The above photo says it ALL!!!!!! This job is dangerous but it is your job to make it less dangerous. We do this by wearing our PPE, training, acting proactive on the fire ground, making fitness a part of our lifestyle, and treating this job not as a job but as a life style.
We all chose to be here no one made us turn in that application to volunteer, or accept a job offer, so act accordingly. Even if your department is not what you think it should be you can still be the fireman you know you should be!
So do not wait, get out there and improve yourself today and everyday. As Bobby Halton said in his FDIC opening ceremonies speech, the fire service is about selfless service. The act of serving should be honor enough. We owe our families, our citizens, and our department to be the best we can be.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
With all of the things happening in the world today, specifically the LODD’s in West Texas, and the Boston Marathon bombing it can be easy to dwell on the negative things in life. I was even discussing with my wife how I am glad we are done having children because I don’t know if I would want to bring another child into this world full of hate, and danger.
However there is light at the end of the tunnel. Some will look for religion, some will look to family and friends, or even a combination of things. Me? This couldn’t come at a better time because I get to go to the greatest fire service conference in the world FDIC!
FDIC always recharges my fire service batteries and ignites my passion for the fire service. It is a breath of fresh air to be around like-minded fire service brothers for a week. No one goes to FDIC that doesn’t LOVE the fire service. Words can not describe just how awesome FDIC is, but in my attempt here is the 3 part review I posted from last years FDIC
Here is also some videos from FDIC past and previews for this year
If that does not bring a smile to your face then I do not know what else can. Also do not forget the FOOLS party on Wednesday, Courage and Valor 5k on Thursday, Stop Drop and Rock and Roll on Thursday, 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on Friday afternoon, Local 416 Union Party, and several other meet ups (Fire Service Warrior,ISFSI, etc.) during the week.
I will be heading out to Indy early Sunday morning, and will be there in early afternoon. Monday I will present my 4 hour pre conference workshop “The Medical Mayday” at 8am. Unfortunately I will have to leave before the end of the conference very early Friday morning, so again I will miss out on the Stair Climb, and since my class time will be limited I will for go running this year in the 5k so that I can maximize the classroom session time.
I will be live tweeting the conference on twitter @averagejakeff using the hash tag #FDIC13 (unless FDIC comes up with something different).
So if you are coming out to Indy come on over and see me, if not follow along on twitter, FDIC.com, fireengineering.com, blogs, etc.
As usual thanks for reading spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Do you ever have the problem on the fireground of not knowing who you are talking to? Sure we all have identifiers, apparatus or station numbers on our helmets, name tails on our coats, or even identifiers on our airpacks. Sometimes they are readily visible other times they are hard to see, and let’s be honest once the face piece goes on we all look very similar, and all sound the same.
Just yesterday I had a firefighter come talk to me at a fire face to face and I knew what company he was from but had no idea who he was until he walked away and I could read his name tail.
How about adding a name identifier to your face piece? I have been doing this for years as just another way to mark my equipment, but never realised the gains it gave me until just a few months ago. Everyone knows it is me when they are talking to me, In the event of a MAYDAY this is one more way to be identified, it enhances communication, enhances accountability, and lets everyone know who’s mask it is.
All of these things with a simple label from a label maker. If there is more than one person with your last name, add the first initial of your first name. The point is that something this simple can create huge dividends in the fog of war. It’s why soldiers wear dog tags, and why before dog tags they would sew identifiers on their uniforms.
It doesnt have to be like Ricky Bobby’s Fig Newtons sign on his car (even though they are delicious), just big enough for someone to read and figure out who they are talking to.
What other things have you done to enhance your fireground? Leave a note in the comments section or on twitter @averagejakeff
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
I am sure I am not the only one who sees this. For some reason not just in the fire service but in our culture we fear sharing what we know. A lot of people never share what they know so that the people below them will stay exactly that below them.
In some professions this may be acceptable, but NOT in the fire service. We need to be sharing EVERYTHING we know with up and coming firefighters. In order to keep the tradition,culture,passion, and all of the other good things we love about this job we need to share. We need to take every chance we have to impart fireground knowledge, the history of the fire service, the history of our individual departments, and anything we can to ensure our future.
The above picture demonstrates one of the BEST places to share your knowledge, the fire house kitchen table during a meal. Think about it, we meet at the table usually three times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) this is the time to share stories, new policy updates, etc. What if the rookie was off last shift, and you caught a fire? Don’t just rub it in his face get the audio from dispatch and listen to it while your eating. Hopefully this will spark some discussion on the tactics, and what went right, wrong, etc.
We go on EMS runs EVERYDAY! People, businesses, etc. invite us into their places everyday to take care of them. We should always be looking around for our safety, but take this chance to look at the door you enter, the ceiling, the content load, anything that could hinder you in an emergency, and then after the patient is taken care of point it out to the crew. We just found out on an EMS run that the hallways in a nursing home we frequent are to long for our high-rise pack, so we had to come up with and train on a way to overcome this. A discovery leads to discussion, which leads to a plan, which leads to training that’s what we call a JACKPOT!
This is not just limited to the older guys as well, we have a lot of younger guys coming on the job that have a lot to offer. Maybe the kid with the degree is not the best at running a chainsaw, but he may be a computer wizard, a map genius, or an expert on modern fire behavior. I worked with a guy who was new to Fire and EMS but was fluent in sign language so he taught us some basic phrases in order to communicate with the hearing impaired. In an environment where the rookie is “seen and not heard” this would have never been possible. Now do not get me wrong the rookie should act like a rookie, but take the time to invest in your rookie and find out his/her background. What they know may just surprise you, and benefit you.
The overall point is NO HOARDING OF KNOWLEDGE! Share what you know, encourage and foster an environment of sharing, training, and hoping your people will one day be better than you. If your people end up better than you then the fire service will be better overall.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Anyone who watched wrestling growing up is bound to have heard of Mr. Perfect Curt Henning. He did several promo’s about just how perfect he was and how easily he could accomplish the most difficult task. He even when coming out tot the ring would spit his gum out and swat it away (something I spent hours trying to emulate). This guy was absolutely PERFECT. However behind the curtain Curt Henning was far from perfect. He was a steroid user, battled several demons, and eventually died far to young from an over dose from a combination of cocaine and pain killers.
The point? His on air persona was far from reality. His was the picture of perfection to some, but was a normal human subject to desires, bad decisions, etc.
I think this persona, or idea of perfection s sometimes placed on those of us who choose to put ourselves out there in social media, blogs, etc. I have almost three years of posts on this site, written articles for several other website, magazines, tweets, and other outlets and I can not find one time where I mentioned anything about me being perfect. I strive for that as I think all of us should do but I myself am FAR FROM IT! I make mistakes, I made one just last night while acting in charge of the engine company. One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my fire service career was when I attended an 8 hour forcible entry class from FDNY Captain Robert Morris. During this we saw several videos of forcible entry techniques, some times succesful, others not. When asked why he kept the mistakes in the video he said he wanted to show the class that even he and his crew with all their experience in the fire service that they may still make mistakes, and that they learned more from mistakes than from success.
I make mistakes in all aspects of my life, I am a horrible critic on myself some might even say too hard, but as one of my twitter followers said if you’re not hard on yourself then who will be? The name Average Jake was created out of the fact that I consider myself just average. I am the average firefighter, or what I think the average firefighter should be (passionate, dedicated, love for the job) and I try to put those traits out there.
So the overall point is no matter if it is me, The Fire Critic, Jumpseatviews, Fire Service Warrior, or some other blogger, writer, oe tweeter NONE OF US are perfect. We strive for it, and attempt it but it is unreachable and we will fail, but trying to get there will make you pretty good. I know it can be difficult to embrace your mistakes, especially in a business where a mistake can mean life or death, but as I tell my oldest son when he doesn’t want to practice with people better than him at sports. You learn nothing from beating the same people over and over, you learn a lot from going against someone better than you. So do not shy away from mistakes. Train to make them reduced during the real thing. I know I learned a valuable lesson last night and plan on following up on that so the mistake is not repeated. Hard work is the only way to accomplish it, we are never done learning and just when we think we might be fate usually has a way to jump up and let us know we need to keep plugging.
Thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Thats right folks 53 days until the largest, greatest, and most comprehensive fire service conference in the WORLD! I really get geeked up for this time of year. I got to go to FDIC for the first time in college in the year 2001 and it was MIND BLOWING! It really opened my eyes to the entire fire service world. When they had FDIC East in Atlantic City I went, and for the past 5 or 6 years I havent missed one.
Also for the past three years I have had the honor and pleasure of being allowed to teach at FDIC. I have taught 2 classroom sessions, and this year I am honored to get to teach a 4 hour Pre Conference Workshop titled ”The Medical Mayday”. Not to spoil it but the class focuses on the OTHER side of the MAYDAY. Often our RIT/RIC/Firefighter Rescue Training focuses on just the removal of the down firefighter and not the continuation of care. My class will go over why firefighters are unique victims, and how to recognize, prevent, and treat firefighter injuries and illness. There will also be some practical stations that should be real fun and make you think.
Thats the biggest thing I hope to do in my class is get people thinking, in fact I hope to do that in any class. I do not have all the answers, and especially with this class some of the answers have not even been invented yet! So I hope to get people to think about this topic, offer them some hints and then go home and apply this problem to there department and find a solution with their people, equipment, etc. Lets be honest every fire department is different and things that work for me, may not work for other departments, or fireman.
So I hope that in the MULTITUDE of choices you have for preconference and HOT training classes you pick my class.
However the other reason I am going and the reason EVERYONE should eb going to FDIC is to learn! I know I just spent about 3 paragraphs talking about my class, but to be honest I am still very star struck when I go to FDIC. I am a small time player in this game, and names like Norman, CIampo, Dugan, Lasky, Salka, Halton, Brunacini, etc. still get me amped up. I still have SO much to learn in this job even after 16 years of doing it, so I get excited to sit in classes and take home lessons to apply to my department, and for myself.
besides the classes there is a TON of other stuff to do!
The FOOLS BASH on Wednesday
The Courage and Valor 5k Fun Run on Thursday
The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on Friday
The Local 416 open house
The Fire Service Warrior Meetup
Firefighter Combat Challenge
AND MUCH MUCH MORE a lot of groups and organizations have hospitality rooms, meet ups, etc.
The point is folks this conference has ALOT to offer and that’s an extreme understatement! There is so much to do you will not be able to fit it all in. I am not gonna be able to do the Stair Climb because I will only be there from Sunday through Thursday. While I know this is an FDIC post if you do not have a Stair Climb in your location make sure you get in on the FDIC stair climb. Im lucky we have one here in my hometown EVERY YEAR! But others do not have that luxury so get involved in the climb!
If you want to come meet me, I will be live tweeting the entire event and checking in my location so follow @averagejakeff on twitter and we can hang out, talk, grab a beverage, etc. If this is not enough to entice you check out my review of last years FDIC
The OSCARS the yearly award show where the best of the best actors, actresses, directors, etc. are awarded for their greatness in film. These people spend thousands of hours perfecting their craft for our entertainment.
However in today’s world everyday may look like a movie set. With the advent of smart phones, and video cameras you can fit in your pocket everyone has a camera and video recording device. Just look on YOUTUBE and you can see a fire from just about anywhere in the United States. The only difference is there is no one letting us know when we are being filmed, no director to yell cut, and no editing room to take out our bad “takes”.
Make no mistake if you have a fire in your area, within 20 mins of your dispatch Facebook posts will be updated, tweets will be sent, and yes someone will be taking pictures and possibly video. It may be the local news or it could be a citizen or “amature videographer”. So within 24 hours your fire will be on YOUTUBE, Statter911.com, Firehouse.com, Firefighternaiton.com and a host of other fire service blogs and websites. This will give people the ability to comment, monday morning quarterback, and hate on your department and what they did at this fire. Some of these visitors will be there to learn and the comments will be positive. In fact you may learn something from the person commenting about your fire. Others however will dissect and point out every negative trait possible. No matter what we do, we can not stop technology, and we can not stop every person from filming us or shooting photographs. So whats the solution?
BE SO GOOD AT WHAT WE DO THAT NO ONE CAN SAY OTHERWISE!
Thats what we do folks, we get on the drill ground, we read up on tactics, we make sure our rigs and equipment are in working order, we get in the gym and we show up to every incident ready to work!
So the next time whether we know it or not we give the citizens an OSCAR worthy performance. We get them to nominate us to our Chiefs and Local Government as Best Firefighter operating at a fireground, or Best Supporting DPO. What we do not want is being nominated for Best Firefighter in a Comedy!
We get no second chances, there is no one who can erase our mistakes, we have to give our A game EVERY time we go out the door. The only way to do that is through preparation. We train, we workout, we prepare and when the bells hit we show up ready to do our jobs and put all of those things in motion.
So ask yourself was your performance at your last fire or EMS run OSCAR worthy? Would movie critics (our citizens) give it 5 stars? We will never be perfect, I am far from it and I make at least several mistakes a day. However striving for perfection, striving to be at the top of your profession that makes the difference.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE.
Oh an remember OSCAR IS ALWAYS WATCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Albeit a few days late, as you may or may have not noticed I decided to take a few weeks off from the blog world in order to enjoy the several events of the holidays and New Year. I have to say it was a great time, I went to my first New Years Eve party in about 7 years and it was a BLAST!
This is the time of year where people often evaluate there lives and see what they want to change and or accomplish in the next 12 months. Some dedicate themselves to fitness, some to work accomplishments, others just want to do something small like read more books. I like anyone often take this time to see where I have been and where I want to head in the next year.
The past year has been full of ups and downs. I have accomplished a lot of personal goals like teaching at FDIC, teaching at Firehouse EXPO for the first time, getting a pre conference workshop for FDIC 2013 (The Medical Mayday being taught Monday at 8am), becoming an ALS provider, running my first half marathon, and running the tough mudder, and getting the great chance to co-host a Firehouse Radio Podcast with Ryan Pennington (www.viewsfromthejumpseat.com).
Other things like promotion, selection for certain committees, and the like have eluded me yet again. I have been able to remain positive throughout my failures which is a HUGE step for me. I do not think my situation is unique in that some people don’t appreciate my brand of fire service dedication, writing, teaching, ideas, etc. Some I used to even call friend have tried to tear me down, and for every ata boy I get for my ideas, and accomplishments I get 10 fold ridicule. I used to let it bother me, I used to get so angry it would actually make me physically sick. Now? 90% of it I let it roll off me like rain on a roof. I surround my self with positive people, and listen to the ones that truly have proven to be my friends and have my best interest at heart. The list has gotten shorter but its the quality not the quantity.
So where to go from here? To be honest when I started this blog it was a place to express my feelings, and vent my frustrations. It has morphed into sharing ideas, fostering positive discussion, and has enabled me to expand and share my thoughts and ideas in collaborations through various websites, and media. It has also allowed me to develop relationships and friendships with guys like Ryan Pennington, Chris Huston (www.engineco22.net), Brian Brush (www.fireservicewarrior.com), Rhett Fleitz (www.Firecritic.com) and several others (If I left you out I am sorry). All of those things have made even the most negative feedback seem non existent.
So I plan to continue to spread my brand and ideas of the fire service this year and beyond! Haters will always hate, so let them. Thanks to all those who read, comment, tweet and email me if it was not for those of you who have told me something I have written or said has made a difference for you then I would have quit years ago. Remember I am just like you, the Averagejake name was not chosen just because it sounded cool, or would look good on a t-shirt (but it would right?) It was chosen because I feel that I am just an Average guy, and that the dedication and love I have for this job is what every firefighter at their base should feel. I mess up, I make mistakes, I cheat on my fitness and my diet, but at the end of the day I always have the passion for the fire service and the desire to try every day to get better. Chasing perfection knowing it is unattainable, yet pushing for it every day. Again thanks to all those who keep me accountable, and keep pushing me to the best I can be.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
It feels like I am always just catching up! This time of year what else can you do. Working, holiday things, kids, shopping, class, passing the sick bug around! It seems like an endless loop that never ends leaving you wondering when will I have time!
Luckily I did have time to head to Fairfax City this past week to attend the 8 hour seminar “The New Firefighter: Intelligent Firefighting in lightweight Construction”. My brother and I along with about 200 other firefighters got to listen to a great seminar from BC Pete Vandorpe, and Firefighter Dalton from the Chicago Fire Department. The class focused on how to make intelligent decisions in newer construction homes. They exposed us to all kinds of data regarding the burn tests Underwriters laboratory has been doing on new construction components. While I was familiar with a lot of the studies it was great to hear from the guys that actually participated in them. I could go on and on about this but I’ll share two of the best things I gathered from the class.
1. Todays wood is different. The wood we have today is farmed and not allowed to age, affecting density so even when it is a true 2×4 is loses the potential to withstand heat and fails faster.
2. We have to stop calling training fires ‘Live Fires”. The fuel packages we use even in acquired structure burns are no where close to what happens out in the field. We need to call them “Simulated Fires” so that a false sense of security is not created in the public and in the younger firefighters we are training.
This was without a doubt a great class, sure some of the science stuff was dry but it is important in what we do. In order to make sound tactical decisions we have to analyse data, study fire behavior and building construction.
While I was away, I received a couple of requests to share some thoughts on Chimney Fires, so here are some.
Chimney fires can be tricky because we can be lulled into a sense of self security. Usually they are not all that difficult, and there in lies the problem.
ALWAYS CHECK THE ATTIC!!!! Thsi should go without saying but the fuel loads in attics are ridiculous! In newer construction homes the chimneys are not as insulated as the older ones and the fire can extend into the attic space and what was once a contained chimney fire, is now an out of control attic fire.
Place a chimney kit in service this time of year. You kit should be some type of metal bucket, a canvas tarp, and fire-place shovel. This allows you to cover the carpet in front of the fire-place, and scoop out the burning debris into the bucket from the fire-place and remove them safely outside. Some like to include a mirror to try to look into the flu and chimney pipe, I am not a fan as I find it always fogs up.
Some people like to use chimney bombs. I am indifferent to them. A chimney bomb is essentially dry chemical extinguisher agent in a plastic baggie that you drop in from the roof, through the top of the chimney. The bag melts due to the heat and the agent extinguishes the fire. I have seen it work and seen it not work, it is definitely a less damaging way to extinguish the fire as using water can damage the chimney cracking the mortar due to the rapid cooling effect.
However DO NOT be scared to utilize water application if you feel that the structure is in danger. I have had to use direct water application before and while it may damage the chimney water is still the best way to put a fire out.
Chimney fires can sneak up on you in a hurry, we need to treat them as STRUCTURE FIRES until we prove they are contained to the chimney and or fire-place.
Lastly thanks to everyone who listened to the first “Average Jakes Views From The Jumpseat”. The next episode will be coming VERY SOON so stay tuned to Firehouse.com .
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word and STAY SAFE!
I have been teasing it for a while but today is the day that Ryan Pennington and Robby Owens (www.viewsfromthejumpseat.com , Averagejake Firefighter) took the next step in spreading our message of firefighting and fire service excellence!
This podcast will be THE place for the firefighter perspective and will be expanding over the coming months to include guests and hitting the hard topics. Please take a listen and send us some feedback on the site, our individual blogs or over twitter.
Thanks to Firehouse.com, Peter Mathews editor of Firehouse.com, Ryan Pennington for including me, my wife and kids, and each and every one of you who take a little bit of time each day to read this blog, or follow me on twitter. Without anyone listening or reading my musings I would have packed this in years ago. So without getting to mushy thanks and I hope you enjoy what you’re going to see out of this blog and the podcast.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
