Skip Coleman's Blog (7)

In my last post, I was talking about the “NEVER” word. You see, we say things around the kitchen table and the young crew members listen and pick up on this stuff. Their minds are quite impressionable at that early age and their concern is to do a good job. So they listen and take in what they hear. So, if you’re at the kitchen table and discussing a fire and one of the old salts says something like “Did you see what Engine 16 did on Elm Street? They used a fog stream inside a building.” Then th… Continue

I usually question veteran firefighters that tell a recruit or new-be “Son! Never hit smoke with a hose stream – Only the “red-stuff”!” or “Never take your gloves off”. (For those of you who are scratching your head saying “Tommie told me to never hit smoke”! If your intent is to cool unprotected steel, like the underside of a metal deck roof you are crawling under and all you see is smoke up there – it’s OK to hit smoke! I’ll discuss the glove thing in a minute.) You see, when we tell these “mi… Continue

As I mentioned in my last blog about buddy breathing, 75% of what you learn (hands-on wise) is lost - forgotten, if you don't reinforce (practice) it within two weeks. There is psychological theory that states "when people are put in a stressful situation, they revert to what is "usual and customary" for them. These to "theory's" work hand in hand and ignoring them has cost a lot of us our lives. Rick Lasky took self-rescue and firefighter rescue to new levels several years ago. With the "Saving… Continue

This Blog was originally posted September 14 but was deleted in the set up on the new web site. I am posting it again. I generally let politics roll off my back. I believe I'm too ignorant about the true facts and history in general to comment. But something caught my eye (or more rightfully so - my ear) a few days back. I was listening to talk radio and the host mentioned that if you visit the White House web site (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-Pat… Continue

I have two problems with the buddy-breathing device on SCBA’s. 1) Unless you drill on using it “often”, like once a month, in blacked out facepiece conditions, you probably won’t be able to actually do it in a real, stress-filled emergency. 75% of what you learn is forgotten within two weeks if it is not reinforced! (That’s a fact Jack!) 2) It’s (for lack of a better word) illegal to use. Not to buy (to the joy of the manufactures) but to actually use. When I was a Lieutenant in 1984, we had… Continue

This is an excellent photo of proper line placement. The first line at almost every fire should be positioned so as to cut the spread of fire. I realize that the great temptation is to put water on the fire. However, in this case, more good things will

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