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Thoughts and Prayers are Hollow Without Conviction

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, co-workers, and friends of  Rocky Mount, Virginia Fire Chief Posey Dillon, who died today along with Firefighter William Daniel “Danny” Altice in a horrific traffic accident while responding to a house fire.

I’m following this tragedy from many sources, but I know my partner Rhett is all over it at VA FireNews.  If the initial reports coming out of Rocky Mount are true, these two firefighters have died while not wearing their seat belts.

I’ll say it:

WTF.

We will never know if seat belts would have made a difference.  Initial reports seem to say that a vehicle hit the apparatus.  Nothing they could do, right?  Plus, anytime any fire apparatus flips multiple times, the chances for survival are bleak.

But what are the chances for survival if the occupants are not belted?

As we all pause, yet again, to claim that our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters and their families, make a difference.  Vow to never let your apparatus turn a wheel unless EVERYONE IS BELTED.

Whether you are the company officer, the driver, or riding backwards- never accept- for any reason- that the apparatus moves without everyone belted.  Period.

Has your department attained 100% compliance with signing the International Seat Belt Pledge?

International Seat Belt Pledge

“I pledge to wear my seat belt whenever I am riding in a Fire Department vehicle. I further pledge to insure that all my brother and sister firefighters riding with me wear their seat belts. I am making this pledge willingly; to honor Brian Hunton my brother firefighter because wearing seat belts is the right thing to do.”

Last week at Firehouse Expo, I had the honor and priviledge to sit down and talk with Dr. Burton Clark, originator of the seat belt pledge. He is a man who has, for years, tirelessly been spreading the word for firefighters to buckle up.

We were recording an interview for Firefighter NetCast in which this wise man brought up a very valid point:

Wearing seat belts save firefighters lives, yet not all firefighters are wearing them.  We can all make the decision to wear them.  We can “decide”, as an entire group, to save lives.

This is different from deciding that heart attacks won’t kill us.  This is different from deciding that walls won’t collapse, and stairways won’t fail.  This is different from from deciding that flashovers and backdrafts and all the other hostile fire events won’t take us out.

We can’t decide on these.  But we CAN DECIDE that failure to wear seat belts will no longer kill us.

I am sickened at the continued unnecessary gut-wrenching agony we all face as we begin the process to bury more brothers.  Especially if it isn’t necessary.

As we watch the funerals, refuse to accept anything less than complete adherence to wearing belts.  Commit to save ourselves from ourselves.

Put some oomph into your words concerning thoughts and prayers.

Click here for the link to the Seat Belt Pledge, and get your department 100% compliant.

Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Line of Duty, NetCast, Never Forget, News, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on July 27, 2010 • View Comments

“The Charleston 43” – Always Remember and Never Forget

On Friday, June 18, we mark the third anniversary of an enormously tragic incident in which nine Charleston, SC firefighters lost their lives battling a furniture store fire.

To mark the incident, there will be no shortage of written and video tributes to experience, no shortage of “ALWAYS REMEMBER”s and “NEVER FORGET”s, and no shortage of opportunity to buy a helmet sticker, purchase a lapel pin, and otherwise show others that you share some type of connection with this and other LODD incidents.

But do you?

This year, I implore you to try something a little different.

Take an additional step or two of effort and delve into the lessons we can learn from what happened that day.  This NIOSH report has about as many recommendations for improvement as any other I’ve run across.

I’ll save you the task of counting them out- there are 43.  Forty-frickin three.

This represents a huge responsibility for us, as professional firefighters, to arm ourselves with some of the ammo we’ll be able to use to make sure each of us actually goes home at the end of the day (not just wear the cool helmet sticker).

To see the entire NIOSH report, click here.  Allow me to enumerate the recommendations made, and ask you if any of them may apply to you or your department today, three years after the Charleston 9 lost their lives.

NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should:

  • develop, implement and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for an occupational safety and health program in accordance with NFPA 1500
  • develop, implement, and enforce a written Incident Management System to be followed at all emergency incident operations
  • develop, implement, and enforce written SOPs that identify incident management training standards and requirements for members expected to serve in command roles
  • ensure that the Incident Commander is clearly identified as the only individual with overall authority and responsibility for management of all activities at an incident
  • ensure that the Incident Commander conducts an initial size-up and risk assessment of the incident scene before beginning interior fire fighting operations
  • train fire fighters to communicate interior conditions to the Incident Commander as soon as possible and to provide regular updates
  • ensure that the Incident Commander establishes a stationary command post, maintains the role of director of fireground operations, and does not become involved in fire-fighting efforts
  • ensure the early implementation of division / group command into the Incident Command System
  • ensure that the Incident Commander continuously evaluates the risk versus gain when determining whether the fire suppression operation will be offensive or defensive
  • ensure that the Incident Commander maintains close accountability for all personnel operating on the fireground
  • ensure that a separate Incident Safety Officer, independent from the Incident Commander, is appointed at each structure fire
  • ensure that crew integrity is maintained during fire suppression operations
  • ensure that a rapid intervention crew (RIC) / rapid intervention team (RIT) is established and available to immediately respond to emergency rescue incidents
  • ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available to immediately respond to emergency incidents
  • ensure that ventilation to release heat and smoke is closely coordinated with interior fire suppression operations
  • conduct pre-incident planning inspections of buildings within their jurisdictions to facilitate development of safe fireground strategies and tactics
  • consider establishing and enforcing standardized resource deployment approaches and utilize dispatch entities to move resources to fill service gaps
  • develop and coordinate pre-incident planning protocols with mutual aid departments
  • ensure that any offensive attack is conducted using adequate fire streams based on characteristics of the structure and fuel load present
  • ensure that an adequate water supply is established and maintained
  • consider using exit locators such as high intensity floodlights or flashing strobe lights to guide lost or disoriented fire fighters to the exit
  • ensure that Mayday transmissions are received and prioritized by the Incident Commander
  • train fire fighters on actions to take if they become trapped or disoriented inside a burning structure
  • ensure that all fire fighters and line officers receive fundamental and annual refresher training according to NFPA 1001 and NFPA 1021
  • implement joint training on response protocols with mutual aid departments
  • ensure apparatus operators are properly trained and familiar with their apparatus
  • protect stretched hose lines from vehicular traffic and work with law enforcement or other appropriate agencies to provide traffic control
  • ensure that fire fighters wear a full array of turnout clothing and personal protective equipment appropriate for the assigned task while participating in fire suppression and overhaul activities
  • ensure that fire fighters are trained in air management techniques to ensure they receive the maximum benefit from their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
  • develop, implement and enforce written SOPS to ensure that SCBA cylinders are fully charged and ready for use
  • use thermal imaging cameras (TICs) during the initial size-up and search phases of a fire
  • develop, implement and enforce written SOPs and provide fire fighters with training on the hazards of truss construction
  • establish a system to facilitate the reporting of unsafe conditions or code violations to the appropriate authorities
  • ensure that fire fighters and emergency responders are provided with effective incident rehabilitation
  • provide fire fighters with station / work uniforms (e.g., pants and shirts) that are compliant with NFPA 1975 and ensure the use and proper care of these garments.

Additionally, federal and state occupational safety and health administrations should:

  • consider developing additional regulations to improve the safety of fire fighters, including adopting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) consensus standards.

Additionally, manufacturers, equipment designers, and researchers should:

  • continue to develop and refine durable, easy-to-use radio systems to enhance verbal and radio communication in conjunction with properly worn SCBA
  • conduct research into refining existing and developing new technology to track the movement of fire fighters inside structures.

Additionally, code setting organizations and municipalities should:

  • require the use of sprinkler systems in commercial structures, especially ones having high fuel loads and other unique life-safety hazards, and establish retroactive requirements for the installation of fire sprinkler systems when additions to commercial buildings increase the fire and life safety hazards
  • require the use of automatic ventilation systems in large commercial structures, especially ones having high fuel loads and other unique life-safety hazards.

Additionally, municipalities and local authorities having jurisdiction should:

  • coordinate the collection of building information and the sharing of information between building authorities and fire departments
  • consider establishing one central dispatch center to coordinate and communicate activities involving units from multiple jurisdictions
  • ensure that fire departments responding to mutual aid incidents are equipped with mobile and portable communications equipment that are capable of handling the volume of radio traffic and allow communications among all responding companies within their jurisdiction.

Do any of these recommendations apply to your department or agency?  Of course they do.  Now work with your fellow leaders and make the changes that need to be made.

The events of June 18, 2007 are tragic indeed.  Failing to accept and learn from the recommendations is a disrespectful slap in the face to the Charleston 9, their families and friends, and the fine firefighters who were so greatly affected on that fateful evening.

So if you sport a cool Charleston 9 t-shirt , or if their sticker adorns your helmet, or you utter the phrase “Never Forget” every June 18, back it up with the knowledge that you took the effort to learn from what happened that day- and took the extra time to apply it to the way you operate on the fireground.

I say THAT’S the memory that Brad, Billy, Mark, Michael, Melvin, Earl, Mike, Louis, and Brandon are counting on you to never forget.

-J

Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Leadership, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Never Forget, News, Training & Development

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Posted by John Mitchell on June 15, 2010 • View Comments

May 3- Great Fire of 1901

photo: Jacksonville Historical Society

On May 3, 1901, Jacksonville, Florida suffered the most destructive event in the city’s history.  Never before (or since) has there been a larger metropolitan fire in the entire South.

The conflagration destroyed the majority of downtown Jacksonville, wiping out 2,368 buildings and leaving nearly 10,000 people homeless.  Miraculously, only seven died.

“The Great Fire”  triggered an unprecedented rebuilding effort that laid the foundation for modern-day Jacksonville.

Co-author of the book The Great Fire of 1901, Dr. Wayne Wood points out, “The 1901 Fire of Jacksonville was one of the most cataclysmic city disasters in American history. It is right up there with the San Francisco earthquake, the Chicago fire and the Galveston hurricane. Yet with all of its drama and destruction, the story of Jacksonville’s Great Fire has never fully been told.”

It began with an errant cinder from a shanty’s cook stove at lunch hour. The spark ignited piles of moss that were drying at a mattress factory to the west of town, at Davis and Beaver Streets. The fire erupted with a torrent of flame that quickly spread from block to block.

By the time the fire was brought under control at 8:30 pm, it had destroyed nearly everything in a 2-mile swath across the city.

photo: Jacksonville Historical Society

Cindy Devone-Pacheco, Senior Editor at FireRescue Magazine,  also brought our attention back to this incident, as well as the Great Atlanta Fire which occurred sixteen years later.  You can read more about these two epic events in fire history at her article here.

Although these events happened about a century ago, there are valuable lessons to be learned about preparation and readiness that apply to this day.

Posted in Disasters, Fires, Major Incidents, Never Forget, Tradition

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Posted by John Mitchell on May 3, 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

Stay Stoked!

Here is my first First Due Blog Carnival submission.  Many thanks to friend and partner Fire Critic for organizing and hosting the first of many blog carnivals concerning the fire service.  This month’s topic is :I am a firefighter because….  I’ll start out by answering the question: why did I become a firefighter? 

Because I never grew out of the childhood dream to be one.  I guess it’s still possible that I might grow up and reach my potential, but there’s only so many years available, so I doubt it.  This firefighting thing has stuck in my blood for a long time.

Not a great story here of interest to anyone- but me.  I guess I could tell you that I like to help people, and enjoy the excitement of the job.  It’s all been said by hundreds of thousands before me.  Although its an overused cliché, it still accurately describes why I’m in the fire service.

Unlike many of the fine men and women in the fire service, there is no family member that led the way.  I am not the fourth generation firefighter, and I didn’t grow up around firefighters or in a firehouse.

But, as I grew up in the 70’s, the fire service was evolving as well.  The decade brought us “Dazed and Confused” and the rise and fall of disco also brought the birth of paramedicine, and much was being done in the public eye that was inconceivable just ten years earlier.

Ambulances equipped with only the most basic of medical supplies and oxygen served only as taxis to the hospitals (so that hasn’t changed much in some places, has it Happy?).  Very little life-saving was accomplished in the glorified station wagons with lights and sirens.  In fact, ambuli used to be owned and driven by funeral directors.

Talk about repeat customers!

The fire department in my home town ran the ambulance when I was old enough to notice.  They graduated their first class of paramedics, and a couple of those original guys are still doing their thing on suburban Chicago fire departments.

Then came the TV show Emergency! For an impressionable young lad who already “ran to the curb” (as so aptly described by my good friend Tiger Schmittendorf) whenever the screaming sound of fire apparatus approached, the show tipped it in for me.

I was hooked.  I wanted to be a paramedic/firefighter.

As soon as I could, I enrolled in an EMT-basic course straight out of high school.  I secured a job in a business within running distance of the volunteer fire station owned by a firefighter who, at times, would allow his employees respond to calls from work.  So, with EMT certification in hand, I applied for and quickly secured a spot on the fire department.

While the paramedic side of the fire service was the initial lure for me, that quickly changed.  I had the incredible fortune of joining right before my first drill night- an actual burn down of several buildings.  They strapped on this air pack thing and sent me crawling in behind a young lieutenant into an interior fire.  No hose line, no water can.  Just to experience the heat.

If I remember correctly it was only a burn barrel, but my instructor, Tom,  made sure we felt the effects. With extremely limited visibility and very hot temperatures, I made sure Tom felt a little more heat by pulling his 3/4 boot right off his foot as we scrambled out.  To this day, he hasn’t forgotten the young rookie who did that to him.

I’m sure we’ll see a comment from him on that….

Next up, they wanted to make sure this new guy could climb an extension ladder and a roof ladder, then cut a ventilation hole directly over the fire room.  As the third cut was completed, the flap fell in and the fire came exploding out of the hole sending me reeling backward with a revving K-12 almost causing a fall.

Back then, we learned literally in our “trials by fire”. No NFPA 1403 yet in place.  Although not nearly as safe, it sure was cool, and definitely served its purpose in a way we don’t see anymore. I had discovered the pure thrill of battling the red devil and this boy was hooked!

~     ~     ~     ~     ~

That’s the story, and I’m sticking to it- with pride.  I urge all of you to remember how you got your start and what it was that motivated you down the path you took to get you where you are today.  Remember the feeling of excitement and invigoration you felt when you first found out you were to become a firefighter.  It’s what I call feeling stoked, and it’s how I like to end most of my posts.

Stay stoked!

Posted in Change, Chicagoland, Firefighters, Just For Fun, Never Forget, Tradition

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Posted by John Mitchell on March 23, 2010 • View Comments

Ten years later, Worcester tests new technology that could have saved all 6 lives

New system enhances situational awareness

Ten years of research and development will be put to the test as the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s burn building is fitted with sensors designed to detect changing fire conditions- offering real-time situational awareness to the incident commander.

Firefighters will also be fitted with sensors on their SCBA harnesses.  The sensors will constantly track their location within the fire building, and monitor the environmental conditions as they move throughout the structure.  All information is sent to the IC’s laptop where it is integrated into the strategy being deployed.

Separate sensors in their masks will track their heart rate, respirations, and pulse ox.  Heart attacks are the leading cause of firefighter line of duty deaths.

Firefighters will also deploy an environment-sensor box that extends a mast to measure floor-to-ceiling heat differences. The system has been developed by James Duckworth and David Cyganski, engineering professors at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  They are looking to simulate conditions that lead up to flashover during the testing situations at the burn building.

Worcester (MA) Fire Chief Gerard Dio is helping test the system.  Chief Dio lost two of his men in the 1999 cold storage fire, then lost four more who went in to rescue them.

From the article in Popular Science:

“Years ago, before we got hoods, we’d burn our ears and necks, and that would tell us ‘That’s too frickin’ hot, let’s get out,” says Chief Dio.  Now, firemen feel the intense heat only when it’s seconds from flashover.

“Considering that they’re risking their lives, it’s pathetic that firefighters are using what’s essentially 19th-century technology,” Duckworth says. “This will bring them up to date.”

“I know we did the best job we could at the time,” Dio says, “but this system could have saved all of their lives.”

The researchers hope to have the system in the field by 2013.  Click here for further details and photos.

Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, Never Forget, News, Technology & Communications

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

What is Truly Important

Santa is setting the presents in under and around the tree and thoughts of the true spirit of Christmas are taking root in our home tonight.  I am very fortunate to be surrounded by so much love, so much camaraderie, so much brotherhood.  It’s no cliché, it’s real.

We’ve managed to set aside most of the capitalistic aspect of this holiday season and turned more toward the spirituality and the humanity that makes this time so precious.

It’s that humanity that brings my mind to one particular incident that occurred back in October.  I’ve blogged twice or thrice on it, but can’t seem to shake the emotion it has brought to me and my family.  I’m sure it wouldn’t have the power it does if I didn’t have a daughters of my own.

Further, being out on a disability won’t soon put me in the same situation as this brave firefighter endured in the middle of the night while his family was so safely and securely tucked away- peacefully unaware of the tragedy unfolding nearby.

I’m referring to the death of Yonkers firefighter Patrick Joyce.  When his daughters woke up the next morning, they found out that Daddy would not be coming home.  The next morning, his seven-year old daughter penned the following in her diary:

Many brave brothers and sisters have gone the route both recently and in years past.  Something about this line of duty death hit me hard.

Tonight, Christmas Eve, I am praying again for the family of Patrick Joyce and his family.  I just went in and kissed my sleeping 8-year old on the forehead.  I thank the Lord I can still do that.  That is so important to me.

May you all be able to do what is important to you for many many more years to come.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Posted in Brotherhood, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Line of Duty, Never Forget

Posted by John Mitchell on December 25, 2009 • View Comments

Check Out This “Must See” 9/11 Coin – It’s Going Fast!

It may be too late to get one for Christmas, but you will definitely want at least one of your own to carry with you for the rest of your life.  I’ve ordered several today.

After much planning and effort a September 11th Commemorative Coin has been struck to coincide with the 10 year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

This beautiful collectible coin marks just the beginning of what will be a long-term effort to raise funds for three non-profit charitable organizations including the W5 Firefighters World Trade Center Fund, The New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation and the FDNY Veterans of Foreign Wars Post.

Each of these three groups are related to 9/11, firefighter health and safety, and US military veterans- providing important work and activities toward those goals.

They provide services and material assistance to students attending college, US military veterans and burn victims both civilian and firefighter.

The September 11th Anniversary Benefit Fund has been established to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11th, 2001.

The fund-raising project has been undertaken by FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka and a committee of other firefighters and their friends and will be involved in several fundraising operations over the next several years.

All of the proceeds from these fundraising events will be donated directly to these charitable funds for use on their worthy projects and activities.

The W5 Firefighters World Trade Center Memorial Fund

Maintains a WTC monument in Orange County NY and presents college scholarships to high school graduates.

The FDNY Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12033

Steadfast supporters of the rehabilitation of disabled veterans from Brooke, Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals; assists the widows and orphans of disabled and needy veterans: promotes Americanism through education in patriotism and service to the community of New York City.

The New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation

A 501(c)(3) public charity, non-profit organization founded in 1975 by firefighters and dedicated to the advancement of burn care, research, prevention, education, and the proper treatment of burns.

For further information and to order these keepsake coins, just click on the coin pictures above, or visit the official fund raising website:

http://www.september11anniversaryfund.com

Due to high demand any coins ordered after 12/12/09 will be shipped after Jan 1, 2010.


Posted in Brotherhood, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Never Forget, News

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 15, 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

It’s Time.

From Michael McAuliff of the New York Daily News

First responders and Ground Zero workers are pleased Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is headed to New York to face justice – but they hope to win a different kind of justice of their own.

“Eight years later they finally bring the terrorists to New York and eight years later we’re still waiting for help” treating 9/11-related illnesses, said John Feal.  “It doesn’t equate,” added Feal, who heads the FealGood Foundation, devoted to raising awareness about the health crisis. He and busloads of survivors and victims held a rally Wednesday in Washington.

The FealGood Foundation holds a press conference earlier this year at the scene of the 9/11 attacks (photo by Schwartz for News)

They’re demanding Congress act on legislation named after James Zadroga, an NYPD officer who died from his exposure to Ground Zero. The proposal would spend about $8 billion to reopen the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation fund to care for the illnesses suffered by the responding heroes.

“I’m going to be focused on getting that bill passed,” said Glen Klein, a former NYPD Emergency Service Unit officer who spent 700 hours at Ground Zero. “It’s time.”

It’s the same two words Jim Ryan wanted to tell Congress Wednesday hoping to join hundreds of his fellow Sept. 11 responders on their journey to Capitol Hill. But he couldn’t make it.

He’s dying himself.

“I was a 46-year-old firefighter, working at my job in April 2006,” said the husband and father of two teenage boys and a 9-year-old daughter. His doctor thought he had gallstones, but it was pancreatic cancer, a deadly illness more common in older men. The fire department eventually agreed the cancer was from 9/11, and he retired.

He beat it once.

Then came the relapse last November – and more treatments. His doctor can’t do any more.

“They just determined last week it wasn’t working. As of right now, I’m not on anything. At this point, I’m just seeking second opinions,” Ryan said.  He doesn’t want to ask how much time he has left.

“I don’t believe in deadlines,” he said.

But he wanted to do what he could to push Congress to pass the $8 billion measure. It would reopen the Sept. 11 victims’ compensation fund and provide for the families of the ill and dying.

So Tuesday night he packed some gear in the car of his friend and fellow firefighter, Keith Palumbo, and went to the Engine Co. 320/Ladder 167 firehouse in Flushing for a party that Palumbo arranged so Ryan’s department brothers could see him again before it was too late.

“It was overwhelming,” Ryan said.

But he got violently ill, and it was obvious to his friends that Ryan, who’s lost 50 pounds to his illness, couldn’t make the trip to Washington.

“Keith, he took my bag out of his car and he said, ‘You’re not going.’ He said, ‘You can’t, you’re not physically able to,’” Ryan recalled.

It’s almost the way he felt about the months he spent digging through the voids in the wreckage of the twin towers, searching for the fallen. He tried to explain it to his wife, Magda, when she asked why he wanted to swim in that toxic devastation for so long.

“I told her I don’t. It’s the last place in the world I want to be, but right now, and it’s kind of hard to put it in words, but right now it’s the only place in the world I want be,” Ryan remembered.

There was no internal conflict about going to Washington Wednesday, except that he couldn’t.

“I felt horrible because it’s not only about me,” he said. “It’s about all the guys who are going to come after me, and there’s going to be plenty of them. … I don’t think you’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg yet.”

Ryan and the other advocates say they’ve received assurances that Congress would act this fall. But sources told the Daily News that the battle to overhaul the nation’s health care system comes first – a fight that could extend into next year. Feal said rally goers intend to take their message straight to lawmakers.

“We’re taking three teams into each congressional [office] building,” Feal said Wednesday. “I’m storming the Capitol.”

The Zadroga Act is sitting in Congress, held hostage by the health care reform debate. The House version is all but ready to go. The Senate’s has yet to be discussed in a committee hearing.

Palumbo and others carried the message for Ryan, visiting lawmakers in their black turnout coats. He hopes legislators heard it.

“We’ve got eight guys in the firehouse who have cancer,” Palumbo said after walking the halls of Congress, knocking on doors.

“Hopefully, we prodded them with our tale.”

Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Line of Duty, Never Forget, News

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

Warship USS New York Arrives- Built With WTC Steel

From the BBC

click here for video

uss new yorkA warship built with steel salvaged from the World Trade Center has arrived in New York City.

The USS New York sailed up the Hudson River to near Ground Zero, where it fired a 21-gun salute in tribute to those killed in the 2001 attacks.

It was watched by relatives of 9/11 victims, along with members of the emergency services and the public.

The US Navy is to hold an official commissioning ceremony for the new warship on Saturday.

The New York set off on its maiden voyage from Louisiana, where it was built, nearly three weeks ago.

The bow of the boat contains 7.5 tonnes of melted steel from the fallen buildings of the World Trade Center.

The ship’s crest includes images of the Twin Towers and features the colours of the city departments that first responded to the terrorist attacks in which nearly 3,000 people died.

‘A transformation’

People gathered by the waterfront to watch the ship’s 21-gun salute honouring those who died in the 11 September attacks.

The crew stood to attention along the deck as the guns were fired.

Representatives of New York's police and fire departments and US military, 2 Nov

Among those watching was JoAnn Atlas, who lost her firefighter husband in the attacks.

“We have to remember. It’s a way to honour them,” she told the Associated Press news agency.

Rosaleen Tallon, whose firefighter brother was among those killed, said she was pleased that the steel from the towers had been reused in the ship.

“It’s a transformation of it from something really twisted and ugly,” she told AP. “I’m proud that our military is using that steel.”

About one in seven of the 361 sailors serving on the ship are from New York state, a higher percentage than would normally be the case, a Navy spokeswoman told AP.

She said there had been many requests from Navy personnel to serve on the ship.

click here for video

Posted in In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Never Forget, News

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Posted by John Mitchell on November 2, 2009 • View Comments

Perfect End to the Sunday Ride

Having seen many gorgeous examples of Harley tank art, this ranks right up there.  Read more on this beauty here

911 harley tank

Posted in Never Forget

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

9/11 and the Forgotten (The Secret List)

From www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

Thursday, September 10, 2009 

-Hey,
8 years ago.
When we recall the World Trade Center attack, the  Pentagon attack and the hi-jacked crash in Pennsylvania on the anniversary of Sept. 11, we get angry. Or we should. If we don’t, that’s a real problem.

So first and foremost, we take time to remember all those murdered on 9/11 along with the Firefighters, Police Officers and EMS Members murdered in the Line of Duty.

We also take time to remember those who survived and those who are survivors of those murdered.

There is also a group of THOUSANDS of Firefighters, Police Officers and EMS Members who live 9/11 every day. Most who it seems, have been forgotten. They along with other support workers, are suffering from major upper respiratory illnesses, some of them life threatening, that were contracted from inhaling the air at Ground Zero. It started with the first arriving company, police officer and EMT and continues today.

For me, I will NEVER FORGET the statements by "officials" claiming there was no harm being caused to those breathing the fumes. Elected and appointed idiots who think that we would believe their crap.

Incredible.

What’s more incredible is that they were believed by the clueless majority-and those who might have to write checks or actually TAKE responsibility. WTF?!

For now, responders receive federally funded monitoring and treatment, but this "system" is in a precarious situation. Funds are allotted annually, and next years funding could be cut or not granted at all, leaving many ill responders with nothing. Nothing. Congress is also considering a bill that would establish permanent Federal funding for 9/11 medical monitoring and treatment, giving workers and lower Manhattan residents some long-term health resources. Without that, some may have nothing.

Congress needs to be held to the fire in TAKING CARE of those who responded, gave their lives-or are GIVING their lives in helping others. Ask your member of Congress where they are on the issue?

The James Zadroga Act, named for an NYPD Detective who died as a result of illnesses contracted while operating at Ground Zero, has support in both houses of Congress from the New York and New Jersey delegations and lobbying muscle from the unions, but it appears to inspire little action from other lawmakers. It seems that some feel that it’s a NY and NJ problem, not "their" problem.

What happened to 9/11 being an AMERICAN PROBLEM?

Make the call. Find out where YOUR elected officials are and what they are doing-and will do..

You’ll also LOVE the fact that the bill has also lost some of its supporters from last year; it was shelved in October when Congress turned its attention to a $700-billion bailout package for Wall Street.

How’d that work out? We’re just say’n.

If you are interested in the politics of this, GOOGLE the "9/11 Health" and you’ll find plenty. I know there is ALOT to this issue and to some it is VERY complicated. But sadly, it reminds me of how we treat many war veterans and now, 9/11 survivors, and those who are dying a slow death-as they too were attacked on 9/11/01. They just didn’t die soon enough for the politicians.

As far as we are concerned, we just wanted to remind all of The Secret List members that NEVER FORGETTING, as Rick L says, means NEVER FORGETTING. And as a part of that, it means never forgetting:
- who attacked us.
- why they attacked us.
- who gave their lives that day.
- who continues to suffer each and every day.
- and who, amongst all of our members of Congress and Senate actually care enough to support them.

There is a clear moral obligation on the part of the Federal Government to take care of all those genuinely affected by 9/11, both physically and mentally.  8 years later-how are your local Federally elected officials responding?

Ask’em.

Take Care,
BillyG
The Secret List 9/10/09
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

Posted in Brotherhood, Firefighters, Never Forget, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on September 11, 2009 • View Comments