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Jason Hoevelmann's Blog (134)

Are You Ladder Ready?

A few months ago I posted about operating on a quint and the idea of reverse laying for first due engines that run with quints.  A great deal of us are operating on these apparatus everyday and don't have a single designation as an engine or a truck, rather we are assigned based on our order of arrival and on what tasks need to be done.  Most of the time we are not assigned by what type of apparatus we arrive in.

We are also running thin in regards to…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on July 27, 2013 at 8:23pm — No Comments

How Easy the Dominos Can Fall......

I just want to take a moment to share an experience with you. I normally post positive experiences or situations that went well. This one is different. Although there was not a bad outcome, the call itself went poorly, mostly due to my lack of focus.



I am the first to preach tactical proficiency and the first to tell people that training is the most important task, outside of calls, that we can do while at work. Let me be the first, now, to share with you how things can go bad from… Continue

Added by Jason Hoevelmann on June 26, 2013 at 3:25pm — 3 Comments

I Will Not Get Out of Your Way

We have all worked with those that just don't care, we discussed it in an earlier post.  

We exhaust ourselves to make the fire service, our fellow firefighters and us better and safer by training and mastering our craft.  

We are asked "why" continually and it is easy to think about giving up.  It would just be so easy to ensure that I know what I'm doing and leave you to your own mediocrity.

I know you just want to push me and those like me…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on June 17, 2013 at 1:26pm — No Comments

This is NOT Your Side Job!

So, you want to sell real estate?  You want to pour concrete?  You want to be the next top seller in a multilevel marketing scheme?  You want to build houses? You want to sell insurance? Well, then go do it and get out of my fire serivce!…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on June 10, 2013 at 2:50pm — 2 Comments

The Road Map: Provide Some Direction

As the company officer we have an obligation to ensure that our crew stays safe. Wearing seatbelts, traffic vests, headsets on the apparatus and making sure that our PPE is worn appropriately are all important, no doubt.  But, imagine being given a map with no starting point and no idea where you are and being told to get to a destination. It would be almost impossible because we have no starting point, we…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on June 6, 2013 at 2:45pm — No Comments

I"ll Make You Train!

This is going to be short and to the point: Don't make training a threat in relationship to punishment.

I have heard, and have used this phrase myself, "I'll just make him/her train all day."  This in response to a firefighter that is a problem.  Negative attitudes, lack of interest, or any other behavior can be attempted  to be changed by making them train, but in wont work.  It will only make them hate training all that much more.

As an officer we need to…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on May 29, 2013 at 2:50pm — No Comments

Quint Options: Do You Reverse Lay?

I have been told that reverse lays are a thing of the past, and in suburban America for the most part, they are. With an increase in the use of LDH with storz connections, increased tank capacities, automatic aid and codes requiring hydrants, the need for many departments to utilize the reverse lay has been diminished. However, like so many tactics that have been ignored or forgotten, this is one that needs your consideration if your running with quints.



Since the…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on May 28, 2013 at 11:24am — No Comments

Quint Options: Do You Reverse Lay?

I have been told that reverse lays are a thing of the past, and in suburban America for the most part, they are. With an increase in the use of LDH with storz connections, increased tank capacities, automatic aid and codes requiring hydrants, the need for many departments to utilize the reverse lay has been diminished. However, like so many tactics that have been ignored or forgotten, this is one that needs your consideration if your running with quints.



Since the late 1980's and… Continue

Added by Jason Hoevelmann on May 24, 2013 at 9:26pm — No Comments

Quick Drill: Apparatus Familiarity

So, sometimes we need a change of pace or we've had a busy day on shift, but we still need to drill. Or, maybe your at your volunteer department and you have some guys just hanging out waiting for the next call.

 Here is a quick drill that, in many cases, will turn into a great discussion and even progress into some flowing of water or advancing of lines.

As the company officer we are tasked with drilling our company and personnel. It doesn't matter whether your…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on May 17, 2013 at 10:44am — No Comments

The First Due Rural Engine: Laying the Line

I recently have had a lot of suggestions and requests to post on some volunteer, rural, combination issues that the fire service faces. I started and am still a member of a mostly rural volunteer, now combination, department. My earliest exposure to the fire service was at this mostly rural department.



 We had a large majority of our fires outside of our public water area and our staffing was limited, just like it is today. Most of our trucks were single cab…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on May 7, 2013 at 11:17am — No Comments

Quick Roof Lesson

This is a quick drill for you company officers and acting officers. So much of what we do is coach and mentor our younger firefighters. When we are out and about we need to take the time point out things that might be obvious to us, but maybe not so much to others on our crew.

Use these photos to explain the challenges, dangers, benefits and tactical oppportunities with this roof. Share what you see and pass it on. You might pick up on something that someone else does not. But, maybe…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on January 7, 2013 at 3:00pm — No Comments

SIMPLE LOW PROFILING CLIP FOR SCBA

The attached vidoe is a very short and simple clip about how teach firefighters to low profile. As we tell firefighters in our classes, removing your SCBA should be a last resort, but a skill that you must be proficient at. Being prepared is as much about mastering the basics as it is about being able to perform in the event that conditions dictate survival skills must be used.

Some quick pointers about low profile SCBA use:

–Know your air supply and that of your…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on January 4, 2013 at 3:29pm — No Comments

Progressive Drills

This past Fall we were doing a Survival class and one of the drills we do is the "following the coupling" drill. It is one of the most basic of drills and is well known throughout the fire service. We have posted on this drill before on using a cut piece of hose to hand to your firefighters and have them tell you which way would be back to the truck.

We get comment about how basic this drill this and some like to try and shrug it off. Well, as we all know, we must master the basics.…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on December 28, 2012 at 9:03pm — No Comments

Buddy Breathing Hose Practice

Just a quick tip for practicing with your Buddy Breathing Hose. In our classes one of the skills that we notice to be week is the ability of firefighters to manage their Buddy Breathing Hose with gloves on. Although Buddy Breathing is not in the current SCBA standard, it is in the upcoming 2013 standard.

Obviously, drilling with your SCBA and using the Buddy Breathing Hose will increase your confidence and skill level. Getting out and using the SCBA and practicing during evolutions is…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on December 11, 2012 at 11:18pm — No Comments

The Glove Friendly RIT Mask

This photo shows a way to make an SCBA face piece for your RIT bag/kit glove friendly. You can use a garden hose or any kind of rubber tubing or hose that would be easy to grab with a gloved hand. We used a small bungee cord and ran it through the bonnet and attached both ends to the hose. This allows for easy feeling and grabbing the back of the mask with gloved hands.…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on November 12, 2012 at 9:57pm — No Comments

Thru the Floor Prop--Realistic Training Props

Here is a short video of our thru the floor prop. This is soley for the use of calling a Mayday and recognizing that parameter.   We place mattresses and foam below the firefighter and is monitored closely by our instructors.

This gives the firefighter a sensation of falling but is a short enough and controlled fall as to keep the drill safe.  Email us if you would like to know how we built it.

 …

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on October 24, 2012 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Command and Size Up Reminders

Here is a great "memory jogger" for Command Functions and Size Up from one of our instructors, Scott Hulsey.  I know it's short, but these little cheat sheets can be used during training evolutions or at the kitchen table to stay sharp as an incident commander.

Size-up Matrix…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on October 24, 2012 at 1:54pm — No Comments

Don't Forget the Obvious: Basement Self-Rescue

In our classes we spend a lot of time showing firefighters how to stay out of and how to get out of bad situations.  Our fire service is seeing an increase in firefighters who are falling through floors into basements or sub-levels.  This is large part due to the engineered flooring systems that do not perform well in fire conditions.

Fires are growing more intense much…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on September 25, 2012 at 10:43am — 3 Comments

Remembering With Our Actions

Today is a solemn day. Eleven years ago this country was attacked by terrorists and changed us forever. That day is remembered not only for the horrific events of the attacks, but also for the heroes of that day. We lost 343 of the bravest our profession has known and some of the most influential fire service leaders and instructors we have seen.

Today will be filled with ceremonies, Facebook posts, blog post like this one, speeches and news coverage of events remembering this day all…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on September 11, 2012 at 1:36pm — 1 Comment

Behind the Back and Thru the Legs

I always loved sports. I played just about every sport I could and eventually settled in with basketball and baseball. The coaches I had were always preaching the fundamentals and basics explaining that as players, we had to master the basics to the point that things like dribbling and passing were second nature. When those basics were mastered we were able to ascend our skill sets to seeing an open player before he is open and making moves on the fly, avoiding the defender with moves…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on July 16, 2012 at 1:59pm — No Comments

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