family dwelling (SFD) with two to four bedrooms using a Directional Search.

However, 3 firefighters, or multiple search crews, may be needed to accomplish an oriented search in a 4000 sqft SFD five or more bedrooms.

Now let’s consider a 2000 sqft, 2-story SFD with heavy fire on the first floor. In this house, the three or four bedrooms are most likely upstairs and passing the fire poses a risk for the search crew. Also, because one or two handlines may be in operation, the first floor, and front door, may be crowded. Entering a crowded first floor and having to find the stairs can consume a lot of time and air. In this case, a vent-enter-search (VES) method may be ideal, particularly with limited resources. It will allow you to search the “high risk” areas while minimizing time, exposure to the IDLH atmosphere and air consumption. Now let’s talk about some important factors for completing each type of search.

Directional Search

Most basic search technique
Easily performed by two person search crew
Members search together either in line or spread out side by side, but almost always within reach
Accountability and progress are easily tracked by IC
Completed one room at a time

Oriented Search

Very quick and effective (if trained)
Ideal for search crews of 3 or more, but can be performed by 2 firefighters
One person stays at the doorway or on the wall (stays oriented) while the other member(s) search rooms or general areas
Allows the middle of larger rooms/areas to be searched
Very beneficial in today’s “open” floor plan homes and commercial occupancies
Members stay in voice or visual contact
Members can conserve air by alternating who searches and who is oriented
With 3-firefighter crew, two members can search different rooms (within voice and/or visual contact of oriented member) enabling a faster search and less time in the building.

Vent-Enter-Search (VES)

VES is started from the exterior of the building, with search initiated from windows/ ladders
Member(s) carry search tools AND an appropriate ground ladder(s)
Systematic room-to-room search
Member(s) ladders and vents a window, proceeds to the doorway, sweeps the hallway around the door, shuts the door, searches the room, exits the room via ladder and moves the next window
Great way for crew of limited manpower to access high risk areas quickly
If the outside or search crew firefighters each carry a couple of ladders, they can ladder as they go, leaving the ladders at the searched rooms for means of egress for interior crews.

Searching is one of the most important tactics on the fireground. If done safely and aggressively, it can be one of the most beneficial tactics performed in terms of stabilizing the incident and protecting life. However, only a well-trained crew can accomplish an efficient search. There is no “one size fits all” search method. The ability to be flexible without losing speed or effectiveness may be the difference between life and death.

Additional Resources:

“VES Size up” from www.vententersearch.com (go to the November 22,2008 post from Rick Van Sant to get the first hand account of the situation)
“Three Words that Can Save lives- vent-enter-search”, Mike Clumpner
“Vent Enter Search” from Fire engineering TV with DC Anthony Avillo and Frank Ricci