This article originally appeared in the March 2014 edition of Fire Engineering magazine.

Why are we here? Why does the fire department exist? What are we trying to achieve each time we show up for our duty shift or are toned out to an emergency? Many fire departments have a mission statement that usually consists of a short explanation of what the department does to protect the life and property of the…

As a fire chief or any organizational leader, you set the tone, the vision and the direction that the organization is going to move in. As the person at the rudder of the ship, it is also necessary for you to recognize when change is necessary, and more importantly how to steer the ship through that change without ending up on the rocks.

Policy, procedure or SOP changes can be written and put into place quite easily,…

     The frustrated members of many fire departments, can often be seen gathering in small groups of like-minded people, discussing why they can’t make any improvements or solve the many problems they see, why their department can’t be progressive, and why their particular organization will never be what they want it to be. They constantly see great ideas in the fire service, best practices that other departments are initiating, leadership in other…

Anyone who has seen the HBO Mini-Series “Band of Brothers” knows who Major Richard Winters is. The leader of Easy Company, 506^th Parachute Infantry Regiment states in his book, “Beyond Band of Brothers” that, “Having selected the right men for the job, I then delegated the authority to my subordinates and allowed them to use their initiative to execute the mission. There is no need to tell someone how to do his job if you have properly trained your…

How well are you training and preparing your officers to manage your most important resource?

STAY FIRED UP, and train!

____

It was an honor to have recently participated in the latest round of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Heart to Heart: Strategizing an Evidence-Based Approach to Reduce Cardiac Disease and Death in the Fire Service initiative.  The meeting brought together fire service research scientists, fire service professionals, and marketing experts from…

As we pulled out of the firehouse at 0300 hours, the dispatcher informed responding units that they were receiving numerous calls for a serious motor vehicle crash with multiple patients trapped. I relayed the information to the backseat to notify them that we would be going to work. From that point, each member begins to dig into…

When it comes to extrication tools, everyone has their personal preferences. Having the opportunity to travel the country teaching, I have had the opportunity to use most the tools out there at one time or another. This weeks “Quick Tip” will cover my personal opinion on the controversial topic of tool sizes/weights. You will get various…

We all understand that the extrication of trapped patients from serious vehicle accidents can take time. Commonly, there is confusion about the best rescue method for a particular patient. We…

The age old question...CUT OR SPREAD HINGES? Although we have…

Often, we run into smaller/secondary entrapments that can be just as challenging as entrapments by the doors, dash,…

Many rescuers have heard, seen, or used what is commonly known as a 3rd door conversion. The 3rd door conversion gains much needed access to rear occupants of a 2 door vehicle. This method can be completed quickly. The yellow lines show notches or cuts via the cutter or sawzall. If the cuts are done well, little to no…

This week’s “Quick Tip” is simple…GET TO AN EXTRICATION CHALLENGE!…

Compressed Natural Gas, with a name like that, it has to be bad. Right? I was recently asked to provide some information on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transport vehicles. Now remember, LNG differs from CNG in that it is super-cooled and compressed so that its storage is in a liquid form, which…

IN EXTRICATION, NEVER SAY NEVER

This morning while working on the 50th installment of the "Quick Tip" series, I must say that I am impressed by the changes vehicle extrication has encountered over the years. On the street, new methods are being tested and put through the paces by firefighters daily. The vehicles,…

Disabling vehicle power (battery) is common practice when arriving at almost any auto accident. Cutting the vehicles battery is the first thing shouted with authority, when asked about procedures of first arriving units. However, what if it’s…

       Previously in TRUST Makes Leadership Possible, Part 1 we briefly discussed the concept of leaders trusting their people (trust down the chain of command). But there is another side to the two-way street that is trust, and it is just as important if not more so.…

When it comes to vehicle rescue, you will…

In relation to EXTRICATION, are you practicing/drilling for a "A" Plan door pop on an undamaged vehicle...or are we truly preparing our crew for the "real" extrication scene? Most of the time a extrication drill consists of a vehicle and 25 responders, each holding a tool while anticipating…GO!!! While that technique works “ok” for general…