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!
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!
Everyone knows the tale of Hansel and Gretel. Two kids who get lost in the woods and leave a trail of bread crumbs to lead themselves back home. Well while the method was not perfect Hansel and Gretel had a great idea and it is something we can use on the fireground.
Here are the two styles of door chocks I carry in my gear. While this may seem simple think about this scenario. Your chocking the doors that you going through, but then despite your best efforts you get turned around, you think you know where you’re at, but then that anxiety sets in. YOUR LOST! You issue the MAYDAY and you give your LUNAR report and whether you include your name in the report or not at some point you will be identified by name. Either through your MAYDAY report or when you give your unit number and position the accountability officer should have some form of accountability tag with your name, or it may be as simple as your company officer going “I lost Johnny”. At some point the RIT is going to be activated and they will know who the person is they are looking for. As the crawl into the building their flashlight sweeps over a door and they see a chock with writing on it, “Isn’t that Johnny’s initials/name? ” “He must have gone this way”.
Any hint we can give the RIT as to our location will do nothing but improve our chances of surviving a MAYDAY event.
Here are 2 other types of chock I carry. One is called a “hing hook” the other is a “cherry bomber”. In order to make these more visible I have added some reflective striping. This way they will be more eye-catching to a RIT, because door hinges usually don’t glow or shine back at you, so they may be more inclined to investigate it.
If they do happen to crawl over to it, or past it they will then just like the door wedges they will see an identifying mark as to who it is and who could have been through here. You can even add this reflective striping to your wedges to enhance there visibility. You can even add your company number, or any identifying mark that will help lead a rescuer to you.
The point is that this simple thing could pay huge dividends when involved in a MAYDAY situation. This is our “bread crumb trail” and can be just one more tool in your tool box to help you in your time of need. We should be chocking doors anyway why not take advantage of this and make it work for us.
At minimum putting your name and company will enhance the chances of your chock getting returned to you after a fire.
So take some time for “chock enhancement” it could pay off for you in the end.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Yesterday I pulled my regularly scheduled tour on the ambulance, very shortly in I discovered it was going to be one of those days where the order of the day was the generalized “sick” people.
Coughing, hacking, sneezing, sniffling, stuffed noses, chest colds, vomiting, there seems to be no end in sight this time of year. Everyone on the shift even seems to have some sort of nagging illness that just will not go away. As a sit here and type me and the wife are playing dueling coughs. After cleaning up some vomit for the second time in only 2 short hours I decided it was time for the ambulance to get a big time interior cleaning. I typically try to do a major decon on the ambulance every time I ride it, but calls sometimes dictate the ability to do so. At minimum I try to give it a good wipe down on the surfaces (handles, action area, seating surfaces) and we decon the stretcher after every run.
While we should be doing this all the time, during this time of the year it is magnified times ten! Usually we are the ones who are healthy and our patients are sick. During this time of year EVERYONE is sick with at least a cold, and we are traveling around in an incubator of disease. Sometimes on the run we even EAT in the ambulance. This means we have to step up our decontamination efforts.
We need to at minimum wipe down the interior surfaces (including the steering wheel, radio mic, siren button etc.) and sweeping and mopping the floor each tour. If you like you can even add some Lysol of other disinfectant spray.
It is fire season, don’t miss the fires that are going on because you are racked out on sick leave from an illness you got on the box. We are the best line of defense for ourselves and family. So take the time to decon the medic and our EMS gear daily, wash your hands, and take showers.
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).
Thanksgiving may be a few days away but this week it feels like Christmas has come early! I have had the chance to get some really neat stuff and experience some very cool things.
First my brother-in-law Adam has recently just returned from his military deployment aboard the USS Enterprise. Adam is a Ship Board Firefighter in the United States Navy and this was the last deployment of the USS Enterprise. On top of that being cool enough they had to ride through Super Storm Sandy! Well Adam brought back a gift for me here it is
HOW COOL IS THAT it is the Challenge coin for the Enterprise Firefighters, and no offense to The Fire Critic and Ironfiremen but this goes to the front of the list for the coolest Challenge coin I have ever received. I can’t thank Adam enough and I hope that once his military service is over that he gets to realize his dream of becoming a career firefighter.
Second I got an email the other day from Brian Brush over at Fireservicewarrior.com. He said he wanted to send me a copy of the new Fire Service Warrior Foundations book, and a little something extra for helping spread the FSW message. So today I got this in the mail.
I got a copy of the book, and a Colorado 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Shirt! I am very humbled that Brian and the other guys over at Fire Service Warrior thought to send me these things. I plan on putting myself though the foundations program and giving a full review on the blog. Thanks a bunch guys and I will see you in INDY!
Lastly today I got to participate in my first official podcast with Ryan Pennington from www.viewsfromthejumpseat.com . Our Podcast “Average Jakes Views From The Jumpseat” will be a monthly podcast on Firehouse.com and will be a street level podcast for the and from the firefighter perspective. To say I am excited would be an understatement. This has been the culmination of a lot of skyping, meeting, hard work, and conversation, and I think the finished product will be one that everyone will be able to enjoy. I want to thank Ryan for involving me on this venture as we have never met in person only through texting,email, skype and twitter. He took a chance on a complete stranger and we have even become friends throughout this process. Another big thanks goes out to Peter Mathews the editor of Firehouse.com for the chance to do this. So stay tuned every month to Firehouse.com for the show and please send a TON of feedback.
Well that is all for tonight. As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
In this instalment of what would you do we are presented with a house fire. We get a rare look at most of the development of the fire, and a scene without fire department intervention until later. This gives us a chance to fully absorb the scene and practice our critical decision making skills, and then see what the responding department actually did.
I will just provide a few insights. I preface these insights with the fact of I know nothing about this department, their staffing, or there operations. I do not know if they have a ladder truck, squad, rescue, ambulances or anything else. These are just observations made based on my own experience level and the departments I have been apart of.
1. First In Lay In: Time and time again in real life and in video I constantly see companies forgoing laying into fires. It could be SOG, it could be preference, it could be down right laziness. I am just a fan of laying in. I find it the most efficient way to ensure that you get a continuous water supply. In the departments I have been a part of we always laid into fires, and had the second engine finish the hydrant hook up. This way if for some reason the 2nd engine never shows the hose is already on the ground, and the driver of the first rig can hook his own hydrant up. If the hose stays on the rig, and the second engine never shows, now that driver may have to hand jack that LDH to the hydrant, further delaying the water supply component. If the stretch is too difficult for one person, the entire company may have to be redeployed to the LDH stretch which delaying the fire attack.
2. Apparatus placement: Again I do not know if this department has a ladder company, but if you do we have to understand as engine company firefighters that the ladder and cord reels are the same length every time. The fire ground real estate is critical for the special service companies in order to deploy them effectively. Engine companies literally have thousands of feet of hose. It is better to have to stretch some additional hose lengths and leave room for the special service than to park in front of the residence now making the special service useless. Our ladder companies and squads/rescues show up on different apparatus because they provide a different service than the engine. Their mission, their deployment model are different and for good reason. Do not deny the special service company the chance to provide you with air superiority (ladder), high-caliber streams (ladder pipe), or any of the other things they provide that we may not have (fans,forcible entry,special tools,etc.). The only thing this apparatus position would give you advantage is if you utilized your own pre piped deck gun, which leads to the next point.
3. Line selection: Big fire big water, is a phrase that sounds good in an assessment center, and people constantly speak it at every turn, yet I rarely see people put it into play. This fire was the prime example of a large advanced fire that needed a large-caliber hand line, and or a deck gun/portable master stream. To the naked eye it may look like the initial medium caliber line (1 3/4) was effective, but if you take a look at the thermal column there is still a massive fire inside this structure. Some of the hesitation to deploy these lines is staffing. I argue that companies that are heavy staffed can make miscalculations in line selection and correct them by using the people they have to deploy another line. Minimally staffed companies can not afford to make those mistakes as the personnel to add additional lines are not readily available, and to take those from in coming companies could impact other critical functions. the 2 1/2 can be deployed exterior with 1 firefighter, and interior with 2. it is hard, dirty, and labor intensive but it can be done.
So now it is your turn, take a look and apply your departments deployment model, and practice your critical decision-making skills. Leave your thoughts in the comments section.
A couple of things before I sign off…..
I said a few posts ago that myself and Ryan Pennington (http://www.viewsfromthejumpseat.blogspot.com/) had teamed up on a new venture. I did not want to say too much about it until I was 100% it was going to happen, but now since it is a go I am very excited and proud to announce that we are providing a new Podcast for Firehouse.com. It is called “Average Jake Views From The Jumpseat” . we have already recorded the first episode and it is with the editor and will be available for listening online very soon. Additionally I may also be contributing some blog type content for Firehouse.com. Again I am excited to see where this new venture can go. If you have any topic you want to see covered on the Podcast send it via email (averagejakeff@gmail.com) twitter @averagejakeff or in the comments section of a post.
Lastly it is NASCAR race weekend here in Richmond Va…and the start of NFL football season. So I will be at the race track starting tomorrow until the race is run. I will however also on Sunday be taking part in the 2nd Annual Richmond Virginia 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. It will be an honor to once again share the stairs with firefighter that truly embody “Never Forgetting”.
Well that’s all for this time!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
It feels like forever since I have been able to devote some time to the blog. Things have been CRAZY busy here on the homestead. I just finished up a week of the new Rope Rescue Level 1 course. Here in Virginia they have totally revamped the Heavy Tactical Rescue program (HTR), by dropping some courses, adding some courses, and combining some courses. This course that I took over the last week was a combination of old Rope 1, and 2. In this class we did rigging, rappelling, haul systems, lowering systems, pick offs, victim packaging, ascending, etc. all culminating in one huge scenario. It was tough and very labor intensive but I learned a lot and got to hang out with fireman from all over the state. Here are a few highlights.
EVEN MY TRUCK GOT IN ON THE ACTION!!!!
This program was all part of a week-long offering from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs called “Rescue Week” in addition to my class, there was Trench Rescue,Vehicle Rescue, and Introduction to Technical Rescue Classes all being taught. It was the first in what I hope is a pattern of doing this yearly.
In other news I also found out that I will be going back to FDIC 2013 this time as a Work Shop Instructor! My class “The Medical Mayday” will be 4 hours long and will encompass the missing part of the Mayday/fireground rescue process, actually caring for the victims once they are removed from the fire ground. I think it is going to be very well received and I hope I do the topic justice. It is not to early to sign up, head over to www.FDIC.com and sign up today! You do not want to miss FDIC it is by far the best fire conference out there with educational, networking, and exhibit opportunities!
Lastly in a few short days I and hopefully 343 other fireman from this area will be climbing 110 stories for the 343 FDNY firefighter murdered on 9/11. You can still register by going here http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1117802 . There is ZERO reason not to do this climb, and pay tribute to the fallen firefighters of the FDNY. There is no excuse for the Metro Richmond Area to not fill this climb up, it is an insult if we do not, so SIGN UP TODAY!!!! The money collected from all the climbs nation wide goes to support the FDNY Counseling Unit http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/units/csu/index.shtml a unit that provides counseling to firefighters and family’s.
If you do not feel you can make the climb then send in your money anyway and I will carry the name of your firefighter for you. No excuses fill this climb and honor those that have gone before us. We all promised to never forget, now here is a chance to show that you have not forgotten.
Well things are still getting busier and busier! Intermediate to Paramedic bridge class has started, Youth Football for my oldest is in full swing, in the next week or so my youngest will start youth soccer, the oldest will also be heading back to school soon, the wife is teaching an EMT-Basic course, and my self and Ryan Pennington http://www.viewsfromthejumpseat.blogspot.com/ and http://chamberofhoarders.com/ are getting ready to start our joint venture that will help spread our message of fire service excellence far beyond our individual websites.
You can always follow along on twitter @averagejakeff and….
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
