Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Firefighting Today Weekly Roundtable – What’s on your mind?

The Firefighting Today Weekly Roundtable will be held Sunday evening, June 1,2014 at 8:00 PM Eastern time. We will be discussing whatever topics come up from the viewers or panel members.

If you have something on your mind, post it in the comment section on the events page before Sunday night, or watch live and post a YouTube comment and we will discuss it.

You can watch it live on the events page or YouTube, both links below.

WATCH ON THE EVENTS PAGE HERE.

WATCH LIVE ON YOUTUBE HERE.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

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Harrisburg PA Fire Expo

I look forward to seeing some friends and listeners of the podcast at the Harrisburg PA Fire expo next week on May, 16,17,18th 2014.

I am lucky enough to be sharing a booth with a great guy, Bill the Firegeezer. Stop in and say hello.

I will be talking about fire training for your department, either in person or online and we will be talking about the Firefighter Training Podcast. Depending how things go, I hope to be recording some clips for the podcast, so you could be a live guest!

Stop and say hello and share a smile and fire stories.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

Uncategorized

The nothing showing debate, or is it a firefighter behavior debate.

Allow me to provide a brief rant if I might. Hey it’s my blog, I will rant if I want to.

I am reading articles recently about whether or not we should eliminate the phrase nothing showing from our brief initial reports. There are arguments that is changes the way our members behave, they might slow down or gear down. I have heard reasons for and against by some well respected folks.

We should not remove this term from our reports. We should add what side of the building we are reporting from. We should also indicate that this is an exterior report. (Nothing showing, side A , exterior) We should record our initial observation, because it will serve as a basis for any changes in reports we receive. It can help us determine spread and growth. It reports to the dispatchers whether they may need additional resources or not. It allows other stations or mutual aid to stand down a bit and know if they are responding.

If our members are gearing down, not preparing for fire, and not driving apparatus in the correct response mode, then the problem is not what we are saying on the radio, the problem is in the right front seat of the apparatus. Line officers have to do their job, and prepare for a fire every time they respond. EVERY TIME!

For the past year the other debate has been transitional attack, close the door, open the door, etc., and there are people that want to make sweeping wide ranging policy changes to achieve results.

I got an idea…..train and educate company officers and hold them accountable for their decisions. Give them the training so they understand their options and expect and encourage them to make good decisions.

As a fire service we should try to avoid these wide, absolute abandonment of things that might still be acceptable under the right circumstances.

Someone told me years ago, circumstances will dictate your procedures. Those circumstances are, the fire or emergency, what crew is on the first due engine or truck, who that officer is, and what equipment is available. Different crews and officers can achieve different results.

Pay attention to firefighter (and officer) behavior if you want different results.

……now stepping of my soapbox…….

Stay safe and stay thinking!

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

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Yeah,…So what are you going to do about it ?”

As many of them are, this week’s commentary comes from a conversation of the past week.
I was discussing and pretending to solve the problems of the fire service when a fellow worker told me this story.

He was at work during a slower period, when he began to write just short one line sentences, each describing a particular thing wrong with his department. He just sat for a few more minutes and then realized that he had filled one page, and had now spilled over onto the start of a second page.
As he was telling me the story, I was thinking about myself and how I had done this some number of times. I also began to think about other commentary columns I had read, and just recently, that I had written myself.

Gee, I am a real genius, I can find a problem at a hundred yards ! Finding is pretty easy, solving is something else altogether!

As we began to discuss this “list’ constructed as a pastime, we both agreed that many of the items could be found in any fire service organization in America.

I then thought to myself, well suppose, just suppose we all make a list, just like the one made above.

Part II is, that we have to then make a second list of all the things that are right about our department, and things that go well.

Part III is really the toughest of all, and leads back to my title.

Pick one of the items on the “what’s wrong list” and do everything in your power, whatever rank you are, and try to fix it this year. Yes I know you might be limited in what you can do, but if there is a morale problem in your department, don’t YOU be the one at the kitchen table contributing to it. If training is a problem, then you do everything in your power to read, study and train.

This is really a tough personal assignment, and maybe it could even catch on. Let us not become like the two school kids that are fighting in the schoolyard, let us not bring up multiple problems, because somebody might just call you on that and say “…Yeah,…and what are you going to do about it?”

Tell me what you think, e-mail with your comments and / opinions.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

Uncategorized

by the work one knows the workman.

By the work, one knows the workman.
Jean de la Fontaine

The above quote has a slightly different meaning for all that read it, but I will make some very direct fire service connections with it.

Ask yourself the following questions:

How are you looked at by your peers?

How are you looked at by your superiors?

How do you see yourself?

Answer the above honestly as the relate to you in the performance of your fire department duties whether paid or volunteer.

Do you report to work, drills, and details on time or are you either 1 minute before or always late. Persons that do not show up until 1 minute before shift change or any other event really tell a tale of their values and beliefs. Contrast this to someone who is there a few minutes early and communicates with others.

Are you the first or the last to volunteer for extra assignments? This also tells something about your work ethic and you as a person.

Are you the best at anything on your department?

The best pump operator, the best driver, the best rope rescue person, the best EMT or paramedic, the best dispatcher……..

The challenge for this week is an easy one. Take a picture of yourself mentally, pick a skill or position on your department, and strive to be the best at that particular skill or task. Or just be the most professional in general behavior.(Good attendance, promptness,appearance etc..)

As you raise your level of skill, and apply the mental commitment to whatever you choose, others on your department will begin to “recognize your work by the workman.”

Don’t become recognized as the slacker, door dancer, complainer, or the “one with the bad attitude.” Those things easily identify the workman also.

Let’s stop making the fire service a job, let’s work together and become “craftsmen” working at a craft.

The key to being a good “craftsmam” is training, diligence, and attention to detail. It is hard work, but our efforts will truly pay off.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014

Uncategorized

I am just asking why…….

This week I am just pondering a bunch of questions that all begin with the question …Why? Think about these, add your own, but most important stop and get your own answer to why.

Do firefighters think that their fire chief is different from them, when he has generally risen from the same ranks as they have and represent the same organization, while wearing the same uniform. Why can’t there be some recognition on the part of both parties?

Don’t we get outside of our organizations more often to get other points of view and training?

Do we think we should keep portions of our career that we love so much from our significant others in our lives?

Are we afraid to take chances, risks, or face changes?

Do we spend so much time thinking about what we don’t have versus the tremendous wonderful things that we do have…in our lives, jobs, departments?

Do firefighters feel they have to die and take unreasonable risks?

Are we so quick to criticize others?

Are so reluctant to take a hard look at ourselves?

Do we speak more than we listen?

Is training for firefighters not mandatory everywhere?

There is not more regionalization of fire departments?

Don’t we use class A Foam and additive agents more?

We beg for Better equipment and better gear and then bitch about using , or neglect to use both of them?

Aren’t more pumpers more standardized?

Do we have to kill 100 members every year?

Can’t labor and management form real working partnerships?

Can I see everyone else’s faults better than my own?

Must we speak badly about others?

Do we believe that technology will make us safer instead of changing our behavior?

Don’t we listen to the European Fire Service More?

Don’t we say thank you enough?

Are we so trendy? We have to try every idea that comes along.

I just had all of those questions bouncing around in my head, and I thought I would share them with you. If anybody has any good answers to any I would be interested in hearing them.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2014