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After taking a month off due to all of the time-consuming activities Drill of the Month is BACK!
In the above video, we see an Engine company performing EMS on a victim. Every since the advent of Fire Service based EMS response this has become the norm in communities across the country. With the number of ALS providers and the seemingly endless availability of them (in my department there are usually several within a few feet of you on an EMS run) some of our BLS providers may not have the chance to practice their skills as often. There are not many times, but they do exist where we have a completely BLS engine, yet the service expectation by the citizens does not change. If they received advanced care previously then they expect it again.
The solution is to have BLS only drills. Have your BLS providers run a cardiac arrest and play it out without the insertion of an ALS provider. Have them practice their assessment skills on a variety of patients without the presence of advanced care providers, and if your organization allows it, have them take BLS transports while riding their tour on the ambulance.
Additionally you can up there understanding as to what ALS providers do. We call it ALS for BLS and train a majority of our BLS providers how to set up IV’s, acquire 12 leads, set up nebulizer treatments, etc. All of these things only increase the effectiveness of your EMS operations, and improve patient care for the citizens.
There will be a day when your BLS providers are waiting on a medic, will they be prepared? To make sure they are spend some time this month training them to succeed and do BLS skills to perfection. It is true that a good BLS provider can save an ALS provider, I would know I am living proof.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Toys R Us, or various other chain and brand name stores. No matter the name they go under they all have one thing in common.
THEY ARE HUGE!
They also provide a very difficult fire problem for even the largest and best staffed fire departments in the fire service. In these instances we must abandon our traditional “residential” tactics and deploy more logical approaches to dealing with these large structures. One of the most crucial things we must adjust is our initial on scene 360 survey.
In our ordinary residential setting the first due company officer performs a 360 scene survey on foot, noting building construction, fire conditions, presenting victims, hazards, etc. However in the commercial occupancy environment the 360 is just as important but a more daunting task. Simply put there is no way we can cover the needed ground, noting the important characteristics, fire conditions, and hazards while staying on foot. In a larger department with more resources simply assigning a company to side C could accomplish this task. However in departments that are resource challenged this is not always feasible.
THE MOTORIZED “360″
The Motorized “360″ is simply stated utilizing the apparatus to perform the 360 scene survey. When arriving on scene to a large commercial occupancy stay in the apparatus, and if possible drive around the entire building. While doing this perform your survey as you would any other time noting fire conditions, building construction, hazards, egress points, victims, water supply, etc. Once this is completed you can develop your action plan and assign units accordingly.
The benefits of this are:
1. Faster scene survey
2. More accurate size up of fire and smoke conditions.
3. More eyes on the structure (Even if only staffed with 2, fours eyes looking at the structure is better that just two, more staffing equals more eyes looking and reduction of the chance that something critical will be missed)
4. Location of deployment point options (The front door in these occupancies may not be the best option, a side or rear door may put you closer to the fire limiting your exposure to a dangerous floor plan and fire conditions)
5. Location of on scene hazards in the rear and sides of the structure
6. More accurate victim information. (Not everyone evacuates via the front entrance, especially employees in the storage areas of these occupancies. This will give you a more comprehensive assessment of how many possible victims you are dealing with, their locations, and access points to them)
7. More accurate size up of building construction and current building conditions.
While the 360 scene survey is always important the fact that these occupancy types are daunting alone when not on fire even add more emphasis. As previously stated we must abandon our residential tactic mentality and utilize a methodical approach. Taking the time to do an accurate size up will enable first in company officers to gather critical, life saving information for victims and all firefighters on scene.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
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 was so excited a few weeks ago when I found out that BURN was coming to my hometown of Richmond Va. It came to DC a few months ago but I just could not make it up there to see it. This time I was not going to miss it and I am glad I didn’t!
I was able to attend the opening night festivities and it was a blast hanging out with a bunch of fireman, drinking a few frosty beverages, and they really did the event up with one of Richmond Fire’s Quints out front of the theatre, vendors, and food from the Halligan Bar and Grill owned and operated by Retired Henrico Fire Lt. Shawn Gregory. Here are a few pictures:
At about 10 mins to 7 they ushered us into the theatre and it was time for the movie! WARNING SPOILER ALERT!
The movie itself was great, it shows the true story of a city that has lost control and the firefighters who risk their life daily to try to protect it. The biggest problem and biggest debate is the 80,000 vacant homes in the city and how to deal with them. Some of the fireman think that every fire no matter what they should be going in because some of the homeless people use these as homes to squat in. The new Fire commissioner feels that if they are no danger to occupied homes and no one is in them to let them burn.
The 2 stories that spoke to me the most were of Dave Parnell and “Doogie”
Parnell as he is called is getting ready to retire after 30 plus years with the department. About 5 months before hs retirement his wife dies and now he is faced with living the rest of his life without his wife, or his fire department. This made me think a lot about my own retirement. While I am a ways off, all I have done since I was 15 years old was be a fireman. What will I do, and who will I be without the fire department. Sure I will still visit the stations and what not but I will not be pushing in, driving the rigs, going on EMS call, I will not be in the department anymore. It gives me a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about it.
Brendan or “Doogie” came on the job as a 19-year-old firefighter and 11 years later he is in a wheel chair as a result of injuries received at a building collapse. Again this spoke to me because I have been involved in the fire service since a very young age, and have literally zero other skills in my life. All of my training, education, and choices have been based on whats best for my fire service career. If I was hurt today how would I survive, what would I do?
This movie will speak to you and make you think. It will also make you appreciate what you have both in you personal and Fire Department lives. This is a MUST SEE FILM! It was so good I went to see it again with my shift from work this past Sunday.
A big shout out goes to a group of fireman from the City of Richmond who with some Union help brought this film here for us all to enjoy.
This story needs to be told, get this movie to your town or go see it in another town. Go to http://www.detroitfirefilm.org/ for more information on how to bring it to you and how to give donations. Lets et this movie in every major US city and get it put out on DVD.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
This is coming a little late in the month, but there is still time to do it! We just had a recruit school graduate at work and my shift was assigned a rookie. I love getting rookies. It really motivates the shift to get out there and train. Even though his first day was a Sunday we needed to get this new guy to hit the ground running, so we went out training focusing specifically on hoseline deployment and management.
Sometimes I think this gets ignored, because it is not sexy, its grunt work, and it can be repetitive. However it is the cornerstone training for an engine company.
Let me be clear….
WE NEED TO BE EXPERTS AT MOVING AND MANAGING HOSELINES! More lives have been saved by a properly placed hoseline than any other tactic every created. It has been said before but if you were going to start a fire department tomorrow and could only buy one piece of apparatus you would buy an engine!
Even if you’re the only one on your shift that wants to train, the above video can give you some tips on how to still train!
So get out there and become an expert on the hoselines on your rig. As always send in pictures and they will be featured on the blog, also comments are always welcome on any of the topics featured here via the comments section or on twitter.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
I subscribe to the Firerescuefitness.com email blasts and got the email for this workout the other day. Since I had no plans for my daily workout I thought I would give it a try.
THIS WORKOUT IS A BUTT KICKER!!!! It is perfect for the Firehouse enviroment, it requires minimal equiment, and is high intensity and it goes as fast as you can go.
The Workout:
Squat to press (50 reps)
One arm rows (25 reps each, 50 total)
Sumo Bicep Curls (50 reps)
Tricep Skulls (50 reps)
V-ups (50 reps)
Hands on Ball Push-ups (50 reps)
You time yourself and if you want to make the workout more challenging add a 1 mile run, or 3 mile bike as fast as you can!
My time was 14:54 (without the run or bike) and I was whipped afterward and sore the next day.
So do yourself a favor and try this workout today! Also head over to http://www.firerescuefitness.com/ and check them out. They have A LOT of valuable information on workouts, nutrition, etc. They also have Podcasts to listen to, and a Facebok page.
When you do the workout post your times in the comments section, or on my twitter feed @averagejakeff
Also one of the best ways to see what others are doing out there is to get on twitter and look up the twitter hashtag #FSWFitness. Most of the Fire Service Warrior Crew and followers post each and every workout they do there and it is a great resource for motivation.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word and STAY SAFE!
Last week I had the chance to go to the EMS Today Conference in Washington DC. While It was only for the day, I got to experience some great things, look at new products and get to see some old friends.
One of the best things about conferences is learning. Sure looking at apparatus and freebies on the exhibit floor are cool, and year that “Aint Skeeeeerd” shirt is well it’s not for me but if it is for you then by all means buy 50 of them, but the main goal of any conference is for you to come back smarter than when you left, or at least have been inspired to think. FDIC, Firehouse EXPO, Firehouse World, state fire and EMS conferences all have things to offer other than t-shirts and beer. However EMS Today is a little bit unique.
They may realize that not everyone can afford a conference package including all of the classroom sessions. Or they realize that maybe people have limited time and want to be able to maximize the one day they may have at the conference. So they offered a unique but not untried tactic.
They offered several 30 min mini classes on the exhibit floor! The classes were varying topics and where all day long. A few years ago FIrehouse EXPO tried something similar offering a few hour-long classes during the exhibits. I personally LOVE this idea. Especially only having one day this allowed me to get some education and some networking/exhibit hall time.
I sat in this class, and while only 30 mins it was top-notch. I learned a lot about new trauma techniques that are being used in the military and may be coming to am ambulance near you very soon. Also learned some new traumatic fluid resuscitation techniques.
Every one of these sessions was packed, every time I looked over there was no seating room available, some people sat for all of the classes, others like me picked the ones they wanted then moved on but usually they were standing room only.
I personally think this adds ALOT to someones exhibit hall only ticket value. Now they have the chance to get education and exhibit viewing all at the same time. I think EVERY conference needs to be trying something like this. Based on what I saw it was obviously a popular place, and a good selling tool for instructors. I know after I was done and talked to my wife about it, she was interested in getting the instructor to come teach at the Virginia EMS symposium. This would allow a conference like FDIC who is heavy on education to give more value to the exhibit hall pass, and still have the primary focus as education. FDIC is so big they could have multiple spots with varying topic tracks in different locations.
For a conference like Firehouse EXPO who places (in my opinion) a little less emphasis on education this could again give more value tot he exhibit hall pass, and put more focus back on educating firefighters.
Needless to say I thought EMS Today was great.It will be back in DC next year but this time in early February, check out www.EMStoday.com for more info. I hope to be attending again and hoping to take even more classes this time.
If you attended let me know what you think in the comments section, or on twitter.
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!
