Ideas, Thoughts and Opinions.

12/24/08: Merry Christmas to the hosedraggers and ambulance drivers who are working this Holiday Season. I’m here at work pondering the events of the past few days. In our area we have had several bad incidents and some hot fires; as usual it’s busy while being bitterly cold. Please take time to think about being safe, buckling up and making sure everyone goes home to spend time with friends and family.

I wanted to get something off my chest tonight and ask for insight at the same time. A volunteer company is dispatched for a single vehicle rollover/mutual aid request for extrication. This company has 14 members total, runs an average of 50 calls a year and serves a population of around 2500. When the pager goes off you could get a very mixed response,"Pick and choose" comes to mind. It’s your typical 3 hour minimum a month involvement volunteer department. Not enough fires to really become great at suppression, not enough desire to expand as a public service and not enough membership to have a diverse crew that makes the company more than just a good ol boys club. With that said I’m sure you have a good picture in your mind (you may even be on a department like this). So for this single rollover that’s not in the companies’ first due why do they clear out the entire department? This particular case leaves the companies jurisdiction without fire protection while they go play on the highway.

My question is where is leadership? Where is command? Is it worth leaving your city unprotected? A 4 man rescue company is sufficient on a single vehicle rollover when another company + medical + pd is already on scene. You only really need one piece of equipment "in theory"(i.e. truck,spreaders,cutters) for this job. Whose responsibilty is it to hold back the troops? Who looks out for us as a whole? Who takes off the blinders when LEADERSHIP has Tunnel Vision?? How can the solider rally the troops to "make changes in leadership" without having to "change out the leadership"? What can be said or done to make the changes that need to be made to save more lives-the lives of your own troops? Programs like "everyone goes home" is great but what happens when leadership just doesn't get it? Is it wrong to just give up? I think it is. I think in the end integrity will prevail. Changes will be made. Leadership isnt something that is given or "elected". Leadership is trust, respect, knowledge, understanding, equality, strong character, confidence, composed and EARNED.  cph-08 "happy holidays!'

12/06/08: The Good Ol' Days. "Back years ago the guys would always be down at the station doing something". Hmmm? That’s nice, I guess, but why don't they do that now? Maybe because those guys now have kids that are the same age they were when they were "at the station doing something". So who’s left? The one or two, maybe three firefighters that actually would like to see the department step into the 21st century and be able to properly serve the customers. We now live in a time where we can train almost anytime-anywhere. Their are many great websites, magazines, books and DVD’s out there that you can pick up, read/watch real quick and take back to your department. The glory is you can pass on the "trick of the trade" that some guy in a department across the country figured out or has been working for them for years. I’m willing to bet that 20 years ago, the only way for a Midwest firefighter to learn a tactic that the FDNY uses, was to go to a school or conference in NY. Now all I have to do is type http://www.teachmeaboutfirefighting.whatever  and WHAM, right there on my screen is a 4 minute video telling me how to do something better or at least different. -----I should stop here. The mere fact that you’re reading a blog is going to lead me to believe you already know this. The real challenge is too get everyone hip to the concept. Be an advocate for change in your company. Don't try to change the world, but start a discussion at the dinner table, or get a good critique going after a call. Find out why the other ff's did what they did; see what they could do differently. My personal challenge has been to get the senior firefighters to question why "we've always done it that way". If we never changed we'd still be pulling the old pumper with horses and using leather buckets. Somewhere we decided that there is a better way. - "CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, GROWTH IS OPTIONAL”

"Keep your butt low, train hard and stay safe" cph-08

11/08/08: Here is some information on what I’m calling "Compression Burns". I've heard them called that before, but I did some research and no where did I find anything using that title. Wet or compressed protective clothing increases the risk of being burned by conductive heat. Water is a very poor insulator. It can create a conductive bond between surfaces that might not otherwise touch. This increases the potential of heat conduction by displacing the insulating air between and within the layers of clothing. Water conducts heat with dangerous and unpredictable efficiency. Conductive heat transfer burns can be caused by contacting heated surfaces or objects. Serious conductive heat burns can result by compressing parts of your protective clothing and exposing yourself to too much heat. Compression brings surfaces closer together and displaces air. This results in the transfer of heat between outside surfaces and clothing layers. An example of this type of injury is the blistering that occurs on knees while crawling on hot surfaces, or where the SCBA straps have squeezed the surrounding fabric against the kin. Another common compression injury occurs (even without contacting a hot object) when the firefighter’s forearm is extended toward the heat source while holding a hose.

09/27/08: Fighting fires is my business and business is.....The fire service really is a business. It’s a customer service business, and we as firefighters are "stockholders". Actually I would call us "stakeholders". We all have something at stake in this job. Whether it’s you and your fellow ff's going home after each tour or having a sense of pride in yourself or department, perhaps it is making an honest living doing the world's greatest job. We all have something at stake and we all have the right to make the most of it. If you will bear with me for a moment; when I was young my mom would take me to the local drug store. While we were there I was allowed to go to the toy aisle and my mom would buy me something small, like a hot wheels car. A few years later when I had a sister, my toy turned into candy as my mom couldn't buy us both toys. So I always expected to get something whenever we went shopping. As I grew older my hobbies became much more expensive. With age came more responsibility. My mom would tell me if I did work and earned the money myself I would appreciate the spoils of my hard work that much more. She was right. I went to the store to buy that "thing" I saved up for, I knew I had worked for it and no one could take it away, it was mine, I had ownership of it. Now days that "thing" I work so hard for, is the fire service. I do take ownership of it; I am apart of it and no one can take it away. THIS IS YOUR FIRE SERVICE, take ownership of your gear, your truck, your shift, your house, your district, your city, your brothers and sisters across the world! You will receive stock payoff 10 fold, every ounce of sweat will be returned to you. If you need the tools to take ownership of your fire service please read, PRIDE AND OWNERSHIP: A firefighters Love for the job, by Chief Rick Lasky (www.prideandownership.com). We have so much at stake these days and I only want the value of our stock to increase!!

07/25/08Edison invented the light bulb he stated it took him many thousand attempts, in the end he found thousands of ways NOT to create a light bulb. Our focus find as many safe ways to SAVE LIFE, STABILIZE THE SCENE and SAVE PROPERTY. In other words, KEEP RE-INVENTING THE LIGHT BULB. Because at the end of the day it’s all about that passion between man and fire.: I hope this finds everyone well and safe this summer. I can see by my last post, I have been busier than I had thought. Time sure did slip away, as a lot has been going on in my career and personal life. I really just want to touch on one subject today, passion! This job is all about passion. Passion for the job, the crew, the tools, the trucks and the TRAINING. Do you wake up and ask yourself how you’re going to improve at your job? Do you read your monthly fire rag at breakfast? Do you shine your boots or make sure your station uniform is pressed and neat? I like taking the first few minutes of my day to read the fire news from the night before and find a training tidbit to share with my crew. This job is simple if you really break it down. It’s all about 2 things, MAN AND FIRE. A simple chemical change that has been around since..well forever. Yet something so simple can be made so complicated and man made it complicated. We learned to create it, we learned how to use it, we learned how to store it and we even learned how to control and ultimately destroy it. One thing we haven’t quite mastered is how to respect it. For some reason we still just don’t get the fact that it can burn us, make buildings collapse on us and give off toxic gases. This is where PASSION comes in. If you have the passion you'll continue to learn and grow as a firefighter. Know your tools, know your trucks...know you’re CREW! When

04/08/2008Why did the fire department cut holes in my roof? Have you ever been asked that very question? If so, did you have an answer?? Hopefully your response would go something like this. "Mrs. Smith, the reason we had to cut holes in your roof is because; heat and toxic gas build up inside the house when there is a fire. In order to get those dangerous by-products of fire out of your home we do something called Ventilation. By ventilating along with having a quick and effective method of putting out the fire we were able to save more of your home and property." Sounds good right?? But is it true? Do you know when and how to vent? Do you have effective suppression methods for interior attack? Here is a cheap, easy and effective method for training on these two basic firefighting skills. Grab you paper and pencil because class is in session.:

1st. Setup in the common area of the house (i.e. rec room, meeting room, workout area). 2nd get some sticky pads (different color for each ff or team) 3rd. Explain what you have, i.e.; 2 story single family dwelling smoke showing 1st floor A side.  3rd the room your in is where the seat of fire is. Mark that with a sticky note. Break ff's up into teams and have the teams work the scenario using the sticky notes with explanations on them. (Vent, then place where they would vent) Each team should coordinate their efforts to quickly and effectively to extinguish the fire.
The idea is to get your mind thinking of what you need to do and why. Use your imagination and the next time you cut a hole in the roof and have to explain why....you'll be telling the truth. Stay Safe and Stay Smart

12/21/2007: I sat and read some of my blog postings today, I’m really glad I did. It’s been over a month since I started this. I really can see the difference in how I feel as time goes on. I've learned, I’ve grown...just a little bit. Some days I feel down and re-reading what I’ve wrote reminds me of why I do this and it helps bring me up!! I realized that my training needs to be a three way split. Physical, Mental and Spiritual. You need to be strong and have tons of firefighting knowledge. But what I found was I am lacking the "spirit" of firefighting. I’ve been reading some great articles and books about the men under the helmet, and their devotion to the job and the life of being a firefighter. Some do it as a job others do it for something very different. Either way LOVE IT!! You are part of the greatest profession in the world.  I took some courses last weekend. The instructor (I’m not sure his age) had been in the fire service 38 years. His eyes lit up when he would speak about certain topics. After all those years under the helmet, the passion was still there. I can only hope I will feel the same. cph07

12/12/2007: Back to Basics and Bring Back Professionalism. I’m excited!! This weekend I’m taking a two day course covering several topics. SCBA, Ventilation and Chimney Fires. Not too new and high tech huh? But after you listen to the Pride and Ownership web cast by Chief Rick Lasky you'll understand why I’m excited. We tend to get away from the basics, yet the basics are our bread and butter. I’ve heard that phrase a lot in the last year. "Bread and Butter"...meaning this is what we do day in and day out, its basic skills of the job. So why I’m I going to a class on SCBA, when I wear one every time out? Simple, the equipment that keeps me alive and is vital to the job needs to be reviewed, relearned and made to be an extension of one's self. The bottle is my lungs for about 30 minutes, I really want my lungs to work when I need them to, or to be able to recognize when my lungs are ready to fail. That brings me to the second half of my thought; I want to bring the "Professional" back!! Now listen, I’m referring to my department only. I think we lost some of our "Professional" qualities, so I’m going to try to bring some back. First off by wearing full dress to classes and events. If we feel and act like professionals it will show through our work. Stay Low-Stay Safe-and Train Like You Fight!!! -cph07

12/06/2007: I’m not in a great mood..and rather than being negative, I thought I should talk about the new project. It started it as way for firefighters to help firefighter trade information and get all of our ideas to the public. If I really pursued it I’m sure I could talk with the NFPA and get something going with them. But why? I have a camera, a website and a little common sense. So what I am asking from anyone willing/able to help...I will work on the site to create a library. In that library will be your ideas, you tell your customers to come to the site to read up on whatever subject matter they need assistance with. It’s just that easy!!! We don’t charge, we don’t get paid but we DO SAVE LIVES!! Isn’t that kind of why we became firefighters in the first place? -cph07

12/04/2007: It's too early for creativity...I know I missed a few days worth of posting, so I just wanted to say a few things then get back to work. I was very disappointed that the Billy Goldfeder class was canceled (lack of participants). It’s a shame because we don't get too many chances to have great leaders like that come into our area to train us. Well, better luck next time. My new information superhighway vehicle was launched L A S H P O I N T : . I’ve really been wanting to do something for our customers that was not the same old thing, hopefully we get some good feedback, and if it helps one person avoid tragedy, then I/We did our job. I would like to give my camera operator credit, my wonderful assistant: my lovely girlfriend!!! She has been with me from day one of my fire service career, "I know you get so sick of my obsession!!! (dilla dippa!!!!)" Alright its back to work for me!!-cph07

12/01/2007: Active VS. PRO-Active. Welcome to December, time for cold all night barn burners and holiday/winter conditions. What is being active? Active doing something may mean"Active in your kid’s soccer team" or "Active in church". I hear people say they are active in their community. They sit on a board once a month & get things done or do they? We have firefighters that are "active in the fire department' which pretty much means they show up for calls and meetings and the occasional fund raisers or public events. So yes we are ACTIVE. But shouldn't we be PRO-ACTIVE?? Yes that would be much better!!! I live in a tourist town and we get businesses that fail all the time. For instance, earlier this year I heard about a great new spot, cheap and good food.  Well I will have to give it a try. No sooner did I find out where it was, it was already closed and empty. A sign hung in the window telling me that another business was coming in. (that business also failed quickly) you are probably asking yourself” Why are you telling me this?" The answer is, WE AS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE NOT PROACTIVE IN KNOWING WHAT BUSINESSES OCCUPY OUR DOWNTOWN HIGH DENSITY/HIGH FIRE LOAD AREA!!! PREPLANNING IS A MUST AND PREPLANNING IS BEING PRO-ACTIVE!!! Addressing an issue/problem before it starts WILL SAVE LIVES!!! When a new business occupies a space they usually don't decorate or arrange it the EXACT SAME WAY!! It may be the same structure but I’m sure in interior has change drastically!!! How many brothers and sisters have been injured because a structure had roof built over roof built over roof? WOW!!! Why didn't anyone catch that? Most times that you hear stories like that it is because the building/remodeling was done illegally. That’s not my ballpark, but when it catches fire...YOU BET YOUR ASS its going to be me who gets hurt!!! KNOW YOUR AREA, KNOW YOUR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION BE PRO-ACTIVE! Every time a structure changes it means new technologies may have been used, the windows may be triple pane indestructible glass, the shelf’s that hold 50lbs barrels of whatever may weaken under high heat conditions, someone may have cheated a little when putting in HVAC systems, are the walls party walls or is it balloon construction???? Unless you look you may not know. Preplan often and every time something changes. -cph07

11/28/2007: Military Discipline and Textbook Firefighters. With all the laws and EPA mumbo jumbo, they've made it really hard to do good hands on learning. So what we have is "Text Book Firefighters"..and I'm one of them. I spend most of my training sessions either online, in my text book or reading the latest issue of any fire rag I can get my hands on. With that being said our 'Veteran' firefighters need to pick up the slack with real life experiences and solid in house mock trials. My makeshift search and rescue course is an extremely cheap and easy to set up course and you can do tons of different scenarios. TIC, wall breach, customer removal, RIT, hose drags.....the list only ends with your imagination. Now as far as Military Discipline, lacking the hands on means lifting the weights, running the stairs and going to the rifle range---->if you've never held the weapon, you can't fire the weapon!! Waking up at 0500hrs and marching till the sun sets!!! The only exception is you have to be your own drill sergeant!! Learn all you can from the net, books, lectures and web cast, but if you lack the discipline to practice what you preach and get in the trenches with it your ass may end up peeling potatoes!!-cph07

11/26/2007: Hopefully today's entry will move my blog into a more "positive" direction. I have a tattoo on my inner left arm that says " Decus, Munus,Virtus". For those of us that don't speak Latin it means, DUTY HONOR COURAGE.  I got it done shortly after my dad and I were the interior attack team for the very first time. I'm a third generation FF on my dept. My dad has served for 28 years (actually started 6 mos. after I was born) and my grandfather (mom's side), who is the Asst. Chief, has been on 30 plus. So I guess you can say I was born into the fire service. By no means do I think I'm special because of this, just go to FD NY..I bet half the department is related. So that brings me to my first point,

DUTY: Not only do we have a DUTY to serve the community (we need to serve the community by more than just putting out fires), we have a duty to those that came before us to carry on their accomplishments, we have a duty to those that are up and coming, to train them so they can be better then we are/were. The fire service needs to come full circle; one's faults should turn into another's greatest accomplishments.  You have a duty to yourself and your brothers; you might not feel like training but what about them, their life may depend on yours and vice-versa. Take pride in what you do, because if you've EARNED the title of FIREFIGHTER no one can take that away.

HONOR: Honor those that have fallen. Honor them by learning from their mistakes and their strengths. The fire service is becoming safer all the time, IF WE LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES!!. Years of research have gone into the fire service, from nozzles to SCBA to station wear. Improving the fire ground is everyone's responsibility. I'm always hearing "We can't do that, it's a LIABILITY", yet it comes from the same individuals that don't promote things like ACCOUNTABILTY, RIT and Incident Command.  To me honor is more than putting a 343 sticker on your truck. It's about learning from them and passing it on. "Celebrate my life; don't mourn my death-Get Back On the Truck, that's how you can honor me!!!"

COURAGE: Courage doesn't mean “I run in when everyone else is running out ". Courage is battling through all the tough times. It’s about being able to go against the grain. Courage is waking up everyday to do it all again. Courage is” GIVING IT ALL" by training, staying fit, knowing when to stand up and fight.... Courage is the bond that forges the brotherhood!! Courage is when all the chips are down, looking deep into your soul and finding strength to OVERCOME!

Learn your history so you can embrace the future, because one day you'll be gone...and "How do you want to be remembered??" There are many traditions in the fire service, these are just a few. These three are a couple of reasons why I became a, FIREFIGHTER. NO OTHER PROFESSION IN THE WORLD CAN COMPARE!!!-cph07

: 11/19/2007I'm sick of beating a dead horse. Either you’re in or you’re out!!! If you are so stuck in your little world, that's fine, but I'm going to get out there and kick ash!! With winter coming up their is plenty of opportunities to go to classroom courses and of course the internet has a plethora of material. I'm going to grab every piece I possibly can. In my opinion one of the best sites out there is a www.fireengineering.com they have the fire simulators which are awesome!!!! TRAIN HARD, STAY LOW and MAY YOU LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY!!-cph07

11/17/2007: Sitting on the tailboard complaining that we need to train, get new gear, educate the public and serve the community better, I decided to bite my tongue. “Time spent wishing/complaining ...is Time wasted!!" Do your part, take the first step...make yourself a better firefighter!!! Instead of drinking another beer or having another cheeseburger, go for a walk, read a book or sit in the front seat of the engine and go over the pump procedure!! How are we going to "serve the community" if we can't even take care of ourselves?? I'm not perfect!! I'm far from it, and I know it. I train, workout and eat right (most the time). I go through the compartments and refresh my brain on the trucks, I run equipment, I look at the nozzles and I review SOP's. Mrs. Smith doesn't see all the little things we do, but that's exactly why when she calls us WE BETTER KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING!!!!! You say you joined a fire department to "give back to the community" well how are you giving back???? -cph07

11/16/2007: Re-Learn. Re-Think. Re-Train! I was reading a great article on LDH when I had this thought, why do we do it like that?? Example. 1 dept has 2 pumpers 1st due engine, depending on time of day, manpower, etc. may or may not lay a supply line. If they don't 2nd due engine (if it shows up) will drop to a hydrant and pump to first truck. OK here is my question!! We bring the second truck in case something happens to the first truck....but what if something happens to the second truck, its supply line or hydrant connection. Its not doing any good supplying the 1st due truck now?????? So are we going to shut down hand lines etc to reset our first truck? Do you pull a supply line off and run like hell to another water source? Didn't think of that, did you?? This is why things must be discussed, reviewed, implemented, used, and reworked CONSTANTLY!!. It may have worked yesterday but it might not tomorrow. Welcome to the 21st Century. THE INTERNET HAS ENLIGHTED US ALL!! -cph07

11/15/2007: R.E.C.E.O. Why it’s important. "Important??? Never heard of it!!!" RECEO is an acronym for: RESCUE, EXPOSURES, CONFINEMENT, EXTINGUISHMENT and OVERHAUL. These are the necessary steps taken to safely instruct actions on the fire ground. Every Officer should know this; every firefighter should know how to complete this. One key ingredient that is missing is venting. Ventilation may come in to play at any time, even more then once, so use good judgment when calling for this order.  1st: Rescue = Life Safety, are their customers? 2nd: Do we need to protect close proximity structures/lives. 3rd: Confinement= don’t let it spread. 4th: Extinguish=Put the wet stuff on the red stuff (on a side note, practice fire stream techniques, learn how to extinguish without providing a new swimming pool in the kitchen!!) 5th: Overhaul= Hit hot spots, pull walls, Inspect. OVERHAUL REQUIRES THE USE OF SCBA!!!! There are still toxic gases in there!! Last but not least VENT!! You may vent vertically, or forced or even hydraulic. But vent with caution and at the right time. Ever heard of BACKDRAFT??          Learn RECEO; tell your friends about it and make OFFICERS use it. IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN...TO PLAN TO FAIL!! -cph07

11/14/2007: People that have t-shirts or bumper stickers that say things like "I Fight What You Fear" and "If you can read this shirt you must be second due!". Now don't get me wrong a lot of those shirts are funny and I own a few myself, but what I'm discussing is the same person claiming to always be first due, doesn't know how to put a pack on or thinks good ventilation is breaking out every window. I love training and I love being at the house, sometimes maybe too much. It just boils my blood when people keep throwing up the flag that their FIREFIGHTERS yet they spend maybe 1 day or 1 night or 1 hour a month doing something FF related. There is always something you could be doing. I don't care if the SCBA in the back compartment on the 3rd due truck that's only been used once in training hasn't been used, INSPECT IT, sometimes things go bad when their not used.. AND..I repeat..AND.. you familiarize your self with the devices that may save your life!!!

I could rant all day on this topic, but I won't, I'll just leave you with this: FIREFIGHTING is NOT a spectator sport; it is not a group of guys that get together to Monday morning quarterback. You are either in or out. and if you’re not sure where you stand, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!! -cph07

11/13/2007 Sometimes I feel like my left hand doesn't know what my right hand is doing. No...wait, that sounds more like a crew. Imagine if you will a single firefighter as a team. Your head/brain is the officer, whether that's the chief or company officer. Your arms and legs are your firefighters. Your brain tells your arms to lift a box. Sure you could do it with one arm but it would be safer and easier with two. Well what if that box is really heavy? You shouldn't lift with your arms, use your legs too. So all together your brain says “I need four limbs to get the job done..3...2...1..lift." You lift the box..job well done. Right??:

What if your brain told your legs to lift but didn't continue to monitor them? They might be ok, but what happens if they finish the task and stop? Your brain doesn't know about that, he didn't continue to monitor and the legs didn't communicate their progress. So as your brain is thinking about lifting again, assuming the legs are ready, signals to lift and UH Ooh. no legs, now the back is injured!!!

My example may sound corny, but I think it paints a good picture. Someone long ago came up with a great idea: Standard Operating Procedures. Standard to the way your department wants objectives completed. Practice and Enforce S/O/P's!!!! From the tiniest detail like how many trucks and personnel you take to a down power line, to the way you make entry and search a structure. If you know what your left hand and right hand are doing...it may just save your ASS!!! -cph07

11/12/2007: Today I decided to put some ideas out for the world to see. I run things over and over in my head, seeing how different scenarios could play out. You see I've always considered myself a creative person. With that creativity I love to drill! I set up mock walls, smoke and customers in our house. Then I drag around a chunk of old hose wrapped around a truck tire. My mask is smoked (wax paper inside) I call out a mayday or two, search for occupants and even breach walls. I do all this so when the time comes I might have a good idea how I will react.

With new laws in place and the lack of participation in training, you need to be creative when you drill. As a young firefighter I'm still hungry for knowledge and training. My heart races and adrenaline rushes through my veins EVERY TIME the gong goes off. Yet at the same time I'm very disappointed. I need mentors, someone who still feels the passion, like when they were in my boots. Someone who will pull you aside and point things out, give you that extra chunk of knowledge. Classroom training and seminars will never compare to real world experience. Why do you think you go through rookie school and still have to be a probie. The pages in my FFI&II book are worn and notes written all over, but my turnout gear tells a different story. Sure I've seen a few torches and some twisted metal, but what about the time spent in between? Firefighting in 99% preparation, preplanning, drills, classroom, seminars and lectures.

It really all comes down to the NEW School of Firefighting. With FEMA, NIMS, NFPA, ISO, OSHA, etc...etc..we need to rethink how we do things(and we are being told we have to). I am a product of the 21st style of firefighting. I will make you a deal; I'll teach you how to train online if you show me a couple ways to hold a smooth bore nozzle!!!! -Learn from our past to prepare for the future. -cph07