MAY 2017 FIRE NOTES
Talking About Engine Companies at High-Rises "If your 1st company officer is more concerned about establishing the lobby group than going to the fire floor, your organizational priorities are messed up, I'm just going to flat say it, your organization is more worried about setting up command than it is putting out fire! (ret.) Chief Jerry Tracy FDNY.
Ventilation is still a Critical Part of Fire Ground Tactics. Just has to be Coordinated and Timed. Before and After.
You Can Tell A Lot About A House By The Windows What about a lot of Windows? Find Bathroom, Kitchen, Stairs?
4 Tenets To Fostering Peak Performance In Your Team "LEAD" Listen Empathize Assist Direct
Good Things Come to those who Get Out There and Do It. Sitting Around Hoping Doesn't solve anything. Carve your own Path and Don't wait for Others to Do it for you.
Be careful what you think, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful what you say, for your words become your actions. Be careful what you do, for your actions become your habits. Be careful what becomes habitual, for your habits become your destiny.
Little Things Lead to Success on the Fireground. Train for Victory... "If you Can't do the Little Things Right, you will Never do the big Things Right." ~ Adm. William H. McRaven
Active, Aggressive, Thinking FFs, Head Up, Brain Engaged, Eyes Open. Speed & Precision with the Tools of the Trade Make a Difference! NEVER Lower your Head and Ignore the Environment Around You When in the Fight!
FFs Can Be Placed In 3 Categories In Terms Of Engagement & Leadership. 25% Believe in (or pretend to believe in) Current Leadership Staff 35% Have No Faith in (some of them even hate) the Leadership Staff 40% Could go Either Way given Strong Direction and Leadership
FFs Can Be Placed In 3 Categories In Terms Of Engagement & Leadership. The Most important FFs to capture are the Passionate Individuals who, if Ignored, can be Savage and Destructive Forces on the Team. Your Best Leaders are NOT Necessarily Yes Men". The Best Leaders are Functionally Intelligent, Independent Thinkers who scare the Shit Out of Micro-Managers.
Despite Frustration Continue to Show People the Passion. We must Continue to Hold Ourselves to High Standards with the Hope that Those in our Sphere of Influence will do the Same.
"It is What's on the Inside That Counts" Can you Count on What is Inside?
If your Interior Crews are Reporting Heavy Heat, Heavy Smoke and NO Visibility... How Will These Cues Alter YOUR Tactics??
Roof Decking Of A Renovated Super Market. The Old Sky Lights were Removed and Roofed Over but the Rebar Burglar Bars Were Left in Place. 1 Every 20ft. the length of the Back Room. Inspection Holes are Good Things.
"I Don't Need to Move Fast if Water is Leading the Charge. It's not Fixing Bayonets. It's Rounds Downrange." -Aaron Fields
Dunn; Command and Control of Fires and Emergencies Pg.79
The Attack Line is NOT Magic".
Be Careful NOT to Confuse Popularity with Being Respected.
Keeping your Teams Together based on a Foundation of Trust and Sense of Purpose is one of the Most Important Things you can do. Doing this will Keep them Focused on the Job, on Each Other, and the Mission and Vision of Your Organization.
Building Construction?What Will the Impact be when on Fire
You Have a Responsibility to THEM. You Have Ownership Over the Results of your Team. Invest Time into THEM, Cultivate THEM and Create a Winning Team Focused on a Common Vision.
Don t Just Check the Box When Teaching Newbie's About Ladders Keep Your Head on a Swivel Look for Life that Could be on the Upper Floors Look for Fire Conditions Pay Attention to the Windows/Balconies that Could have a Mother Waiting to Drop their Child to You.
High-Rise Ops; Use Webbing to Carry Bottles By forming half hitches around the spare bottles and throwing the loop around the firefighters pack, this allows the firefighter to free their hands and carry additional tools/equipment.
If You Are The Truck Assigned To The Rear, Does This Present Any Problems For You? Security Bars... Ground Ladders???? Low Hanging Wires Homemade Fire Escape 1st Floor Windows Pinned in by the Fire Escape Supports.
If You Are The Truck Assigned To The Rear, Does This Present Any Problems For You? Most kitchens are to the rear, and a lot fires start there...so figure it out before you commit. It's the middle of a row, so if you're on the roof...you can "run" either direction laterally...if it goes bad. Could a 35' cover both floors and the roof if thrown at the right angle?
Preparation and a Good Grasp of the Fundamentals will help over come most situations. What Would be the Best Plan for VES the Bedroom Windows on the A Side of a Downtown Building with Businesses on the Ground Floor?
High-Rise Ops; Throw High-Rise Pack Over SCBA This allows the FF to Free Up Their Hands for Extra Tools. Unlike the Traditional Shoulder Carry this Promotes an Equal Balance when Ascending up Stairs.
Horizontal Ventilation Know When, Why, and How to do it. Egress, Access, and Ventilation. When Insurance companies replace windows, the don't replace panes, they replace entire windows. When venting a window, make sure you clear the entire window.
Mayday Project, 87% of FF's who fell into a basement and declared a Mayday had their facepiece dislodged. FDNY, 54.54% of FF's who suffered serious or fatal injuries were found with their facepiece off.
As Humans We Are A Creature Of Habit A Majority of the Time we Bring the Victims Back out The Way we Came. Why? Because, We know that is the Path of Least Resistance? Or, Because We Just Came that Direction, so we Know the Way Out?
As Humans We Are A Creature Of Habit What if you Find the Victim in a Tenable Space, would you Still bring them through the Space you Just Came? What if there Was not any Windows in the Room, but it is Tenable, Would you hold your Ground in the Room till Fire Attack is Done or would you bring the Victim out the Space you just came from?
Ventilation should begin, ordinarily, as soon as water is up to the nozzle, not before. The procedure will allow more air to get to the fire, which will accelerate burning, and a charged hose line must therefore be ready to be moved into action as soon as ventilation begins. William E. Clark
Knee Wall Considerations Can Contain both Hidden Children and Hidden Fire. Anticipate Them Especially in Capes. Unfinished Loft in Garage? Obvious From the Front?? A 360 would give you a Clue because of the Window on the Charlie Side. Life Safety is Always a Consideration, even in a Garage Fire.
Nozzles Should be Selected Based on their Ability to Put The Fire Out... Not on How Well they Do Any Other Task!! ~~McGrail
How do Real Leaders Create an All In Atmosphere? BE HUMBLE BE GENUINE in your concern for others BE ACTIVE in the way things turn out BE RELENTLESS in implementing our people centered values
Bob Pressler 1992 Fire Engineering "Horizontal Ventilation in House Fire Situations must be Delayed until the Engine Company has Water and is Advancing on the Fire. Premature Ventilation will Intensify the Fire and Will Cause it to Spread into Unburned Areas of the Structure."
Tips on Stretching & Advancing Handlines 1. All Initial Arriving Engine Company Efforts should be Concentrated on Placing the First Handline in Service. Even if it Means Combining 2 Companies to do it.
Tips on Stretching & Advancing Handlines 2. In Almost Every Case that 1st Handline Should be Stretched Through the Front Door.
Tips on Stretching & Advancing Handlines 3. As near as Possible, the Ideal Amount of Hose Should be Stretched. Stretching Short and Stretching Too Much Hose are Both Problems. Know your Building Types and be Able to Make an Accurate Estimate of the Distance between the Apparatus and the Seat of the Fire.
Tips on Stretching & Advancing Handlines Keeping Loops out on the Front Lawn in Line with the Front Door until they are Needed is a Good Practice. Tried & True Tactics of Those who Went Before us.
The Waist Strap Supposed to Carry a Majority of the Weight from your Pack, Reducing Fatigue on the Fireground. By Leaving it Undone, you are also Creating a Situation in where the Strap could become Hooked or Wedged in different places.
Fires Involving Balloon Frame Construction Size-up by Age of House (pre-wwii), Windows Lining Up, etc. but the most significant indicator is Smoke from Multiple Openings on Multiple Floors on Multiple Sides of the House. But Smoke from Multiple Openings, Floors, & Sides is an Indication of Delayed Notification and that Structural Elements are Involved - get more help - do your best to get ahead of it - but be Prepared... you might lose without a lot of luck and a Herculean effort.
Fires Involving Balloon Frame Construction I've had fires in balloon frames where there was so much smoke as I pulled onto the street I couldn't even see the house that was on fire, and I've had others that had a lot of fire but it was contents only - fire out one or two windows only - the structure hadn't been penetrated before we put it out.
When you're Muscles are Screaming and your Body is Telling your Mind to quit... Remember, THEY don't Give a Shit if you're Tired. Dig Deep and Find a Reason to Win."
While The Radio Is A Great Communication Tool, Listening Can Be Just As Valuable When Operating as the Search Team, Listen Carefully to what is Going on with the Engine. Listen for Things Like the Engine Calling for Water, or the Chauffeur Reporting Water Problems. Take this Info into Account when Deciding how Aggressively to Search.