Coffee Talk Around the Tailboard

Mike Perrone's Christmas Present to You...

2011-12-07T23:51:00.002-05:00

Mike Perrone is back with another video... just in time for Christmas! Watch it, learn from it and go try it out on your next run!

Slowing down and speeding up...

2011-11-16T09:15:00.004-05:00

Been a little crazy around here lately. The blog has taken a back seat to my wife and I having our first baby and I have been given the opportunity to do some work over at the Fire Service Warriror. Thanks to everyone that has checked out the blog, sent me emails or text messages and even a few old fashioned phone calls! If you get the chance to check out Fire Service Warrior, I would suggest you take it. There is a ton of good information on the site and not just about training stuff. Anybody interested in learning more could also check into the Fire Service Warrior Fundamentals Seminar that is going to take place in the Chicago area on March 24th and 25th. Also, if anybody is going to FDIC in April and wants to meet up, let me know! I'll be there for most of the week as well as many of the other FSW team, so come join us if you can! In the mean time stay safe and keep training!

Farewell to Firefighter Don Beckett

2011-10-25T11:29:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Monday October 24th, 2011, the City of Kent Fire Department laid to rest Firefighter Don Beckett. Don had over twenty years on the fire department and was well known for his compassion and empathy during medical runs. He fought for nearly a year with cancer, but unfortunately lost that battle this past Wednesday. He was surrounded by friends and family right to the end. He will be missed. Although gone, he will be remembered in our thoughts and our hearts forever. His fight has been deemed in the line of duty by the State of Ohio... as it should be. Thank you to everyone that showed so much love and support to Don and his family during the last year.

SCBA fun...

2011-10-17T15:51:00.000-04:00

Next time you are looking to change up what is usually considered a boring and mundane drill... try this. Its called the "SCBA Scramble".

Instead of the usual timed donning and doffing/fire academy style SCBA drill, the "Scramble" involves several airpacks disassembled and on the floor with PASS alarms going off. Have the members crawl into the pile and sort out their own pack frame and air bottle. They should do it in "zero viz" and with gloves on. You can increase the level of difficulty by adding extra SCBA to the pile (more SCBAs than participants), disconnecting mask mounted regulators, and even throwing the facepieces in to mix. The drill is great at reinforcing some basic skills including: Hand/eye coordination, Muscle memory, Communication, Staying calm and working through a frustrating problem, and of course... knowing your SCBA inside and out. Let members make mistakes and allow others to witness it happening. In the end go over what happened (in a positive way!) and how to do it better next time. ABT...Always Be Training!

Cancer Sucks.

2011-09-29T08:49:00.003-04:00

This posting is from someone named David Haas that contacted me about getting some more information about cancer out to the masses (still not sure how my blog will do that!) and considering that I have had family, friends and co-workers affected by cancer, I just figured it was appropriate. Thank you to David(and everyone else) for visiting the site and good luck to you and your research... Here it is:

Physical Fitness: Preparing For The Battle With Cancer

Associating the words “healthy body” with “cancer” can seem like an oxymoron. Cancer is an ugly beast; nothing healthy about it, and fighting cancer is usually an uphill battle. Yet, maintaining a physically fit and healthy body --before and during cancer -- is great battle preparation. Moderate exercise helps patients cope not only with the enemy that is cancer, but also with the side effects of the aggressive cancer treatments.

Inappropriate exercise can do more harm than good, so cancer patients should never start a physical fitness program without their doctor’s knowledge and consent. But research shows that, for most patients, exercise is safe and effective for combating fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, and lack of sleep. This goes for patients with prostate or breast cancers, skin or bone malignancies, and even more serious illnesses like pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma.

The Cancer-Fighting Benefits

According to reports on the Australian government’s Better Health Channel, exercise has a number of cancer-fighting benefits. First, it boosts the body's immune system and encourages white blood cell production, which helps defend against disease. Second, it reduces cancer recovery time, including time spent in the hospital. Third, exercise even improves cancer survival rates in some cases.

The Cancer Treatment Benefits

In addition to fighting cancer, exercise helps cancer patients better cope with their treatment. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other treatment methods typically cause fatigue and depression. Exercise reduces fatigue, increases energy, and improves mood. It also improves a number of body functions, including those associated with the heart, lungs, and digestion. And exercise increases the appetite and encourages sleep, something all cancer patients welcome.

The Best Exercise Choices

Some exercises are more appropriate than others for people with cancer. Most patients can enjoy almost any form of moderate exercise, from walking and swimming, to yoga and dancing. Others can only manage gentle movements and stretching. Exercise may be impossible for some, such as those undergoing mesothelioma treatment, whom may be unable to breathe without the use of machines.

Cancer patients should always turn to the guidance of medical professionals before embarking on any exercise regimen. Family doctors, oncologists, occupational therapists, and cancer support personnel can recommend the best exercise for their patients. Short walks are generally a good place to start, before progressing to a full-fledged fitness program.

By: David Haas

http://haasblaag.blogspot.com/
http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/

Red Rocks Stair Climb

2011-09-12T23:31:00.002-04:00

When 3000 people show up to climb 110 flights worth of stairs to honor those lost on September 11th, 2001... Well, you just know its gonna be a good day! A humbling event and I'm honored to have been a participant in it.

10th Anniversary

2011-09-07T18:03:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to drop in a quick post to remember those fallen brothers of the New York City Fire Department. Please take a moment to think about those that were lost and keep their spirit alive. Thank you.

Write up on search...

2011-09-02T10:24:00.002-04:00

Recently I was humbled (been happening a lot lately) when I spoke with a fireman from Colorado named Brian Brush. We got to talking shop and before I knew it I was in the middle of a series of articles he's been working on for the Fire Service Warrior website. I'm still not quite sure how I weaseled my way into it, but last week I had an article posted up about search. It is called "Search: Practicalities or Problems?" Hopefully some people will check it out and let me know what they think. I got a few nice comments and it really made my day to know that there are others out there doing or thinking the same thing I am. The guys at FSW are really doing a great job of breaking this job down and diving deeper into the mindset of what we do and why we do it. Please check 'em out! A big thank you to Brian Brush and Chris Brennan for giving me the opportunity to contribute!

Riding for 9/11

2011-08-24T22:01:00.003-04:00

On August 30th, that's this coming Wednesday, the City of Kent will be welcoming firefighters from California as they ride across the country to honor the victims of 9/11. They will also be raising money for two great causes- The Leary Firefighters Foundation and the Wounded Warriors Project. They are riding bicycles from LA to NYC and have already been on the road for a month! One of the riders is a graduate of Kent Roosevelt and currently a Captain with the Fullerton Fire Department! They will be rolling into Kent around 4pm on the 30th, so if you are in the area, drop on by! Please stop by to donate to the cause or just to say hello and show your support. They will be coming in from the West on S.R.59 and then left into downtown on S.Water St. to the Home Savings Plaza. Hoping to see a lot of people out and showing that they have not forgotten!

Thank You

2011-07-29T23:04:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to give a shout out to some of the guys that participated in the recent drills at a vacant dorm at Kent State University. Great effort in hot weather by all! From Left to Right: Jeff Coffee, Todd Gavriloff, me(the little guy!), Lt.Bill Myers, Tony West, Vince Yost, Jason Peters and Brock Murphy.

Training with Mantua-Shalersville

2011-07-21T10:05:00.002-04:00

The last several weeks, Ive been lucky to spend my Thursday evenings with a bunch of great people from the Mantua-Shalersville Fire Department. They bring their own rig and equipment and drive 30 minutes down to get here... in the heat... in the humidity...sometimes missing dinner(4-8pm)... and they have worked their butts off! Hats off to them for making an effort and going at it with a great attitude! Thanks to them for lifting my spirits with their hard work! ...and as a side note, the tiny girl in the picture above can seriously work circles around most guys I know... She has a never give up attitude. Just sayin'...

When Men Were Men.

2011-07-03T15:06:00.003-04:00

My union was fortunate enough to "pick up" an original truck that belonged to The City many years ago. The truck is a 1938 LaFrance and still has the original wooden ladders on it! The 50' actually has a hand crank to get the fly sections up! Without going off on a long rant... What kind of person did it take to do the job back then? Where are those people today? What happened to all the "men" in this profession? Anyone else think we have been on the road to a more pansified fire service recently? Is Pansy Road a one way, or can we turn around and make it back?

Good Week...

2011-06-28T18:55:00.003-04:00

...Reduced profile through a hole, onto a down hill ramp, then a cramped half landing into a set of stairs with entanglement... Great start to the week! Vacant building on campus with our own take on the "obstacle course"... This was just the second obstacle of 12. Good job by everyone!

Look Ma'...No Hands!

2011-06-23T19:28:00.002-04:00

Really I just thought this picture was funny... Thanks Brock... This was a shot from this weeks drill on the 2 1/2" hoseline. We've been training just about everyday on different stuff... some new and some old... for the most part it has been great. I have personally learned quite a bit, even though Im supposed to be the one "teaching"... Lots of guys from different departments with a wide range of experience and time on the job has really been a great thing for a younger guy like myself. Thanks to all those that have been coming out the last couple of weeks and "playing" with us! Next week is our big self survival/RIT day... looking forward to getting beat up a little bit!

Training in vacant dorm.

2011-06-10T08:53:00.002-04:00

This is a video shot by reporter Matt Fredmonsky from the Kent Patch. He filmed a few of the guys going through a search & rescue drill. We had a wide range of experience among those participating, as well as members from other departments that joined us.
The scenario was that an engine company of 4 responds to an "odor of smoke" at 1:30am and when they get on scene, there is heavy smoke and fire coming out the second floor soffits. Behind the eight ball with no additional help initially called, 2 guys stretch a line, officer does his 360, and the chauffeur is getting water...then there is a loud crashing sound from inside. Just as the officer gets back to the "A-side" front door, one of the firemen comes running out and says there was a collapse and he was cut off from his partner on the nozzle. He could hear him yelling for help and that his ankles were broke. Now with only 3 guys on scene and no help for atleast another 7-8 minutes(you have been on scene for 3 minutes).... What do you do? You are not "RIT equipped", just a basic engine company with no special RIT pack or air supply.

...and yes I have a nasally girl voice... and a sinus infection.... so what!!!

Oriented Search?

2011-05-29T13:57:00.002-04:00

Do you practice the "oriented search"? If so, do you stay in the hallway or go into the room? Shut the door or leave it open? How do you communicate with the searching fireman? Tapping a tool? Constant verbal cues? A single verbal cue every 10 seconds or so?

Here are some things to ponder... If you are tapping a tool and constantly talking and asking questions or shouting out "door", are you going to miss radio traffic or miss something that another fireman is shouting out from elsewhere on the floor? Communication is great, but sometimes too much is just downright confusing.

Closing the door seems like a no brainer to most guys, right? But do we understand the science behind it? Are you familiar with the term "flowpath" and "ventilation induced flashover"?

Is there a thermal imager in the mix? If so, who has it?... the oriented guy at the door, or the one doing the search?

Just some food for thought after finishing up a week of drilling in a vacant at the university... Stay safe everyone!

Smooth and Steady...

2011-05-14T16:23:00.001-04:00

Trust me... just stick it out past the first 30 seconds or so...

Angle Iron? Not a Problem!

2011-05-05T14:38:00.003-04:00

FDNY's Mike Perrone is back with another Firehouse Innovations training tip. This time Mike walks us through some angle iron issues... Not alot of this in my area, but it sure is nice knowing the technique ahead of time so you dont have any issues should this ever come up. 175 Truck represent!

A. B. T.

2011-04-28T15:54:00.002-04:00

ALWAYS BE TRAINING.

How's it goin'?

2011-04-26T14:19:00.003-04:00

Been busy here... I'll be trying to get some new stuff up soon. Until then... here's some stuff thats been going on here...

Firefighter with cancer needs your help.

2011-04-08T08:15:00.008-04:00

The Kent FireFighters Association has been given an opportunity to help one of their own. On May 13th we will be hosting a reverse raffle to raise funds for the Don Beckett Be Well Fund. Please allow us to share Don's story with you and to assist us in helping him with his battle.

Esophageal cancer affects roughly 14,250 people annually within the United States. Each year 14,000 of those diagnosed with this cancer lose their battle. Esophageal cancer forms in the tissues that line the esophagus or the hollow tube that runs from your throat to your stomach. Historically, esophageal cancer has a very dismal prognosis. An overall survival rate is typically 2-5 years. Fighting this type of cancer is financially overwhelming as numerous treatments, tests and medications are needed.

The City of Kent has been hit with the devastating news that one of their firefighters, Don Beckett, has been diagnosed with this type of cancer. Don has been a loving and devoted husband to his wife Heidi for the last 29 years. He is also a proud and supportive father of their two children, Christy and Ryan. Don has loyally served his community as a firefighter and paramedic for over 22 years. During his career, Don has become highly respected for his professionalism and caring touch when dealing with patients on their worst days. When I think of Don as a paramedic, I see him gently holding the hand of a scared patient and easily comforting their fears by giving them calm reassurance. We have witnessed this too many times to count! Now it is our turn to help Don in his time of need.

Don was first diagnosed with esophageal cancer on December 15, 2010. It wasn't five days later, when we learned the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes. On January 7, 2011, Don underwent his first chemotherapy session and only one month later, he received the devastating news that his cancer was inoperable. As you can see, even with his health insurance this is financially crippling with costs of medications, daily trips to the Cleveland Clinic and numerous other doctor and hospital visits. Don has been fighting to keep his white blood cell count at a respectable level. Your white blood cells are the cells that help fight off infections. Due to his counts being so low, the probability of him getting an infection is high. At this time he is unable to do the job he truly loves and has been so loyal at- serving his community in time of need.

We hope you are deeply touched by this tremendously brave firefighter and help him in his time of need. Can we count on your help? No donation to the Don Beckett Be Well Fund will go unnoticed, as we will showcse the support our community has given. Our event will include a silent auction and raffle prizes will be awarded throughout the night. We appreciate any and all donations as we continue to help lift the financial burdens off the shoulders of this courageous family as they focus on caring for Don.

Any questions may be directed to Firefighter Brock Murphy, (330)348-5646 or email brocmurphy@gmail.com You can also contact the donation committee chair, Paula Baughman, at (330)697-8892. Again, we appreciate your support.

Andy, We Are Still Listening! Preach On Brother!

2011-03-27T10:40:00.006-04:00

"Even with a heavy fire condition on the first floor at the front of this house, the initial attack handline is being readied for its advance through the front door and not from the "unburned" side as recommended in many texts on firefighting tactics. The front door leads directly to the interior stairs, and protecting the integrity of these stairs is vital to the life safety of anyone trapped above the fire AND the firefighters searching to find them. The front door is also the easiest entrance to reach, and a shorter hose stretch is involved. This means faster water on the fire. If a straight or solid stream is used and the volume of flow is adequate, the fire will be quickly knocked down with little danger of "pushing" fire into uninvolved areas."

The quote above was taken from an article that the late, great Andy Frederick's wrote in the April,1998 issue of Fire Engineering magazine titled "Observations on the Engine Company". Most of us never got the chance to meet Andy or speak with him on fire service topics. We never got the chance to pour him a cup of coffee in the hopes of gaining some insight into the job while sitting around the kitchen table. You see, Andy, like so many others, was taken from us on September 11, 2001. However, his writings and teachings live on. You just have to look and find them.

One way is to look into events like Andy Frederick's Training Days. This 3 day event is held in Alexandria, Virginia and is a fantastic opportunity to learn from and speak to some of the best in the business! The group of people that host and put this together are top notch and real examples of the "brotherhood" we always talk about.

Train every day and never forget those that laid the foundation of the road we travel.

Tell us how you really feel, Capt.!

2011-03-24T20:18:00.002-04:00

FDIC 2011 Speech by Capt. Bill Gustin of the Miami-Dade Fire Department. Thank God someone finally said this stuff on the "world stage" for all to hear! Too many great things said here... Like I really needed to get fired up right before I go back to work after a Kelly Day! Ha! Thank you Capt. Gustin!

Here's to the "One Percent"

2011-03-23T20:57:00.002-04:00

FDIC was this week... to all those that made it there, I'm jealous... Here is Captain Mike Dugan giving his keynote speech.

Doom, Gloom and Scare Tactics

2011-03-05T21:46:00.007-05:00

While many people are concerned over the fight to take away and/or reduce our collective bargaining rights, contracts, salaries and benefits these days (and rightfully so!), we should also be at least a little concerned with how we're going to stay in the fight on another level...

Above props built with items from dumpster

No matter what happens, we must still be able to do the job... People will still be counting on us regardless of pay or insurance costs...

Above items free from locksmith and construction site

There will still be emergencies of every type... There will still be folks who call us out in the middle of the night for a boo-boo and a band-aid...

Materials paid for by our firemen, not our city

There will be recessions and lay-offs... Zero percents and increased out of pockets...

Above built with a little labor&love

...and there will be fires. And there will be people trapped. And we will still be the ONLY ONES COMING FOR THEM. Please dont forget that we are here for those people. Please dont forget that we are here for each other.

3rd Due... Better than nothing!

2011-03-03T20:34:00.002-05:00

We had several fires the last week or so... only problem was that none of them were in our first due area! Bummer! Thats OK. Nice to see some of the boys get a little work and gives me time to take a couple photos. The house pictured above was going pretty good when the first due engine got there, and they had it completely out( I think I saw one ember float by...) by the time we got there. Nice job fellas! Snow, ice and freezing temperatures are just about done with around here... finally. Looking forward to some good ol'fashion college "spring cleaning" coming up... AKA, lots of fires after dark! Come on Freshmen, dont let me down!

Halligan Bar...

2011-02-19T23:58:00.002-05:00

Rescue 3 thinks it's important... Do you?

FDNY Academy Memorial

2011-02-16T15:40:00.003-05:00

I just got back from a recent trip to New Jersey and New York. ...Got to attend a great class put on by folks in NJ to raise money for FF Jason Fazio of the Asbury Park FD... There were around 500 people in attendance! Awesome. I followed that up with a visit to an old friend in NY. I was given the red carpet treatment and taken all over the city to different firehouses and met a bunch of great guys... more on that next time...

Today, I just wanted to share this photo from their fire academy on Randalls Island. Its at the end of the hallway when you walk in. Cant miss it! The whole place is filled with memorials, pictures and plaques reminding us of the sacrifices of the men that came before us. Lets not forget these in the hustle and bustle of our daily routine.

343 Brothers Gone But Never Forgotten.

Captain Terry Hatton

2011-01-29T22:16:00.002-05:00

Please take the time to look up some information about this man. Never forget. Seriously.

Brothers Helping Brothers in New Jersey

2011-01-16T14:42:00.002-05:00

The following class/seminar is being put on to help out a fireman in New Jersey... Please read it and pass it on to others. I'll be going, so if any one from Ohio wants to carpool, get a hold of me(email- ohiofire1@gmail.com). Probably leave Friday afternoon, get a hotel and then drive straight back after the class Saturday night... Possible side trip to NYC for a days worth of "buffing" and visiting some friends Sunday? at FDNY.

Brothers Helping Brothers
FF Jason Fazio
of the Asbury Park Fire Department Local 384

Firefighter Jason Fazio remains in critical condition at St. Barnabas Burn Center after sustaining injuries on January 10, 2011 at a three-alarm blaze on Main Street. FF Fazio, a 17-year veteran of the Department, was performing a search for victims when he was caught in a flashover that forced him to save himself by jumping out of a second floor window. His injuries include fractures and burns as a result of the incident.

Benefit Training Seminar
Fireground Operations
Saturday, February 12, 2011 • 0900 to 1600 hrs
(Doors Open at 0800)
Anacon Hall - Monmouth University
400 Cedar Ave - West Long Branch, NJ 07764
Hosted by West Long Branch Fire Dept. in Coordination with Asbury Park Professional Firefighters Local 384

-Primary Search in Small & Large Square Footage Private Dwellings
City of Camden, Captain Brian Emenecker - Squad Co.7

-Incident Scene Management for Private Dwelling Fires
City of Trenton, Fire Director Leonard Carmichael

-Forcible Entry Tips and Tricks for Commercial Building Fires
City-Wide Tour Commander, Newark Deputy Chief John Riker

-Fire Spread & Collapse Concerns for Taxpayer, Strip Mall & Store Fires
City-Wide Tour Commander, Jersey City Deputy Chief Mike Terpak

Registration Information
Individual……………...........$50.00
Group (10 or More)………...$40.00

Mail Registration and Payment to:
Borough Chemical & Truck Co. #1
P.O. Box 85
West Long Branch, NJ 07764
Attn: Seminar Registration

Make Checks Payable to: Borough Chemical & Truck Co. # 1

Registration Includes:
Refreshments, Lunch, Handout Materials & Certificate of Completion

For More Information:
Rich Cooper
Cell: (732) 496-1427
E-Mail: truckefire@aol.com
Borough Chemical & Truck Co. # 1

Link to FireEngineering post/article

Spiking the Door with Dr.Perrone

2011-01-13T10:44:00.003-05:00

Mike Perrone (FDNY Truck175) is back with another video tip on forcible entry. This time a few tricks when the wood jamb disintegrates while trying to gap with the adze on an inward opening door. I think I'll start referring to Mike as "Dr." Perrone, because he really has got this stuff down pat! Understanding the nuances of leverage and fulcrums... Huh? That is exactly what the "good doctor" is describing in layman's terms (not Lloyd!) for the regular joe fireman out there that doesnt have the door prop or the number of calls to get in the practice. He keeps it simple and to the point. Little things like a slight change in the direction of your pull or push on the tool that keep it in contact with the door are great nuggets for slower companies to grab and use as their own! So, while Al Gore may have "invented" the internet, guys like Mike are making it useful and getting some truly meaningful information out to those that need it!

Speaking of door chocks...

2010-12-30T14:50:00.011-05:00

Most guys carry a wooden door chock in their pocket or on their helmet. Some guys even carry more than one! Pretty simple and lots of uses. But have you ever found that the chock you carry isnt the right size for a certain door? Not big enough to fill in the gap at the bottom of an apartment entrance due to a raised step or sill plate? Maybe it slips on slick tile or terrazzo flooring? Maybe you need more than one for multiple doors? ...and what about forcible entry anyway? Can you use one to add a little more spread with your halligan, or maybe just hold the gap you've gotten while repositioning the tool?

In the first picture, you see a couple different styles and sized chocks(or wedges). You also see the typical placement/storage of a chock or two on the helmet. The two really big ones with the cord loops are great to just throw your hand threw while carrying other stuff to the entrance of the fire building. Many guys carry them, but how many have a grasp on all the uses? What about the reasons why you would carry a certain size?

In the above photo, we have a large size chock with the nozzle. It is very easily removed during the stretch and is a great way to put a chock in your hand at the exact time you need it. The hose load in the photo is a 200' "triple layer" load preconnect. It is something that works well with the limited man power of our department. Below you see the difference having a larger size available makes for some entry doors that a typical size chock wouldn't even touch.

This is a shot of the "hinge hanger" style. Easy enough to make and cheaper than the store bought plastic or metal ones. These are fine to have around, but remember to put the nail "with the grain" and that after a while the nail will most likely pull out. Below is another little trick for those slick tile floors when the chock just wants to slide shut with the door. A rubber band from a bundle of broccoli, one of those yellow "livestrong" bracelets or in this case, a couple of rubber bands that hold the paychecks together. They add a little bit of friction to help keep it in place. Thanks to Mike Perrone from FDNY/Ladder 175 for this trick of the trade! I told you I'd use it Mike!

Another great use for a chock, is aiding in forcible entry. You can use it to hold the gap you've got while repositioning the Halligan or use it to give you just a little bit more spread when held in place and crushed with the adze end of the tool.

These are just a few of the many uses of the door chock. Maybe you place yours "inline" with the door to keep them from getting kicked out... or wedged on the hinge side at floor level to reduce the chance of them falling out... What about vehicle extrications? Can you think of any? I'm sure that many others out there have their own "tricks of the trade" with these. Feel free to share some of 'em!!!

Also make sure to check out Mike Perrone's website for some cool video tips!

Thoughts on Chicago...

2010-12-24T12:15:00.003-05:00

I think everyone(I hope) agrees that ALL firefighter LODDs are tragic losses. Many can be prevented with simple changes in attitude and "culture adjustments". Some, however, cannot. It is a simple fact of life that our job is dangerous, and sometimes no matter how smart you are, no matter how much experience you have, no matter how many fires you've been to, you are just going to die because it is the nature of our work. A colored rubber bracelet and a few catchy slogans ARE NOT going to protect you. You might as well cross your fingers and ask the tooth fairy to leave a quarter in your bunker boots tonight! Keep all the knee jerk reactions about vacants to yourself. Everyone knows they are dangerous and have little value. Remember that they also have potential. Potential for needlessly killing firemen...yep, for sure. But also the potential for having PEOPLE in them living, playing, or "just visiting for the holidays"... Cautious and heads up firefighting may prevent a needless death or injury, but sometimes the only way to prevent this is to NOT respond to fires. We dont have that luxury because its our job. Please keep the Chicago brothers in your thoughts. Follow this link for a great write up on The Fire Service Warrior website.

Bronx companies force entry

2010-12-23T19:04:00.002-05:00

About 1 minute in, the boys start the saw and go to work. One thing I like about this video is that it "doesn't go smoothly"... What I mean by that is that the roll-up door just seems to wanna hang on even after they make several additional small cuts to free it. Too many times you see these doors get cut in videos and they're done in like 30 seconds. While that's great, I like to see one once in awhile where the guys struggle a little bit just so I can learn from their mistakes or bad luck. Since my good Bro Eric works at 33/75 in the Bronx, Im sure he'll give me grief over this comment! Love ya E!

A couple comments(Monday AM QBing if you will)... 1.) Try to make sure your cuts over lap a good bit. Might help with the corners and keep them from getting hung up. 2.) Making a small extra cut at the bottom of the roll-up, to form a "pie slice" that can be kicked in, opening up some room for the saw to drop a little deeper into the door to finish the last little bit of slat that is still holding on. Once it's completely cut and you finish your horizontal cut across, repeat the same cut again on the other end. The entire roll-up will be on the ground and should be 100% free from the door/building... you can then pull it out of the way freeing up the room for the outward opening door to swing open fully. In the video, they cut the lock(most likely a pivoting deadbolt type) but since the door was up against the roll-up, it couldn't swing open and they broke the glass to finish gaining entry. Now, I love breaking glass as much as anybody, but maintaining the doors integrity can sometimes make or break the operation. Just some thoughts... they were still able to gain access in under 5 minutes... and the Engine didn't block 'em out!

Interesting find....

2010-12-18T19:39:00.002-05:00

Stopped by my wife's work today(because I'm the worlds greatest husband!) and thought this was a interesting find...

The stairs that come out of the "basement/breakroom" and lead up to the "first floor" immediately turn the opposite way and go back down to a separate side of the building.

At the landing there is a turn and another 3-4 steps up into the main floor of the business, and it does this on both sides. "So what?" you say? "Whoopidy Doo!" you say? Well, think about a really good smoke condition in there. You force entry in the rear B-side door that leads to the basement/break room and find the stairs. Cool. No sweat. You head up the stairs and hit the landing and feel around... maybe you catch the edge of the other set of stairs, maybe not. If you did, would you be thinking clearly enough to envision what the layout really was? Or would we rush by assuming it was the same set with some sort of decorative divider/partition wall in the middle? Would we go past wondering why it got REALLY hot for a few seconds as we went to the first floor landing and started crawling around? Would it immediately make sense what was happening here? To be honest, I probably wouldnt catch this... especially in zero visibility. The hypothetical high heat should catch most guys attention, but it could definitely get confusing. Adding to the non typical layout of the business is that it sits on a steep slope from front to back that makes the "first" floor a second floor as you go to the back, and the "basement" isnt visible from the front... Remember Pittsburgh and the Bricelyn Street fire? Valentines Day 1995? 3 firefighters died... gets ya' thinkin'....

But I dont wanna grab the 2 1/2"!

2010-12-10T09:46:00.003-05:00

Lets be honest here, very few departments around the country have adequate staffing. Thats just a fact of life that will probably never change... Bummer! Many times we start to become complacent based on this statistic when added to the "We Dont Burn Anymore" attitude. It is very easy to sit around with your "bros" eating potato chips, drinking ice tea and bitching about everything under the sun. Its not as easy to be self motivated enough get out of the recliner when its "you against the world" and get back to the business of being a fireman! However, that is exactly what we need to be doing. We CAN be good at our job without all the fires burning, but we have to work harder to get there! I'm going to use the following example. This really isnt rocket science folks!

There is a myth that you need something like 27 firemen to move one 2 1/2" hoseline(pretty sure thats the number!)... Generally speaking, we buy into this idea because we know that it IS heavy and it IS a pain in the ass to move. So a few years go buy without using the "big line" to fight any fires, and all of the sudden guys are nearly refusing to grab that line. What happened? We stopped being firemen! No, seriously, its that simple. Stop making excuses people! Just go out and stretch some line and charge it... then flow it... then move it... then do it again... watch what happens... the myths and legends begin to fade away and are replaced with real world data for your personal computer (brain) to interpret and build upon. You CAN move, flow and operate the big line... by YOURSELF if needed! Does it suck? You bet! Is it going to be quick and efficient? Hell no! Are you single handedly going to manipulate this line through a house a down a hallway? Obviously not! The point is that you CAN get off your ass and do stuff to be better at your job, and that sometimes starts with dispelling some myths and remembering that you're a fireman. Remember? What other myths are out there waiting to be stomped on? Lets find out!

New Training Minutes...

2010-11-30T10:37:00.002-05:00

Good reminders and little tricks to avoid injury during forcible entry operations. Love the "double tap" sounding method for heavy smoke conditions...might have to try that! I would also add one thing about hand positioning- Many guys want to hold the Halligan with a hand at each end. I would suggest trying to hold it with a "baseball bat" grip in the middle of the handle. This moves your one hand a few inches further away from the adze end that is being struck by your partner and may give you just that little extra bit of safety if the the swing is off target! You will still have good balance with the tool and be able to "steer" it just fine. As a personal side note, thanks to Mike for mentioning that the Halligan operator doesnt need to look at the strike surface, they need to focus on steering the tool around the jamb... I apparently couldnt get that point across to a firefighter(actually an officer) that shall remain anonymous, and had to have a "private talk".... But I digress... Keep practicing!

Size up that door!

2010-11-27T20:52:00.003-05:00

Fairly easy to form some quick opinions on this door... good for practice though! Commercial door, metal frame, metal jamb, outward opening. Some dead give-aways on the type of possible security features are the exposed bolt heads and their positioning on the door. Most likely a couple of sliding deadbolts up high and down low. The ones in the middle lead you in the direction of some sort of drop/burglar bar. Conventional forcing techniques and a little determination should do the trick here. Remember the "power of the adze" when twisting or crushing down versus just trying to pull and push on the halligan.

Back again with Firehouse Innovations tips!

2010-11-20T21:45:00.002-05:00

Great Fire Photography

2010-11-17T11:40:00.002-05:00

If you haven't been to Michael Dick's website and checked out the awesome vintage FDNY photography... well, you're missing out!

Why we search...ALWAYS...

2010-11-14T13:06:00.002-05:00

This video has been around for awhile, but since I was recently involved in a "heated debate" over when/where we would/would not search at a fire...well, I'll just steal a line from the fire service warrior and say F@#$% Survivability Profiling... Use common sense people and do your job. We are the only people showing up with millions of dollars of equipment to handle this specific type of emergency... Nobody else is coming for these people. I am not advocating being reckless and stupid just to show how "brave" you are... I'm saying you signed up to do this job and people are out there relying on you to live up to your end of the bargain. So train... and read... and think... and train some more and maybe one day you can match up the right amount of aggressiveness with the right amount of "tactical patience" and come away with a victory for everyone.

Believe it!

2010-11-14T10:31:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure the first line reads "Firefighting is an ULTRAHAZARDOUS, UNAVOIDABLY DANGEROUS activity...". That is pretty straight forward and easy to understand. What are we doing to better our chances of surviving to the end of the shift? Are we drilling on things like hoseline placement and advancement? Throwing ladders? Forcible entry? ....or are we spending endless hours debating the finer points of the Little League World Series of Female Ping Pong? ...or maybe just a passionate discussion on who will win this season of Dancing With the Stars? Are you friggin' kidding me? Could someone please talk about "the job" for once?.... Just for a minute....please.... anyone?.....

Halloween in Kent 2010

2010-11-03T12:03:00.003-04:00

So every year in the City of Kent, Ohio the local community gets together along with a few thousand out of towners (for a total of like 15-20 thousand) and take over our small downtown area. The drinks start to flow and the drunks start to fight and then we start to go on some calls... I think they said we finished the night with just under 50 runs, the majority of those between 12am to about 3am. No real fires this year, just one small electrical/smoke condition on the 2nd floor of a restaurant/bar (Rays Place!) and a few fire alarms up at Kent State... everything else was EMS stuff like assaults, overdoses, drunk and passed out, etc... one person even got entubated(explain that to your parents!). Im still trying to figure out how we dont burn more often....

The video is actually us coming back from a run and doesnt even show the "busy" part of downtown... this is about 3-4 blocks away...

Trapped in Chicago

2010-10-22T15:19:00.002-04:00

Good video showing some of brothers in Chicago being rescued. Many things to be taken away from this....obviously... One thing that might of helped would of been a ladder to the bottom of the sill for the guys to stand on instead of swinging out and over. The rescue starts at about 50 seconds in on the video... How prepared and/or trained are we to remove bars on an upper floor window? ...really should get us thinking...

Brotherhood... on a soapbox...

2010-10-15T11:43:00.005-04:00

A recent write up on Fire Engineerings website got me thinkin'...No, not about my iPhone and how I can read this stuff on my phone while pondering the universe all during my typical "morning office meeting" in the mens room. No, it got me thinking about reality vs. perception. I used to think I was in good physical condition and well read on the current happenings of "the job". That was my perception. Well... like a lot of things, you use it or lose it. That is the reality. A recent change in my exercise regiment was a rude awakening. I use to think that just because I could ride my bicycle for miles, do a couple of push ups and pull ups, and carry heavy stuff up a few flights of stairs, that I was "good to go". I assumed technique and pure determination would carry me through the rest. Again, that was the perception. Again, here's the reality... I am a mediocre "athlete" at best. Book smarts and enthusiasm only get you so far. You need to be strong, flexible, and have endurance for this job(physically and mentally!). People are relying on us. Other firemen are relying on us. Our families are relying on us. If I want to be a great fireman, then I had better start "using it" or accept "losing it" like so many others have done. Giant meals followed by hours of TV does not guarantee a successful mission the next time the alarm bell rings. Hit or miss training evolutions where we cater to the weak, undisciplined and unskilled does not guarantee a victory at the next catastrophe in someone's life. "Combat Ready" is not a jokey catch phrase to be laughed off over a huge bowl of ice cream and patting yourself on the back cuz' you were able to handle a few back to back EMS runs. Way to go Champ! Being a "brother" is not about ball busting someone until they become so frozen up with anxiety they can no longer make a critical decision without your approval. Being a "brother" is about doing the right thing. Doing the right thing means being there when they need you and sometimes even when they don't. It is about mentoring, molding and building that person up to be better than you. Brotherhood. Combat Ready. Doing The Right Thing. If you aren't smart enough to know the job and its dangers... to recognize the importance of each man and the bond and oath he's taken... to prepare every day for the inevitable battle that is always coming... then this is your wake up call. You are weak. You are unskilled. You are unsafe to stand next to in battle. We don't want you. We don't need you. We don't like you. Because you are no Brother to us at all. You are the enemy.

Read Kevin Brown's full Fire Engineering article here

Fitness reality check here SPC-CrossFit

Forcible Entry tip from Firehouse Innovations

2010-10-05T12:57:00.002-04:00

Great little trick with the 2nd chock to get more spread! This is Mike Perrone from FDNY and you can watch more of his videos in the "Training Minutes" section of Fire Engineerings website! Another little addition to your "toolbox". Keep training people!!! Awesome job Mike, and keep it up!

Ropes and Knots

2010-10-05T12:05:00.003-04:00

Bored one day and thought I'd make this little prop up with some materials from around the firehouse... The board was actually donated from a local wood shop. Nice.

Extrication....

2010-09-22T19:41:00.003-04:00

Earlier this week I had the good fortune of attending a two day extrication "train the trainer" class. It was a ton of good information on late model/ new cars including a bunch of "taboo" info on hybrids. Really cool stuff. It was put on by Todd Hoffman from "Scene of the Accident". Great guy and super knowledgeable! Oh...and it's a non-profit organization to boot, so really affordable! Nice! On the 2nd day we went out to a local salvage yard and proceeded to have car after car "delivered" to us for cutting. As soon as we finished with one, they would haul it away and bring in another! Pretty cool...we cut, pried, spread and sawed our way through multiple cars and SUVs. The topper was the last evolution that had 3 cars on top of each other. Learned a bunch and always great getting several hours of hands on training.

Another great "Training Minutes"

2010-09-08T11:06:00.003-04:00

Just another quick video showing some "Tricks of the Trade". This may not be something many of us do on a daily basis(or even yearly!), but there is no reason we cant learn from the guys that do! A simple prop, a little street sense, some practice(perfect practice makes perfect!) and you've got the makings of a drilled and disciplined fire company. Really good stuff here!

Car fires can still serve a purpose...

2010-09-06T13:03:00.009-04:00

To paraphrase a great movie... "although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, they can still serve a purpose". Not really sure if there are any Dumb and Dumber fans out there... but I digress.... So anyway we all go to car fires, and we all here the same thing time after time about bumpers and pistons blowing up and off into unsuspecting firemen. But what about all the other good bits of info that are either missed or taken for granted? ...and happen way more often. "Like what?", "It's just a car fire", "Whatever dude!"... Seriously, there is a ton to learn if you just look for it. Let's take a look at just a few examples from a recent run we had.

So you're responding to a car fire. Everyones got their seatbelt on (right?) and your driving with "due regard"(goes without saying, I think...?). The dispatch info seems to be painting a picture of "no big deal". You've got the window down in the Engine and you catch a hint of that burnt electrical smell as you get closer. Then you see the smoke column and start sizing up the situation. Where to park the rig? Try keeping the rig a decent distance from the car and out of the "danger zone" of rocketing bumpers and pistons(see, I told you we hear it time after time!). But how about uphill and upwind? If you can park the rig out of the smoke and out of range of any run off from the car, you are really on it! Nice job! In the picture below, I thought we were far enough off to the side to compensate for being on the downhill(but upwind!) side. Well, this time I got it wrong. Luckily, no river of fire came towards the rig. Lesson learned#1. Next comes the stretch. My FD doesn't typically pull a crosslay for these fires. Instead we are pulling a "trash line"/make it up as you go hoseline. Its a few sections of 1 3/4" that we use all the time at dumpsters, trash, couches in the street, etc...(College town, what can I say?). Anyway, if you need a 100' stretch, make sure that's what is out before you charge the line. Lesson learned#2. This needs to be communicated between everyone on the rig. Double check before you charge the line! Pull enough to get at all sides of the car. Even better if you can keep this out of the goo/sludge run off as well.

The list of things to do and remember could go all day... Watch for traffic; Bring tools for the hood; Wash down the tools/hose afterwards; Check the trunk for bodies(Youngstown!). Feel free to add a comment of your own tips. Stay safe Brothers!

YouTube and fire stuff...

2010-08-31T15:58:00.002-04:00

Trying to get some videos up on YouTube...so here's the link... My YouTube Channel This one was a slideshow of our calls and some training's we did over the past year or so... Hopefully have some more up soon... this "dry spell" lately is killin' me!

Person Trapped Under Pipe

2010-08-25T11:20:00.004-04:00

Recently, my FD completed 3 days of drilling on a "person trapped under a pipe". We arranged to have a pipe laid on top of a hose dummy down at our cities vehicle mntc. facility/lot. The pipe was approx. 20 ft. long and 1/2" thick and made of steel(estimated weight of around 3,000lbs). Most of the techniques used are the same or similar to vehicle extrications. Size up of the scene and patient, safety of crew and bystanders, stabilization of "object", then finally lifting and/or moving the object and removing the victim. We kept the drill simple using basic dunnage(cribbing), hi-lift jacks(farm jack), and air bags. Some brief refreshing on the basics included; 1. Stabilize 2. Lift an inch, crib an inch! 3. Communicate every move. 4. Do not put your hand between objects. 5. Know the limitations of your equipment and personnel.

There is so much available on the internet in regards to building up a box crib, using air bags etc... so I will just skip to the specifics that have to do with the pipe... Make sure to have some form of step chock/ wedges/ way of stabilizing at BOTH ends. The cylindrical shape of the pipe is a real pain and it constantly wants to roll around! Our drill was on a slight slope and the pipe moved UP HILL during one of the lifts...be ready for the unexpected. One of our members found a "new shiny bolt" in the farm jack- it was not a "rated" class 8 bolt...this could of been a catastrophic failure in the system if not caught! The farm jack is great but you must be comfortable with using it. When one group lifted at the top edge of the pipe it was OK but unstable due to the tall, thin nature and tendency to tip side to side. Placing it at the bottom lip was a much better choice and reduced the rolling effect. The method we used to figure the weight of the pipe was: W= 10.69(d-t)t ...or in regular speak, 10.69(constant numerical value for steel) multiplied by outside diameter(d) minus the wall thickness(t) times the wall thickness(t) equals the weight of the pipe... Wow, that makes my brain hurt.... Again, much of this is available on the internet. You could also check out the Rescue Co. book by Chief John Norman "Fire Department Special Operations" available through Fire Engineering/PennWell Publishing. It is an awesome read and full of a TON of great technical information.

All 3 shifts completed the drill in the allotted time without injury using different techniques and styles showing that there isnt just "one way" to do it.

Just a Friendly Reminder....

2010-08-17T10:40:00.003-04:00

Our PPE is provided to us for a reason. Please use it. Be safe, be smart... and then be aggressive.

Ventilation From Floor Above

2010-08-10T13:34:00.008-04:00

From time to time, we are called upon to do our "actual job". This typically goes a lot smoother if we have been practicing our craft at every opportunity. Just because we are not "burning like the old days..." does not mean that we are doomed to a careers' worth of woulda, coulda, and shoulda's. What it means is we need to step up our game and use a little creativity and imagination once in awhile. In my small but busy department, we rarely operate or even respond as a true "Truck Company". Instead, we make the most of whatever assignment comes our way during fireground operations. One thing we typically come up short on is ventilation (when and where needed!) until later in the operation when enough firefighters have arrived (you did request help...right?...). Most single family houses seem to work themselves out for better or for worse... but what about the "high rises"? Seriously, if it's higher than our ground ladders reach, it should be considered a "high rise"... Anyway, a little training, a little planning ahead, and a little common sense goes along way. One way for a single firefighter to get some venting done is from the floor or floors above the fire. If you're able to access the upper floors and take a few tools with you (of course you will!), you'll be able to use the technique in the video to some degree of success depending on window type. Keep in mind that ventilation MUST BE COORDINATED WITH THE INSIDE TEAM! Simple enough....right?....

OK... so you get to the right place, check in with the right people, and have the right tools. Show time! Take a look outside. Get your tool of choice tied off. Measure out the correct length of rope to strike the window. Place your foot on the rope to hold that length (Don't let it slip through your arch area! Use the ball of your foot and possibly your thigh as well pressing into the window sill). Quickly double check that you are set. Pitch the tool straight out into space. It will "snap" tight and pendulum back into the lower window, hopefully breaking it. If the window holds or only partially breaks, maintain the same foot hold on the rope (Possibly tighten up on it just a few inches to compensate for stretch), hoist the tool back up and throw again. If the window holds after several tries, you are up against a different enemy... notify the right people, and get yourself ready for Plan B.

The road to accepting "Fire Based EMS"....

2010-07-28T09:31:00.003-04:00

Well....if you are still fighting it, heres a wake up call....EMS is what we do. Its what people expect us to do. Its what we get paid to do. There are very few fire departments left out there that do not provide some sort of EMS response. Whether that comes in the form of an FD firefighter/paramedic staffed ambulance, an ALS equipped Engine Co., or just an Engine or Truck Co. showing up to assist EMS on scene... Whatever it is, it is here to stay. And to those FDs that arent doing it(Youngstown, Cleveland to name a few in my area), work everyday to earn the appreciation of the people we serve...dont make this a "money making" business! When youre FD becomes more concerned about "making money" to "justify" our existence, you are heading down a dark path of low morale and a blurry focus of priorities. While we are being paid for what we "might have to do"... dont be a dick about giving a little love to the common folk!!! Being nice at the grocery store, in the bank line, on a false alarm for burnt pop-tarts for the 3rd time that shift...every interaction with the public(well, at least 95%) should be treated like gold. Use the opportunities to educate people and remind them of how busy/dangerous/complicated our job is.

Light at the end of the tunnel? Still dont like EMS? Thats OK. Just be nice to people and help the Brothers out. Carry equipment, hold a door, block traffic.... just do it professionally. While youre there, maybe you can treat the call as an impromptu drill. Did you even notice that the apartment building across the street has skylights above the public stairs? Did you spot a hydrant? Even better if you actually opened and flushed it! Did you talk with the crew about the house you just went in for the EMS call? What construction type? Access and Exits? Slope of land around the rear? Wires? Will the pre-connect/crosslay reach? Did you catch that the house next door is vacant? There are so many things to make this "BS call" into a great learning experience for the men. Dont pass up this opportunity! Instead of bitching for hours about LeBron James going to the Miami Heat, maybe we could bitch for a few minutes about our hose loads and nozzle selection... about our apparatus placement... about our ground ladder choices/options... about seatbelts and the importance of having your shit together on every run (still a work in progress for me!). Make the most of the run. Dont be a douche bag about the job! The general public thinks that we can do anything, anytime, anywhere....within reason, dont let them down!

Detroit FireFighters "Burn"

2010-07-23T11:16:00.001-04:00

Spreading the word for the Brothers in Detroit....please take a look and pass on.

BURN Trailer from Tremolo Productions on Vimeo.

Another Good Forcible Entry Video

2010-07-08T10:21:00.002-04:00

This is from Fire Engineerings "Training Minutes" section...they usually have a bunch of good tips and tricks on there. The really cool thing, at least for me, is that there are other people out there doing this stuff and making up these different props to be the best at their jobs. Sometimes I feel like Im crazy for spending so much time doing "work stuff"... I dont care... Its only going to make me better at my job and hopefully keep myself and the other guys safer. Oh yeah...and I can do the job the taxpayers expect us to do when the time comes! Im not getting paid to watch fucking LeBron James cry about leaving Cleveland. Im not getting paid to make someone a fucking peanut butter and jelly sandwich at 3am. Im not getting paid to bitch about recreational softball teams. WTF?!?!? I get paid to be a fireman and that means being ready to go to a fire. You have to TRAIN and STUDY to be ready for that. It just doesnt happen because you were "born to do it". OK...the rant is over....time for coffee....

Check the Basement?

2010-06-30T10:47:00.004-04:00

Based on a true event...names changed to protect the guilty!
As you arrive on scene, lets say youre 3rd due engine, you see a 3 story, balloon frame house. Heavy smoke is noted on all levels. You see 3 handlines stretched in the front door(WTF?) on top of each other. Your crew gets an assignment to check the rear and basement. You pick up a line already layed out and charged in the front yard(?) that noone is using. You start the stretch around the B-side to the rear. You notice fire coming out several of the basement windows. You quickly verify that no firefighters are operating in the basement(confirmed!)...now you weigh the decision...do you(GASP!) spray water in the windows for 10 seconds and get the quick knock down?...or do you continue the stretch around the back past the shed, bushes, trees, doghouse, garbage cans, kids toys, fence, swimming pool...? You make the correct choice and give a quick shot in the windows. The fire immediately darkens down and you've bought yourself some time to finish the stretch to the rear. You get to the C-side, see the exterior steps leading down to the half way burned away basement door. The other members of your crew arrive and don their facepieces(they didnt wear them while walking around the yard!...a good thing!). Everyone gives the thumbs up and down you go. There is still plenty of fire to put out and its fairly warm. After the fires out and the smoke starts to lift, you notice several gas cans stored near the B-side wall and windows. That would of really been a nice surprise to the guys if you had gone for the strictly "aggressive interior attack"! What about the jackass that doesnt think he should wear his hood? Goodbye ears! Your quick knock down has probably saved at least a few of the guys from getting injured and burned. Is this the right tactic every time? No, of course not. But we have to recognize the difference between "textbook trivia time" and real world, ever changing variables of actual fireground operations. Since you confirmed that no other units were operating in the basement(their fault!) and you also know that most basements are a nightmare of clutter, storage and construction concerns, resulting in delayed water on the fire-it is OK to spray water from the outside in! Why the first in companies did not get at least one person to take a look at the basement falls into a couple of categories: 1. Tunnel Vision 2. Complacency 3. In a Hurry/Excited...(They had "experience"...). They are firemen! They should know better! Its a friggin' balloon frame people! Check the basement. Always. Period.

Nuisance or New Chance?

2010-06-20T21:10:00.002-04:00

Its all about the trash! Ok. Not really...but lately I'll take what I can get(can you say dry spell?). We get our fair share of garbage, trash, dumpster and "couch" fires, much like all the other FDs out there... Im still trying to figure out how 10 frat boys sitting on their front porch at 3am failed to see how the couch in front of their frat house caught on fire in the street all by itself... Anyway... Some good simple things can be learned and good habits can be reinforced during these "mysterious" blazes.
1. The adjustable/fog nozzle is THE weapon of choice for these fires. It allows you to soak the offending pyrotechnic display without blowing debris all over someone's front yard(unless you're trying to make a point to the aforementioned frat boys!).
2. If the fire is close to the house, try and get water on the house to cool the siding, glass, and interior curtains that could be heating up from radiant heat. If the windows are open, just hit the soffit and let it rain down. You can also darken down any flying embers that may find their way to a gutter or shake shingle roof nearby. Use the F#*@#ng thermal imager for once in your life and scan the house/neighbors house interior, exterior, etc...before you leave! How embarrassing is it if an hour later we have a working fire at the address next door cuz' we weren't paying attention?(Again, maybe the frat boys place? Irony!!!)
3. Try and position the nozzle between the house and the fire and "push" it if necessary with a wide fog back towards the street. Just watch it doesn't blow under a car or some other item that might catch.
4. Watch for overhead lines the could have been burning and fallen down before you got there. Always.
5. Before you shut down the pump and take up, wash down the tools you used and the hoseline if it got into glass and trash goo/run off.
6. If at all possible...FILL THE WATER TANK ON SCENE! What if you get a worker on the way back to the firehouse and have used up your tank water...even some of it... Be ready to go to fires all the time!!!!!!!

There are so many others...What else do you do at these types?

Ground Ladder Drill

2010-06-18T12:22:00.004-04:00

I recently finished 3 days worth of teaching a "refresh" on basic ladder rescue techniques at my FD. Everything went fairly well(nobody got hurt!) and we all passed along a few little tips and tricks. The only casualties were 1 broken radio antenna, several broken suspender buttons, and a broken rope halyard... Thats just the "cost of doing business" I guess.
Everyone had a certain method or carry they liked best and worked well for them. This is a "must have" skill to be dialed in well before we are called upon to use it. In January of 2007, around midnight and with freezing temperatures, the Colorado Springs Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment fire. When they arrived they had numerous civilians needing IMMEDIATE rescue. They ended up getting more than 80 people out of the building. How many departments are ready for that? Unbelievable!

Extrication with Youngstown FD

2010-06-15T09:01:00.003-04:00

The Youngstown guys recently took a couple hours off from fighting fire(they go to several a day!) to participate in a basic vehicle extrication class. My buddy Jamie Goodlet(YFD) set up everything for the all day class. Other than the usual computer glitches in the morning portion of classroom/powerpoint, everthing went really well. Nice job Jamie! I went out to lend a hand with the hands on part at a local junk yard. Also helping out were Don Bryant from Mantua-Shalersville FD and Matt Mathis from Kent. Really fun day. Great refresher on how quick and simple certain techniques can be. The hi-lift jacks are a great example! Just remember to chock wheels and crib as you go.

2010-06-09T18:49:00.002-04:00

Nice little drill with the Grey Shift boys this afternoon. I was just going to pop in to say hello and have a cup of coffee, but they were going to head over to this vacant building for a hoseline evolution. Sweet. I tagged along and even got to hop on the line with the guys(nozzle baby!). Never did get that cup of coffee! Even though this was a simple training, there was a bunch of little nuggets to learn from. Heres just a couple.
1. When you are flaking out the line, try flaking it in the direction you'll be traveling with it(into the building)...picture the hose zig zagged perpendicular to the front door instead of parallel to it(if that makes sense). It just helps it flow better.
2. The majority of the line is stretched out, and the Chauffeur charges it. You see there are still a couple of small kinks down the line somewhere... try a few quick "bleeds" of the nozzle... the "water hammer" will be just enough to make 'em pop. This wont make the pumper blow up 200' away! Seriously. Thanks to Jamie Goodlet from Youngstown FD for this one(got to witness it first hand today buddy!).
3. Dont get in a hurry when the line starts to move and your NOT on the nozzle. As the "Back Up Man", just shag some hose, then follow it in pulling some more with you as you go. DO NOT bunch up on the nozzleman... on an 1 3/4" line at the proper pressure, the nozzleman should be just fine. If they're having a tough time, the pressure is most likely a little too high. Thats OK, just bump up to 'em and get a little closer to take some of the reaction off. As the nozzleman, dont be embarrassed to drop back and let the back up man have a go if youre suffering. This is better than what most guys are going to do which is close the nozzle half way! Regular drills with youre crew should sort this issue out ahead of time...make sure to get the regular Chauffeur on the nozzle, so they dont forget how hard it can be when there is too much pressure!

Great tips from DCFD/helmet cam footage

2010-06-05T09:31:00.001-04:00

Excellent tips on THE BASICS! DCFD Truck 13 going to work.

Helmet Cam from DC Truck 13

2010-06-05T09:23:00.001-04:00

This is just one of many good videos to learn from. Good, basic tips for getting the job done.

Know your district

2010-06-04T21:19:00.002-04:00

How well do we know our district? Not sure... Don't have the time... Not interested... Whatever... Ok. I get it. Not everyone is going to be "gung ho" all the time...but we need to make the time. WE NEED TO MAKE THE TIME! We have to familiarize and then re-familiarize all the time. Always! Take the door in the picture... "no problem" youre thinking, "I would just mule kick it" or "just pry it with the Halligan".... Seriously. Look at the door again. Its in narrow space at the bottom of a set of stairs and opens outwards. You cant mule kick it(sorry Jamie!) and you arent going to just waltz down there with the Halligan and pop it on the first try, especially if you havent prepped for this scenario! The narrow entrance changes how you can swing your tool and even how you stand and position yourself... picture two firefighters in SCBA trying to operate in this tight space....without any practice or forethought....not going to be a smooth operation!

On the way to a fire

2010-06-02T10:04:00.002-04:00

Good Day

2010-06-02T09:35:00.006-04:00

First due Truck to a commercial fire that went to two alarms... Bummer for the poor high school janitor that has to do the clean up!
Many lessons learned and taken away from this fire. Size up, apparatus positioning, radio interoperability, IC communication, freelance issues, equipment supply vs, demand, rehab, dangerous conditions being communicated, and the list goes on... very good learning experience. We are extremely lucky that the truss roof didnt come down and kill someone. What dont we understand about unprotected lightweight steel bar joists being exposed to fire for 30 minutes+?.... What dont we understand about these bar joists pushing out walls and dropping bricks down?.... I think they have books written on these subjects somewhere, dont they?.... Firemen died so we could learn from their mistakes...isnt it about time we did? Francis Brannigan rolled over in his grave at least 3-4 times yesterday.... Sorry Frank! RIP. We'll try and do better next time. I hope.

"customer service" pays off

2010-05-27T09:59:00.002-04:00

While many FDs across this great land enjoy the gushing admiration of the public, some fall short... A few years ago, my FD responded to an early morning call for a "man down". Of course our dispatching is as good as everyone elses, so it turned out to be a man down in a hole/concrete bunker at a construction site. He had a knee injury as well as suspect neck and back injuries... he was immobilized, packaged and hoisted out via stokes basket and crane. It went well and was a cool call to start the day with (it was the very first call for one of our probies). Anyway the guy was thankful and that was the end of that. ....so yesterday during one of my "scavenger hunts" for stuff to train on, I thought I would check at a local construction site for some rebar that we could practice an "impalement" victim scenario with. Well, guess who is in charge of the job site, the guy we had helped out years before. Needless to say he was more than willing to help out and even had a rotary saw topped off and waiting for us to use! The guy said how great we had been when he was down in the hole all busted up, and thanked me numerous times. I told him how thankful I was that he was letting us scrounge through the job site for materials. Anyway...it just goes to show that every call we go on matters (well, alright maybe more like 99%...) and you never know who might come back years later to help you out. While I am no Alan Brunacini, it is beneficial to be nice! The guy in the story even posed for a couple pics including a funny one with the gal who got the saw ready for me. Nice!

30 Minutes with LAFD forcing doors

2010-05-24T22:24:00.002-04:00

LAFD Forcible Entry from Los Angeles Fire Department on Vimeo.

While the music in this video is better fitted to a light space age jazz porn from the 80's, it still has some fantastic tips and real life footage of the boys trying different techniques. ...and if Jamie Goodlet is reading this...Im still against kicking/shouldering the door down! Also could of used the pick end of the Halligan slammed into a slat to help slide them out of the way(they mentioned vise grips or pulling by hand). Anyway...good video thats about 1/2 hour long, so grab a coffee and sit back for a bit! Great job to LAFD for turning a tragic incident into a learning opportunity for the rest of us.

survey says....not crazy!

2010-05-20T16:50:00.002-04:00

Well... Just got back from Andy Frederick's Training Days down in Alexandria, VA. next door to D.C.. After 3 days of great classes and speakers, what I came away with is that Im not crazy after all! Sometimes you get that lonely feeling that you are the only one who thinks about fire stuff in a certain way... well, 200 plus other people apparently feel the same way I do. Good to know! It's a pretty big morale boost when you hear people like FDNY Chiefs John Norman and John Salka say things that I've been thinking.... and several firefighters from FDNY Rescue 1 say the EXACT SAME THINGS IVE BEEN SAYING to the guys at my FD. I guess Im not alone after all! Lt. Fred Ill, Jimmy Hodges, Joel Kanasky from Rescue 1 and Lt. John Ceriello from Squad 252 were all awesome. What a great set up the folks did for this 3 day event.

Better than last day...

2010-05-12T09:20:00.002-04:00

Last shift I missed out on 2 fires (due to EMS runs!)...but yesterdays shift started out with 2 fires that I made...so I guess it's even! Nothing huge, actually not really even much of anything...but I got to squirt a little water, use the hook and halligan and thats pretty much good enough for me!

Things to ponder....

2010-05-10T22:54:00.002-04:00

Something as simple as the hosebed on the Engine... Who decided this was the best layout for us?.... Why do we accept things and feel like we can't change it "cuz' it's always been like that"? Why do we settle for sub-par performance and standards? What would be better and why? I think a bunch of fires would straighten this stuff out, but only if we asked some tough questions about our own performance... Get your insurance policies paid up folks, cuz' I got my fingers and toes crossed just wishin' we get to burn my next day on.... Kent's no Youngstown, but COME ON BABY!!!!!

multiple ladder rescues made in Chicago

2010-05-03T10:56:00.002-04:00

If you make it half way through this video WITHOUT thinking to yourself "Holy Fucking Shit", you are way too cocky about our job! THIS COULD BE OUR VERY NEXT FIRE!!!! Are we training enough? Do we recognize our own physical limitations? This is why we drill on the basics. This is why they pay us to come to work and be ready to go. This is why we IMMEDIATELY call for more help for "just another fire call". This is why we shouldn't be taking every little stubbed toe to the hospital, depleting our manpower for this potential EMERGENCY. This is a TRUE EMERGENCY! Why are we not expecting this to be the very next "fire alarm drop" at the local college or hotel/apartment building? We can not become complacent!

Forcible entry on window bars video

2010-05-03T10:37:00.001-04:00

Nice little video that shows you CAN get something done with hand tools if saw is not available or goes down....

Sweet.

2010-05-01T20:05:00.002-04:00

Eating breakfast just down from a firehouse in S.F. one morning... 2 Engines and a Tiller just hangin' out.... must be nice!

Even the hippies have fire trucks!

2010-04-28T10:24:00.002-04:00

Well....they may not shower, wear deodorant or eat meat, but at least they have a fire engine near by in case the drum circle gets out of control. I'm just wondering who's going to drive it, since they'll all be too stoned to put the potato chips down and get off the couch to put the fire out!

SFFD is stalking me!

2010-04-26T17:05:00.003-04:00

2nd time the Heavy Rescue has driven past! ...too bad I couldnt get the camera out quick enough to capture the two tiller trucks back to back right before it!!!

Welcome to San Francisco...now move!!!!

2010-04-22T21:13:00.003-04:00

Just got here with Cathy a little bit ago. We were driving around checking out the cool hills and streets and then we heard some Q-sirens blaring behind us....sure enough here comes a Tiller Truck....then the Heavy Rescue...then a Battalion Chief.....just got the Rescue coming by us as we tried not to crash in the crazy traffic!

Firefighter of the Year award.

2010-04-18T15:51:00.002-04:00

I had the honor of receiving the Firefighter of the Year award last night. Really cool. It was actually put together by the local American Legion to honor fire and police. It kind of happened on short notice and the details were a little hazy, but it turned out really nice. I had a bunch of family that showed up and my wife's family too....even my shift got all dressed up and came down to here my "sweet" acceptance speech....which lasted about 5 seconds before I got choked up! Anyway, thanks guys...thanks everybody! Very cool and much appreciated!

Sorry Jamie!...Had to put this up!

2010-04-18T10:27:00.002-04:00

Seriously!!! Look at those cheeks(on the baby, not Jamie!)!!!!! Great reminder of why you train your butt off and keep your head in the game while you're at the firehouse....because someone at home wants you to make it back safely from the call. Remember the "4 S's"...Seatbelts, Scba, Salads, and Sit ups! ....stay in the fight, get home safe.

Confined Space refresher....

2010-04-16T15:50:00.002-04:00

We had our annual confined space refresher training a week ago...pretty fun as usual. I had to "run" one of the scenarios as acting IC, and to be perfectly honest, I think I'll stick with the grunt work for a while longer! Not my favorite thing to do (IC), plus you miss out on the cool stuff...SAR/SCBA/belays/rappels/rigging etc... Oh well! Good learning experience about how a "boss" thinks...

I hit the big time!!!!

2010-04-12T18:40:00.002-04:00

A simple video of a basic forcible entry class I helped with...on YouTube no less! Thanks to whoever filmed this(and Sarah Miller for the Facebook link)....I didnt know about it! Try not to pay attention to my high pitched girly voice....still waiting on puberty to hit....

EMS can pay off!

2010-04-07T20:58:00.004-04:00

So sometimes it's pretty easy to get frustrated with the stupid "emergency" calls we go on....however there is a good deal to learn from these. Patience is one thing. Being compassionate in the face of blatant abuse of the Fire and EMS system is another. One easy thing to learn though, is using an EMS run to get ready for "the big one".... The picture below is a possible "big one". Why? It's just a typical duplex, you say? Well, thats why we should not get lazy and complacent! This duplex was a 3am B.S. EMS run the other night and we have been going here frequently lately...but this time I was paying attention and asked a few more questions of our "customer" during the "medical evaluation". This small two story duplex has 20 PEOPLE LIVING IN IT!!!! 12 children and 8 adults!!!! Are you kidding me!?!?!? They are all ages from newborn to middle age. This is all in the left side (A-B) unit. That would be a huge problem if there is a fire and "someone" is "still in there"....more than likely, it's going to be 10 "someones" still in there. Great reason to have help/mutual aid/auto aid coming RIGHT NOW. We have to be expecting the worst when we roll out the door...not expecting "just another burnt PopTart".... Be thinking to yourself "this is it"! "This is the one we've been waiting for and training for"! People call us for help and they expect us to show up with our shit on and ready to go!...Not half unzipped with our cocks hanging out in the fuckin' breeze! At some point this shit is going to burn and we had better be ready for it! Say it with me..."I love my SCBA, I love carrying the can, I love the halligan and hook, I love pulling hose, I love going to fires".

Good stuff....

2010-04-03T20:26:00.003-04:00

A couple of fun drills this week. One at my firehouse with the guys just doing a quick refresh on narrow profile/wall breaching and then moving a victim back through. Cool to see different ways to do it...even one of our bigger guys was able to squeeze through without having to remove his SCBA...and yes, the stud wall was 16" on center....
Next up was Saturday with some of the local firefighters that are going through the 120 hr. FF class. Got to spend the whole day working with hoselines, nozzles and flowing some water. Super fun and a great reminder for me of what a butt kicker 2 1/2" hose can be. Really glad that portion was over quickly (yes, I'm a sissy!). Great weather and all the guys did there fair share of work!

Old school video/FDNY E75-L33

2010-03-29T22:35:00.002-04:00

Cool 2 part video from my buddies firehouse in da'Bronx....love ya E!

What's in there anyway?

2010-03-26T08:45:00.004-04:00

That's the question I hear once in a while since I started carrying my "man purse" at work. It's just a tote bag I bought to carry all the other stuff I dont necessarily want or need in my bunker pockets, but would like to have available on the truck if needed. After a couple guys saw what I was carrying, they commented that it was actually a good idea....difference is that I dont have kids(yet) and basically no life when I cant ride my bike, so I spend a lot of free time just screwing around with FD stuff/buying/trying different things out. Whatever. I know it looks stupid, but its really useful so who cares! .....anyway....it was starting to get kinda heavy and I was trying to remember what all the crap in there was....I had forgot a few of the items that were in there and ended up taking out a few that seemed like overkill. Oh well...just need something to burn down and then I wouldnt be worried about it!

Here's what's in it... My Scott facepiece(sits right on top for quick access), extra nomex hood, extra fire gloves, extrication gloves, extra rubber work gloves, EMS gloves(I apparently dont want my hands to be dirty!), fleece beanie for winter, FD beanie, spare socks, laminated cheat sheet for friction loss/pump stuff, multiple door chocks, a bunch of rubber straps, 3 carabiners, 2 small LED flashlights, a double sided carabiner, small spanner wrench, multi bit screwdriver, shove knife, 20' of 2" webbing, 10' of 1" webbing, vice grips with a short length of webbing attached, wire cutters, safety glasses, ziplock bag with chalk, and 2 panic bar tools of different gauge welding rod I made up.

Am I the only one?....

2010-03-25T09:30:00.004-04:00

Anyone else ever get pissed off about stuff? If you dont, I probably make up for it !!! Whats the deal with "hi-rise kits"? Maybe its just me, but ours seems ret@#ded(can I say that? ).... 150' of single jacket 1 3/4" hose? WTF? Dude, We have hallways longer than 150'!!! Doesnt it make sense that we should be using a 2 1/2" ?...and an option to take more hose without it being a clusterf@#k!?!?! At least were using a smooth bore.... and why the hell arent we drilling on the deployment of this in an actual building in our district? and how come....and what if....and why do we...???? If it doesnt go smoothly at the firehouse hose tower drill, why would it be any better years later when we havent practiced at all? .....And dont get me started on the "triple layer load" pre-connect! Are you kidding me!?!?! Damn! You'd think after a full nights sleep I wouldnt be raging! Ha! I just need more coffee! ....but,but,but "WERE TOO BUSY TO TRAIN"....if someone tells me that again, I seriously think Im going to kick'em in the nuts. Are you kidding me? And wear your damn seatbelt!

Spaceman lands in Kent....

2010-03-25T09:22:00.003-04:00

Im not on the Hazmat team(anymore, thank god) but they were doing a drill the other day and I got a few pictures....

Training Good. Ego's Bad.

2010-03-19T19:34:00.004-04:00

Man, I love gettin' out a bunch of stuff to play around with whether it be tools or hose or ropes or whatever! I got the idea to build a wall in the hallway and put our forcible entry door there as well....seemed like it would make for a somewhat realistic drill this month for the guys. You know, just a refresher on a bunch of basic stuff that most guys already know (or so I thought)... Anyway, it went pretty well for the three shifts we did it on.
First up was forcing the door. I cant say this clearly enough-If youre not practicing this frequently, you WILL NOT BE GOOD AT IT! Period. End of story. Dont tell me you are an expert cuz one time at band camp you forced a door back in 1997 and that was it.... Ive forced a bunch of doors...real ones,fake ones, wood ones, metal ones, in training and at fires and EMS runs...and Im not too proud to admit that I have a lot left to learn! Im not embarrassed at all to say that I dont know it all...BECAUSE I DONT!!!! I love breaking stuff, but I love doing things right too (even if you dont get all the splinters and shrapnel flying!)... Forcible entry is part brute strength, but even bigger part technique.

The next thing we focused on was moving a charged line. Sounds simple and boring....again, if you dont do it all the time it's easy to get rusty. Teamwork,teamwork,teamwork! Enough said!

Third part of the drill was finding and following another hoseline and eventually finding a firefighter down. What to do,what to do???? My personal feeling is keep it simple and get 'em the hell out of there! SCBA make pretty sweet drag straps because theyre quick and fairly easy to find and use. If there is an unusual circumstance like trapped in a basement, wire entanglement, partial floor collapse or whatever other situation you can think of....there are some great techniques specific to them. Go for it! But you have to really train on those specialty rescues...dont get lulled into thinking that just because you are designated as the RIT team, all of the sudden youre superman and can do anything with ease! Its just not the case. Dont be fooled!
Keep drilling, keep talking with the guys about the job and keep drinking coffee!

It's the one with the "Big Nuts"

2010-03-17T17:51:00.002-04:00

Firemen like stuff to be simple....if you for some reason find yourself trying to orient on a hoseline coupling in zero viz, just remember the male coupling has the "big nuts"! Pretty simple.... Thanks Matt!!!! Seriously!

Dumpster Divin' SOB!

2010-03-10T15:17:00.002-05:00

Busted!!!! I dont care...it's worth it... This is the 2nd dumpster Ive been in this week(with permission of course!) looking for anything useful for FD trainings. Todays golden find was a prebuilt pallet/box cube thing that we can make into something useful Im sure.... Also got a 16' roll up door for forcible entry drills down the road. Played around with a Partner Saw thats been acting up lately on another door that was nearby. Nice refresher! Big thanks to Vince at Action Door in Cuyahoga Falls/Stow area. Just goes to show that it doesnt hurt to ask.... Also big thanks to Sean Barber(Brady Lake/Suffield FD) for all the help picking up the door and loading/driving/unloading....couldnt of done it without his help!

Uh....

2010-03-07T17:28:00.001-05:00

I tried this once and all I got was a sprained ankle, 2 knee surgeries and a concussion!

Great article from Fire Nuggets-March-April 2010 Issue

2010-03-05T10:12:00.000-05:00

March-April 2010 Issue

Good Times!

2010-02-27T20:43:00.002-05:00

Helped with a search & rescue class today. Spent the afternoon getting our butts kicked doing the "Pittsburgh Drill". Very tough(fun) and pretty good test of the team! The confined space part is real blast....

Today was a good day....

2010-02-26T10:11:00.003-05:00

....well, at least 'til all the after midnight boo-boo and band-aid calls....whats up with no fires this week!?!?

Staying busy...

2010-02-20T20:51:00.003-05:00

Lots of stuff going on this week. Went over a bunch of MAYDAY drills earlier this week and then helped out with a forcible entry class on Saturday....even Big Daddy Baynes stopped in for a little lovin'!

St. Louis Fire Symposium

2010-02-14T11:52:00.002-05:00

So this week, we (Matt Mathis & myself) drove down to St. Louis to attend a fire conference/lecture. The first day was about "Wind Driven Fires" taught by two Battalion Chiefs from Chicago, Pete Van Dorpe and Keith Witt. They were great and the information was awesome! Next up were two retired Chiefs and Vietnam Veterans, Jack "Mac" McCastland(Oaklawn) and Ed Enright(Chicago). They spoke about Duty, Honor, Pride and Tradition...very cool. The next day was something I was really looking forward to... Retired Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn from FDNY. He spoke the whole day Saturday on flashover, backdraft, and building collapse with an emphasis on strategy and tactics and fighting fires while avoiding these events. How cool to be listening in person to the guy who literally wrote the book(s) on these subjects!!!! Wow! Really humbling to be in the presence of someone who served in the FDNY from 1958-2000. What do you think?...worked in the Bronx through the War Years and commanded in Manhattan to finish up 42 years....think about all the guy has seen.... unbelievable. So anyway, 2 autographs, 1 photo and a couple of handshakes later, Im at home just having a coffee and taking it all in....

Back in Business Baby!

2010-02-05T13:18:00.002-05:00

After a short hiatus, our cheapy forcible entry door is BACK! The original took quite a beating and held up fairly well until the bottom sill blew apart...oh well.... I got a lot of help from the "Big Daddy from Cincinnati", who helped for probably 4-5 hours completely rebuilding the frame and adding in a new "metal jamb" that another FF (Paisley) was able to get done up at the weld shop next door! Awesome! Thanks guys! Finally got everything finished last night and did a test run....sweet! The gap is really tight and you really gotta hit it and manipulate the tool to get it set. Cant wait to get some drills going!

Places we die...part 2

2010-02-02T12:22:00.006-05:00

If only this building was surrounded by a fence and a sign that read "Fire Training Academy"....it seriously looks like a sick dream some fire academy guru came up with to "torture" the probie class. Multiple roof pitches, room additions, etc... The only problem is that its not a training/burn building and some guy wont shut the gas off to "put the fire out". This is a completely normal house that is full of "stuff"(s#*t!) and maze like conditions inside. Its not a smooth concrete floor and a nice hallway to a couple of burning pallets! .....What to do, what to do...? Well, if we are "lucky" enough to go here on an EMS run, we can do a little size up inside(stairs, exits blocked, basement location) while treating the patient. Im sure most guys are already doing this...but we should go a little further and talk about it back at the firehouse as well...get a good discussion going... time to "what if it?" to death with the guys. Drive around the neighborhood, get some pictures, talk to people that live there, ask questions, stand right in front of the house and do a drill until the owner yells for you to leave (the diesel exhaust going in the window doesnt help!) or maybe they'll come out and talk with you....who knows?.... We cant control every aspect on the fireground, but we can at least try and prepare for the 3am/working fire/people trapped 911 call...anyway, anyhow, anywhere we can.

Ice rescue drill

2010-01-27T15:14:00.004-05:00

Stopped by during todays shift to catch 'em in action at some ice rescue training...I always think this is one of our drills high in the "fun factor"....unless you get the leaky dry suit!