AB Turenne's Blog (39)

A Little Help for the Hydrant Hindrance

Working as a Firefighter in New England, you’d be hard pressed find a hydrant that wasn’t equipped with a spring loaded hydrant indicator mounted to the top edge of the weather cap.

These markers serve the purpose of making a water…

Door Chocks: From the Front Door to the Fire Floor

There are two (2) trains of thought regarding what tools and equipment firefighters should store in their gear and keep on their person. The first belief is that one (1) of every item below the kitchen sink should be maintained at all times and…

MCI Patient Extraction and the "Mega Mover" Maneuver

Long before my time in the fire service, the job of a firefighter was just that, to respond and extinguish fires. Over the years, many agencies began to adopt new disciplines such as providing emergency medical services (EMS) and mitigating hazardous materials incidents.

Along with the increase in the types of disciplines we now…

The Totality of Transitioning to a Training Officer

One (1) of the supreme facets of being promoted to a role within the Office of Training, is that you now play an instrumental part with influencing the level of success that the Officers and Firefighters will achieve during their tenure within your respective department.…

Red to Rung and the 2:1

This week, I am going to introduce the idea and concept of utilizing a pre-rigged mechanical

advantage along with a thrown extension ladder as an overhead anchor point that was shown to

me by the senior man on shift when I first…

"The Rules of Going to War"

With the implementation of Incident Command (IC), the tone for operational success and the overall safety of the Officers and Firefighters working on scene can be determined with what resources are established from the start.

The fire service as…

Size-Up Consideration for the Summer Structure Fire

With each changing season here in New England comes a change in approach when performing a size-up and conducting a 360 of a structure potentially on fire and possibly occupied at the time of call.

Being the first week of June 2024, we have already begun to experience exposures to high heat and humidity with many already having their…

Property Storage or Personal Shelter

It is no secret that today’s economy is having an astronomical impact on the ability for the working class…

And the Captain says,..."let there be light"

When implementing a RIT-PAK during FAST/RIT training, a common response from those participating is that “the greatest obstacle is the limited dexterity of a gloved hand and low visibility environment” when trying to manipulate the compartments and applying the hose for…

Protest Preparedness – Defeating Demonstration Devices

With today’s political climate continuously escalating from matters both domestic and foreign, incidents of protest (demonstrations) and civil unrest (riots) are becoming more prevalent in both rural and suburban geographical areas of the United States.…

Rehabilitation for Emergency Operations

Establishing and implementing a strong rehabilitation process for firefighters during emergency operations is extremely important and creates numerous benefits. Due to overexertion on the fireground, combined with the existing temperature and humidity of the 2023 summer season, firefighters face a variety of risks including dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

In an…

Pockets of Pliers: A Preferred Practice

When I first got on the job, I had the privilege of working for a Lieutenant who was the epitome of a fireman’s fireman. After catching a fire during a 24-hour tour, we were swapping out our turnout gear in an effort to curb our exposure to cancer causing…

Ground Ladders are part of the basic fundamentals that make up the initial Firefighter Training

Curriculum as identified in NFPA 1001 (Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications)

and have an abundance of uses and purposes in the fire service.…

“Some say knowledge is power,…the wisest among us know that the real power lies in shared knowledge”

- Mark VonAppen / Fully Involved…

Like a magician storing a rabbit in their hats or stuffing flowers up their sleeves, firefighters for years have held small tools and equipment on reserve within the pockets of their turnout gear. You can rummage through the gear grid of any firefighter and find plyers, wedges, and window punches in their pockets in the event their unique use and purpose in the fire service is needed.

In all sets of my gear, I keep a self-tensioning webbing slash that consists of two…

Vehicle Variables: 4 Key Factors to Aid in Size-Up

An initial size-up for any emergency response has the ability to set the tone for the duration of the incident. For EMS runs it is the initial general impression of a patient. With hazardous materials incidents, the initial identification of placards or shipping containers can determine the initial actions taken on part of responding units. One of the most…

The “Extrication Boss”: Pre-Planning and Size Up for Company Officers

A highly promoted practice in the fire service, especially for first arriving company officers, is to conduct a size up and perform a 360 of structures upon initial arrival to incidents involving alarm activations and reports of smoke or fire. Being prepared for a successful mitigation to a working fire most often…

A career with an Industrial Based Fire Department can be a truly rewarding experience filled with the same level of camaraderie, brotherhood, and tradition of the surrounding local municipal departments.

Along with the same similarities such as training, morning rig checks, and stories shared around the firehouse dinner table, the Industrial Fire Service comes with other elements and experiences unique to the environment at hand that a firefighter wouldn’t normally encounter…

Establishing Engine Company Success by Estimating the Stretch

As the first arriving engine on scene to any working fire, you can set the tone for success or failure right from the stretch, literally. Determining the length of hose to pull from the bed first is a skill set that comes with education and experience that is earned and gained out in the…

Low Angle Rescue: A Quick, Simple and Effective Approach

In this article, I will review a simple method of accessing an injured patient with a low angle rescue element involved.  Low angle rescues are generally considered to fall between 15 and 35 degrees. Examples include motor vehicle accidents involving vehicles down embankments and injured runners or hikers…