Everyone is a Hall of Fame, Monday Morning Quarterback. Everyone can sit on the sidelines and ask "why". I personally see this a lot in the fire service. Departments will ask each other why they do things different ways, respectfully (I hope).
Recently, I have heard a lot of "why's" regarding a department's box system and which units are do to a call. The biggest question I get asked from outside my department is why we have the number of units responding to a building fire. The typical response for a dwelling fire is four (4) engines, two (2) aerials, one (1) rescue, and one (1) RIT/FAST team.
Ask "why" there are eight (8) units responding to one call. The two responses I give are simple: 1. resources and 2. man power. Keep in mind that my department and surrounding departments are mainly all volunteer with the exception of a couple companies.
1. Resources: GET THEM MOVING! The average response time in the volunteer fire service is roughly four minutes from dispatch until the unit hits the road. It may take another 5 minutes for the resource to reach the scene (in an urban, suburban environment). Some departments do not call for a RIT/FAST team until a working fire is confirmed. In the ten minutes between a fire is confirmed and the response of the RIT/FAST team, a lot can happen. This is when the initial fire attack begins. Conditions can worsen very quickly. Hydrates may not have pressure, or there may be a lack of hydrants. Getting these initial resources moving may be the difference between a successful extinguishment and the total lose of a house. With four engines there is at least 3000 gallons of water on the road in the first minutes of an incident. Two ladders provide enough ladders to safely ladder and ventilate the building. A rescue truck response brings man power and special equipment in case of collapse. Some call it unnecessary and overkill. You never want to be caught with your bunker pants down when there's a fire. Speaking of bunker gear on the ground, some of these trucks will not have full crews.
2. Man Power: fighting a fire is a very tiring and cumbersome task. Ladders must be thrown, hoselines advanced, buildings searched, utilities secured, and a water source obtained. All of this needs to be completed nearly simultaneously. Many tasks with little man power means you're in trouble. In the volunteer service, the crew is going to vary day to day and what time of day. Day time calls are notorious for low staffing because many members work during the day and outside the district. A "good" crew might consist of a driver, officer, and two firefighters on the first out piece. Some companies may only have one firefighter in the back. Night time, the piece may be packed with every seat taken. Summer there is the added benefit of college students home who may be around during the day. Man power becomes part of the resources. Not all of the apparatus called will have a crew. Some might even have just a driver and officer. Realistically out of the eight apparatus called on the initial dispatch 6 will be able to respond with a crew of three (excluding driver). Officers fall into their responsibilities upon order of arrival. One will be in command, another will be safety, another will a division commander inside the structure. This means crews of non-officer firefighters may be 12 firefighters to stretch a line, throw ladders, ventilate, and search. Firefighters will be used up on the initial attack quickly.
Why are there so many fire trucks responding to one call? Simple. Because that is what is needed to safely extinguish the fire and provide safety. Don't be afraid to ask for what you need. Need an additional ladder and engine for a crew. Ask dispatch. You may want two crews but you'll get one crew between the two apparatus and it was one crew you needed. In the words of The Rolling Stones "You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need "
Call in the resources you think you'll need early on during the incident. Doing this might insure that everyone comes Out of the Smoke.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Phila. Fire Dept Investigating Former NFL Player
Former Philadelphia Eagle OL Danny Watkins is being investigated by the Philadelphia Fire Department. The fireman turned lineman has become center of controversy after pictures recently surfaced of him fighting a fire with Rescue 1 of the PFD. At the time of the fire, Watkins was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watkins, the former first round draft pick, resulted in being another NFL bust as he retired this past NFL season after only two years as an NFL player. He worked previously as a firefighter before going to college where he joined the football team.
Most professional athletes have clauses in their contracts that prohibit them from partaking in dangerous activities such as jet skiing, sky diving, and any other extreme sport that may result in a serious injury. Watkins may be the first to have broken this clause by firefighting.
It was long known that Watkins still loved the fire service even after being drafted. He would visit many PFD fire stations and even bought a fire truck with one of his first paychecks. In fact this news was stirred up after someone found out that Watkins is now a firefighter in the Dallas (TX) area.
The PFD released a statement that it is not uncommon or illegal for celebrities to ride along with the PFD as long as waivers are signed and that the signee does not put themselves in harms way. It is unclear at this time Watkins ever made entry into the structure prior to the extinguishment of the fire. The pictures online show Watkins in full PFD PPE, including SCBA, carrying a saw.
There have also been claims that Watkins gave firefighters Eagles tickets in return for the special privilege to ride along on the trucks. Once again the PFD stated that many times local athletes will give tickets to the fire department so the tickets may be used for charity.
Understandably people are upset. A first round draft pick who was supposed to be the answer the Eagles offensive line woes, is instead out fighting fires. Going from a fan (and certainly firefighters') favorite making millions of dollars to doing a thankless job for free, is certainly not a popular choice.
What some people fail to realize is that prior to the NFL, Watkins was a fully trained firefighter. Sure he may be a little out of practice but it is not like a totally untrained civilian is trying to fight the fire. Watkins would have clearly been in shape at the time as he was a starter on the offensive line.
Some habits and thought patterns gained in the fire service stick with firefighters no matter what. Firefighters will say that when they go out to a large venue, either restaurants or a concert venue, it is a habit for them to immediately locate the fire exits. I too do this. I also look at windows and doors and how I could possibly force entry if there was a fire. Recently at IKEA, I noticed that part of the warehouse was Type I construction. Type I construction is noncombustible construction materials (concrete and steel in this case), sprayed with a fire retardant.
These are all things that a non-firefighter may not notice. You can take the firefighter out of the fire service but you cant take the fire service out of the firefighter. Watkins may have violated his contract by participating in this highly dangerous activity, and yes that was wrong on his part.
The investigation is ongoing into what role he served that day on the fire ground. What is safe to safe by Watkins's recent career change back into the fire service is that he couldn't be kept Out of the Smoke.
Watkins, the former first round draft pick, resulted in being another NFL bust as he retired this past NFL season after only two years as an NFL player. He worked previously as a firefighter before going to college where he joined the football team.
Most professional athletes have clauses in their contracts that prohibit them from partaking in dangerous activities such as jet skiing, sky diving, and any other extreme sport that may result in a serious injury. Watkins may be the first to have broken this clause by firefighting.
It was long known that Watkins still loved the fire service even after being drafted. He would visit many PFD fire stations and even bought a fire truck with one of his first paychecks. In fact this news was stirred up after someone found out that Watkins is now a firefighter in the Dallas (TX) area.
The PFD released a statement that it is not uncommon or illegal for celebrities to ride along with the PFD as long as waivers are signed and that the signee does not put themselves in harms way. It is unclear at this time Watkins ever made entry into the structure prior to the extinguishment of the fire. The pictures online show Watkins in full PFD PPE, including SCBA, carrying a saw.
There have also been claims that Watkins gave firefighters Eagles tickets in return for the special privilege to ride along on the trucks. Once again the PFD stated that many times local athletes will give tickets to the fire department so the tickets may be used for charity.
Understandably people are upset. A first round draft pick who was supposed to be the answer the Eagles offensive line woes, is instead out fighting fires. Going from a fan (and certainly firefighters') favorite making millions of dollars to doing a thankless job for free, is certainly not a popular choice.
What some people fail to realize is that prior to the NFL, Watkins was a fully trained firefighter. Sure he may be a little out of practice but it is not like a totally untrained civilian is trying to fight the fire. Watkins would have clearly been in shape at the time as he was a starter on the offensive line.
Some habits and thought patterns gained in the fire service stick with firefighters no matter what. Firefighters will say that when they go out to a large venue, either restaurants or a concert venue, it is a habit for them to immediately locate the fire exits. I too do this. I also look at windows and doors and how I could possibly force entry if there was a fire. Recently at IKEA, I noticed that part of the warehouse was Type I construction. Type I construction is noncombustible construction materials (concrete and steel in this case), sprayed with a fire retardant.
These are all things that a non-firefighter may not notice. You can take the firefighter out of the fire service but you cant take the fire service out of the firefighter. Watkins may have violated his contract by participating in this highly dangerous activity, and yes that was wrong on his part.
The investigation is ongoing into what role he served that day on the fire ground. What is safe to safe by Watkins's recent career change back into the fire service is that he couldn't be kept Out of the Smoke.
Monday, September 1, 2014
The Nine Tire Drill
In the August 2014 publication of "Fire Engineering", The Nine Tire Drill was featured in the training section. Relatively unknown, this drill was discovered by members of the Salisbury (NC) Fire Department who were visiting the Charlestown (NC) Fire Department. The objective of the drill is to reassert the importance of orientation and situational awareness in a fire.
The drill is performed in a parking lot or larger open space. It requires nine tires to be spaced 15 feet apart from each other in a grid of three by three. At each tire, a piece of PVC piping is inside the tire. The participant must pick up the piece of piping and assemble them into a predetermined design.
Participants don full PPE (personal protective equipment) including SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus). Participants have their face masks blocked, preventing the use of sight. The participant will navigate the course in a predetermined manner and will crawl on their knees as if in a house fire.
Searching for the tires simulate searching a structure in a house fire. Firefighters search for victims not only on the ground but they also search for furniture. Sometimes victims will be located in bed or under some type of furniture. Firefighters will have to turn themselves so they can properly search for victims. This turning without being to see can cause a firefighter to lose their orientation. This lose of direction has proven itself to be deadly.
To simulate a distraction from orientation, the PVC piping is introduced. It causes the firefighter to focus on assembling the pieces.
I recently participated in The Nine Tire Drill at my company's weekly drill night. We replaced the PVC with a variety of items from around the station such as a helmet, radio, and spanner wrenches. At each tire, we had to identify each item. The radio was an added challenge. Our training officer had us add the radio to our gear and carry it with us. We had to turn the radio on, go to an assigned channel, and call command updating command on our location.
I personally found this drill very beneficial and unique. Never had I encountered an exercise like this. Some exercises are designed to help gain better awareness but one that adds distraction is truly a test. One tip in the article was to point the handle of your tool in the direction you need to go. When stopping to identify an object, I'd place my tool on the ground with the handle facing the correct direction. This allowed for me to know exactly where I needed to head.
Maintaining orientation is a problem that I myself have encountered numerous times both in training and in the field. Thankfully I have been able to gather myself and be able to properly call my location. However in a job such as firefighting, the few extra seconds needed to gather oneself and reorient themselves, may be the seconds between life and death.
The Nine Tire Drill is a great training exercise that I hope many people take with them to their department and make it a training session. Maintaining the ability to be aware of your surrounds in your next house fire may guarantee that you come out of the smoke.
The drill is performed in a parking lot or larger open space. It requires nine tires to be spaced 15 feet apart from each other in a grid of three by three. At each tire, a piece of PVC piping is inside the tire. The participant must pick up the piece of piping and assemble them into a predetermined design.
Participants don full PPE (personal protective equipment) including SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus). Participants have their face masks blocked, preventing the use of sight. The participant will navigate the course in a predetermined manner and will crawl on their knees as if in a house fire.
Searching for the tires simulate searching a structure in a house fire. Firefighters search for victims not only on the ground but they also search for furniture. Sometimes victims will be located in bed or under some type of furniture. Firefighters will have to turn themselves so they can properly search for victims. This turning without being to see can cause a firefighter to lose their orientation. This lose of direction has proven itself to be deadly.
To simulate a distraction from orientation, the PVC piping is introduced. It causes the firefighter to focus on assembling the pieces.
I recently participated in The Nine Tire Drill at my company's weekly drill night. We replaced the PVC with a variety of items from around the station such as a helmet, radio, and spanner wrenches. At each tire, we had to identify each item. The radio was an added challenge. Our training officer had us add the radio to our gear and carry it with us. We had to turn the radio on, go to an assigned channel, and call command updating command on our location.
I personally found this drill very beneficial and unique. Never had I encountered an exercise like this. Some exercises are designed to help gain better awareness but one that adds distraction is truly a test. One tip in the article was to point the handle of your tool in the direction you need to go. When stopping to identify an object, I'd place my tool on the ground with the handle facing the correct direction. This allowed for me to know exactly where I needed to head.
Maintaining orientation is a problem that I myself have encountered numerous times both in training and in the field. Thankfully I have been able to gather myself and be able to properly call my location. However in a job such as firefighting, the few extra seconds needed to gather oneself and reorient themselves, may be the seconds between life and death.
The Nine Tire Drill is a great training exercise that I hope many people take with them to their department and make it a training session. Maintaining the ability to be aware of your surrounds in your next house fire may guarantee that you come out of the smoke.
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