Anyone in the area is cordially invited to a Crossfit Lincoln workout. Check out their blog at http://crossfit-lincoln.blogspot.com to get your ass kicked, but the ass kicking will help you to kick ass at the next ass kicking fire you have....
Did that make sense?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Work this fire
Hello all...
Whaddya know...two posts in one night!
Take a look at this video and email me what you think. How would you fight this fire with the resources that you have? After a few posts, I'll let you know what I think, too.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Fgvs35j80
Whaddya know...two posts in one night!
Take a look at this video and email me what you think. How would you fight this fire with the resources that you have? After a few posts, I'll let you know what I think, too.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Fgvs35j80
Conflicted Thoughts
Well, it appears that it has been almost a year since I posted on this blog. Of course, there really is no excuse other than I've been busy and my adult onset ADHD sometimes doesn't allow me to develop a rational thought to place online. So, I'm just going to have a quick post tonight....
I've been thinking a lot lately about the true reason for our existence in the fire service....do we really promote saving lives, or do we only promote saving lives when it is convenient to do so. Are we creating a generation of firefighters (of which I might be one) who are self-serving and unwilling to take risks in order to do what we are supposedly sworn to do? I guess that one of the things that attracted me to this career was the fact that firefighters are perceived (or at least were at one time) as the ones who make selfless sacrifices. In some cases, that means placing our lives on the line. I'm not talking about being reckless; I'm talking about giving our firefighters a sense of pride in what they do that creates a willingness to actually do what the public expects us to do. There are soldiers, sailors, and marines fighting and dying at this very moment for our freedom; while every death is a tragedy, we EXPECT them to do it for us. And for that, we should be eternally grateful. But shouldn't those that call us expect us to do the same? A lot of the trade magazines would have you believe that you shouldn't ever do anything but try to stand outside a house fire and spray water or try to blow it out.
This ties into what we should really be doing: training and developing a mindset to be the very best at the very moment that we may be called to save a life. It is a burden that comes with the badge. It means that we should gain experience in any way that we can (and learn from the mistakes of others) so that we can make smart decisions that place our team in a position to make a difference. And it means cutting out all the bullshit that actually makes us less effective in our response....
Just my $.02...but you can comment and try to convince me otherwise.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the true reason for our existence in the fire service....do we really promote saving lives, or do we only promote saving lives when it is convenient to do so. Are we creating a generation of firefighters (of which I might be one) who are self-serving and unwilling to take risks in order to do what we are supposedly sworn to do? I guess that one of the things that attracted me to this career was the fact that firefighters are perceived (or at least were at one time) as the ones who make selfless sacrifices. In some cases, that means placing our lives on the line. I'm not talking about being reckless; I'm talking about giving our firefighters a sense of pride in what they do that creates a willingness to actually do what the public expects us to do. There are soldiers, sailors, and marines fighting and dying at this very moment for our freedom; while every death is a tragedy, we EXPECT them to do it for us. And for that, we should be eternally grateful. But shouldn't those that call us expect us to do the same? A lot of the trade magazines would have you believe that you shouldn't ever do anything but try to stand outside a house fire and spray water or try to blow it out.
This ties into what we should really be doing: training and developing a mindset to be the very best at the very moment that we may be called to save a life. It is a burden that comes with the badge. It means that we should gain experience in any way that we can (and learn from the mistakes of others) so that we can make smart decisions that place our team in a position to make a difference. And it means cutting out all the bullshit that actually makes us less effective in our response....
Just my $.02...but you can comment and try to convince me otherwise.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Get yer shit together...
Here is another video...a rookie putting on his SCBA (his bunkers are alread on) in less than 23 seconds...
Certain things should be automatic...this should be one of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnV5Bcm8WBg
Certain things should be automatic...this should be one of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnV5Bcm8WBg
Take a look at this
Here is a video created by a brother firefighter in Omaha. Not much else needs to be said, other than be sure to have a kleenex nearby...
If this doesn't move you, you don't have a pulse....please be safe out there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBhmw-djkh0
If this doesn't move you, you don't have a pulse....please be safe out there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBhmw-djkh0
Monday, August 18, 2008
A couple of good resources...
For those of you that know me, you know I LOVE to visit other departments and see how they do things. I especially like to learn from folks that are with traditional departments whose operations are "par-excellance." And of course, I like to average out the East Coast/West Coast thing with the perspective that we in the Midwest can take a little from both to do things right:) Most of you are aware that East Coast Firefighters and West Coast Firefighters like to show their fierce loyalty toward their methods and sometimes trade good-natured barbs about who's way is better. Fact of the matter is, they all have things we can learn, and they have developed their methods from years and years of experience that works well for them. Someday, maybe we'll be the same way in Nebraska. Anyway, here are a couple of links. One is the FDNY Forcible Entry Manual, or the "FE Bible" as some would say. The other is LAFD's Book 29...their Truck Company Operations Manual. Both are awesome resources!!! Enjoy!!!
http://www.firefactory.com/FE.pdf
http://ladderops.com/uploads/bk29.pdf
And, so there isn't any question...I prefer Chicago Style Pizza to the New York or California Styles...LOL!!!
http://www.firefactory.com/FE.pdf
http://ladderops.com/uploads/bk29.pdf
And, so there isn't any question...I prefer Chicago Style Pizza to the New York or California Styles...LOL!!!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
I'm an idiot....
It wasn’t long ago that I figured out I was an idiot….
A couple of years ago, 3 ½” years ago, as a matter of fact, I discovered that I needed some serious training….
It was the day before my Wife and I were going in to induce our son into labor…To be honest with you, that was really the only thing on my mind during that shift. Then, sometime in the afternoon, we were called on a full alarm to a house on fire. The Medic Unit arrived first and said they had a working fire in a one-story single-family dwelling. We pulled up as the first Engine and saw fire coming out of one window on the C/D side. My usual partner (and one of my best friends) was on the Medic Unit, and we were riding three on the Engine…he was able to get his stuff on pretty quickly (as usual) and met me at the front door. It was the first time we had deployed a new-fangled bumper load (stolen from Prince George’s County) on a real fire…the line was deployed so quickly that the Driver of the Engine was surprised to see us asking for water within about 30 seconds or so. The line was charged, and we opened the door. It was one of the weirdest things I’d ever seen…thick, black smoke from ceiling to floor. But it wasn’t moving. It didn’t move in or out. It just formed a wall. Oh well, we told ourselves…and we proceeded in. The second-in Engine had arrived by that time, and they were crawling and banging around. I assumed they were helping us, but how, I couldn’t figure out. Where is the hallway? It should be off to the right….I think. So, we went right. It felt a little warm, but not unbearable. I opened up the nozzle into the overhead, and felt nothing. The fire’s gotta be here somewhere. Then, I felt myself somersault and go upside-down. I saw my life flash before my eyes and then felt a thud with my PASS device digging into my ribs. My partner yelled, “Firefighter down, firefighter down.” I got my bearings and figured out that I’d only fallen down three steps onto a basement landing. “I’m alright.” “Hand me the nozzle,” he said. “Uh, no…I got it,” I replied. (I wasn’t about to give that up.) My ribs hurt like hell, but we figured out that we’d gone the wrong direction. “Over here,” yelled the Second-in Engine crew. We followed their voices and found our way to the hallway. A few more feet…and there it was. A room full of fire. It was beautiful. I hadn’t seen it in a long time. “Hit it!” the Captain of the Second Engine yelled. I took my time, made sure my nozzle was on a straight stream, and opened it on the fire. In a matter of seconds, the fire was knocked down. We moved in to the fire room, which was obviously pretty warm. Guys were pulling ceilings, and I sprayed a little bit of water. By then, my low air alarm was sounding…so, me and my partner left.
Well, the fire went out. It was scary and fun…just what I look for in a fire. But as I’ve become older (and maybe a little wiser, or perhaps lazier), I’ve figured out that there were a whole host of things that could’ve made that fire go a little better. Here are a few (and maybe you’ll think of a few more). 1) I could’ve slowed down a little bit. The rapid deployment of the bumper line bought me a little time. I should’ve used it to think more about the potential layout of the structure and path to the fire. To be honest with you, I didn’t even think about victims…this should’ve been one of my first considerations. 2) The second-in Engine could’ve been more help with stretching the line. By the time we actually made it to the fire, my bottle was almost empty. Part of this was due to being out of shape (which I’m remedying constantly); part of it was due to a lack of discipline. There were just two-of us dragging a line over and under and around a bunch of obstacles. If just one of the guys on the second Engine had taken the “control” position and helped feed the line around corners, we would’ve probably made the fire room faster and expended less energy. 3) We crawled through some pretty black and hot smoke. To this day, I don’t think that any ventilation was considered until after the room fire was knocked down. I’m doing a little research on the layout of the structure, but we would’ve benefitted from aggressive ventilation above the hallway. 4) A little too much pride…when I fell down the stairs, a backup line should’ve probably taken our place. I don’t think that anyone knew about the fall until after the fire was out.
There are probably a multitude of other items that would’ve made this bread and butter fire go a lot better. The primary thing I learned, though, was that we really don’t “learn” anything from our fires. We have become stagnant and just “rushed in.” No real assessment of building construction or reading smoke. Our fancy PPE will protect us. Now I’ve learned that this isn’t the case. I’m not going to bore you with all of the “Risk Management” Bullshit that you’ll find in just about every tactics book and trade journal article…although I agree with it, I think the stuff is overplayed. What I will say, though, is that 1) learning about the building construction in your district (including floor plans and layouts), 2) Reading the smoke and fire conditions as they relate to the construction and determining your attack plan, and 3) Utilizing a little company discipline will all contribute to these operations being conducted more professionally (and safely). Truth is, we attacked the fire the way I wanted to attack it…and nobody was the wiser. It might not have been the right way, and the more I think about it, should I have done what I did?
All I can say, is that my passion for training in effective fireground operations has been relentless since this fire.
The other thing that I can say, is that I went to the hospital, got X-rayed, and just had some bruised ribs. The next day, my beautiful son was born…which has given me further resolve to continue to try and “do things right.”
A couple of years ago, 3 ½” years ago, as a matter of fact, I discovered that I needed some serious training….
It was the day before my Wife and I were going in to induce our son into labor…To be honest with you, that was really the only thing on my mind during that shift. Then, sometime in the afternoon, we were called on a full alarm to a house on fire. The Medic Unit arrived first and said they had a working fire in a one-story single-family dwelling. We pulled up as the first Engine and saw fire coming out of one window on the C/D side. My usual partner (and one of my best friends) was on the Medic Unit, and we were riding three on the Engine…he was able to get his stuff on pretty quickly (as usual) and met me at the front door. It was the first time we had deployed a new-fangled bumper load (stolen from Prince George’s County) on a real fire…the line was deployed so quickly that the Driver of the Engine was surprised to see us asking for water within about 30 seconds or so. The line was charged, and we opened the door. It was one of the weirdest things I’d ever seen…thick, black smoke from ceiling to floor. But it wasn’t moving. It didn’t move in or out. It just formed a wall. Oh well, we told ourselves…and we proceeded in. The second-in Engine had arrived by that time, and they were crawling and banging around. I assumed they were helping us, but how, I couldn’t figure out. Where is the hallway? It should be off to the right….I think. So, we went right. It felt a little warm, but not unbearable. I opened up the nozzle into the overhead, and felt nothing. The fire’s gotta be here somewhere. Then, I felt myself somersault and go upside-down. I saw my life flash before my eyes and then felt a thud with my PASS device digging into my ribs. My partner yelled, “Firefighter down, firefighter down.” I got my bearings and figured out that I’d only fallen down three steps onto a basement landing. “I’m alright.” “Hand me the nozzle,” he said. “Uh, no…I got it,” I replied. (I wasn’t about to give that up.) My ribs hurt like hell, but we figured out that we’d gone the wrong direction. “Over here,” yelled the Second-in Engine crew. We followed their voices and found our way to the hallway. A few more feet…and there it was. A room full of fire. It was beautiful. I hadn’t seen it in a long time. “Hit it!” the Captain of the Second Engine yelled. I took my time, made sure my nozzle was on a straight stream, and opened it on the fire. In a matter of seconds, the fire was knocked down. We moved in to the fire room, which was obviously pretty warm. Guys were pulling ceilings, and I sprayed a little bit of water. By then, my low air alarm was sounding…so, me and my partner left.
Well, the fire went out. It was scary and fun…just what I look for in a fire. But as I’ve become older (and maybe a little wiser, or perhaps lazier), I’ve figured out that there were a whole host of things that could’ve made that fire go a little better. Here are a few (and maybe you’ll think of a few more). 1) I could’ve slowed down a little bit. The rapid deployment of the bumper line bought me a little time. I should’ve used it to think more about the potential layout of the structure and path to the fire. To be honest with you, I didn’t even think about victims…this should’ve been one of my first considerations. 2) The second-in Engine could’ve been more help with stretching the line. By the time we actually made it to the fire, my bottle was almost empty. Part of this was due to being out of shape (which I’m remedying constantly); part of it was due to a lack of discipline. There were just two-of us dragging a line over and under and around a bunch of obstacles. If just one of the guys on the second Engine had taken the “control” position and helped feed the line around corners, we would’ve probably made the fire room faster and expended less energy. 3) We crawled through some pretty black and hot smoke. To this day, I don’t think that any ventilation was considered until after the room fire was knocked down. I’m doing a little research on the layout of the structure, but we would’ve benefitted from aggressive ventilation above the hallway. 4) A little too much pride…when I fell down the stairs, a backup line should’ve probably taken our place. I don’t think that anyone knew about the fall until after the fire was out.
There are probably a multitude of other items that would’ve made this bread and butter fire go a lot better. The primary thing I learned, though, was that we really don’t “learn” anything from our fires. We have become stagnant and just “rushed in.” No real assessment of building construction or reading smoke. Our fancy PPE will protect us. Now I’ve learned that this isn’t the case. I’m not going to bore you with all of the “Risk Management” Bullshit that you’ll find in just about every tactics book and trade journal article…although I agree with it, I think the stuff is overplayed. What I will say, though, is that 1) learning about the building construction in your district (including floor plans and layouts), 2) Reading the smoke and fire conditions as they relate to the construction and determining your attack plan, and 3) Utilizing a little company discipline will all contribute to these operations being conducted more professionally (and safely). Truth is, we attacked the fire the way I wanted to attack it…and nobody was the wiser. It might not have been the right way, and the more I think about it, should I have done what I did?
All I can say, is that my passion for training in effective fireground operations has been relentless since this fire.
The other thing that I can say, is that I went to the hospital, got X-rayed, and just had some bruised ribs. The next day, my beautiful son was born…which has given me further resolve to continue to try and “do things right.”
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