Catching Up!

It feels like forever since I have been able to devote some time to the blog. Things have been CRAZY busy here on the homestead. I just finished up a week of the new Rope Rescue Level 1 course. Here in Virginia they have totally revamped the Heavy Tactical Rescue program (HTR), by dropping some courses, adding some courses, and combining some courses. This course that I took over the last week was a combination of old Rope 1, and 2. In this class we did rigging, rappelling, haul systems, lowering systems, pick offs, victim packaging, ascending, etc. all culminating in one huge scenario. It was tough and very labor intensive but I learned a lot and got to hang out with fireman from all over the state. Here are a few highlights.

 

 

EVEN MY TRUCK GOT IN ON THE ACTION!!!!

This program was all part of a week-long offering from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs called “Rescue Week” in addition to my class, there was Trench Rescue,Vehicle Rescue, and Introduction to Technical Rescue Classes all being taught. It was the first in what I hope is a pattern of doing this yearly.

In other news I also found out that I will be going back to FDIC 2013 this time as a Work Shop Instructor! My class “The Medical Mayday” will be 4 hours long and will encompass the missing part of the Mayday/fireground rescue process, actually caring for the victims once they are removed from the fire ground. I think it is going to be very well received and I hope I do the topic justice. It is not to early to sign up, head over to www.FDIC.com and sign up today! You do not want to miss FDIC it is by far the best fire conference out there with educational, networking, and exhibit opportunities!

Lastly in a few short days I and hopefully 343 other fireman from this area will be climbing 110 stories for the 343 FDNY firefighter murdered on 9/11. You can still register by going here http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1117802 . There is ZERO reason not to do this climb, and pay tribute to the fallen firefighters of the FDNY. There is no excuse for the Metro Richmond Area to not fill this climb up, it is an insult if we do not, so SIGN UP TODAY!!!! The money collected from all the climbs nation wide goes to support the FDNY Counseling Unit http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/units/csu/index.shtml a unit that provides counseling to firefighters and family’s.

If you do not feel you can make the climb then send in your money anyway and I will carry the name of your firefighter for you. No excuses fill this climb and honor those that have gone before us. We all promised to never forget, now here is a chance to show that you have not forgotten.

Well things are still getting busier and busier! Intermediate to Paramedic bridge class has started, Youth Football for my oldest is in full swing, in the next week or so my youngest will start youth soccer, the oldest will also be heading back to school soon, the wife is teaching an EMT-Basic course, and my self and Ryan Pennington http://www.viewsfromthejumpseat.blogspot.com/ and http://chamberofhoarders.com/ are getting ready to start our joint venture that will help spread our message of fire service excellence far beyond our individual websites.

You can always follow along on twitter @averagejakeff and….

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

Engine Company Fitness Circuit

Lets face it there is always a lot of focus on the Special Service Companies in the fire service. You always seem to hear people talking about searching, ropes, forcing entry, venting etc. It dominates our training menu sometimes and it dominates a lot of our fitness routine. However the Engine Company is the back bone of everything we do.

The Engine Company is the offensive line of the fire service. Guys on the engine do all the dirty work, and never get much of the glory. It is always those “other guys” who are well rested (cause they are not up running EMS calls), and there show muscles (cause they have a TON of time to work out) who get all the attention. We all know that without a well-trained and in shape engine company those guys would be crying for mama!

I kid, I kid, but seriously a lot of the focus is on things NON Engine sometimes, even out fitness. The above video is a great circuit workout that not only focuses on fundamental tasks of the engine, but fitness as well. All it takes is some hose, your PPE/SCBA, and some resistance. These guys use tires, but you can use sandbags, plate weights, whatever you have, it just takes some creativity and dedication.

Thanks to these guys for sharing this workout with the world, so that we can all benefit from it.

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

August Drill Of The Month: Triage

Triage is an often overlooked and under utilized skill. We often only see its deployment in Mass Casualty Incidents/Disasters. While it is imperative in those situations, it also has value on the every day calls.

For example how often do you deploy into a Triage mode during an MVA? Assigning a person to initially triage patients in an MVA allows for the company officer to get accurate patient numbers, and condition in order to call for the appropriate level of resources. This also allows the resources already on scene to be deployed to the most appropriate patient, and not waste time in treating non critical injuries, while critical patients wait.

This may be something that we do informally, but deploying into a formal triage mode not only allows for the things I have already mentioned, but will improve your triage skills on the major emergency.

There are several triage methods out there, almost all focusing on assessing Respirations,Pulse, and Mental Status (R.P.M.), here in Virginia we use the S.T.A.R.T. system. No matter what you use you have to dust it off every once in a while or like any other skill you will lose it.

The video above is one example of a training drill you can use, however it does not have to be this formal. When I teach Mass Casualty Incident Management for the state we use flash cards with patient information on them, and allow students to place them into piles based on their triage color (Red,Yellow,Green, and Black). If you wish to get outside take those same flash cards and some orange traffic cones, attach the cards to the cones and then spread out the cones. When the triage leader approaches the cones they read the card, and then mark the patient using the marking system your agency uses. Another way to train on this skill is that have “Triage Tuesday”. On every Tuesday every patient you encounter throughout your tour gets assessed in a triage mode, assigned and marked with a triage category, and gets a triage tag written on them in addition to the PPCR (pre hospital patient care report).

The possibilities are endless, especially coupled with some creativity! So spend some time this month going over your triage procedure, and plan.

Lastly on a quick side note, some MAJOR things are coming down the pike here. I do not want to 100% announce everything yet, but what I can tell you is that Ryan Pennington from http://www.viewsfromthejumpseat.blogspot.com/ have teamed up and are going to be bringing some great content to the masses through a new medium for both of us. We are excited and I think it is going to be awesome, so STAY TUNED!

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