BC Steve’s Blog

Having attended the annual Fire Department Safety Officers Conference in Orlando last fall, I feel somewhat encouraged to know that there seems to be a “safety wave” finally on the horizon within the service. It is becoming more acceptable to ask why we perform specific tactics in certain ways. Personally, I believe even more credence ought to be given to this subject. It’s time to rattle the cage so to speak. We have all heard the term three hundred years of tradition unimpeded by progress. Well for my part, that stops here and now.

Being a Battalion Chief in a career department that also runs EMS gives me the opportunity to discuss such issues with the other seventeen Firefighters and Lieutenants on my shift. Actually, I look at it as more of a responsibility than an opportunity. We have made some strategic changes as well as adjustments to certain tactics based on case history. I offer the following as talking points that some of you may agree or disagree with.

• I have asked that before a crew makes entry into a fire building, that they have a “PEP” talk. This stands for Pre-Entry Pause. Simply taking an extra 10-30 seconds before we cross that threshold gives the crew a chance not only to look one another over making sure all of their safety gear is in place, it also affords them a moment to quickly review what their objective is. This could be as simple as “OK…we are going to do a right search to find the seat of the fire”.
  
  


• We have discussed not putting people on residential roofs for ventilation. When able, we try to place a ground ladder on the side of the structure to open up the gable vent area. Generally speaking, this vents the same area, and we have not endangered anyone by putting them directly over the fire.
  
  


• On basement fires, we have discussed using a quick exterior attack through the windows using class A foam, followed by positive pressure ventilation. Then we make entry down the stairs. There is no sense in going down a chimney when there is still a fire in the fireplace.
  
  


• If a high heat, dense smoke atmosphere is presenting itself, it’s time to get out or not go in all together. Feed it some air, light it up then put it out. It’s not rocket science, it’s simple fire dynamics. Dark thick smoke is probably going to turn into fire very quickly. We should not be in it when it does.
  
  


• If we are pretty certain there is no one inside of a structure, we talk about considering an exterior attack. Most areas of a residence or small business can be reached from the outside with a good stream. Just because modern technology has given us gear that can take us closer to the fire, does not mean we always have to do it.
  
  


• On the way to any fire run, if our members are unable to both fasten their seatbelt and don their SCBA, they absolutely will choose the seatbelt. They know they have approval to be packing up upon arrival at the scene after the truck is in park and the airbrake is set.
  
  


• Every member that comes to our shift is told with great clarity that no building within our district is worth their life. Sprinkler technology existed long before any of the buildings in our town were constructed. If the buildings and stuff inside of them were so important, they should have had these installed.

At the conference we talked about having a mantra, or maybe a boiled down mission statement. I believe mine is “live to fight another day”. I say this because we run both fire and EMS in our department. Most of the folks on my shift are paramedics. We run about 70% to 80% EMS runs. What these medics do in the field every day astonishes me. It has become so routine to them, that I do not think they fully realize the positive impact they have on so many people throughout their career. They will, without a doubt, save more lives using their medical skills than they will using their firefighting skills.

To that end, I believe it is our responsibility as professional fire officers to keep them out of harms way as much as possible so that they can come back next shift and do it all over. Let’s not be clouded by bravado. Don’t get me wrong, if we know there is someone inside of a burning building, we will lay it all on the line to get them out. But as an example, to send someone into a burning fast food restaurant in the middle of the night, knowing there is no one there and possibly injuring or even killing our members makes no sense. Besides, the building will likely be torn down anyhow.

To me, these seem like common sense questions and answers. I now that there are some in the service that would disagree with me on many points, and that is OK. Not all strategy and tactics work the same for every department across the Country. But I do believe that it is incumbent upon all of us to take a good long look in the mirror and ask ourselves, now why is it we have always done it this way ??

Battalion Chief Steven D. Nash, bc129@sbcglobal.net