BC Steve’s Blog

I believe the future of the service lies in expanding EMS services, and decreasing needs for mobile fire suppression services. One can plainly see that we save more lives through our EMS skills than by our firefighting efforts. Some reasons for this are;

• Increased age in population
  
  


• Increased awareness of  EMS services and less reluctance to use them
  
  


• Increased support from medical community for EMS services
  
  


• Increased fire prevention efforts including smoke detectors (early warning) and exit drills in the home
  
  


• Better data collection and usage to be able to pinpoint real fire problems

Because of this, the American Fire and Rescue Services should adjust accordingly. Some strategic changes might include;

• Anyone entering the service must become an EMT or Paramedic and realize that this is the bulk of our business
  
  


• Re-align firefighting strategy and tactics to move away from “low frequency-high risk” events
  
  


• Develop better EXTERIOR attack techniques
  
  


• Develop fire suppression specialists within departments
  
  


• Fire suppression specialists will remain current on new technologies such as FF foams, aerosols, fine mist application, sprinklers
  
  


• Fire suppression specialists will learn how to design/install specialized systems in an effort to decrease the need for interior, mobile attacks
  
  


• ALL new buildings should be sprinklered
  
  


• Consider impact fees from building developments to help fund the above efforts

Most firefighting deaths are cardiac related. While we all should try to maintain peak physical fitness, the truth is that the human body was not made to take the punishment it has been subjected to in the last 30 years of interior structural firefighting. Firefighting clothing and breathing apparatus have been “enhanced” enabling us to get much closer to the fire since the early 1970’s. The irony is that increased plastics and foams used in home furnishings have increased thermal BTU output tremendously. This is having an overall detrimental effect on the health and longevity of our members.



We should pour our efforts into better, more widely used engineered suppression systems (in ALL buildings) in efforts to keep our members out of harms way. They need to come back next shift in one piece to ride the ambulance and save lives.