How many departments have requirements to ride the front seat and act as an officer?
At work we always have an officer on shift or at least a senior firefighter as the acting for the day so its not an issue, but at the vollie house, its anyone's guess as to who may be riding the seat to any particular call.
We are a combination department and have a Captain on each shift who rides the seat of the engine and is in command for the day but as far as volunteer response, we respond from home most times (unless we are riding extra and staffing a truck or two) and its hard to guess who will be the acting officer. Writing this off as a downfall of the volunteer fire service would be ignorant. There are plenty of great volunteer fire departments that do have requirements in place to act as an officer, but there are also plenty of great volunteer departments that don't.
Among other things, one of the most important skills a firefighter who will be acting as an officer can have is good radio communications. At our department, sometimes the highest qualified individual will end up being the driver. On MVAs this is no big deal really as the driver can still get out and function as a member of the team or take command but when you're driving the wagon, you can't effectively supervise your crew inside the structure. Therefore, the responsibility falls to the member riding the seat. Hopefully you will get someone with a few years under their belt who has a good idea of what it takes, but on occasion you may not.
I know at our department, everyone wants to ride the front seat. Winding up the Q, stomping on the airhorns, and talking on the radio seems like every probies dream.
How do you train new members on radio procedures? How do you correct bad habits with older members? Do you just expect the rookies to listen to how the other guys do it and emulate that?
Most of our older members have a tendency to say nothing but " truck XXX is on scene." Quite a few times I have gotten back from a run and say, "Why the hell were you talking so damn much on the radio when you got on scene?" When all I said was, "XXX is on the scene, two car MVA, one overturned in the ditch, we will be investigating."
Make sure that your guys who are acting as officers know that the apparatus responding behind them need to know what they are facing and should have a quick mental picture from the initial on scene report.
This is especially important on fires. Even if you live under a rock, I'm sure you would give a report as you're pulling up to a rocking fire something like this, " Engine XXX is on scene, fire showing." What about where the closest hydrant is? How about other hazards or obstructions? Or, if you don't have pre arranged assignments for responding apparatus, a quick order to the second due to grab the plug at the intersection, etc?
Another point to be made as far as communications goes, is tell your members to leave their bedroom voices at home. Some of our guys speak so softly into the radio you wonder if they think it will explode in their hand if they speak in a normal tone of voice. It's common sense that you don't want to be yelling into a radio but there is a difference between freaking out on the radio and speaking in a clear, authoritative voice over the radio.
As the header on the main page says, this blog is pretty much just a collection of random thoughts so I'm sorry if they haven't made too much sense. I'm 40 hours into a 60 hour shift (trades suck at first, but when you don't have to come to work for two weeks they are great!) and my brain is pretty scrambled. Hopefully soon I will try to elaborate further on what it takes to RIDE THE SEAT.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Outstanding Firemen
-Outstanding Firemen (gender neutral! Outstanding firefighers just didn't sound right)
- Yardbreathers, etc.
Most of our departments have them or we know of places that do. Of course I am not referring to smart, aggressive firefighters who love the job, but rather those firefighters who can be found "out-standing" in the yard while everyone else is working. Forget RIT and other essential positions, I am referring to those unique individuals who have a knack for getting out of work. Usually they arrive on the 3rd or 4th due engine and do just enough that they feel they should stand in the front yard looking crusty and basking in their smoke-eating glory.
Please don't take this wrong as we all know that there are essential fireground positions that must remain outside. Some of the best firefighters I know can usually be found at the pump panel. In my opinion, there is more honor in running the pump because you're a damn good operator rather than going in on the line. Knowing that your guys will always have good water at the end of that line is more important than going in on the nozzle and wondering if Cletus can run 3 lines off the same truck.
There are a few reasons that you might have a yardbreather convention at your next fire. Perhaps command is preoccupied with all that comes with running a fire or maybe even a bit overwhelmed. Maybe the guys are just coming out for a break/rehab which of course would be completely acceptable. About a year ago, I learned the hard way that even though im young, in good shape, and thought I could handle anything thrown at me, sometimes you just get your ass kicked at a job and need to take a break.... or else you earn yourself a ride to hospital with two good friends half-joking about starting 4 large bore iv's just for practice and maybe a surgical cric if they have time before we get to the hospital.
- Yardbreathers, etc.
Most of our departments have them or we know of places that do. Of course I am not referring to smart, aggressive firefighters who love the job, but rather those firefighters who can be found "out-standing" in the yard while everyone else is working. Forget RIT and other essential positions, I am referring to those unique individuals who have a knack for getting out of work. Usually they arrive on the 3rd or 4th due engine and do just enough that they feel they should stand in the front yard looking crusty and basking in their smoke-eating glory.
Please don't take this wrong as we all know that there are essential fireground positions that must remain outside. Some of the best firefighters I know can usually be found at the pump panel. In my opinion, there is more honor in running the pump because you're a damn good operator rather than going in on the line. Knowing that your guys will always have good water at the end of that line is more important than going in on the nozzle and wondering if Cletus can run 3 lines off the same truck.
There are a few reasons that you might have a yardbreather convention at your next fire. Perhaps command is preoccupied with all that comes with running a fire or maybe even a bit overwhelmed. Maybe the guys are just coming out for a break/rehab which of course would be completely acceptable. About a year ago, I learned the hard way that even though im young, in good shape, and thought I could handle anything thrown at me, sometimes you just get your ass kicked at a job and need to take a break.... or else you earn yourself a ride to hospital with two good friends half-joking about starting 4 large bore iv's just for practice and maybe a surgical cric if they have time before we get to the hospital.
The day after a fire last week, a non firefighter friend said that he watched all the news stories about the fire and was curious as to why he didn't see me (our names are on our running coats) I simply told him that at a fire you wont see the guys doing the real work on the news, as we don't let the news crews inside the burning building!
How can we cut down on yarbreathers? Accountability is one way. By keeping track of what crews are where and what their tasks are, command can see if guys might need a break and if other crews haven't done much of anything. Another way is training. By training today's firefighters to be aggressive and want to do as much as they can on their next fire, you will have guys tripping over one another trying to find something...ANYTHING to do!
So at your next fire, while you're pulling ceiling on the second floor, take a quick look out the closest window at the outstanding firemen in the front yard and just smile knowing that you're not one of them!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Your fire academy
What was your fire class like? Did the instructors mainly yell and scream all the time or talk to you like a human being and actually teach (but yell when it was warranted)? Im an assistant instructor for a Firefighter 2 class and in my opinion we have a great cadre of instructors. Easily 200 years of experience between all of us. We try to talk at the students level and not down to them. We don't set them up for failure but let them make mistakes (that don't affect safety of course!) and then afterward discuss what went wrong, how they could prevent the mistake next time and what they learned. Even us instructors are learning a thinor two, both from our fellow instructors and from the students.
Of course, maybe im biased to these instructors as we all work together on a daily basis and they all taught me when I was in the academy but I honestly think that every single member of this class will pass and turn into great firefighters. They are a few weeks into the program and are really starting to work as a unit.
Tomorrow, I'm the lead instructor for a probationary drill at the volunteer house, we have had great success so far with our probationary training program and hopefully tomorrow will also be a great drill.
Until next time, stay safe.
Of course, maybe im biased to these instructors as we all work together on a daily basis and they all taught me when I was in the academy but I honestly think that every single member of this class will pass and turn into great firefighters. They are a few weeks into the program and are really starting to work as a unit.
Tomorrow, I'm the lead instructor for a probationary drill at the volunteer house, we have had great success so far with our probationary training program and hopefully tomorrow will also be a great drill.
Until next time, stay safe.
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Friday, February 4, 2011
Let's Get Started
Some random thoughts this morning as I sit here trying to wake up.....
- What time do you show up for your shift? At work, the shift starts at 0700 and people show up at all kinds of different times. Some will show up around 0545 or 0600... most show up between 0615 and 0630... and some will come in with 2 minutes to spare (if they are lucky).
- When do you do your daily rig check? As soon as you get in? At shift change? After breakfast? After your first run?
Despite fighting the urge to want to curl up in a dark corner somewhere and go back to sleep, I check out the rigs every morning right at shift change. I usually get in around 0615 and will sit in the kitchen with the off going crew to find out what they had the other day, if any equipment is out of service, if any drug box tags were changed, etc.
I feel that getting the rig checked out first thing in the morning is imperative in our line of work. How many times have you had a call come in a few minutes after the start of your shift and you're not 100% sure as to whether or not everything is where it should be or if the equipment is there at all?
Some call it complacency, but I just think of it as laziness when people don't do their rig checks first thing in the morning. You can still drink your coffee, listen to the radio, and BS with the guys while checking the equipment.
A little about me... I have been around the fire service since I was born. My Dad was a Fireman for 34 years and I was actually taken straight to the firehouse from the hospital after being born rather than going home. I couldn't even begin to guess how many times I would hang out with my Dad and his crew on the weekends or during summer vacation. When I was about 8 and my Dad got a new rookie, he would send me out with the rookie to explain where the equipment was on the rig. So needless to say, I have always been pretty obsessed (for a lack of better words) with firefighting. Even in high school, as I played 2 varsity sports and was All-State in both, I was involved in a local fire explorer program. Even then, I would spend most of my free time reading firefighting magazines and websites trying to learn everything that I can. In the years since high school, I have become a volunteer paid-on-call firefighter in my hometown and a paid firefighter in another community not far from my home.
At work, I'm just your average private. I wear a black helmet, take orders, and spend most of the day cleaning and drilling. At the volunteer house, while just a private, I head up our Equipment, Technical Rescue, and Probationary Training committees and am a member on our Spec Committee. Over the past few years some drastic changes have been made for the better in our department through some pretty hard work by our committee members.
Some big things our committees are working on:
- Charge EMT Competency Exam - At present time, all someone has to do is get their EMT card and they are cleared to operate independently in the back of the ambulance. While this has not come back to bite us yet, we recognize the need for these members to be evaluated before being "turned loose" on our tax-paying citizens.
- Squad Technician Program- This will be an in-house certification program training people to technical rescue risks that we face in our area. Getting NFPA technician level certification in all technical rescue disciplines would not be practical for our department and we realize this so we will be looking at risks we have and how to adequately train our personnel for these. Topics included will be basic/advanced vehicle/machinery extrication, basic rope rescue (rappelling, pick offs, haul systems, litter rigging), Confined Space Rescue, Water/Ice Rescue, and we are considering Trench Rescue.
- Specing a New Ambulance- We have 3 ambulances with the newest being 3 years old with 35k miles and the oldest is 11 years old with 140k miles. We are looking to replace our oldest ambulance with a twin of our newest rig which has worked great for us. (Random note- my volunteer department is actually a combination department where we have 5 guys on a shift 3 on the engine and 2 on the medic unit) As I'm sure you all know, no matter how great a vehicle is, there are always small improvements that can be made here or there and you must evaluate new technology and standards that must be addressed on the new piece of apparatus.
- Probationary Training Program- We started this last year after signing some automatic mutual aid agreements with surrounding departments and realized that there were some basic deficiencies in the education that our new firefighters had. While they had enough book knowledge to pass the certification test, we were finding some deficiencies in their fireground operations skills. So we designed a curriculum and pick 1 Saturday a month where we get our probationaries and invite the surrounding departments to send their rookies to practice basic skills such as pulling lines, throwing ladders, doing searches, etc. Our Feb drill will be a new topic for us, MVA Operations. Alot of these new firefighters, despite having a Fire card, really don't have much direction on accident scenes and if they aren't under the watchful eye of a senior firefighter or officer, they tend to just stand around.
Well, as of now that's all I've got but depending on how slow we are today at work, I may try to think of some new ideas for posts on here. Hope you enjoyed the first post and cut me a little slack, this is my first time in the world of blogging!
Stay safe.
- What time do you show up for your shift? At work, the shift starts at 0700 and people show up at all kinds of different times. Some will show up around 0545 or 0600... most show up between 0615 and 0630... and some will come in with 2 minutes to spare (if they are lucky).
- When do you do your daily rig check? As soon as you get in? At shift change? After breakfast? After your first run?
Despite fighting the urge to want to curl up in a dark corner somewhere and go back to sleep, I check out the rigs every morning right at shift change. I usually get in around 0615 and will sit in the kitchen with the off going crew to find out what they had the other day, if any equipment is out of service, if any drug box tags were changed, etc.
I feel that getting the rig checked out first thing in the morning is imperative in our line of work. How many times have you had a call come in a few minutes after the start of your shift and you're not 100% sure as to whether or not everything is where it should be or if the equipment is there at all?
Some call it complacency, but I just think of it as laziness when people don't do their rig checks first thing in the morning. You can still drink your coffee, listen to the radio, and BS with the guys while checking the equipment.
A little about me... I have been around the fire service since I was born. My Dad was a Fireman for 34 years and I was actually taken straight to the firehouse from the hospital after being born rather than going home. I couldn't even begin to guess how many times I would hang out with my Dad and his crew on the weekends or during summer vacation. When I was about 8 and my Dad got a new rookie, he would send me out with the rookie to explain where the equipment was on the rig. So needless to say, I have always been pretty obsessed (for a lack of better words) with firefighting. Even in high school, as I played 2 varsity sports and was All-State in both, I was involved in a local fire explorer program. Even then, I would spend most of my free time reading firefighting magazines and websites trying to learn everything that I can. In the years since high school, I have become a volunteer paid-on-call firefighter in my hometown and a paid firefighter in another community not far from my home.
At work, I'm just your average private. I wear a black helmet, take orders, and spend most of the day cleaning and drilling. At the volunteer house, while just a private, I head up our Equipment, Technical Rescue, and Probationary Training committees and am a member on our Spec Committee. Over the past few years some drastic changes have been made for the better in our department through some pretty hard work by our committee members.
Some big things our committees are working on:
- Charge EMT Competency Exam - At present time, all someone has to do is get their EMT card and they are cleared to operate independently in the back of the ambulance. While this has not come back to bite us yet, we recognize the need for these members to be evaluated before being "turned loose" on our tax-paying citizens.
- Squad Technician Program- This will be an in-house certification program training people to technical rescue risks that we face in our area. Getting NFPA technician level certification in all technical rescue disciplines would not be practical for our department and we realize this so we will be looking at risks we have and how to adequately train our personnel for these. Topics included will be basic/advanced vehicle/machinery extrication, basic rope rescue (rappelling, pick offs, haul systems, litter rigging), Confined Space Rescue, Water/Ice Rescue, and we are considering Trench Rescue.
- Specing a New Ambulance- We have 3 ambulances with the newest being 3 years old with 35k miles and the oldest is 11 years old with 140k miles. We are looking to replace our oldest ambulance with a twin of our newest rig which has worked great for us. (Random note- my volunteer department is actually a combination department where we have 5 guys on a shift 3 on the engine and 2 on the medic unit) As I'm sure you all know, no matter how great a vehicle is, there are always small improvements that can be made here or there and you must evaluate new technology and standards that must be addressed on the new piece of apparatus.
- Probationary Training Program- We started this last year after signing some automatic mutual aid agreements with surrounding departments and realized that there were some basic deficiencies in the education that our new firefighters had. While they had enough book knowledge to pass the certification test, we were finding some deficiencies in their fireground operations skills. So we designed a curriculum and pick 1 Saturday a month where we get our probationaries and invite the surrounding departments to send their rookies to practice basic skills such as pulling lines, throwing ladders, doing searches, etc. Our Feb drill will be a new topic for us, MVA Operations. Alot of these new firefighters, despite having a Fire card, really don't have much direction on accident scenes and if they aren't under the watchful eye of a senior firefighter or officer, they tend to just stand around.
Well, as of now that's all I've got but depending on how slow we are today at work, I may try to think of some new ideas for posts on here. Hope you enjoyed the first post and cut me a little slack, this is my first time in the world of blogging!
Stay safe.
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