Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

What Can I do?

There is always a question asked by folks for lots of different reasons. We ask when we vote in a national election, “Does my vote count?”, what can I do to make a difference?

How often have we individually said, “Nah, why bother it won’t matter.”.

Well, I have written lots of commentaries on lots of subjects, and several training bulletins as well, and while I always try to provoke thought and discussion, sometimes folks are looking for hard and fast answers.

Well if you are looking for absolute answers, you are probably on the wrong website! You should be at a much higher level than me if you get my meaning.

I did however have some thoughts about how each individual firefighter could make a personal difference in changing the fire service into a better place.

Some of these are safety things, some of these are people things and they are in no particular order, they are just meant to be my suggestions on how a single individual can make things go a little better.

Always wear your gear fully and properly at every response. We do not know what might go wrong when. You are in direct control of how and when you wear your stuff.

Always wear your seatbelt when you are responding in your POV or in the apparatus. You are in direct control of wearing your seatbelt.

Try to attend and seek out as much training as you can get in a variety of subject. You are in direct control of how much training you need.

Be acceptance of other firefighters particular quirks and traits. Your reaction to them in the firehouse is yours and you have direct control over how you feel. That one is clearly tougher than wearing your gear or seatbelt !

Always be fair and honest with others. Nobody tells you to hide info or not give proper info about any subject, so you can decide and have direct control over how you deal with others.

Always at least give your best effort. Your results may not always come out as intended, your best effort and the amount of effort is in your direct control.

Never let your guard down. Even after the fire is knocked down, even while companies are picking up, even when investigating “smells and bells” calls, do not ever let yourself lapse until you are safely back at the station. This is very difficult to do as we become complacent when responding to the same types of calls over and over again. It is within our direct control and it takes great discipline.

Almost like the one above is….prepare for sudden changes in conditions always. As you handle and respond to incidents, play the “what if” game over and over in your head and develop a personal plan for what your actions might be if the “stuff” hits the fan.

Do not ever be on the emergency scene alone for any reason. Always have a partner able to help you and that you are able to help.

See a doctor and take care of your personal health.

Do something about your current level of fitness.

Rest, relax, de-stress a little and make yourself mentally ready to deal with all that the job and life throws at you. Sometimes we do not recharge enough. You are in direct control of that too.

These are just some little things that I have thrown together, but I would hope as you have read them you did realize two simple things: You are clearly in control of all of them, and if everyone practiced them, wouldn’t things sometimes go a little better in this job?

You don’t need an SOP, a general order, a company bylaw, a provision in the contract or any of the standard things that usually get us to react in some way.

You can make a difference if you choose.

Stay safe and take care.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

Uncategorized

Some Thoughts on traffic Control

What do we really know about traffic control, and who taught us?

For this week ‘s training topic I have decided to work on a couple of small drills that involve our personal safety at to protect us while operating at the scene.

Just review a few of these with the troops and review your own department SOPs on this issue to get everyone on your piece or your station on the same page.

If your apparatus has warning lights or directional arrow LED bars is everyone using them and familiar with them?

How far should traffic cones be placed behind your rig? Do you realize it depends upon the size of the cone, the amount of reflective material on the cones, and the normal expected speed of the traffic on the roadway you are operating on.

These same rules apply to our apparatus that we use for blocking. When blocking with a piece of apparatus, place the rig far enough back that if it were to be hit by a tractor trailer unit you would have time to get out of the way before you were struck while operating at the scene. Most of us do not do this because we want equipment from that unit and it is too far away. Make a better plan! If you are going to use the rig, maybe you need another one.

Are your personnel on or off the rig when it is used as the blocking piece? I have heard discussion about both of these practices.

What reflective clothing are you wearing while working. The scotchlite or reflexite on a turnout coat is not nearly sufficient. ANSI makes standards on type I, II, II reflectivity of material for operating on different speed roadways. These lightweight vests can be worn over turnouts if necessary.

Do you angle apparatus so the pump operator is protected?

Are all of your personnel trained to look in mirrors of check traffic before dismounting the rig?

You can drill with these concepts in real life and have some personnel spot apparatus in a large open parking lot to set up a traffic pattern, or you can make a scale mock up of this using “Matchbox” vehicles. If the Matchbox are to scale if you will then remember to make that scale apply to how far they are placed apart….that is 3-4 truck lengths behind the accident.

Take a look at respondersafety.com for further information or contact your local police department and obtain some of the training they get for their officers in controlling roadway construction blocking.

Take care and stay safe!

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

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Traditions in the fire service

This week I am going to look at a word that has tremendous impact on the fire service today and that is the word tradition.

Who really cares what I say, let’s take a look at Webster and see what is said about this week’s term.

Tradition – 1.) Transmittal of elements of a culture from one generation to another, especially by oral communication. 2.) A set of customs and usage’s transmitted from one generation to another and viewed as a coherent body of precedents influencing the present. 3.) A time honored practice.

Wow ! Read that one over again and see if that begins to explain anything in your mind! Think about our training activities, or station activities, our radio procedures, and maybe even our death and injury statistics.

Think for just a minute about a couple of simple issues in definition 1 about oral communication and our training practices and you might get a chuckle or two.

OK, so have you heard the firehouse talk that goes something like “…and John is a good firefighter because he would never leave you in a building, and if someone ever leaves me in a building I will…”. I have had people leave me in a building before. It does not happen every week and simply has become the legend and story we like to think about when we determine the measure and meddle of a “good firefighter”. If as many people left as times this story was told we would be standing amid rubble in this country. Put your macho in your pocket so you have something else to play with, besides your change, while your are in there.

Why is salvage always taught with overhaul? We always say that in one sentence. What the hell is that about? Oh I know ’cause that is the way it always has been taught.

How come every new recruit can identify all of the signs of a backdraft but is more challenged when asked about the signs of a flashover? He will see a flashover many more times than he is likely to see a backdraft. I am not suggesting that we ignore it, we just change emphasis.

We cut a 4 x 4 vent hole in a residential fire and an 8 x 8 hole on a commercial. Please send me an email if you have ever seen either of these occur because I got to tell you that in 30 years + I have yet to see either…..! Cut the biggest hole you can safely, with the air supply you have…that should be the rule.

These are just a couple of firehouse things that have been kicking around that maybe we should think about fixing.

Look at the way we speak on the radio and use portable designations and procedures. Our procedures for speaking on the radio have either been handed down or copied from the largest metropolitan city near us. Portable radios should be designated as the division (sector) that they are located. This enhances firefighter safety, accountability, and tactical priorities. It is simple and we don’t want to change it, “because that is the way we have always done it”.

Face the facts….I have no idea where portable engine 1 is located, or portable 100, but I do know where the crew is when the answer me “basement division”. I know where to send help, I know where the first and second line should be placed, and lots of other good things.

Definition 2 above speaks about precedents that influence the present. I am always on this bandwagon so I will be brief. We will continue to kill the same number of firefighters (100 a year) (precedent), each and every year (Present) until we decide to change our behavior and look at the risks we take.

In some cases traditional structural firefighting practices are killing our members. Class A foam, large lines, and a more defensive posture will make us safer.

Now on a more positive note….not all traditions are bad.

Some of the best traditions I know belong to the fire service and those we should, teach, treasure and cling to and make sure our newest members know them all. Further when they do not honor these then we need to apply some corrective measure to be sure they understand.

The camaraderie of firefighters…

Always being prepared and ready…

Helping at all costs in a time of need…

Compassion for others…

Bravery….

The humor and firehouse levity…

Eating and breaking bread together as a family….

Protecting one another…

Dedication…

Loyalty…

These and many many other things are what make the fire service the greatest profession in the world and they give us …

A proud past, and a promising future

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

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Why decisions are tough – Officer Training

Why Decisions are Tough

There is an awful lot of talk about making the tough decisions. My thoughts this week as I have recently watched the inability of some chief officers and in one small case that was recounted to me about a union leader afraid to make a decision.

While I think I understand these cases that I refer to, I am taking the point of view that we must better prepare our first line supervisors and other organization leaders to be able to make these tough decisions.

The first issue stems from becoming unpopular and not being liked. It is a natural human tendency to want to be liked. When we make a tough call, we know that the troops are going to go back to the kitchen table and talk about “what a bad-ass” we are and how we forgot where we came from.

So what? We know this is going to happen and probably has happened. Three things are going to happen after this. After a period of time they will either calm down and realize that you did the right thing and in time things will be the same again. The other thing is they may never agree with your decision but will get back to normal, and always harbor this as a negative incident in the back of their mind. The third thing that could happen is that you have made an enemy.

Let’s look at these a little closer.

In the first case you will have to feel uncomfortable for maybe a few hours to a few days. If you are comfortable and confident in your decision you can just ride it out. If you really cannot tolerate this uncomfortable feeling, then go to the affected parties and try to see what the root of the problem was. When we do not have information, our minds tend to insert the worst case scenario, so communication can bridge these simple tensions. Talk about the problem and not the people or personalities.

In the second scenario there has been some slight damage or a trigger event that will always surface or be used in the next confrontation you may have. Understand this, try not to focus on it, and when it does get raised at some future time, refocus the conversation on the present conditions. This person got over it the first time, and while there may be some initial trouble, they will get over it again. This person will always be a little problematic but you know how to handle it now.

In the third case you have made an enemy. There are very few people in the world that do not have any enemies and you just need to understand and deal with that. You can speak with enemies you can interact with enemies and you can coexist with enemies. None of it is easy but it can be done.

So whats the big deal, make the proper decision and stand by it. Failing to take an action or putting the action off to another person does not show any signs of leadership.

Remember acts of both bravery and cowardice happen on the fireground and in the firehouse as well!

How can we create a training scenario that gives a new officer this unpleasant feeling the first time, before we turn them loose in the firehouses? I am looking for ideas that are safe, but would force a person to make some difficult choices and more importanlt to live with the consequences. Let me know if you have any ideas.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

Uncategorized

What would you be willing to do…….

What would you be willing to do to prevent a line of duty death? I have grown a bit weary about all of the talk about safety and what we should change to make our job safer. I have grown a bit tired from folks in very large departments mocking the way small departments are forced to fight fires because of lack of personnel and/or resources.

Ask yourself some questions about what can you do to make a difference.

Would you be willing…

* To be criticized for ordering a tactical withdrawal from a structural fire? This criticism might be from your own personnel, your peers, or mutual aid neighbors.

* To enforce your department’s rules and regulations, and SOPs, and be called all sorts if names, and being told you forgot where you came from?

* Admit you have made errors and increase your personal training effort to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

* Make an appointment with a physician to be poked, prodded and tested to prevent your own LODD?

* To begin and maintain a physical training program to be sure you are fit for duty!

* To correct the most senior man on the job or the newest rookie on a safety violation? And endure the departmental “shunning” because “Who the heck do you think you are anyway?”

* To have an uncomfortable conversation with a brother or sister who is under severe personal, or critical incident stress? …or is that not “your job”

* To always wear your all your gear correctly and always wear your SCBA even when it “looks like” you don’t need it?

* Are you willing to give up some personal time to teach or mentor another firefighter in need, regardless of what they need?

These are some of the things you must be willing to do if you want to be proactive. We have all seen photos of firefighter funerals where thousands of firefighters gather to pay tribute and we should. But at these same funerals we have seen photos of young widows who are so overcome with grief that they are inconsolable. We have seen photos of the children left behind, clutching a flag, a badge, or some momento of a father or mother who is no gone.

What would you be willing to do to prevent that photo from ever having to be taken again?

If you are really strong enough and have the courage, do something to make a difference.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014