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Lantigua’s Constitution Lacks a First Amendment

Lawrence, MA Mayor William Lantigua has informed his non-school city employees that they are banned from making public comments including on internet social networking sites without clearance from his office.

The provisional fire chief until last month, Brian Murphy, is no longer employed at the Lawrence Fire Department.  Last month, Mayor Lantigua said that the chief’s criticism of cuts to the department’s budget were “causing unwarranted fear in our city,” and that any further comments “may lead to disciplinary action, including termination against you and/or members of your department.”

The issue of workplace speech by public employees has gone before the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts several times in recent years. Each time, the court has consistently distinguished between speech by employees who are on-duty and off.

So, back to the courts we go.  Oh to be a lawyer in Lawrence.

Or a mayor.

Artist rendering

I’ve got a minivan and I’ll use it!

An Arlington, Massachusetts man was arrested Friday and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly ran into firefighters who had been clearing hydrants.

59-year old Leo Najarian reportedly came out of his home to confront the firefighters about shoveling snow from the hydrants and leaving some on “his” sidewalk.  According to the Arlington Police report on the incident, Najarian was yelling and arguing with the firefighters.

When the firefighters told him to leave, Najarian allegedly got into his vehicle and backed into Lt. Brian Gerra, who was not seriously injured, according to a police.

Apparently not a good listener with firefighters, Najarian also decided he didn’t need to listen to police.  When they ordered him to stop, he fled the scene but was apprehended shortly thereafter.

Flying Robotic Firefighter

In the latest chapter of “Where the Hell is My Damn Jet Pack I Was Promised When I Was a Kid”, firefighters in Australia have bypassed the spectacle of a “Flying Mitchell” and opted instead for the CyberQuad.  This robot allows for firefighters to get an aerial perspective of a fire scene.  The Metropolitan Fire Brigade is currently deploying  it to detect hot spots in their war on wildfires which has been raging for weeks.

Note to everyone- this is by no means the end. I’m still impatiently waiting for my damn jet pack.

Stay stoked!

-J

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She's not a firefighter, but now she gets it!.

Last week, Fire Daily shared a video forwarded us in which Palatine Council members spoke glowingly about the time they shared on a Saturday with their village’s firefighters.

Now we have the video of the actual Fire Ops program these council members and others attended in northwest suburban Chicago. This particular Fire Ops 101 program was offered by Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, and Des Plaines Fire Department’s IAFF locals in an attempt to enhance the relationship between firefighters and those who make decisions for them.

After watching this video, be sure to check out how those who hold the purse strings reacted to their time spent with their firefighters.  You will be blown away at what they have to say.

Here’s another video from north suburban Evanston, Illinois recorded last year, courtesy of Evanston’s Local 742.  It also includes the immediate reaction reaction (read: payoff) of many of the local administration who attended.  Again, time well spent.

Many of us have made the visits to schools, churches, and community centers during Fire Prevention Week . We talk to our citizens about the importance of smoke detectors, and we teach children how to stop drop and roll. We hope this type of fire prevention will save property and lives.

Now we should add one other cog to the fire prevention machinery- getting a message across to those decision-makers about what we need to do what we do on a daily basis.

Like teaching kids how to crawl on the floor and feel the door, our fire prevention message to those who hold our purse strings can be just as important as it relates to our ability to effectively save property and lives.

This type of program is an absolute must if we desire the equipment, the staffing, and the training necessary to provide a vital, top-notch service to our communities. Let’s work to bring public safety back to where it belongs- off-limits to the budget axes swinging these days.

To find out more on this much-needed and highly successful program, please visit the IAFF’s website here, or google Fire Ops 101 for more information including success stories and videos from across the nation.

Stay stoked!

-J

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Minds are like parachutes. Just because you've lost yours doesn't mean you can borrow mine.

As we trudge through the muck of crap we’ve been hearing from Oakbrook, Illinois, Xenia, Ohio, and Obion County in Tennessee, I have become weary, incredulous, and frankly- pissed off.

You’ll understand then, how ecstatic I was when this video was forward me.

It’s from a Village Board meeting in a neighboring town of mine- Palatine, Illinois. Firefighters stepped up and shared with those who hold the purse strings the reality of operating as a firefighter and paramedic in their local community. As these council members fervently extol, their eyes were opened.

Palatine Council Meeting Clip 10-4-10 from AFFIVideo on Vimeo.

It’s a welcome breath of fresh air when I needed one most. The video gives us hope that sanity still exists despite the slop we’ve been enduring.

It worked in Palatine. I wonder if we can make this work elsewhere?

Hmmm.

Stay stoked!
-J

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As you probably already know, an unprecedented meeting of the American fire service met in Tampa back in 2004.  The Life Safety Task Force generated a list of 16 Life Safety Initiatives. I’m sure most of us had seen or heard them.  But, if you are truly dedicated to saving your lives and the lives of those on your department and your crew, you will have come pretty damn close to memorizing them.  Yes, they are that important.

I’d like to touch on one of those today. It is the fourth initiative, and it reads as follows:  “All firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices.”

In preparation of our latest program over at Firefighter NetCast, I was exposed to the arguments both for and against the use of positive-pressure attack.  Chief John Kriska, a proponent of PPA, was the featured guest for the program which can be found at our site http://FirefighterNetCast.com or over at iTunes under firefighter podcasts.  I ran across what may well be the best video out there to demonstrate what happens when a PPV is set in a doorway and started before adequate thought is given to its potential effects.

I have accumulated a fair amount of training whether it has been in the classroom, at a controlled practical evolution, or on the fireground itself.   I know you have too, because I’ve seen you there as well, learning new ways to perform tasks, honing skills you’ve already learned, and perhaps even sharing your knowledge with others.

Help me then if you will, to figure out why we continue to see examples of near-fatal consequences on the videos regularly making the rounds on the internet?  Surely you know of a few of these head-shaking videos, and you may have seen this one as well.

This article is not meant to argue whether or not PPA/PPV should be used on your fireground.  Rather, as you watch the video, count how many “trained firefighters” it takes to kill an interior crew.  Take a peek:

As this video clearly shows, there are several on the fireground who seem to have forgotten some of the basic stuff we learned in our very first fire training classes: fire behavior.  As a “trained firefighter”, can you read the smoke?  Does it tell you what is happening inside this “box”?  Has the fire vented?  Will it?  What’s going to happen when it does vent?  Where do you want to be when this happens?  Would you have done anything differently before crawling inside?

Of course!

Sitting here in front of your computer monitor, not many of you would miss the signs of an impending hostile fire event, would you?  I wonder if the guys in this video would see the same signs if they were watching the video rather than performing the dance toward death.  If they were “trained” they probably would have seen the problems.  Why then, did no one speak up in a real situation?

I’ve seen it locally.  Firefighters with decades of experience seem to forget some of the basics.  Perhaps they take a shortcut, emboldened by the lack of disaster as their shortcut worked so many times before.  These are trained professional firefighters, many of them friends I have known for years.  They know better.  Why, then do we do stupid things on the fireground?

Maybe it’s because we have gotten away with it before.

Maybe it’s because no one stopped us before.

Maybe it’s because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

But, maybe our luck will run out one day, as it does about every 80 hours here in America.

As a firefighter, do you feel you have the ability, indeed the responsibility to say “NO” to your company officer?  As a company officer, do you feel you have the ability, indeed the responsibility, to say “NO” to your chief officer?

In this video, who should have said, “NO”?  Everyone.  Even the camera operator, if he/she were a “trained firefighter” should have the ability, indeed the responsibility, to keep our brothers and sisters from killing themselves, purely because we don’t feel it is our place to say “NO.”

Departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines must allow for “All firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices.”

But moreover, each member must realize that they are not only able -but as trained firefighters- also responsible to stop unsafe practices.  We need to establish ownership of this responsibility.

If you or your department hasn’t made this paradigm shift, the time is yesterday.  Take your own steps now to enact each of the 16 Life Safety Initiatives.  Let each of us “trained professional firefighters” all work together to get the job done safely so we all go home at the end of the day.

Just say no.

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“Enjoying Vacation, Wish You Weren’t Here…”

From Backstep Firefighter, my friend David LeBlanc shares a story about the current woes being suffered over at the fire department in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  As David writes, the Lawrence Fire Department finds itself faced with the challenges not unlike most every other department in the nation- doing more with less every day.

However, David relates, just as their mayor left on a Caribbean vacation, he made sure another 23 firefighters got slapped with pink slips on the way out the door.  A shift of 13-15 is left scrambling to protect 80,000 with the only help available as mutual aid.

What do you think the aid companies have to say about that?

Read what happened after the sun-drenched mayor returned at the article here.  Seriously, we can’t make this stuff up….

if it looks like ......

Philly Brown Stuff Bubbles to the Surface

FireGeezer pointed his spotlight upon an interesting video from Philly.  They, too, are suffering from staffing cuts which are being addressed by the fix-all cure of rolling brownouts which began at the beginning of the month.

Early on in the video, former assistant city comptroller Brett Mandel spoke plainly about the logic of brownouts:

“If you’re going to say that a fire station is not needed for Thursday night, well then, why is it needed for Friday night?  And if it’s not needed for Friday night, well maybe we don’t need that station.

On the other hand, if we need it for Friday night, why don’t we need it on Thursday night?”

The video ends with a contentious back and forth between the union president and the fire commissioner all played out on live TV.  With more of these types of interviews bubbling their way to the surface, maybe the public will gain more of an understanding of just how politics affects their local fire service.

it sure takes balls...

Gubbamint Discounts

As we wade our way through the economic mess with no end in sight, and the newly empowered attack upon the pensions of public employees, are we still thinking about the way the public perceives us?  What’s your take on these “fire department discounts?”  If your guys have been on the receiving end of half-price dinner or free coffee, and you didn’t get the same discount, would you ask for it?

Would you demand it?

Captain Schmoe over at Report on Conditions gives his view here.

Another Blogger from Hilton Head Done Good!

Tom Bouthillet, Prehospital 12-lead ECG

Finally, a warm welcome to my friend Tom Bouthillet, a Fire Lieutenant / Paramedic with Hilton Head Island (SC) Fire & Rescue.  Tom’s superb blog Prehospital 12-lead ECG is now up and running right here on FireEMSblogs.com, which should always be your first stop after FireDaily.com and FirefighterNetCast.com.  Give him a peek!

He is the second blogger that “done good” from HHI, home of B/C Mick Mayers (Firehouse Zen).

Let’s hope Tom has better taste in hockey teams…

Stay stoked!

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Dale runs the ride.

Remember the excitement of going to the carnival?  You know, before we became “spooked” by the the guy with more arms than teeth running the “Zipper” screaming to us riders: “YOU ALL WANNA GO FASTER?”  We’d all scream back, “YEAH!”  And the ex-con with his glass eye gleaming would grab one of the long red levers with all eight and a half fingers and shove it forward forcing the ride into overdrive, the screaming kids only drowned out by the sounds of Bad Moon Risin’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival cranking at an ear-splitting level.

All for two tickets. Damn, that was cool…

Those were times we look back upon with fondness.  We were young with out lives splayed out endlessly in front of us.  We were pups with a lot to learn.  In time, we would be growing into mature young adults- all blazing our own trails and creating our own ways of life.  Eventually we would find ourselves in the fire service, young, dumb, and full of come on, you didn’t think I’d really go there, didja?  All of us didn’t stay young, most of us didn’t stay dumb, and, well, you can finish the thought…

My point is that there were many sign posts along each of our journeys that we look back upon and never forget.  Just like the when the kid puked on the Tilt-O-Whirl, we also have a few memorable moments in which someone said or did something that left an indelible impression upon us.  And we grew from that, and we became better firefighters in the process.  The truth is, we benefited from someone who Shared the Wealth.

This month’s First Due Blog Carnival sought out your stories of someone who Shared The Wealth in your life.  I asked you to Share that Wealth with us all.

I had a feeling there was some fantastic stuff out there, but I absolutely amazed at what you took the time to share.  To all of you, I express my sincere appreciation for Sharing The Wealth.  There stories are simply incredible.

To our readers- please set aside some time to reach through all of these.  This is some exceptional stuff.  Don’t short-change yourself by skimming through it too quickly.  If you must, bookmark this page and come back to it so you can properly savor it and benefit from it all.

Then YOU Share The Wealth.

Here’s how.  Forward these stories to someone you know, whether it be a rookie just starting out, or someone who feels a little stale and could use a pick-me-up.  Print a couple up and post them at your station so that others can benefit.  Perhaps you have a story you would like to share.  Get it to me and I’ll make sure to share your wealth.

YOU make the ride go faster.  YOU crank the tunes to ‘eleven’.  YOU make it a memorable moment for those riding on YOUR carnival ride today.

On to the submissions!

“If one of your firefighters gets into trouble, how are you going to get them out?”

Chief Reason Art Goodrich was once asked this question during a class taught by Rick Lasky.  “I left the class with a new found attitude,” Art relates. “I no longer viewed us as invincible. I no longer thought that we could get into any situation and get back out without assistance. It caused me to take a better look when I was doing size up at a scene.”  Art takes it a step further by focusing on a major flaw that many of us have in our wheelhouse.  What is that flaw?  Read about it here.

“You won’t be the best at everything, but no one is.”

Hydrant Girl is relatively new to the fire service and, thus, offers this unique perspective in her Sharing of the Wealth.  As you can see, it doesn’t take very long to be the recipient of some sage advice from the right person who told her, “Find what skills you can offer your team and work to strengthen them. You won’t be the best at everything, but no one is.” He went on to say that the best crews that he’s worked with worked together. They built on each others skills and were successful because they knew their strengths and weaknesses before they went in the fire rather then too late. “  Who said it to her and why?  Find out here.

“Looking back on it, the things we talked about that weekend were shown to us as being “fresh” ideas ten and even twenty years later.”

When I saw that Mick Mayers had offered up some of his wealth, I knew we all had struck gold.  In Firehouse Zen, Chief Mayers writes about leadership and attitude, two of the topics closest to my heart in the fire service.  In his article, Mick frames his story by reminding us that he has spent a bunch of time with nationally recognized fire service leaders and could have chosen from any of them when sharing his wealth.  Why then, does he tell us the story of the relatively unknown Chief Harry Diezel?  Because “he was able to inspire a young officer candidate in sixteen hours of a seminar, by exposing to him to the potential of emergency services from an entirely different model than ever envisioned.”  Read about how Chief Diezel was able to send Mick down this particular road in his article over at Firehouse Zen.

“Since I don’t have a juicy “moment of Zen” for you, I will instead give you some things I have learned along the way from some great guys.”

Hard to believe that you have never experienced a moment of Zen, Rhett.  Wait, I take that back.  Unencumbered by zenness, Rhett Fleitz AKA Fire Critic has instead offered up some pearls of wisdom he’s learned along his winding road in the fire service.  You may have heard of some of these before, but they are definitely worth a revisit.  Chances are, some of your rookies need to be exposed to these as well.  Read them here .  Thanks, “Big Toe!”

The message is simple, yet it is often forgotten. I use it to reign myself in when tension is high and focus is required.

Captain Joe Schmoe over at Report on Conditions offers up some words of wisdom which should be a part of everyone’s mindset.  Head on over to his site and read about what he is talking about.  As usual, all his stuff is spot on.  Bookmark his page and read it often.  Then come up with an adjective or two about his writing style and e-mail them to me.  It will help me describe to myself why I am so attracted to it. Dare ya!

“Who messed with my gear?” I yelled. No one looked up, busying themselves with putting on their turnouts

Rachel Smith is a wildland firefighter and graduate student studying fire ecology and community risk abatement at the University of California, Berkeley.  That’s what it says on her site, Flash Fuels at RachelCSmith.com. It should also say excellent writer.  Rachel tells the story of how, as a green rookie, she became acceptable as a member of her company and the necessity of reacting correctly to the traditional “tests” flung her way.  This is a “copy and save” article.  You will want to refer to it when it comes time for a young rookie to go through this mental obstacle course.  See it here.  Thanks, Rachel.  It blew me away!

“At the end of the day, when the alarm comes in, you’ll do your thing and I’ll do mine.”

The beauty of mining for these nuggets is that you never know what you will find.  Bill Carey over at BackstepFirefighter.com takes us down the road less travelled.  How?  As firefighters, we are constantly inundated with “Thou shalt’s”.  Well-meaning “experts” point to a particular method, procedure, tactic, or strategy that has worked exceedingly well.  For them.  While such advice is often valuable to some (or even many) Bill reminds us that we are all different, and we don’t necessarily fit into the cookie-cutter way of doing things.  Maybe we would do better by taking what we read, hear, and see and determine how it effects US and OUR organization before falling in lockstep behind it.  Very refreshing.  Like a glass of pineapple-mango juice.  Thanks, my friend!

Remember the Onion

My offering here at Fire Daily is simple.  Ever notice the guy who never really cooks?  Oh sure, he’s trying, he wants to do it right, but no one ever showed him how to do it.  Be the firefighter who has the ability to recognize, and the desire to help, a faltering member of your company.  Too often, we fall into some sort of competition, a race, in which we are not only better, but better than the next guy.  In my opinion, true leaders cast such competition aside, opting instead to mentor those nearby, ensuring that the end game results not in one winner, but a team of winners.  For Chissakes, show the idiot how to peel an onion before he hurts himself!

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So there you have it.  Thanks to all of you who Shared the Wealth this month.  We are now a little bit richer.  Keep feeding us, we are hungry for this stuff.

To our readers- if you found this valuable, promise us YOU will Share the Wealth.

YOU Create a ‘life memory”’ in a young firefighter’s life.  YOU teach them how this all works.

Make the “Zipper” go faster.  Crank the music to eleven.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Stay Stoked!

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The Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire left the most indelible impression in my mind.

I imagined myself on the scene in one of three roles.  First, as a trapped firefighter in sheer terror wondering where the cavalry was.  Second, as a brother firefighter pleading, begging, nearly physically forcing his way past a Chief who would deny entry for yet another set of firefighters to die.  And finally, the Chief who denied entry, despite the verbal assaults, the M-Fing, and the physical altercation, stood his ground at the door denying the Worcester 6 would become the Worcester 8 or the Worcester 12.  Although I imagined myself in all three of these positions, I could never truly comprehend the raw emotion on that fireground that day.

God bless them all.

I could rehash the story of the Worcester 6, but it has been so heavily publicized by authors much more capable than I.  I won’t waste your time with my retelling of one of the most tragic incidents in fire service history.

I would rather take the opportunity offered by the First Due Blog Carnival to express my disgust with those in the service who make no changes to the way their agency operates based on the findings of the NIOSH reports.  It’s not that the reports are hard to find, they are rubbed in our noses constantly.  Why?  Because many are not doing a damn thing on a local level from lessons learned by brave firefighters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

If this applies to you, shame on you.

Make it a point to go over the recommendations offered and apply them to your agency.  Make it a training opportunity so that each of your firefighters can learn the lessons of those who have gone before them.  Challenge your members to get involved and create an atmosphere of open and robust communication designed to make the changes necessary to ensure that your department is not the next department highlighted by NIOSH.  Sadly we are in the mindset that this stuff only happens to the other department.  Guess what?  To those departments, WE are the other department.

If you can’t do this, then relinquish your position of leadership to someone who gives a damn about their firefighters.

Late last year, I randomly selected several NIOSH reports and culled their recommendations.  See if you can detect a pattern.  See if your department can benefit by a change in your procedures, your approach, your mindset, based on the recommendations offered.

Make a difference.  Do it now.

Allow me to cheat a bit by re-posting the information as my contribution to this month’s First Due Blog Carnival.  Special thanks to Bill Carey of BackstepFirefighter for hosting this month’s topic.

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I see that NIOSH reports have popped up on the radar of the blogosphere recently.  Frankly, I’m surprised at the heat a few have been giving them.  Maybe I’ve been missing something (it’s happened before). So I took a closer look.

We already know that heart attacks and traffic accidents are the main murderers of us firefighters, so I’m sure we’ve already dedicated the necessary resources to firefighter health and safety initiatives and accident scene safeguards to keep these killers from having free reign over our troops.

Right?

So, I went to the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports page from NIOSH and randomly picked 5 of the reports with deaths involving fire suppression. I was looking for patterns. Guess what I found….

NIOSH Report 2008-26

A residential basement fire had been burning for over 30 minutes. A crew was directed to enter the first floor to perform horizontal ventilation and found a spongy floor. The last (victim) of the four-man crew was just about out when the floor collapsed into the basement on top of working crews. Heavy smoke conditions hampered efforts to locate the victim and he died on the scene.

Among the NIOSH recommendations:

Sizeup, Risk/Gain “ensure that the incident commander (IC) conducts a 360 degree size-up which includes risk versus gain analysis prior to committing interior operations and continues risk assessments throughout the operations”

SOP’s/SOG’s- “ensure that standard operating procedures are established for a basement fire”

Coordinated Ventilation- “ensure that proper ventilation is done to improve interior conditions and is coordinated with the interior attack”

TIC- “ensure that interior crews are equipped with a thermal imaging camera”

RIT/RIC- “ensure that Rapid Intervention Teams are staged and ready”

NIOSH Report 2008-34

One of only three firefighters on the scene, the victim entered a burning residence alone with a partially-charged 1 ½ inch line and became lost in thick-black smoke, radioing for help from the other two. They couldn’t locate him, a flashover occurred, and the home became fully engulfed. A cop found him an hour later.

Among the NIOSH recommendations:

Size-up, Risk/Gain- “ensure that officers and fire fighters know how to evaluate risk versus gain and perform a thorough scene size-up before initiating interior strategies and tactics”

SOP’s/SOG’s- “develop, implement, and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for fireground operations”

Staffing- “ensure that adequate numbers of apparatus and fire fighters are on scene before initiating an offensive fire attack in a structure fire”

Coordinated Ventilation- “ensure that properly coordinated ventilation is conducted on structure fires”

RIT/RIC- “ensure that a rapid intervention team (RIT) is established and available at structure fires”

SCBA- “ensure fire fighters are trained in essential self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and emergency survival skills”

Mayday- “ensure that protocols are developed on issuing a Mayday so that fire fighters and dispatch centers know how to respond”

NIOSH Report 2008-08

30 minutes into a residential fire, crews had been pulled out. A decision was made to send a crew back in to extinguish the fire. A crew of 3 (A/C, Capt, FF) made their way into the basement of the burning structure with an 1¾ line. One by one they evacuated due to conditions. The third never came up the stairs. RIT was activated but repelled by the heat. Victim found an hour later.

Among the NIOSH recommendations:

Risk vs. Gain- “ensure that the Incident Commander continuously evaluates the risks versus gain when determining whether the fire suppression operation will be offensive or defensive“

SOP’s/SOG’s- “review, revise as necessary, and enforce standard operating guidelines (SOGs) to include specific procedures for basement fires and two-in/ two-out procedures“

TIC- “enforce standard operating guidelines (SOGs) regarding thermal imaging camera (TIC) use during interior operations“

Mayday- “ensure that fire fighters are trained on initiating Mayday radio transmissions immediately when they are in distress, and/or become lost or trapped“

NIOSH Report 2008-06

Without the protection of a charged hoseline, a Lt and FF (victim) were searching a 2-story residence for a trapped occupant. They did not know where the victim was and had no TIC. Conditions deteriorated, trapping the two on the second floor. The LT exited the front door and RIT was deployed to get the victim. Both were hospitalized and the victim succumbed to burn injuries 5 days later.

Among the NIOSH recommendations:

Size-up- “ensure the Incident Commander receives pertinent information during the size-up (i.e., type of structure, number of occupants in the structure, etc.) from occupants on scene and that information is relayed to crews upon arrival”

SOP’s/SOG’s- “develop, implement, and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for fireground operations”

Coordinated Ventilation- “ensure ventilation is coordinated with interior fireground operations”

TIC- “ensure that fire fighters conducting an interior search have a thermal imaging camera”

Mayday- “ensure that Mayday protocols are developed and followed”

NIOSH Report 2007-32

Two firefighters died while conducting an interior attack to locate, confine, and extinguish a fire located in the cockloft of a restaurant. One victim had been flowing water into the cockloft from the kitchen, another had been checking for fire extension in the main dining area. At about 5 minutes in, a rapid fire event occurred.

Among the NIOSH recommendations:

Size-up- Risk vs. Gain- “ensure that the incident commander conducts an initial size-up and risk assessment of the incident scene before beginning interior fire fighting operations and continually evaluates the conditions to determine if the operations should become defensive”

SOP’s/SOG’s- “develop, implement and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) that address the hazards and define the strategies and tactics to be used while operating at specific structures known as “taxpayers”

Coordinated Ventilation- “ensure that fire fighters understand the influence of ventilation on fire behavior and coordinate with interior fire suppression operations”

RIT/RIC- “ensure that a rapid intervention crew (RIC) / rapid intervention team (RIT) is established and available to immediately respond to emergency rescue incidents”

TIC- “use thermal imaging cameras (TICs) during the initial size-up and search phases of a fire”

Any patterns?

Size-up, Risk vs. Gain- Does your first in crew perform a 360 and report an accurate size up of conditions to all others? Is a risk vs. gain assessment actually made? Are your initial tactics based upon these findings?

Why not? Didn’t you try to implement the NIOSH recommendations to keep from killing your firefighters?

Are your SOP’s/SOG’s current to the ever-changing tasks being performed at your incidents? Do you follow them? Do you even have any?

Why not? Didn’t you try to implement the NIOSH recommendations to keep from killing your firefighters?

Is ventilation performed early and integrated with your interior attack? Or has ventilation worked its way down to fifth or sixth on your list of priorities? After all, it will eventually vent itself.

Why not? Didn’t you try to implement the NIOSH recommendations to keep from killing your firefighters?

Is a RIT/RIC established early on? If you don’t have the personnel to form a RIT/RIC, do you have a mutual aid response to give you the number of firefighters needed to operate safely?

Why not? Didn’t you try to implement the NIOSH recommendations to keep from killing your firefighters?

Does your department have at least one Thermal Imaging Camera? It’s been called the best thing since SCBA in many firefighting circles. You have SCBA, right? Does your department know to call a Mayday early? Too macho to call it? Does EVERYONE ON THE SCENE know what to do when a Mayday is called?

Why not? Didn’t you try to implement the NIOSH recommendations to keep from killing your firefighters?

WHY ARE WE NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH?

Are the reports too difficult to understand? Perhaps we need to dumb them down or fluff them up? Fine. I’m all for whatever it takes.

But let’s not forget that the reports are just that- reports. We need to make the changes, NIOSH ain’t gonna do that for us.

So read the reports, see how they killed our brothers, and take a hard look at how you and your department operate.

THEN IMPLEMENT THE CHANGES YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR GUYS ALIVE.

Because if we continue to do it the same way, we’ll get what we’ve always gotten. Another NIOSH report with the same ol’ stuff.

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When I think of St. Patrick’s Day and the fire service, many things come to mind.  One of those thoughts bubbling up to the surface brings a smile to my face every time. Indulge me with a re-post recognizing the value an experienced veteran with the right approach can bring to all of us, young and old.

With that perspective, I offer up a special note to third-generation firefighter retired Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Eddie Enright who has over 38 years of duty having been assigned to engine, truck, and squad companies after serving his country in Vietnam.  As he would say:

“Only 0 more days til St. Patrick’s Day”

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Over the years, I’ve attended a boatload of fire training classes which emphasized leadership, training, and safety. Most were team-taught. A primary instructor would be there periodically, accompanied by a great group of “assisting instructors” who would each bring a certain level of expertise to the specific topic at hand.

There were lesson plans to be followed, objectives to be addressed and met, and the test to prove that learning had occurred. It’s a method of learning quite familiar with firefighters worldwide.

But sometimes, the Fire Gods might truly smile down upon you and bless you.

As you’re sitting in the classroom waiting for the course to begin, you wonder where all the instructors went. Just then, you hear guffaws of laughter just out of sight (probably damn near the coffee and doughnuts). What’s going on?

“Da Chief” is in the building.

Not necessarily the current department chief, but certainly a chief nonetheless.

He’s been around for decades and he’s seen it all. He rose up through the ranks and gained the respect from his peers the old-fashioned way. “Da Chief” earned it.

He knows how to handle the pick-head ax just as well as how to handle the politicians. He knows BS when he sees it and he doesn’t hesitate to call it out.

Just like Underdog, he is humble and loveable. He listens to everyone’s views and becomes E.F. Hutton: When “Da Chief” begins to speak- everyone listens.

Down to earth. Real.

When you are blessed with the presence of this special guy, drop everything you are doing and be near him. Hear what he has to say. Drink it all in.

Not only do you learn from his experience and wisdom, but, more importantly, from the way he relates to those around him. He does not condescend to the rookies; he gives no guff to those with whom he may disagree. He is compassionate and concerned. His smile is contagious and his love of the fire service is completely evident. He fills you with motivation and oozes tradition.

While reading this, do I have you thinking about someone you know that could be like “Da Chief”? If so, make it a point to get him to engage with you and your group. Buy him a beer after class.

It will be the best time you can spend in any fire service training session.

WordPress Tags: IFSI,Enright,leadership,wisdom,motivation,tradition,Chicago,Eddie

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Well, then.

I guess this is the type of egotistical and flippant response that is in order when accused with the rather serious charge of sexual harassment.  Apparently, this is why we are supposed to believe that the allegations must be unfounded.

Just change the focus.

Then get out of Dodge for an “extended 30-day vacation.”

According to a report by the Chicago Sun Times, mayoral chief of staff Ray Orozco, a former fire commissioner himself, was described as livid about Brooks’ remarks. That leaves me wondering how the normally animated Mayor Richard Daley must have reacted.

When the mayor was repeatedly asked last week if Brooks still enjoys his confidence, Daley refused each time to say “yes”.

Oops.

Again, methinks Brooks is bestowed with enough confidence already.

From the exclusive report by staff reporters Fran Spielman and Frank Main, a payroll auditor for the Fire Department, Deidre Green, claims Brooks told her he “desired her in a sexual manner” and wanted to see her breasts, Green said. She claims that Brooks called her repeatedly and moved to lay her off when she refused his advances.

“He told me he liked me and to call him back, which I did,” she said.

But she said she didn’t like his attitude in later calls.

“He would say, ‘I am a breast man. I want a wild woman,’ ” Green claimed. “I said, ‘I don’t like this picture.’ He felt I was subordinate to him.”

If Brooks intended to help her professionally, he didn’t need to do it in late-night calls on his personal phone, Green said.

“Why would we talk at 11 o’clock at night? Why would I have his personal number? When things didn’t go his way, he got upset with me,” she said.

Green said they spoke a few more times on the phone before she confronted Brooks in the office, saying she heard he had a girlfriend.

“He said, ‘I saved your job.’ He said, ‘They want to get rid of you. I can hire you, and I can fire you, and you can sue to get your job back.’ “

The calls ended in October 2008, Green said, but she claims Brooks continued walking past her desk and making harassing comments.

As if that weren’t enough, also in hot water is the Commissioner of the Office of Compliance, Anthony Boswell, who is already serving a 30-day suspension for allegedly mishandling an intern’s sexual harassment claim against a 911 Center deputy. Boswell denies his guilt and is appealing the suspension.

Boswell, a friend of Brooks, is also accused by an unidentified source of trying to spike the investigation of Green’s claims, according to the Sun Times.

Methinks the self-professed well-endowed and God-blessed Brooks will have plenty of opportunity to fend off the women once the investigation by the city’s Office of Compliance has been completed and he finds his calendar wide open, unencumbered by the suffocation of the time constraints of any continued duties as fire commissioner.

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I’ve always said there’s three sides to every story: one side vs. the other- then somewhere in the nebulous mix, the truth is rooted.  Three sides.

I’m going to modify my adage now following further revelations concerning the storm clouds engulfing the DeKalb County GA fire department.

You may recall the tragedy in Dunwoody on January 24, 2010 in which Ann Bartlett, 74, died when a fire swept through her home after firefighters responded to her early morning emergency call and left when they couldn’t find a blaze. Five hours later, they responded to a second 911 call from neighbors and found the home fully engulfed.  Her body was found in the home’s remains after the fire was extinguished.

Less than a week later, acting officer William J. Greene, Capt. Tony L. Motes and Battalion Chiefs Lesley Clark and Bennie J. Paige were fired for “neglect of duty” following an investigation into fire response time in the Jan. 24 fire.  A little over a week after that, Fire Chief David Foster resigned

Before it was all over, a total of five firefighters and their leader- gone.

Hmmm.

The incident was the focal point of a lively discussion featured on Firefighter NetCast this month.  A similar refrain was heard during those discussions:  “This is too bizarre, there has to be more to the story that we haven’t heard.”

Hence, the fourth side of the story: that which we don’t know.

As the days and weeks progressed, little bits of information have bubbled to the surface.  Fourth sides.

Two of the four officers initially fired are looking to be reinstated.  They say they were fired for violating a department guideline in that they failed to establish command during the initial response.  They claim they could not establish command because they had no scene yet.

Now a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting another fourth side to the story.  A. Lee Parks, the lawyer for former fire chief David Foster, claims the resignation was retaliatory.

“It was not voluntary”, Parks said.

And if any of us fell into the trap that he was resigned due to the Dunwoody fire, we may need to pull ourselves up and out of that conclusion.

It seems that other dark storm clouds had been gathering before the cloudburst at Dunwoody.

According to DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, the chief and county administrators have been talking for several months about a number of problems in the fire department. Ellis declined to identify those issues, saying they are now the subject of an internal investigation by the county’s human resources office.

Ellis confirmed that one of those issues was the Dunwoody fire.

“I had some concerns about his handling of things and the aftermath,” Ellis said. “It wasn’t the sole factor.”

Another factor may be that the chief had filed a discrimination claim two weeks before he was resigned.

As these new developments emerge, more questions are raised, including:

Why was the chief resigned?

Were the four other officers who lost their jobs and careers pulled into the developing rift between Ellis and Foster?

Is there any culpability in how the call was handled by the dispatchers?

And, I still maintain there HAS TO BE MORE to why the responding crews were unable to locate a burning building called in by its terrified occupant!

Maybe these fourth sides of the story will continue to surface.  Until then, best to hold off on your conclusions!

Stay stoked!

-J

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