Average Jake Firefighter Blog
Read it, Learn it, Use it!
How Can We Reach The Future Of Our Service?
Posted by hdf561 on July 12, 2014
I have the chance to interact with young kids, pre teens, and
teenagers a lot. Sometimes it is through coaching, other times it is
through my part-time job as a Fire and Safety Technician at a local
theme park. When I do I often get the question…
How do you become a firefighter?
Once I begin to explain the process of becoming a firefighter or even an EMT Basic I am often met with the “that’s too much work” response especially by the teenagers.
Perhaps the question is more of a societal question, maybe it is a cultural one, but how can we reach the future of the service? How can we tell them that yes this is a tough job. It will take sacrifice, years of school and classes, time away from your loved ones, an elite level of fitness, etc. It will take all of that but the biggest thing is how do we tell them IT WILL BE WORTH IT!
I was lucky, I came from a fire service family so I did not have to search hard for the direction to go. However not everyone has a dad, brother, uncle, or even a neighbor to look to for inspiration into this career.
Even more simply put how can we turn this…
Into this
Love for the job may not be enough to hook the next generation, but we can not sacrifice the values of our profession to get people to fill our boots. We need to find the right people, not just people.
I know there will always be the fire service kids out there, but they are easy, how can we reach the on the fence ones? The ones that have the potential but may not have the push?
I do not have the answer. What I do know is that it will be tough, it will be hard, it will take sacrifice, but….
IT WILL BE WORTH IT!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
How do you become a firefighter?
Once I begin to explain the process of becoming a firefighter or even an EMT Basic I am often met with the “that’s too much work” response especially by the teenagers.
Perhaps the question is more of a societal question, maybe it is a cultural one, but how can we reach the future of the service? How can we tell them that yes this is a tough job. It will take sacrifice, years of school and classes, time away from your loved ones, an elite level of fitness, etc. It will take all of that but the biggest thing is how do we tell them IT WILL BE WORTH IT!
I was lucky, I came from a fire service family so I did not have to search hard for the direction to go. However not everyone has a dad, brother, uncle, or even a neighbor to look to for inspiration into this career.
Even more simply put how can we turn this…
Into this
Love for the job may not be enough to hook the next generation, but we can not sacrifice the values of our profession to get people to fill our boots. We need to find the right people, not just people.
I know there will always be the fire service kids out there, but they are easy, how can we reach the on the fence ones? The ones that have the potential but may not have the push?
I do not have the answer. What I do know is that it will be tough, it will be hard, it will take sacrifice, but….
IT WILL BE WORTH IT!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: ambulance, captain, chief, children, EMT, ENgine, fire, fire critic, Fire Engineering, fire medic, firefighter, firehouse, fireman, firemen, fitness, FSW, future, ladder, medic, NREMT, paramedic, recruit, recruitment, retention, squad, statter911, Truck | Leave a Comment »
How can we know our buildings?
Posted by hdf561 on July 1, 2014
Frank Brannigan said the building is our enemy and we need to
know our enemy. Some have amended that with the fire is our enemy but
the building is our battlefield and we must know the terrain in which we
are to do battle. Either way you put it building construction is
important to everything we do. However just the subject of building
construction is VAST and unending.
Engineers, construction companies, contractors, developers, etc. are always trying to come up with cheaper, and more efficient materials to build structures. Sure these materials are sound from an engineering stand point as a lot of the current construction materials are very lightweight but very strong. However they rarely consider how they are affected under fire.
The big question is how do we become more educated in building construction. The IFSTA Manual has a chapter on it, and it covers the 5 types of buildings and some basic information but to be honest most new buildings meet a very loose definition of those 5 types, some are even hybrids which include multiple types of construction making its resistance to fire change based on the location. Needless to say the IFSTA manual and our initial firefighter training fail in one of the most important aspects of our training.
One might say research is the key, and while effective in some regards, as previously stated the subject is vast. Just taking a few glances at the local buildings code for your area will bring you thousands of pages, which can be confusing at best when you see all of the exemptions. Viewing my local building code was of little help as I quickly discovered there was very little off the table when it came to construction. Reading books like Building Construction For The Fire Service is great but it is hundreds of pages that at times can be dry and difficult to get through. There are also some great websites out there but like with anything else they can be laced with opinion instead of facts. In my opinion the best research comes from the testing companies such as UL and NIST. They are science based, and do not bring in personal opinion. They simply present what happens during the test.
Research may be great for some but it still leaves us with limited hands on experience and little tactical decision-making ability. My recommendation is a three-step process to ensure you can develop knowledge, hands on, and tactical abilities.
1. Information Gathering: Be plugged into your district. In my locality we have some local publications, and housing magazines that provide a great deal of information for the fire service. They have floor layouts of houses in new developments, where and when new developments are coming, etc. My department also has a plans reviewer that gets blue prints of every commercial and residential occupancy built so those documents are available when needed. If you do not have that simply ride in your district and if you see a new development stop, get out, and go to the construction office (probably a trailer) and ask the site boss for information.
2. During Construction: Make several visits to the site while it is being built. This will give you a view of what materials are being used, how they are being used, and the type of craftsmanship. If you have questions, get you code compliance folks involved, or ask the construction site boss or foreman.
3. Post Construction: Once the building is built go meet to occupant, ask them to do a walk through and preplan. While their talk about tactics with your crew, test the standpipe to see if the caps come off, bring something to measure hose line stretch lengths, locate and test the closest hydrants, find the electrical rooms, find the alarm panels, if elevators make sure your elevator keys work, etc. Basically look at everything to do with this building, and take every advantage the occupant will give you. If they offer to let you stretch hose in the building DO IT!
This may still be a daunting task especially if you have a dynamic and developing district. If the building is already built you can still do parts of step 1 (blue prints) and all of step 3 which will still give you a lot of information needed to be successful. Simply put it can not all be done from the computer!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Engineers, construction companies, contractors, developers, etc. are always trying to come up with cheaper, and more efficient materials to build structures. Sure these materials are sound from an engineering stand point as a lot of the current construction materials are very lightweight but very strong. However they rarely consider how they are affected under fire.
The big question is how do we become more educated in building construction. The IFSTA Manual has a chapter on it, and it covers the 5 types of buildings and some basic information but to be honest most new buildings meet a very loose definition of those 5 types, some are even hybrids which include multiple types of construction making its resistance to fire change based on the location. Needless to say the IFSTA manual and our initial firefighter training fail in one of the most important aspects of our training.
One might say research is the key, and while effective in some regards, as previously stated the subject is vast. Just taking a few glances at the local buildings code for your area will bring you thousands of pages, which can be confusing at best when you see all of the exemptions. Viewing my local building code was of little help as I quickly discovered there was very little off the table when it came to construction. Reading books like Building Construction For The Fire Service is great but it is hundreds of pages that at times can be dry and difficult to get through. There are also some great websites out there but like with anything else they can be laced with opinion instead of facts. In my opinion the best research comes from the testing companies such as UL and NIST. They are science based, and do not bring in personal opinion. They simply present what happens during the test.
Research may be great for some but it still leaves us with limited hands on experience and little tactical decision-making ability. My recommendation is a three-step process to ensure you can develop knowledge, hands on, and tactical abilities.
1. Information Gathering: Be plugged into your district. In my locality we have some local publications, and housing magazines that provide a great deal of information for the fire service. They have floor layouts of houses in new developments, where and when new developments are coming, etc. My department also has a plans reviewer that gets blue prints of every commercial and residential occupancy built so those documents are available when needed. If you do not have that simply ride in your district and if you see a new development stop, get out, and go to the construction office (probably a trailer) and ask the site boss for information.
2. During Construction: Make several visits to the site while it is being built. This will give you a view of what materials are being used, how they are being used, and the type of craftsmanship. If you have questions, get you code compliance folks involved, or ask the construction site boss or foreman.
3. Post Construction: Once the building is built go meet to occupant, ask them to do a walk through and preplan. While their talk about tactics with your crew, test the standpipe to see if the caps come off, bring something to measure hose line stretch lengths, locate and test the closest hydrants, find the electrical rooms, find the alarm panels, if elevators make sure your elevator keys work, etc. Basically look at everything to do with this building, and take every advantage the occupant will give you. If they offer to let you stretch hose in the building DO IT!
This may still be a daunting task especially if you have a dynamic and developing district. If the building is already built you can still do parts of step 1 (blue prints) and all of step 3 which will still give you a lot of information needed to be successful. Simply put it can not all be done from the computer!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Posted in Company Officer, Engine Company, Truck Company | Tagged: ambulance, building, building codes, building construction for the fire service, buildings, burn tests, code comliance, code enforcement, construction, dave dodoson, ENgine, fire, fire service, firefighter, firefighting, fireman, frank brannigan, green construction, Green Maltese, IFSTA, john mittendorf, ladder, medic, NFPA, NIST, paramedic, squad, Truck, UL | Comments Off
2014 Richmond Fire Beat The Heat 5k
Posted by hdf561 on June 16, 2014
This past weekend I got to participate in one of my favorite races. The Richmond Beat The Heat 5k benefits the Richmond Firefighters Foundation by providing scholarships to the families of Richmond Firefighters. Besides the obvious benefits it is a race with mostly firefighters which is always fun.
This year was even more fun because it was the first time I was able to run a race with my two sons
Here we are at the beginning of the raceI got to run with my oldest while my wife ran with my youngest.
Here is my wife and the boys before the raceSince this was their first race we had little expectations as far as time, the goal was simply finish, have fun, and share our love of fitness with them.
WE WHERE BLOWN AWAY!!!!!! My oldest and I finished in about 31 mins. which is only about 6 mins off of my fastest time! My wife and youngest where not far behind and finished in 38 mins !
Post race with the bling!For an 8 and 5-year-old this was phenomenal and I could not have been more proud! This just goes to show that your fitness journey does not have to be a solo one, and getting your family involved can be rewarding on so many levels! I was even prouder when they asked can we do this again!
My hats off once again to the City Of Richmond Fire Department for hosting a great event! They have improved this race every year and it keeps getting better! If you are in the Richmond area or close next year you should do this race. For veteran runners it is perfect for a PR attempt as it is flat and fast. It is also the perfect race for beginners, walkers, stroller pushers, etc. Most importantly it benefits the families of firefighters.
If you can’t get here next year, try to sign up for a race in your home town, or better yet create one! Racing is one of the best ways to keep on your fitness plan as it gives you a concrete goal to accomplish. You do not need to be the fastest just race against yourself!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Posted in Fitness | Tagged: 10k, 5k, ambulance, beat the heat, beat the heat 5k, cross fit, EMT, ENgine, fire, fire service warrior fitness, firefighter, firefighter fitness, fireground fitness, fireman, firemen, fit fam, fitness, FSWfitness, half marathon, ladder, marathon, medic, NREMT, paramedic, races, rescue, rescue squad, RFD, Richmond Fire, richmond firefighters, Richmond VA, road race, run chat, runners world, running, running races, RVA, squad, Truck | Comments Off
What do you want to be?
Posted by hdf561 on June 8, 2014
There is a lot of debate about what is and what is not
aggressive. A lot of people determine aggressive based on their location
on the fire ground. I have often thought that aggressive should be
defined as the actions you are taking not where you are standing.
As I have been debating this for several years I have begun to think that perhaps we are defining our fire service “actions” with the wrong words. I have seen very non aggressive moves right next to a fire, some very aggressive ones on the exterior, and vice versa.
Take a look at the definition of aggressive
As I have been debating this for several years I have begun to think that perhaps we are defining our fire service “actions” with the wrong words. I have seen very non aggressive moves right next to a fire, some very aggressive ones on the exterior, and vice versa.
Take a look at the definition of aggressive
ag·gres·sive
əˈgresiv/
adjective
adjective: aggressive
ready or likely to attack or confront; characterized by or resulting from aggression.
“he’s very uncooperative and aggressive”
Some of the synonyms are hostile, belligerent. One of the definitions included the words destructive and often harmful!
Are these things we really want to be viewed as?
I think the term I want to be most identified with is effective.
ef·fec·tive
iˈfektiv/
adjective
adjective: effective
1.
successful in producing a desired or intended result
Some synonyms include successful, powerful, and potent.
These are words I want to be associated with. I want to be able to handle anything thrown my way and be successful at it.
I think as a service we
need to judge our tactics and actions based on effectiveness, not
location, or our perceived definition of aggression. I have worked in
fire departments on a 2 person engine with no back up where interior
operations where a lot of times not an option. So we would work on
flowing large-caliber hand lines from the exterior. Flowing 300+ gals a
min from the exterior then transitioning to the interior may not seem
aggressive to some (I disagree) but I guarantee you it is effective and
those fires went out, probably faster than some who may have gone
interior with 1 person initially.
I have also seen
departments take undersized lines interior to very large fires only to
get overwhelmed and chased out. They where trying to meet the definition
of “aggressive interior firefighters” but where not effective in
putting the fire out so what was the point?
The fire service is VAST
and dynamic! There is not and should not be one way to handle fires as
each fire department is a little different. The tactics of the FDNY guy
with 5 man engines usually do not work on the two or three-man engine.
So when evaluating your
tactics and actions focus on how effective they are vs. where you may be
standing (interior or exterior). Always take whatever you may see on
the internet, YouTube, blogs, etc. and put it in practice at YOUR fire
house, with your crew, and your equipment.
I always have and always
will love going inside on a fire building, however it may not always be
the best option for your staffing, or your department. Even as well
staffed (first in assignments) as my department is with our actual rig
manning (3 driver, officer, firefighter) it may not always be feasible.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Posted in Company Officer, Engine Company | Tagged: aggressive, ambulance, DCFD, effective, ENgine, FDNY, fire, fire critic, Fire Engineering, fire service warrior, firefighter, firehouse, fireman, FSW, fswwarrior, HAZmat, HTR, ladder, medic, NREMT, NREMT-P, paramedic, rescue, squad, Truck | 2 Comments »
You Never Know What You Will Find
Posted by hdf561 on May 27, 2014
We all know the importance of getting out in our district,
preplanning, etc. New buildings are popping up everyday and we know the
dangers of new construction, and how in conjunction with low mass
synthetic housing material, and high heart release rates make the
environment in which we do business more dynamic and possibly more
dangerous.
Even knowing this it is still important to go out and see these buildings while under construction so we can see the possible dangers.
This is a roof system I found at a construction site. As you can see there is some damage to the wood, and the gusset plate is loose. These systems are built-in mass production and usually sit out in the elements for weeks, then when delivered to construction sites are dumped off of a truck and left to sit again until being put into place.
Do not assume every building is on the up and up, and to make sure someone is assessing building stability at every fire.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Even knowing this it is still important to go out and see these buildings while under construction so we can see the possible dangers.
This is a roof system I found at a construction site. As you can see there is some damage to the wood, and the gusset plate is loose. These systems are built-in mass production and usually sit out in the elements for weeks, then when delivered to construction sites are dumped off of a truck and left to sit again until being put into place.
Do not assume every building is on the up and up, and to make sure someone is assessing building stability at every fire.
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Posted in Company Officer, Uncategorized | Tagged: building collapse, building construction, buildings, EMS, ENgine, fire, fire behavior, fire dynamics, firefighter, firehouse, fireman, firemen, gang nailer, gusset plate, ladder, NIST, rescue, roof system, squad, Truck, UL | 1 Comment »
Turning Your Commute Into a Classroom!
Posted by hdf561 on May 12, 2014
One of the biggest things I always here about why firefighters do
train everyday is time! To be honest I get it! Most firefighters in the
country are volunteer and are working a full-time job, raising
families, and still trying to find time to serve their volunteer
departments and communities.
The same can go for career firefighters who often have one or more part-time jobs, and families. I myself have my full-time fire department job, a part-time job, and 2 beautiful boys who are playing multiple sports that me and my wife are heavily involved in (coaching, team parents etc.) My wife even works her full-time job and teaches EMT-Basic (among other things) for her part-time work, so I get being taxed for time.
What I often try to do is find a way to maximize the time I have, kind of like a NASCAR pit crew. They analyze where even seconds can be saved in order to make a faster pit stop.
One of the ways I have found to do that is during my commute to work! Most every firefighter I know has between 15 mins and an hour when heading into the fire station. Instead of zoning out to work like I used to, I have begun listening to podcasts while going to work.
http://www.petelamb.com, http://www.viewsfromthejumpseat.com, http://www.firefightertoolbox.com, http://www.fireengineering.com
There is a TON of great content on podcasts today, and they run the range from simple to complex, fitness to leadership, EMS to firefighting. In the above pictures are some of my favorites that I listen to on my rides to work. I also listen to them while I am working out, again a time maximizing effort.
Another resource available is Audio Books. A lot of people do not like reading books, or reading period but by listening to an audio book in a couple of rides to and from work you can get a great message and education just by listening. Here is a link to some audio books available right now! http://www.pennwellbooks.com/audiobooks.html
Another tip is you can utilize your commute to work to improve your district knowledge and size up skills. I’m sure most of us take the same route to work and home everyday. Instead try to take different paths to work, and note different streets, buildings, and water supply options. If you see something interesting take a picture and share it with the crew when you get to work.
You may spark a discussion about how to deal with the problem, and maybe they will want to go see it for themselves. Also while your riding your district pic a random house and do an on scene report for it.
This was a house in a district I used to work in that I rode by hundreds of times, and when it finally caught fire everyone on the shift knew what the exact location of the house, and the closest hydrants, I sized this house up a lot as did everyone on my crew so when it came time for the real deal we where ready!
I know time is something there never seems to be enough of but by taking the time we do have and maximizing it, we can make huge strides in our fire service knowledge.
So take the time, to make the time and soon your commute will be your classroom!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
The same can go for career firefighters who often have one or more part-time jobs, and families. I myself have my full-time fire department job, a part-time job, and 2 beautiful boys who are playing multiple sports that me and my wife are heavily involved in (coaching, team parents etc.) My wife even works her full-time job and teaches EMT-Basic (among other things) for her part-time work, so I get being taxed for time.
What I often try to do is find a way to maximize the time I have, kind of like a NASCAR pit crew. They analyze where even seconds can be saved in order to make a faster pit stop.
One of the ways I have found to do that is during my commute to work! Most every firefighter I know has between 15 mins and an hour when heading into the fire station. Instead of zoning out to work like I used to, I have begun listening to podcasts while going to work.
http://www.petelamb.com, http://www.viewsfromthejumpseat.com, http://www.firefightertoolbox.com, http://www.fireengineering.comThere is a TON of great content on podcasts today, and they run the range from simple to complex, fitness to leadership, EMS to firefighting. In the above pictures are some of my favorites that I listen to on my rides to work. I also listen to them while I am working out, again a time maximizing effort.
Another resource available is Audio Books. A lot of people do not like reading books, or reading period but by listening to an audio book in a couple of rides to and from work you can get a great message and education just by listening. Here is a link to some audio books available right now! http://www.pennwellbooks.com/audiobooks.html
Another tip is you can utilize your commute to work to improve your district knowledge and size up skills. I’m sure most of us take the same route to work and home everyday. Instead try to take different paths to work, and note different streets, buildings, and water supply options. If you see something interesting take a picture and share it with the crew when you get to work.
You may spark a discussion about how to deal with the problem, and maybe they will want to go see it for themselves. Also while your riding your district pic a random house and do an on scene report for it.
This was a house in a district I used to work in that I rode by hundreds of times, and when it finally caught fire everyone on the shift knew what the exact location of the house, and the closest hydrants, I sized this house up a lot as did everyone on my crew so when it came time for the real deal we where ready!
I know time is something there never seems to be enough of but by taking the time we do have and maximizing it, we can make huge strides in our fire service knowledge.
So take the time, to make the time and soon your commute will be your classroom!
As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!
Posted in Company Officer, Drill of the Month, Engine Company, Truck Company | Tagged: ambulance, classroom, commute, district, ENgine, FDIC, fire, fire department, Fire Engineering, fire service, firefighter toolbox, firefighting tool box, firehouse, fireman, firemedic, firemen, flipped fire, hazards, hoarder homes, hoarding, house fire, jumpseat ready, jumpseat views, ladder, leadership, leading, medic, medic cast, paramedic, pete lamb, podcast, rescue, ryan pennington, squad, station, structure fire, training, Truck | Comments Off
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