All Blog Posts Tagged 'Search' (14)

The goal of Firefighter Rescue Survey (FirefighterRescueSurvey.com or check us out on Facebook) is to gather as much information as possible from actual rescues in the hopes of making us all more effective and efficient on our firegrounds. By collecting data from firefighters who have been in the exact situation that most of us spend a career preparing for, we hope to provide firefighters from around the…

        The goal of Firefighter Rescue Survey (FirefighterRescueSurvey.com or check us out on Facebook) is to gather as much information as possible from actual rescues in the hopes of making us all more effective and efficient on our firegrounds. By collecting data from firefighters who have been in the exact situation that most of us spend a career preparing for, we hope to provide firefighters from around…

The practice of estimating the likelihood of finding living persons inside a burning building, and basing a large part of our risk determination on this calculation - more specifically, the decision whether to enter the building to perform a search - has spawned fervent discussions in the fire service, to say the least.  One side cites the lack of justification for risking firefighters’ lives if it is unlikely there is anyone alive to rescue,…

Imagine you are dispatched to a motor vehicle collision and when you arrive you see a driver unconscious with trauma to the neck and upper extremities bleeding profusely.  Without quick action he is sure to die.  But there are power lines on the car.  What comes first?  Deal with the power lines or go for the victim?

Many of us around the country are arriving…

When training on search, victim removal often gets very little attention.  Victims are most often found in one of two places:  a path of egress or in a bedroom. Logically, if the victim were 5-10 feet inside the front door, we would simply drag him/her out quickly.  But if the victim is found in a bedroom behind a closed door we must be careful not to do additional harm to this victim.  We say it often on our classes, “If you crawl through a smoky, hot hallway and open up a bedroom door and…

In our world decisions are made in a split second.  In our world victims in a house fire have minutes not ‘tens of minutes’.  In our world first reports are often wrong.  In our world, words said over the radio have an effect on operations.  Those words can mean the difference between an aggressive interior search and a passive secondary only search.  We all know…

The public has a set of expectations when they call the fire department. They expect that we will: 1) Save anyone that is inside 2) Put the fire out. 

Many departments (including mine) give awards for saves and great stops on fires.  I’m all for awards and unit citations, but if you really think about it, we are giving awards for meeting the expectations of the public.  Does any other job do that?

Speaking of Expectations

I set out my trash…

There has been a great push for both firefighters and civilians to understand the concept of “closing the door”.  To them (civilians) it means that they are safer in the event of a fire in the home.  To us, it means tenable space and a greater potential for a save, even in a well -involved building.

What if we find a victim in the bedroom?  How are do you plan to take them out?  We are creatures of habit, which means we are likely to go out the same way we came in.  If we…

Many of us run on short-staffed units.  We arrive on scene and begin the stretch with just an officer and a firefighter on the line.  Throw in a corner or two this can be a difficult stretch for just two people.  But what if you come across a victim?  Do you have a plan?  Have you talked about it with your crew?  Stats tell us that over 1/3 of the time civilians are found while trying to escape or control the fire.  With odds that great we should plan and practice for…

In general, a report of "victims trapped" should not cause any major changes in your initial operations. They may cause slight alterations - like where you take your line, which window you VES, etc.  However your plans/SOGs should already be setup assuming there are persons trapped. When added information increases the likelihood of entrapment, we should be doing what we always do - just harder and faster!

Remember, all tasks work in…

Many departments across the country have a in-house maze for SCBA Confidence training.  These mazes are great for instilling confidence for the brand new fire fighter and maintaining proficiencies for the 20 year veteran.  The issue that I have heard not just in my own department but departments across the county in which I reside is, “I can do this maze in my sleep” statement.  A lot of mazes are constructed modular so different paths can be taken; the maze will also be slightly different…

I’ve been pondering search lately.  We have learned that the best chance for survival for civilians trapped in a burning structure (and firefighters in trouble too) is get a closed door between them and the fire area.  This will greatly reduce the thermal threat, and improve their chances of finding breathable oxygen.  Remember, if the fire is vent-limited, so are you, if you are in the same space without an SCBA.  So, we need to consider adding the “sleep with the door closed” message…

Searching Recreational Vehicles During

Fire Incidents in Industrial Areas

Many jurisdictions have an area that contains heavy commercial or light industrial occupancies that is commonly called an “industrial park” or “business park”. Often times these areas have buildings with large square footages and outdoor storage and loading areas. The…

In my academy we were not taught the art of search, instead we did "search and rescue" drills. When we entered a building be it the drill tower or an acquired structure we would immediately start our search as we were being trained to do. Right hand or left hand from the front door with the sole purpose of finding a victim or reporting primary clear. The monotony of the…