Share your strategies, tactics and experience!  Every Friday we’ll post a picture or video and want to get your take on the situation.

THE SCENARIO:  You’re wearing all the hats today! You’re dispatched to a reported “structure” fire.  It’s the middle of the week during Christmas vacation and the neighbors don’t know if the kids are there or not.

• What is your initial report?
• Where is the fire?
• Where is it going?
• How many lines do you anticipate for this fire?
• What size AND length line would you use?
• HOW MUCH OF A PRIORITY DO YOU PLACE ON SEARCH?
• What search tactics would you use?
• What type and where would you vent?
• What tactics are a priority?
• What are your assignments for YOUR crews?

Saws, irons, ladders and rescues were the flavor of week for our brothers in Bluffton, SC.  Safe Firefighter, LLC just wrapped up a RIC Refresher for the Bluffton Township Fire District.  Training included calling the Mayday, self-rescue, rapid intervention crew assignments and operations and performing proactive RIC tasks.

Luckily, each company was able to train with their own crew which made the training that much better.  As a result of their hard work, the BTFD logged the following stats:

• 48 training hours
• 320 staff hours
• 320 Maydays called
• 160 “window bars” cut
• 160 “slide bolts” cut
• 80 “padlocks” and chain cut
• 80 hinges cut
• 80 doors force w/ the irons
• 80 windows laddered and vented by 1 firefighter
• 21 RIC deployments
• 21 downed firefighters rescued

Safe Firefighter, LLC is proud to announce it’s newest sponsor/ partner Desert Diamond Industries.  DDI began manufacturing cutting blades for the construction industry and has found a new, and growing home, in the fire service.

Their key fire/rescue products include the “Safety Blade”, the new industry standard in multipurpose diamond blades currently in use by some the largest and busiest department’s in the U.S. and endorsed by Brotherhood Instructors.  Some of their other FD products include the 12 and 24 tooth carbide tip blades, the ideal option for  vertical ventilation operations, the multipurpose “Chunk” blade and countless other tools  for rescue/ US&R applications.

Backed by a “Lifetime Operator Error Warranty”… “When lives are on the line, the last thing you need to worry about is your blade!”

To see their full line of products click here: Desert Diamond Industries

You can see these products in action during any of our Truck Company and/or Forcible Entry Classes!

Contact Safe Firefighter, LLC @ info@safefirefighter.com for more information

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I recently updated the through-the-lock setup that I carry in my gear (see pics below).  For years I had used a modified set of locking pliers (ViseGrip style) with separate key tools and shove knife. This setup has proven extremely effective at both alarm runs and working fires.

I’ve decided to change my setup to a modified “Channelok” setup.  It’s going to allow me merge 2 tools into 1 and I’ll be able to store it in a smaller pocket.  I am actually using an Irwin/ Vise Grip brand plier that slide-locks into place (no more finding the right notch) that is modified to match the Kerry Key from Fire Hooks Unlimited (see pic).

Though I was taught early in my career the importance of door and lock knowledge and “alternate” means of gaining access, it is apparent that this is a lost art in the fire service.

Below are some links to great articles, videos and pics.

Happy training and Be SAFE.

Photo by author

Photo by author

Photo by author

ARTICLES:

“History of Lock Pulling Tools”, www.midwesternfirefighter.com

“Through the Lock Forcible Entry: Key in the Knob Locks”, www.blog.brotherhoodinstructors.com

Video of Brotherhood Instructors, LLC via YouTube

Video of Brotherhood Instructors, LLC via YouTube

Video from Wichita FD via www.VentEnterSearch.com

Snapped this picture during an EMS run. Invaluable lessons can be learned by paying attention during non-fire runs.

Some of the things we noted:
1. The additional slide bolt lock on the front door
2. No door knob on the bedroom door
3. Open light fixtures
4. Only one smoke detector (in the kitchen, not pictured) but it was 3 feet down the wall.

What hazards and/or fire behavior can we expect from these pictures?

When discussing attack line tactics, one of the most important points to remember is for the Nozzle Firefighter to always show up at the door with, at least, 1 section of hose often referred to as the “working length”.  This working length is intended to ensure that the Nozzle Firefighter has sufficient line to advance into the fire area and accomplish extinguishment.  What about the 100 feet or so behind the working length? Who manages that hose and how?

Regardless of staffing, there are certain objectives, or good practices, that all engine companies should try to accomplish that will aid in advancing the attack line into the structure.

• Load the line properly and neatly in the first place. A line loaded nicely will deploy nicely.
• When stretching the line, the second firefighter on the line needs to either have the next 2 sections (100 ft.) on their shoulder or grab the next coupling behind the working length. By grabbing the coupling you eliminate the possibility of it becoming snagged during the advance as well as move 2 sections of line
• Spread out on the line. The fire building should be crowded enough.  Implement a Control Firefighter position whose job it is move line from outside to inside the building and, once the line is in, chase kinks and snags to ensure the line keeps moving.
• Train on ways to effectively move line with limited manpower and physical exertion. The pictures above demonstrate the “loop” method for moving extra hose into a building.  This method requires very little physical effort to move and you can “roll” the loops in the hallway instead of having to find somewhere to flake out line.

Often times, we focus on the end and forget about the means, getting water on the fire but not considering how to get water to fire.  This often results in either a scramble by the attack crew to find out why the line will not move or assigning additional resources to help get the line moving again.  In both cases time and/or resources are wasted and risk to operating crews and possible victims is increased.

There should be little debate that the most important tactic on the fireground is getting the first attack line in service and on the fire.  Keeping the line moving is the most important factor in making that happen. We have to train to be coordinated and proficient at every fire.  Use the smells-and-bells and the “bread and better fires” to hone skills like these so that the next challenging fire you run turns out the way we all want it to.

Practicing these concepts will get the next 100 feet of line through the door and give the Nozzle Firefighter the best chance to use his working length effectively.

Thanks and Be SAFE

This article is being posted, with permission from the author Jake Rixner

In everyone’s career, things are said or done that make the “light bulb turn on”.  This article was one of the things that I read early in my career that had a tremendous impact on me.  Immediately after reading it, I knew I had to be a member of the 30% Club, that a 30 percenter was the type of fireman I wanted to be.  Though I ‘ve had this article tucked away for a long time, now seems like a great time to talk about some good ‘ol hard-nosed firefighting… enjoy!

The 30% Club, by Jake Rixner

“In the early 1980’s, all three shifts at the nickel were taking in about 80 to 100 working fires a year, most of which were in the first due.  To really learn how to be a good fireman, one has to go to fires.  The action didn’t get any better than 5 Engine.

Some of the best officers, and firemen were assigned to the busy house on Leigh Street.  Lessons of previous battles were passed down from the senior members.  Friendships were forged that will be taken to the grave.  We also worked with 18 other men assigned to 1 Truck that shared the cramped quarters.  Many of them were also members of the 30% club.

What is the 30% club?

Pitch black smoke, the sound of crackling fire, a campfire noise amplified 100 times by being confined inside a building.  Who is that?  It’s Buzzy, it’s Pinky, it’s Radar, it’s Mikey, it’s Bryan, it’s Grayson and the list goes on.  Richmond has always been blessed with great firemen; it has been passed down from generation to generation.  It always felt good to be crawling down that long dark, hot hallway with these men.

Upon finding the fire, the pipe is opened and the steam seams to find every opening in your clothing, making an uncomfortable situation even worse.  Thru clenched jaws you “stick it out” that extra 30 seconds that it takes to turn a second alarm fire into just another all-hands job.

The members of the 30% club know that their work will not be featured on the news, the public will never see what they do. That small burns to the ears, & neck are part of the trade. They know that many second and third alarm fires (which can generate intense media coverage) would have been put out for want of a thirty percenter on the pipe.  Members of the club also know that once the fire is knocked down, there will be a wave of firemen on scene wanting to help pull ceilings and walls, making sure to rub a little soot on themselves. At times it gets so tight you can’t move.

So what is it that drives these guys?  Thirty percenters love the challenge of taking on a force of nature, and living to tell about it.  They know that the true reward working in this business is what you give back to the community, the life you helped save, the building you helped save, the little boys baseball card collection, a little girl’s “American Girl” doll collection, the family photo album. Things that can never be replaced are some of the things that drive the “thirty percenter”.  There is also a bond, a brotherhood that is formed by shared hardships, and shared danger.  Respect, the respect you get from officers and co-workers.  I can remember what it meant to me. The many times of “good job” or the eye contact from officers who know what you just went through, and what you’ve accomplished. The respect your company receives from the Battalion Chiefs.  The respect you receive in the firehouse kitchen, etc.  It feels good to be in the thirty percent club.

How do you join?

You join the club by taking all available training classes. Learn your business so you are not a danger to yourself or those around you. Then you must figure out who in your department is trustworthy, and stick with him at the next fire. Like any trade, you need a mentor to show you the ropes.

Be careful, the loudest talker at the kitchen table may not be the best fireman on the fireground; its often that quiet guy sitting at the table taking it all in, who just might surprise you at the next worker.  One sure way to tell is to push the line in at the next fire and see who you bump into… I can promise you that it is right then that you will have become a candidate for the thirty percent club. And you may even be seen with a slight grin on your face when one of the pretenders rubs a dirty glove across his face…”

About the author

Jake Rixner is a fire Lieutenant with 20 years service in the Richmond, Virginia Fire Department. He previously worked as a firefighter in Washington DC. His fire service career started as a volunteer in Monroeville, Pennsylvania in 1978 at Company #5 (the busiest in Alleghany County).

He has had articles featured in Fire Engineering Magazine and has instructed at the FDIC. He is an instructor in Virginia. Lt. Rixner holds an associate’s degree in Fire Science. Lt. Rixner still volunteers in Kentland in Prince Georges County, MD.

Related Posts/ Articles:

“It’s Not Me… It’s You!“, SafeFirefighter.com, December 2009

“What It Takes To Be Aggressive”, SafeFirefighter.com, July 2010

“We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident“, FireServiceWarrior.com, December 2010

Please share with us your tool of choice. That setup that, when the S#!T hits the fan, is your GO-TO line.

OR… You can share your (constructive) opinions on someone else’s favorites.

My favorite setup is any line size and/or length in a minute-man w/ a smooth bore. I prefer it with a 100 ft. shoulder load a loops every 100 ft.   I like it because it gives you flexibility, gets the line away from the rig in a usable position to flake and advance and is easy to drain and repack.

My favorite setup on my FD’s rigs is our rear 2 1/2″ with a 1 1/8″ smooth bore. Ours is flat loaded in a single stack with loops at 50, 100 & 200 ft. This gives flexibility depending on staffing.  The abundance of loops also lets us “flip” the shoulder load wherever we need to depending on staffing.  We often find ourselves “John Wayne-ing” for a few minutes until backup arrives. This line has gotten us out of a jam quite a few times. It is not my favorite line because it’s the ever-popular 2 1/2″ with a 1 1/8″ tip. We train on it constantly and we can get it in service quicker than any other line (triple-stacks) on the rig and slings a lot of water.

Please share your setup with us. Also, comment on others. If you have pics you want to send in, email them to info@safefirefighter.com

Thanks and Be SAFE

Think your FD needs help?

Check out this promo for a documentary on Detroit Fire Department.  It’s a great video and can really put things into perspective.

Be SAFE

Click here to view the embedded video.