Rise up Leaders!

Maybe you don't see this happening everyday, but I do. Fire Chiefs unwilling to call for the necessary personnel at a scene because of every poor and irresponsible excuse in the book. It contributes to firefighter deaths, takes longer to get the job done, and doesn't utilize the common sense training they have had as Chiefs...maybe. There are national standards you Chiefs are always holding firefighters to while you ignore all the ways command can work to keep firefighters safe. Take all that pride and ignorant ego crap and throw it away right now while you still haven't hurt or killed anyone. You want your generation to be respected then show us how your going to train yourself to do what will be best for your firefighters not yourself....come on... you can rise up and lead!

Command

Ventilation Basics

Here's a good example of how to not use ventilation for any of the things we call priorities on the fireground. If we want anyone including us to survive we have to keep a charged, working hoseline in areas where there is fire if we are going to vent. Bringing a dry line that might get charged and then going to work ventilating the whole house would be a no go, it goes under that thing where if we cannot get a line on the fire why are we venting?

Now if we want to open this smoke charged structure we better have the necessary resources on scene to get right to work because as you can see it gets rockin when we open up here!  Even though Mr.Obvious shows his head about the basement fire, we still send a crew right in above the fire, the ventilation indicators give warning that this might not end well. Type of construction comes to mind too as the two windows upstairs that could be opened up are not, instead we commit a crew to a time consuming vertical vent?

So control the fire by controlling the vent, horizontal vents will do alot if weather and other factors like size are adequate. The size up of where venting is necessary is critical and needs to be reported back to the fire attack crew. Bring the right tools to the vent job so you can get it done and either get off the roof or move on to the next job!

Now I'm sure they are doing their best but lets not lose sight of the ventilation basics, good crew assignments and safety.

Accountability: Where are Your People when they are not on "The Board"

Knowing where your people are is very important if you really want to improve firefighter safety. I dont mean that you know they are present on shift or someone can look at a board and see there tag hanging there, I'm talking about knowing as best you can with your best effort where they really are during the whole incident. This is going to be the most important thing I hope to see fire departments improve upon while we face horrible shortages of staffing and money.
I hear all kinds of fire service leaders talk a fantasy talk about where their people are but it is time to realize that communication throughout an incident is going to get us better accountability. This starts in training officers to report information that right now, in most organizations, officers tend toward the thinking that they know this information and do not really need to radio it to command because nothing is going to change in the next minute or two right? No, step one should be you radio a change in location, change in fire behavior, change in activity, and report as specifically as you can. Are you telling me you already do this, time to be honest you don't!

Step two, that commander needs to set up with an initial accountability board that tracks the beginning locations of crews at a fire or other ILDH atmosphere, because the commander should and can do this along with size up etc. If staffing allows then commit an accountability officer but until that dream world arrives do it cause it still matters! Maybe that second commander that thinks he needs to do command but doesn't could do this vital activity!

I'm saying you can have seventeen points of beauty you found on some website but putting good use of radio communications and an accountability system together is where the rubber hits the road, the one that is ugly and will expose bullcrap like "we have all the tags of everyone on the trucks". If you think that works ask yourself ,on your next worker, at any point in the run, if any one calls a mayday right now do I know a good location that they might be in besides, On the truck or in division 1 of the local super eight? HUH!
Step up leaders, you do not control or impress anyone unless you've really got your crap in order!!! Read through some NIOSH death reports and think about reality a few more times today!

Ventilation Practices

Common ventilation practices have tried to advance beyond common sense and this is never a good thing, kinda like NFPA adding all the foolish "safety" standards to fire service apparatus.
In the video you see two components of a vertical vent go well and fire attack go poorly which demonstrates my first thought here, why are we not communicating enough information so that ventilation does get done in direct relation to how the fire fight is getting done?

Why do we book ventilation to death and teach young minds to always get the PPV set up quick so we can get the smoke out when there are many other firefighting issues to consider like construction and fuel load for starters?

Underwriters Labs has put together some great information on ventilation that is based on facts instead of "backdraftology". Check it out!!

http://content.learnshare.com/courses/73/306714/player.html

Rescue Training

There is always great training at the Fire Engineering site and this video demonstrates very well how to go to work on a trapped PT with a large vehicle. The crews are utilized effectively and a quick lift is done to do, what would be a best practice for anyone, in this situation, in your community.

Rescue training demands consistent, long term commitment to training that will be labor intensive and mentally challenging. These events are few and the level of readiness must be high to help these people when the need arises! Get out there and train!

This is a great little self rescue video that all should watch. You may find yourself someday in an unusual circumstance requiring out of the box thinking to save yours. This guy is grounded in reality where we all should be when we are training so i hope you practice this and continue to learn all you can!

Incident Command System Revised

I feel the need to supply way of communication that will help with all the great, easy to use systems out there. The nims system that we are all using...har,har...is wonderful if you use it and I do not mean make your own use of it.

If your frustrated with the command structure within your department it is probably because of two things, which are correctable by the way. One is, people in your department are not trained in their responsibilities or held accountable to their role either. Two, the top does not do their role or respect the roles below them because their ego will not allow it.

So the change now to bring to your department is the very novel idea of.... now hold your breath....use your rank structure and hold people accountable for not doing it.
If your the Chief and you pass information on to a firefighter or write up a firefighter then you probably just ignored two or more ranks that held the resposibility for delivering those things and you did wrong. YOU compromised the safety of personnel by bypassing the command structure. And since in most departments there is no one holding you accountable, its time for changing...YOU!

So start using command systems everyone and if its not your job leave it to the great people who do that for you.

Firefighter Readiness

When your your brain finally clicks on in the morning or later depending on processor speed do you say, hey, I might need to be ready for what today might bring, right now!

Firefighters are called to bring under control any event they are trained for or that other agencies are unqualified for and or are scared of, that is the truth of it even though it is spun many different ways when you listen to any media organization. So, that being said there are many details that we need to continually be prepared for and we have to relentlessly remain ready to do through training etc. There are so many details related to each thing that we have to work as a team to be in an excellent state of readiness, because no one man has all the needed strengths to keep an organization prepared.

So this morning while I am finally becoming coherent(possibly) I am thinking we need to lay down the coffee cups and form a habit of paying attention to the details as a group so that we will succeed in all the ways we need to, just make sure today that all your gear,equipment is in a great state of readiness, it will make you and those around you better firefighters.

Good Vent Job

These guys go get it done very well, I did wonder if the blades were dull as I thought man that vent job should already be done. That was maybe because the biggest screw up you see a lot is that firefighters go to the roof and take way too long which greatly compromises their safety, go get this job done and come off the roof.

I put this out there because ventilation is very important to efficient firefighting operations and we cannot forget this. Also if you kinda survey the scene as a firefighter when your coming up on a fire you will generally see the best area to vent, if you watch the smoke in this video you know they made a good choice.

Remember we are doing this for their lives and ours and that gets us back to the station in good shape!

Some more great thoughts to succeed!

You should try out these thoughts and improve your status as a great firefighter!

Firefighters on firefighting

Here is a firefighter giving it to you straight, he has sixteen years of experience and is a level-head you should listen to. To be a success firefighters need to take on certain habits or traits that will carry them the distance. Here I will be bringing you a series of firefighters telling you the truth.

Short version of the Truth

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Great video to get your mind back in the safety saddle and remind you of simple truths.

Accountability

I know that most thoughtful, loyal, progressive leaders truly care about where their people are operating and want to know that they are safe.

These guys follow a realistic system so that this is accomplished and the one thing that does not work is a tag mounted on a rig. You say by cracky that's how we do it, I say you have a dog tag for when they die, that's all.

The way you know is first of all to listen when your approaching or on the fireground to the reports given out. Secondly, company officers should as a discipline radio in their crew location and any change of location. Well we have heard that a hundred times , sure but it is time to start making it happen so that everybody really does get to go home. How do I know where you are, because you tell me where you are.

Of course this also requires radio discipline, let's just start training all our personnel in how to talk instead of letting them learn bad habits on their own and we will see a change here.

You can spend thousands of dollars but until you do this there will only be a false sense of possibly knowing where you guys are and that is not the kind of accountability that really saves lives.

Are you going to have to spend time drilling this into their heads, oh yes you do because our independent nature tells us not to radio anything like where we are because it is a responsible behaviour and we hate that.





This is WHY!!! Rest in peace brothers!
It could happen to you, Today, Think about that!

Rockin Article on Wind -Driven Fires

Here is a great, short article on a fire condition that we do not see often and is very unpredictable in every way. When guys talk about taking a beating inside I guarantee you they are talking about this. I recall a fire that was in a 40mph wind awhile back and it was unforgiving, so watch out for these fires they like to bite.

Smoke Tells a Story

Your success is my objective and here is one very effective but short video that if paid attention to can save your life and your brothers. There is great importance to keeping important details in YOUR noggin and seeing the big picture is one of them.

Smoke will always be the great deceiver and should be observed with the future in mind!

Size This Up

Pulling the big guns out,look at the set-up and the fire-power they put on this one,love the guy who is bigger than the five inch supply line(ARNOLD).

Good Example of putting the water where it needs to go, so many times the nozzleman greatly influences the effectiveness of the firefight.

Drills we need to repeat

These guys got it right, the big picture is we all need to do this to really be ready....MORE often than we do!!

The "Brave" new world

Have you asked yourself lately why the powers that be are going the way of the lawyers and not just fighting back, you know what I am talking about!

Some really smart people want us to not be firefighters anymore, they want us to ride to the fires with our helmets secured in locked storage and gear in a closet and boots in an "approved" compartment and airpacks come to the scene in a special delivery truck and only then will you consider putting them on!

Lets not prevent accidents and deaths with stupidity, how about we take a look at solving the problem with some of the god given brain power we have and collectively fight back against the tide of suit happy people out there. Here is really how simple it is, take the time today to strap your helmet to your head and put your seatbelt on and then go to the incident, AMEN!

Alright! Rollin Out

There is nothing quite like when the tones drop and you just know your going to get to go to work. Ya get out in the bay put on your gear and everybody is repeating the dispatch info and of course adding in a little this ought to be a good one! Your rig gets moving toward the scene and your running though what may need to be done plus the five hundred things you trained on and then your there and there are lines coming off trucks, the Chief is given you a report and when you get in the smoke is to the floor and your hunting that fire down! I love a good day, when the guys roll out to a fire and it all goes well, it is just, Alright!

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