Fire Engineering Training Community

Where firefighters come to talk training

April 2014 Blog Posts (48)

Hump Day SOS - Liquid Safety

There were a few original Hump Day SOS's that only appeared on my Twitter and Facebook pages. A few were posted on Urban Firefighter prior to this blog. They were simply pictures with no commentary. For the next few weeks I'm going to go back repost them here on FE along with added blog text. The intent here at the Hump Day SOS is to provide a somewhat satirical…

Continue

Added by David Rhodes on April 30, 2014 at 9:00am — No Comments

Simple Hose Roll For DPO

This is just a simple trick that was taught to me and I have been passing on for years. Every engine company carries short supply hose sections of various sizes and lengths. I often found that when these rolls get above about 25 feet they can become a little difficult to deal with. Storage, deployment, etc. they are just difficult. A lot of these rolls are simply straight rolled, or doughnut rolled and placed in the compartment, or tray and not thought of until the next fire. Getting a water…

Continue

Added by Robert Owens on April 29, 2014 at 8:10pm — No Comments

What's a Mentor Worth

Some time ago...15 years ago to be exact, I was elected to my first position as a volunteer chief officer! I was proud and honored to say the least. I thought I was ready, having spent several hundreds of hours in classes at my young age, but that was just the start.

Unfortunately, my keys to the office, white helmet, and badges were thrown at me. Now, I had a great Chief...but the problem was, he worked 7 days a week and traveled all the time.

I was left to fend for myself,…

Continue

Added by Jeremy Rebok on April 29, 2014 at 4:39pm — No Comments

Is Aggressive a 4 letter word?

Lately I have heard a lot of negativity toward the use of the word aggressive in our fire service vocabulary. Whether in casual conversations, seminars or online learning outlets I have heard a sense of dismay for the use of this word. I heard one fire service member say that it should be removed from our dictionary because it is going to get someone hurt; that is a macho term that has no place in our profession. Some tend to associate this word with being reckless or careless on the…

Continue

Added by Jarrod Sergi on April 29, 2014 at 8:30am — 3 Comments

Vertical Ventilation Skill Building

When it comes to vertical ventilation, don’t put the cut ahead of the horse, we have a lot of work to do before we make any carts. Bad joke but important point. A systematic approach to your training will build skills progressively which leads to more sound…

Continue

Added by Brian Brush on April 29, 2014 at 8:00am — 3 Comments

Blowin' Smoke with Lt. Isaac Frazier

Blowin' Smoke with Lt. Isaac Frazier

Added by Isaac Frazier on April 28, 2014 at 7:24pm — No Comments

The Fireman I want to be...

The fireman I want to be...

He gets to work at least a half hour early because he can't wait for his shift to start. He always offers to take a call for who he relieves, in part so they can get home to their…

Continue

Added by Brandon Strickland on April 28, 2014 at 7:30am — 1 Comment

Extrication "Quick Tip" 2 (B Scratch)

When securing battery power, quickly scratch through the letter B (on hood). This allows arriving units to see that battery power has been secured (This is not used on lightly damaged fender benders). This method is a good alternative to leaving the hood up, as it doesn't obstruct your view of the scene.…

Continue

Added by Isaac Frazier on April 28, 2014 at 7:20am — 2 Comments

Taking the Lid Off Training

What is stopping you from thinking differently about how you deliver training? Is it fear of rejection, fear of humiliation, or some other fear?



Some of the best training delivered is done in a different manner than the norm. When you stretch people's imagination, they tend to think more open and engage in the learning process better.



You have great ideas on training and how to deliver your message in a new package. Try it out! Be brave! Take the lid off of your training… Continue

Added by Devon Wells on April 27, 2014 at 9:00am — No Comments

Get Lucky!

Ever heard that saying that it's better to be lucky than good? Yeah, me too!

Well, have you ever wondered how some are ALWAYS lucky? That's mostly because they create their luck.

As the officer, you create your own luck by preparing and filling in the gaps in your operational readiness. Luck doesnt' just befall you because it picks you.

It comes along when you have been methodical and persistent in training, drilling, communicating and doing it again and…

Continue

Added by Jason Hoevelmann on April 25, 2014 at 11:33am — No Comments

FDIC 2014 Wrap UP!

WOW what a great conference FDIC2014 was. If you wonder where the brotherhood is then look no further than FDIC! This year the classes where once again great, as well as the opening ceremonies with Chief Bobby Halton and Eric Rohden, but everyone knows about that in anything you read you hear about the education you get from going to FDIC and it is by far second to none, so I want to focus on some other things in my FDIC wrap up.

I will however as usual give a shout out to the best…

Continue

Added by Robert Owens on April 25, 2014 at 9:56am — No Comments

Expect Training, Expect Sweat

        This job isn't easy, and there's no secret to being good at it. The recipe has only two ingredients: training and sweat. Over the past generation or so our responsibilities have snowballed to the point where the spectrum of our services is near infinite. We are the ones called when someone is trapped following a traffic accident, when grandma passes out, when there's a mudslide, a chemical spill, ice rescue, etc., etc...and I haven't even mentioned fire yet. Even though our duties…

Continue

Added by Nick Ledin on April 25, 2014 at 12:00am — No Comments

Beware Of The Snake Oil Salesman

Stories of the the snake oil salesman have throughout history conjured vivid images of nefarious characters who traveled from town to town peddling to anyone who would listen to a wide range of elixirs claiming to cure all that ails you.



These traveling salesmen would often use deception and planted audience members who would attest to their products value. This tactic often aided in creating a buying frenzy.



The…

Continue

Added by Brian Bastinelli on April 24, 2014 at 4:26pm — 2 Comments

Determine Capabilities Thru Drilling

If you are like many in this country, you're dealing with fluctuating manpower on a daily basis.

This makes frequent drilling even more important.

Be sure to drill with different numbers of personnel and practice techniques, not only with full manning, but with limited manning.

There is no way to know your true capabilities if you don't drill and practice with the different configurations of mannnig. It will determine your effectiveness on the fire ground.

Added by Jason Hoevelmann on April 24, 2014 at 11:26am — No Comments

Iron Sharpens Iron





I want to answer 15 calls a shift.
I want to see the sunrise after a 2nd alarm.
I want to spend my career at our busiest stations.
 
I will better myself mentally and physically…
Continue

Added by Brandon Strickland on April 23, 2014 at 3:24pm — No Comments

Two Story

Here is a blog indicating a fire of unknown location in two story house with bedrooms on both floors. Many more modern houses have sleeping areas on more that one area. The concern here is, where to start your search if the location of the fire is unknown and the fire occurs at a time where the sleeping areas should be searched first due to the time of the fire. 

As usual, the fire occurs at 0630 hours.  There are several bicycles in the driveway of the house and a swing set in the…

Continue

Added by Skip Coleman on April 23, 2014 at 3:13pm — 3 Comments

Stay Calm!

Being in control on the fire ground is critical for the fire officer. Nothing is worse than an officer screaming and shouting about EVERYTHING!

This shows a lack of control on the part of the officer. Staying in control allows you to think more clear, instills confidence in your members and allows for members and other officers to actually understand what your saying over the radio or through your mask.

The more your scream and lose your cool, the more inept you…

Continue

Added by Jason Hoevelmann on April 23, 2014 at 1:48pm — No Comments

Hump Day SOS - Search & Rescue & Research

Why do we go into fires at all? A question often asked by the public when we they look at the cost of firefighter injuries. The answer should be a simple one, “To perform SEARCH & RESCUE”. People live and work in structures and they catch fire. Often the fire occurs when the people are inside of the…

Continue

Added by David Rhodes on April 23, 2014 at 1:27pm — No Comments

War Zone in the Day Room

For any firefighter out there who has ever made the jump to the right front seat, there's always a bit of a learning curve. You know what I mean, going from buddy to boss, going from being responsible for your own job to being responsible for a number of others who may or may not fall within the acceptable span-of-control. Recently, I was off work for about two weeks…

Continue

Added by Ian Schulte on April 22, 2014 at 6:30pm — 1 Comment

Building the Battle Ready Firefighter

Battle Ready?

Fire Departments can have the best apparatus, tools / equipment and still struggle to provide professional services to their community.  Why?  Behavioral modification or “learning” is a major component in preparing brothers for battle.  While we travel across the country providing some of the best training available to firefighters, we have noted that many fire departments have lots of technology these days.  This technology, especially in the thermal…

Continue

Added by Fire Chief Billy Greenwood on April 22, 2014 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Monthly Archives

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2005

1999

Policy Page

PLEASE NOTE

The login above DOES NOT provide access to Fire Engineering magazine archives. Please go here for our archives.

CONTRIBUTORS NOTE

Our contributors' posts are not vetted by the Fire Engineering technical board, and reflect the views and opinions of the individual authors. Anyone is welcome to participate.

For vetted content, please go to www.fireengineering.com/issues.

We are excited to have you participate in our discussions and interactive forums. Before you begin posting, please take a moment to read our community policy page.  

Be Alert for Spam
We actively monitor the community for spam, however some does slip through. Please use common sense and caution when clicking links. If you suspect you've been hit by spam, e-mail peter.prochilo@clarionevents.com.

FE Podcasts


Check out the most recent episode and schedule of
UPCOMING PODCASTS

© 2024   Created by fireeng.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service