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Anyone Paying Attention to This Disgusting Nightmare in Tennessee?

You may remember an article written back in March by this author shining a light on the escapades going on in Tennessee called Volunteers in the Volunteer State asked to volunteer even more. What used to be an unbelievable story has become a menagerie of unimaginable activities poised to kill our brothers and sisters.

It seems that volunteer firefighters in Tennessee will be forced to attend 16 (you read that right- sixteen) hours of mandatory training before they are allowed to respond to emergencies.

How many did they need before?

According to a story in timesnews.net, the state is having trouble establishing uniformity in the number of training hours required.  How did they settle on sixteen hours?

But wait, there’s more.

Some counties are attempting to “opt out” of the requirement.  Can’t afford it.  Don’t got the time.  Don’t need another unfunded mandate.

I know money is tight, but are we truly to the point where we send untrained young men and women into an interior attack with other untrained men and women?  Departments crying poor feel it’s acceptable to set their personnel up for such danger without being equipped with the training necessary to keep them alive?

If we can’t afford to train, we can’t afford to send brave souls into harms way.

This from the timesnews.net:

“It boils down to the fact that when you put a volunteer firefighter out there … if he has made the decision not to have training, that’s fine because he takes his own life into his own hands,” said state Rep. John Litz, D-Morristown. “But the thing I’m concerned about is by him not having this training is the simple fact that he not only takes his own life into account, but he may take mine into account, too, because my house may be the one on fire that he is trying to get me out of.”

To be clear:

Firefighters need more than 16 hours of training before entering a burning building.

Fire Departments/Districts need to pony up the bucks for the training- not rely on the personal bank accounts of firefighters to pay for it.

Anyone?

child funeral

Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, Funding & Staffing, News, Training, Training & Development, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on May 20, 2010 • View Comments

If We Do What We’ve Always Done, We’ll Get What We’ve Always Gotten…

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.

Posted in Administration & Leadership, Change, Command & Leadership, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Leadership, Line of Duty, Never Forget, News, Staffing, Training, Training & Development, WTF?, training-fire-rescue-topics

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Posted by John Mitchell on April 28, 2010 • View Comments

Tulsa Firefighters Approve Pay Cuts and Other Benefits

Tulsa Fire UnionFirefighters Local 176 President Stan May (center) announces the firefighters will accept a pay cut amounting to $304 per month for each firefighter. Photo Sherry Brown / Tulsa World

(Written by Tulsa World)  Tulsa OK firefighters voted overwhelmingly to save 147 jobs by agreeing to a 5.2 percent pay cut and other benefit concessions, union officials announced Sunday night. There’s nobody else trained to do what we do, said Stan May, president of Tulsa Firefighters Local 176. “If we took 147 firefighters off the streets, we would put this city in serious risk.”

Union members voted 442 to 177 to accept the mayor’s proposal, which includes a 5.2 percent salary cut for 17 months, eight unpaid furlough days in the next fiscal year and the elimination of benefits such as fitness pay and a clothing allowance.

The announcement comes days after 124 Tulsa police officers and 59 civilian employees were laid off after both their unions turned down pay cuts in lieu of the job losses.

In a statement Sunday night, Mayor Dewey Bartlett thanked the firefighters for helping the city.

“We can now get on with the business we were all hired to perform, to deliver quality services and protection to the citizens of Tulsa,” Bartlett said. “We offered a very good plan to the fire union members in order to retain all our workforce, and our collaborative discussions with the fire union leaders were obviously productive.”

Bartlett also said he appreciated the firefighters faith in his administration, something Tulsa police officers said they lacked when voting down his proposal for their department.

Bartlett said the union’s “ability to promote their members as a true example of brotherhood and sisterhood is a breath of fresh air.”

May said firefighters “voted their heart” to keep Tulsa safe.

The pay cuts could be revisited in a year if the budget gets back to where it was at the beginning of this fiscal year, he said.

Firefighters began the voting process Tuesday. It included three days of member education and three days of voting to allow for all three 24-hour shifts to participate.

The Fire Department has a budget gap making up $2.5 million of the city’s $10.4 million shortfall for this fiscal year.

On Friday, 124 Tulsa police officers were laid off after the Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police overwhelming voted down a similar proposal from the mayor Wednesday. At the last minute, 31 jobs were saved as city officials revised their number crunching.

Also Friday, 59 civilian employees were laid off. Their union also voted against a 5.2 percent pay cut for all, although their decision was not binding on the mayor.

The firefighters who received layoff notices Jan. 22 would have been off the job immediately had the union voted down Bartlett’s proposal.

James Fuller, 26, a firefighter on the chopping block, said he was grateful to his colleagues for accepting the agreement. At lot was riding on the voter for Fuller, his wife and two children, a toddler and a 2-month-old baby.

“I’m thankful it passed,” Fuller said as he took a celebratory swig from his beer bottle at the firefighters’ union hall, where a news conference was held announcing the firefighter vote.

“I’m thankful I get to go to work tomorrow morning, get on the engine and do what I do.”

Posted in Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing

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Posted by John Mitchell on February 1, 2010 • View Comments

Sleight of Hand in Franklin Park, IL?

When performed by a well-practiced magician, a sleight-of-hand trick serves as an amazing piece of entertainment, wowing young and old alike.  The foundation, of course, is pure deception- tricking your eyes and ears and brain into believing something which truly isn’t.

You may recall last week a post from FireDaily called “Didn’t See This Coming…” in which we focused the light of day on the amazing turn of events in Milwaukee, WI.

In an effort to close a budget deficit, the City scrambled to slice and dice their public safety budgets by eliminating truck companies and instituting a daily plan of rolling brown-out closure of fire stations.

Amazingly within weeks, reports of the City scrambling once again- this time to hire new firefighters and paramedics as quickly as possible addressing the –wait for it- SURPRISING need for manpower required to fulfill their mission.

While there at least two or three sides to every story, we seem to have graduated into a culture of spin- in which an audience (the public, the taxpayer, you, me) is ripe for entertainment and easily fooled by anything said.  After all, if you heard it on the news, it must be true, right?

We have progressed into a society that no longer calls the truth the truth, or a lie a lie.  We are a people who have grown accustomed to “grey areas” in which one plus one can actually equal a submarine- if it can be expertly explained away before the next episode of Jersey Shore is on.

Remember when then-President Bill Clinton explained to us that what really mattered was what “the definition of the word is… is?”

Huh?

How about when Alaska’s investigation of “Trooper Gate” found that Sarah Palin had abused her powers as their Governor?  Out came the cape and wand, then the abracadabra: “”Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that.”

Huh?

Are we so numbed to the bull that we have come to accept whatever we hear?

Or worse- are we too lazy to demand accountability of those who tell us mistruths, misspeaks, ahem… lies?

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain!

Last night, a report on my local TV news station aired regarding the potential layoff of six firefighters from Franklin Park, IL, a community adjacent to the City of Chicago, O’Hare Airport, and an incredible amount of rail traffic carrying tons of hazardous materials daily throughout the village.

Now Franklin Park is not immune to the financial cesspool found all across the country.  Tough decisions have to be made, many unpopular.  It’s tough to be the guys who have to find a way through these difficult times.

But as we find ourselves increasingly amenable to having our budgets slashed in all areas- including public safety- we should not be led astray by the mal-truths, the mischaracterizations, the sleight-of-hand which is becoming the norm lately as well.

We need to throw the flag on the bull when we hear it.

In Franklin Park’s case, the plan is to eliminate six firefighter positions (on top of the five they had already lost) as well as dumping one of its two ambulances providing EMS coverage for a population of 19,000.

Get your flag-thowing hand ready…

Read this gem as reported by Paul Meincke of ABC7 News as published here.  It’s from Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pedersen who, when asked about the risk to public safety, offered up this little gem:

“I spoke with my chief and three commanders, and they indicate there’ll be the same response time. Every single one of the firemen are EMT qualified. So, they’ll be responding just as they are now with trucks and ambulances,” the mayor said.”

FLAG!

But wait.

Better pick up that flag and stuff it right back into your ass pocket.  Why?

Aha, didn’t catch it, did you?

Read it again.

Can what he is saying can be the full truth even when interpreted in each of these ways?

Without the layoffs, here’s the response scenario:

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

With the layoffs, here’s the response scenario:

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

In fact, if Franklin Park had only one firefighter/EMT, the response scenario still does not change!

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

What is your definition of “response time?”  See?

Abracadabra, Alacazam! Now you see it, now you don’t!

So How Do We Get Real Answers?

By asking real questions:

“If I dial 911, when will the first paramedic arrive at my door?”

“If I dial 911, will that paramedic have an ambulance with equipment?  If not, when will an ambulance arrive?”

“If I dial 911 and your ambulance is out on another call, when can I expect another ambulance to arrive at my door, you know, to replace Franklin Park’s second ambulance?”

“If my home catches fire and I need to be rescued in the middle of the night, will my chances be greater or lesser of making it out alive if you cut your manpower down by almost 25%?”

“If a train carrying six carloads of methylethylbadsnot derails in our gem of a city, or a tornado hop-scotches across our community this spring, is our emergency preparedness plan current and viable despite the changes in manpower levels you want to institute?”

“Am I more safe or less safe with less firefighters on duty?”

and an obvious question to see just how fast that whizzer can get spinning:

“How come I’m getting less but my taxes keep going up?”

Sleight of hand is more difficult to get by if you are paying attention.

This is what you’re up against, folks:

People who know they can spin their message to suit their needs

vs.

a public that won’t take the time to press the issue and get the hard truth.

Still itchin’ to throw that flag?

OK, me too.  Here’s a few opportunities:

In this, the second decade of the new millennium, we have video to capture what is said so we may compare it later to what is done.  Here are some of the examples from then-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen on March 2009 at a Special Meeting of the Franklin Park Firefighters Local 1526.

“…When you make that emergency preparedness plan, you’re going to put a formula in there for a minimum number of people to be available to handle that emergency. And if you don’t have that number in the contract, that there’s going to be a specific number of people, than the formula you’ve set up for your emergency preparedness plan isn’t worth very much money….I think we can do a better job, and I think with that emergency preparedness plan, you’d have to take a look at putting into the contract a specific number of people guaranteed.”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

“…One of the things that I think is important for the fire department is to bring it back up to full staffing. I know you’re short three people right now and I think that you deserve a full accompaniment on each one of your staffs. I think that we can do that by cutting down on litigation, I think we can cut down on the wasteful spending- 800 thousand dollars on ornamental concrete on Grand Avenue…”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

“…I don’t think we should reduce the number of stations we have… Should there be a contract that has a specific number of firefighters that are guaranteed and if the number goes below that min number should they be replenished? I think it’s important to maintain that minimum number with regard to the emergency preparedness issue…”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

* * * * *

If you want more information the current issue in Franklin Park, IL, you can find it at the Franklin Park Local 1526 website, including info on a rally scheduled for January 23.  The Village also has a website, but I couldn’t find anything on it about the upcoming vote, and the major changes that face the Village today.

Posted in Chicagoland, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing, Videos, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on January 19, 2010 • View Comments

Didn’t See This Coming…..

On December 27, the Milwaukee Fire Department ladder company at 3628 N. Holton Street that has served the city and saved lives for 106 years was shuttered.

Less than 2 weeks later, on January 9, 2010, a taxpayer died of smoke inhalation in a fatal fire to which that ladder company would have responded.

No one can say whether the two are related.

No one can say the ladder company could have helped saved the life of this man found unconscious on the second floor of a residence, even though the ladder company’s primary task would be to search and rescue victim’s.  Just like this man.

But we all can say this without much room for debate:

Eliminating firefighters and instituting rolling brown-outs (like the City of Milwaukee and many other municipalities across the nation) will not provide the same level of service the taxpayer needs.

Without the same level of service, we can’t expect the same outcomes.

Until recently, the public safety budgets seemed to be off-limits to the hatchet men.  It used to be political suicide to slash and burn the budgets of the life savers, the heroes, the proud public servants who give life and limb in the protection of their community.

Not any more.

More and more frequently, budgets are being cut, firefighters, paramedics, and cops are being laid off, employees furloughed, stations closed.

That sure sucks.

But it gets worse.  Really worse.

Time and time again, we now hear fire chiefs announce that these cuts and closures will not affect the level of service to their community.

Bunk.

And shame be heaped upon you for even belching that waste in public.

Times are tough- agreed.  Money is tight- agreed.

Don’t justify your actions with incredulous statements.  It’s a slap in the face to the heroes of your community, and you should be called on them every time you try to sneak them out there.

Better to say, “I don’t know how else to say this folks, but economic times are forcing us to take actions that might very well make you less safe.”

That’s the hard truth, right?  Much easier to swallow.  But that won’t get you re-elected, will it?

Good.

My prayers go out to the family of the unidentified man. I will also continue to pray for the safety of Milwaukee’s firefighters as they, like others across the nation, are doing more with less.

Here’s the complete story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by Lee Bergquist:

“Saying budget cuts to the Milwaukee Fire Department are “akin to playing Russian roulette with people’s lives,” Ald. Bob Donovan said Sunday that he would ask the Milwaukee Common Council to restore financing for a north side firehouse located close to a blaze that claimed the life of a man on Saturday.

Spending reductions in the 2010 city budget forced the elimination of a 106-year-old ladder company at 3628 N. Holton St. on Dec. 27.

That ladder company, which plays a search and rescue function, would have responded to the fire on Saturday at 628 W. Clarke St., Donovan and the president of the firefighters union said at a news conference at the Holton St. firehouse.

At Saturday’s fire, a man was found unresponsive on the second floor of a wood-frame house.

Paramedics took him to Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee, where he died from smoke inhalation. The man’s identity has not yet been released. The Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office said Sunday afternoon it was trying to contact family members of the victim.

It was the second fatal fire in Milwaukee in 2010. There were six fatal fires in 2009, according to the Fire Department

Firefighters in ladder companies perform the initial search and rescue at a scene. Their duties are different from firefighters in engine companies, which are first charged with putting out fires before starting searches and rescues.

Neither Donovan nor David Seager, president of the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association, would say that eliminating the ladder company on Holton St. was the cause for why the man died. The engine company at the firehouse remains open.

But Donovan and Seager said closing the ladder company, and the decision to close three other companies for a month at a time on a rotating basis, is causing a domino effect across the city, making it harder to fight fires.

The cutbacks coincide with a shortage of paramedics that authorities are now rushing to plug with a plan for a new trainee class.

Mayor Tom Barrett and the council agreed to the service reductions for the Fire Department, but they let Fire Department officials decide how to impose the cuts.

The city’s top firefighter disagreed with Donovan and Seager and said the public is receiving good fire protection.

Acting Fire Chief Michael Jones said the proposed cutbacks at firehouses were analyzed with the help of a computer program used by many large cities to ensure there would be no gaps.

Using factors such as the number of calls in an area, population density and anticipated response times under normal conditions, Jones said the department is not risking the public’s safety.

“I think that we had adequate resources at the scene,” Jones said. “We feel that our response times are adequate to meet the needs.”

Last week, Jones and city economist Dennis Yaccarino said they were revising their budgets to hire more firefighters and cut the number of companies that are being taken out of service on a temporary basis.

Donovan, chairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee, said he would propose legislation on Monday asking the council to use contingency funds to re-open the ladder company and end the rotating cuts, which officials are referring to as “brownouts.”

At Saturday’s fire, the first to respond was a firefighting engine company from 2903 N. Teutonia Ave. It arrived three minutes after the call, according to Fire Department records.

But because of the brownout, its companion rescue-oriented ladder company was responding to another call at N. 28th St. and W. Center St., and that took it farther away from the scene, according to Capt. Brad Sibley.

Sibley had been in charge of the ladder company on Holton St. before it was closed.

The first two ladder companies to respond were from downtown, the Fire Department’s computer call report shows. They arrived six minutes after the call was received, or three minutes after the engine company.

Seager said the shuttered Holton St. ladder unit would have responded faster than the ladder units from downtown.

“Without that (ladder) company there is a delayed response,” Seager said.

Jones said firefighters from ladder and engine companies are trained to do both jobs.”

Posted in Funding & Staffing, News, Staffing, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on January 14, 2010 • View Comments

Brotherhood this, Brotherhood that, bla bla bla…

To my loyal reader (Hi Mom!)

I’ve got some new posts “in da can” but I’ll wait for a decade or so to get them going.

Gotta space them out.

The previous finalists in the Spectacularganza I call “2009 FireDaily Greatest Posts of 2009″ are listed at the end of this story.  If you have a moment, you might check them out.

FireCritic and I are working on a new project that has taken a little bit of time away from the extensive creative process required to produce- well, anything.

At least in my cranium.

More on that project tomorrow.  Until then, humor me with another re-run.  Excuse me if you’ve already seen it, but it bears another look:

————

In my opinion, we use the word “brotherhood” way more frequently than we display the magic it describes.

When we are fortunate enough to witness the brilliance pure brotherhood exudes, only then can we appreciate what it truly means.  If we perform it more than we say it, brotherhood becomes an honorable way to live our lives, not only in the fire service, but as individuals interacting with each other in everyday life.

Here is an excellent example of the display of brotherhood in this post from earlier this fall:

Oak Park (IL) Firefighters Retire Early to Facilitate the Return of Laid-Off Brothers

“…It’s disheartening and hurtful to be portrayed as the economic destroyers of the community, the ones who work such a short career and live such a wonderfully long retirement at the expense of the people we served – portrayed as something bad, as if our work, lives, careers were some sort of scam we have perpetrated on the community. I guess on a line item in a budget or in a ledger, we are just another number.”

Earlier this year, the Oak Park (IL) Fire Department had laid off several firefighter/paramedics due to budget constraints.

One of them is a brother that used to be a part of my crew for years at his previous department, and is one of those guys that can be described as a “fireman’s fireman”.  So I can personally verify that the Oak Park Fire Department had lost the services of a great guy- just as we did when he left us for Oak Park.

Today, he is back at work in Oak Park, one of two firefighters just rehired.

Why?

The honorable and selfless acts of senior firefighters, who decided to hang up the leather early to make room for the outstanding younger guys to carry on in their place.

What an excellent punctuation mark on the fire service careers of these fine men.

Here, in his own words, is an article written by one of those jakes, Rich Wilkie, reflecting on a career with no regrets.

*     *     *     *     *

I have just recently retired (after 27 years, two months) a few years early, short of a full 30 years of service. This was in order to effect the return to duty of the five young firefighter paramedics who were laid off last September. I was asked by one of the young firefighters today, “Were the years at the firehouse worth it all? What was your best memory and were there any regrets?”

It was worth every second of it. I would do it for another 27 years standing on my head. But I have already enjoyed a wonderful career serving, and theirs is just beginning. That is enough reason for me to know it’s time to go now. Not to mention that this job has taken its toll on my body physically and my spirit emotionally. There are so many good memories and stories; it would be impossible to single out one from the rest. So many challenging and rewarding situations in EMS and fire that you take with you, feeling and knowing you made a difference in someone’s life.

It’s a package deal, though. You can’t just take the good alone. Along with the good, you must carry forever the heartache and pain of the situations where you couldn’t change the outcome. You take those with you, too. There’s no vocation I can think of that gives you so much, spiritually, for your successful efforts and takes so much away for your failures. That’s how we think. We own our successes and failures, whether or not our actions could have possibly changed the outcome. We always want to help, save, rescue and succeed, and if we don’t, we feel responsible. We feel we’ve failed. That is why there is such a bond between us, “our band of brothers.”

It takes a special type of person to do what we do. We can’t do it alone; we need each other. Most people don’t really know or understand what is required from us and the toll it takes on us to do the work we do. Only those of us who do this work can understand what it is like to be us. A lifetime decision to willingly and without reservation give your life to help and protect the community you serve. It may sound cliché, but that’s the oath that every firefighter takes when he or she takes on this vocation.

It’s disheartening and hurtful to be portrayed as the economic destroyers of the community, the ones who work such a short career and live such a wonderfully long retirement at the expense of the people we served – portrayed as something bad, as if our work, lives, careers were some sort of scam we have perpetrated on the community. I guess on a line item in a budget or in a ledger, we are just another number.

But in my heart – and I hope in the hearts of the community in which I’ve lived, grown up, raised my children and served for 27 years – me and all my brother and sister firefighters are more than that. Your successes are ours and your losses are ours, too. Thank you for the opportunity and the privilege to serve you for the time I was able.

No regrets at all. Keep the faith and protect each other.

*     *     *     *     *

Rich Wilkie is a 27-year firefighter for the Oak Park Fire Department and member of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 95.

Making a splash: Rich Wilkie helps Joey Midlash handle a fire hose at A Day In Our Village in 2004.
Photo by Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest File 2004/Staff


————————

Previous finalists in FireDaily’s “2009 Best Blog Posts of 2009”

#2009-  Got a Bad Attitude?  Stay at Home!

#2008-  30 Minutes a Week of Training is Unfair and “Unreal”

#2007- “Da Chief”

#2006  “Nicknames”

#3  “The Head Rule”

Posted in Brotherhood, Chicagoland, Funding & Staffing

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 30, 2009 • View Comments

360 Burn Size-up of The Fire Web 12/20/09

Closed for Business- Lexington KY

From the Lexington Herald Leader

Lexington firefighters spent hours Saturday gathered in front of a historic fire station, protesting its temporary closing and alerting the public that their homes and families may not be safe.  Fire Station No. 4 on Jefferson Street was closed Saturday in order to reduce Lexington Fire Department costs.

On Friday, Mayor Jim Newberry said the closing would not compromise public safety because there are four other fire stations within a 1.6-mile radius of the historic Vogt Reel House.

But about 50 firefighters who protested on Saturday disagreed and displayed signs that said, “This engine is closed! Who is protecting your house?” and “Mayor Newberry closed this company. Who is protecting your family?”

Lexington fire Capt. Edward Crews, secretary of the Lexington Professional Firefighters Local 526 said fire stations are sometimes out of service for maintenance or training. But training can be halted in case of emergency and maintenance is unavoidable.

Crews said more station closings will occur based on daily staffing levels because the mayor wants to save money by not paying overtime. Newberry has said the city could save as much as $900,000.

On Saturday, firefighters urged residents to contact council members and the mayor to tell them not to call for further closing.

Story by Shawntaye Hopkins /Lexington Herald Leader-

photo by Pablo Alcala | Staff

Closed for Business- Baltimore MD

Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. / December 17, 2008

From the Baltimore Sun:

As hundreds of Baltimore firefighters marched on City Hall Thursday afternoon to protest service cutbacks, Mayor Sheila Dixon announced plans to postpone the closure of any more companies until the end of the fiscal year on July 1. One company had been scheduled to close on New Year’s Day.

Dixon also said that the number of companies closed for a day on a rotating basis will be reduced from five to four, and that the Fire Department had applied for a federal grant to help fund positions for as many as 22 additional firefighters.

“Our primary concern is the health and safety of the people of Baltimore,” Dixon said in a statement released shortly before the firefighters protested outside City Hall.

Said Fire Chief James Clack, “We’re optimistic we’re going to get that money.”

Until they see results, firefighters remain skeptical. Chanting “Don’t cut safety” and holding signs reading, “Cuts to Fire and Medical Kill People,” more than 300 firefighters walked four and five abreast down North Gay Street. Police briefly closed traffic and residents offered their support.

The protest was organized by the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose president, Harold Schaitberger, opened his remarks by ripping off his suit jacket and saying, “It may be a little cold outside, but I’m hot as hell” over the previously proposed closures.

Schaitberger likened city officials considering closing fire companies to “playing Russian roulette” with neighborhoods affected by such closures. “They say, ‘We can’t afford to keep all these companies open,’ ” Schaitberger said. “You can’t afford to keep all these companies closed.”

Steve Fugate, president of the Baltimore Fire Officers Association, said he has seen a “40 percent” reduction in the size of the city’s Fire Department during his 35-year career.

Fugate and others said that a fire last week, which claimed the life of a 76-year-old man and badly injured his daughter, was “kind of the tipping point” for local firefighters to protest what they believe are levels of staffing that are unsafe for themselves and for residents.

“We’re operating short citywide,” said Fugate. “You can’t cut any more.”

Longtime city resident Joann Parker, whose son Richard is a city fire captain, said, “They are so essential to us. They save our lives and do everything we need them to do. I don’t think this issue is pay loss [during furloughs]. The issue is safety, and that’s exactly what they’re trying to bring to the public’s attention.

“While Clack said that the response time to the fire that killed Samuel Davis was delayed when 911 dispatched trucks to the wrong location, firefighters have said it was caused in part by the fact that the station nearest to Davis’ West Baltimore home was closed for the night as part of the rotation.

William Cole, the councilman for the 11th District, said that twice in the past nine days he has visited the station housing Truck 16, one of those that now will remain open at least until July 1 but had been closed as part of the rotation.

“In addition to keeping it open, we have to make sure that the rotating closures aren’t also affecting coverage in certain parts of Baltimore,” Cole said.

Said Clack, “If there are options where we can do this and not rotate companies closed, I’d love to know what they are. There’s only so much money. There’s only so much we can do.”

Tulsa OK Plans Include Sending 3 Firefighters to Their Fires; Layoff of 60-130 Firefighters

From a story by Abbie Alford, Fox23.com

Bigger cuts are possible at the Tulsa Fire Department. The latest numbers show depending on the scenario, 60 to 130 firefighters will lose their jobs.

This is part of the city’s effort to save $5 million to $10 million because of a lack of sales tax revenues.

FOX23’s Abbie Alford explains why there’s a huge concern for your safety.

Fire Station #27 is known to make the most medical calls and is also known to be the busiest fire station in Tulsa.

Tulsa Fire Chief Allen LaCroix says if layoffs happen they may not have enough crews to run one truck. That’s $440,000 just sitting there unused and that could mean a longer response time for your call.

LaCroix says the fire department hasn’t grown in at least ten years in fact it has decreased.

Instead of taking furlough days this past summer, the fire department took about a $1.7 million hit that was equivalent to the citywide eight furlough days.

The fire chief says under the first scenario, a 2.2% cut would mean 60 firefighters losing their jobs. The chief says that would help save the city $1.2 million in cuts.

However, under the 4.4% plan, to save the city $2.5 million the fire department would have to layoff 130 firefighters and possibly close some fire stations.

“There will be layoffs I don’t know if that includes the fire department or not but there will be layoffs within the city,” says LaCroix.

In some cases the chief says there may only be three firefighters responding to a blaze and by standard they need four to safely respond to a fire. They need two inside and two outside.

If that is the case those firefighters will have to wait for another crew to arrive that could mean at least a three-minute delay.

“If we lose that ability to respond within that three to four minute time period of time because once the brain is without oxygen for four minutes your chances of survival are thin,” says LaCroix. “It will have an impact on the ability on the type of service we are delivering now.”

The chief also says instead of layoffs another option is to cut firefighters pay by 2% for the next six months but that would need the fire union’s approval. The chief also says the council and the mayor could also look at moving around surplus funds. LaCroix says through retirement they’ve reorganized positions and will save $1.5 million over three years. Citywide department heads are expected to meet next week with Mayor Dewey Bartlett and his staff.

Posted in Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 20, 2009 • View Comments

Lawyers in Lockport NY singing “Happy New Year!”

Oh, to have been a lawyer…

A while back, I told you about the troubles over in Lockport, New York.  In a nutshell, the city and the union have been going back and forth over staffing levels for nearly four years.  Back in October an arbitrator made a ruling in favor of the union and the city vowed to appeal it.  Here’s an update on the story, again making me wish I had become an attorney…

The firefighters union is taking the city to court yet again in an on-going legal battle that screams “Happy New Year!” to the attorneys on both side of the skirmish.

This time, the Lockport Professional Firefighters Association needs to go to court to force the city to abide by the previous decision of an arbitrator. The arbitrator’s recent order directing the city to employ a minimum staffing level of 10 firefighters per shift has been appealed by the city (and by definition each taxpayer) and is now been petitioned to the state Supreme Court by the union. They are asking the court to “confirm” the arbitrators ruling and force the city to abide by it.

The grievance process began almost immediately when levels were reduced from 10 back in 2006. For nearly the past four years, the Lockport Fire Department has been working under a minimum staffing level of eight or nine per shift. Although no specific number of personnel is actually in the contract, the arbitrator, Dennis Campagna, had ruled the lower number violates a contract provision requiring the city to “man all equipment with adequate manpower to assure firefighters’ safety during duties.”

Follow the money.

I’ve often wondered about the decision to pay overtime vs. hiring enough people, purely from a cost view. In Lockport’s case, Fire Chief Tom Passuite had furnished numbers estimating that the city could slash 100 large from it’s annual budget simply by hiring the staffing necessary to both meet the arbitrator’s ruling as well as improve the safety of the department’s personnel.

Seems like a no-brainer. Again.

I’m drawn back to the recent post by FireGeezer where one fire chief did the math, the city saw the facts, and firefighters were hired.

Bing, bang, boom.

How many hundreds of thousands of dollars could be saved in similar situations all across the country?

Sadly, what may be prudent appears to take a back seat to other forces. The City of Lockport and the LPFA have a contentious history with other irons still glowing in the fire. The current Common Council members have allegedly said they want to pay neither $500K for the hiring nor $600K for the overtime, and the newly-elected members who will make up the 2010 Council body have already made it clear they plan to take a tougher stand ($$$) with the Union.

This should make the lawyers have a very happy and prosperous new year.

The taxpayers? Not so much.

-J


Posted in Administration & Leadership, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 8, 2009 • View Comments

“So once that fire makes its way to your upper thighs, you’ll have the best coverage around.”

Try to keep from getting all frothy about the politics, just enjoy the satire- like we used to, remember?

Posted in Funding & Staffing, Just For Fun, Staffing

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 6, 2009 • View Comments

360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web 12/3/2009

Ten Years Ago Today

On December 3, 1999, the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire took the lives of six firefighters.  Head on over to FirefighterCloseCalls.com for a full report, complete with links to articles, photos, audio, and much more.

Follow that up with a read of an article entitled “A Chief’s Perspective” by retired Worcester District Fire Chief Michael O. McNamee and hope you never have to go through his nightmare. With trapped crews inside and after others had gone in to save them,  Chief McNamee ordered that no more firefighters go in.  He was met with heated threats of physical violence by his firefighters on the scene, many demanding to allow them to go in to rescue their brothers.  But he hung firm- and in doing so stopped that massive fire from killing any more of his men that night.  Thanks, Chief.  Use the information at FirefighterCloseCalls.com to create a training session for everyone on your department, especially for the newer guys who may never have heard the tragic details.

More is Less is Less is More

Did you catch the post by FireGeezer on Tuesday about the Newark (OH) fire chief who did the math?  Turns out that hiring more firefighters resulted in less overtime costs (way less).  Read the story about how fire chief Jack Stickradt was able to show the city manager how it could be done, after which the mayor followed suit.  Now with more firefighters, there’s les OT, less injuries, and more safety.  Hmmm.I’ve always wondered why a municipality would want to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars rather than hire more people…

Next on the horizon for firefighters?   Personal air conditioning…ahhhhhh…

Colorado State University engineering professors are using a $917,000 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to develop technology that would protect firefighters’ cardiovascular health and stave off heat stress. Researchers will use a device called the SCAMP (Super Critical Air Mobility Pack) device from Niwot Technologies that can cool firefighters and hazmat teams as they work. SCAMP was developed for and used by NASA astronauts 20 years ago and uses cryogenically-cooled air in a thin compact case. Their work looks to help alleviate the number one cause of firefighter line-of-duty deaths (cardiovascular failure- 43% of all deaths) by providing up to four hours of purified air and body cooling. See more here.

Posted in 360 Burn, Command & Leadership, Firefighter Safety & Health, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Leadership, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Never Forget, News, Staffing, training-fire-rescue-topics

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 3, 2009 • View Comments

360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web 12/1/2009

Check Out Real Sports on HBO Tonight for This Amazing Story

A New York City firefighter completes an Ironman Triathlon. Special enough, but Matthew Long did it after being hit, no, rolled over by a city bus. With less than a 1% chance of survival and 40 surgeries later, Long accomplished this amazing feat.

Not many people can complete an Ironman, and it’s hard to imagine anyone completing an Ironman after going through what Long went through. But Long is an inspiration, and the Real Sports segment on HBO is a good look at a man who refused to quit.

Pennsylvania Fire Department Suffers an Axing of Over Half the Fire Department- See Why:

According to information from certified public accountants, poor accounting practices and questionable transfers under prior administrations are blamed for the fiscal nightmare that resulted in the axing of 7 of the 13 firefighters in Uniontown, PA. Fire Chief Chuck Coldren pleaded with the council to avert the layoffs, repeating earlier assertions that the safety of both firefighters and residents will be endangered with the scaled-back staff.

“With the six guys who are left, it’s going to be a real nightmare for me to figure out how we’re going to operate. It’s a scary situation,” Coldren said.

My question is: what should happen to those responsible for the financial mess if someone gets hurt or killed now? City Clerk Kim Marshall said some of the deficiencies uncovered in the audit have been referred to state police and the state attorney general’s office for investigation.

Here’s more on the story from The Pittsburgh Tribune Review, and a video story from WPXI.com.

Puppy Resuscitated by Firefighters is Their New Mascot

A Dalmatian she’s not, but the 11-week-old Labrador mix puppy aptly named “Smokey” is the new mascot of the Jacksonville (IL) Fire Department. At a house fire nearly a month ago, firefighters found the pup lying near the back door and successfully resuscitated her with special oxygen kits for animals donated to their department.

Smokey’s learning to become a part of the crew as firefighters are teaching her to show children how to stop, drop, and roll. More on how this all came together here with a story by Maria Nagle of the Jacksonville Journal-Courier. More positive PR for firefighters….

Firefighter Curt Rueter plays with Smokey as driver engineer Jim Williams cooks after returning to the Jacksonville Fire Department substation after a day of training.

photo by Robert Leistra

Posted in 360 Burn, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Pub Ed, Staffing, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 1, 2009 • View Comments

If We Do What We’ve Always Done, We’ll Get What We’ve Always Gotten…

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.

Posted in 360 Burn, Command & Leadership, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Line of Duty, Rescues, Training, Training & Development, WTF?, training-fire-rescue-topics

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Posted by John Mitchell on November 22, 2009 • View Comments

Thanks for increasing the chance that my wife and children will get a visit from my Chief and a Chaplain.

Hey, elected official!

I know the economy is in the dumps, the teabag revolution is morphing, and it is politically rewarding to slash the budgets across the board, no matter the true cost.

Quick question for ‘ya:  What will it take to find a way to bring costs down without killing us, your so-called heroes?

Let’s review what you’ve accomplished for us so far:

In order to save money, you have cut mandated the closure of one of our stations, meaning that I now arrive a little later then I used to, and my help may be a little farther out than it used to be.  The fire has a head start, the dangers of a catastrophic fire event occurring while I’m inside has increased with the delay.  And when I need help in getting out, or help in getting one of your constituents out, my assistance will be running just a tad later than usual.

Thanks for increasing the chance that my wife and children will get a visit from my Chief and a Chaplain.

In order to save money, you have taken one person away from my crew, depleting my immediate manpower needs by 25-50%.  I have to do the job of 1 1/2 people just as quickly as before.  What are the chances I will have to take shortcuts or make a mistake in order to perform outside my abilities due to your cuts?  I am now less protected, and we are all less effective on the fireground.

Thanks for increasing the chance that my wife and children will get a visit from my Chief and a Chaplain.

In order to save money, you have postponed the replacement of my 13-year old apparatus, you’ve refused to replace retiring personnel, and you’ve frozen funds for training.

Thanks for increasing the chance that my wife and children will get a visit from my Chief and a Chaplain.

You’re a politician, but I am a firefighter. I fight fires, I protect property and I save lives. I am asked to do more and more with less and less. And I’m just barely hanging in there as you continue to cut and slash.

It sucks.

I’m doing all I can in my power to make sure my Chief and a chaplain don’t knock at my door. All I want is to fight fires, protect property, save lives and go home to my wife and kids after my shift has ended.

God help you if I don’t, because my wife and kids will come knocking at yours.

Posted in Change, Funding & Staffing, Staffing, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on November 19, 2009 • View Comments

What Happened at the Station Fire? $$$ ?

On a sizzling August morning, as flames burned unchecked down the road, fire crews milled about at an Angeles Crest Highway ranger station. Others were parked along the pavement — a critical line of defense — their engines quiet and hoses slack.

It was more than an hour after first light, and some six hours after U.S. Forest Service commanders had determined that the fire required a more aggressive air attack. But the skies remained empty of water-dropping helicopters — tankers that were readily available.

What was happening?

In a story to be published in the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times, Paul Pringle reports on the mounting quest for answers regarding the response to what turned out to be the largest fire in LA County history. The Station Fire eventually killed two Los Angeles County firefighters, destroyed about 90 dwellings and devastated one of America’s most-visited national forests.

It had been previously reported that the Forest Service issued a memorandum to Southern California Managers three weeks prior to the Station Fire. It had directed its Southern California managers to trim expenses by reducing the use of reinforcements from municipal departments and the state.

Many have charged that the initial response to the fire was inadequate, and assets that were ready and available were not used soon enough, resulting in a conflagration that should never have occurred.

County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said he has ordered an executive review of his department’s response during the first five days of the fire.  It is due out November 17.

Posted in Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, News, WTF?, Wildland

Posted by John Mitchell on October 31, 2009 • View Comments

Elgin’s Bloody Turnip

In the last 12 months, Elgin, IL firefighters have faced not one, but two rounds of layoffs. Beset by early retirements and other cost-cutting measures, one begins to wonder just how much more can be cut without affecting the safety of the firefighters and their public.

According to a report in the Daily Herald today, city leaders in the sizeable western suburb of Chicago are now considering a hefty cut of 1.5 million dollars from the city’s fire department budget. Publicly, the city says such a cut would not compromise public safety.

With all that’s already happened to the department, I find that hard to believe.

The city officials met early Monday afternoon with Elgin Fire Lt. John Fahy, president of the Elgin Association of Firefighters Local 439, which represents 130 firefighters, paramedics, fire lieutenants and captains.

“Every labor organization understands there are revenue shortfalls. As a union, we’re not opposed to coming up with solutions to do our part to balance the budget,” Fahy said. “Any concession would be pulled off the table if the city was going to reduce the level of service (for residents).”

The specifics and actual numbers for the 2010 spending plan will be made public at the city’s budget meeting next week.

You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip, so let’s not decimate a great department that has already given up so much.

-J

Posted in Chicagoland, Funding & Staffing, News

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Posted by John Mitchell on October 28, 2009 • View Comments