FRM 2010 may

B

Water rescue drills, dos & don’ts, p. 40 Reinforce your hurricane preparations, p. 48

Plus

A refresher on fire shelter deployment, p. 71 May 2010 Read It Today, Use It Tomorrow Connect with us at FireďŹ ghterNation.com

Choose 11 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 12 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

40

May 2010 Volume 28, Issue 5 To subscribe, visit www.fire-rescue.com

Water Rescue 40 Safe on the Shore

W hat you need to know to successfully perform a shore-based water-rescue operation

Hurricane Preparedness 48 Weathering the Storm

By Andy Speier

H urricanes teach valuable lessons & shape future preplans

By Vicki Sheppard

Wildland/Urban Interface 71

A Matter of Survival: How, when & where to properly deploy a standard fire shelter

By Chuck Sallade

Plus!

54 A New Dimension

The International Association of Fire Chiefs’ leadership section

G eo-tagging photos adds another level of information for search & recovery operations

By Chad Council

62 P resident’s Letter The Ginsu phenomenon & the fire service

By Chief Jeffrey D. Johnson

64 L eadership Skills

A model for enhancing situational awareness so you can lead more effectively

By Chief Marc Revere

68 S afety

Get “Fit for Duty” during Safety Week

By Chief Keith Padgett

69 N ear-Miss Reports A second safety officer is an essential component at large-scale incidents

By Deputy Chief John B. Tippett Jr.

48

4

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 13 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

32

In This Issue …

12 From the Editor

In the budget wars, we must be ready to fight back by raising the bar

By Timothy E. Sendelbach

14 ToolsNewsTechniques

• Gear Test: Smoke Trainer’s Smoke Identification Light helps firefighters stay visible in dense smoke conditions • Events: Firefighters take 1,311 steps toward conquering cancer • Review: MetaMedia Publishing’s hazmat training DVDs offer valuable information • LODD: NIOSH reports recently released

22 Nozzlehead

Learn all the features of your portable radio system before you experience a mayday!

26 Apparatus Ideas

L .A. County’s PIO rigs keep the media & the public informed during large-scale incidents

By Bob Vaccaro

32 Fire Attack

First-in engine companies are often tasked with both size-up & initial fireground operations

By Greg Jakubowski

76 Company Officer Development Principle-based management is more effective than managing by the rules

By Ray Gayk

Truck Company Operations Find the “safety zones” & other tips for working on panelized roofs

By Randy Frassetto

Survival of the Fittest

A walkthrough of basic asana yoga practice

By Jeff & Martha Ellis

Existing buildings require a more delicate approach

By Jim Crawford

On Dec. 9, 2006, Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to a call involving a cliff/surf rescue in the small coastal town of Isla Vista just north of Santa Barbara. Upon arrival, firefighters found three people down a 100' cliff and trapped by heavy surf and high tide. As shown, firefighter/paramedic James Harris communicated via his portable radio to the hoist team at the top of the cliff, while firefighter/paramedic Jim Simpson assisted one of the three victims; all were lifted to the top via a high-angle rope system. The incident occurred after a man who had been surfing became distressed.

Two other men attempted to assist the victim, but they too became trapped in the surf. The two responding engine companies and one truck company were trained in both USAR and water rescue.

TACTICAL TIP: Technical rescue incidents, like all other emergency operations, require an effective scene size-up and rapid risk assessment (How many victims do I have? Are they in immediate danger? What resources will I need? Do I have the immediate resources on scene to stabilize the incident without assuming unnecessary risk?). In many cases, a rescuer must be quickly deployed to stabilize the patient while additional rescuers set up various systems for patient rescue and rescuer retrieval. Critical points to keep in mind: Call for qualified help early; only deploy rescuers when you have an established rescue action plan; and remember that safety systems are typically driven by redundancy—don’t cut corners and jeopardize firefighter safety. Consider all options—the most obvious choice might not be the best choice. Photo Keith Cullom.

Firerescue Magazine

Visit www.tinyurl.com/FireRescueblog to read these articles:

79 Fire Prevention

About the Cover

6

Exclusively Online!

80 New Products 82 New Deliveries 85 Ad Index 86 Classifieds 89 On the Market 90 Response Time

Losing a leader inspires us to live up to his example

By Brian A. Crawford

May 2010

Choose 14 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

m

a

g

a

z

i

n

e

editor-in-chief

Timothy E. Sendelbach - tesendelbach@msn.com dePUtY editor

Shannon Pieper - s.pieper@elsevier.com MAnAGinG editor

Janelle Foskett - j.foskett@elsevier.com senior editor

Cindy Devone-Pacheco - c.devone@elsevier.com editoriAl AssistAnt

Kindra Sclar - k.sclar@elsevier.com online neWs/BloG MAnAGer Bill Carey - bill@goforwardmedia.com editoriAl director

A.J. Heightman - a.j.heightman@elsevier.com editoriAl dePArtMent

Phone 800/266-5367; Fax 619/699-6246 Art director

Jason Pelc - jasonpelc@yahoo.com director of eProdUcts/ProdUction

Tim Francis - t.francis@elsevier.com WeB ProdUction coordinAtor

Neil Johnson - n.johnson2@elsevier.com ProdUction coordinAtor

Pippin Schupbach - p.schupbach@elsevier.com ProdUction AssistAnt

Kevin Root - k.root@elsevier.com AdvertisinG dePArtMent

Phone 800/266-5367; Fax 619/699-6722 AdvertisinG director/Western AccoUnt MAnAGer

Sheri Collins - sheric@nevpacinc.com 520/825-3770

Western eMediA sAles rePresentAtive

Cindi Richardson - cindirichardson@sbcglobal.net 661/297-4027 eAstern sAles rePresentAtive

Joe Skey - joe.rhmedia@verizon.net 856/673-4000 clAssified sAles rePresentAtive

Jim Maloney - j.maloney@elsevier.com 215/239-3157 senior sAles coordinAtor

Elizabeth Zook - e.zook@elsevier.com sAles & AdMinistrAtive coordinAtor

Liz Coyle - l.coyle@elsevier.com eMediA strAteGY

Phone 410/872-9303 MAnAGinG director

Dave Iannone - dave@goforwardmedia.com director of eMediA sAles

Paul Andrews - paul@goforwardmedia.com director of eMediA content

Chris Hebert - chris@goforwardmedia.com director of AUdience develoPMent & sAles sUPPort

Mike Shear - m.shear@elsevier.com

AUdience develoPMent coordinAtor

Jenna Engelstein - j.engelstein@elsevier.com MArketinG director

Debbie Murray - d.l.murray@elsevier.com MArketinG MAnAGer

Melanie Dowd - m.dowd@elsevier.com senior GrAPhic desiGner

Kathy Whitehead - k.whitehead@elsevier.com MArketinG & ProGrAM coordinAtor

Olga Berdial - o.berdial@elsevier.com vice President/PUBlisher

Jeff Berend - j.berend@elsevier.com foUndinG PUBlisher

James O. Page, 1936–2004 Choose 15 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

8

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 16 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

m

a

g

a

z

i

n

e

Editorial Board

iaFC Board & StaFF

To reach any member of our editorial board, e-mail frm.editor@elsevier.com and include the contributor’s name in your subject line.

FireRescue is the official publication of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

TECHNICAL EDITORS AppARATuS Fire Chief Bob Vaccaro (Ret.) Deer Park, N.Y.

EDITORIAL ADvISORS & CONTRIBuTING EDITORS

iaFC Board

Chief Brian Crawford Shreveport (La.) Fire Department

Jeffrey D. Johnson President & Chairman of the Board

Dwight Clark FirstCare, Forsyth, Ga.

John E. “Jack” Parow First Vice President

Chief Scott Cook (Ret.) Granbury (Texas) Fire Department

Al H. Gillespie Second Vice President

Battalion Chief Henry Costo Philadelphia Fire Department

Larry J. Grorud President 2008–2009

Capt. Mike Kirby & District Chief Tom Lakamp Cincinnati Fire Department

Assistant Chief Brian Fennessy San Diego Fire-Rescue Department

William R. Metcalf Treasurer

ExTRICATION Battalion Chief Todd D. Meyer Gig Harbor (Wash.) Fire/Medic One

Deputy Chief William Goldfeder Loveland-Symmes (Ohio) Fire Department

Richard Carrizzo Missouri Valley Division

fIRE pREvENTION Fire Marshal Jim Crawford Vancouver (Wash.) Fire Department

Assistant Chief Todd Harms Phoenix Fire Department

COmpANy OffICER DEvELOpmENT Deputy Chief Ray Gayk Ontario (Calif.) Fire Department fIRE ATTACk Chief Greg Jakubowski Lingohocken (Pa.) Fire Company

fITNESS Division Chief Martha Ellis Salt Lake City Fire Department QuICk DRILLS Capt. Homer Robertson Fort Worth Fire Department RESCuE Capt. Andy Speier Snohomish County (Wash.)

Fire District 1

Fire Chief Ed Hartin Central Whidbey Island (Wash.)

Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Jeff Johnson Tualatin Valley (Ore.) Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr Austin (Texas) Fire Department Steve Kidd Delve Productions, Inc. , Orlando, Fla. Chief Tom Kuntz Red Lodge (Mont.) Fire Department

RESCuE REpORT Tom Vines, Rope Rescue Consultant Red Lodge, Mont.

Thomas E. Lubnau II Lubnau Law Office, P.C., Gillette, Wyo.

RuRAL fIRE COmmAND Capt. Keith Klassen Summit (Ariz.) Fire District

Chief Steve Pegram Goshen (Ohio) Township Fire & EMS Department

Resident Instructor Patrick Pauly Pennsylvania State Fire Academy Lewistown, Penn.

TRuCk COmpANy OpS Capt. Michael M. Dugan Fire Department City of New York Capt. Randy Frassetto Surprise (Ariz.) Fire Department Lt. Jim McCormack Indianapolis Fire Department

to SuBSCriBE, viSit www.FirE-rESCuE.Com

Battalion Chief Tom Pendley Peoria (Ariz.) Fire Department District Chief Billy Schmidt Palm Beach County (Fla.) Fire Department Deputy Fire Coordinator Tiger Schmittendorf Erie County Department of Emergency Services, Buffalo, N.Y.

John W. deHooge Canadian Division William Walton Jr. Eastern Division John Sinclair EMS Section Alan W. Perdue Fire & Life Safety Section Kenn Taylor Great Lakes Division Luther L. Fincher Jr. Metro Chiefs Association Roger Bradley New England Division I. David Daniels Safety, Health & Survival Section Jack K. McElfish Southeastern Division Jerry “J.D.” Gardner Southwestern Division Fred C. Windisch VCOS Joseph M. Perry Western Division iaFC StaFF

District Chief John Sullivan Worcester (Mass.) Fire Department

Mark W. Light, CAE Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director

Deputy Chief John Tippett Charleston (S.C.) Fire Department

Ann Davison, CAE Strategic Information Manager

Battalion Chief Matt Tobia Anne Arundel (Md.) County Fire Department

Choose 17 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

10

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 19 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

FromTheediTor

Playing with Fire In the budget wars, we must be ready to fight back by raising the bar

A

begin to surface about the longstanding tradition of firefighters participating in fundraising activities while on duty.

Like it or not, the fire service is at a crossroads. We are faced with tough financial compromises and public scrutiny beyond the likes of any generation before us, and our previously accepted practices are going to be scrutinized and questioned at every corner. In some cases we can rely upon our banked deposits of good deeds to guide us through, but in many others we must rely on a more formidable tradition: going beyond the call of the duty.

As tempting as it might be, the answer to those who play with fire is not voiced opposition, threats or retaliatory efforts, but rather education. We (the fire service as a whole) must tell our story, justify our actions, and provide the facts and figures that justify our wants and needs. We must make modifications to our service levels that demonstrate the required compromise without increasing the risk to our members. We must seek opportunities to make those additional deposits of good deeds—not as a matter of necessity, but rather an expectation. You call, we deliver.

In many conversations, the mere mention of politics is taboo. But in these tough and trying times, the two things that will get us by are public perception (what the public knows, understands and believes) and politics (the right people, in the right places, saying the right things to win the majority of votes). Some decisions are beyond our control, and in those cases we must take our lumps, but in the cases where we can inform and educate, we must.

Te fire service has historically been viewed in a positive light. Much of this is accredited to those who have served before us. Our forefathers have laid the groundwork of dedication and service that has set the standard of public expectation. In recent years, we’ve continued to raise the bar of customer service, yet, as is human instinct, we oftentimes become comfortable with our efforts and rely upon the status quo to get us by.

Now is not the time for the status quo. As the next generation of leaders, firefighters, company officers and aspiring chief officers, the challenge is before you: Take the fire service to new heights, lead us through these tough times, and set the bar of public expectation at a new level.

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

By Timothy E. Sendelbach

12

few years ago, a friend of mine recommended I read a book called “Playing with Fire,” by Scott Lazenby. I immediately thought it was a book about some pyromaniac who’d been setting fires and causing chaos and destruction throughout a community. I could not have been more wrong. “Playing with Fire” depicts a situation that has become the political reality of the American fire service, a realistic view of the political challenges that every fire chief is facing or will eventually face.

And in that regard, it serves as an offensive playbook for fire officers and chiefs.

“Playing with Fire” is about a small northwestern city facing a financial burden following a vote to roll back property taxes. Faced with an impending financial crisis, the mayor goes on the offensive and directs the city manager and his staff to come up with creative ideas on how to cut costs to offset the forthcoming reduction in revenues. After contemplating across-the-board, percentage-based cuts, a staff member approaches the city manager with a radical idea: Revamp the fire department.

When the book was written (2001), this idea would likely have caused strong public outcry and resistance built upon the tradition that public safety should be exempt from budget cuts—and in fact, a large portion of the book describes the resulting battle between firefighters, business owners and citizens.

But today, as I read the headlines of newspapers, professional Web sites and blog posts from across the country, it seems obvious: More and more politicians are playing with fire. No longer are we the (perceived) sacred cow left to graze in the greenest of pastures, blessed with the brightest smiles and public admiration. We are still the focal point of public attention, but it isn’t the public attention of years past, and it’s not the attention that makes us proud of what we do.

In some cases, proposed firefighter layoffs have brought about a rash of arson fires that not only put members of the public at risk, but firefighters as well.

Incidents that have advanced beyond room-andcontents fires to full-blown structure fires are blamed on prolonged response times due to brownouts and/ or station closings. In another case, an opposing viewpoint is expressed as a citizen eggs a fire truck and spits at a fire crew as they enter the local supermarket to pick up the day’s groceries. In yet another case, questions

Choose 20 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

Tools News Techniques Equipment

How To

Smoke Identification Light

Pros

Photos Courtesy smoke trainer

+ Small; + Highly visible in dense smoke; + Easy to use; + Durable; + Multiple light modes; and + Fits all major SCBA.

Training

People

Gear Test

Events

Get Visible!

Smoke Trainer’s Smoke Identification Light helps firefighters stay visible in dense smoke conditions

By Capt. John Leivas

F

irefighter accountability is vital for any fire department—paid or volunteer—and the fire service is always looking for ways to improve accountability Cons on the fireground. We have passports with firefighter - None. pictures, names and company assignments. We have PAR tags with names attached to a passport board that identifies engine, ladder, battalion and rescue companies, and we even have GPS tracking devices that can Smoke Trainer be added to your SCBA. Te passport system seems to P.O. Box 27551 Anaheim, CA 92809 work just fine, but it’s only one piece of the accountTel: 800/882-6567 ability puzzle.

714/974-6550 We tell our firefighters that as long as we can hear Fax: 714/974-6599 Web: www.smoketrainer.com them, see them or touch them, we have accountability of our crew inside the structure fire. But how does that work when we’re multi-tasking, advancing charged hoselines or shagging hose from a doorway?

It’s difficult to keep track of everyone. Fortunately, I think I’ve found a product that can help.

Last year, I was approached by a company out of Anaheim, Calif., to test a new device designed to help with accountability, inside and outside a structure fire.

Smoke Trainer’s product—the Smoke Identification Light (SID)—is a 4 ¾-inch-long device that mounts to your SCBA air cylinder and illuThe Smoke Identification Light is a 4 ¾-inch-long device minates LED light tubes to that mounts to your SCBA air cylinder and illuminates LED display identification of diflight tubes to display identification of different teams, engine ferent teams, engine company company numbers, instructors and EMS personnel.

14

Web & Media

Firerescue Magazine

There are three different modes for the light—solid, flashing and strobe with four color variations (red, blue, green and yellow)—that illuminate the ID and ID number. You can put up to four letters and four numbers on the unit for identification.

numbers, instructors, EMS personnel, etc.

Te first time I used the SID, it worked well but needed some minor changes. Fortunately, the folks at Smoke Trainer were more than willing to make some adjustments to improve the product.

I was then asked to evaluate the unit a second time.

Tis time my department had just begun our fourthquarter multi-company live-fire drill. We did a total of 31 live-fire drills over the course of 3 months.

During this time, we were able to test the SID. One day in particular, we ran crews through a simulated warehouse fire at our training facility. We attached the SID to four SCBAs. Crews were faced with heavy smoke and fire conditions, with smoke down to the ground. Tis made it difficult for crews to see each other—a common problem on the fireground. We found that by using the SIDs, crews working inside could easily see other firefighters 8 to 10 feet away in heavy smoke conditions. Note: According to the Smoke Trainer Web site, the product is visible at approximately 30 feet away in dense black smoke; we found that 30 feet was more realistic for marginal smoke conditions.

We found the light easy to use and very durable. It weighs only 4 oz., is a half-inch thick, and is made May 2010

John Leivas is a 27-year veteran with the Mesa (Ariz.) Fire Department. He serves as a firefighter/paramedic currently assigned to the training division where he’s been for the past 5 years. He has developed SCBA programs and SCBA self-survival for tactical situations for police SWAT teams. He is a tactical paramedic.

News

Upward Mobility

Te 2010 Stairclimb broke some records—not for the race times, but for overall success. For starters, the 1,500 open slots for climbers were snapped up within 2 weeks. “We were really excited when the slots sold out so fast,” Howard says.

Another record broken was the amount of money raised. “Tis was our biggest event yet. Although the numbers are not final yet, it’s looking like our biggest fundraising year as well,” Howard says. “With this year’s Stairclimb, we’re hoping to break the $650,000 mark. While there is a registration fee that all participants pay, the majority of that money is raised by the individuals and teams. It’s a hard event to train for, and then they also go out and raise the funds, too.”

All money raised goes to LLS, which directs it to research of blood cancers and support services for patients and families.

And the WinneRs ARe …

Held in Seattle’s Columbia Center, the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb calls for firefighters in full bunker gear and breathing apparatus to sprint-climb from the skyscraper’s lobby to the 73rd floor.

When the winners of the men’s and women’s climb were announced, listeners must have experienced déjà vu—particularly for Georgia Sans Daniels, a firefighter with Graham (Wash.) Fire and Rescue. Daniels won the women’s category easily with a time of 14:51.90.

In fact, she’s won each of the 12 Stairclimbs she’s participated in, and at age 42, says she plans to continue: “I figure I’ve got 11 years left in my career, so I guess I’ll just run those years out.” She took a year off from the event to celebrate her 40th birthday—but returned the following year to clock her fastest time yet.

Asked how tough the climb itself is, Daniels says, “For me, it’s harder mentally than physically. I put a lot of pressure on myself.” She says that the first year or two she signed up “as a competitive thing,” but explains that, “Now, I hope to raise a lot of money for the LLS.” Daniels trains year-round to stay in shape, including a lot of biking and running. “I don’t specifically train for the climb until the end of December or

s

Firefighters take 1,311 steps toward conquering cancer

RecoRds BRoken

Photo Courtesy the Leukemia & LymPhoma soCiety

of aluminum with carbon fiber 4 ¼-inch LED light tubes. It’s powered by four AA batteries that last up to 40 hours for continuous use. Tere are three different modes for the light—solid, flashing and strobe with four color variations (red, blue, green and yellow)—that illuminate the ID and ID number. You can put up to four letters and four numbers on the unit for identification.

Te unit fits all major SCBAs. It has clip sizes that fit small and large SCBA cylinders and can also be attached through the bottle strap.

Te SID can withstand temperatures up to 450 degrees F. It has two buttons that can easily be pushed while wearing gloves. One button allows you to turn on the unit manually and set the mode from solid to flashing or strobe. Te second button allows you to change the color of the ID and ID number illumination.

Te light is activated immediately upon exiting the fire truck.

I believe that the Smoke ID Light, which costs $139, made a considerable difference in our accountability of firefighters working on and around the fireground.

Not only did it help identify what crews are on the fireground, but command could see them as well. Bottom line: Our crews had a very favorable response to the product.

On another note, don’t forget that it’s our responsibility to take care of each other so everyone goes home.

Be safe!

By Jane Jerrard

O

n March 7, 1,555 firefighters in full gear sprinted up the 1,311 stairs of Seattle’s tallest building for a good cause. Te 19th annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb is the largest individual firefighter competition in the world, as well as a major fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Held in Seattle’s Columbia Center, the event calls for firefighters in full bunker gear and breathing apparatus (collectively weighing about 50 lbs.) to sprintclimb from the skyscraper’s lobby to the 73rd floor.

“Overall, the event was wonderful,” says Kris Howard, event director for LLS.

May 2010

NIOSH Reports Recently Released To read the complete reports, visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire F2008-05: Volunteer captain dies in engine rollover Date: Feb. 23, 2008 Location: Colorado F2009-12: Volunteer fire chief dies in motor vehicle incident while responding to a fire alarm Date: April 15, 2009 Location: Maryland

F2009-26: Firefighter/operator suffers sudden cardiac death while operating a fire engine at a structure fire Date: Sept. 11, 2009 Location: Louisiana F2009-05: A career lieutenant dies and three firefighters are injured in ladder truck crash Date: Jan. 9, 2009 Location: Massachusetts

Firerescue Magazine

15

January,” she explains. “Ten I’ll start working out at the gym here at the department with all my gear on, to train for the heat.”

Asked her secret for conquering this event for a dozen years, Daniels says simply, “I think I have good genes.”

Tat must hold true for the men’s climb winner as

Honored Patient Each year, the LLS chooses an “honored patient” for the Stairclimb. “We like to remind everyone of the reason, or the heart, behind this event, so we always select an honored patient,” Howard explains. “It puts a face to the disease a little bit.” For the 2010 Stairclimb, the honored patient was Audra Rajsich, whose brother Kyle is a firefighter with the Boise (Idaho) Fire Department.

“I was asked to tell my story during the morning’s opening ceremony,” says Audra, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2008. “It was a great opportunity to just say thank you. It’s such a privilege to walk in and see all these people—the firefighters and volunteers—and know that they’re there for you.”

Kyle has run the Stairclimb four times—his first two before his sister had cancer. “Last year, I was still going through chemo, but I really wanted to be there when Kyle raced,” Audra recalls. “I couldn’t fly because of risk of infection, so I rented a car and drove from Boise to Seattle.” Thanks to an OK from Howard, Audra was waiting at the 73rd floor when Kyle completed his climb—as she was this year.

s

well. Kory Burgess, a firefighter with Missoula (Mont.)

Rural Fire, won with a time of just 11:01.35—the second-fastest time ever recorded for the competition, right behind Burgess’s own time of 10:55.75 in 2009.

Tis was Burgess’s sixth year in the Stairclimb.

“Every year, I say I’m not going to sign up for it again,” he admits. “I forget how painful it is while you’re doing it.”

Burgess stays in shape throughout the year with general training. “About 4 months out, I start focusing on the Stairclimb,” he says. “We have Mount Sentinel here in Missoula, and I’ll run up that with a weight vest or in my gear. I try to do that no more than once or twice a week; in past years, I’ve burnt out from training too much.”

Burgess says he races in the Stairclimb because, “It’s a good way to stay in shape and a good [fitness] goal.

But mainly we do it so we can fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.” Missoula firefighters raise funds individually and as a department, and they do very well in both fundraising and in the competition. Andy Drobeck of Missoula City Fire took second place and Doug Swain—also of Missoula Rural Fire—finished fourth.

What’s up with Missoula? “It’s a pretty active community—there are lots of triathlons and bike races,” Burgess says. “And we feed off of each other while we train. My friend Doug Swain and I train together

s

16

Firerescue Magazine

Choose 21 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Choose 22 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

Get Movin’

Sign up for Challenge events in your area

The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge kicked into high gear last month with its first event in Miami Township, Ohio. May Challenge events will be held in Albertville, Ala.; Marlboroug, Mass.; Kissimmee, Fla.; and Charleston, S.C. Visit www.firefighter-challenge. com to view results and check the Challenge schedule for events in your area.

a lot. And Andy works for a neighboring department, so we have a friendly rivalry.”

Wait ’til Next Year If you want to participate in next year’s Scott Firefighter Stairclimb, Howard recommends that you get in touch with LLS as soon as possible. Registration typically opens in midNovember, and the number of slots for 2011 has not yet been determined. Visit the LLS Web site at www.leukemia-lymphoma.org.

Jane Jerrard lives in Chicago and writes regularly for FireRescue.

Review

Viewing the Hazmat Environment MetaMedia Publishing’s hazmat training DVDs offer valuable information By anthony P. Manfredi Jr.

I

s

was recently asked by one of the editors at FireRescue magazine to review MetaMedia Publishing’s Emergency Response hazmat training DVDs: “Responding to Hazmat Incidents,” “Lessons Learned from Graniteville” and “Roles of Skills Construction Workers in a Disaster Setting.” I found the series to be very interesting, informative and well organized.

In a nutshell, the DVDs cover procedures for establishing command; guidelines for a safe approach; positioning at a hazmat incident; establishing a safe perimeter and hazard control zones; procedures for carrying out protective actions; how to coordinate multiple resource groups; the importance of controlling the flow of information and having an effective leadership team; and preplanning to set up a systematic, coordinated approach to a major accident or incident, which may involve a variety of public and private agencies, including fire departments, police services, EMS and local emergency planning committees.

Responders who watch these DVDs will learn how to determine response objectives and sources for hazard information, and how to evaluate risks. Additionally, the DVDs have a story-telling style, which I personally think is an extremely effective approach to learning.

Choose 23 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

18

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 24 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

Photos Courtesy MetaMedia Publishing

Te DVDs can be played on either a DVD player hooked up to a TV or on a computer that plays DVDs. I watched the DVDs on my computer and found it extremely easy to use my mouse to navigate through the program.

Here are the specifics of each DVD: • “Responding to Hazmat Incidents” is broken up into four essential parts: Analyzing, Planning, Implementing and Evaluating. Tese four parts are certainly relative to the eight-step process that we all use when responding to a hazmat incident.

Tis DVD also addresses the use of the Emergency Response Guidebook—an important tool to every first responder in the initial stages of the incident.

• After watching “Lessons Learned from Graniteville,” viewers will be able to describe the hazmat situation that occurred in Graniteville, S.C., and its consequences.

(Note: On Jan. 6, 2005, two trains collided. One of the trains was carrying chlorine gas, which was released into the air and ultimately caused the death of nine people. Approximately 5,400 people within a mile of the crash site were forced to evacuate for nearly 2 weeks while hazmat teams decontaminated the area.) Tis DVD focuses on four main objectives: explaining the procedures for identifying a potential hazmat situation; describing the various resources that help responders determine what the chemical may be; identifying the most common hazardous materials released; and identifying various placards, hazard class ID numbers, colors and symbols that may be seen on different tank cars.

• “Te Roles of Skilled Construction Workers in a Disaster Setting” DVD has an interesting Case Studies section that covers some safety tips and how to enhance your safety plan. It also covers the OSHA 30-hour course topics of training related to construction and general industry safety and health standards.

Te bottom line: We’re all trying to get the most out of training these days, and watching videos like this is a great option.

After all, they become resources that members can watch over and over again to really grasp the subject matter.

For more information about these DVDs, visit www.metamediapublishing.com.

Anthony P. Manfredi Jr. is the assistant fire chief and deputy fire marshal for the Mystic (Conn.) Fire Department. He is also the chairman of the Connecticut Eastern Regional Response Integrated Team’s equipment and training committee.

Choose 25 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

20

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 26 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

NOZZLEHEAD

Radio Communication & DIM-WITs Learn all the features of your portable radio system before you experience a mayday!

D

22

Firerescue Magazine

Dear Can You Hear Me Now, A need to communicate in the fire service—now there’s an issue worth talking about. (Lame attempt at humor; relax, it may get better).

Interestingly, I just had a discussion about this with some chiefs who are also very concerned. Te fire service really needs to review the procedures and training related to the use of radio systems, especially digital trunked systems. So you aren’t nuts, at least not in this case.

Te word is that the IAFC’s Safety, Health and Survival Section is going to work on this very issue, developing “best practices” that focus on ensuring firefighters and fire officers get the proper training before they operate on new radio systems in dangerous environments.

Most departments don’t provide firefighters with training on radio systems, but they all should.

When a department switches from using a simple analog system to a complex digital trunked system, users will find the systems to be VERY different—and this is not something that should be learned during a mayday.

But it has been, and the results have been horrific.

Although some may argue that the newer-style digital trunked radio systems are the problem—and this may be the case in some situations—there’s no excuse for a department to fail to provide drills and training on the new system well before crews must rely on it.

As for your specific concern, in my opinion, the emergency button should be pushed as the first step in declaring a mayday, as it gives the user the system, as it should. I would also like exterior firefighters to stay off the radio when members are operating in the interior. After all, this is when they’re most likely to get into trouble or need help quickly and, therefore, this is when they’ll most likely need to use their radio.

When I think about this issue and the “over use” of radios, I like to reference the acronym DIM-WIT: Does It Matter What I’m Transmitting? Basically, if the transmission isn’t critical, then do not transmit.

And no, this may not be easy for some; it isn’t for me.

I like to paint a very clear picture of what I’m dealing with in the area I’m responsible for so everyone on the fireground understands the big picture. And like most changes, this will require a little self-discipline.

s

ear Nozzlehead: I need your help checking my sanity—or lack thereof. Our current county mayday policy calls for a firefighter in a bad situation to call a mayday on our 800-MHz digital trunked radios two times before activating the emergency button. My concern is that a firefighter or crew in a mayday situation may not have time to call for a mayday two times. After reading some recent line-of-duty death (LODD) reports, I learned that the transmission may be rejected by the system (and never make the air), especially in the first 5 minutes of a fire when there’s a lot of traffic on the fireground (responding units, command, hydrant, etc.) and talk groups.

I thought activating the emergency button first gives that particular radio priority above all others! The argument I keep hearing is, “The emergency button activation changes the channel of the emergency radio to the main dispatch and makes the rest of the county use another channel for dispatch.” I know this may be inconvenient for other departments; however, these situations happen so infrequently that the inconvenience to others pales in comparison to a firefighter who needs help.

I’ve heard other minor arguments (i.e., “A gloved firefighter can’t find the button”; “We keep our radios in pockets”), but we need to find a solution to train our firefighters and keep them safe. For instance, we train all of our firefighters to clip the radio to their SCBA chest strap instead of putting it in a pocket, so the radio is in front of them in an accessible location. I’ve told our crews that I’d rather deal with a burned hand than my family mourning my death.

We struggle with teaching firefighters to recognize when they’re in trouble and to activate a mayday—rather than being foolishly macho and not calling for help until they no longer can. Why would we take away their one guaranteed method of communicating with someone when they’re in need? The difference between being in trouble and being incapacitated in a bad situation could be seconds. The current system does not guarantee someone will hear their call for help unless they activate the emergency button first.

I know from reading some LODD reports and knowing people who gave their lives that this is a valid issue. I just can’t understand why others don’t understand. Am I on the right track with this or am I way off base?

—Can You Hear Me Now?

May 2010

Choose 27 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

NozzleHead

Got a fire service question or complaint?

Let Nozzlehead hear all about it. He’ll answer you with 2,000 psi of free-flowing opinion.

Send your letters to: Nozzlehead, c/o FireRescue, 525 B St. Ste. 1800 San Diego, CA 92101-4495 frm.editor@elsevier.com

24

I’ve been focusing on this issue myself recently, and I have an example: I had the “Charlie” division on a working structural fire. I gave my report, suggested to command what I wanted to do and awaited their OK. Tey OK’d my plan, and I directed my three companies to get it done. As they were executing the plan, I thought, “Maybe I should give command a progress report,” but then wondered, “Why?” Command expects that I will get done what we agreed to, so until my companies have completed the task, why do I need to tell command that I was doing what they already expected? 10-4?

Especially with the advent of digital radios, where the “computer” controls the airwaves and only one portable radio can transmit on a talk group at a time, radio “space” is absolutely precious. Transmitting a non-critical message could block another firefighter transmitting their only chance for a mayday—another reason why pressing the mayday button, emergency button (whatever you call it in your department) should be the FIRST step in transmitting a mayday. If you’re in a mayday situation (as defined by your department’s policies, but generally when you’re lost, unable to exit, disoriented, trapped, etc.), hit the button and start your message.

Here’s one department’s definition of a mayday: “Firefighters will call a mayday for themselves or their crewmembers under the following conditions while operating in, on or near a hazardous environment: • If they are lost, disoriented, trapped, caught in fire-related conditions or entangled; • When a crewmember is unaccounted for (i.e., if a crewmember does not reply after the third time called, you have a mayday); • If a crewmember is injured, trapped or needs medical attention and existing resources cannot get the member out—and the member is in danger; • If there has been a critical equipment failure (SCBA, PPE, etc.) or structural collapse; • If the low-air alarm sounds and one of the conditions mentioned above is present; • If a firefighter is out of air; or • In any other situation that causes a firefighter to feel that their life or team members’ lives are in serious danger and serious harm.”

Remember: A mayday can always be recalled or cancelled, but waiting too long to call a mayday can result in losing precious time for finding and rescuing a member. Generally, if you’re even thinking about calling a mayday, something has made you think that way and, therefore, calling a mayday is probably valid.

Te days of “Engine 888 approaching, requesting assignment” or “Engine 888 to command, where do you need us?” are over—or need to be. Arriving companies should state, “Engine 888 staged” and that’s it. Command will then give you an assignment. Also, while operating, companies making progress should do that—make progress. Tere’s no need to talk on the radio until the assignment is done (unless more help is needed or you’re unable to get the task done, of course).

Firerescue Magazine

Ten either exit or advise that you’re done—whatever your local procedure is. Tat’s it.

Listening is also critical. When we’re not transmitting, we have the opportunity to LISTEN to the radio while performing our tasks. Who knows who may hear that one brief transmission that will matter? Listening to the radio is a critical part of nearly every fireground task for all responding, arriving and on-scene command officers. As soon as the fireground channel is assigned, switch your portable radio to it and start listening while responding, upon arrival and while establishing command—and then don’t stop listening.

Some other significant concerns related to radios: • Many firefighters in trouble take off their gloves to hit the emergency button. When was the last time your department conducted a drill that involved using the radios in full PPE to see what buttons and switches work with a gloved hand?

And, of course, “It is better to burn one’s hand than to die,” but wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t HAVE to remove our gloves—and we not only had equipment to support that, but training that’s related as well? Some would also counter that some firefighters aren’t in a heated environment when they’re calling a mayday, but rather lost or disoriented, and to tell them to keep their gloves on is useless. To that I say that the better solution would be for us to be able to hit the button, transmit the mayday and stay in our PPE without any exposed skin as long as possible.

• Where is your radio? In the radio pocket? Under your coat on a strap? Over your coat on a strap?

Are you able to hit the emergency button with your radio under your coat? How will that work when you get in trouble? What’s the procedure?

Maybe radios shouldn’t be under coats unless the extended microphone has an emergency button—something to think about.

• Some digital radio systems have excellent features that allow the dispatcher or command to control the actual mayday radio itself, helping get the firefighter rescued. What features does your radio system have? Have you been properly trained or were you simply handed the new radio and expected to figure it out yourself?

Te last thing you want is to have to figure out the answers to the above questions when you’re stuck in a hot, blacked-out basement that’s full of smoke—and you’re lost.

Te bottom line: Te clueless need to be clued in on the fact that NOTHING else matters when there’s a mayday. And when it does happen, EVERY effort must be made to tell ANYONE that, “I need help NOW!” Tat includes hitting the button by any means required vs. getting killed because we instead attempted to transmit on the radio and got a digital “busy signal”—something that has happened to some firefighters who did make it out and, horrifically, to others who gave their lives in the line of duty.

May 2010

Choose 28 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

apparatusideas

Comm Central L.A. County’s PIO rigs keep the media & the public informed during large-scale incidents

A

By Bob Vaccaro

5 Years in the Making According to former PIO Captain Mark Savage, the production of the units was a 5-year project. “Te planning for the vehicles started in 2003,” Savage says. “We had smaller units in the past, but they became obsolete. After 9/11, we put in a request to have a platform to handle large-scale incidents, such as weapons of mass destruction, large wildfires, mudslides, etc.”

Although many departments might see a PIO vehicle as too specialized, Los Angeles is the secondlargest media outlet in the country, creating a unique need. “We needed a vehicle to handle the media at large-scale events and also handle the large number of PIOs from other agencies who work at these events—such as other fire departments, the Office of Emergency Services [OES], power and light, sheriff’s office, LAPD, etc.,” Savage says. “At one incident, we had more than 40 different PIOs on scene.”

And as Savage notes, in a community that faces many natural disasters, the PIO’s role is critical.

s

s most of you know, I always strive to report on unique types of fire apparatus out in the field. Occasionally, I’ll write about the average engine, ladder or heavy-rescue, but for the most part, I search for the unique rigs.

Tis month’s column brings us to Los Angeles County. I’ve followed the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) ever since the popular show Emergency! debuted in the 1970s. Even back then, it was obvious that the department was ahead of the pack, and today is no different. It’s one of the most progressive departments on the West Coast, so it shouldn’t be surprising that some of their apparatus are a bit unique as well.

Over the last several years, the LACoFD has taken delivery of a large command-style vehicle and three smaller vehicles. At first glance, they might look like command-and-control vehicles. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that these rigs were built for exclusive use by LACoFD public information officers (PIOs).

All photos courtesy los Angeles county Fire DepArtment

L.A. County’s new PIO vehicle is built by SVI on a 2007 Freightliner chassis. This large unit is stationed at the LACoFD headquarters.

26

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 29 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

apparatusideas

The business end of the vehicle shows the six workstations and communications equipment.

“Our main concern and goal is to get real-time evacuation information out to the public for wildfires and mudslides and other large events—to save lives,” he says.

Te spec-writing committee for the vehicles consisted of firefighters, officers, chiefs, members of the fleet services division and Savage.

Te specs were written for a self-contained vehicle. “We wanted it to be large, but not too large,” Savage says. “We didn’t want it to be overdone. It also had to be cost-effective, but efficient.”

Te committee went through the normal bidding channels, and SVI, located in Loveland, Colo., won the bid. “Tey have a great deal of experience building these types of vehicles, so we were happy when it was announced they received the contract,” Savage says. “We went out to the factory several times during the building of the vehicle, and we were happy with the company. Tey were very receptive to our ideas. It was a great experience dealing with their engineers.”

Big & Small

s

Te larger PIO vehicle is stationed at the LACoFD headquarters in East Los Angeles, while the smaller units are dispersed around the county.

A lot of neat stuff is included in the bigger vehicle, all of which is designed to facilitate communication with the public during largescale incidents. Te 2007 Freightliner vehicle is equipped with six workstations, but can accommodate more people; laptops are all connected to printers and fax machines. Electrical outlets are available for cell phone charging and also provide access to 12 15" flat-screen TVs. Te TVs provide coverage of all local news stations plus satellite channels. In the middle of the TV bank is a 40" conversion SmartBoard/Television that allows the PIO to actually draw on the on-screen map, which is ideal for showing fire spread or evacuation routes.

About LACoFD The Los Angeles County Fire Department was founded in 1920. It provides fire protection and life-safety services to 4.1 million residents living across 2,300 square miles.

Protection covers 58 individual cities with 3,700 sworn personnel and 700 lifeguards. The department responds to more than 300,000 incidents each year.

28

Choose 30 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 31 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

apparatusideas

“Our main concern & goal is to get real-time evacuation information out to the public for wildfires & mudslides—to save lives.”

The department also ordered three smaller vehicles that are located throughout the county and respond to greater-alarm incidents.

Choose 33 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Te truck’s video capabilities allow firefighters to download and dub video from a camera in the field and use it for training purposes. It can also provide computer-aided dispatch if needed to back up the main system.

Other features include an onboard generator and a self-stabilizing system that keeps the truck stable at all times. Because the unit usually responds with the expectation that it will be operating 12 hours or more, it has 80 gallons of fuel storage and bedding and tables for long-term use. Te unit was funded partially by a $375,000 Department of Homeland Security grant.

Te smaller regional units have satellite dishes affixed to the roof and two LCD monitors, which can be configured to watch several media outlets at once. Te command module built into the rear of these Suburbans has computer and printer capabilities that can be used to disseminate information to the media. Tese units respond on greater-alarm incidents.

In OperatIOn Te larger unit has operated a great deal since delivery. “We used it at the Station Fire, the Merrick Fire and several of the large mudslide incidents that L.A. County has experienced,” Savage says. “It has worked great at all of the incidents.”

A unit of this magnitude wouldn’t be cost-effective for most smaller departments, but the smaller unit would. You could also incorporate some of the features of these units into command-and-control vehicles that you may already own or are contemplating building.

Te capabilities provided by such vehicles are not only convenient; they can be invaluable to your department over the longterm. Keeping the media on your side and giving them timely information during an incident pays huge dividends in your department’s credibility.

Bob Vaccaro has more than 30 years of fire service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (N.Y.) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, The New York Fire Patrol and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior losscontrol consultant. Vaccaro is a life member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Choose 41 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

30

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 34 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 35 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

31

Fireattack

Double Duty First-in engine companies are often tasked with both size-up & initial fireground operations

U

By Greg Jakubowski

nless your department has a “fire SUV” (check it out on YouTube if you haven’t already), there’s a very good chance that you’ll arrive on the scene of a house or building fire incident with an engine company. In North America, engine companies are the most common piece of apparatus in the fire station, because they’re needed to extinguish almost every type of fire. As a result, engine companies are often the first-arriving units at a fire incident and therefore have the ability to set the tone for the entire incident by properly performing a size-up and initial fireground operations. As we all know, when a size-up is not done, or not done properly, it can at best result in errors on the fireground, or at worst, chaos.

Get a Good Look

s

Many first-arriving firefighters base their initial decisions at an incident scene on first impressions, without looking at the entire picture. Tey see something that looks like smoke and immediately think “working fire.” Or, they see nothing and immediately think “false alarm.” But it’s very difficult to get a full understanding of an incident without getting a good look at everything. You never know what may happen. Consider

the Takoma Park, Md., incident that occurred in 1982.

More than a dozen houses caught fire after thousands of gallons of gasoline were mistakenly dispensed into the sewer system. It was quite a surprise to the firefighters on scene that day when they saw one house on fire, but suddenly the house next door also began to burn.

Initial units can also get tunnel vision, focusing on a small part of the situation because that’s what they’re used to dealing with, while the overall incident rapidly progresses and spreads, requiring bigger-picture management and additional resources.

To combat this, the initial-arriving crew must use all their senses to determine what’s occurring. At the very least, one crewmember must take a 360-degree look around the structure, unless a victim needs rescue and/ or assistance or the building is so large that it’s impossible to size up in 2 or 3 minutes. If the structure is large, the crewmember can go from one corner of the building to the next to view at least three of its sides.

If the crewmember doesn’t take the time to perform this task or performs it poorly, it can result in selecting the wrong size hoseline or stretching a hoseline in the wrong place, which would allow the fire to grow and threaten lives and property.

Photo Ryan McDonalD

At first glance, it might appear that this home has nothing showing from the front, but a quick trip around the building found smoke showing.

32

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 36 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 37 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

OctOber 2009

Firerescue Magazine

55

Photo Brian Meroney

fireattack

The first-arriving engine company must figure out how to conduct size-up and initiate fireground operations, even at complicated incidents.

What to Look For & What to Say

Choose 38 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

34

Firerescue Magazine

s

During the size-up, get a good look at where any smoke or fire is coming from. Look for signs of backdraft, such as puffing (“breathing”) smoke, yellow-brownish smoke and darkened/cracked windows. If these elements are present, start vertical ventilation immediately.

Look for signs of flashover, including an advancing/ increasing fire. One classic sign of an impending flashover is the smoke level in the fire room being “pulled down” like a room-darkening shade. If you see that happen, you may have only a few moments until flashover. Get water on the ceiling area of the room, and get it ventilated horizontally (break a window).

Smoke color can tell you a lot about what’s going

on. As mentioned, a brown or yellow-brownish smoke (think dirty diaper) can indicate a nasty working fire that will take as many resources as you can throw at it.

A heavy black smoke indicates involvement of synthetic materials, vinyl siding, asphalt roofing or other plastic/ combustible-liquid related materials. Again, this will take a lot of resources to deal with. A light, white smoke may simply be steam (from a dryer vent, etc.), or it may be from a fire being knocked down by sprinklers or an attack line; it may also be a fire in its early stages.

If you notice smoke of various other colors during your size-up, particularly if it’s in primary shades, you have something quite unusual going on, so you better hope you have a good preplan to tell you what’s happening and how to protect yourself and others from it.

Remember: Communicate smoke color, as well as other findings, to others on the fireground and any incoming apparatus. Try to paint a picture of what’s going on: Is the incident at a residential dwelling or a commercial building? How many stories? What are the dimensions, roughly? Are there any exposures?

What are the current conditions? Other responders need to know what to expect so they can better plan their response. If given a more complete picture, they may also be able to provide their own information and observations to assist in the ongoing size-up effort.

Of course, the time available to conduct the size-up and consider action plan options will depend on

Choose 39 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Choose 40 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

fireattack

your response area, as different departments have different time delays between the arrival of the first-in apparatus and next-due units. In some cases, the delay lasts just moments; in others, it can last 10 minutes or longer.

First-Arriving ChAllenges One major challenge for the first-arriving engine: determining how to conduct both the size-up and initial fireground operations. Although engine crews are certainly capable of performing these tasks, they may cause the first-in unit to commit to a position that may not be advantageous to handling the incident, or it may waste critical manpower needed to stretch initial hoselines or raise critical ladders.

Initial-arriving firefighters must therefore understand both the value of establishing command and the value of passing command to a unit/command officer who arrives after them. Certain situations may demand action immediately, requiring first-arriving officers to pass command rather than to establish it, preventing a small-to-moderate incident from accelerating into a major catastrophe.

Questions to Ask

Choose 95 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

36

Firerescue Magazine

key elements In addition to answering crucial questions about what to do upon arrival, you’ll also have several key elements to consider when forming your IAP: • Where is the fire now, and where is it going?

• Are lives at imminent risk?

• How involved is the fire? Is it simply a “contents” fire that can be quickly controlled by a single handline, or is the structure itself involved, requiring multiple attack lines and rapid ventilation support?

s

Arriving first means you’ll have to answer many difficult questions that will affect your initial actions, such as: • Do you take command or do you do something else, such as initiate triage or fire attack?

• How much work is there to do?

• Is it a simple fire or EMS incident, or are there underlying safety issues, such as gas or carbon monoxide?

• Are there enough or too many resources responding on the initial alarm?

• Does a bona fide emergency exist, or can units respond at non-emergency speed?

Tip: Avoid committing too many units prior to developing an initial action plan (IAP). If necessary, instruct units that aren’t immediately assigned to a specific area to stage a block or so away until you can figure out what’s going on.

Although the temptation may be great to begin firefighting, be careful not to freelance. Make sure back-up is available, and don’t put yourself at risk.

Choose 42 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Choose 43 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 44 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

37

fireattack

• Is the building occupied and, if so, where are the occupants located? In adjoining areas or directly above the fire area? (If the answer is yes to the first question, you must take immediate action.)

• Are there other occupants who aren’t in immediate danger, but think they are? Are they pressuring you to take action? If so, assign a law-enforcement officer to stay in communication with them to tell them that help is on its way.

• In a multi-story building, is the fire at the top, or is it on a lower floor exposing floors (and people) above it?

• In attached garages or dwellings, or even detached buildings, is the fire threatening an exposure?

• What resources will you need to deal with those threats, and who will coordinate them? Units arriving without instructions tend to freelance at working incidents. As a result, they may rescue visible victims who aren’t immediately threatened instead of aggressively attacking the fire to protect those exposed above the fire floor. Tip: If during size-up you decide to take command, clearly identify on the radio that you are doing so, and give clear instructions to incoming units.

In developing an IAP, it’s critical to know the capabilities of the incoming apparatus to determine where they should be placed on the incident scene. To take maximum advantage of arriving resources, consider

Choose 45 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

38

Firerescue Magazine

aerial ladder lengths, sizes of supply lines, lighting and rescue capabilities of various units.

ConClusion

Competency in performing size-ups and developing IAPs comes from training and experience. But even if you have experience at hundreds or perhaps thousands of calls, you must have some prior training, preferably in a training environment rather than on the emergency scene. Use incident simulations, and study actual fire photographs or videos (www.firefighter closecalls.com and YouTube are good places to start) to obtain some background information.

Take the time to study various scenes, and listen to size-ups done by others. Ask yourself: Would that sizeup better prepare my crew if we’re responding? Is there something we could have done differently to improve our response?

Take some time to think about it, so the next time that you pull up first, you are prepared to size up the situation, communicate it well to others and take the decisive actions needed to successfully handle the incident.

Greg Jakubowski is a fire protection engineer and certified safety professional with 31 years of fire-service experience. He is a Pennsylvania State Fire Instructor, serves as chief of the Lingohocken Fire Company in Bucks County, Pa., and is a member of the IAFC. Greg is also a principal in Fire Planning Associates, a company dedicated to helping fire departments, municipalities and businesses with pre-emergency training.

Choose 46 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Choose 47 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 48 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

39

Photo Nick Schuler

Rescuers from CAL FIRE attempt to access a vehicle in moving water. Note that the rescuer is wearing appropriate PPE: a wet suit, helmet and PFD. The rope is not tied directly to him; it’s attached to the rear connection on his “live bait” belt. He’s holding the second rope in his hand and can let it go if needed.

40

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

onsider this scenario: You’re the battalion chief on duty during a summer afternoon, and you’re dispatched to a call involving a “car in the river with possible victim trapped.” As is most often the case, the address is vague; all you know is that the location is somewhere along the river road. You direct units to respond north and south of the suspected area and await reports.

Soon, police units locate a victim and the accident location. Your units arrive on scene ahead of you. Upon your arrival, you find an injured, agitated male screaming that his buddy is still trapped inside the car. Tere are muddy tire tracks on the soft surface of the road, and the hillside is scarred where a vehicle has left the roadway and rolled into the dark, dank river.

Your personnel are scattered along the bank, and then you spot something that makes you take a breath: Tere’s a firefighter on shore holding a rope that trails off into the water.

Tere are several pairs of black, fire departmentissued duty boots on the bank and a light-blue uniform shirt worn by your department members alongside the boots. You quickly size up the scene and realize that you have personnel in the water, under water, attempting to rescue the trapped victim from the car. How many of your personnel are in the water? What’s the plan? Is there a back-up plan? Are these crews trained in water-rescue operations?

Does this sound familiar? Of course it does.

Does your agency have bodies of water, still or moving, in its area? Does your area flood?

Does your agency have standard operating

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

41

guidelines (SOGs) that discuss appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and initial actions for first-in companies?

In this article, I’ll discuss some basic waterrescue techniques, PPE and drills that you can perform at the firehouse to prepare for water-rescue response.

Plan for the Worst

Photo courtesy Andy sPeier

Regardless of what type of rescue techniques and equipment your agency employs, at minimum you should have a properly fitted personal flotation device (PFD). Tere are many types of PFDs out there; however, fire/ rescue personnel should use a Type III Coast Guard-approved PFD. Federal, state and agency standards and policies require that all personnel don a PFD when they’re 15–25 feet from the shoreline.

Tough firefighters often think this is overkill, you should make it a habit to don a PFD so that when someone steps where they shouldn’t and/or attempts to help transfer a victim from the water to the shore, they’re wearing the proper flotation device.

Te PFD only works if it stays on the user, so always use all straps, buckles and zippers.

Te silly leg straps that always dangle from the bottom of the PFD are a hassle—until you’re in the water in an ill-fitting PFD that’s riding up past your ears. And if worn properly, the PFD not only provides flotation, it also reduces heat loss, both on shore and when in the water (if it’s worn snugly). Te point: Use the leg straps to secure the PFD. Rescue models of PFDs, labeled “Class V”

PFDs, may come with additional flotation elements, pockets, gear attachment points and a quick-release belt and tether. If your agency uses these types of PFDs, be sure all personnel are familiar with the quick-release belt feature (also called a blow-out belt).

All PFDs should have a whistle attached, and all PFDs worn for water-based rescue attempts should be equipped with a knife and strobe light or light stick. Te lighting allows responders on shore to keep track of rescuers in the water in low-light conditions.

It sounds simple, but it can be difficult to keep track of personnel in the dark on the water/ice.

When not in use, store PFDs where they’re easily accessible and out of direct sunlight, as direct sunlight will break down the nylon cover in as little as a year.

Note: PFDs come in odd sizes. Although I’m a size medium kind of guy, I wear a Stearns XXXL PFD. Obviously, they run a bit small, so make sure you know the range of sizes for the model of PFD you want to purchase. Also determine whether one size will fit all of your personnel, or if you need to purchase several sizes. Tip: If you purchase several sizes, label them on the outside so that the size is easy for the user to see prior to donning.

An interesting fact about PFDs: Most people who drown aren’t wearing a PFD. But most people who drown never planned on being in the water in the first place. We are professionals, so we must plan for the worstcase scenario.

Practice throw-bag techniques periodically. While training, ask yourself: How long does it take to locate the throwbag on the apparatus and make two attempts to throw it to a potential victim?

42

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

s

to three lengths of 2 ½" fire hose with air and lash a toss-ring to the end. Maneuver it onto water (or ice) by twisting the fire hose. Te • 1 female 2 ½" port cap twisting motion makes the toss• 1 male 2 ½" port cap with a pneumatic ring rotate like a paddle wheel in fitting and petcock valve either direction. We’ve used this • Two 2 ½" spanner wrenches technique to provide flotation for • 1 airbag regulator with one air line as many as 12 people at once.

• 1 SCBA air cylinder Tip: Be sure to lash the hose • 1 toss ring with a minimum of 12 feet of 1" securely to the ring. If the hose webbing can't turn independently of the • Two 2 ½" spanner wrenches toss-ring, you won’t be able to move the hose from side to side.

Also, don’t allow the hose to pass the tossAssess & TrAin If you haven’t done so already, perform a ring when securing it to the ring. Tis will hazard assessment on the types of bodies of assist with deployment and decrease the water you have in your response area and the potential for lost teeth on the port cap on situations in which you may encounter vic- the end of the hose. tims. If there’s a known, accessible waterfall in your first-due area, you’ll want to pre-plan WATer-rescue Drills rescue ops in that area.

Below are some water rescue drills that you If you have no response plan, training or can perform in or out of the fire station and equipment, start small. Provide your person- without being next to a body of water or nel with awareness-level training. What are relying on another company. the hazards to the responders? Address those hazards in your training outline. Use NFPA Initial-Arrival Drill: Donning PFDs 1670: Standard on Operations and Training How long does it take, after you arrive on for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents, scene, for all of your crewmembers to comand NFPA 1006: Standard for Technical pletely don their PFDs? Start at the beginRescuer Professional Qualifications as guide- ning, with participants in their standard lines for putting together an outline.

PPE, and instruct them to don their PFDs Also provide appropriate PFDs, making completely. Record the amount of time sure they’re available inside the apparatus, it takes the entire group to get completely and that all personnel know how to don them buckled and zipped up. Repeat this drill a and buckle them up. Often there are plastic few times to see whether they can decrease tabs still attached that inhibit the ability to their time, and if so, by how much. extend the straps to their longest position, which makes it impossible for the user to zip Trow-Bag Drill and/or buckle. Tese tabs are intended to How long does it take to locate the throwkeep the excess straps from flopping around. bag on the apparatus and make two attempts I would cut them off the straps. to throw it to a potential victim? For this drill, instruct one crewmember (the thrower) to stand in place while another crewmember reAch Tools Which tools do you presently carry on your (the victim) positions themselves 30 or 40 apparatus that can assist with shore-based feet away, with their arms raised over their rescue attempts? One basic tool we use is head. Te thrower should then attempt to the pike pole. Rubbish and ceiling hooks throw the bag/line over the victim’s head and are carried on nearly all apparatus. When a between their arms.

After a few attempts, instruct the victim to D handle isn’t on the user’s end of a pole, carefully pass the hook end to the victim. It’s move farther away. Note: Te victim should easier for the rescuer to maintain a grip on try to grab the rope and turn away from the shaft than a terrified, exhausted victim. the shore so that the rope travels over their Tip: Apply a few strips of grippy adhesive shoulder. Tey should also grip the rope at tape to the lower portion of the shaft to help chest or waist level so they can hold the rope without getting water in their mouth. the user to hold onto the tool.

For units that respond to incidents in Te hose inflation technique is another very effective tool. To utilize it, inflate up moving water, instruct the victim to

Choose 50 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

43

Choose 51 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

44

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Photos courtesy Andy sPeier

deployment time.

To perform this drill, break up into two-person crews, then record how long it takes each crew to deploy the line and gather it up when finished. Te steps are: Pull 150 feet of a pre-connected 2 ½" handline, remove the nozzle, install the female cap, grab the spanners and stretch the line to the incident. After tightening the cap with the spanners, work your way Proper shore-based rescuer PPE (left) includes a proper fitting PFD. back to the end of the hose Proper water-based rescuer PPE (right) includes a PFD, dry suit, helmet where your partner should and light. have left the airbag regulator walk or jog past the thrower. Tis forces the and other equipment. You can now hook thrower to time their throw to the victim. up the pneumatic fittings and fill the hose Tip: If possible, always throw behind (or with air. Your partner should then bring slightly downstream of ) the victim, because the toss-ring with webbing to the other end it’s much easier to swim downstream than it and secure it to the fire hose. How much air is enough? Te hose should not depress is to swim upstream.

In moving water, rescuers must realize that when you step on it.

Repeat with three-person crews. Compare if and when the line goes taut, they’ll need to feed the line some slack to prevent the vic- the times from the first rotation with the tim from going underwater, depending on times from the fourth or final rotation to see the speed of the water. Slack is given by mov- how much you’ve improved. If you’re having ing downstream and/or allowing the line to trouble, make position assignments and see pay out. Slight tension will vector the victim whether that helps reduce your time.

Master the above skills and you’ll be ready toward shore. to perform shore-based rescue techniques in an organized manner.

Hose Inflation Technique Drill How long does it take a two-person crew to deploy 150 feet of 2 ½" fire hose filled So What happened? with air? How long does it take a three- What happened with the car in the river person crew? Tip: With pre-assigned posi- with the possible victim trapped? Te car tion assignments, you can greatly reduce was located on its side in approximately

s

Do • Instruct all personnel to don appropriate PPE; • Call for additional resources early; • Have SOGs in place for the specific types of incidents you’ll encounter; • Use upstream spotters when working near moving water; • Use downstream spotters, trained and equipped with throw bags, when working near moving water; and • Use extreme caution when working in flooded areas.

Don’t • Allow personnel to enter the water without appropriate PPE and training; • Tie a rope to anyone entering or working in moving water, unless they’re attached to a quick-release belt designed for water-rescue use, and the person is trained to use that technique; and • Underestimate the power of and hazards associated with moving water.

Choose 52 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

45

Webcasts: Learn about hot topics in fire-rescue!

Check out the archived webcasts today—go to FirefighterNation.com/webcasts • Detecting Biothreats in the Field • Vision 20/20: Model Evaluation Measures for Prevention Programs • Live Fire Training: Conducting Safe & Effective Burns • A 3-Step Approach for Effective Thermal Imager Use • Identifying & Securing Hybrid Vehicles • Influenza: Is This an Emergency?

• Preventing & Responding to SCBA Emergencies • So You Want to Be a Company Officer?

FireEMSBlogs.com Find out what the BEST Industry Bloggers are talking about NOW, visit FireEMSBlogs.com today!

• FireCritic

• FireGeezer

• STATter911

... and more!

Sponsored Fan Groups give you an opportunity to ask vendors questions and find out more about their products. Visit the Black Helmet, Tempest and PBI Performance Products sponsored fan groups on FirefighterNation.com

Get involved in the conversation!

Join FirefighterNation.com today—it’s FREE!

patient began to breathe on his own and was taken to a nearby trauma center where he lived for a few days and then passed away.

Photo Andy SPeier

Lessons Learned

The fittings and tools you need to inflate a fire hose with air: a female 2 ½" port cap, a 2 ½" male port cap with a pneumatic fitting (airbag hose compatible) and a petcock valve to allow the hose to deflate.

Andy Speier is a captain with Snohomish County (Wash.) Fire District 1, assigned to Engine 18. He is the district technical rescue team training coordinator and a training coordinator for the Snohomish County Technical Rescue Team. With a fire service career that spans 29 years and several departments, he is a partner in SPEC RESCUE International and a senior instructor for the Peak Rescue Institute. Contact him at 206/784-5272 or andy@peakrescue.org.

Photo Jim BAteS

12–14 feet of water. Tree firefighters made surface dives. One firefighter entered the car and pushed the unconscious victim in front of him. Another firefighter had a rope around his waist and grabbed the victim. All three firefighters in the water supported the victim while crewmembers on the riverbank pulled everyone to shore.

Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions were started as paramedics brought their equipment down to the river’s edge, where the patient was intubated.

Te patient was secured to a backboard and Stokes basket. Te aerial ladder helped bring the Stokes basket up to the roadway. Te

Many times, we need to step back and do a risk/benefit analysis of the incident facing us. How would the incident described get scored on the risk/benefit scale? Not very well. It involved far too much risk; lack of training and poor or rushed judgment could’ve resulted in much more than the loss of the driver of that car.

Did I mention that the three firefighters who went into the water were in their 20s?

Twenty-something firefighters didn’t always do a risk/benefit analysis 25 years ago. (It would be 18 years before I could go more than 8 feet underwater again. I learned how to do that in a diving class.)

Note: Today, the department involved in that rescue has a dedicated, well-trained and well-equipped water-rescue team.

Spring is here. Be careful out there.

In June 1982, Kent, Wash., firefighters (top to bottom) Bill Pessemier, Andy Speier and Jim Cleary bring an unconscious victim to shore that they've just extricated from a car in the Green River. The object in Jim’s right hand is a flashlight, which indicates the visibility level in the water.

Choose 53 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

47

48

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

photo ShutterStock.com; INSet Ap photo/erIc GAy

May 2010

ecause hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year in the United States, most emergency services departments use the month of May to complete their hurricane preparedness procedures. At Palm Beach County Fire/Rescue (PBCFR), we have good reason to prepare. We still remember the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the bombardment of consecutive hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

Although hurricanes are devastating events, they’ve provided PBCFR with excellent lessons learned, which has also provided us with additional training opportunities and allowed us to reinforce our department’s Hurricane Plan and seasonal preparation.

Despite the absence of hurricanes in the last 3 years, when the month of May rolls around, we continue to diligently prepare and plan for hurricane season.

crews canvas their primary response zone and report back damage impact assessments. During this process, firefighters check on the residences of every department member, utilizing the most recent personnel location map, and report their findings directly to the PBCFR command team.

Once reported damage to homes is prioritized, volunteers immediately start the emergency repair process. To ensure adequate tracking of all this information, the liaison officer assigned to the command post coordinates and organizes all Family Relief Team assignments and reports.

Tere are three keys to maintaining this successful program: 1. Pre-planning, which includes updating responders’ personal information, 2. Identifying volunteers to make repairs; and 3. Collecting and stockpiling necessary supplies.

Over the last three storm activations, the Family Relief and Recovery Team provided assistance to more than 300 members and their families.

Lesson no. 1: FamiLy ReLieF & RecoveRy

Lesson no. 2: station manageR

Hurricane preparedness starts with the department’s greatest asset: its personnel. During the month of May, all personnel review the PBCFR Hurricane Plan, but they also make personal preparations to secure their own home and family should a hurricane occur. One significant lesson learned from previous hurricane seasons is that during hurricane activations, emergency personnel may need to work 24–72 hours or more, but while they’re dedicated to protecting the community, they’re also worried about the safety of their own families.

To address this concern, PBCFR, in partnership with the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics of Palm Beach County, Local 2928, developed a network called the Family Relief and Recovery Team. During hurricane preparations, the address and contact information of each of our 1,450 fire service personnel are updated and maintained in a secure database. When a storm approaches, a map is produced for each fire station, visually indicating the name and address of the first responder(s) living in the station’s response zone.

As soon as the hurricane subsides to a safe level,

Hurricane preparations also require the protection of worksites (fire stations, headquarters, maintenance shops, etc.). Prior to and during an event, each site must be inspected to ensure medical supplies are adequate, fuel supplies are sufficient, and emergency and back-up systems, such as generators, are operational. Deficiencies, such as a loose antenna, must also be corrected prior to June 1.

To address these and other operational concerns, PBCFR assigns a station manager to each facility.

Trough previous events, we’ve learned that the station manager position is best served by clerical personnel who are adept at documentation. Personnel willing to fill the position are identified during hurricane preparedness, and each is provided indepth training on incident management systems, how to use all ICS forms and plans, incident documentation and FEMA reimbursement procedures.

Station manager duties include tracking and documenting apparatus and equipment use, personnel on duty, generator hour usage, fuel levels and facility problems, such as a leaking roof.

Tis position is critical to the logistical support of

Firerescue Magazine

49

Photo KirK Keogh

Communication between command and teams in the field is crucial during hurricane response. Test your department’s emergency communications plan before hurricane season arrives.

fire/rescue facilities in the aftermath of a storm. Accurate documentation is particularly critical should FEMA reimbursement become available to emergency responders.

Lesson no. 3: The emergency communicaTion PLan

s

One reoccurring issue we face with every hurricane: the need to maintain constant communication between dispatch and every deployed emergency apparatus. To address this concern, an emergency communication plan (ECP) must be developed and tested during hurricane preparedness exercises.

Te ECP should identify multiple contingency plans, in priority order, such as use of normal radio channels, relay of information through simplex channels and the use of HAM radios.

Regardless of the hurricane, the HAM radio system has proven reliable and less likely to fail than newer technologies. To address

In addition to preparing your department for hurricanes and other major storms, you should also reach out to your community to encourage citizens to prepare.

In March, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Energizer and the American Meteorological Society created a National Public Education Weather Preparedness Program to help families prepare for whatever weather situations spring, summer and hurricane seasons might bring their way. The campaign focuses on helping families build emergency power kits to avoid having to use candles in the event of a power outage.

“Candles cause an average of nearly 15,000 home fires each year, resulting in significant numbers of preventable injuries and deaths,” says Chief Jeffrey Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE and president of the IAFC. “An emergency power kit can literally be a beacon of light in a storm and can help prevent needless home fires caused by candles.”

For more information and resources to create a campaign for your community, visit www.energizer.com/ learning-center/Pages/keepsafekeepgoing.aspx.

Choose 54 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

51

Choose 49 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

OctOber 2009

F i r 55 e rate www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs scue Magazine 55 Choose

Photo Steve White

Hurricane damage and related fires can affect anyone. Palm Beach County uses a Family Relief and Recovery Team to ensure that department members’ families are cared for, allowing personnel to respond to those in greatest need.

this, PBCFR has installed a HAM radio base station in each battalion headquarters to ensure the regional command team can communicate with the main command team. Additionally, emergency units are provided with portable HAM radios, should their normal radios become inoperable. Each year, as part of hurricane preparedness, HAM radio classes are provided to personnel to ensure sufficient operators are fully trained in HAM operation.

Lesson no. 4: statewide emergency response pLan One of the most significant lessons PBCFR has learned over the years is that any community may need additional support from outside organizations following a disaster; however, to ensure the best possible outcome after such incidents, assistance must be planned and coordinated in advance, because the affected agency is often incapable of supporting the needs of the additional emergency responders.

After Hurricane Andrew, the Florida Fire Chiefs Association and the Florida Emergency Operations Center developed the Statewide Emergency Response Plan (SERP). Tis plan provides guidance and direction for the systematic mobilization, deployment, organization and management of emergency resources throughout the state and nation.

Each year, as part of hurricane preparations, each fire/rescue agency in the state reports their resource availability to the state so emergency operations leaders know which resources are available to deploy should a hurricane strike anywhere in the state.

concLusion Te lessons PBCFR has learned over the years have led to many improvements in our hurricane response and pre-planning. Tis month, PBCFR begins its preparations for the 2010 hurricane season, which is just around the corner. Is your department ready for the next natural disaster? If not, keep in mind the lessons shared in this article, and start preparing now.

Vicki Sheppard retired in 2009 after 29 years of service with Palm Beach County (Fla.) Fire Rescue. As the division chief of the Training & Safety Division, Chief Sheppard was responsible for updating the department’s Emergency Management Plans and providing disaster training for all levels of department personnel. As the Planning Section Chief of the Area Command Team, Chief Sheppard has been deployed throughout the state of Florida to assist local departments in the aftermath of hurricanes.

May 2010

Choose 56 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs Firerescue Magazine

53

I

This photo from the Vigilant Guard US&R Training Exercise held in Buffalo, N.Y., in November, shows a rescue squad working the entrance to a void space in the collapsed hospital prop.

54

Firerescue Magazine

Photos courtesy MA-tF1

s

n 2006, the Massachusetts Task Force 1 (MA-TF1) Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) team was assigned to conduct structural triage of a 2-mile-diameter residential area that had been damaged by a chemical plant explosion on the day before Tanksgiving. A heavy rainstorm was forecast for that evening, so it was vital to know which structures were salvageable, which could be occupied and which would need to be razed. We searched and triaged more than 150 structures using a paper-and-pen system, producing a damage assessment for each building. Te process took approximately 12 hours, largely due to the bottleneck of correlating information on paper.

Although each structure had been photographed, it was laborious to correlate them to a map.

This geo-tagged photo was imported to Google Picassa. It shows rope training at the edge of a parking garage.

May 2010

Choose 57 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 58 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 59 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 60 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

55

When I think about that incident now, I realize how much more quickly and efficiently our task could have been completed had we been using a new technology that’s greatly enhancing search, rescue and recovery missions: photo geo-tagging and mapping.

Faster & easier

Photo courtesy FeMA

Choose 61 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Geo-tagging is the process of encoding digital photographs with the GPS latitude and longitude location information of where the photograph was taken. Te images are then incorporated into GIS mapping tools, creating a rich, multimedia representation of an incident. As you can imagine, geo-tagged photos greatly enhance situational awareness for large incidents and events.

Geo-tagged photos are useful in a public safety response, both for documentation of the incident and for tactical purposes.

Consider a scenario where there are numerous sites of interest located across a broad geographic area. Te initial recon team is equipped with a geo-tagging system. Tey photograph each site of interest, and then quickly lay those images on a map to gain a bird’s-eye perspective of the situation. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, US&R teams were tasked with documenting the location of deceased victims so that recovery teams could return for the remains. If the US&R teams had geo-tagging capabilities at the time, a single photo of a victim with the location coordinates displayed on the front would have helped the recovery teams find the victims more efficiently, while also ensuring the deceased victim was not a new find.

Tink back to the scenario at the beginning of this article. If the photographs we’d

Choose 62 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

56

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

taken of the structures surrounding the exploLSI sion had contained geo8 tagged information, triage would have been greatly technology accelerated. Rather than For more, visit everyonegoeshome working everything out .com/initiatives.html on paper, we could have rapidly produced a map showing which structures were obviously destroyed, the most efficient path for crews to board up the structures that were salvageable, and which families could return to their homes in time for the holiday.

Because of these promising benefits, disaster management personnel are beginning to utilize such technology. Geo-tagged photos proved helpful during the 2009 flooding of the Red River in Fargo, N.D. By taking a geo-tagged photo of the current river level, then overlaying it on a satellite image of the river’s normal level, FEMA was able to quickly visualize just how far beyond its normal banks the river had gone.

How It’s Done

Choose 63 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

s

Tere are many methods for embedding GPS location data into a digital image; they vary in ease of use, cost, accuracy of location and quality of image. Te most accurate, highestquality image links a standard GPS directly to a digital camera using a special interface, but is also the most expensive method.

MA-TF1 has had very good results with the Canon 40D Digital SLR, using the Canon Wireless File Transmitter adapter to connect to a Garmin GPS Map 60CSx. While bulky and a little cumbersome, this combination has delivered very accurate

This geo-tagged image has been processed by software to include the coordinates as a watermark on the image (in U.S. National Grid format) and then imported into Google Earth. It shows an emergency dike constructed well inland of the flooding in Red River, Fargo, N.D. Choose 64 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

57

Choose 65 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

Photo courtesy chad council

FPO This is an aerial image of an incident in progress at night, overlaid on Google Earth.

results at a cost of around $3,000.

An increasing number of devices, including many Smartphone and Blackberry devices, are either incorporating a GPS into the cameras or incorporating a camera into the GPS. Tere is a trade-off between quality of image and GPS accuracy with these devices, but they are also simple to use and less expensive. We’ve had very good results with the Nikon Coolpix P6000 camera with integrated GPS. Te camera is compact, produces high-quality images and is less than $500.

Te least expensive method uses computer software to geo-tag digital pictures using the timestamp of a GPS track log. Tis means a responder would carry their existing camera and GPS, and use computer software to combine the two data sources. Although this method involves the most steps at a computer, it can be done with little or no investment. One major benefit of software-based solutions is that the images can be modified to show the location as a watermark directly on the image and also can be easily integrated with consumer GIS tools such as Google Earth.

ROLL N RACK

One MOre TOOl Electronically encoding GPS coordinates to digital photographs adds a new dimension of information to incident documentation and situational awareness. Te technology has advanced to a point where high-quality images can be tagged with very accurate location information for relatively low cost. While not appropriate for every incident, geo-tagging is another tool first responders should consider for a variety of incidents, from large-scale search to recovery operations.

Chad Council is a technical information specialist with the Massachusetts Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue team, where he teaches GPS, mapping and incident photography.

He has deployed with MA-TF1 on numerous federal, local and training missions.

For More

on the 2009 Fargo floods, go to http://tinyurl.com/09FargoFlood.

Choose 66 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

59

President’s Letter

But Wait, There’s More!

The Ginsu phenomenon & the fire service

I

another business. Like it or not, we’re judged against Cabela’s, Costco, Nordstrom and other customer service-oriented businesses that are committed to and known for exceeding customer expectations.

Tis is why at my home department, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R), it’s not enough to be good at the “big stuff,” like battling a three-alarm fire or reviving a cardiac patient. Our crews are expected to

By Chief Jeffrey demonstrate our commitment to exceeding our pubD. Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE lic’s expectations by going the extra mile on smaller issues that are big problems for the people experiencing them. Examples: stopping to change a tire for a stranded motorist; putting away groceries for a mom who’s riding to the hospital with her injured child; providing cab vouchers to an elderly patient on a fixed income who needs to go to urgent care; and hanging a strand of Christmas lights on the home of a man who just fell off a ladder. In addition, TVF&R officers have a department credit card that they can use to help citizens with critical recovery needs in a Unlike the retail world, your customer timely fashion. For example, if a crew forces a door on a medical incident, an doesn’t get to choose which fire officer can immediately call a repairman to fix the damage and secure the home. department serves them.

So, what’s your organization’s, “But and public safety, do you think they would be more wait, there’s more!” factor? My hope is that first and impressed than you or me? I have to believe they foremost, you’re great at your craft. Unlike the retail would be. However, given the preceding precondition, world, your customer doesn’t get to choose which who is correct in their opinion? Us—because we’re fire department serves them. Next, I hope you treat accustomed to receiving these services—or the people everyone you encounter with empathy, compassion from the Tird World country who have an entirely and a service-oriented attitude. And finally, I hope different perspective on what is essential and what is you have value-added services that exceed your cusluxury? I believe we’re both correct. What we’re accus- tomers’ expectations.

If not, have you thought about giving out Ginsu tomed to receiving affects our perspective on whether a service is essential or satisfactory. For example, if you knives? drive a new luxury car, you’re probably going to be less impressed with the ride and handling of a mid-priced Chief Jeff Johnson began his career as a firefighter in 1978, and he has sedan than, say, someone who just upgraded from a served as fire chief of Tualatin Valley (Ore.) Fire & Rescue since 1995.

He is past president of the IAFC Western Division and Oregon Fire Chiefs 1970s clunker.

Association. He is a member of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association So why is this important to the fire service? Because and has been active in many IAFC sections, including Fire & Life Safety, our taxpayers use businesses every day and are accus- Volunteer & Combination Officers, EMS, and Safety, Health and Survival. tomed to having their expectations exceeded at the Chief Johnson is a National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer graduate retail level. When treated poorly, they simply find and has received his Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Designation. f you’ve ever watched TV, you’ve likely seen a commercial that sounds something like this: “For three easy payments of $29.95, this limited edition set of elevator music greatest hits can be yours.

But wait, there’s more! If you call in the next 10 minutes, you’ll make only TWO payments. And that’s not all! For the first 10,000 orders, we’ll throw in a set of Ginsu knives!”

What? Why are they giving us knives with our elevator music greatest hits? Te answer is likely one of two reasons: Either they think we’ll want to end our misery after hearing the music or, more likely, they’re trying to give us more than we expect. Marketing experts have determined that one of the best ways to make us happy as consumers is to set our expectation (three easy payments), exceed our expectation (two payments) and then exceed it again (Ginsu knives).

If we exposed citizens of a Tird World country to our nation’s services, such as water, schools, roads

62

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

2011

Save the Date EMS Today ConfErEnCE & Expo

MarCh 1-5, 2011 BalTiMorE, Md

Earn EMS CEU, SEE nEw prodUCtS For more information and nEtwork. go to: www.EMStoday.CoM

leaderShip SkillS

Leadership Blind Spots A model for enhancing situational awareness so you can lead more effectively

H

and to integrate that sense of awareness into what one is doing at the moment.” Simple enough—assuming that your perception is in alignment with reality, and that you know how to and are able to act or react.

For example, let’s say you’re making a presentation at your local service club when a low-level conversation bubbles over at a table in the back of the room. Not uncommon, but a disruption just the same. So while

By Chief Marc still maintaining the participants’ focus, you slowly Revere walk over to the talkative table and stand there while continuing your presentation—and the conversation is immediately halted due to your presence. In essence, you read the room, processed the problem and took corrective action—all by saying nothing.

Historically speaking, SA is rooted in military theory dating back to Sun Tzu’s “Art of War.” Starting in WWI, Situational awareneSS An essential term when discussing blind spots is situ- SA was identified as a critical element for the military ational awareness (SA). We normally think about SA in in air combat. As technological advances increased terms of fireground operations, but it’s equally appli- speed, decision-making time was compressed, further increasing the importance of SA. cable to a leadership role.

As SA theory became more advanced, authors T. J. SA is a continuous perception of self in relation to the environment. As authors Richard F. Haines and Court- Emerson, J. M. Reising and H. G. Britten-Austin ney Flateau defined it, SA has both a big-picture and described four main parts to SA: 1) humans, 2) infora little-picture component. It is the “ability to remain mational cues, 3) behavioral cues and 4) appropriateaware of everything that is happening at the same time ness of the response. In a sense, reading and reacting to cues is no different than what we do on The Johari Window is a fire calls (e.g., reading smoke) or EMS model of interpersonal calls (e.g., reading symptoms). Tis is communication. The goal a very necessary skill in leadership as is to operate in the “Arena” as much as possible, since well, especially in the complex world of it represents information the fire chief. that both you and others Eliminating blind spots is also Arena Blind Spot know and understand. directly affected by how open you are When information is to receiving “warnings” from others. mutual, productivity is increased.

How many times have you seen a colleague step on a landmine they couldn’t see, even though everyone around Façade Unknown them thought, “Tis is going to be fun to watch” and then backed away? Even if you’re doing the right thing, in the best interests of the organization, your Feedback actions can backfire.

In such cases, there may be options ave you ever caught yourself saying, after being blindsided by a conversation, event or issue, “Where did that come from?” Oftentimes, to make matters worse, you learned after the fact that everyone knew about the issue except you.

As a fire service officer, you don’t want to be in that position. In fact, you want just the opposite: to have a solid understanding of your current environment and a clear vision of the future. Tis means all blind spots need to be eliminated—personal, professional, political and organizational.

Reading the political winds as a fire chief can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Furthermore, you have more control than you realize.

Exposure

Johari window

64

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Eliminating blind spots is also directly affected by how open you are to receiving “warnings” from others. that you never see on your own. What you need is someone to take you aside and ask, “Did you consider doing this instead?” Tis is called shared situational awareness (SSA).

If, when blind spots threaten to derail you, everyone around you says, “Tis is doomed for failure” and distances themselves, your SSA has failed you. You have no one but yourself to blame for not creating a culture of openness, where leadership transparency and feedback are valued, required and expected.

4. Te Unknown represents information unknown to you and others.

Te key to understanding your environment or current reality is to expand the Arena (the information

The Johari WindoW So how do you limit leadership blind spots and ensure that you’re getting an accurate picture of your environment?

Te best model for this comes from the work of Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, who developed a model of interpersonal communication called the Johari Window (see opposite page). Essentially, the Johari Window allows individuals to assess both how they present and how they absorb the information (human, informational and behavioral cues) necessary to create effective interpersonal relationships (appropriate responses). Te model uses a grid containing four regions: 1. Te Arena denotes mutual understanding and shared information.

When information is mutually held, productivity and effectiveness in individual relationships are increased.

Tus, the Arena is the most productive area for people to operate in.

2. Te Blind Spot represents the information known by others but not by you. It is a handicap because it’s unlikely we will understand the reactions and perceptions of others if we don’t know the information upon which those reactions and perceptions are based.

3. Te Façade denotes information that you hide from others. Tis hinders interpersonal effectiveness because the exchange of information favors you.

Choose 67 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

65

Leadership skiLLs

Regardless of how you sense your surroundings, doing so is the most difficult aspect of leadership. known to you and to others). Tat means personnel must be willing to share with you your blind spots and know they can do so without retribution.

Te two axes of the Johari Window—feedback and exposure—are the enablers to create more effective interpersonal and organizational communications. If

you provide more information to others, you expand the size of the Arena along the vertical axis of the grid (reducing the Façade). Likewise, by providing more feedback to individuals, organizations can expand the size of the Arena along the horizontal axis (reducing the Blind Spot).

Tis is similar to the tenets outlined in the IAFC’s “Crew Resource Management: Developing a Culture for Open Communications,” by Paul Lesage, Jeff T. Dyar and Bruce Evans. CRM identifies six basic steps—inquiry, advocacy, conflict resolution, strong leadership, observation and critique, and fostering an open and accepting team environment where members discuss options for team improvement.

Tough CRM is designed to assist on the emergency ground, these tenets are in alignment with the principles necessary for SA and SSA. Just as SA has its roots in aviation, CRM got its beginnings from the airline industry in the early 1980s.

The Good News Now here’s the good news. Unlike fire combat or military operations, where assessing your environment and forecasting your actions are done under the compression of time and in the absence of adequate information, leading an organization should be done in a systematic and methodical way.

Rarely do you have to make a decision in a vacuum. By creating a culture where feedback and input are valued, your potential decisions, actions and behaviors can be analyzed by others and their consequences measured and determined in advance.

Regardless of how you sense your surroundings, doing so is the most difficult aspect of leadership. But it’s paramount that we reduce our blind spots and have an in-depth understanding of our environment. It has been said that the only constant in life is change—either you create it or react to it. At a minimum, to be a success you need to see it coming!

Marc Revere is the fire chief of the Novato Fire Protection District, an Internationally Accredited Agency in Marin County, Calif. Chief Revere’s 33-year fire service career includes more than 17 years as a chief and fire officer. He has completed executive education at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Redlands. Chief Revere is a certified Chief Fire Officer and an Executive Fire Officer graduate and serves as one of 12 members representing the Professional Development Committee for the IAFC. Choose 68 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

66

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Real-woRld scenarios that inform and educate.

PRactical articles to keep you safe. content from fire-rescue professionals in the field.

And so much more to guide you through your fire-rescue career.

FireRescue Magazine is real-world firefighting. It’s informative, reliable and proven to be a valuable educational resource for fire-rescue professionals. We’re here to help you do your job safely and effectively, via content that is written by active fire-rescue professionals who know the challenges you face.

Each monthly issue covers: • Safe & Effective Fire Attack Strategies • Rescue & Extrication Training • Advice for New and Developing Company Officers • Wildland/Urban Interface Tactics • New Products, Apparatus Innovations & Technology Subscribe online at: www.FirefighterNation.com or call: (888) 456-5367.

Discount group subscriptions available.

SubScribe Now:

FirefighterNation.com

Subscribe to the Digital Edition of FireRescue!

Safety

Keeping an Eye on Your Health Get“Fit for Duty” during Safety Week

E

By Chief Keith Padgett

68

very day, someone calls us for help. Tey have an emergency, and they expect us to respond and we do. Tey expect us to be prepared and to provide the very best possible assistance in many different areas. Te public attempts to provide us with the best tools and equipment to perform our jobs, again with the expectation of nothing but the best for their community.

With this in mind, is it too much for them to expect us to take care of ourselves, especially when we have even more to gain from that investment than they do? After all, working on our health and wellbeing allows us to provide for and spend time with our family. Sounds like a win-win for everyone!

Every year, more than 50 percent of the fire service line-of-duty deaths are related to health and wellness issues. When the cause of death for a large number of our members is listed as stress/overexertion or heart attack, there’s no doubt that this issue needs to be addressed.

Considering the severity of this issue, the theme for this year’s Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week is “Fit for Duty.” During this week, June 20–26, you should pay particular attention to the following topics that are critical to every firefighter and EMS provider.

General Health & Wellness: We all need support and encouragement to accomplish our health and wellnessrelated goals. Terefore, every organization should do its best to support its most important resource—its personnel. Tis support can be in the form of providing information on how to shop for or prepare healthy meals for the fire station or at home, or helping members obtain a yearly medical examination. Knowing that the organization cares for its personnel can be a great source of strength.

Food & Nutrition: Over the years, firehouse kitchens have become known for great food; however, our menus haven’t always been the healthiest. Fortunately, a number of organizations have outlined daily nutritional recommendations designed to help promote health and prevent disease. Te National Volunteer Fire Council has an outstanding program called the Heart-Healthy Firefighter. Its Web site (www.healthy-

Firerescue Magazine

firefighter.org/page/625/nutrition.htm) has nutritional recommendations that firefighters and EMS providers can use to develop good nutritional habits. Keep in mind, healthy doesn’t have to mean that it’s not greattasting food. It just takes a little change in the preparation to provide the same great meals for which firehouses are so well-known.

Fitness: Just like a good diet, physical activity should be a regular part of your day. Try to add some type of physical activity to your daily routine, and invite your crewmembers to join in. You should participate in 60 minutes of moderate physical activity each day. Plan station activities that give everyone a chance to exercise. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be 60 minutes all at once; it can be different activities that add up to 60 minutes. Walking outside, riding the stationary bike or using a treadmill can all provide this aerobic activity. Mix it up by trying many different activities to keep exercise motivating and fun.

Stress Management: Firefighters and EMS providers are under a lot of stress at work, and this can carry over to home very easily if not kept under control. Adding regular exercise, adequate sleep and leisure time to your schedule can help reduce stress. Additionally, take note of how others handle stress. If you think a co-worker is under more stress than they can handle, let them know that you care about them and their wellbeing and that they should not hide their stress if they need help dealing with an issue. We always talk about being a “brotherhood.” As such, we should offer to help others deal with the stress in their lives, whether at work or home.

Smoking & Smokeless Tobacco Cessation: Te environment in which we work is dangerous enough that we should do everything we can to avoid deliberately introducing a cancer-causing agent, such as tobacco, into our bodies. Its use is associated with a number of cancers as well as chronic lung and cardiovascular diseases. If you or someone you know uses tobacco products, you should make every effort to break this addiction.

Alcohol & Other Drugs: Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug, and many people don’t believe they have a problem. Substance abuse can cause many medical problems and can destroy families and lives. Tere’s a history of substance abuse in the fire service, especially alcohol abuse. Tis is a sensitive issue, but it must be May 2010

they can speak up and ask for help. Employee-assistance programs are available and should be taken advantage of if a need is identified.

In Sum Te theme “Fit for Duty” is meant to assist you in creating healthful habits that can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and, therefore, increase your chances of living a long life. Fire departments are encouraged to suspend all nonemergency activity during Safety Week and instead focus entirely on safety, health and wellness-related training and education until all shifts and personnel have taken part.

Mark your calendars and become “Fit for Duty!”

Keith Padgett is a 28-year veteran of the fire service and is currently serving as the Chief-Fire Marshal for the Fulton County Fire Department in Atlanta.

Keith also serves as director-at-large for the IAFC’s Safety, Health and Survival Section.

The More the Merrier

nEar mISS

“This was a live-fire burn using an acquired structure. The burn was conducted by the training division as part of a recruit training program.

During the burn, we utilized diesel fuel to assist in ignition of the Class A material. A sprayer was used to add the diesel fuel to the material.

[The ignition man] remained inside the room so he could add fuel if necessary. Staying in the room caused him to burn his foot through his bunker boots. The burn was severe enough that he required medical treatment for several months. There was a safety officer when the incident occurred, but now we have several safety officers anytime we have a live-fire burn.”

CommEntS First of all, it sounds like this burn doesn’t comply with NFPA 1403 in that they used a combustible liquid to start the fire and the ignition man shouldn’t have been alone.

Additionally, to provide the highest assurance of member safety at large-scale and complex events, a second safety officer should be considered an essential component. If an incident has multiple highrisk activities or is spread over a large geographical area, incident commanders (ICs) can also consider creating a Safety Group made up of multiple safety officers (qualified personnel permitting). Multiple safety officers positioned strategically over the scene allow the group supervisors to focus on other tasks related to supervising their area of responsibility.

May 2010

co

ire

f

EvEnt Summary: rEport no. 09-1008

w.

Fire department operations, both on the incident scene and in nonemergency events like training, require a high degree of management controls to ensure personnel safety. The variety of activities that take place at complex incidents or large-scale training events can often exceed the capability of a single safety officer, and even the best intentioned or highly mobile safety officer cannot be everywhere at once.

w

w

A second safety officer is an essential component at large-scale incidents

By Deputy Chief John B. Tippett Jr.

fight

m

s.

addressed. Alcohol and drug use may be an unconscious attempt at self-treatment for another problem, such as depression.

Infectious Diseases: Blood and other body fluids can spread disease, so it’s essential for firefighters and EMS providers to consider all patients’ blood and body secretions as infectious. Te answer to managing pre-hospital personnel is to provide ongoing education and make information about personal protective equipment (PPE) available to everyone.

Suicide Prevention: Firefighters and EMS providers are exposed to a great deal of death and injury. Over time, such exposure can take a toll on both the mind and body.

Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addictions are just a few issues that may result. Additionally, suicide is on the rise in the fire/EMS service, and we can no longer ignore it. Firehouses have not been known as somewhere to show weakness; however, members need to know that

ernearm

is

prEparatIon

• Establish criteria or a threshold in your department for increasing the number of safety officers so the IC doesn’t have to question this on the scene or drill ground.

• Ensure that the safety officer from each discipline (hazmat, confined space, high angle, swiftwater, etc.) at complex emergency scenes makes contact (and maintains regular contact) with the overall scene safety officer.

• Consider using additional safety officers for acquired structure burns.

• When training large numbers of personnel, assign an interior and exterior safety officer. This helps with accountability, provides another set of eyes and ears for the drill leader (IC) and provides additional management control.

In CloSIng The message “Safety First” continues to be a controversial topic in many circles within the fire service. On one end of the safety spectrum is the “Safety Naysayer” who believes the safety emphasis has gone too far, that the act of firefighting is inherently dangerous and injuries and deaths should be an expectation. On the other end of the spectrum is the “Zealot” who the “Safety Naysayer” believes to be unrealistic. No matter where you place yourself on the safety spectrum, the debate should be boiled down to a very simple question: If there was a reasonable action that could have been taken to prevent an injury, then why not take the action and avoid the injury?

As noted in this month’s report, the ignition officer had to endure several months of pain and suffering to evoke a change in department practice. An additional safety officer could have been knowledgeable and skilled enough to intervene and prevent the injury.

Be vigilant. Stay focused. Share the knowledge.

John Tippett is the deputy chief of operations for the City of Charleston (S.C.) Fire Department. He previously worked for the Montgomery County (Md.) Fire and Rescue Service. He is a program consultant for the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System.

Firerescue Magazine

69

Choose 84 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

LSI 3 risk Management

How, when & where to properly deploy a standard fire shelter

For more, visit everyonegoeshome .com/initiatives.html

Story & Photos by Chuck Sallade Although this article provides an instructional approach to deploying the standard fire shelter, it’s paramount that while on the fireline, all firefighters recognize situations and clues that could lead to a deployment in the first place. Te back cover of the Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG) lists both the 10 standard firefighting orders and the 18 watchout situations. I implore you to read them over and over again so that you greatly decrease the odds that you’ll need to deploy your shelter.

When in a situation where shelter deployment seems imminent, your crew must first be 100 percent sure that escape is not an option. Ask yourself: • Can my crew outrun the flame front by dropping extra weight?

• Is the fuel light enough so that firefighters can use their shelters for protection, and move back through the front (in light fuels) to the black?

• Can the crew outflank the front and get below it?

If you answer no to these questions, you must know how to confidently and quickly deploy your shelter.

Choosing the site A deployment zone (not to be confused with a safety zone) is one component of a last-ditch effort for survival. When a crew must deploy their shelters, they must act quickly and decisively when choosing the deployment site (or zone), but when doing so, they must keep certain factors in mind. First, as we all know, heat rises.

May 2010

1

It also follows chimneys, draws and saddles in topography. Terefore, if possible, always deploy on ridgelines, shoulders or on the leeward side of a hill. Another good deployment spot is inside the ditch along the uphill side of a road that’s traversing a hill. Never use the road itself, as it’s an obvious traffic hazard.

Rocks are also good places to deploy if they’re in a spot that’s not a funnel for heat.

If rocks are larger, deploying on the leeward side will help shield you from heat.

AreA PrePArAtion & PPe Once a deployment zone is established, and you’re certain that escape isn’t possible, clear the area of combustibles. Tis includes the ground you’ll be laying on and as much of the surrounding area as time allows. To accomplish this, scratch the area with hand tools to get down to bare mineral soil.

Once you’ve cleared the area, don all personal protective equipment (PPE).

One crucial mistake in the heat of the moment is forgetting to don gloves. Helmet shrouds can also reflect quite a bit of heat and should be used if available.

Any spare combustible equipment, such as packs, fusees, saws, fuel, etc., should be discarded at a safe distance from the deployment zone so as not to add to the heat from the flame front. Remember: Keep your water bottle and radio in the shelter for the duration of the deployment.

DePloying the shelter Te newly designed shelter, which should always be easily accessible and not buried

Remove shelter from pack

2 Throw pack away

3 Remove plastic outer shell

Firerescue Magazine

71

and to be expected. at the bottom of your line pack, is equipped with While in your shelter, maintain constant vera red ring, which you should pull off to remove the bal contact with your crewmembers, and radio shelter’s plastic outer shell. contact with incident command. Focus on Next, grab the handles, which are clearly labeled keeping your shelter sealed with your elbows, “right” and” left,” and shake out the shelter. Note: knees, hands and feet, and keeping a gap of air Due to the nature of the situation, bear in mind between you and the shelter. that it will probably be very windy and gusty, so hold on tight! When training for shelter deployment at my department’s annual “Standards of WaItIng It Out Survival” refresher, we use multiple PPV fans to At this point, you’ve successfully deployed simulate wind conditions. your shelter and are waiting for the fire front Inside the shelter are four loops. Place your to move through the area. Te waiting is the hands through the loops, and step into the bothardest part, but fire shelter occupants need to Grab left- and tom of the shelter. Ten turn your back to the fire realize that a deployment can last a few minutes 4 right-hand loops front and lay face-down with your feet to the fire. or more than an hour. Either way, it will seem Again, when the flame front hits, it will be very like an eternity. Focus on staying calm as well as hot and violent, so you’ll need to hold on tight to ensure the shelter helping to keep others calm and collected. doesn’t blow away. Crews should try to deploy close to each other to Trying to run, especially once the fire front is upon you, is no more help block each other from heat and to maintain verbal and possibly an option than pulling off an SCBA mask inside a burning building. physical contact.

Remember: If it’s hot inside the shelter, it’s deadly outside the shelter.

When in doubt, stay in the shelter!

Indicators that it may be safe to exit the shelter include a drop InsIde the shelter Once inside the shelter, remember to protect your airway at all times in heat, noise or wind and a change in the ambient color, such as a by keeping your mouth and nose to the ground. If possible, hold a decrease in the glow from the fire.

Once it’s established that it’s safe to exit your shelter, immediately bandana to your mouth (making sure the bandana is dry, not wet).

To minimize the heat inside the shelter, tuck the sides of the shelter contact command and give an accountability report. under your arms and legs, but also try to maintain as much dead-air space in the shelter as possible. If the shelter is wrapped around you COnClusIOn tightly (like a baked potato), you’re going to get hotter much faster As I stated in the introduction, use your IRPG or Fireline Handthan if you try to keep the shelter puffed up. book as a tool for risk management and as an aide to prevent you It’s common to experience glow from the fire due to pinholes in from getting into a situation that requires you to deploy your shelter. the shelter, but remember that even small tears in the shelter are Te gold section of the 2010 IRPG has a sub-section on risk manno cause for concern. Te shelter will still keep you cooler than no agement, which includes how to properly refuse risk, as well as an shelter at all. In short, don’t panic if you see holes or small tears. Tey abridged instructional sub-section on deploying shelters. aren’t an indication that the shelter is faulty. Te pinholes are normal Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget your Lookouts, Communications, Escape routes and Safety zones (LCES)! Te common thread between all burnovers and shelter deployments is a breakStep Pull shelter 5 6 down of one or more components in LCES. into the over your head If you think this can’t happen to you, think again, so shelter practice, practice, practice! A real-time deployment is not the time to reintroduce yourself to the ins and outs of successful fire shelter deployment.

Chuck Sallade is the lieutenant in charge of wildland apparatus for the Red Lodge (Mont.) Fire Department.

7 Lie face-down and tuck sides under

72

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Choose 94 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs Choose 69 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 70 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Choose 71 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Firerescue Magazine

73

Choose 74 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 72 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

74

Firerescue Magazine

Choose 73 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Choose 75 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 76 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

75

COMPANYOFFICERDEVELOPMENT

It Is Up to You Principle-based management is more effective than managing by the rules

“I

By ray gayk

thought that was OK because it didn’t say I couldn’t do that in the SOP.” Have you ever heard that from one of your crewmembers when you confronted them for making a mistake or bad judgment call? Tis can be frustrating for supervisors. Te reaction that often follows: making more rules to cover the gray areas. As a result, the department ends up with volumes of rules and regulations to manage the troops.

Just as employees use the rules—or lack of rules—to their advantage, so too do some supervisors, albeit in a much different way than the employees. Tey supervise using a style called “rules-based management” or “command and control,” which allows them to hide behind the rules and never really make decisions using their own judgment. Tis type of management style suits weaker leaders and does nothing to develop new leaders.

Principle-based leadership/management involves trusting people in leadership positions to make good decisions even without a rule to hide behind.

Autopilot MAnAgeMent Rule-based supervision makes decision-making very easy because officers don’t need to think about it; it’s autopilot management or robot management. Te rule tells them what to do, and they do it, which allows them to avoid thinking about it or making any real judgment call. Te greatest thing about this management style is that supervisors can justify their decisions by saying things like, “Listen, if it were up to me, we’d do it differently, but we have to follow the rule.”

I’m not saying there isn’t a place for rules; they’re absolutely necessary. Tey provide a structure and a consistent way of accomplishing tasks, and they prevent some bad judgment. Some rules are developed out of necessity, including: • You need to show up to work on your shift; people are counting on you.

76

Firerescue Magazine

• You must adhere to grooming standards; they’re designed so we don’t look like Chewbacca rolling around on a fire truck.

• You can’t smack someone, even if they deserve it; they tell me that’s against the law.

So rules definitely have a purpose, but they don’t (and shouldn’t) cover every situation.

2 SchoolS Most departments have a set of standard operating procedures or guidelines (SOPs/SOGs) that govern how we should respond to standard and even some not-so-standard occurrences we face throughout our workday. But what about the things that come up that aren’t covered by a rule or regulation? How do we handle those situations?

Tere are two schools of thought on this. Te first is, if things come up for which we don’t already have a rule, we’ll simply develop a new rule. I call this the “fill in the name” approach to rules. Whoever did something stupid enough to warrant the need for a new rule gets the rule named after them.

Believe it or not, there are even a few Gayk Rules out there, because I was the moron behind the rule.

It’s a great system except for the fact that your rule book becomes incredibly large—because as you know, we’re always looking to outdo our buddies in the “stupid” category.

Te second school of thought involves “principlebased leadership/management”—that is, trusting people in leadership positions to make good decisions even without a rule to hide behind.

Tis couldn’t possibly work, could it? Surprisingly, it works very well, but there are some caveats. Developing a principle-based leadership approach doesn’t start with individuals; it starts with the organization.

If the organization doesn’t buy into this philosophy, it simply won’t work. Te organization must be confident enough with their personnel to allow them to make solid decisions based on doing the right thing.

how it workS Tere are many principles that directly affect what we do, but I’m going use a simple example to outline how May 2010

principle-based management works. In my opinion, the first principle you should be concerned about as a supervisor is responsibility. If we look at this principle, we quickly realize it’s the basis for everything we do in the fire service, and it starts with individuals recognizing personal responsibility.

In a rule-based management style, you think of responsibility as: “If I don’t train my crew, I could get into trouble.” Using a principle-based leadership style, you think of responsibility as: “I need to train my crew because I want them to perform well on calls and go home to their families the next day.”

Your perspective goes from following the rules so you don’t get punished to making decisions based on what’s best for your crew and what’s likely to keep them the safest. When you think of your crew’s or the organization’s best interests, you’ll see a difference in how you make decisions.

Now, I’ll be honest: Using principles as opposed to rules is much more difficult because you must stand behind your decision. In addition, when the organization allows people to make decisions based on principles, it creates much more freedom in judgment, which can create situations that appear unfair. Example: If firefighters A and B do something that seems on the surface to be similar, but the results of their discipline are different, you may be accused of being unfair.

In such cases, personnel must be reminded that each situation is different and is handled based on its specific facts. Most people who accuse the organization of being unfair don’t have all the facts to back up their accusation, because discipline procedures are confidential and aren’t up for public debate.

we’re in the station builds skills we use on the fireground—where there’s often no rule book to hide behind.

Ray Gayk is deputy chief of operations with the Ontario (Calif.) Fire Department (OFD). Gayk is an 18-year veteran of the fire service who has been actively involved with the OFD’s development of engineer and captain mentor programs. Gayk has also taught numerous classes on company officer development. Contact him at raygayk@verizon.net.

LSI

1&2 Cultural change & personal accountability For more, visit everyonegoeshome .com/initiatives.html

It takes Work Changing to a principle-based management/leadership culture takes some work because people are going to make mistakes when using their own judgment.

It’s easier to simply insert another rule instead of learning from our mistakes.

But think about it: Te fireground is a dynamic working environment in which we rely on firefighters’ and officers’ good judgment. Practicing decision-making and judgment based on principles when Choose 77 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

77

“I Teach My Students to Save Lives.

FireRescue Makes Me a Better Instructor.”

FireRescue Magazine arms you with vital information to help guide your students’ careers and help them stay safe.

Each monthly issue includes:  Safe & Effective Fire Attack Strategies  Rescue & Extrication Training

Kf 7]W_dij

j^[

8?= ED;

Big fire photos with tactical tips, p. 44

Fbki New NFPA 1407 RIT standard, p. 84 CAFS & the wildland/ urban interface, p. 105

 Advice for New and Developing

Company Officers  Wildland/Urban Interface Tactics  New Products, Apparatus Innovations

& Technology

February 2010 Read It Today, Use It Tomorrow Connect with us at FirefighterNation.com

IF YOU’RE AN INSTRUCTOR, CALL TO ENROLL IN OUR STUDENT SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM.

(800) 266-5367 ext. 6832 or FirefighterNation.com

78

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

FirePrevention

The Difference Between Inspections Existing buildings require a more delicate approach

P

eople often refer to inspections in generic terms—and in so doing, get the entire concept of code enforcement mixed up. An inspection is an inspection, right? Te answer is no.

For those involved in fire code inspections, the more accurate question is: What’s the difference between inspections for new construction and existing buildings?

The SimilariTieS Whether in new or old buildings, fire code inspections tend to cover similar territory, at least in broad terms. Both may be governed by aspects of the fire and/ or building codes. Typically, that includes things such as fire department access during times of emergency and water supply. Both usually cover fire sprinklers, fire alarms, fire department connections and, to some extent, exiting requirements.

Inspections for new construction—what we generally call “acceptance” inspections—are designed to demonstrate that what’s being constructed in the field matches code requirements and matches what’s on the approved plans. Sometimes what’s approved on the plans doesn’t precisely match the prescriptive code requirements.

Te section of the code that allows “alternate materials and methods” provides an opportunity to modify the code to deal with the real world.

It’s a variation especially worth noting because acceptance inspections must take into account the fact that two different people may be involved in the process: one reviewing the plans and another conducting the field acceptance inspections. If they’re not communicating, problems may ensue and customers can become angry as a result of the differing messages.

What I call “regular” inspections are those done on existing buildings. But a fire code compliance inspection for existing buildings can fall victim to the same scenario and the related customer dissatisfaction when corrections are erroneously ordered. Tat’s why as inspectors, we have an obligation to find out what has been approved before ordering corrections, or at least take the time to look up the records when a business owner resists corrections because they think the business is compliant.

In this respect, there is little difference between inspections. How, then, are they significantly different?

May 2010

The DifferenceS First, the code changes, and for good reason. We learn each time a disaster occurs how to prevent a similar one; over time, the code incorporates those lessons learned.

As a result, existing buildings may be regulated by older codes in which safety requirements were different.

And that is the heart of the difference between “acceptance” and “regular” fire code inspections: We’re regulating buildings in our jurisdictions using variations of the same code. Tat can get confusing to both field inspectors and our customers.

Te second difference is more political. A mistake in communication of either type can create customer-service complaints. But it’s far easier to correct them during the construction process. You can ask for almost anything during construction—even an erroneous change—and you’ll generally get less concern, and maybe even grudging compliance, because it’s easier and less expensive to correct things during the construction process.

Making changes after the building is actually constructed and in use, however, is much more expensive and time-consuming. Even when we find longstanding violations that should have been corrected under codes in existence at the time, we can find ourselves (as regulators) faced with significant practical problems because of the expense of making those corrections.

As a result, we often must consider alternate materials and methods years after the code was developed as they relate to a particular building. And we may have to come up with creative timelines for compliance based on these real-world situations.

By Jim crawford

in a nuTShell Te main difference in inspections is in HOW we administer both types. Managing field inspections for existing businesses is more of an art than a science, and far more political than a simple process of identifying hazards and correcting them.

Jim Crawford is a deputy chief and fire marshal with the Vancouver (Wash.) Fire Department and is chair of the NFPA technical committee on professional qualifications for fire marshals. He has written “Fire Prevention: A Comprehensive Approach,” published by Brady, and has also written a chapter on fire prevention in “Managing Fire and Rescue Services,” published by the International City/County Managers Association. Crawford is a past president of the International Fire Marshals Association and has served on the NFPA’s Standards Council. He is a member of the IAFC.

Firerescue Magazine

79

NEWProducts Find & Ceek

Thermal Revolution

Veritide’s Ceeker, a handheld bacterial detection device, uses ultraviolet light and special algorithms to detect bacterial spores such as anthrax and provides test results within minutes without the need for wet chemistry or analytic processes that can be difficult to handle in the field. It’s capable of producing test results from very small amounts of sample and doesn’t consume or destroy the sample being tested, allowing it to be re-analyzed later for forensic applications. The Ceeker is easy to use and very accurate.

The SW-TI thermal camera is the newest addition to WTI’s Sidewinder family of cameras. It can see through smoke, dust and fog. Features include 360-degree continuous unlimited pan and tilt camera rotation, a 320 x 240 un-cooled micro-bolometer and an 8–14 micron long-wave infrared spectral band.

Wireless Technology 866/468-6984; www.gotowti.com Choose 201 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Call Support The National Academies of Emergency Dispatch’s Version 5 of the Fire Priority Dispatch System increases the effectiveness and efficiency of call processing. It handles more types of incidents, with more than 40 new determinant descriptors. Version 5 features a protocol to address bomb threats/suspicious packages, the replacement of safety questions formerly found at case entry with incident-specific safety questions and pre-arrival instructions for incidents involving tunnel fires, trench collapse, structure collapse, confined space entrapments, suspicious packages and bombs/potential explosives.

Veritide 64/3/372-3506; www.veritide.com Choose 200 at www.firerescuemagazine. com/rs

National Academies of Emergency Dispatch 800/960-6236; www.emergencydispatch.org Choose 202 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

The industry’s BEST MAGAZINE AND LARGEST PROFESSIONAL NETWORK are working together to bring you the latest in training, news, products and more!

JOIN NOW AT

FirefighterNation.com Choose 78 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

80

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

Don’t Mock the Mock

Listen Up!

Constructed of fade-, shrink- and wrinkleresistant 6-oz., 100 percent cotton in a ringspun knit, the Professional Mock station shirt from 5.11 Tactical is both comfortable and straightforward in its styling. It features moisture-wicking performance and additional length to stay tucked in. Spandex construction at the neck and cuffs adds structure and supports fabric recovery.

5.11 Tactical 866/451-1726; www.511tactical.com Choose 203 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Developed to enhance emergency light packages in volunteer firefighter personally owned vehicles, the Carson Sirens H-Series electronic “stutter” air horn line of audible warning products features loud and legal, professional grade products that incorporate the power of a simulated “stutter” air horn with auxiliary light control. Highlighting the H-Series line is the HPK-150 Under Hood Waterproof Stutter Horn System. This system bundles three Carson products—the HA-150 Under Hood Waterproof Stutter Horn Amp, the SP-200 Switch Panel and the CSP-100B Speaker—into one easy-to-install horn kit.

Light It Up The Lite Tracker from Grace Industries is a personal safety light that easily attaches to clothing or gear, providing omni-directional lighting for immediate recognition of personnel and equipment.

Its durable, rugged, water-resistant construction provides more than 170 hours of continuous use on two AAA batteries, depending on the model. There are a variety of attachment options, LED colors and lighting patterns to choose from.

Grace Industries 800/969-6933; www.graceindustries.com Choose 204 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Carson Sirens 888/577-6877 www.carsonsirens.com Choose 205 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 101 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

81

NEWdElivEriEs The High Rolls (N.M.) Volunteer Fire Department has taken delivery of a Freedom Fire Equipment light-rescue unit for response to highway accidents, structure fires and mountain rescue operations.

Built on a Ford F-550 chassis with an 11' aluminium body, the four-wheel-drive apparatus is powered by a 6.4-liter diesel engine.

Equipment includes two Holmatro power units, a combi tool, cutter and rams, rescue jacks, two high-pressure air bags, a litter with climbing helmets, four rope bags and assorted rope gear.

Freedom Fire Equipment 800/906-9615; www.freedomfireequipment.com Choose 206 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 80 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

The Commerce (Texas) Fire /Rescue Department has taken delivery of a quint built by Sutphen. Powered by a 450-hp Cummins ISM engine, the vehicle features a 98-inch-wide cab and a bolted stainless-steel frame and includes a Jake Brake, severe climate HVAC system, a 1,500-gpm Hale QMAX pump, a Hale CAFS Pro system, a 500-gallon poly tank and a 30-gallon foam cell. Other features include a 6-kW hydraulic generator, a 1,250-gpm Elkhart Vulcan RF ladder monitor and a third-section pinnable waterway.

Sutphen 800/848-5860; www.sutphen.com Choose 207 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs The Belgrade (Neb.) Rural Fire Protection District #4 has taken delivery of a quick-response vehicle from Danko. Built on a Ford F-450 Super Duty chassis and powered by a 6.4-liter V8 diesel engine, the vehicle features a 300-gallon poly United Plastic Fabricating tank, a FoamPro 1601 foam system with 12-gallon foam cell, a Whelen LED lighting package, a 2 ½" inlet, a 1 ½" rear preconnect, a 1" rear grassline and 150 feet of 1" booster hose.

Danko 866/568-2200; www.danko.net Choose 208 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs Choose 79 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

82

Firerescue Magazine

M

a y

2010

The Aberdeen (Wash.) Fire Department has taken delivery of a North Star E450 Type III ambulance built by Braun. Features include upgraded stabilizer bars, Bilstein shocks, a MagneGrip exhaust system, auto chains, a Grover air horn, “D” cylinder storage, SCBA storage, LED strip lights, a V-Mux multiplex electrical system, a flip-up grip strut bumper, Whelen LED dome lights, a Garmin GPS, a Stryker Power Pro cot and stair chair, and a Voyager back-up camera.

Braun Northwest 800/245-6303; www.braunnorthwest.com Choose 209 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division 2 in Hillside, Ill., has taken delivery of a 23’ rescue unit from Marion. The vehicle is built on a Sterling chassis and is powered by a 300-hp Cummins ISC engine and Allison 300-EVP transmission. Features include roll-up doors with strip lighting, awnings on both sides, rooftop compartments, pull-out stairs from walkway, pull-out drop-down steps under compartments, a chassis lube system and a 15-kW PTO-driven Onan generator.

Marion Body Works 715/754-5261; www.marionbody.com Choose 210 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs The Minneapolis Fire Department has taken delivery of a 152" pumper from Pierce. Built on an Arrow XT chassis with a 10" raised roof, the apparatus is powered by a 470-hp Detroit Diesel engine and features a 2,000-gpm pump and a 700-gallon tank. Other features include TAK-4 independent front suspension, Hendrickson air-ride rear suspension, a Control Zone pump panel, Whelen LED lighting, a Fire-Com Intercom system, Intec back-up cameras, a low hosebed and an 8-kW Onan generator.

Pierce 920/832-3000; www.piercemfg.com Choose 211 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs Choose 81 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

83

# 511 Tactical Series www.511tactical.com

Hot Shield www.hotshield.com

Priority Dispatch www.prioritydispatch.net

A Amkus www.amkus.com

I International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) www.iafc.org

Public Safety Communications www.apcointl.org

Aristatek www.aristatek.com

Idaho Technology www.idahotech.com

AWG Fittings www.awg-fire.com

J JEMS Magazine www.jems.com

B Bradford Exchange www.bradfordexchange.com/firehouse Breathing Air Systems www.breathingair.com Bullex Safety www.bullexsafety.com C CMC Rescue www.cmcrescue.com Council Tool www.counciltool.com E Eagle Compressors www.eaglecompressors.com F FireRescue Magazine www.firefighternation.com G Gear Grid www.geargrid.com Globe Manufacturing www.globefiresuits.com H Holmatro www.holmatro-usa.com Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition www.homefiresprinkler.org Horton Emergency Vehicles www.hortonrescue.com

84

Firerescue Magazine

K Keiser Collegiate System www.keiseruniversity.edu Knox Co. www.knoxbox.com L Law Officer Magazine www.lawofficer.com Liberty Art Works www.libertyartworks.com M Mosby www.mosby.com N National Association of Fire Investigators www.nafi.org Nebulus www.nebulusflotation.com New England Ropes www.neropes.com NuTech National www.nutechnational.com P Paratech www.paratech.us

R Rescue 42 www.rescue42.com Rescue Technology www.rescuetech1.com Res-Q-Jack www.res-q-jack.com ResQTec www.resqtec.com Rock-N-Rescue www.rocknrescue.com Roll N Rack www.rollnrack.com S Sea Ark Marine www.seaark.com Skedco Inc. www.skedco.com Sprint www.sprint.com/business Sterling Rope www.sterlingrope.com Super Vacuum Mfg www.commandlight.com The Supply Cache Inc. www.firecache.com W WHP Training Towers www.trainingtowers.com

PBI www.pbiproducts.com

Wildfire Group www.wildfire-equipment.com

Petzl www.petzl.com

Witmer Associates, Inc. www.thefirestore.com O c t O Mb ea ry 2 0 10 09

Ad Direct

YOUR SOURCE FOR IMMEDIATE INFORMATION ON ADVERTISERS’ PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Advertiser

RS#

Page

Advertiser

RS#

Page

1st Responders Petition

71

73

National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI)

30

28

5.11 Tactical Series

27

23

Nebulus

36

33

All A Board

53

47

Nevada Pacific Fire & Safety Inc.

89

89

American Fire Training Systems

38

34

New England Rope

81

83

Amkus Rescue Systems

29

27

NuTech National

26

21

Aristatek

37

33

Paging & Wireless Service Center

63

57

AWG Fittings

49

52

Paratech Incorporated

11

2

Blanchat Mfg., Inc.

62

56

PBI

84

70

Boston Leather

52

45

Petrogen Inc.

33

30

Bradford Exchange

24

19

Petzl America

82

91

Power Hawak

Breathing Air Systems

21

16

101

81

23, 68, 77

18, 66, 77

Priority Dispatch (NAED)

15

8

Chief’s Shield Products

85

88

Pro-Tech Industries, Inc.

69

73

CMC Rescue, Inc.

67

65

Rescue 42 Inc.

25

20

Coaxsher

94

73

Rescue Source

41

30

Code 3 Collectibles

80

82

Rescue Technology

51

44

Con-Space Communications

50

43

Res-Q-Jack

48

39

Cooper Creek Manufacturing Inc.

70

73

Res-Q-Jack

90

89

Council Tool

76

75

RESQTEC

22

17

Cruise-Master Engraving Inc.

59

55

Rock n Rescue

61

56

Digital Paging Company (GOLDEN SAB)

86

88

Roco Rescue

17

10

Eagles Compressor

55

52

RollNRack LLC

66

59

63

Salsbury Industries

39

34

57

SeaArk Marine, Inc.

35

31

44

Sensible Products

91

89

Skedco Inc.

91

51

Bullex Safety

EMS Today Extendo Bed Co. Inc.

64

FEMSA FireRescue

42, 46, 67, 78, 81

Gear Grid

16

9

Sprint Nextel

14

7

Globe Manufacturing

13

5

Sterling Rope Company

20

13

Holmatro Inc.

12

3

Super Vacuum Mfg

83

92

Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

31

29

Surrey Fire Safety House

45

38

Horton Emergency Vehicles

19

11

Tactron Inc.

57

55

Hot Shield USA

47

39

Team Equipment Inc.

42, 60

36, 55

IAFC (International Association of Fire Chiefs Inc.)

50, 60-61

Tempest Technology

92

89

Idaho Technology, Inc.

28

25

The Pack Shack Inc.

73

74

Indianapolis Industrial Products Inc. (MatJack)

78

80

The Supply Cache Inc.

58, 75

55, 75

Keiser University - Sarasota

44

37

TheFireStore.com

43

37

Knox Co.

34

31

Ward Diesel

93

89

Kussmaul Electronics

79

82

Weightvest.com

72

74

LG Sciences

87

89

WHP TrainingTowers

56

53

Liberty Artworks

46

38

Wildfire Group

74

74

88

89

US Fire Equipment

95

36

40, 65

35, 58

Mateflex Corporation Mosby

Firerescue Magazine, ISSN 1094-0529, including Wildland Firefighter, is published monthly by Elsevier Public Safety, 525 B St., Ste. 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495; 619/687-3272 (fed. ID #13-1958712). Periodicals postage paid at San Diego, CA., and at additional mailing offices.

Subscription information: Send $39.95 for one year (12 issues) or $69.95 for two years (24 issues) to P.O. Box 17049, North Hollywood, CA 91615-9247. Or call 888/456-5367. Canada—please add $20 per year for postage. All other foreign subscriptions, please add $30 per year for surface and $70 per year for airmail postage. For new orders only, call toll-free 888/456-5367. Single copy: $10.00.

Advertising information: Rates are available at www.fire-rescue.com or at 525 B St., Ste. 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495; 619/687-3272.

Editorial information: Direct manuscripts and queries to FireRescue Editor, 525 B St., Ste. 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495. For editorial and photography guidelines, visit www.fire-rescue.com. For information on FireRescue reprints or permissions, visit www.fire-rescue.com.

Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. No material may be reproduced or uploaded on computer network services without the expressed permission of the publisher. Postmaster: Send address changes to FireRescue Magazine, P.O. Box 17049, North Hollywood, CA 91615-9247. Claims of nonreceipt or damaged issues must be filed within three months of cover date. Canada Post International Mail Product (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 1247921.

Firerescue Magazine is printed in the United States.RIDE ALONG ENCLOSED

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

85

For

information

on

placing

classiďŹ ed ads, please contact Jim Maloney at (215) 239-3157 or J.Maloney@Elsevier.com.

communicAtions

Gifts

Motorola Pager Repair $24.00 Flat Rate Labor – Retone & Recrystal. New & Used Pagers.

Ship to: Midland Telecom 3239 W. 2nd St. P.O. Box 2151 Grand Island, NE 68803 or call 888-669-1931

AccountAbility

86

Firerescue Magazine

May 2010

AccountAbility

GenerAtors

equipment

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

87

Choose 85 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

88

Firerescue Magazine

Choose 86 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Choose 87 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 88 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 89 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 90 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 91 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 92 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 93 at www.firerescuemagazine.com/rs

May 2010

Firerescue Magazine

89

ResponseTime

A Life of Leadership Losing a leader inspires us to live up to his example

B

By Brian a. Crawford

attalion Chief Tommy Adams was an exceptional firefighter who could seemingly carry the whole fire department on his shoulders, whipping a 2½" line around a house fire with one hand while starting an IV with the other. He was a shining star with enormous talent and even at 53 years old, he still held so much potential as a chief officer. His continual smile through a burly mustache reflected not just his disposition for the job, but his overall outlook on life. Trough his career, he had achieved iconic status in our department.

On Feb. 21, 2009, following a special service event, Chief Adams lost his balance and fell 8 feet from the decking of a parked and motionless ladder truck. His fall resulted in a fractured neck and traumatic brain injury, leading to cardiac arrest during the incident. He was treated on scene by fellow firefighters and rushed to the hospital, where he regained a pulse following a lengthy resuscitation effort.

For the next 10 months, Chief Adams remained in a coma. As the end of the year approached, his health continued to deteriorate and his family and the department began to come to grips with the possibility of losing him.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 12, as I stood with his wife Traci and family at his bedside, Chief Tommy Adams slipped from this world in quiet peace and into God’s arms. Four days later he was buried with full firefighter honors as hundreds paid their final respects.

What If? Te story of Chief Adams’ death is one of sorrow and tragedy, but his life was one of great inspiration. I choose to focus on the latter. Although taken from us much too soon, Tommy was a textbook example of a great officer.

He made the most of his opportunities on the job and for that matter, every day that he lived. His passion for the fire service and skills as a firefighter, paramedic, educator and leader were uniquely balanced by his caring heart and humility.

As an officer, what would people say about you if one day, like Tommy, you were just gone? Are you making the most of every day and taking every opportunity to be the best you can be? Are you really here for others—service above self—or just drawing a paycheck? Do you still have the passion for the job you held as a rookie?

Tommy’s death made me reflect on the lessons he taught us while he was alive. He taught these lessons not through formal instruction, but simply by the way he lived each day.

90

Firerescue Magazine

• Being a firefighter is a calling. Te words you recited in your oath—sacrifice, courage, honor and loyalty— weren’t just words, but a code we live by. Something in your character, your determination, your drive and your desire to serve led you to the fire service.

• Tere’s no room for error in the fire service. When someone calls 911, they don’t get to choose who responds; we’re a monopoly. For that reason, when a crying mother hands you her breathless child, or someone yells as you pull up your rig to a house fire, “Tere’s an elderly lady inside!” you damn well better be the very best. No exceptions. No excuses.

• Show empathy and compassion for those in need. As firefighters, we save life and property not simply because it’s our job, but because we truly care. Most individuals will only call 911 once in their lives. To them it’s the most important call they will ever make. Do you treat it with like significance and care—for all in need, with dignity, respect and critical importance?

• Be humble. Although we’re often called heroes, we should never think of ourselves or our actions as heroic. We have a responsibility and duty to act as no other would in risking our lives to save a stranger. Tis fire service fundamental value is often seen as and indeed is valiant, but let others draw that distinction.

• Continuously learn. Seek your college degree, take a class at the National Fire Academy, attend leadership conferences, go for your paramedic, etc. Most importantly, pass down your talent to the next generation by teaching, mentoring and coaching young firefighters to be better than your generation.

LIve for the MoMent On average, 100 firefighters lose their lives each year in line-of-duty related incidents. None believe that any call will be their last.

When members join the service, they’re asked, “Can you give it your all?” Chief Tommy Adams’ life—not his death—reminded me of that. He gave his all. What would they say about you?

Brian A. Crawford is the fire chief for and a 25-year veteran of the Shreveport (La.) Fire Department. He is a National Fire Academy (NFA) resident instructor, a NFA Executive Fire Officer Program (EFO) graduate and an IAEM Certified Emergency Manager and Commissioner. He also holds the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation and is a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers. Crawford serves as chair for the Program Planning Committee of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He holds a master’s degree in industrial psychology.

May 2010

Choose 82 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs

Choose 83 at www.ďŹ rerescuemagazine.com/rs