This past weekend I was staying out-of-town in a hotel for the running of the Crawling Crab Half Marathon. While leaving to go to dinner I noticed the locking mechanism on the door was a little different than I had seen in the past.
Typically on a hotel door you will see what I call either the slide chain lock, or the slide bar lock
Both of those are pretty common with the bar being the one I have seen the majority of, however the locking mechanism on this door functioned in a similar way but was different.
shown in the unlocked position
shown in the lock position
Another view of the locked position with the door engaged and the lock fully engaged on the door
View from the outside with the lock engaged and the door against the lock
As you can see the function of this lock is the block the door from opening up fully like its predecessors. The other versions usually gave us a good look at the actual mechanism parts. Alto of times when faced with the older lock placing the fork end of the halligan on the chain or the bar and several quick axe strikes would either drive the locking mechanism off the door, or break the chain or bar, either way you were in. However this version takes that option away from us.
You still could possibly be able to use the fork or adze end of the halligan right against the lock and drive the lock off of the jamb (overcoming the screws holding it to the jamb). Another option is also to go with good old conventional forcible entry close to the lock and defeat the lock. The hydra ram is also an option but as always the hydra ram can fail, or if it doesn’t work we have to go back to the irons so ALWAYS bring the irons.
Those are just a few ideas I had. What are you thinking? Leave your ideas in the comments section, or share them on twitter @averagejakeff
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Just like thousands of other firefighters last night, once the news hit the social media sites that a 4th alarm fire with a MAYDAY and multiple fireman trapped in Baltimore Maryland was going on I tuned in.
I followed the developments, and updates from twitter, Statter911.com, Firecritic.com, and several other sites. As the news kept rolling in, I found myself wondering “Am I ready for the MAYDAY”? If you listened to my podcast on Firehouse.com you know that I have said that I do not fear losing a firefighter. It would be sad, tragic, and one of the hardest things to ever happen but I do not “fear” it. In my opinion if we fear that then we will be unable to do our jobs, we will always be second guessing ourselves, and we may not put ourselves in the position to save lives.
What I do fear is being unprepared. I want to be able to thrive on the fireground in any situation, the hardest of which I can imagine would be a MAYDAY either involving me or one of my brother/sister fireman. Have I gone over my MAYDAY procedure enough? Have I put enough time in the gym? I have read enough? Have I trained enough? It’s this fear that keeps driving me to push past my own limits and try to reach that elite level of firefighting.
So take this month to review the following:
1.LUNAR
2. Your Departmental MAYDAY procedure
3.Gloved hand radio operations
4. RIT procedures
5. Approaching a down firefighter
6. Activation of your PASS alarm
7.RIT bag operation
8.Drags and moving the down firefighter
9. Self Rescue
10. Your Physical Fitness plan
If you spend 1 hour a shift training on one of these topics, and 1 hour working out each shift I can guarantee you will be well on your way to approaching that elite level of firefighting we need in order to serve our citizens and ourselves in the way all parties involved deserve.
As usual 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!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Albeit a few days late, as you may or may have not noticed I decided to take a few weeks off from the blog world in order to enjoy the several events of the holidays and New Year. I have to say it was a great time, I went to my first New Years Eve party in about 7 years and it was a BLAST!
This is the time of year where people often evaluate there lives and see what they want to change and or accomplish in the next 12 months. Some dedicate themselves to fitness, some to work accomplishments, others just want to do something small like read more books. I like anyone often take this time to see where I have been and where I want to head in the next year.
The past year has been full of ups and downs. I have accomplished a lot of personal goals like teaching at FDIC, teaching at Firehouse EXPO for the first time, getting a pre conference workshop for FDIC 2013 (The Medical Mayday being taught Monday at 8am), becoming an ALS provider, running my first half marathon, and running the tough mudder, and getting the great chance to co-host a Firehouse Radio Podcast with Ryan Pennington (www.viewsfromthejumpseat.com).
Other things like promotion, selection for certain committees, and the like have eluded me yet again. I have been able to remain positive throughout my failures which is a HUGE step for me. I do not think my situation is unique in that some people don’t appreciate my brand of fire service dedication, writing, teaching, ideas, etc. Some I used to even call friend have tried to tear me down, and for every ata boy I get for my ideas, and accomplishments I get 10 fold ridicule. I used to let it bother me, I used to get so angry it would actually make me physically sick. Now? 90% of it I let it roll off me like rain on a roof. I surround my self with positive people, and listen to the ones that truly have proven to be my friends and have my best interest at heart. The list has gotten shorter but its the quality not the quantity.
So where to go from here? To be honest when I started this blog it was a place to express my feelings, and vent my frustrations. It has morphed into sharing ideas, fostering positive discussion, and has enabled me to expand and share my thoughts and ideas in collaborations through various websites, and media. It has also allowed me to develop relationships and friendships with guys like Ryan Pennington, Chris Huston (www.engineco22.net), Brian Brush (www.fireservicewarrior.com), Rhett Fleitz (www.Firecritic.com) and several others (If I left you out I am sorry). All of those things have made even the most negative feedback seem non existent.
So I plan to continue to spread my brand and ideas of the fire service this year and beyond! Haters will always hate, so let them. Thanks to all those who read, comment, tweet and email me if it was not for those of you who have told me something I have written or said has made a difference for you then I would have quit years ago. Remember I am just like you, the Averagejake name was not chosen just because it sounded cool, or would look good on a t-shirt (but it would right?) It was chosen because I feel that I am just an Average guy, and that the dedication and love I have for this job is what every firefighter at their base should feel. I mess up, I make mistakes, I cheat on my fitness and my diet, but at the end of the day I always have the passion for the fire service and the desire to try every day to get better. Chasing perfection knowing it is unattainable, yet pushing for it every day. Again thanks to all those who keep me accountable, and keep pushing me to the best I can be.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
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!
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).
I have been teasing it for a while but today is the day that Ryan Pennington and Robby Owens (www.viewsfromthejumpseat.com , Averagejake Firefighter) took the next step in spreading our message of firefighting and fire service excellence!
This podcast will be THE place for the firefighter perspective and will be expanding over the coming months to include guests and hitting the hard topics. Please take a listen and send us some feedback on the site, our individual blogs or over twitter.
Thanks to Firehouse.com, Peter Mathews editor of Firehouse.com, Ryan Pennington for including me, my wife and kids, and each and every one of you who take a little bit of time each day to read this blog, or follow me on twitter. Without anyone listening or reading my musings I would have packed this in years ago. So without getting to mushy thanks and I hope you enjoy what you’re going to see out of this blog and the podcast.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
As i have said many many times on this blog, I hate working out. I flat-out hate it, every mile I run, every weight I lift none of it is fun for me. I do it because the job requires a high level of fitness, and I want to be the best I can be for my family, the people I work with, their families, and of course the citizens we serve. I would never be able to live with my self if my fitness level was the reason someone died. There are many factors we can not control on the fireground, but your physical fitness is one of them, if you are not in shape you have no one to blame but you.
With that being said I do love competition, and accomplishment and today I got to experience both of those.
This morning at 7:45 am I stepped off on my very first Half Marathon. This madness started as a part of my wifes brilliant idea to run a full marathon at Disney World in January of 2013. I didn’t want to run a full without ever running a half so we did some reasearch and found one that fit our schedule.
It was a long, hard, chilly, yet satisfying. Most of my training runs at this distance had been in 2 hour 15min range, so I had tempered expectations. However for some reason my pace was a lot faster than the training runs, and at the end of the day I finished with a time of 1hour 59mins and 9 secs!!!! While it was not by much I ran a sub 2 hour Half Marathon! This was a major accomplishment for me, and I was very happy to do so well. Even better about 28mins later my wife crossed the finish line and I was glad I got to see her and cheer for her while she finished up.
Here are a few pics.
All in all it was a good day. Like I said in the beginning this is not fun for me, I didn’t enjoy it. I do not get this euphoric feeling from working out or running races. However it is important, if firefighting is a house then fitness is the foundation of that house. Even if you do not care about yourself do it for the guys you work with, the citizens you serve, your family, your co workers family find some reason to get into shape. Your goal doesn’t have to be getting on a pin-up calender, or even running a personal best race. It should be for fireground performance, and to be healthy enough at the end of your career to enjoy the retirement you earned. It is never to late to start, SO START TODAY!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
The above video is a great instructional tool on how to go through the lock on the rim lock. These locks are typically found in older residential and multifamily dwellings. It even covers the difficulties of the “burglar shutter” and how to deal with that if it is present.
In some older cities this lock is still very prevalent. In an area such as mine with portions of the county built-in the 30’s and 40’s and other built-in the 90’s and 2000’s the variety of locking mechanisms can be staggering. We have to be experts on them all. The Rim Lock is just one of those locks, that while we may not see often is still in use and can throw us off if not prepared for it.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
shown in the unlocked position
shown in the lock position
Another view of the locked position with the door engaged and the lock fully engaged on the door
View from the outside with the lock engaged and the door against the lock
Average Jake Firefighter Blog 
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