Average Jake Featured on Traditions Training Facebook Page!

The other night while listening to Fire Engineering Talk Radio (Specifically the Traditions Training show) they were having a discussion on Engine company operations pertaining to long or extended handlines. As some of you may or may not know my FDIC 2011 class room presentation entitled “Long Stretch Solutions” was ont his very topic, so I felt like I would call in and give my 2 cents on what I felt and know about the topic. At the end I was asked to share some pictures of the deployment so that they could see what I was describing, so I did.

Little did I know that the next day that I would be getting phone calls and emails saying that I was on their Facebook page! It was quite a shock as I assumed those pics were just for their knowledge, and I was truly honored that they felt they were worthy enough to be put on their page.

For those of you that do not know the guys from Traditions Training go all over the country teaching classes, and training firemen to be “Combat Ready”. These guys are from some of the busiest departments in the country, and quite honestly while I think I am good instructor with a lot of knowledge I do not but myself in these guys league. Check out all of their stuff here: http://www.traditionstraining.com/ , and the Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/traditionstraining they have a lot to offer, and if your going to FDIC this year I know they will be offering several classes I took an Engine Company Class from Capt. Dan Shaw (Fairfax County Va) and Lt. Doug Mitchell (FDNY) last year and it was great.

Also if you’re not listening to Fire Engineering Talk Radio then GET WITH THE PROGRAM! They have a variety of shows with great topics, and its the chance to actually get to talk with great fire service minds for FREE take a listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fireengineeringtalkradio

Also Firefighternetcast is still offering great programs and training content via their Blog Talk Radio shows check them out here: http://www.firefighternetcast.com/

Give both of those a listen (you can even listen to older shows) and I know you will not be disappointed.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

Use The Soffit

 

I wanted to do a post about this for a while and I was gonna take a bunch of pictures and use some diagrams of how the construction features allow for the use of this technique but then I found this video and it speaks volumes about the success of this technique, so I figured it was the better way to go.

We use this technique in my department a lot for a couple of reasons.

1. Man Power: We only ride with 3 (Officer, Driver, Fireman) so the officer is usually the backup man on the hose line. Well if we get an attic fire and the officer is doing his lap, the fireman can make an impact on the fire until the officer makes his lap, then when the lap is done they join up and stretch the line in.

2. Rules: Right, wrong, or indifferent in my department RIT (or RIC) is a big deal. It is in our SOG’s (Standard Operating Guidelines) that unless we are in rescue mode, no interior operations will take place without an RIT in place, which means waiting for the 2nd engine to arrive. So instead of waiting to make an impact this technique can be used to be a hit on the fire (if it’s in the attic of course, if not we do other stuff)

The great thing about it is that from an engine company perspective it only takes the tool you should already have (the hoseline), and for those riding with three, or even less you can make a positive impact while maintaining relative safety. However there are some things to remember when using this.

1. Sometimes people place this soffit vent over solid wood, or the void space itself is just solid wood. It can still be defeated but it is going to take tools, and people to do it. In this case it may be the better option to go interior and pull ceiling which will be easier (even plaster lathe, or tounge and groove)

2. You are going to be throwing a tremendous amount of water into the attic space, completely saturating the insulation and ceiling. This is important because when you finally do go interior you are gonna pull ceiling for overhaul. I can not think of an attic fire I have been to where some unsuspecting fireman gets nailed with a huge piece of water-logged ceiling. In fact my Lt. went to the hospital after an attic fire we had when it happened to him. The point is to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (some pretty smart guy said that once) think about whats in your attic, and how heavy it is. Now think about what water does to sheet rock. I know me personally I was hit with a full size desk once that fell through a ceiling, thankfully my adrenaline was going so hard it didn’t hurt until much later.

3. Make sure your using the right tools and streams. They use a smooth bore here (which I am a HUGE fan of) but a lot of people still like the fog and that’s fine, but a fog patter wont defeat that soffit, and it will push fire, so like any other exterior stream get it straight/solid and always have a tool handy in case you have to do some pulling/pushing.

This is a technique that no matter the size your engine company needs in its play book, but it only works if you train on it, and if you know your district construction features. Only way to know that is to go out and look (next EMS run take a peek at the soffit area to see if this could work for you, or next smell of smoke, gas etc. find an excuse to get to the attic) and to get out of the recliner and on the training ground.

If you have anything like this that’s working in your department please send it on, and I will feature it on the site, we are always looking to feature companies out there training, and practicing the values we see on the site. Also please leave some feedback on what you’re doing in your department in the comments section, twitter @averagejakeff, or EMAIL.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

 

 

 

Use The Soffit, posted with vodpod

OUTSTANDING! Out side standing that is

 

In this video we get to see arrival from initial fire department units at the scene of the house fire. Due to the video it is hard to tell what exactly is on fire. At first I thought it was the entire D side (or 4 side for those of you who do not do the ABCD thing) but then as I looked at the position of the fire and wear the stream was directed It almost appeared to be either an attached, or detached garage, or possibly even just an addition.

Either way the D/4 side of the house is on fire. We see 2 engine companies arrive (one was a telesquirt) and begin to stretch lines. They have their masks on and all there PPE and they appear ready to work, which is a good thing. However do you notice something missing? Do you notice some tactics missing?

First and foremost the guys off the telesquirt bring ZERO tools with them. Sure it appears that man power may be light but even if they are assisting with the first line at some point some tools are going to be needed, best to bring them along and stage them instead of leaving them on the rig.

Second I have no problem with giving an advanced fire a shot from the outside prior to making entry, it’s a good tactic to slow down fire spread, and give possible victims a greater chance of survival. However when we do it we want to make sure that we bleed the line first, get our pattern straight, and do not use a fog stream. When you introduce a fog stream into this situation you WILL push fire back into the occupancy, thus making the entire point of why you attacked from the exterior in the first place mute. Also unless the structure, or fire is keeping us out of the building we need to transition this attack to the interior once we have made our initial hit.

Third and this goes along with some of the second comment, why did they not go inside? Even if it was an attached or detached garage its obvious that this fire has spread into the occupant space. This appears to be an occupied home, and given no occupant accountability we have an obligation to search, and to make an interior attack to cut the fire off from spreading to the rest of the structure. There is no reason that a 3 person crew can not force the front door (well if the brought tools with them), stretch the line interior and hold the fire in check while a search is done. Once you perform the search then you can transition back to the outside if the fire is to great, or you can continue to fight fire, and have incoming companies stretch additional lines. Bottom line is this fire is now in the occupant space so that’s were we eventually need to get to.

Like in the last post it all comes down to FRONT END TRAINING! Instead of winging it on every run, sit down and assign duties to the riding positions on your rig. Get together with your department chiefs, mutual aid chiefs, or who ever makes your decisions and create operations based on order of arrival, for example:

 

1st Engine: Initial Command and Fire Attack

2nd Engine: IRIT

 

1st Truck: Search and Rescue

 

Doing this allows for less talk on the radio, as the incoming units should know ok we go here 2nd we are the IRIT, let’s go to work. You can tailor this to your run assignment and your staffing, but just saying it, or even typing it is not enough. YOU HAVE TO TRAIN ON IT! You have to get on the drill ground with your companies and the companies you run with and work the kinks out prior to the alarm.

 

Critical functions on the fireground should not go undone, even with limited staffing we have to perform the basics it may just take longer or be prioritized different but Command, Fire Attack, Search and Rescue, Ventilation, Salvage, and Overhaul and there associated tasks (Forcible Entry, Utility Control, etc.) must be done at every fire no matter the amount of people who show up.

Ensure when you arrive your ready to work (PPE,SCBA, and tools), and know your job/assignment. If at any point you do not know what you supposed to be doing, or who you’re working for then I dub the Sir Freelancealot! But seriously not only are you freelancing but your placing your self in danger from an accountability standpoint.

So how would you attack this fire? With your staffing level detail how this fire would go down in you department? Leave your remarks, feedback, general inquiries, etc. in the comments section, email, or on twitter (@averagejakeff)

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

 

 

This is a Problem, posted with vodpod

This is Why We Train

As usual I want to preface my coming comments, that in no way am I trying to be disrespectful to the fireman, or companies in this video. However when you put yourself out there you open yourself up for criticism, much like this blog while I have gotten a ton of positive comments, I have also gotten just as many negative comments. To me it is all about growing and learning as fireman, or more importantly as a person. The key is to be your own toughest critic, and to strive for perfection, and while I fall short of perfection on a daily basis tying to be perfect gets you close, and that level of service can make a huge difference.

So now that all the lovey dovey stuff is out-of-the-way, in the below video we have a FULL engine company responding to a town home fire (that’s what we call them). Upon their arrival they have smoke showing from side A and it seems to be a routine fire.

While to some this may seem like it went smoothly if you look a little deeper you can see some flaws that while possibly not affecting this fire could seriously hinder the events on a future fire.

1. Disorganization: It seemed like no one knew their job on arrival. You had one guy who was in half gear standing around, one guy holding a hydrant wrench, and our cameraman who ends up pulling the line only to get i taken from him cause he is masking up first asking where the hydrant is. This disorganization lead to delay in getting water on the fire. It is always important to have a plan prior to the alarm. Even in vollie departments it is possible to train your members to a standard that allows them to know their job when they arrive. Assigning different jobs to the position on the apparatus is the most accepted way, but whatever way you choose you have to not only implement it, but train on it!

2. Apparatus positioning: It never fails even in my department Engines all over the country keep taking up the critical real estate on the fireground. Bottom line folks the TRUCK COMPANY GETS THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING! When the engine takes the front it makes that big ladder on top of the rig useless. It is its length all the time so in order to utilize it has to be in the right spot. Engines however typically have hundreds to thousands of feet of hose and can easily give the truck the front side of the building by stopping short or pulling past the occupancy. Again you have to train and use it on the small ones so that it becomes second nature on the big ones.

3. Show up ready to work: I preach this over and over again but this video shows why it is so important. I have said this before but I am a mask up in the truck guy, the reasons are 2 fold. The first is I want to be ready to work on arrival, it gets me in the building faster, and it keeps me from breathing in any smoke which in todays fires is highly important. Second and I’ll admit this is selfish, if I am on the nozzle I do not want it taken from me like it was out cameraman. I know it is a team sport but, fires are down everywhere and guys are always looking to get their company in on the action, make sure you get your next fire by being ready. If you do not mask up in the rig be able to do it with you fire gloves on. Like everything else it just takes training!

Bottom line is everything talked about in this post is fixable by getting out of the day room and on the training ground. Like Billy G said if you’re not an expert on everything on your apparatus you have no time to be doing anything else especially on duty!

Be sure to keep following along on twitter (@averagejakeff)

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

This is Why We Train, posted with vodpod

It is that time of year again!

Well folks here in the Metro Richmond area today when folks arose they were met with 60 degree temperatures. While some think this weather is great, a certain portion of our population consider this weather as cold and you know what that means!

Thats right the smell of smoke in a residence calls (usually just dust on the heating strips) and the chimney fires will be picking up within the next few weeks and continue on until spring. On the flip side this is when fire duty all around the country tends to pick up as well.

So during this time of year it is important to maintain vigilance even on the 50th smell of smoke run, always treat them as if they are going to be a fire, because quite frankly some of them will turn out to be.

When you get dispatched to a chimney fire do not automatically return the full assignment until you can get there and put eyes on the critical portions of the structure (chimney, attic, and surrounding walls). Many a house has been lost due to the complacency from fireman on the “routine response”

So take some time in these next few weeks and review your procedures for chimney fires, smell of smoke investigations, etc. Also start getting that chimney kit ready NOW and go over it so when you arrive on scene and someone says do you have X, your response is not “I don’t know, let me look”.

Please feel free to share any tips, or tricks you have for these calls in the comments section, or on twitter (@averagejakeff).

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

 

It is that time of year again!, posted with vodpod

Richmond Va 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Video

 

In case you missed it last night here is the video story from the local news (CBS 6) here in Richmond on the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. In it you will witness several firefighters making the climb, and a couple of interviews. One of the interviews is with my wife Karen who also made the climb. I mentioned here: http://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/richmond-va-911-memorial-stair-climb-2/  that once we were done with the climb we stayed and cheered on the rest of the climbers, and since she was doing such a good job of cheering the reporter asked to mic her up. Karen also wrote about her feelings about the climb and 9/11 as a whole check that out here: http://stickysidedown.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/today-we-are-one/

Like I said in my original post Karen has a unique perspective on all of this. While I was in the fire service (as a volunteer) I was away at school studying Fire Science, but she was already in the working world and actually went to the Pentagon to help with relief efforts. She actually with her own eyes saw the damage, and participated in the recovery. A lot of people talk about stuff like that, but she lived it.

Thanks to all the great comments I have received about the original post, it was just speaking from the heart which sometimes gets me in trouble but this time seemed to work out ok. Do not forget to follow along on twitter @averagejakeff.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richmond Va 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, posted with vodpod

Richmond Va 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

Well I did it, this morning I climbed 110 stories in honor of the 343 brothers who were murdered on 9/11/01 by faceless terrorists who tried to destroy our way of life, and our country.

Its been several hours since the climb, and even while I sit here writing this I am still struggling to get out how I feel, and the direction I want this post to go. Bottom line is folks I am not an emotional guy, I typically find emotional gestures as cheesy, or over the top. In fact I can only remember truly crying twice in my adult life (when both my Grandfathers died) so at this rate I think I only have about 4 more times that I may ever cry in my life (when my Grandmothers die, and when my Parents die, hopefully my wife and me will either go together or she out lives me).

However I went through a lot of different emotions, and while I did not cry I was definitely moved, and touched by what I saw and participated in today. I’ll explain:

Pride/Honor: First of all I was proud of the turnout that was there this morning, a lot of people sacrificed their weekend in order to do this

 Look at all those Fireman, I was DAMN proud to share a building with each and every one of them.

I was also proud and honored to carry the name and picture of Firefighter David Halderman Squad 18

 David Halderman is now a big part of me, and I will not only never forget 9/11 I will never forget him, and his sacrifice.

Lastly I was proud of 2 individuals

 First City of Richmond Fireman from Rescue Company 2 and most importantly my brother Danny O. Danny had to peel off for a break early on in the climb, but he did not let that stop him. When he was done I asked him if he was glad he did it, and he gave the answer I knew he would “There was no way I was not gonna do it”

 Second my the Emergency Operations Assistant Manager for the Virginia Office of EMS, the President of East Hanover Volunteer Rescue Squad, and most importantly my wife Karen. A lot of people do not know this but during the Pentagon attack the VA EMS task forces were deployed, Karen’s job is the training, and management of those resources. Sometimes that means working the VA EOC, but on 9/11 she like so many others responded to the Pentagon to help. On top of that she is a mother of 2, a cancer survivor, and my wife so you know she has it rough everyday! She climbed the entire climb with me, and the only break we took was the elevator ride down! She did awesome.

Anger: Yea I said anger, I’m sure some of you are wondering how could anyone feel anger at an event like this? Well my anger had many levels. First while the turnout was good there is still no excuse for the Metro Richmond Area to not be able to fill up 343 spots. We couldn’t do it and I was a little peeved about that.

Second where were the chiefs? 98% of those climbing were fireman and company officers only 1 Chief of Department made the climb and that was Chief of the Richmond Fire Department Robert Creecy. Like or love hom he strapped on his DRESS UNIFORM (even down to the corafam shoes) and made the climb. No other Chief of Department made the climb. This really upset me, all of this talk about brotherhood, and doing the right thing, and they could not show the respect that was due and make the climb or for that matter even show up and give support to the men and women who were making the climb. Sadly there is a lot of brotherhood talk, but the ones who showed up today literally walk the walk of brotherhood. It’s hard to follow leaders who can’t make a small sacrifice.

Brotherhood: It was overwhelming, there were no strangers today, we were all 1 fire department, with one mission. When i was done with my climb me and Karen stayed to cheer on everyone else, we stayed until the last person rang the bell and I will admit every time someone rang the bell and said a name of a fallen brother I did get choked up.

Here are some more pictures:

 Henrico Fire Truck 6, and City of Richmond Quint 6

 343

 Heading up Lap 1 of 5

 Most of the Henrico Firefighters who made the climb

All in all it was a great day, a great tribute, and a great event. A big thanks to the City of Richmond Fire Department for hosting the event, and continuing to prove why they are the Capital City Fire Department.

Never Forget/343

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word and STAY SAFE!

9/11/01

This morning I completed my first 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. I will be posting the pictures and my thoughts, feelings, etc. in a later post, however I just wanted to take a few moments while I am still getting all of that together to remind everyone to do something today to honor the 343 fireman who were murdered on 9/11 10 years ago.

343/NEVER FORGET

September Drill of The Month: Never Forget!

September 11th 2001 a day that will live in infamy in not only the fire service but American history. We promised to NEVER FORGET but some people have forgotten. So for this months drill I want you to do something to remember the 343.

I am participating in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on September 11th right here in good old Richmond Va. I would suggest you do the same (of course in your own locality, or a place that means something to you), or do something!

Sit down with your crew and watch the 9/11 documentary, discuss the sacrifice that the 343 made, have a moment of silence, discuss the tactics that Chief Phifer deployed, discuss how your department would handle a similar situation, DO SOMETHING to show these men that were murdered that we have not forgotten them, and that we still take the sacrifice that they made very seriously, and that they did not die in vain.

Find a stair climb in your area here: http://www.9-11stairclimb.com/

Bottom line is we have to do something, we can not just sit and let this day go by without doing something. No matter how small, we have to show that we will NEVER FORGET.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

9/11, posted with vodpod

Roof Venting Tactics

Before the Hurriquake hit here in Va I was on a series of Roof venting posts, if you have not read them yet take a look at them here: http://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/truss-and-stick-built-roof-burn-tests/ , http://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/more-roof-venting/ ,  http://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/yes-even-more-vent-stuff/ You all caught up now? Good lets continue.

Like I have said in the posts depending on a ton of factors (some we can control, and some we can not) roof venting may or may not be a tactic that we can do in our individual departments. However if you do choose to do it you still have to contend with the dangers of fire loading, and building construction.

Look lets face it even after all of the reading, about self assessment for your department I know there are still people out there who are not buying it. It’s human nature to rebel and to succeed were others see a failable situation, so instead of continuing to drone on and on with that it is time to give you the reader a tangible skill that you can employ in your department. So without further a due I give you the “Aerial Ladder Vent”

There are some fires out there that do need to have the roof vented, it is still the most effective way to ensure that the smoke and super heated gases leave a structure by utilizing the natural characteristics of fire, however by the time we arrive the roof itself may be in no position for us to operate on. This leads us to a dilemma so how can we accomplish the task of venting the roof, and maintaining relative safety.

In the situation described above, we can still accomplish venting the roof with relative safety from the stability of the aerial ladder. This allows us to minimize our exposure to the possibly unstable roofing material, and still accomplish the goal to provide the relief of smoke, gases, and fire from the structure.

Here is another view, there are several variations to this technique that can increase your safety. One thing is that you can clip into the ladder with a ladder belt, this will keep you tethered to the ladder in case of a sudden movement, or accidental fall.

Another tip is to place the tip of the ladder at your target and to lay down on the ladder, the point being that you can not fall if you are laying down. Utilizing the tip of the ladder you can still cut a decent sized hole, or cu the hole in sections. Starting with the cuts you can reach, then signaling to the aerial operator to move the ladder over so that you can finish the cut.

Lastly if you have an aerial device that has a basket (platform, bucket, whatever you call it) you can still utilize the lay down in the basket technique (just like the lay down on the ladder technique) but place another fireman in the basket with you and have them utilize the basket aerial controls to allow you to seamlessly cut the hole with only having to change saw position.

Now I will say that these techniques may sacrifice some speed for increased safety, and they do take actually getting out on the drill ground especially utilizing the basket cut technique. However they do allow you to accomplish the goal, and remain safer in the dynamic fire development terrain the fire service finds itself in.

I am still tirelessly searching for basket cut photos to demonstrate that technique, but I literally have thousands of pictures to look through and it takes time. If anyone has some pictures, or other thoughts on this or any other topic on the blog send them on via email, and I will feature them on the blog (be sure to send all of your info so I can give the proper credit). You can always leave comments in the comments section, and also contact us via twitter @averagejakeff.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!