(Click to enlarge photo)
This week take a look at this incident, as you are arriving as an incident commander after this engine you see and the police cruiser.
Using whatever acronym you remember, list the 13 points of size up and discuss your tactical objectives.
This week just review what items you use to manage the stress of being the boss?
What is your mental relief or quick tip you can use to relieve the uncomfortable feeling that you have from not any longer being everyone's friend, but being the boss.
The biggest challenge our new officers have is this uncomfortable feeling and in some cases it can force them to not want to make the tough right decisions.
Remember when your mom said that this will hurt me more than it hurt you....she was feeling that same feeling. Mom was right!
(click on image to enlarge)
This week you have extinguished a small fire in the kitchen area of a house. During a primary search, while a line is controlling the small fire on floor one, a crew searching floor two discovers the scene above in an upstairs bedroom.
Talk about the actions that need to occur and what changes to the firefighting plan need to take place.
The Routley panel report came out on Thursday as promised. Every web site has something to say about it. I was clearly rattled the other night when I wrote the disjointed piece I wrote about Chief Thomas resigning. (Sorry about that but I wrote it junky and I left it)
If you have not read the report I suggest you take time to review it.
There is a matrix toward the back which reviews risk benefit. There is a full page graphic which shows the time line. Pay attention to both of those as well as the comments about air management.
If you do not have time to read the whole report, let me summarize it.
In my opinion, after reading this report, these men should not have had to die. For a hundred reasons this was a preventable tragedy despite what the fire chief and the mayor have said.
I had some sympathy for Chief Thomas at some level until the video of his last speech at the city council meeting where the report was presented.
His comment was something to the effect that no expert could say what happened that night....or words to that effect.
You are right chief, it would not take an expert, it would have been determined by a properly trained recruit firefighter.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and to those brave members of the CFD who have handled thousands of calls since last year's tragic fire. Stand strong brothers.
Today Chief Rusty Thomas has stepped down as the Fire Chief in Charleston. The things I read about him personally as a man indicated he is well loved by the citizens, and well respected by the community.
His professional tactical decisions the night of the fire and during his tenure as fire chief, did not agree with my training or experience as a firefighter, fire officer, fire chief, and instructor. Some things that it is reported that he had been responsible made me damn angry.
He served 32 years and by all accounts he loved the fire service and he loved the Charleston Fire Department. It is so unfortunate that any good years of service he had, will now be hall marked by this last year after this horrific tragedy.
You are only remembered by your last most recent action. It is just human nature.
He will be remembered by the fire, the loss of the nine men, his errors and omissions during his tenure that did not allow the members to maintain current and recent training, and for a very parochial culture and bravado that certainly in hindsight looks incorrect.
I have never met the man. His actions and inactions in his professional capacity made me angry and frustrated for the Charleston Firefighters.
I personally want to make sure I never find myself as the incident commander in his position that night. The preparation for not being in the position start way before the fire and include making tough decisions and insuring that the troops are as prepared as the possibly can be by education and training. It starts by examining your individual fire department's culture.
Regardless of your personal beliefs, mine indicate I should not judge as he will be judged by a much higher authority.
I do not believe he truly wanted to go into retirement, but he did.
Chief Thomas you have done the right thing for the department and members you care about. By this action you may have set an example for others that it may be their time to go, for the benefit of all of the remaining members.
To the remaining members of the department, stay strong, know that the entire US Fire Service from rookie to Chief Officers stand with you, next you and there are any number willing to help in many, many ways. I hope that those who liked and those who disliked Chief Thomas will now come together for the common good of all who wear that patch that says Charleston Fire Department.
To the families, please stay strong, have hope and know always that the nations fire service grieves with you and supports you. We will never know the loss and pain that you feel, but know that our thoughts and prayers and actions will keep you strong.
It is all we can do for your loved ones that gave it all.
A few days ago the Charleston draft NIOSH report was released. the release of a draft report is unusual in itself. (Read the report here)
I would encourage any and all firefighters who are students of this business to take time and read, review and digest what occurred on the evening of June 18, 2007.
I read it a couple of times and I would be lying if I did not say I was frustrated, and angry and filled with sorrow for the loss of these 9 men in this tragic fire. I could only imagine how the families might have felt.
As always I am trying to figure out how to make something positive come out of something so horrible, so that these men have not died in vain.
Then it struck me. Most people will read that report cover to cover except the bibliography. PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THAT PART. TAKE THOSE 3-4 IMPORTANT PAGES OUT AND REVIEW THEM.
Th bibliography is where the comparative or reference data comes from when investigators look into an incident such as this.
Review the list in this fashion.
Read it through completely and see if you are aware of or are familiar with these titles and reference material.
Read through it again and highlight those your have read thoroughly and are very familiar with.
Highlight in a different color those books that you own or are in your personal library.
Highlight again those that are available to you in your station or department.
Highlight those that you have never heard of, are aware of, have never seen. Seek those out from anywhere you can and learn what you can about them and how they affect your personal safety or affect your department.
You see anyone can read about what happened. If any of the men who perished or any of the incident commanders knew what was going to happen they would have behaved differently. As the report is read it becomes blatantly apparent that this department operated in a very "parochial" manner that revolved around doing it their way".
By reading some of these texts, standards, and books referenced in the bibliography you can make yourself and your department more aware and better prepared.
It is the first, most simple personal action you can take, without your boss, the captain, the lieutenant or anyone else having to stop you or limiting you in any way.
Learning where the information came from that prepared this report, means that these men have not died in vain.
You see it really does not matter what happens in Charleston unless you are from Charleston. What happened on June 18, 2007 can never be undone and the members of the Charleston Fire Department will be saddled with this unfathomable loss forever. We cannot fix the mayor or the political process, but we can continue to support these members who continue to respond everyday, and we can support the families of these brothers in any way we can.
Take the total number of documents that are referenced in the report, divide them by nine, and in whatever time period you can manage, promise to review each of those nine groups of documents and when you do attach one of the names of the brothers and do those documents and study them in the name of one of the fallen.
Do something for you and your department in their name.
Just a quick note this week and a little tongue in cheek humor about fire officers and horses.
Horses have long been part of the fire service as this old historical photo shows. These horses "helped" us in many ways. They pulled our apparatus, always went ahead of us, and were well trained and followed orders and commands very well.
My comparison here is a simple one. Like horses there are a couple of kinds of fire officers...those that are there for show, and those that are there for work.
A show horse looks good, cares about looks and perception, runs fast for short races.
A work horse, gets the job done, lasts long and has continuous stamina.
Are you the officer that took the job for the extra bugle or two, the pay raise, and behaves the same way you did at a lower rank, or are you the officer who works quietly behind the scenes to get the job done, slow steady and reliable.
Hey times have changed lots from the early days with one exception,...in some departments firefighters are still being led by horses behinds!!
Make sure as an officer, you are a work horse and not a "show" horse.
Earlier this week, I was once again saddened by the news of a double LODD in Colrain Township Ohio. Capt. Robin Broxterman, and Firefighter Brian Schira were killed in a residential fire after apparently falling through a floor.
There is nothing I can say, other than to remind everyone to send condolences to the department, keep the families of the firefighters in your thoughts, and to keep the firefighters who continue to serve the Township in your thoughts as well. The difficulties that families and colleagues will face during the next years, as they endure the investigations, the first anniversaries, and the holidays without their brother and sister firefighters, and family members will be tremendous. Please show them some support as they continue their mission of everyday service to their community.
Also as we wait to hear and learn exactly what happened, please review your own department's procedures on basement fires, rapid intervention, building construction, and fire behavior. This review of basics will serve us all well until we find out what lessons can be learned from this most recent tragedy. We should continue to monitor the investigation as it unfolds and inform our own firefighters so these two members do not just become statistics but instructors who have taught us something.
Learning will honor these fallen members and will ensure they have not died in vain.
Click to enlarge
Courtesy of Glynn County georgia FD
Take a good look at this one as the first due company officer. Please comment about access, building size, exposures etc.
Talk about fire flow and the ability in both pumpers and manpower to deliver it.
There is a buzz in the national fire service today about an acting fire officer being suspended for two weeks for not wearing an SCBA at a car fire. This occurred because there was a picture in the local paper and that picture then got sent around the internet pretty quickly.
Suspension for safety violations will probably become more prevalent today and I am not sure I agree with the severity of the punishment, I am aware that the health consequences can certainly last more than two Weeks and cause more heart ache than the loss of pay.
I bring the issue up to make a couple of small points for fire officers to hold onto and learn from.
You should alway follow department SOPS, especially safety ones. Even if you don;t agree, you need to set an example.
If you make an error, accept responsibility for it, make sure it does not happen again, use your discipline as a training point for those you supervise and change your future behavior.
Always bet in today's day and age there will be a camera, cell phone video, or snapshot At many of our incident scenes. Don;t be surprised.....Count on it.
Behave as if there is a camera on your operation at all times. Then it will not matter when they send it to YOU tube, Live Leak or others.
When you are critical of another department's photo, then expect the same when your department has a similar issue.
Try to enforce safety in your subordinates, not because you can, not because you will get in trouble, but more importantly because you care about the members long term health, and getting them home to their loved ones. Thats the best reason.
Think about it.
