FIDEM SERVAMUS: Keep the Faith

I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you one of the truths about “the job”. Please understand that these ramblings are my opinion and that of firemen I respect. It is not intended to imply condescension but is intended to pass along some truths I have learned along the way.
With the endless hours of training a question that many new firefighters ask is, “So when does it get to be fun?” The short answer is… never. The demand of your courage and you honor is constant, even when off duty.
T… Continue

-This video was passed on to me by one of the guys at work. Take a look at it from the perspective of using it as a teaching aid and not as an opportunity to bash. There is a tremendous amount to learn from this video.
-I was shocked and in awe when I saw this but I'm interested in your comments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXR-kdouVE8

-Recently I received an email from Chief Halton in reference to a new literary work in reference to residential search and rescue during a fire. The work was written from an unusual perspective... it was written by the victim.
-I have read the piece and it does have some interesting teaching points that are valid to those of us that provide these services.
-Some that read it will be offended and some outraged, believing that this is a criticism of the fire service. In fact it is not a criticism… Continue

Hand Tools for Residential Search and Rescue Operations

Firefighters conducting search assignments in a residential occupancy must have hand tools with them to facilitate the tactical objectives in order to achieve success in a safe and timely manner. In fact, every firefighter on the fire ground, unless specifically assigned to operate the nozzle should have some type of hand tool with them. All too often we see firefighters on scene or in photographs standing on a roof or on a ladder with not… Continue

-This idea for this blog started after I became involved in a discussion on CSF. It started me thinking about a strange topic but one that will never be addressed until forced on to the troops.
-The discussion started out with a video of a fire in a strip mall/taxpayer, whatever you like to call them. And it got me thinking, how many times do these occupancies change hands, how many times do tenants come and go and what alterations do they perform without the FD being aware.
-They all need a cer… Continue

When answering an alarm for a residential fire there are many tasks and priorities that must be addressed by the responding companies. One of the most important yet frequently overlooked tactics is the various and multiple potential rescue scenarios that the first arriving companies may be confronted with.
The primary decision faced by the first arriving unit is something that the company officer must decide on his own, whether or not to keep the balance of the alarm assignment responding code t… Continue