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“Urban Firefighter Magazine”…
Here’s your daily demotivational poster courtesy of Alex at Raising Ladders :
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“Demotivational”
“Examining the process of firefighting to see if there is a better and safer way to operate” Tactical Safety – Why The Engine Needs To Be Perfect By: Ray McCormack As we know, no company operation is always perfect; however there are some that get pretty close. The extinguishment of fires is the primary task of the pumper that is purchased by public tax dollars through the local fire department. The engine may have a steady diet of additional tasks to perform that some may mistakenly see as its primary mission; however, the true mission of an engine company is fire suppression. Fire suppression delivered as close to perfect is the goal because the engine operation is the foundation upon which all subsequent moves are based. The need for the engine to save a lot is high, the need for the engine to save a little is low, and the need for the engine to save nothing does not even fill a need. Some fights we can complete without ever changing our attack style, while other battles will require a combination of approaches for containment. All extinguishment tactics must be planned out, thought out, and carried out with the desire for success attached. Get out your calculator and determine the risk to savable and responder life when no water is made available for your compartment battle ground. Perfect engine operations start way back at the fire station and are not solely based on arrival speed, apparatus placement or water resources; those additional factors if done correctly will enhance the chances of a perfect engine operation but they do not guarantee it. So what is the key? Besides having hosebed options, working nozzles, correct flows and a crew that understands all the various elements and how they relate, and depend upon one another, you also need a large dose of determination and sound tactics for a heads-up operation. The vast majority of battles are won by a single handline, properly positioned, flowing and staffed. There are as many variations to buildings and fires as there are to the sameness of events. Fires today are different, heat loads are higher, flashover more rapid but a fully involved room is still just that, and heat from any fire when you get too close can burn you, those things have never changed. We must be able to recognize when we are not hitting the fire and when we are not making progress. These two factors play more heavily on unsuccessful fire attacks and serious firefighter consequences than many other issues. How would you size up your engine company capability to take on a variety of battles? Effective fire engagement is a commitment to an extinguishment plan that follows the basic tenets of firefighting. Protect egress for all, contain the fire, extinguish the fire; sounds simple enough, and yet it becomes increasingly difficult without clear focus, SOPs and specific skill development training. We must come to the battle properly dressed and equipped with a full team and dynamic leadership. We must not arrive with apathy and defeatism, and without a plan because that places all participants in great danger. The best firefighter survival tool we have is a charged hoseline. How can we overlook such an obvious allegiance to firefighter safety? The performance model of any sound firefighter safety program begins and ends with hoseline effectiveness. Enter the fire area with a charged hoseline and you will be on your way to becoming a perfect engine because you understand the need for our greatest life saving tool. It is available to even the smallest departments to protect residents and firefighters alike. We can only expect better returns when we fully engage on the importance of water delivery and acknowledge its impact on tactical safety. Next Tactical Safety – What Type of Film is in Your Size-up Camera?
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“Tactical Safety: Why The Engine Needs To Be Perfect”…
CLICK ON PHOTO (photo by thehousewatch.com) Great job by the gang at the “Harlem Hilton” yesterday!
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“Full Circle”…
“Examining the process of firefighting to see if there is a better and safer way to operate” Tactical Safety – Collateral Damage By: Ray McCormack The military uses the term “Collateral Damage” to describe damage that affected an unintended target, or damage that is incidental to the intended outcome. Fire service usage of “Collateral Damage” could describe: fire extension, examination for extension, and employing a strategy that may damage an adjacent area in order to complete the primary mission. Less overall damage is always the goal, allowing the necessary level of collateral damage to be used will allow us to do our jobs more effectively and efficiently than if no collateral damage were employed at all. Like the V-shaped burn pattern on a wall, fire spreads vertically until it hits an obstruction. That’s why an occupant in a multi-level apartment building can often suffer more damage than the area of origin has. The occupants above have suffered collateral damage. When we extinguish a top floor fire, and water run off damages areas below, that is collateral damage. This type of damage is near impossible to stop; it can only be limited with a strategic plan. As much as we plainly see how fire and fire extinguishment may cause collateral damage, what choice do we have? We must anticipate vertical fire extension and deploy resources to that area with the expectation of fire spread. Deploying salvage covers to areas below the fire is a benevolent gesture, and shows that we understand the value of true property conservation. Fire extension must be anticipated at every fire no matter how benign it may appear to be at first glance. Removing some drywall and properly checking for fire extension or hidden fire is a lot more reassuring to the incident commander (IC), and the homeowner, than a return visit hours later with the house ablaze, and residents trapped. All firefighters must remember that service to the caller may entail a level of collateral damage if a proper assessment is to be made. When you are a customer at a store ,don’t you value an attentive staff that makes sure your needs were met on the first visit? The fire service has some high-tech tools to assist us in finding hot spots. The thermal imaging camera (TIC) is probably the most relied upon new tool we have to uncover and discover extension allowing a whole room to be scanned very quickly. Your image-interpretation skills, and knowing the tools capabilities and limitations, will further assist in this hunt for extension. The back of your hand along a suspected wall will also give you a temperature reading. You will not burn your hand because you already suspected this wall contained hidden fire. Systematic and logical collateral damage in an effort to discover fire extension is always defendable, and follows an aggressive attack strategy. When we stretch a hoseline, it is easier to deploy the lead attack length on the same level as the entrance door (door control), or take it up to the next stair landing if available, than it is to leave it below and stretch upwards. When we have another doorway opposite the unit that can give us hoseline access, and no one is home to open the door, then we will have to force-entry to utilize that adjacent space. The unit will be subjected to collateral damage, however, the ability to flake out the line in a straight line with the fire area, allows for an unimpeded advance which aids in rapid extinguishment. There should be zero fire damage to this adjoining area as the hoseline can not advance unless extending fire has already been knocked down. Collateral damage to the adjoining unit falls within acceptable boundaries because it facilitated a much easier advance on the fire, and allowed for zero hoseline friction on corners and stair railings. Had we stretched from below (which can also be done), we would have dealt with a major friction point at the leading edge of the doorway and would have needed a firefighter specifically at that spot from the initial push attempting to keep the line from getting caught on that dramatic turn. There is a difference between having the hoseline rub against the entrance door and using an additional firefighter to help advance a hoseline. One is avoidable the other is not. If you practice these two different approaches to the same fire problem you will quickly see which advance is easier to perform. Collateral damage is a subjective thing; one person’s level of tolerance will be different than another. The fire service, however, needs to understand that collateral damage allows us to operate more efficiently while decreasing incident stabilization time. Utilizing collateral damage to get a handle on matters is often essisential. Our people should not be squeamish about opening up where needed. Fire damage does not always fit into a neat tiny package. The majority of times fire damage is extensive, horrific and sad. By understanding the role and benefit of collateral damage, the fire service will suffer less rekindles and quicker extinguishments, while increasing tactical safety on the fire ground. Next Tactical Safety – Why the Engine Needs To Be Perfect
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“Tactical Safety: Collateral Damage”…
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“Andy Fredericks Training Days”…
thehousewatch.com has been an alter-ego of mine for over two years now. I have enjoyed the opportunity that technology and open-source software has provided, for those like myself, who opted one day to opine publicly about the fire service. It has been a great run and I have made a lot of friends along the way, who cares about making enemies, right? There has been a lot of support for the site as well. I have had a lot of help along the way, and I could not have made the site as popular as it has become without it; help like Ray and John; and Blog pioneers like: Rhett , Jay , Dave , Jason , and Bill . I have learned a lot more about the consensus of the fire service while following my fellow Bloggers, and have navigated my own beliefs through it. That’s the beauty of opining outside of the firehouse. It’s therapeutic and everyone should give it a shot. Don’t worry about what others think of your opinions; I finally learned you can’t please everybody. You also can’t pick fights publicly with people whose opinions differ from yours. I have done that a few times and I guess I become the asshole too. And there have been a lot of assholes! So what’s next? Lots. I have been not-so-secretly involved in a revolutionary project with a few close friends that is soon to debut. With that, I must formally submit my two-weeks notice of resignation from thehousewatch.com. To those in the know, yes, we’re that close. For those who aren’t, it was worth the wait. I will be posting during my last couple of weeks here and will drop hints as it gets ever-closer. I will still give my two-cents in the future, just not as my alter-ego. Thanks again to everyone who has anything good, or bad, to say about thehousewatch.com. Anyone who reads blogs, training sites, newsletters, and the like, you are the future of the fire service. And the future of the fire service is uncertain. Let’s continue to ensure we have a say. I have enjoyed posting and will continue to do so in the future, however, now you can call me Erich…I love you all very much. Stay tuned!
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“Sunset”…
“Examining the process of firefighting to see if there is a better and safer way to operate” Tactical Safety – Are You Ready For the NFL? By: Ray McCormack This NFL is a bit different from what you are probably thinking; this NFL stands for the National Fire League. The fire service has teams for all types of sporting events, even an Olympics. There are also team skill competitions in extrication and fitness. What kind of a team do you think your department could field if the game were fire? In the National Fire League, everyone’s staffing is equal, and everyone’s equipment is standardized. The apparatus used by all teams will have identical pumping and laddering capabilities. Everything including the protective gear will be standardized, fully utilized and properly worn. There will be rules to follow and if broken there will be penalties. So where is the variation? The variation is what makes any game interesting. The variation comes from the people involved, the players. The team’s personnel are the real strength as well as the weakness. Each team must capitalize upon its strengths while diminishing their weaknesses. Being well-trained and knowledgeable are two traits that raise a team’s chance of winning. There will be referees who have the power to stop play and remove those who are not in compliance with the rules. Remember that not all infractions are rated equal and not all will be seen. Post game analysis utilizing video will be provided by a select group of fire specialists who specialize in Monday morning quarterbacking of fire events. The opponent is a two story house with an enclosed one car garage. There are clues available to the teams that compose an encompassing initial size-up. Clues such as a construction label affixed next to the exterior electrical meter describing any lightweight elements and the lack of a basement. A bonus view is available to those that perform an inspection of all sides. A lower level room has light smoke contamination and clearly displays a ceiling minus a drywall covering. The game allows for the IC, first arriving officer, and or a delegate to do initial walk arounds. Smoke detectors are sounding on both floors but there is no visible fire. The home has a sprinkler system, however, the fire is in the unsprinklered garage. Two main teams, Attack and Search (two engines and one ladder company), will conduct fire suppression; and for the rescue portion of the game, additional special teams are available and assembled including RIT and Back up; each team member is radio equipped. There is also a report of two small children inside the home. There are two separate water sources located within 200 feet of the fire building and the house has a 60 foot setback from the street. Rehab, medical, an air refilling station, and three additional special calls are available to the incident commander (IC). Hoselines will be stretched, but to where? Searches will be conducted, but when, where and how? Command will be burdened with additional information streams; will it become overburdened? A safety officer and an additional chief join the game but are not on scene initially. The National Fire League plays these games so that the participants can learn from each other. Was there a hose load used that complimented this type of dwelling fire? Would you change yours after seeing this new one in action? Was the laddering effective and timely? Did the teams use sequential tactics? Were there any rule violations and if so how serious were they? Did the IC run the fire or was it the other way around? We must make a mental note that we can never be perfect no matter how nicely the game is set up for us. The real key to a successful game is to have a flexible plan of action that utilizes interior feedback and exterior overview and to train all your players to a level that is equal to or surpasses that of the coaches’. The winners sometimes crush their opponent and sometimes they just squeak by. Developing a tactically-safe fireground requires attention to detail; how tactics are formulated, taught and implemented must make sense for the jurisdiction or team. Fire companies that understand that the game can be played anytime and under less than ideal circumstances, but have practiced their game along with contingencies, will surely win more often than not, and hopefully only suffer minor aches and pains between games. Are You Ready For Some Fire? Next Tactical Safety – Collateral Damage
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“Tactical Safety: Are You Ready for the NFL?”…
“Examining the process of firefighting to see if there is a better and safer way to operate” Tactical Safety – Hoselines Treat All Stairs Equally? By: Ray McCormack Although all stairways are not created equal, your hoseline can not tell the difference, only you can. Some buildings can contain multiple stairways of different types, while most only contain one style. Straight run; Return, Scissor, Wrap Around, and Path stairways are the most common. Most stairways encountered will have a closed-tread design; basement and exterior stairways often contain open-tread stair step design. Stairways are our mode of travel in the fire building; even if we take the elevator we will be exiting below the fire floor and using the stairs for the remained of our assent. Although hose couplings provide us with life saving tactile information, their propensity for getting caught on the slightest obstacle is well documented. Unfortunately there are no Urban Search and Rescue dogs specially trained to locate and then free a hose coupling caught on a step edge, that job is left to firefighters. Their attraction to snags is just one hoseline problem we need to recognize and know how to fix. Another common problem is dealing with uncharged hoselines. Uncharged hoseline can get caught under doors and get tightly wrapped around corners and stair newel-posts. The same is true for charged hoselines, some problems are easier to fix with uncharged lines and some are easier to remedy with charged lines. I will let you figure out which is which, might make for a good drill; remember, just add water . We control the hose not the other way around. We place it too close to corners and wrap it tightly on turns. Were you taught the tactically safe method of stretching hose and dealing with stairs? I hope you were, but if not, you can still make corrections and pledge to always stretch better, no signature required. The different types of stairways mentioned impact stretching decisions solely, and when more than one type is available to complete the task. Return-type stairways are two sets of stairs connected by a midway platform. The stair sections go in two different directions with the associated landings stacking upon each other at the half and full-floor landing positions. This type of stairway will allow us to quickly place our lead-length of hose up on to the half-landing; the problem comes when we just throw hose hoping it will land correctly and not kink. Think about the odds of a successful hose deployment when we just throw hose about. It does not work and it is an example of firefighters who do not understand that solid engine work requires attention to detail. Scissor-stairs can be confusing for firefighters and officers who have had limited exposure to them. Remember that you will start in one spot on the floor below the fire floor and come out opposite that starting point on the fire floor. The exit point is the big decision regarding scissor stairs once you know where you wish to be on the fire floor you can simply work backwards and pick the correct stairway. Straight-run stairs are easy because we can see the entire run of the stairway. If the stairway is long and we do not allow the coupling to be forcibly-pulled along, up, and over every tread encountered, then our stretch will evolve quickly. Many firefighters have never been taught to carry hose, many were simply taught to pull the nozzle or associated bundle, let it drop, and keep pulling. Any firefighter who has climbed stairs with just the nozzle in hand can attest to how inefficient that adaptation of a hose stretch really is. Wrap-around stairways have a voracious appetite for hose. This type of stairway contains at least twice the amount of turns as a traditional stairway, and the connecting portions of staircases are separated by the object (usually an elevator) it wraps around. This is the only staircase where I recommend increasing your hose estimate to one and a half lengths per floor traveled. This increase allows for wide turns at the corners and the distance between connecting staircases. So if we are traveling up four flights you would estimate six lengths for that portion of the hose stretch. Dragging hose up stairs is all part of the game, however, when distances between firefighters is too great, or we place hose on the stairs too early, then we will encounter an excessive hose drag situation. Hose drag is just that, a drag on effort and energy and points to under-trained firefighters who do not understand the importance of drop points as well as poise. When you encounter a long and difficult hose stretch you need to have a solid plan for the stretch, just charging forward will only get you started on the slow road. Use your poise and confidently wait until other firefighters can assist in the stretch. Company commanders and chief officers make sure you have a hose lay that efficiently accommodates long stretches. Path stairways are staircases separated by various length hallways. Usually the path will only exist for one or two floors in the building. However poor stretching size-up decisions may force you to create your own path stairway stretch when you discover that another stairway was better suited for your attack than the one originally chosen. Keep your awareness situational to reduce errors of hoseline management, thereby increasing fireground tactical safety. Next Tactical Safety – Are You Ready For The NFL?
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“Tactical Safety: Hoselines Treat All Stairs Equally?”…
In grad school, I was taught that the first things to go in the workplace during bad times are training and people. It seemed like a logical truism because they both obviously require immense capital and resources to feed them; and both lighten-up the bottom-line when they’re gone. Likewise, fire service training and the firefighters who use it require a ton of resources to remain mission-oriented and combat-ready. However, it seems that our mission’s sustenance may be disappearing right before our eyes; and we can’t seem to see it coming! I’m referring to the recent news received by Arizona and Baltimore firefighters this week. Their spacial geographies notwithstanding, both groups are waiting for the shock of their respective bad news to sink in. In all my years of wearing the costume (firefighting), I never would have foreseen such decimation of our profession and craft; and with such immediacy. The old manta of many fire departments and training institutions to “get smaller as slow as possible” is out the window. Perhaps mantras should give way to questions for the foreseeable future, realistic questions such as, “what if they turned out the lights completely?” Melodrama aside, these questions are now being asked by Arizona instructors and the unlucky firefighters assigned to fourteen doomed companies in Baltimore. What the fire service really needs besides more capital and resources (I won’t wait by the mailbox) are contingencies. What if they turned out the lights on your State or local training center? Who would take over when money dried up? I hope your immediate answer is, “Me!” That’s the logical and assumptive answer, and we all should take stock in whether we suck or not at this gig. However, do you have the resources within your own department to not miss a beat? Did you over-rely on your local training center to give you the needed, or worse, required training? If you answer yes to the latter question, you’re problem is systemic and the closing of your respective training facility(s) or agency is a constant rather than a variable to contend with. The constant in any department, company, or individual approach to training contingency- building is having your department actually put your operations, positions and or procedures IN WRITING. This forms the foundation upon which to build and practice your craft. Without your act in writing, co-dependence on training centers, colleges, States, etc. thrives. A consequence of this thriving co-dependence is that these institutions soon become rife with the good-ol-boy system, as does it’s ugly sister, territorialism. State and local training institutions should provide the guidance, facilities and instructors who know your department’s operations, rather than making you pay to hear who and what is good for you. And believe me, the politicians seem to see these dysfunctional organizational counter-cultures before we do! That’s a huge reason training institutions get cut and slashed. I think it’s the police instructors that are ratting us out… Being able to keep your department afloat without a training organization, institution or facility(s) is not too hard. It’s easy to get the basics handled. Like the saying, “you don’t need a gym to do push-ups or run,” you don’t need a state-of-the-art training tower or fiscal resources to stretch hose, force doors or search. Find a vacant, use your firehouse, or the local playground. Sure it sucks advancing hose around the teeter-totter, but you’re still advancing hose! No fire certifications anymore? How about the standards set forth in your written procedures? Do you have competencies in writing? I mean competencies such as, “chocked all doors through which the line passed through,” “gapped the door to set the fork of the halligan,” “maintained orientation with the exit,” etc. These are competencies that must be addressed locally and no certification can ensure they are actually adhered to. A piece of paper with your name and attained credential on it is great. But so is not sucking at fires even though you may not have any paper back at quarters or in your personnel file…competencies are everything; They belong in your department’s training manuals as much as they do in certification programs. Do you have them? Here’s your first training contingency-building step! As for our Brothers and Sisters in Baltimore, I sure hope the State of Maryland understands what’s at stake at the Baltimore Fire Department (BFD). It transcends training, to over-worked, burnt-out and short-handedness at fires. Fourteen companies?!! The BFD’s union states that this would be the loss of a quarter of their companies. Baltimore is the same size as my department, both in population served and number of companies. A loss of a quarter of my department’s companies would be devastating; I couldn’t imagine it. And I’m not sure I could come up with an encompassing contingency to deal with such a cut. Digressing, I don’t think the City of Baltimore’s pols could ever grasp the impact of the juggernaut that is E.M.S. with fourteen less companies. Imagine taking-in the disbanded companies’ E.M.S. and fire duty, and with longer rides to get there. The wear and tear would be unimaginable on both people and the rigs they’re riding in. Hmmm…sounds like another de-industrializing City that used to make a lot of cars… I don’t think the BFD will actually face these draconian cuts, it smells like the union-busting that is as prevalent these days as vacants. However, contingencies surely will involve stark reductions or elimination of services provided by the BFD. That is a shame. No big-City job has been fat since the 70’s, there’s only the basics left to cut (bone). E.M.S.? I wonder if the fire service will even be able to do that anymore either in the near future in many towns. Moreover, I don’t think there is even a inkling of a silver-lining in any of this. The fire service is at a cross-roads and the bottom is truly falling out. What I don’t see, thankfully, are contingencies such as worthless mission and vision-statements being ambiguously applied; Our mission has never changed, just how many people and resources will now be adhering to it. I’m glad the fire service is finally realizing this. This reality falls on our shoulders and the pols know the blood is on their hands. We at least have solace in that. Perhaps they will stop meddling in how we do things and let us get past the grieving and onto what firefighters do best, adapting and overcoming. We just want the chance to do it without starting from scratch every year… I wish the best of luck to Arizona and Baltimore’s firefighters. You both deserve better, we all do. But there are those who watch things happen, and those who make things happen, which side are we going to let win?
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“Cardinals and Ravens”…
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