February 2012 Blog Posts (27)

Which is better: letting pain and muscle spasm immobilize an injured spine or doing it with the same tools we’ve used for decades?  Should hypothermia begin DURING the arrest?  Do response times make any difference whatsoever in patient outcomes?  The answers to these and other hot EMS topics were intensely debated in Dallas last week at the 14^th annual Gathering of Eagles, EMS State of the Science Conference.

The U.S. Metropolitan Municipalities EMS Medical Directors…

Does your engine have a reserve or secondary line? This line is not a main per-connect, "the second line" or the back up. This line functions as a reserve set up. 

Certain situations may require positioning your hand line to another area. The problem it creates, once it’s charged the time and effort to re-position increases. The line in operation would be shut down, possibly drained, and redeployed which under some circumstances is a labor intensive ordeal. A dry, fresh line is much…

Over the next few weeks several water shuttle related company drill topics will be added.  In Ohio the terminology is tanker, however, it is synonymous with other regions tender terminology.   Many of these skill set times are evaluated when ISO comes to visit you, but more importantly the training will improve your operations.  *Keep track of your times and the evolution description for later use with ISO.…

Disclaimer: As an Advocate for the Everyone Goes Home program, I have a duty to see the mission of reducing Firefighter Line of Duty Death fulfilled. This post was written due to my frustration with the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives being both misconstrued for personal agenda and as a shield to hide behind. In addition, the statements below are not part of the implementation process for the initiatives. My goal is to break down a key element of LSI #1, accountability and personal…

What would your FD do for this attached garage fire?  What would you do to address the extension issues?   Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO

Be Safe

I am not sure if this cartoon is whimsical or prophetic, but it's a fact that we are all doing more with much, much less these days. Better limber up your toes, folks - they're going to be needed!

 …

Getting Closer...



In part one of “Check your Dance Card” we discussed a few items to take a look at before we enter the fire building and start our dance with the “beauty of fire.” In part 2, we…

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”- Alexander Graham Bell

The word focus has an interesting origin. This term comes from the Latin word for fireplace or hearth. One can only assume that the definition is a central point, the source of heat in the home long ago. In modern times, this still holds true, as many fireplaces…

Ok, so I have made the big switch from EMS supervisor to Truck/Roving officer and it has been a month. It is a completely different beast. As an EMS supervisor, the work came to me, I had no time to sit back and relax, I was constantly on the go. However as a truck officer, I find there is more down time. I am spending time getting to know my truck and crew. I have already had a few issues but nothing that I couldn't deal with. Unfortunately, my comfort level with my new crew and my general…

I hate bullies! Always have, always will. Unfortunately, this is a leadership trait of far too many company and chief officers. As I see it, there are fundamentally three types of supervisors:

Leaders: Their ability to motivate and empower firefighters to excel is their key to success. People enjoy working for leaders and they have the highest…

When the zero visibility crap hits the hot and smokey fan, it's your training that makes all the difference between life and death, success and failure. Technology is great, but there is NO substitute for knowing the basics in any fire service discipline, strategy, or skill. Train, train, train, and then train some more!!!…

Got Stickers?

The following is a post with several insights and references on fire behavior, especially today’s fire behavior.  It’s not about guts or glory, but a priceless discussion on what the fire is doing in the buildings we are entering.

David Walsh (Program Chair for the Dutchess Community College Fire Science program) summarizes a short article below that appeared in the 2011 2nd issue of …

This past weekend we at Engine House Training, LLC had the distinct honor to interview and just talk with some of the leaders of the fire service at the 31st annual Missouri Winter Fire School. We were able to sit down with Billy Goldfeder, Dave Dodson, Forrest Reeder, Doug Cline and John Norman. To say the least, it was a great time. Click on the photo below to hear all of the podcasts. We also sat down with some of the great firefighters that attended. Challenge coins were flashed with two…

Hey guys, check out this new website I launched:

www.firefightingdynamics.com

FirefightingDynamics.com is aimed at providing members of the fire service with state of the art, unique, and best of all, free training material. Through the use of modern technology and research, the crew at FirefightingDynamics.com is excited to provide life saving information to firefighters across the United States and the…

This post is from Lt Jason Deptula (Vermilion Twp. FD).

I’m sure we all practice RIT procedures in some fashion, here’s a twist to keep your crews focused on their situational awareness.  Send your attack team through an…

I'm not here yet, but will be someday:) Once a firefighter, always a firefighter!!!



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Check out this video.  Heavy fire from the top floor.  Pre-arrival and post arrival footage.  What would you do?  What do you of their tactics?  Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Surf's up!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Thanks and Be Safe!