BUCKLE UP

I look at a lot of other fire service blogs around the internet, and like most people I have specific ones I look at everyday. Several of the ones I look at are produced by Chris Naum. Chris is very tactically minded, and talks a lot about integrating safety into our operations. Today on his www.thecompanyofficer.com blog he posted the most comprehensive seat belt information in relation to the fire service I have ever seen. The post has documents, and videos on the who, what, where, when, why, and how pertaining to firefighters and seatbelt safety.

Do yourself a favor and check it out here: http://thecompanyofficer.com/2010/07/27/its-real-simple-buckle-up/

Lets make a real effort to stop PREVENTABLE line of duty deaths.

One of the many fire service debates: To lay in or not!

As you can tell by the title this topic has been and will probably continue to be a hotly debated topic for years and years. So while we may not solve anything here either I figured why not put my opinion out there for the world to see.

I am in the camp that likes to lay hose, or lay into the fire. Whatever you like to call it if it’s a call that someone “smells smoke”, “smells something burning”, “see’s fire”, etc. I am putting the hose on the ground. Some people may view this as a “conservative” action but I feel it is at the height of aggressive firefighting. Much like coming off the rig “masked up and ready to go” (a topic for another post) I do not think you can go wrong with putting it on the ground. The problem with the term aggressive is that people think it means you location to the fire. In my opinion being close to the fire with no water supply plan, improper sized hose line, and not dressed appropriately is not aggressive its DUMB! Aggressive firefighting is a lot more than your location to the fire, it has a lot of front end stuff (training, preplanning, water supply, etc.) that you must master or plan for first.

But I digress…..Its as simple as this….water puts out fire. We need a lot of water to put out big fires, and quite frankly even room and contents fires are reaching temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees farenheit, due to high heat release rates of low mass synthetic material. In order to support the proper sized handlines, and necessary flow it is required to establish a continuous water supply.

We run with three people on an engine company (Driver, Officer, and Firefighter) when we lay out we have the driver get out, wrap the hydrant get back in and drive up the street. The next engine can then hook it up and either pump to us or leave us “in line” (just connected to the hydrant). If the second engine never shows (MVA, lost, etc.) It’s already on the ground so the driver can run back up the street to turn in on, the truck company can turn in on when they make the block, the ambulance can turn it on, yes even the chief can turn it on (lets face it no one can do their job with out it). Engine companies that rely on the “2nd engine” to establish their line for them take a huge gamble, because there is no guarantee that they will show up. Now your parked in front of the house with no line on the ground…..what do you do now? The simple answer is have another engine do it, but the simple fact is some departments do not have another engine coming for a while. Today I am working at my part-time FD and we got put out on a commercial structure fire as the 2nd engine. The chief marked on with “heavy smoke showing” the first engine did not lay out. Ten minutes later we finally arrived to complete the water supply. Had it been more than a piece of machinery smoking they would have exhausted there 500 gallon tank long before our arrival. Especially if utilizing a 2 1/2 or portable master stream which is recommended on commercial fires. Also if the second engine lays to the first engine it now takes 3 engines/units to complete the water supply instead of 2 (unless the driver of the second engine is going to run up the street and turn on the hydrant), not to mention the possibility of needing that third engine to pump to you from the hydrant.

Lets talk a little about apparatus positioning. If you don’t lay out and have another engine lay from the hydrant to you now you have 2 engines parked near the house. If you have small streets, or city blocks with cars parked on them were does the truck company go? Stopping short may work, but in a cul-de-sac there is typically only room for two pieces of apparatus and you just took it up with 2 engines when in reality if you layed in it would have only taken one. If you pull past look how far past you have to pull down the street to accommodate 2 engine companies in order for a truck company to have room. It just doesn’t make sense.

I think the best practice is to lay it out, if you are going to continue to utilize your second engine to lay your line for you, then consider reverse laying. Have the second engine come to the scene and reverse lay to the hydrant. This way you are not blocking critical fire ground real estate, and you now have the option of an engine being able to pump to you for larger fires.

I saw live by these rules:

1. First in lay in

2. Be self-sufficient with your water supply

3. When in doubt lay it out

4. Communicate your water supply plan to in coming units. Let the other engines know exactly what you are going to do, and what you want them to do BEFOR you get there. This will keep you from having to do a lot of coordinating during the point in the incident when you will be working.

I am really interested on what you guys out there are doing in your departments. Please leave some feedback in the comments section, and as usual spread the word about the blog.

VA LODD

It is with great sadness that we post this LODD. While any LODD is tragic and all of them deserve respect and reflection this one hits very close to home as it is in my home state of Virginia.

Here are links to the coverage: http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/112834

http://www.vafirenews.com/2010/07/breaking-news-franklin-county-fatal-automobile-mva-with-fire-apparatus/

The early reports is that a vehicle pulled out in front of them and they attempted to swerve to miss it. The vehicle then flipped and both firefighters were ejected. It is also reported that neither firefighter was wearing seatbelts.

While it is very sad that these firefighters died, in order to truly honor their lives we must ensure that we learn from this. Seatbelts save lives! Yes they are uncomfortable, make it harder to get your airpack on, etc. But they also keep you in your seat in the event of a roll over, or collision. Remember we can’t help anyone if we never get to the call.

Next time you get on the rig remember these things:

1. WEAR YOUR SEATBELT

2. SLOW DOWN

3. STOP at all red lights and clear the intersection (Yes even going code 3)

4. SLOW DOWN at intersections even with the green light

5. PPE put it on prior to getting on the rig, if you get a call stop the rig then put it on then go on the call. It also can provide some safety if involved in a collision.

As one of my favorite fire service authors likes to say “Don’t just be safe, go out there and make it safe” (Dave Dodson)

People are always going to die doing this job, its dangerous. But we must find a way to stop the preventable LODD’s. We can do this by slowing down, wearing our gear, wearing our seatbelts, and getting in shape.

RIP Brothers

Firehouse EXPO

Yesterday I made the day trip to Baltimore Maryland for the annual Firehouse EXPO sponsored by Firehouse magazine. Since I was only there for the day, I was unable to partake in any of the classes, but I was able to take a look around the exhibit floor.

I have been going to Firehouse EXPO for some time now and while personally I think that it falls far short of the FDIC experience, Firehouse EXPO is still a top-notch show and well worth your investment. Like anything else in life you get out of it what you put into it!

The highlight of my day had to be being interviewed for a segment by the Firefighter Net Cast crew. It was a short interview basically just asking us what we though about the EXPO. You can listen to it here: http://www.firefighternetcast.com/2010/07/podcasting-at-firehouse-expo/

Other than that I would say it was a solid show although I was saddened to hear that one of my favorite events of years past the Sunday morning apparatus parade was not happening this year. While I am not a fire truck expert, and can not quote job numbers, paint schemes, and entire histories like my friend Taylor. I do enjoy seeing interesting fire trucks and taking pictures of them, and then climbing in them to see what other people are doing to make their apparatus more user-friendly. The parade offered that and it will be missed.

I would like to know what others though of the EXPO, and what conferences you feel are top-notch and worth attending. I am always looking to travel for a good fire department experience. Please leave some feedback in the comments section and as usual spread the word about the blog!

FIREFIGHTER NET CAST TONITE!!!!

Tonite is the latest edition of the internet radio show “Fire Fighter Net Cast”. The show was created by Rhett Fleitz (Vafirenews.com,RoanokeFireblog, and Firecritic.com) and John Mitchell (Firedaily.com). It is a show that covers a multitude of firefighting topics. Recently they began to add new content by allowing other Fire and EMS service bloggers take the reins and have their own show.

Tonite should be one of the best ones yet as it features Christopher Naum! Chris is very tactically oriented and this show promises to be full of tactical firefighting information, and great discussion. If you’re not familiar with Chris here is some of his work:

http://commandsafety.com/

http://thecompanyofficer.com/

http://www.firefighternation.com/profile/ChristopherJNaumSFPE

This guy is all about the right stuff, and even if you don’t agree with what he says its hard to argue the logic. Hopefully all of you will tune in tonite, or better yet call in and talk some tactics with Chris. I know I will be listening, I have even been known to call in a time or two.

Here is the link: http://www.firefighternetcast.com/ or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/firefighternetcast/2010/07/22/taking-it-to-the-streets-with-chris-naum-debuts

SEE YA TONITE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Product Review: Bright Star “Responder Light”

I bought this light at FDIC this year since I was looking for a new light and it was on sale. I have been using it now for a few months and really like it. So I figured I would do a review of the product:

Brightness: The light is sufficiently bright. It does not have the smoke cutting ability of the “Survivor” light brand lights, and is not brighter than my “Vulcan” light, but is still bright enough to get the job done, and is a good complement to my other lights.

Construction: The construction of the light is probably one of my favorite features. I like to wear my chest strap with my SCBA because I have narrow shoulders and wearing the chest strap allows the SCBA to rest more comfortably on my back, and not pull on my shoulders causing them early fatigue. I got away from wearing coat lights because I could not find one that allowed me to utilize the chest strap comfortably. The “Responder” has a skinner neck than the survivor and it allows me to wear the light and chest strap and still feel comfortable. Add to that the easy to operate on switch (with a gloved hand) and this is a very well constructed light.

Battery: The light can either be purchased with a rechargeable battery pack, or can be used with 4 C-cell batteries. After several rechargeable light failures, I decided to give the replaceable batteries a try. I think this is the way to go. The C-cell batteries give you 3 hours of continuous burn time(its advertised as 5 but more realistically its 3), and are easily changeable. If I am on the fire scene and I lose the battery power when I rotate to rehab I go to my SWAT bag and get my spare batteries out and change them. With a rechargeable battery once the light is done, its done until you can recharge it which depending on the light could take hours.

Miscellaneous: It is pretty durable, I am a dropper and have dropped it several times, and it is still working. It is also water proof. I got mine at a show special for a way cheaper price than being advertised on the internet, the special also included 2 spar bulbs (located in the light behind the lense) and a card for lifetime bulb replacement. So for about 20 dollars cheaper than internet price, free bulbs, and no shipping and handling coasts this light was very affordable, and was well worth the purchase.

Overall this is a solid light that gives you  a lot of use and is very affordable on a firefighters budget. I definitely recommend this light.

If you have used this light please let us know what you think about it. Also if you think there is a good light out there please let us know in the comment section, and as usual spread the word about the blog.

Changes

Well I go the official notification that after 6 years, I am being moved to a different station. August 1st 2010 is when the transfer takes effect. Quite honestly I have very mixed emotions about it.

Part of me is very upset. I have dedicated 6 years of my life to learning this district, these people, these buildings, and these firefighters. I feel that I have made some real positive changes and contributed a lot. I am also leaving a great group of guys. These guys are mostly like me, all about the job, and in search of fire service perfection.

The other part of me is excited about the new challenge. The district I am going to is almost the exact opposite of what I have been in for the last 6 years. It’s also on the complete opposite end of the county, where I have ZERO knowledge base coming in. So needless to say I will be busy trying to learn as much as I can as fast as I can, learning new citizens, new firefighters etc.

Im sure in the end it will be a positive experience and I will get something out of this new experience.

So to my new shift mates….Ill see ya soon.

To my old shiftmates (Phillip Morris, Bart, Rude Boy, Rampage, Bony, Newman, Lights Out, B-Rad,El Guapo, and Cricket) Its been an honor and privileged to work with you guys. I know I am better for knowing you, and I hope you guys are better for knowing me. I know we will all still hang out, and I know you guys will call me every time you have a fire (cause you know I’m gonna do the same).

So wish me luck, and if you have the time share some of your experiences with this type of stuff in the comments section, and of course spread the word about the blog!

Physical Fitness in the Fire Service

I’ll first start this off by saying that I am not the picture of good health. While I do work out regularly, and have changed my eating habits, you will not find me on any “hot firefighter pin-up calender” . However you do not have to look like a pin-up model or sacrifice everything you like to eat in order to improve your fitness level.

Lets face it everyday in this job people are dying, and if your paying attention (especially in the last few weeks) its our fitness level, and heart health that are killing us. Now again I am no fitness expert but I could see the writing on the wall, so I made some changes. I still eat Ice Cream, drink beer, and eat wings but not as frequent or in the amounts I used to. This coupled with some excercise has made a tremendous difference in my weight, over all health, and my fire ground performance. Let me be perfectly honest, I despise working out, but being able to go longer, and harder on the fire ground makes it worth it so I keep it up. While I am in no position to give work out advice, or food advice I do know what works for me, and the work outs I like. Here are some links to some good work outs that I think translate well to the fire service.

http://www.youtube.com/user/mhanson51

http://www.youtube.com/user/Fitness4Firefighters#p/u

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRcIsGo8R2Q

Again I am no fitness expert I just know what works for me, you have to do what works for you. It is also always a good idea to consult a physician before you start any workout routine, or diet to ensure it is right for your current health level.

Do not become a statistic, get out of the recliner, push away from the table, get out there and get active!

If you have any other workout tips or information that you are using, please share them in the comments section, and of course spread the word about the blog.

BRUSH FIRE DAY!!

Wow, yesterday was a serious brush fire day (at least for us). Typically this time of year with the humidity brush fires are uncommon, but with the weather being in the hundreds and no rain we have been having some significant brush fires. Yesterday while I was in charge of the engine we had 2 significant ones that were significant for different reasons. The first one was pretty remote, and in a small bamboo forest, the second was behind a multi family dwelling 10 feet away from the back deck of a bottom floor apartment. Both of these fires initially required medium caliber hand lines (1 3/4) for initial knock down, and foam operations for overhaul due to the very dry duft under the burned area. The remote one also required a 3 inch leader line and multiple companies to extinguish.  The following are some observations/lessons learned from yesterdays events.

1. PPE: Our department is a department that responds to brush fire but we are mostly suburban. The engines carry a small complement of forestry hose, and very few rakes. We also do not issue special “wildland” PPE for our firefighters. A lot of firefighters dread brush fires and typically will only wear their station uniform (EMS pants, station boots, t-shirt) coupled with a helmet and work gloves on these incidents. I think this is inadequate. First your station uniform offers you ZERO thermal protection, if caught in a flash fire or hit by a burning snag that has fallen you will get burned severely. Second traipsing through burned material with the same boots your going to take back to the station is not the healthiest thing you can do for you or your crew. A good policy is to wear your full structural PPE during the active phase of the fire, then step down this PPE level during overhaul phases if possible. “Never Sacrifice Your Safety For Your Comfort”

2. Rehab: This is linked with the aggressive PPE use. If your going to dress out properly you need to ensure that your crews are getting the proper work/rest cycle and proper replenishment of fluids. It also never hurts to monitor vitals and track them during the incident. The heat of just being in your gear can ramp up your heart rate and blood pressure, add to that the ambient temperature and even younger in shape firefighters become at risk for heat related injuries.

3. Call for help: This one is simple, if you need help call for it. We have 20 engine companies, 5 trucks, 3 squads, and 13 ambulances on duty every day in my department, we work for 24 hours at a time. You have to have the same performance level at 1pm as you do at 1am. This is impossible if you beat yourself down on a call. With all of the people we have on a shift there is no reason for someone to work until exhaustion.

4. Foam is your friend: I will be honest I never was much of a big fan of putting foam on brush fires. It seemed like a lot of work for something that was already a lot of work. However applying foam really saves you work. It breaks up the surface tension of the water and allows for the dryer materials to soak up more fluid in the hopes that you will not have to return later. It is probably the best overhaul tool for brush fires out there. We utilize a 1% setting for AFFF (since this is all we carry), and it works superb.

5. TRAINING!!!!: As distasteful as it is you have to train on this stuff. We practice our progressive forestry line deployment, foam operations, and leaderline deployments all of the time, and it really makes a difference when you have to put them into play. Experience is not everything, because typically experience means not making the same mistake twice. However experience coupled with aggressive training can be a powerful combination.

What kinds of lessons have you learned on your recent brush fires? What are your operations, and have you trained on them? Are you doing anything unique at these fires? Let us know in the comments section, and of course spread the word about the blog!

What’s In Your Pockets?

Every firefighter throughout the country equips themselves with tools in their gear. They all have different meaning and have usually been acquired due to different experiences that each individual has faced throughout his or her career. This is a subject alot of fire service blogs have tackled and I figured why not me? So here is a list of things I carry on the rig and in my gear every tour:

Coat:

Radio Pocket: 1 ink pen, 1 Sharpie, 1 small LED flashlight (back up)

Left Pocket: several wooden wedges and hinge hooks (home-made)

Right Pocket: 15 foot piece 1 inch webbing w/non locking carabiner, Leather work gloves, and electrical tape.

Also on my coat are my firefighting gloves, and a “Responder Brand” Flashlight it runs on C batteries which I have found is more convenient than having a light with a charger. I carry spare batteries in my SWAT Bag (will cover that later) and if the light goes out on the fire ground when I rotate to rehab I can get to my bag change the batteries and then I have got my light back. With a light that uses a charger once its done….its done until you get it charged back, leaving you with out a light (some guys only carry one). I also carry a locking carabiner on my coat because you can never have to many.

Bunker Pants:

Left Pocket: 20 feet of webbing w/non locking carabiner rolled and stored in an EMS glove, trauma shears, and spare EMS gloves.

Right Pocket: Cable Cutters, modified Channel Lock pliers (w/key tool ends), multi head screw driver, Gerber multi tool, and Gerber serrated edge knife.

 SWAT BAG: SWAT stands for Special Wrenches And Tools, these are things that I don’t use all of the time but enough to warrant having them on the rig.

Spare nomex hood, spare firefighting gloves, spare socks (dry feet feel awesome all times of the year), towel, extrication gloves, spare 40 foot bag of utility rope, crescent wrench, folding spanner wrenches, wire brush (for taking the rust off of FDC’s), spare batteries (for voice amplifier, and flash lights), extra ink pens, and a measuring wheel (for pre planning the district)

miscellaneous: I also always have a 50 foot utility rope bag (cordage) w/non locking carabiner attached to my airpack. This can be used to hoist tools, search rooms, vent windows from a roof position, or bail out (using a rope slide technique). I also carry a Stream Light “Vulcan” for my primary flashlight. Its light, bright, and equiped w/ a seat belt strap for and easy release. Additionally I utilize a radio strap in and under the coat method. Lastly I carry on the rig and in on EMS runs a department mandated BSI kit. In the kit is 1 N95 mask, 1 surgical mask w/face shield, 4 pairs of gloves, hand sanitizer, BSI gown, safety glasses, 1 pair trauma shears, 2 ink pens, 2 convenience bags, five 4×4 gauze pads, 1 roll of kling gauze, 1 roll of 2 inch tape, and stethoscope.

What are you carrying in your gear? Is there anything special you carry to meet the needs of your district? Share your thoughts in the comments section, and of course spread the word about the blog!