What's In Your Pockets: Wire Cutters

When we started offering classes and offering hands on training, the one thing we wanted to make sure of was that the training was as realistic as possible.  We had all attended hands on training drills and classes and we know what we liked as a student and what we didn't.  So, when we run our drills we want the student to have as realistic of an experience as possible in a safe setting.

One of the props we use in multiple drills is an entanglement prop.  The purpose is used in many ways:

--identifying the hazard during normal firefighting operations and avoiding the area

--identifying one of the parameters for calling the mayday

--being able to self extricate or untangle yourself when debris falls on you

All of the above are important and crucial for firefighters and officers to have a strong mastery of. The portion we are going to address today is the use of wire cutters to cut entanglements that may have you trapped.  In many cases, a firefighter who is calm, aware and who has the right tools, cutting a few wires may create an easy escape.

The first rule here is to stay calm and don't barrel your way through the wires. This will expend needed energy and air that you may need later or for an extended wait for help.  Additionally, trying to use brute strength, in most cases, will only tighten your entanglement making locating and cutting the source of entanglement harder.

In past classes we have taken, and provided, we would hook a firefighter, have them verbalize the mayday, find the entanglement and then unhook them.  What we found after a couple of classes is that we were teaching them to just identify the problem and not really solve it.  So, we began making the firefighters in the prop cut or remove their entanglement on their own. This was a real eye opener.

The tools that we carry are not always adequate for what we want them to do.  One common theme among many firefighters that attend our class is that they carry multi-tools like a Gerber or Leatherman believing that they will use that tool to cut their way out of an entanglement.  Here are some problems that are seen with these tools:

--they are small and hard to find with gloved hands

--once they are found, they have to be opened and made ready to cut

--they have a very small surface area for cutting wires, very small

--they really are a two-handed tool, one to hold it and one to open the cutters/pliers

--many keep them on their duty belts and are unable to reach them

        

What we recommend is a pair of cutters that are fairly large in your pocket and are easy to feel and retrieve.  They should also be able to cut at least an 8 gauge wire or the aluminum sheathed commercial romex.  They should be sturdy and easy to operate with one hand. The reason we recommend longer handled cutters is that they provide a little more leverage by holding them lower on the handle if need be.

The photos show the multi-tool and a pair of wire cutters that we picked up and the local auto parts store for around $15.  They aren't real heavy and I personally have cut objects, flexible water line, that were 3/8 of an inch with no problems.

Just know your tools and what it's capabilities are. If you have expectations for the tools in your pockets, practice with them.  I have seen firefighters throw "tools"in there pockets that were absolutely useless when they finally trained with them.

Train hard and train with purpose and make drills as realistic as possible.  Just a note, most HVAC companies will give you left over flex duct that you can use for entanglement drills. It's realistic in regards to what we very likely could run into and they stretch out to allow multiple evolutions with one small section.

Take care and keep on training,

Jason

Future Officers? Be Able to Answer These Questions

I get asked frequently by up and coming firefighters all of the time about what they should concentrate on in order to be prepared for promotion. Of course, there are the typical replies about certain types of training and education along with career development paths. Most are enthusiastic and really into the job and others want an easy way to a gold badge. In recent months I have started to offer some new suggestions after witnessing firefighters jockeying for a new officer's position and I am sometimes met with quizzical looks. It is somewhat simplistic, but I really wanted to break down the promotional questioning to make the candidate take some reflection of his/her career. In many cases, the candidate will know when he tries to answer what his odds are of being chosen.

 Before some of you go on a rant about how promotions are more complex than what I am about to offer, just humor me for a moment. This is not the ONLY questions that need to be posed. However, by asking them you will see and hear most of what you need to know. If you are the candidate, you too will find yourself either prepared for the questions or you will be fishing for an answer that sounds good. If you are a potential candidate ask yourself these two questions on a regular basis to determine where you are in your career. This is not competition with others, it's about you and how you develop yourself. If you are already an officer, these questions should be a time of introspection. If you are the interviewer you will likely know the answer to these questions before they are answered, and that's okay. It disallows a lot of BS from the candidate.

 So, here they are:
 What have you done in the past 90 days to improve yourself, the department and those around you in respect to the profession of firefighting?

What have you done over the last three to five years to prepare yourself to take on a formal leadership position that separates you from the other candidates?

 Okay, let's start with number one. Why would we ask the 90 day question first? What do most officer candidates do as soon as a promotion is posted or an officer retirement is announced? That's right, the race is on to take on new projects, kick up the training and enroll in classes. They will start "acting" like a leader and they are a little more friendly. We know what's going on, come on!

 For those that train everyday, that treat people with respect, that go out of their way to help and that offer to take on projects, all for the right reasons, this is easy. Others that don't do this on a daily basis will sound real good and will have this confident smile because they just nailed it! Wooo hoooo, they have just given the best answer to a candidate interview and they feel invincible. But, we know it all started just weeks ago and that the motivation is just for the badge. Now comes the decider and it will separate those that love the job and those that are employees.

 Now we ask the second question and the employee just looks at you for a moment, a bit perplexed. There are some "uhs" and "ums" and they are trying to figure out what you want to hear. They, in my experiences, will start to replay what they did over the last 90 days. Most of these folks have not performed or strived to make himself better over the years, much less worried about those around him. It will become obvious that his track record is to perform when there is something in it for him, but only then. The spaces in between are spent doing other things, if anything at all. The candidate that is prepared will have a list of classes, trainings, ideas, projects and conferences that he has shared with his fellow firefighters. This will be a consistent trend that will very likely transfer over to his career as an officer. In addition, as a formal leader, he will very likely encourage his crew and/or shift to do the same and he will have high expectations for performance. This is the guy you want to promote.

 I understand that you are not going to promote based solely on these two questions nor am I condoning that. There is much more to a promotional process than two questions. But, what I do believe is that when the candidates are interviewed, these two questions can be a strong indicator of who is just an employee and who is a firefighter. Asking yourself these questions on a regular basis will not only prepare you for possible promotion opportunities, but they will build a strong foundation for who and what you are in the fire service. Be a firefighter with integrity, respect, honor, tradition and pride. If you can't answer these questions with pride and conviction, then you might be in the wrong profession.

A Firefighter's Own Worst Enemy: A Synopsis FDIC 2012

When I created this class it was in response to my own attitudes and behaviors that I had developed over a period of time. During those 18 months of "darkness" I allowed outside influences to dictate my perception of the fire service, what my job is and should be and the direction of my future. Luckily, I had other influences around me that recognized I was drifting and helped to set me back on course.

After I was re-calibrated I realized that most of my problems were of my own doing. I was allowing other's attitudes and perceptions to affect my own. It was easy for me to buy in to the negative influences because that was popular. It is always easy to swim with the current in that regard. Instead of standing up for what I truly believed in I allowed my values and principles to be altered by the peer pressure to act and react in an appropriate manner.

When asked what my class is about, I struggle sometimes to fully explain it to others. It isn't just about peer pressure or about keeping a positive attitude. It's about more than getting up out of the chair and working out and training. It is about more than being a positive example to others and to not fall into the easy way out.

This topic is not a typical firefighter related class. We cannot deny that our egos and perception of what a firefighter is does not include introspection on our thoughts and attitudes and how they can affect our team. In that regard just teaching this class is sometimes a challenge knowing that many will not "get it."

My first career firefighter job was in a small suburban department in St. Louis County. There was a battalion chief there who was an old Navy guy and had an old timer attitude but understood very well that the fire service had to progress and was a supporter of training, physical fitness and higher education. He was also an old farmer who always had a saying or euphemism for just about every occasion. As a young firefighter I didn't truly understand those sayings nor did I try to attach them to any real meaning.

One of his favorite sayings was that "a firefighter is his own worst enemy." He would say this frequently and I never really put too much thought into it until many years later after I had moved on to a different department. He never elaborated and never really preached, he just threw out these little nuggets of advice and would go about his business. Well, it finally struck me what he was trying to say.

In just about every aspect of our job we create our attitude. That attitude will dictate our course in the fire service. Those that have an attitude that the only PR we need is running calls will have to live with the results of that attitude. For those that refuse to train and do not place any emphasis on continued improvement in our skills and tactics will be forced to live with the results of those attitudes. The problem is that these individual attitudes not only have a direct impact on them, but also on those they work with and the organization.

We have to understand that our actions, behaviors and attitudes do affect more than just ourselves on a personal level. This is probably the most difficult thing to get firefighters to understand. If a guy doesn't want to train and is not made to train, he will be inefficient and will then be the weakest link of the team. If one or more members of the team are grossly out of shape and can't perform, then they become a liability to the team if things go bad or they go down in a fire. Your health is not only your business, it can directly affect those you work with.

Being part of the fire service is not the same as the majority of other jobs. The plumber that fixes the pipes will probably not contribute to the loss of his own life or others if he screws something up. Could there be some water damage and cost him some money? Sure! But nobody is going to die because of his lack of training or commitment to his profession. (Nothing against plumbers.)

The fire service does not have that luxury. It is cliche and to some the extreme, but if we screw up, our citizens we swore to protect, our Brother and Sister firefighters and/or ourselves may not live to see the next day. This is a fact and is one we must wrap our heads around. We need to understand that not only does every action have a reaction, but every inaction has a reaction as well and typically it's not positive.

A lack of fitness can and will result in health problems and poor performance leading to the rest of the team having to pick up the slack; which we are good at. A lack of training will result in inadequate skills and the completion of sound tactics which, again, will put others at risk. These are real game changers and during the class we discuss some hypothetical situations where we show how this can happen.

Finally, we pass on to others what we display. If the prevailing attitude is one of working hard to get out of work then that will be what the rookie firefighter becomes. He doesn't know any better and the circle remains unbroken. We have to break that circle and create a new environment. There is no easy way to change the culture of a company much less an entire department.

We owe it to ourselves, the citizens we protect, our fellow firefighters and our families to be the best we can be. I had a senior firefighter who has coached his kid's athletics for years tell me we don't need to train because we "know what to do." I asked him how many times a week he had practice for his teams? He stated two to three times a week. I then asked if he did the same drills and concentrated on the same basic skills at every practice? The answer was "yes." Did he make his team run or were they allowed to walk during the practices and scrimmages? Of course they had to run to build endurance and get in "game" shape. Then I asked how we were any different from those teams? Well, you can probably guess what he said......"That is different."

That's right, it is different. That team may lose a game if they don't practice. We may lose a firefighter, a citizen, a building or a block of buildings if we don't practice. It's time to be different. It's time to not cave into negative peer pressure and to create our own positive peer pressure that makes it "wrong" to be on the side of "inaction." It's time we hold what we do and love to a high standard and expect the best of ourselves and of those around us. Do the job and do it better than well. Encourage others with our actions and show the next generation what being a firefighter is about. Don't let them be their own worst enemy.

Join me at FDIC 2012 on Friday @ 8:30 for “A Firefighter’s Own Worst Enemy.”
Room 103-104

Tools for a Purpose

We have taught a lot of classes and trained extensively on numerous firefighter operations. One thing that always interests me is the choice of hand tools by firefighters. Each has their own preference and favorite, but in many cases when challenged as to why that specific tool is their tool of choice, the answer is not clear to them.

Some are bound by the fact that they work on a truck, engine or squad. Some are bound by their riding assignment based on what order they arrive on the scene. In many cases, however, they just pick what they want and what is convenient or easy to carry. This is dangerous and we encourage each firefighter to choose their tool with a purpose in mind.

When choosing your tool some things to consider are what your using it for, will it accomplish your tasks, is it durable and reliable and does it complement the tools of other members.

I'm not here to tell you what tool to use, but I have some suggestions for you to consider when picking your tool

--Can you use it for forcible entry or forcible egress?

--Will it get the job your are assigned to do accomplished?

--Will it allow you to perform multiple functions with that tool? Is is versatile?

--Are you familiar and proficient with that tool? Do you train frequently with it?

--Will it complement what your team members are using? This could be especially important for forcible entry and for being a more efficient team.






Take a look at the pictures and discuss the pros and cons of each tool. For example, I don't like seeing guys coming off with a close hook. It is good for overhaul, but for forcible entry or breaching walls and getting out of a bad place, it's not very useful. This is just my opinion. But, I have had firefighters pick that tool because it's light and easy to carry.

Make the tools that are preferred easy to access and train with them. Clean and inspect them on a regular basis. Take care of those tools. Get know their capabilities and their limitations. You have to get your hands on them.

Discuss these options as a crew and/or company and share your thoughts. Take care and expect fire. Train hard!

Learn the Building

Here are some more pictures from my A Shift buddies, Jim, Bob and Dave at Florissant Valley Fire Protection District. These photos show the challenges of just getting into some of our buildings. It’s a lot easier to get a good look at the working mechanisms and traits of these obstacles during daylight and in non-emergent situations.



Take time to know what is behind these doors and grates. What are they protecting and how secure are they? Is just a matter of prying bolts out of the brick and concrete or are they really seated into the building? Now is the time to find out.





One note, the pic with the bars is actually a smoking lounge for an adjacent bar. Access is made from inside the building but it looks like a different occupancy. Don’t wait until it’s smokey and dark.

Stay alert and get out and look around. You’ll be surprised what you’ll find.

Challenges Everywhere--But We Have to Find Them First

Hey, here are some pictures sent to me by a Brother who is going out the DOING the job. The whole job. He and his crew are getting out and checking on things. Bob gets IT and thanks for the pics. These are in his still area and these are buildlings that get inspected and then they go right back to doing this kind of stuff. We have to be prepared for everything and anything. Imagine being the RIT and forcing the back door to make access for a Mayday and dealing with the mattresses? Look at the pictures and just imagine and discuss the challenges that you would face in those situations. Not to mention patrons trying to evacuate a smoke filled building.

Stay sharp and get out of that chair. This is important stuff, don't put it off. I'm a huge proponent of training on line deployment, search, vent, and all the rest. This is just as important. Stay safe and keep training.

Thanks to Bob Tresch for the pics and making a difference by sharing.








Jason

More Building Construction for Size Up

Here is a quick look at a building that offers more than one considering in regards to construction characteristics. The building in the photos is currently a resale shop. This building has been a tack shop, lawn equipment, sold boats and trailers. If you look hard at the front, it has been added onto.

 

 

The right side of the building was the original and the left was an addition. The front and side walls are wood frame with a brick veneer. As you can see, there is a parapet wall on three sides of the building. Both sides have been rearranged multiple times on the interior to accommodate the occupant of the moment. The original roof was flat.

 

 

 

This side view shows some exterior doors and the brick veneer. We can also see the electric service and a boarded up window. This two doors lead to different areas of the building and are not adjoining. You can also see that the parapet wall appears to be very tall and of combustible material.

 

This is the rear view and the most telling about this building. We can see that the back wall is different from the other three walls. The back wall is of block. We can also see that the roof is a lean to type of construction and knowing the history of this building, it is a "rain roof" or "roof over" that covered an old flat roof.

We can also see the parapet wall is brick on the two side walls with support ties. We know that those connections are very likely going to fail during a fire. There is a lot of void space that could be difficult to get to due to the "rain roof" and early collapse of the parapet wall should be expected.

In addition, the importance of the block wall in the back is important for orientation as well. If we get inside and get to a wall that is block, we have a pretty good idea of where we are. We only would know this by pre-planning and/or doing our 360.

These are just a few of the considerations you must think of when presented with this building or one like it. Discuss this with your crews and identify buildings that are similar in your response areas.

Train hard, stay safe, and remember those who have fallen for the lives of others. Please especially remember the families of Chief Kyle Ienn, Firefighter Doug Haase, Chief David Flint, Fire Lt. Kevin West who all left us this week.