With all of the acronyms, studies, and science being brought into the fire service today, I often hear of people clamoring for a simpler time. A time when the job was what they describe as simpler. Even as a believer in a lot of these different studies, and I feel that the fire service should be an educated fire service, but at the core of our job what we do everyday has not changed. A lot of these concepts are not even “new” if you are familiar with any fire service history. I learned about “transitional attack” back in 1996 when taking my first firefighter 1 class at the ripe old age of 16.
However I realize that young firefighters out there making their way into the fire service all over the country can be bogged down with some of this new information, and or tactics. I have had to utilize my college degree more than once to decipher some of the nuances of these studies. So in that spirit here are Averagejake’s rules of the fire service!
Always wear you PPE!
No matter the call, no matter the building, no matter your years of service ALWAYS wear your personal protective equipment! Or even simpler wear the things designed to protect you! This begins with your seat belt while responding to and returning from responses. If you are going to an EMS run, put your gloves on. If you are going to a building or car on fire put on your turnout gear and SCBA. If the EMS call requires a mask, eye pro, or gown then put it on. If the fire requires you to be on air due to smoke exposure in the front yard then put it on.
If you are on an Engine Company, Always have something that can put a fire out!
Tool selection is a big topic in almost any firehouse in America. Everyone has a preference on what they like to carry, and most have a ton of merit based on individual likes, and district needs. What cannot be up for debate is that the primary mission of an Engine company is to extinguish fire. Therefore if you are responding to a fire alarm, building fire, car fire, etc. you must come off the rig and grab some sort of extinguishing device. This can be a water can, hose pack, pulling a line, ABC extinguisher, or Indian Pack. I like to carry a water can when investigating residential occupancy, and a hose pack when investigating multi-family and commercial occupancies. This way if I find a fire I can either hold it in check with the can, or isolate the fire by closing the door and back stretch the line back to a water source (engine, leader line, standpipe).
If you are on a Special Service Company (Truck,Squad,Rescue) always have something that breaks stuff!
Yes search and rescue is a primary function of Special Service companies, and I do not want to down play that. However a majority of what companies do is open the building up. They force entry, they ventilate, they overhaul all of these things require tools! When I was assigned as a truck firefighter I carried a 6 foot NY Roof Hook and 30 inch halligan pro bar. This allowed me to open doors, break windows, pull ceilings, open walls, open floors, and just about anything else you can think of. Again people have preferences on which tools they like to have and that is fine, just know the buildings in your district and choose the ones that best fit them.
TRAIN EVERYDAY!
This one should be self explanatory but sadly it is not. Good enough is not good enough when it comes to our job. We should be striving for excellence in every aspect of our job. Training our fire skills, EMS skills, and our physical fitness to elite levels is the secret of fire service success. The funny part about it is that it is the worst kept secret ever! Everyone knows it, yet seem to shy away from it. I do not know if it is laziness, apathy, or uncaring. However no one forces ANYONE to be a firefighter, we all chose to be here. So if we are going to be here, and lives are in our hands, then we have the responsibility to be the best at it we can be. So spend an hour in the gym, and an hour working on fire skills every shift day. When your off read at least one fire related article a day. Just that little bit of work will take you to elite levels of firefighting.
I do not mean to trivialize the complexities of our profession. We operate in highly dynamic environments, and have to have tremendous skill sets in order to mitigate emergencies. Never stop seeking elite levels of the fire service, but if you get lost or have a brain lapse remember to wear your gear, have something that puts fires out, have something that breaks stuff, and train every day. That should get you through until you get back on track.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
What a week it has been, this time last week I was just getting home from my part-time job and finalizing packing to head to Baltimore Maryland to teach at Firehouse EXPO, and then my family vacation at Myrtle Beach. Now I am at home tired and staring down the barrel of 4 day stretch at work.
I have attended Firehouse EXPO many times but had never had the chance to teach. I have taught at FDIC twice so I thought I had this whole conference thing down. Firehouse while a great company, and conference is as different from FDIC and Fireengineering as night and day. While FDIC is filled daily with training classes from morning to-night, EXPO is not like that. During the classroom sessions at EXPO there are only a few being offered daily and usually only 2 maybe three-time slots a day, FDIC offers far more.
Also how the conference is run is quite different, at FDIC there is a set order of things you do. First no matter instructor, or attendee you check in at the main registration booth, after that as an instructor you head to the speaker room, then to the AV check room to ensure all of your audio-visual equipment is compatible with the FDIC equipment. If you need anything or have any questions there is someone on it at all times at FDIC.
At Firehouse it is entirely different, Instructor Check in, and attendee check in are separate, and there is no AV check. In fact I had no idea if my computer worked or not until about 5 mins until my class started when they finally brought a projector into my room. Needless to say I was nervous!
However the projector did arrive, my computer and presentation worked, and “Long Stretch Solutions” was in my opinion a great success! I say my opinion because unlike FDIC, Firehouse EXPO does not allow you to read your student evaluations after the class. I had about 70 students show up for class, and a lot of them came up afterward with some very positive comments.
I also feel that the type of attendee that comes to Firehouse is very different from those that come to FDIC. It seems to me (an opinion formulated over several years of attending both conferences) that the Exhibit hall and the night life is the main attraction, where as the education is more the attraction at FDIC. Both are good conferences but they are very different, and are marketed very different. In fact I feel that both of them could use a little bit of the other. If Firehouse would add a little more education it could raise some of its dwindling attendance numbers, and if FDIC added a little more Exhibit time (something I wrote about in my FDIC Review Part 2 https://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/fdic-2012-review-part-2/) and have some events at the end fo the week (most of the big events happen midweek) they may attract some more of the “casual” attendees.
Now do not get me wrong it is not all bad about Firehouse EXPO the show has been around for a while and it is a formula that obviously works for them, I am just used to, and prefer a little more structure and organization. The people at Firehouse EXPO provided me with an AWESOME hotel room, a great gift, and the most important a chance to spread my fire service message to a wider audience. I am truly humbled and grateful, as when I was a 16-year-old sitting in Firefighter 1 class I never thought I would one day be teaching at this level.
I also got to see my good buddy Rhett Flietz AKA The FIre Critic (www.firecritic.com)
Rhett is one of the inspirations I had for blogging, he has also sent some product reviews my way, is a fellow Virginia fire service brother, and is just a cool guy to grab a beer with. One of the best nights I had at FDIC was when he, my brother, my dad, and the group traveling with Rhett all sat in the hotel lobby in Indy and drank beer and talked until about 1 am. Lets face it in the grand scheme of fire service bloggers, and minds I am a nobody, yet every time I see Rhett he makes me feel like a super star, I am grateful to know him.
After my class, me and the family headed to a well deserved family vacation in Myrtle Beach. It was fun, and I am glad I got to do it, even though I got a little sun burn!
So as usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Your driving the engine for your tour, you get dispatched for a structure fire. In flash you’re heading to the scene and you see a column of smoke over the horizon! Your officer gives you the hydrant location, and tells you “LAY IN”! You make the block, stop at the hydrant get out wrap it, back in and your driving up to the scene. You arrive and see a 2 story single family dwelling with smoke coming out of the 2nd floor windows. You pull the parking brake, you engage the pump, put the gear selector in drive, and hop out of the rig. By this time your officer has made his lap and is reporting heavy fire on side Charlie, and the fireman with you has gotten the line pulled and is ready for water. You pull the discharge valve and begin to throttle up…..nothing……you keep pressing the throttle button…..nothing. You did everything right, but your gauges are at zero and your crew needs water now! What happens in the next few seconds makes you a hero or a ZERO!
Has this ever happened to anyone? I’m sure it has, the reality of the situation is that fire trucks are manufactured and with them becoming more computerized sometimes things break, or malfunction. In times like these you need to have an understanding of how to place your apparatus pump into gear manually. Usually it is not that complicated, but NONE OF THEM ARE THE SAME!!!! Even the same make and model can be different. For example in my department we run all front line Pierce Quantum engines. Even our reserves are quantums. Some of the older ones in reserve status are in the 1995-96 range and the one I ride on today is a 2011. The manual pump procedure for the new vs old is VERY different. In fact some of the older ones it takes 2 people to perform the procedure. Then you throw in different manufactures and different years. The engine I learned to pump on when I was about 18 was a 1989 KME. In order to put that into manual pump you had to close valve A, open valve B, then pull the manual lever, finally placing the gear shift in drive, a far more complicated process.
The moral of this story is know the rig your riding, especially if you in a department like mine where everyone (except officers) share the driving responsibilities. Take some time this month to look over your pumper and go over your manual pump procedure. It is a simple drill, but could prove valuable in the right situation.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!!!!
I was recently made aware of a great fire service blog written by Mark Vonappen. The blog is called fully involved and it is full of great leadership examples and quotes. While I was thumbing through them the other day I came upon this one http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2012/04/no.html take a moment and read it.
This sums up exactly how I feel on most days. Well taking the lead from Steve Kraft (FDIC 2012 Keynote), and several other well-respected members of the fire service I am going to as the post says “start moving ahead with or without you” I am done waiting, done talking about, and done trying to placate to those who do not want to see excellence in our Fire Service. I will not waste any more of my time, or your time blogging about these “fireman” who are here for the awesome schedule. The biggest reason is it is counter productive. Those people are always gonna be those people no point in preaching to them about concepts that they will never get or have the values, or care to understand.
I love this job, flat-out love it. There are very few places I would rather be than riding on a fire engine heading to a call. For far to long I have let people who use words like brotherhood as a punch line bring me down. No more!
In order to fully get to the next level that I want to get to, the anger, negativity has to go away. It will be a long battle with my emotions but it has to happen. It will not happen over night, or even over a year but today is the day to change it.
Be sure to keep following along on twitter @averagejakeff
Also within the next few days I am going to be rolling out a giveaway so be on the look out.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
I have been reading a lot lately about job dedication, and
dedication to the fire service. While I agree with a lot of the things people
have been saying I cannot help but think that there has to be something else.
I love the fire department, A LOT it is usually always on my
mind in some form of fashion. I have traveled all over this great country of
ours in search of challenging and informative training classes. I look all over
the internet for little tid bits of information that can and will make me
better. I changed my lifestyle and began to embrace fitness in order to be that
much better on the fire ground.
However with all of that, I still find myself needing some
unwind time. I know that viewing a football game, playing a video game, or
drinking a beer may seem like time wasted to some, and maybe that time could be
better spent trying to figure out the next fire service revolution or trying to
get a personal best on a dead lift, but me sometimes I need a break.
I really need a break from the constant being around people
that do not feel the same way, or do not embrace the fire service as a way of
life instead view as a means to end to just make money. Basically they are just
takers and they are not giving anything back to the organization, company, or
themselves. When I am spending most of my time trying to get better most of
every day. After a while it can get frustrating and I need to blow off some
steam, so throwing myself into something larger than me (sports, online gaming,
comics, etc) relaxes me, and works to refocus my mind on the various tasks,
thoughts, and wants that I have swirling around in there. Some people may
recommend meditation or even religion but that’s just not my bag, if it’s yours
then I hope you use it, but me I’m not the spiritual type, visualization, and
things of that nature do not work for me, I need visual and tactile stimulation
in order to reset my mind.
The whole entire point is that the fire service is a huge
part of my life but in order to prevent getting burnt out on it; you have to
have some other interests and even some releases. Even too much of a good thing
can be bad, especially when it is something you put your heart and soul into.
So whether it is a game, a beer or two, or a good movie it
is important to take some time to relax, recharge your batteries, and then
reengage in the fight. One great way to do this is FDIC which is not as far
away as you think. During it not only are you with likeminded people, but there
is a TON of social activity to get that relaxation that you need to come home
and get back to work.
Do not forget to keep following along on twitter
@averagejakeff
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
First let me apologize for the lack of activity the past few weeks, I have just been VERY VERY busy.
For those of you that follow along on twitter you already know that I have been assigned to a new firehouse, one that I am VERY excited about working in. I am now assigned to Engine Company #3 in the Highland Springs section of the East Henrico. 3 Engine is a place that every fireman should have to pull duty in. It is lower-income older residential, coupled with a ton of government subsidized multi family dwelling complexes, with some commercial properties thrown in there for good measure. When you ride down the main drag of the district it scream “Main Street USA”. It also borders some other busy districts.
Bottom line is this engine is BUSY! I have just pulled my 2nd shift there and I have been busy getting to know the guys, and refamiliarizing myself with that part of the world. Yesterday we did every thing we even had a small commercial fire as a result of some welders getting a little overzealous. The first engine had smoke on arrival and they stretched from the stand pipe to the fire site. It wa sa small fire that took more overhaul than anything but it’s not every day your making the stand pipe stretch so it was a great day.
On top of that we had mandatory cardiac monitor training (we are getting new monitors), and several Smoke Detector installs to do in the district. Like most fire departments we offer free smoke detectors and batteries to those who can not afford them. One of the installs was in a Mobile Home Community (or trailer park for the less politically correct), which led me to think about all of the dangers of Mobile Home (trailer) fires.
I have been to several fires in this community before when I was at 6 Engine and 6 Truck but I have not been on the property in several years, and there is NONE of these in the district I was in out in the West End.
To be honest folks (and most of you know this) there is not a lot to Mobile Homes. They are sturdy enough to “live in” but provide little else in the way of sever weather and fire resistance. I remember one fire in particular in this Mobile Home Community were occupants were reported trapped and search was initiated interior well after the first engine (who stretched a line as well) tried to enter and fell through the floor 3 times they decided to back out and go defensive until the fire could be brought under control.
This is one of those fires were we have to be extremely aggressive in our actions if we want any chance of making a rescue, as the building fails quite early even under minimal fire conditions. I know I talk about masking up in the rig a lot, and while some do and some don’t this is one where it is a MUST. You literally have no time to be doing anything but an initial walk around and then getting inside. If you waste any time other than that you can typically write off interior attack.
Take a look at the video below and think about your department when viewing it. The biggest thing to consider or to notice is that this fire is started with ordinary combustibles, which as we know is rare with home furnishings today, if you do not belive me go to your local Aarons, or Rent A Center and see for yourself (a lot of people in these type of homes lease or rent furniture). So the fire behavior and intensity could be greatly increased. In the video the smoke detector activates at about 1: 20 and look at the fire intensity already. The occupant would then have to get out of bed, evacuate, and then call 911. So lets add another minute to that. Then the dispatcher has to process the call, dispatch it, and you have to get dressed , and get out the door. So lets add 2 more minutes. The you have to get there which depending on your response area could be anywhere from 5-20 (or longer). By the time you arrive what kind of conditions are you going to have? What if it was the middle fo the night? What if it was day time? What if you were depending on water shuttle, or mutual aid?
The facts are that unless we can make a rapid attack in the early stages of the fire the building itself may keep us out of this one. In order to combat this we must become very familiar with our Mobile Home Communities, the available water supply, and our initial operations to them. So get out there and take a ride through your Mobile Home Communities, and do not waste fire alarms, or EMS runs to these places. Take a look around and get a general lay out of the place. If you find one that’s really bad put a hazard message on your CAD system, or mark it in the map book and let the other shifts know.
Do not forget to follow along on twitter @averagejakeff
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
I just wanted to say a quick thanks to all the people out there that continue to read the site and follow along on Twitter.
When I first started this thing it was honestly out of sheer frustration. I was in a position where I felt like I had to say about a lot of various fire service topics and had no outlet. I was frustrated with the lack of motivation, attention to detail, and love for the fire service from members of my department. I was angry that the phrase “That guy loves the fire department” when said about someone was ment as a cautionary warning rather than praise.
So I started writing, and slowly but surely I have gathered a small but loyal following, as many as 80-200 people view this site everyday and while in the grand scheme of things it may seem small to me each and every time someone looks at this I feel great. If one person learns one thing from my postings, ramblings, etc. then I have accomplished my mission.
I do not do this for notoriety, money, fame, or anything else. I simply feel that I have a wide-ranging fire service experience and wish to share what I know with others in the hopes that we can all share ideas.
I am not as talented or deep a writer as Capt. Wines from the Ironfiremen.com or the Fire Service Warrior Crew , but I have never been one to be like someone else. Even though I am a great teammate, and shift member I still tend to stand out from the group. Maybe its my devilish charm, boyish good looks, or overbearing personality either way that’s me.
So the bottom line of all of this sappy talk is just to say thanks, there are a ton of choices out there for you to get your fire service fix and I appreciate every second you spend here on this site.
Lastly, it is feedback time! Thats right I want to get better, I want to try to enhance the experience you get from this site. So drop me a line and tell me what you like, don’t like, want to see etc. Do you want to see more videos? Would you like to see some Averagejake Original Videos? Do you want more training content? Content from different writers? Do you want me to come teach a class at your department ?(FYI I offer a wide variety of classes both Fire and EMS) I want to know!
So please leave some feedback in the comments section or send me an email. Be sure to keep following along on twitter @averagejakeff
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
There are a few differences but the benefits are the same taking less hose to reach an objective, and keeping a majority of the interior stairway clear for companies, victims etc. It also keeps you from adding an additional tool to your fire truck (the rope) while I would like to think everyone has rope, I am realistic in the current Engine I am assigned to I am the only guy that had a 50 foot rope bag to hoist tools, extend search etc. The only rope on the engine was life safety rope, and our Unit tag line for searching. While they can work they have other specific jobs, and should only be used if there is no other option. I would hate to be using the life safety rope to stretch a line and someone else needed it for an over the wall rescue.
However EVERY fire truck has a Pike Pole and the stretch can be made just as with the rope stretch.
It is as simple as hooking the pike to the bail of the nozzle, however it could take additional man power as you have to have someone to hand it to above you. It could also cause for early fatigue if fireman have to leapfrog floors.
The only way to master it is to train, train, train.
Keep following along on twitter, and leave some feedback about what your doing in your department.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE
Continuing on with our “Alternative Hose Line Stretches” series in this installment we will be covering the “Well Hole” Stretch. *Disclaimer* The pictures in this post are not mine they were taken from an article from Fire Engineering.
Well Hole Stretch:
The “Well Hole” is the void space in between the banisters on a U return stair case. This area can be used to stretch initial attack lines to upper floors of an occupancy.
The first thing you must do prior to executing a well hole stretch is to assess the size of the well hole. Typically if the space is big enough to fit your fist while wearing fire gloves it will be big enough to support 1 medium caliber attack line (1 3/4). Larger well holes can support high-caliber hand lines (2 1/2) or supply lines (3 inch), or multiple medium caliber lines.
Once the size has been assessed you have to determine how you are going to stretch the line. You usually have 2 options, either by hand or by rope. Usually hand stretching the line is the way to go, as deploying the rope would involve a fireman walking to the target floor than deploying the rope. Well if you are walking to the target floor why not take the hose with you.
The rope stretch however is highly valuable if while in an investigative mode with out a hose line on the target floor and it is discovered that a line needs to be deployed. Instead of walking down to get the line lowering the rope in the well hole and having someone stretch to the rope and connect it will save valuable time. Remember just like with the exterior rope stretch lower the rope down versus dropping the bag. This way you can navigate it around obstacles and it is not a flying object waiting to hit an unsuspecting fireman.
Once the line is stretched just like the exterior rope stretch you have to ensure that enough hose is on the target floor, and you have to secure the line to a substantial object in order to prevent the charged line from falling back to the starting point.
The well hole stretch has several benefits:
1. Takes less hose to complete the stretch
2. Keeps Stairs Clear
3. Faster that stretching around the stairs
While these benefits are great like anything else there is give and take. You have to have good building knowledge, good physical fitness, additional tools (something to secure hose with, rope for rope stretch), and coordination with your entire crew to make this evolution work.
Also beware stretching more than one line in the well hole. While it can be done, you have to take great care when stretching the second line as the chance for it to wrap around the original line is high. When this happens all you will have is a 180-325 GPM barber pole (depending on the size of the hose line you used).
The Well Hole Stretch can be a highly usable option in the right circumstances, the only way to add it to your repertoire is get out in your district, and train on it.
Do not forget to follow along on twitter @averagejakeff
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
In the next few posts on the site we are going to take a look at a few alternative hose line stretches. No building or situation is the same and a good engine company has to have many tools and techniques in order to ensure that the first line gets in service. *Disclaimer* The photos in this post are not mine they were taken off the internet from an article written for Fire Engineering Magazine.
The Rope Stretch
Benefits: Less hose needed to complete the stretch
Less staffing to complete the stretch (versus taking the interior stair that has corners to be managed)
Keeps stairway clear for victims, and in coming companies to the fire floor
Difficulties/Considerations: By passes a significant portion of the interior stair which could lead to victim/firefighter removal problems
Need Rope
Have to ensure that enough hose is pulled into the “launching point” in order to reach the fire area
Must tie charged line to substantial object or line will fall back to the ground
Substantial training, and building knowledge
Procedure: So you have elected to do a rope stretch. First you must pick your target, typically a window a floor below the fire. Stretching this line a floor below the fire allows you to stretch into the stair to provide some interior stair protection. However I have seen several succesful stretches the fire floor itself, it depends on the location of the stair, and your fire conditions.
Next you ave to ascend the stairs to your target area (don’t forget your rope). Then open the window (either break, or open again condition dependent) and lower the rope down to the ground were a fireman should be waiting to attach the rope to the hose line of your choice. Some elect to drop the rope bag down to the ground, while this can be effective it can also cause a hazard, and can get caught up on window AC units, awnings, and balconies. The better option is to lower the rope down so that you can steer it around objects and ensure that it does not hit someone unsuspectingly.
Now you can utilize the above method of attachment, but I recommend attaching a carabiner, or snap hook to the rope and bending the hose on itself making a loop then running the rope through the loop and attaching it back to itself. This method will save time and take away the knot tying aspect which some have a hard time doing especially under pressure. However if you do not have snap hooks or a carabiner then you have to know the procedure for tying knots on dry and charged hose lines.
Once the rope is attached it is time to haul it up!
Utilize a smooth hand slide to ensure that your hands are always touching the rope, that way it will not fall back to the ground. Remember to stretch enough line into your launching point to be able to reach the fire area and get to all the points on the fire floor. Once you have enough hose on the floor tie it off to a substantial object with a rope hose tool, the rope you used to stretch the line, or webbing. Once the hose is secured call for water.
The rope stretch is and can be a useful tool in any Engine Company arsenal, however it takes training, precision, and good fireman ship skills in order for it to be succesful.
Be sure to follow along on twitter @averagejakeff
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
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