While listening to Fit to Fight Fire (John Spera and Tom Johnson)
podcast a few months back, their guest retired FDNY Firemen Kevin Shea said
something that resonated with me. “I believe to this day that an engine company
lives and dies by its stretches.”
Fast forward to a few days ago and I see a picture on John Spera’s Facebook
page. The statement got me thinking on how much truth exists in this statement. The basis of engine company work is on moving hose and delivering water. If we cannot do this then why do we even show up? In the words of my good friend Kevin Maloney "If you are not showing up and doing your job then you are nothing more than a well dressed spectator."
What does that statement mean to you? How well do you stretch on your most common
occupancy types? How about the occupancy types that are not so common do you
train for those? The process stretching and advancing hose is built on the
concept of segmenting the stretch and advance into three separate parts.
This was a concept that was taught to me several years ago
and has been the foundation of my approach to training and operating as an
engine company. The beauty of this
concept is that as a firefighter you look for a win in each of the
segments. If you break this process down
in your head and take a tactical pause even if its’ for one second. It will allow you to logically move to the
next segment.
Engine
to Door
Door
to Fire Area
Fire Area
As with anything we do we must prepare, prepare, prepare,
and prepare some more. Sitting down
around the kitchen table and talking about this is only the start. Get out and move hose and flow some water. You may be the one only person training, but that's OK, peer pressure can be a great thing.
Here is an example of “Doing it Right” courtesy of Stockton
California Fire Department enjoy!
A common weakness made by engine companies is reliance on
the 150’ to 200’ pre-connected hose line for every stretch. What happens when the fire is out of the
reach of that largely relied upon pre-connect?
Do you have an attack line dedicated for a long stretch? Do you at a minimum have a plan to quickly
configure a long attack line? The
development of a long attack line is essential to the arsenal for every engine company. The long attack line comes in many different configurations
and is given many different names. For
example most fire departments in the DC Metro area run a 400’ or longer
pre-connected 1 ½” or 1 ¾” as a dedicated long attack line.
DC Metro Style 400' Pre-Connect
When I started with my current agency, we did not have a
dedicated or consistent plan for deploying a long attack line. We relied on the creativity of the company
officers and firefighters on the street to execute a plan when faced with a long stretch. After a bit of trial, error, education and convincing of
the powers, our“engine nerds” developed a load that would serve as a dedicated
long attack line. We coined it the “Apartment Load.“ The line consisted of 500’ of 2 1/2” hose flat
loaded with a gated wye attached to a 100’ of 1 ¾” hose bundled in a coil
configuration. This configuration has
served us well but provided some operational drawbacks. We experienced consistent issues with
the gated wye becoming lodged inside the hose bed during deployment. During operation we frequently dealt with the
valves becoming inadvertently open or shut. On a recent commercial structure fire a valve was shut off while crews
were operating. This configuration also
does not lend itself to quickly shoulder any hose past the 100’ of bundled 1 3/4”.
Original Apartment Load
Original Apartment Load with manual shoulder loading
After some mindful evaluation of the original set up our motivated “engine
nerds” proposed some upgrades to our “Apartment Load.” The first upgrade is to eliminate the gated
wye and replace it with a bell reducer. The
elimination of the wye eliminates the mechanical issues we were experiencing. The removal of the wye also eliminates hydraulic issues that were occurring when attempting to operate two lines off that appliance. We learned about the issues with gated wyes and as it relates to hydraulics after reading information provided by Dennis LeGear from LeGear Engineering FD
Consulting. (LeGear Engineering has a wealth of information regarding hose, nozzles and water delivery They can be found on
Facebook or at hydrant2nozzle.com). The next upgrade was configuring the last 100’ of 2 ½” hose in a minuteman shoulder
load along with the 100’ bundle of 1 ¾” attack.
This provides us with 200’ of line that can be quickly shouldered and
deployed.
The Upgraded Apartment Load
The evolution and development of our long attack line is not the answer
for every fire department. Develop a line that suits the needs of your staffing model and jurisdiction. It is also important to have more than one method for running a long attack
lines off your engine. Think outside the
box. You will surprise yourself with the
options that your engine can provide you. Regardless of the configuration of your long attack line it
is important that you drill with your companies on how to effectively and efficiently deploy your configuration. Take a look at your engine
and see if your current line and/or plan for a long attack line is meeting your
needs. I hope this sparks some
conversation. Please respond on Facebook
tell us about your method for a long attack line.
Several years ago, I was having conversation with a friend
of mine who is a seasoned Company Officer from an agency I use to work
with. I was inquiring on how he always
seemed to be calm, cool, and collective on incident scenes. I was always impressed by his demeanor and
command presence on any incident, but especially on those significant
ones. His was reply was simply I’m a “Duck
on Water.” I looked at him with a blank
stare and said what does that mean? He
said I make myself stay calm on the top, but often my mind is racing like a
duck paddling his feet under the water.
That was another of my many “Ah Ha” moments. I have always kept that little nugget in the
back of my head when I am working an incident. This seasoned officer said the tone of
incident is set by the initial person in charge. If you get excited so will everyone else.
Fast forward 14 years, my Engine Company is called to assist
on a significant traffic accident with critical patients, parties trapped, and
a vehicle on fire. The initial on-scene
report describes a very dynamic and complicated incident, this is done in
a cool, calm and professional manner. It sounded exactly as if we were participating
in a training exercise. As we arrived
and obtained our assignments what I witnessed was pure orchestrated professionalism. Every firefighter on-scene was operating like
a flock of ducks on water. The fire was extinguished,
extrication quickly completed, and all patients transported in under fifteen
minutes from dispatch. I was proud to be
a part of and witness this professionalism in action.
Situations like one described occur every single day in the
fire service. This orchestrated professionalism
does not happen by accident. It occurs because
we train for these “events.” That is
right I said “events.” We are responding
to someone else’s emergency not ours.
For us these are planned events that we have trained for. The minute we make it our emergency is the
minute we began to lose our composure and decrease our level of
professionalism. The citizens we serve
expect us to come and take care of their emergency and have the knowledge,
skill, and ability to mitigate it in a fast, effective, and efficient manner.
Ask yourself a couple of questions. Are you a “Duck on Water” when you are
operating at an event? Have you properly
prepared yourself or those around you to handle our citizens’ emergencies? Aside from ensuring our skills are up to par,
we also need time to train our minds on how to maintain our composure when
things are moving a mile a minute. An excellent
book by Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman called “On Combat”, describes some excellent
techniques to control your psychological responses to stress. This book speaks a lot to the military and
law enforcement environment, but many of the lessons transfer to our
profession.
When I was a newly promoted to Lieutenant, a fellow
firefighter and good friend of mine told me remember “Mission First-Troops
Always.” I said Ok said thanks, and went about my day. After getting some down time I reflected on
the message my good friend was attempting to convey to me. I had what many people call an “Ah Ha”
moment. Reflecting on this simple principle has been a guiding light for me as
a Company Officer. It often puts things
into perspective on what it takes to accomplish the mission.
Most of us out there have a mission statement that basically
says we are here to serve, protect, and keep people safe. The word smiths of our departments create a
fancy phrase, frame it, and then put it on the wall in every firehouse. Sound familiar? In general all the messages are the same.
What most mission statements lack is an accounting for
people behind the mission statement.
Keeping our troops always in our decision making will help us accomplish
our mission. I know what you are saying
easier said than done. You are correct
the job of the leader is not easy. It
does not matter if you are the designated leader or the informal leader we need
to account for those we are leading.
As organizations we must make it a priority to build
relationships with our troops. This
allows us to obtain knowledge of who they are, what makes them tick, what their
fears are, what motivates them. This is
all valuable intelligence in allowing us to execute our missions. On my engine company we have a diverse group
from all walks of life. One member lives on a farm and also has extensive experience
operating all types of heavy equipment.
Another member is a skilled finish carpenter. Yet another member had a successful career
coaching high school sports. This is
just a small sampling of what exists in our organizations. Without getting to know our troops we may fail
to know something that can help us accomplish the mission.
The execution of our mission does not just happen by hanging
a fancy sign on the wall. It requires
time, effort, work, and patience in the development of our troops. Put in the time on the front end with developing the troops. Next time some asks you to recite your
mission statement tell them “Mission First-Troops Always.” The rest will fall into place.
During my time in the fire service, I have had the opportunity to meet firefighters from all across our great country. One thing is constant every time I meet a firefighter. We are all the same!
As the wildfire season rages on in the west many of us have answered the call to assist in the battle. These brothers and sisters leave their loved ones and normal duty assignments for two to three weeks to live in a tent and work 14-16 hour days to meet a common goal.
I recently returned from a deployment in Northern California. As with every deployment, I met some amazing firefighters who have a great passion for the job. These men and women came from all walks of life. Some appeared as they actually live in the mountains others coming from urban and suburban departments like many of us. We may have all looked a little different, but we all had the same objectives: keeping firefighters safe, professionalism and excellence in our duties. We are all same!
The fire I was assigned to had representation from all across the United States. From up and down the east coast, the midwest, the great plains, the western states and even Hawaii and the American Samoan Islands. All these firefighters converged on this small area in Northern California to work under one system to combat a common enemy. This was one example of a scenario that has been playing out hundreds of times throughout the west this summer.
I am honored and proud to be a member of this community that we call the fire service. Whether you are a backstepper on engine company running a line into a apartment or a hand crew member punching line up a ridge. We are all the same!
As the fire season rages on in the west keep our fellow firefighters in our thoughts and prayers. These men and women are dealing with very rough conditions and are working hard to preserve the life and property of their fellow citizens. BE SMART out there!
A few years back I was having a conversation with a
firefighter from a neighboring department.
He made the observation that we in the fire service sometimes lose sight
of the basic skills that are important. My
good friend said we need to focus on the “Big 6” if we want to be proficient at
our jobs and provide the correct level of service.
Most of us have a specialty niche of some type. I personally like to don nomex pajamas and do
high speed gardening. We have those who enjoy
donning a Level A suit and deal with the methyl ethyl bad stuff. We even have Firefighters in our region who
work right alongside police swat teams for medical and/or forcible entry
tasks. The one thing that we have to
remember is that we are still the FIRE DEPARTMENT. We are the only group that has the
responsibility to respond to fires in our communities.
What is “The Big 6”?
They are the six major firefighting tasks that we should be knowledgeable,
competent and proficient at:
Forcible
Entry
Hose (stretching,
advancing, fire streams, and water supply)
Ladder
Work
SCBA
Search
and Rescue
Ventilation
“The Big 6” encompasses what we as the Fire Service are supposed
to be good at. These are the skills which
perform at almost every structure fire, and have been performing for many, many
years before anyone of us were here.
When is the last time you or your crew threw a 35’ ground
ladder? When did you last force a
door? When is the last time you
stretched a line off your engine? If you
cannot remember then you have some work to do.
Every time we show up for a shift we have a responsibility to
the citizens we swore to protect and our fellow firefighters not just to be
“OK” these skills but to be knowledgeable, competent and proficient. How do we get to this point? My simple answer is Company Level Training. In
the confines of your own station or first due response area, everyone has a way
to perform training on any one of these tasks.
Here are some examples, but the list can be endless with some creativity
and ingenuity:
Forcible Entry
Many of us only get the opportunity to force doors on actual
incidents. We may say it is too hard or
difficult to find opportunities to drill on this subject. With a few dollars and minor ingenuity you
can build yourself a “prop” that will help hone and refine your forcible entry
skills. If your department has a commercially
manufactured prop, use it! If there are
no props available scout areas in your district where buildings are being
renovated or demolished. There is a good
chance you could get permission to some FE work before they get rid of the doors. If hands on is not available to you, tour
your first due and perform some simple size up drills and discuss how you would
approach a FE scenario in a fire.
Hose (stretching, advancing,
fire streams, and water supply)
Put some hose on the ground!
It only takes a few minutes to pick it up. Be creative and work on hose deployment, fire
stream work, and even water supply. A
drill my company often performs is stretching a hoseline, advancing it around
some obstacles and then flowing some water.
It only takes 15 minutes start to finish. This breed’s repetition which we all learned
is the motor of learning.
Ladder Work
We all have ground ladders on our rigs. Ladder the windows at your station. Ladder
the roof to your station, Practice single person ladder carries and throws, and
every once and a while throw the 35’ Ladder.
If you don’t have a 35’ ladder in your station I’m sure your local truck
company could get a permission slip signed to take a field trip to your first
due. Drills like these take only a few
minutes, but again breed repetition.
SCBA/PPE
Does your crew wait on you to get your gear on? Can don your mask with gloves on? Put your self in situations that are
uncomfortable. Again inexpensive props
are easy to put together and utilize in your station. Search the web there are dozens of SCBA drills
you can do in the confines of you fire house.
Search and Rescue
Perform a search of your station. Sure we all know the lay out, but searching
and removing a victim takes teamwork and coordination. It makes us work in our gear with limited or
zero visibility. The last time any of us
practiced our search techniques shouldn’t be that last fire you had 4 months
ago.
Ventilation
With all the recent research we have found ever-growing
importance of methodical coordinated ventilation. Deploy your blowers to station doors and practice
PPV. Ladder the roof to your station and
simulate a vertical vent operation. The
“chalk saw” is a low cost effective tool.
If you have a roof prop available in your area use it.
I have a continuous goal for my crew to become diligent
about focusing on “The Big 6.” I even
went as far as developing a spreadsheet track amount of hose deployed, searches
completed, ladders thrown, and doors forced.
This tool will allow us to track how much or how many times we performed
some of these tasks in either a training environment or on actual
incidents. Share your thoughts and ideas
for “Big 6” training and drills lets all learn together!
We like to call ourselves occupational athletes. Take a look at your favorite sport, favorite
team and see what they focus on. I bet
it is the “Basics” of their sport. “Amateurs train until
they get it right, professional train till they can’t get it wrong.” unknown
author Be Smart and Combat Ready!
Leaders are present at all levels of the fire service. I preach this constantly to our fellow fire service members.
Many of the best ideas, concepts, and methods have been developed and lead, by members who are not the"designated leaders" of their organizations. This occurs because those individuals have the COURAGE to to expose themselves and share their idea or vision. These individuals are also able to lead, because someone along the way has told them it is OK to lead.
As the "designated leaders" in our organizations it is our responsibility to to EMPOWER and TRUST those individuals who are willing to stick their neck out and lead the charge. As the designated leaders we must to make it a priority to coach, teach, and pass-on all the information possible that you may have picked up throughout your career. A leader is not judged by what he/she has done while they are present, but what takes place after they are gone.
Create a legacy. Trust your team, provide an environment for learning, leading and growing. All our days are numbered in this great career leave your mark by serving those around you!
