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!
FDIC 2013 is over. It was another great conference and time getting to be around like-minded firefighters from all over the world. FDIC is the greatest and best conference in the world but even using those words do not feel like justice enough to describe something so great. This years FDIC all started actually last year when I put in to teach my first ever 4 hour pre conference program.
Monday at FDIC was all teaching for me. I got to present my 4 hour class “The Medical Mayday”. The class focused on the fact that cardiac events are still killing firefighters and that all of our RIT training focuses on pulling people out of buildings, not the continuation of care after the firefighter has been pulled from the hazard zone. It also focused on the fact that firefighters are unique patients, and some talk and discussion about injuries on the fireground and some rehab and prevention measures. It was supposed to have a practical component along with it but there was a small mix up in that area, but that will NEVER happen again. Even with the mix up felt it went great! The preconference programs are not ala carte like the regular class room sessions. The students who wish to attend sign up for the class prior to the conference so the fact that 30 people felt like this was good enough to take prior to the conference made me feel awesome. I got great reviews and everyone really seemed to enjoy the class.
Tuesday I took no classes and had no teaching engagements so me and my brother decided to check out the NCAA Hall of Champions. Little did we know that we would find an inspiring story inside these walls.
This young man wanted to be a firefighter so bad he chose his college athletic career location-based on a volunteer fire station! Talk about inspiring most college athletes are just looking to go to the biggest school for a championship and move on the pro’s. Instead this guy was looking at a career first.
That brings us to Wednesday which is becoming my favorite day of the conference. I used to always skip opening ceremonies but the past few years I have gone and I have never regretted it. It starts with bag pipers then the presentation of the Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award, followed by a usually AWESOME speech by Bobby Halton, and a key-note speaker.
This year was no disappointment! You really need to log onto Fireengineering.com and see the video of opening ceremonies but here are some articles highlighting what was said.
Again I can not stress enough the power and moving experience of what FDIC Opening Ceremonies is. Even if you can never ever go to FDIC you should live stream it online when it is going on, or watch it on video. Also share it with your crew it will be worth it.
After opening ceremonies the rest of the day was spent taking classes, all of which were great. Then my favorite social event of FDIC The FOOLS Brotherhood Bash took place on Wednesday night but first we got some dinner at Hooters
Not very many other places in the world does that happen, yet it is a common occurence at FDIC! The Brotherhood Bash was made even more cool by the fact that this year a local band from Richmond Va was headlining Rosie Soul and The Rock and Roll Cowboys!
Thursday brought one more classes but also exhibits!
Also on Thursday I got to see some of the yearly Firefighter Combat Challenge
This is an awesome event, I have never run one but have watched several. If you have the chance find one near you and go out and see it!
Thursday night also brought about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Stop Drop and Rock and Roll party in the Indiana Roof Ballroom. We had never been before. IT WAS A BLAST!!!!! For $15 we had some great food, good music, AWESOME fellowship with other brother fireman and it all goes to the NFFF www.firehero.org I know I will be hitting this event up again in the future, and recommend you do the same!
Friday morning I boarded a plane headed for Charlotte NC and my brother boarded a plan set for Cleveland as we could not get the same flight and our FDIC was over.
It was another great trip as you can see by the review, here are just a few of the people I got to see again or meet for the first time:
Sure the calender says Spring but here it has been COLD! A few days ago we even had 3 inches of snow! Due to that a lot of times our Hands On Training (HOT) has to be postponed until warmer and less oppressive weather returns. However this is no excuse to let our training suffer.
A few years ago while assigned to a different station on a particular winter weather day the shift decided to get creative and not let a perfectly good 24 hours go to waste.
Utilizing the steel bar joist roof construction of the bay, a simple folding ladder, ropes, harnesses, and 8 plates we were able to practice single person rappels, pickoffs, self rescues, and lock offs all from the comfort of the bay.
This is just one example of how creativity can still provide great training! The options are ENDLESS, all it takes is some initiative and ingenuity.
Do not let the frigid temperatures slow you or your shifts progression down utilize the vast resources of your own fire station and get to work! The warmer months will be soon upon us, but do not put it off until then!
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!
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!
Have to thank my good friend Rude Boy for pointing this video out to me. Apparently it was on some other websites but I missed it.
I just have some thoughts, and I do not know everything about this fire, this fire department, their staffing anything like that. I just see a very small snap shot in time and have some thoughts to consider.
1. It seems a lot of focus was on the room on fire. While I think that’s a good thing fire tends to move up,down,left,right,front, and back. It what appears to be some sort of multi family occupancy with adjoined rooms where is the line above? Where is the line in the room adjacent to the fire room? In fact why are searches not being initiated in those rooms as they present more chance to produce a viable victim?
2. They found a victim after knocking down a MASSIVE amount of fire. They obviously thought this victim was viable because they drug him out of the building. Then they took what they thought was this viable victim and….left him there. Why did someone not start hands only CPR? Why was an EMS crew not close to the scene?
Again not picking because I do not know what the circumstances are that these firefighters were facing, but this incident speaks to me about some priorities I may want to make at my next fire, or that you may want to consider at your next fire.
Do we (insert your FD here) even have the resources readily available to combat a fire like this and care for a victim? If not how can we get them? If we are depending on mutual aid can we get them on the first alarm, or do we need to adjust when that process gets started?
The fire service is not easy, especially today when we have extreme fire loads, buildings that fail easier, and we have to process all of those things in a dynamic time compressed environment. On top of that every move we make now is documented and put out there for all to see, so every “mistake” is magnified. That makes it all the more important to get in the gym, get on the training ground, and do all the prep work on the front end. Lets give these amature filmmakers Oscar performances!
Thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
By now I am sure a lot of you who frequent the trade magazines, fire service blogs, etc. have seen videos and reports on how new and old furnishings impact fire growth and development.
We all know it yet we continue to see minimal change or acceptance to change on the tactical level.
I heard this quote from an instructor the other day while he was teaching about difficult airway. Basically he said when it comes to difficult airways he doesn’t belive in “fighting fair” and he is going to use every tool at his disposel in order to secure the airway, and secure a good clinical outcome for the patient. This brought to mind the question….
Why do we fight fair?
Lets think about it.
Fire is dangerous: It is hot, it produces toxic smoke and can use it’s by product for destruction and death. It is already well ahead of us by the time we know about it.
Buildings are dangerous: The wood used today even if dimensional is not of the same density, of legacy construction and does not perform as well under fire conditions. Additionally the buildings connection components are not as strong as they used to be.
Our training is inadequate for todays fire environment: We train in concrete burn buildings with class A combustibles that in no way mirror the fire growth, fire behavior, or building response of the modern fire environment. Even when we train in acquired structures the fuel packages and safety features we add to the houses make them unrealistic.
Some of our staffing levels are inadequate: Some departments are being made to ride with less than 3 people making it even more difficult to make a positive impact of today’s fires.
Taking into account all of these things, knowing all that we know, and yet we still make the conscious effort to fight these fires fairly!
We do not owe these fires a fair chance! We need to take the maximum amount of water, people, and equipment in order to overwhelm the fire. BY taking in undersized crews, handline, or pushing poor tactical choices is the same as going after an elephant with a BB gun.
Do not get me wrong overkill is not the answer, but when appropriate use the big guns, as an old captain of mine used to say know the difference between an infantry fire, and an artillery fire. Do not be afraid to knock it down from the outside and then finish it off, in that same breath do not be afraid when it is warranted to crawl down that dark hallway with a handline and put the fire out.
No matter what you do, or who you are the fire always has the element of surprise when it comes to us, lets minimize its advantage by using our superior fire power and not giving it the chance to win.
As usual thanks for reading spread the word and STAY SAFE!
Coming VERY, VERY soon to the West Point (VA) Volunteer Fire Department Traditions Training (www.traditionstraining.com) will be offering there 16 hour Forcible Entry Academy!
This is sure to be some excellent hands on training with top-level instructors that teach al over the country and work in some fo the nations busiest fire departments. If you can make it, you should sign up today as time is running out to learn things like this…
I will not be able to make it due to being on shift, but fear not Traditions will be making a return trip on February 9th to teach there 8 hour “Combat Ready” class! So while not a lot of hand on the mind-set of combat ready is very important and is something missing from todays fire service. That makes this a MUST ATTEND CLASS! The combat ready class will be held in Mechanicsville Va (my home town).
It is just about that time! The air is cold, the days are shorter, and you can smell the wood burning in the air. That is right folks WINTER IS BACK! Around here we refer to winter as fire season, as the chances of going to a fire are significantly increased by people using a variety of methods to heat their homes.
I have seen everything from your standard wood stove/fireplace, to people leaving their oven door open to heat there homes and apartments. These creative methods of heating can create a huge increase in call loads, and cal types for us from chimney fires, to burn patients.
It takes a ton of extra preparation on our end to be ready for these responses here are a few older posts where I outline some tips on how to survive the winter:
Those above posts point out just a few things to put into play before you try to tackle winter fireground operations.
Bottom line is the winter makes everything we do that much tougher, its cold, dark more hours of the day than light, and did I mention it is cold? Well then we add snow, ice, freezing rain, wind and the stakes of the game just got upped! It is hard enough for some people to pull a hoseline on a normal day, now add in a few inches of snow or a slippery surface and this task just west from tough to dangerous. Many a fireman have been put out of the job, or on the light duty shelf during the winter time.
Also take into account what we know about response times, building construction, and fire behavior. Fires are going to burn at the same rate during this time yet, during times of precipitation our response times, and deployment of resources (companies, people, hoselines) is slowed to a crawl. With everything going slower yet our enemy moving at the same rate of speed, we have to adjust our tactics, let me say that again, WE HAVE TO ADJUST OUR TACTICS! We can not go about these fires the same when our response and deployment times are doubled and even tripled in some cases.
We have to overcome these factors with increased training, and planning. Instead of just pulling hoselines on flat land during your training, pull them up a hill. I know some places even have restrictions on training in poor weather conditions, but if we are expected to fight in these conditions I feel like we should embrace them. Im not saying do 3 hour drills in the snow, but if it snows maybe pull a line and then pack it back, go out in the dark and pull some lines, or at minimum go outside with your turnout gear and walk around to see how difficult it is to walk around in the snow and how much you have to adjust. Just doing these small things could make the difference in someone’s life, or the building becoming a parking lot.
So now is the time to get geared up and ready, because this winter has already been bad for some, and it could be a rough one after the mild one we had in my area last year.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, STAY SAFE, and STAY WARM!
