I started this blog to educate members of the fire service as to what it REALLY means to be a safe, aggressive, fundamentally sound and efficient firefighter.  The interaction of all these principles is equally as important as any one by itself.  Of each of these, the principle of being aggressive seems to be the black sheep that no one really wants to talk about due to its “stigma”.

If you are not willing to aggressively perform ALL of the tasks necessary to extinguish a fire, then you are, or will be, lacking in the other three principles.

In our business, being aggressive reflects confidence in your abilities and those of your crew(s). There are, however, conditions to being an aggressive firefighter/crew. Lack of adherence to these conditions results in the actions of the ignorant and foolish and THIS is what causes firefighter injuries and deaths. This ignorance, disguised as being brave and aggressive is what gives the term “aggressive” its stigma.

To be truly aggressive at a fire, you have to:

• Know and understand ALL equipment on your rig
• Know and understand your role on the fireground
• Know and understand ALL types of building construction
• Know and understand how to “read smoke”
• Understand the effects of fire on roof and floor systems
• Size-up the building and fire conditions BEFORE making tactical decisions (regardless of rank)
• Fully understand the principles of BTU vs. GPM
• Understand what aggressive AND coordinated ventilation means
• Realize that ladders are for US also
• Realize that a fire is not out until we put it out
• Realize that a building is not clear until we clear it
• Have adequate resources on scene to execute “Plan B”
• Be able do ALL of these things at EVERY fire!

If you, as a firefighter, fire officer and/or command officer can account for all of the above, then your decisions will be educated and your risks will be managed.  However, if you cannot, then you may be flirting with disaster.  Will you be aggressive…or ignorant?

Thanks and Be SAFE.

I caught this on vententersearch.com the other day and then was forwarded a link to additional info by LT Derek Franks (BTFD T375).  This door is pretty intense and, if not identified recognized on scene, could waste time and energy should we have to gain entry into a building.

Essentially, they are high security, reinforced steel doors with up to six (6) dead bolts (controlled by a single lock) and dressed to look like standard residential wooden doors.  Though it’s deceiving, shocking the door prior to attempting to force it should help you identify its construction as well as strong, and not-as-strong, points.

After seeing pictures and watching the video, it seems that either a K12 or solid through-the-lock techniques may be the best option if you find yourself up against this door.  Since all of the throws are controlled by one lock, pulling or spinning the lock and using key tools should be pretty quick.

Here are some links to info about the doors and to some tactics for forcible entry:

Residential Security Door – from vententersearch.com

Master Security Doors – Manufacturer’s website

How It’s Made – Master Security Door YouTube Video

Shocking Doors – YouTube video from Brotherhood Instructors

Through-the-Lock – YouTube video from Bellingham Fire Department

It’s March, which means that the NCAA Basketball Championships are happening.  Like most, this year has been full of surprise wins, surprise losses and surprise teams. Every year, flashy, marquis teams are sent home by teams from small schools that play hard-nosed and fundamental basketball. Because I relate everything to firefighting, it occurred to me that there are lessons to be learned from these teams that can be applied to our profession and personnel.

Someone once asked me if I would rather be, ” a great player on an average team, or an average player on a great team.”

The problem with average teams with great players is that, if you take away the great player, you lose.  The success of the team depends solely on the performance of an individual (or very small group of people).  You are in trouble if any of the “great” players have a bad day or are not there.  Not an ideal position to be in.

Oppositely, if you are an average player on a great team, the recipe for success could have many different ingredients.  For example, you may be a great player surrounded by other great players.  You may also have a group of average players who know and understand their role within the team, making it very effective and successful.  Either one, or a combination, of these is a good example of what a fire company should strive to be.

I relate this to urban/metro fire department versus suburban/rural fire departments.  Urban departments often get the repetition (fire action) to become great players.  Sometimes, their staffing allows them to specialize and truly hone their knowledge and skills.  Meanwhile, suburban departments may have to take on a “jack of all trades” approach.  There is nothing wrong with either of these scenarios.  Things are what they are, however what is important is identifying what type of “team” you have and clearly identifying and understanding everyone’s role.

One of the most important things, for any fire company, First Alarm Assignment and department is for everyone to know each other’s role and how it fits into the big picture.  Whether you are the first Engine arriving with five members or three or the second Truck with four or two members, everyone needs to know what’s going on and what needs to be done.  Whether it’s a basketball team or a fire crew, their ability to know and execute the game plan is vital to their success, and for us…safety.

I was checking out Firehouse.com this morning and read the headline “N.J. city Bans On-Duty Firefighter from Gyms”. After reading the article, I realized that many of the people that we are accountable to (i.e. citizents and politicians) really don’t get it.  They don’t get how physically demanding this job is and they don’t get why we need to maintain active lifestyles and still get plenty of sleep and rest(even on duty).  Perhaps we (as a fire service) are not doing a good enough job of educating and justifying our programs.  During times like these, the need for us to justify almost everything should be expected.

The City’s Business Administrator justified their actions by saying “the cost of medical claims, not to mention loss of personnel as they recover from those injuries, makes the gyms an expensive liability.”  There are numerous long-term studies that confirm that comprehensive and ongoing health and fitness programs reduce worker comp claim and associated costs.  The collateral benefit is that you also get a healthier, happier and better prepared firefighting force.  The Administrator goes on to say, “Until someone tells us that working out is job-related, you can’t do it”.  Really?!

Perhaps someone should educate them on the  IAFF/IAFC Wellness Fitness initiative or on the “Firefighter Health and Safety Research” project being completed by Indiana University on the effects of physical conditioning and sleep on firefighter health.

Below is a short news clip of the I.U. Research project from WTHR 13 in Indianapolis.  Watch it and share it with your crews, your chiefs and your city officials.

FTM-PTB & Be Safe

It’s already been 2 years since the sofa superstore fire in charleston, sc.  I was on duty that night, surfing the web when I caught a headline that (at that time) 2 firefighters were missing at a commercial building fire in charleston.  My crew stayed up (pretty much) all night as the count continued to rise.

It hit home for us because a friend of ours works on the first due Truck to that area and we knew that if it was good fire, he’d be in the middle of it.  The feeling that we had was a combination of and denial, disbelief and gut-wrench.  Remembering that feeling actually brings it back and reminds me that what I felt is nothing compared to what those who lost loved ones feel every single day.

That fire is probably one of the most widely critiqued fire that I’ve ever seen (appropriately).  If you’ve read the “Routley Report”, listened to the audio and read the articles, you probably know that there are tremendous lessons to be learned from that fire.

Did you, or your department, learn any lessons from the tragedy in Charleston?  If not, that also is a tragedy.  That fire and the two years that have followed have brought tremendous change to the cfd.  DiD your department use the “Routley Report” as a tool to improve it’s command, Accountability, RIT, radio or daily operations?

The only truly appropriate and adequate way for us as a fire service to honor our fallen Brothers and sisters is to learn from the circumstances and events leading up to, and contributing to, their sacrifice.

FTM-PTB & Be Safe

Last week my neighbor passed away after an ongoing battle with respiratory and cardiac illnesses.  His name was bob.  Bob retired from the new Rochelle (NY) fire department in the 80’s and moved, with his wife, to South Carolina to be with their kids (and grandkids) and escape N.Y. winters.

When I moved into the neighborhood I would see Bob on a regular basis sitting on his front porch, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer.  Being the social butterfly that I am, I walked over one day and introduced myself.  I immediately knew (unofficially) that Bob had been a fireman, because his first question to me was “how long you been on the job?”  I told him then asked him where he was on the job and what his assignment was.  His reply was “New Rochelle Ny, I was a tillerman.”

My conversations with bob were always short, always on his front porch and I always walked away with great one-liner.  after telling a war story of the “old Days” he looked and nodded his head toward his cigarette and said, “we did things real stupid back then, and look at me now.”

He was referring to foolish risks in general, but, more specifically, he was talking about breathing smoke (and smoking cigarettes).  I vaguely remember the war story, but i’ll never forget that last statement.  Not long after that Bob’s health started to worsen and I rarely saw him out on his porch anymore.

Bob never knew that he had an impact on me.  But, now that he’s gone, I think about what I will leave behind, what nugget of knowledge can I instill in someone that may make them better or safer at their job.  Ours is a unique profession in that you may leave it, but it never leaves you.  Maltese crosses and war stories are around every corner.  The trick is not to take your responsibility lightly or take your job for granted.  It is the duty of everyone in the fire service to leave it better than they found it.

Bob was found in cardiac arrest and was unable to be revived.  Ironically, or fittingly, he was found on his front porch.

FTM-PTB-RFB (RIP)

Most fire departments, if they are even lucky enough to staff a truck company, often struggle with how to maximize the tasks that the truck can accomplish on the fireground.  Since times are tough and budgets are tougher, increasing staffing is unlikely. Below are some ideas to consider when trying to get the most from your truckies.

Over the next couple of weeks we’re going to talk about good ol’ fashioned truck work, but with realistic staffing for today’s fire service.  Our truck company will be staffed with three: an officer, driver and one firefighter.  We’re going to talk about fundamental truck functions like gaining entry, search and rescue and ventilation.  We’re going to start with one of the most fundamental, but overlooked, of all truck functions…ladders.

Ironically, ladders are one of the most technical and time-consuming skills learned during initial training.  On the fireground, however, they are routinely overlooked.  Because of modern building construction, fire loads and subsequent fire behavior, both aerial and ground ladders may be more important now than they have been in recent history.  Rapidly changing fire conditions and truss construction have made our ability to get out just as important as getting in.  That being said, the more ladders you can get on a building the better.

• The strategy for ground ladders should be every window of every floor.
• Setting up the aerial is the driver’s job (and only the driver)
• All windows should be laddered for rescue (tip at the sill
• Ground ladders 28’ and shorter can and should be carried and raised by one  firefighter
• 35’ ground ladders may need to be helped off the rig, but can be dragged and raised by one firefighter
• Either 2 roof ladders or 1 roof and a 24’ can be carried (or dragged), bedded together, by one firefighter and raised.
• Start laddering the fire floor (or floor above for first floor fires) and closest to the fire room.  The higher the hazard, the higher the priority.
• Break windows with the tips of the ladders (even the stick if need be).  It will save you time and effort.
• The officer and firefighter, if assigned to the interior, can each throw at least one ladder on their way to the front door.  The added safety is worth the added time.

If you go by the helpful hints above, a crew of 3 can throw a at least 5 ladders at a 2 story single-family dwelling (one for the officer, one for the firefighter, two for the driver plus the aerial) and that’s a pretty good start.

On the Internet, countless videos of civilian rescues and firefighter close calls can be found that better demonstrate the importance of ladders on the fireground.  I hope you found this information to be helpful, but nothing will help more than hands on training.

FTM-PTB and Be Safe

Resources:

• Basic Firefighting: Ground Ladders
• Training & Tactics Talk: Ground Ladders
• Emergency Egress on the Fireground: Ladder Bail

Check out this link!  This is a prototype for a new SCBA design that could significantly improve firefighter safety while operating at building fires and, hopefully, improve firefighter health through stress reduction.

As we all know, the only reason that the world is “wireless” is because all of the wires have been hidden in void spaces in walls and ceilings.  From a technological and convenience standpoint, our wireless lifestyle is great.  However, that all changes when a building in on fire.  It’s not only internet and communication wire, but cable, speaker (gotta have surround sound), integrated fire and burglar alarm and electrical wire as well.  Let’s not forget about HVAC flex-duct (a slinky wrapped in insulation and foil).  All of this stuff poses serious entanglement hazards with our SCBA being the most susceptible piece of equipment we use.  This new SCBA technology may all but eliminate the threat of entanglement (check out the video).

Stress related LODD are still a major issue each year.  Trends in firefighter fitness programs and annual comprehensive physicals (to OSHA and NFPA standards) are a great start.  However, prevention is one thing, but the sudden and often intense physical exertion expended at a fire is still an issue.  With reduced staffing plaguing many departments, members often push themselves to get the job done, often at the expense of their personal health.  This lighter, less rigid SCBA will let us expend less energy to accomplish the same task(s) which will also result in longer working times and more work being done with less stress placed on the body.

A special thanks to Doug Volk who sent me this link.

Related Articles and Links:

• FireRescue1.com: “The Next Generation of SCBA”
• Firehouse.com: “IAFF to Help Create Smaller, Lighter SCBA”