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It was over a cold, messy weekend in January that I was struck by two fire fatalities - one in the Region of Halton, where I live, and the other in nearby Mono Mills, in Peel Region next door.
As I said in my blog that Monday, two fires, two elderly residents, two preventable deaths. In both cases, fire crews arrived to homes fully engulfed. Both incidents were reported by local media, which focused on the response and the fire fighting operations.
For us, the story goes deeper. Given the numbers of fire fatalities in Canada every week (an average of eight) – and until someone develops a better smoke-alarm campaign that targets vulnerable people, including seniors who live alone, or more regions embrace residential sprinklers – it’s imperative that fire departments know and understand the protocols for handling these types of incidents. (In Ontario alone there were 16 fire fatalities between Jan. 1 and March 1.)
Brad Bigrigg is chief of Caledon Fire & Emergency Services in a sprawling, mixed rural and urban district north of Toronto. As he explains in our cover story on page 8, which uses the Mono Mills fire as a case study, early on-site assessment yields important clues about the potential that a fire has been deadly. In this case, the 360 size-up of the property’s perimeter in fresh snow showed footprints leading into the home but none leading out.
Chief Bigrigg’s thorough analysis explains who to notify and when, what support to offer the follow up services, and focuses on lessons learned from this and other fatal fires.
If you ask 100 firefighters why they got into this line of work most will say they wanted to help people and save lives; none joined up to learn which agencies to call in at a fatal fire. Like rolling hose and checking SCBA, the proper handling of fatalities is not glamourous but it’s crucial that it be done properly.
Take the time to read the story and make sure your department knows and follows the protocol, because, sadly, if you haven’t had to do it yet, you probably will.
It’s our mandate at Canadian Firefighter and EMS Quarterly to give readers advice and news they can use – like Chief Bigrigg does in our cover story – along with analyses and opinion from like-minded experts and observers. Our challenge is to find great writers who will make you think, expand your horizons, entertain and inform. Once again, we’ve unearthed a couple of gems.
Volunteer firefighter and blogger Jennifer Mabee is our new back-page columnist and Esther Lakatos, a captain with Vaughan Fire & Rescue Services, will write about fire-ground operations.
Those of you who visit our web site already know Jennifer, who writes regularly about her training and (always entertaining) experiences as a volunteer firefighter in the Township of Georgian Bay, Ont. Jen gives voice to the thousands of men and women in Canada who balance their roles in the fire service with regular jobs, family life and everything else. Jen takes over the coveted back page from Tim Beebe, who has moved over to our bother publication, Fire Fighting in Canada, where he continues to share his unique perspective on the fire service from his new perch as director of the pre-service program at Centennial College in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Esther’s impressive resume speaks for itself (see page 32). As a former FireFit champion, the first female captain with VFRS, and an instructor of firefighter survival, Esther will use her expertise to tell stories that will help you implement training practices and protocols, and explain why particular methods work for particular types of departments.
Esther will be on hand at our first firefighter training day in Waterloo, Ont., on Sept. 29, as part of the firefighter survival program. Watch for more about our training day at www.firefightingincanada.com, and feel free to send feedback to all our writers – we know you’re reading and we’d love to hear from you.
April 2012 Vol. 35, No. 2
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Motor-vehicle collisions (MVCs) are one of the most common calls to which firefighters respond. However, an MVC can present major challenges and even lifethreatening situations for victims and rescuers.
Each year, many firefighters are injured and some are killed due to secondary collisions. As with fire fighting, a disciplined approach to handling an MVC helps to ensure a successful outcome when faced with a serious extrication, chaotic conditions at the scene and/or a critically injured patient.
Applying the basic principles of incident scene management, creating a manageable span of control and establishing key sectors are the main elements associated with an organized and effective operation.
Preparation for an MVC begins with clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of pump and rescue crews, pre-planning best routes and traffic patterns, developing good working relationships with police and EMS, understanding new vehicle technology, and constantly training in the most realistic conditions possible. In this regard, a good relationship with the local wrecking yard provides the opportunity to train with multiple vehicles and to create challenging crash scenarios. Some fire departments have had success obtaining cars in exchange for a tax receipt, then offering the wreck to the local tow truck operator, who in turn, gets the scrap value of the vehicle.
While it may seem obvious, the importance of buckling up and driving within the limitations of the road and weather conditions when responding to an MVC cannot be overstated.
occasion, I have cancelled a heavy rescue only to find that a door needs to be forced or a roof must be removed – not a good situation when the patient can’t afford a delay in extrication and treatment. A quick but thorough scene survey by the first due company officer is the best way to decide what resources are required.
At the earliest point in an MVC, when the need for extrication is known or suspected, or the condition of the scene and vehicles poses any kind of risk to victims or firefighters, the following sectors should be established and adequately staffed by command: vehicle stabilization, extrication, fire control and medical.
PETER HUNT
The single best initial step to stabilize the scene is the appropriate placement of the apparatus.
Once on scene, the chaos of an MVC can be viewed in smaller, more manageable units and the following steps serve as a guide for the incident commander: stabilize the scene, stabilize the vehicle(s), stabilize the patient(s). Likewise, crew roles and responsibilities should be strictly enforced to ensure against duplication of some and neglect of other critical functions.
The single best initial step to stabilize the scene is the appropriate placement of the apparatus. Typically, this involves angling the pump and heavy rescue in such a way as to protect the rescuers and vehicles involved from the flow of traffic. Operators should not hesitate to take all the lanes they anticipate needing. Often, however, tow trucks, traffic jams, other emergency-service vehicles and the general chaos of the emerging rescue make this a challenge (not to mention the difficulty often experienced getting the heavy rescue close enough to place extrication tools quickly into operation).
Sometimes a not-so-polite reminder to non-essential people to get their vehicles out of the way might be required.
Also worth mentioning at this point in the MVC is the importance of calling additional resources as early as possible (especially in remote locations) and similarly, not cancelling apparatuses until you have determined exactly what is required. On more than one
When faced with a serious collision involving multiple vehicles, certain required tasks may pose a challenge to crews, including ensuring proper stabilization (including four points of cribbing), keys out of ignitions, parking brakes applied, batteries disconnected, fluids contained and a charged hose line stretched by a member in full PPE/ SCBA. Skipping these important steps can have catastrophic effects later in the rescue, and knowing this should give you the discipline to complete necessary tasks first before aiding the victim.
To reduce chaos at difficult extrications, I have always found it helpful to assign crews to very specific roles. For example, in the case of multiple vehicles, a crew is assigned to deal with only one vehicle. In the event of a single-vehicle extrication, one crew gets the driver side and a second crew gets the passenger side.
In a perfect scenario, EMS is on location to stabilize and treat the patient(s). If that is the case, an exchange of information should take place to ensure that both agencies understand the immediate needs of the other, such as the extent of extrication required to effectively remove trapped victims. One of the greatest challenges facing a fire crew at a serious MVC comes when EMS personnel are either delayed or overwhelmed with victims, thus requiring that we carry out patient treatment in addition to our many other responsibilities. If the latter is the case, while it may seem obvious, do not allow heavy-rescue crew members to get involved with patient treatment. They must be available to set up and operate the tools required for the extrication. Assign members from a pump to patient care and leave the rescue guys to their extrication obligations. Once the doors are forced and the roof removed, the heavy-rescue crew can assist in patient packaging and subsequent removal to the stretcher and ambulance. It takes a lot of discipline and training to organize the chaos of an MVC. But it can be accomplished through strict application of the principles of the command system and by creating smaller, more manageable roles for responders.
Peter Hunt, a 32-year veteran of the fire service, is a captain in the Ottawa Fire Department’s suppression division. He can be reached at peter.hunt@rogers.com
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By Brad Bigrigg
While some parts of this country were in a deep freeze for much of this winter, many of us in Central Ontario wondered if we would see winter at all. Indeed, some of us thought the milder temperatures and minimal snowfall might result in a marked reduction in the number of fatal fires.
That wishful thinking didn’t last long for us in Caledon, Ont. On Sunday, Jan. 22, at about 8:44 a.m., the Peel Region Joint Fire Communications Centre received several 911 calls reporting a well-involved house fire on Calmon Drive in the Mono Mills fire district (Station #308). Mono Mills is one of nine settlement areas in Caledon with a small residential core surrounded by a larger rural area. This fire station also protects part of the adjoining Town of Mono. The Mono Mills station houses a squad, a
pumper and a tanker. The station responded to 157 emergency incidents in 2011. A fullstructure fire alarm (in a hydrant-protected area) was dispatched. This consisted of two rescue pumpers, (called squads in Peel Region), a pumper and a tanker.
As luck would have it, a crew of volunteer firefighters was in Station 308 carrying out duty-crew assignments when the pagers and printers were activated. Station 308 is less than a kilometre from the fire scene. The firefighters in the station observed heavy smoke conditions from the station, and made a help-call request for an additional pumper and tanker, primarily for additional firefighters. (A help call is the first step in calling for assistance in Ontario, not quite a second alarm or greater and not mutual aid)
First-arriving apparatus established wa-
ter supply from two nearby hydrants. Command and several functional sectors were also quickly established. The initial size-up was a single family dwelling with one exposure on the Bravo side, well involved in fire with smoke and heavy fire showing from most openings. A defensive attack was initiated with 65-millimetre hoselines and two portable ground monitors until the fire was brought under control. The three major utilities – gas, hydro and water – were initially required at the scene to shut down utilities to support safe fire fighting operations.
While performing a 360 search of the perimeter of the home, firefighters realized that they had a serious problem: fresh snow had fallen overnight; there were fresh footprints leading into the home but none leading away from it. Forcible entry was made into the ga-
Above: The first-arriving crew from Station 308 in Caledon found the residential structure well involved with smoke and heavy fire showing from all openings. Footprints in the snow led crews to believe there was a fatality.
rage where the homeowner’s car was located. Command was advised that the home was most likely occupied at the time of the fire.
While firefighters from three stations attended this scene, command remained with officers from the home fire station. Command was supported by our division chief of operations and company officers from adjoining stations.
Due to the nature of this fire, I was notified early into the incident. I arrived some time after the fire had been benchmarked as under control. As I received a briefing from command and the operations chief, it was clear that they were well on their way to establishing operations and maintaining support for the long-term events required to determine if the home was actually occupied and the cause and origin of the fire.
It struck me at the time that this had been a strong firefighting operation and that all of the required functions had been carried out. It also struck me that our volunteer firefighters were going about their business knowing what needed to be done. But as I discussed the operation and control of the scene with some of our firefighters, it became clear that while they knew the what of the operation, they had many questions about the how and why. In most cases, I attributed this to a lack of experience due to a marked reduction in the number of fire fatalities over the past 30 years.
Here are some of the procedures associ-
ated with questions posed by our firefighters, in hopes that the details will help others in similar situations.
1. Police service: Due to the nature of this incident, the first-arriving Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) constable was advised that we had a reasonable expectation that this would be a fatal fire. This triggered a number of functions. Once the fire was under control and hot spots were cooled, the OPP took custody of the scene and secured the site.
The police started a new crime scene accountability process, identifying every person who was present, or had been present, on the fire site during firefighting operations. Caledon Fire was able to quickly identify our volunteer firefighters on scene, as well as personnel from the gas, hydro and water.
The police service having jurisdiction carries out two roles in a circumstance such as this: it is responsible for investigating the occurrence to ensure that no criminal act has taken place; and it supports and assists the coroner in determining the circumstances surrounding a death.
Due to the expected length of this fire investigation, the OPP maintained a presence to secure the site overnight for the duration of the investigation in order to ensure that the scene was not altered.
2. Coroner: The coroner must be notified in the event of a death. If there is a
Caledon Fire & Emergency Services is one of the largest primarily volunteer fire services in Ontario with 240 volunteer firefighters supporting 31 career staff. Emergency response is provided from nine fire stations using a fleet of 28 heavy fire apparatus and 10 support units. Caledon Fire & Emergency Services responded to 2,160 emergency incidents in 2011 with an average response time of 9.15 minutes.
fatality, any unnecessary fire-ground operations that may disrupt or contaminate the fire scene must stop until the coroner is contacted, attends the scene, makes the necessary enquiries and releases the body of the deceased to the police. Coroners have wide powers of entry, search and seizure.
Many of the coroner’s powers may be delegated to the police, who usually arrange for the removal of the deceased, at the coroner’s direction. The fire service, as a professional public unit of government, has a duty and a responsibility to assist and support the coroner throughout the investigation. This assistance may include the provision of statements, video or photographic evidence surrounding the incident, diagrams or drawings, help with the scene investigation, the collection of evidence at the scene, and the packaging and removal of the deceased if it is unsafe for police or funeral home staff to do so.
3. Fire investigator: The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) was notified of this fire once we realized there may have been a fatality. The OFM was also notified because this was a large-loss fire within the OFM investigative mandate. Most firefighting operations on the fire site – other than cooling hot spots – stopped until our fire prevention officer had spoken to the OFM fire investigator and received additional direction.
During this operational pause, time was taken to cycle volunteer firefighters through rehab, feed firefighters, return some apparatus to service, fill/rotate SCBA cylinders, and release non-essential volunteer firefighters and apparatus.
The pause also afforded every volunteer firefighter who attended this incident an opportunity to complete a Caledon Fire statement of initial actions. This report is completed during or as soon as possible following an incident in order to account for volunteer firefighter task assignments and time spent assigned to a fire. Experience has shown that we receive the most complete and accurate information from our firefighters when they complete their statements immediately after an incident. The form also provides the OPP and OFM with some context concerning the incident when these agencies start their investigations.
During the investigation of the scene, the Electrical Safety Authority was required to attend, view, and comment on matters of electrical safety. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority also attended during the scene examination to view and comment on matters concerning the natural gas plumbing and function of the furnace system.
The fire-prevention officer received guidance concerning initial management of the fire investigation scene over the phone from the OFM fire investigator. It was clear that the examination of this scene would take a number of days. Several support functions had to be put in place to ensure that this fire-investigation process continued to move forward without stalling due to a lack of support or resources. One Fire & Emergency Services administrative assistant was brought in to ensure that the necessary logistical support was in place for the activities required for the following day. The administrative assistant was also responsible for the collection of each Caledon Fire statement of initial actions and all invoices for extraordinary costs associated with fire fighting.
The logistics required to support a fire-scene examination included the scheduling of volunteer firefighters and fire-prevention staff to support the scene examination, heavy equipment to remove debris, portable pumps to remove water used for fire fighting, shelter, rehab and feeding, spare/dry protective clothing, and assistance from the OPP to secure the site when it was not being actively investigated.
During the day of the fire, initial actions were taken to prepare the property for a scene investigation. Heavy equipment was brought to the site as there was significant structural collapse. The heavy equipment was used for four days to make the structure safe under the direction of the OFM fire investigator, and to remove debris as directed. Caledon firefighters removed some debris from the scene by hand as directed. Work at the scene ceased at sunset. Portions of the site were covered with poly-tarps. The fire scene was secured by an OPP officer.
We experienced winter the following morning with temperatures below zero, moderate winds and freezing rain, sleet and snow. At about
8:40 on the morning following the fire, Caledon fire-prevention officers and volunteer firefighters attended the scene to support the OFM fire investigator. Equipment used on the scene for the duration of the scene investigation consisted of one in-service rescue/pumper, the Caledon Fire command post, and two admin vehicles, along with the fire investigator’s vehicle. Heavy equipment was on scene to assist with the removal of debris during the scene investigation.
Fire investigators used a systematic approach to investigate the scene, from the least affected area working inward toward the potential area of origin. This involved the use of hand tools such as shovels, brooms, trowels and rakes to remove debris with painstaking attention to detail. A portable pump was required to remove water used for fire fighting from the basement of the structure.
During the mid-afternoon of Day 2, remains were found in the basement of the home. All site work stopped, volunteer firefighters were removed from the residence and the OPP notified the coroner’s office. The coroner arrived on the scene about an hour later.
The coroner determined that the remains were human and the identity was unknown. Two hours later, the remains were removed to the chief coroner’s office in Toronto for post-mortem examination. The work for Day 2 was completed following removal of the deceased. The police again secured the scene overnight pending additional scene investigation.
On each of these days, Caledon fire-prevention officers and volunteer firefighters attended the scene to support the OFM fire investigator as requested. Depending on direction and OFM caseload, work started and stopped in accordance with direction, circumstances and available sunlight.
At noon on Day 5, the investigation of the scene was completed. Volunteer firefighters were decontaminated, PPE was inspected
and sent for cleaning or was replaced as necessary. Fire-department equipment was cleaned, maintenance was performed and firefighters, equipment and apparatuses were returned to service. All members completed the necessary reports prior to leaving their stations for the day. All invoices were collected and fire-department costs were calculated in order to invoice the fire insurance company accordingly.
Caledon firefighters had faced a similar incident involving a homicide and total-loss residential fire 11 months earlier. Lessons learned from that fire included the need to prepare for a long-term scene investigation. The following steps were adopted:
• Notify the police and fire investigator as soon as possible: this allows them to mobilize and prevents the need for volunteer firefighters to hurry up and wait for investigators to get their plan in place. Release volunteer firefighters who are not required at the scene as soon as possible.
• Ensure that firefighter statements or reports are completed at the scene or as soon as possible. This ensures that the most accurate information is documented shortly after the incident and eliminates the need for the police to try to track down firefighters following the incident.
• When a fire fatality is anticipated, assign an officer to longer-term planning. It was clear that the scene investigation of this fire would take more than a day or two. Past experience has shown that where a fatality is anticipated, the investigation of the scene may take three or more days. The planning officer started to prepare a plan for coverage of the fire district that ensured a number of volunteer firefight-
ers were available to support the fire investigation.
• Thankfully, fires of this magnitude are becoming less common. Since we infrequently deal with these types of incidents, it was helpful to have an administrative assistant on scene to manage the preparation of the necessary statements and reports, maintain financial records for services purchased such as food and heavy equipment, and ensure that a logistics chain was in place when we required external services or equipment. This allowed command to focus on the immediate operational needs.
• Ensure that firefighters receive rehab and are rotated regularly during the fire operation and the scene examination. In our situation, command and company officers did a great job ensuring that firefighters went through rehab as required. I tend to think that we could have done a better job of rotating people off of the scene once we achieved loss stopped. Many volunteer firefighters remained on the scene for close to 10 hours. This was probably unnecessary as much of the time in the afternoon was spent awaiting investigative direction.
Brad Bigrigg has served in public safety throughout Ontario for almost 35 years, as a police officer, volunteer chief fire officer, assistant fire chief responsible for fire and EMS operations, and emergency manager for the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal. He is currently the fire chief for Caledon Fire & Emergency Services. Brad is also an associate instructor for the Ontario Fire College and Emergency Management Ontario. E-mail him at brad.bigrigg@caledon.ca
As if being a paramedic firefighter for two departments doesn’t keep me busy enough, I always make time to practise my hobby – flight simulation. Although I do this while keeping my feet planted on the ground in front of a computer, it does provide a good intellectual challenge as I attempt to land an airliner in near-zero visibility using only instruments.
It has always amazed me that the aviation industry is able to carry millions of passengers over great distances and prides itself on incredibly low incident rates. As a matter of fact, 2011 was the safest year in history to fly. Interestingly, these statistics are comparable all over the world. So how does aviation achieve this impressive data? If aviation can achieve success, then why can’t emergency services? Is it partnership? Is it teamwork? Is it mutual respect?
On a recent trip to Amsterdam, I visited the flight deck of a hefty KLM airbus. I watched crew members use the incident command system as they handled multiple situations, checklists and communications. It didn’t take me long to determine how similar the aviation business is to the fire/EMS industry.
mined that firefighters are non-beneficial at the majority of medical calls. What benchmark is being used to measure this? Simply tracking cardiac-arrest save rates does not provide the whole picture.
We must remember that patient satisfaction and community assistance is our ultimate goal. As all-hazards responders, we must recognize that a unified, collective effort to mitigating incidents is by far the superior way to meet that goal.
LEE SAGERT
We must remember that patient satisfaction and community assistance is our ultimate goal.
As we cruised at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, I asked the captain how pilots are able to handle the flood of information, co-ordinate with so many players, and be prepared for the unknown. The captain explained it perfectly. In a distinct, authoritative pilot voice, he said that when aviators enter the flight deck, all egos are dropped, selfishness does not exist, and every decision made is for the safety and comfort of passengers.
He continued to explain that on any route to any destination, worldwide, everyone follows this concept, best described as cooperative partnerships aimed at excellence.
Shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect are the strengths that have helped the aviation industry achieve its high performance levels and command admiration from the public. The captain also revealed that finger-pointing and fear of punishment only harms progress. As a matter of fact, crews are encouraged to share and discuss errors, for the betterment of all.
You are probably questioning what airplanes and fire trucks have in common. Simply put, there is a lot to learn from the success of others. In our world, most emergencies require some mix of fire and emergency medical care. Just as passengers are the main concern for airlines, our focus must remain on the public we serve. A new approach to teamwork may be just what we need.
We are all familiar with the tension in central Canada between EMS and fire services. Duelling websites, turf protection and downcalling has reached a disturbing level. Some communities continue to divide fire and EMS, believing they have no correlation. It appears that serving the patient has taken a back seat on emergency calls. In late 2011, most Canadian media outlets quoted a report that deter-
Building partnerships and initiating a co-operative response is necessary to reach the goal of public satisfaction. Through the eyes those in crisis, we must remember that the people who call simply want skilled help to arrive quickly and that it doesn’t matter whether it arrives on a fire truck or in an ambulance.
Integrated fire and EMS services that do not separate these roles have proven very successful; many studies have verified that the public satisfaction with combined fire and EMS services is extremely high.
Communities in Alberta, such as Lethbridge, Strathcona County and Red Deer, have many years of fire/EMS experience and understand the principles of co-operative response and building partnerships. The system was put to the test in 2009 when the province of Alberta assumed responsibility for EMS. Integrated services stepped up and built partnerships with government health officials. By working collectively, both sides realized a co-ordinated approach to emergency calls was preferable.
Today, many Alberta communities benefit from contracts with health officials to continue this dual-role fire/EMS system. Leaders from Alberta Health Services watch as their benchmarks are met through consistently good practices. The ability to send any combination of apparatuses to mitigate a situation is clearly the strength of these departments. If a paramedic on a ladder truck is closest to the emergency, then it is simultaneously dispatched without question.
Thinking outside the box may be just what is needed in these challenging times. Emergency services, in general, need to step back and realize the strengths of all parties involved. The aviation world is unbeaten in its quest for passenger safety because it sticks to the principle of doing whatever it takes to achieve excellence. Let’s work together to solve our internal issues. Remember that welcoming co-operative response and building partnerships will position fire/EMS to soar into success.
Until next time, buckle up and be safe.
Lee Sagert is a career paramedic/firefighter with the City of Lethbridge in Alberta and a volunteer lieutenant with Coaldale Emergency Services. Lee is a former flight paramedic with S.T.A.R.S. and has trained at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. He resides in Coaldale, Alta., and enjoys photography and spending time with family. Contact him at leesagert@shaw.ca
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By Tim Llewellyn
Many recent fire-service blog posts and web pages have focused on what we carry in the pockets or hang on the hooks of our turnout gear. The posts offer long lists of items, some good suggestions and some not so good. It sometimes seems that each contributor is trying to one-up the previous with a more elaborate list. The take-home message is easy – firefighters should carry a few essential tools in their pockets. Let’s discuss not what we carry, but where we carry our tools.
I have found that carrying tools in the pockets of my turnout coat is much easier than carrying tools in the pockets of my turnout pants. The coat pockets are smaller and tend to keep the tools more organized, and I feel that the coat pockets are much easier to reach into when crawling. Also, I’ve painfully discovered that the tools in my pants pockets tend to sway back and forth when I walk, and they always end up poking my legs.
Years ago, one of my mentors taught me a method for organizing the tools I carry in the pockets of my turnout coat, and it has helped me to bring order to my personal tool cache. This system has really helped me to remember where each tool should be stored. The method is easy – the first step is to divide the tools you carry into two categories: tools for rescuing victims and tools that can be used to save your own life if you become tangled or trapped.
• Tools in the Rescue category are stored in your right-side pocket.
• Tools in the Life-saving category are kept in your left-side pocket.
• Rescue on the right; life on the left.
Examples of tools in the rescue category are: a 6-in-1 screwdriver, a small wrench, modified channel lock pliers, vise grips, an elevator key, a shove knife and a folding spanner wrench.
Examples of life-saving tools are: wire cutters, medic shears, a utility knife, tin snips, door wedges or other devices designed to keep doors from closing and latching, and a multi-tool.
There should be fewer tools in the left pocket than in the right pocket, because when you face a personal emergency situation, you don’t want to rummage through a crowded pocket with your fire gloves on to find your wire cutters. Keeping just a few items in the left pocket ensures you can get to the tools when you need them. The right pocket can be loaded a little more heavily – but not so much that the volume limits forward or side-bending mobility.
Webbing is often carried by firefighters and it has proven to be a very useful and versatile tool. Storing it can be a bit of a challenge, though. I’ve found that one of the best spots to store webbing is inside the removable kneepads of my turnout pants. The webbing is held in a compact bundle and can be pulled out easily by grabbing a small tag or loop of webbing that hangs out over the top of the kneepad.
When my department changed turnout gear manufacturers, the kneepad option was no longer available to me. I tried several storage methods, including rolled-up webbing stuffed in a disposable exam glove, but none of the methods worked as well as the kneepad system.
Finally, through trial and error, I stuffed the webbing up the sleeve of my coat – sandwiched between the outer shell and the thermal liner – with a small loop hanging from the palm side of the sleeve.
Tools in the rescue category, which go in your right coat pocket, are: a 6-in-1 screwdriver, a small wrench, modified channel lock pliers, vise grips, an elevator key, a shove knife and a folding spanner wrench.
In the right sleeve, keep a
For the past five years, it has worked great – the webbing pulls out easily and tangle-free, and it is always right where I need it.
I follow the L and R method with webbing too. In my left sleeve, I keep a 12-foot piece of webbing tied into a continuous loop to be used as a quick girth hitch for victim removal (left = loop). In the right, I keep a longer piece of webbing with small loops tied into each end, for when I need to extend my reach (right = reach) to haul a tool or lower a hose.
Any method of storing your personal tools that works for you is great, as long as you can remember where they are and you can get to them when you need them. That is, if you are carrying any. So, where is your screwdriver?
Tim Llewellyn is a career firefighter for the Allegheny County Airport Authority in Pittsburgh, Penn. A volunteer firefighter since 1989, he currently serves for the Adams Area Fire District in Pennsylvania. Tim has recently been appointed a suppression-level instrutor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and has taught structural firefighting tactics extensively in Canada and the U.S. E-mail him at llewellyn.fire@gmail.com
By Brian Lewis
any Canadians live in larger towns and cities where core public emergency services such as fire protection are taken for granted. Modern, strategically placed fire halls and ubiquitous fire hydrants are woven seamlessly into everexpanding suburban neighbourhoods.
That’s not the case in rural areas, however, where delivery of a critical emergency service is always challenging. Providing these services is particularly challenging for tiny Gulf Island communities scattered throughout the southwest corner of British Columbia’s west coast.
Low year-round populations that are supplemented by growing numbers of semi-permanent weekend inhabitants has led to a dramatic jump in the number and value of homes in the Gulf Islands. In many cases, boomers are building permanent full-sized homes in which they’ll soon retire.
Consequently, there’s a new focus on the risks and rising costs of homeowner fire insurance in these communities, along with the increasing need for better fire protection equipment and bettertrained volunteer front-line firefighters.
Those needs were particularly acute on Saturna, the 31-squarekilometre southern-most of the picturesque Gulf Islands between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island.
How tiny Saturna tackled this challenge is extraordinary and could serve as a textbook model for any small community looking to plan and execute a demanding public project, and that textbook could be entitled The Little Island That Could.
Like all small communities, Saturna must rely on volunteers for its firefighters and the back-up administration. However, over the years, Saturna’s fire-protection service systematically fell further behind the island’s fire-protection needs.
“We used to joke that we haven’t lost a foundation yet,” recalls Bernie Ziegler, who is now president of the Saturna Island Fire Protection Society (SIFPS) and served as a director during the project’s 2007-2010 planning and construction periods.
“There wasn’t even enough room in the old fire hall for firefighters to change and store their gear after a call-out, and a replacement fire truck we’d purchased about a decade ago couldn’t fit into it either.”
Similarly, a small fire truck stationed at the opposite end of the island at East Point had to be parked open to the elements.
Clearly, something had to be done. And that’s when, in 2005, a handful of community-minded individuals took action.
“Island resident Lorne Bolton had the original vision and the group that was brought together on the SIFPS board of directors had a wide diversity of backgrounds as well as tremendous business strengths,” adds John Savage, who served as SIFPS president for most of the project’s planning and construction stages.
“We certainly had many spirited discussions amongst ourselves as we planned and built the project, but the group also had a very strong commitment to make the project happen. Yes, we had the right people in the right place at the right time. Failure simply was not an option.”
A combination of transparency and never-ending tenacity helped bring the Saturna emergency services project to fruition. The multi-purpose emergency services building benefits groups other than fire and EMS.
Fortunately, only a few years earlier, Saturna’s community had pulled together to finance and build a state-of-the-art recreation and cultural centre.
That experience would stand the SIFPS in good stead as it prepared to launch what, in some ways, would be even a more daunting and decidedly different task than the recreation centre project.
The goal? A new fire hall at the more-populated west end of Saturna and, for the first time, a new fire hall annex to serve East Point, about 13 kilometres away.
The challenge was finding a way to do all this without breaking property owners financially.
The solution was people power: Gather the abundant wealth of untapped expertise on the island, bring it together on a volunteer basis, and then proceed with the project in a realistic and business-like manner.
And, above all, keep all islanders (about 350 full-time residents and roughly 1,000 part-time property owners) well informed on every step of the project’s journey.
Looking back, Ziegler and other SIFPS directors acknowledge that it was a combination of that transparency plus never-ending tenacity that helped bring the project to fruition.
One of the first steps was to have an appraisal done on the existing fire hall, for which the land had been donated by the island’s Money family years earlier.
It was appraised at $155,000, but when the public bidding ended, the winning offer among the four bidders was significantly higher: $206,000. That price was paid by members of the same family, John and Carol Money.
“So, right off the bat, our society had made $51,000 more than we’d anticipated and this gave our fundraising a very good head start,” Ziegler says.
The SIFPS board also decided that by constructing a multipurpose emergency services building, the community could use economies-of-scale to benefit other groups, including Parks Canada, which oversees Gulf Islands National Park which encompases almost half of Saturna’s land mass.
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This federal agency also has fire protection and emergency services equipment on Saturna, so an agreement was reached whereby Parks Canada was to occupy part of the new main building’s space for a prepaid lease of $110,000.
A similar arrangement for space was made with the Southern Gulf Islands Emergency Preparedness Commission for $30,000.
This meant that the SIFPS was launching its emergency services project with about $346,000 cash-in-hand.
A second significant step was the board’s decision to utilize metal pre-fabricated building construction rather than conventional construction for both the main building and the East Point annex.
“With steel buildings you don’t have extra design costs for architects, and construction is much cheaper,” Ziegler explains.
Using this alternative meant that the final estimate for the two buildings and land was $1.25 million and that’s the figure SIFPS took to the banks.
In all, the society approached eight financial institutions and finally worked out a long-term financing agreement with TD Bank in Victoria, which included a $250,000 fixed-rate mortgage, as well as a $50,000 variable rate mortgage.
Those mortgages, together with proceeds from the sale of the old fire hall, revenue from the two long-term leases, $172,000 in community donations (including $80,000 previously earmarked for an ambulance building) and roughly $400,000 collected over four years from a surplus of revenues over fire department operating expenditures, covered the $1.25-million project cost. That operating surplus was due to a small increase in the mill rate within a previously established mill-rate level.
“I’m still amazed that we were able to accomplish all this without the help at any level from government grants, even though we tried very hard to get them,” Ziegler says.
“Regardless, I also think having a lot of business expertise on our board as well as a good community track record for public projects through the new recreation centre were significant factors in our getting these mortgages on favourable terms,” Ziegler adds. “We also think we’ll have these mortgages paid back in about six to eight years.
“Consequently, this project won’t be a big drain on local taxpayers, who I think are getting Cadillac fire halls at Chevrolet prices,” he notes.
Savage adds that the objective was always to build functional, efficient structures. “We were building fire halls, not the Taj Mahal.”
In fact, it’s been estimated that the net capital costs of the two new buildings over their life expectancy of about 40 years should cost each
Saturna property taxpayer an average increase of roughly $36 per year.
Another key to the project’s success was applying the highest possible scrutiny and control of the day-by-day construction.
In a nutshell, the project was completed on time and under-budget by about $20,000.
“That was due primarily to our directors and their expertise,” Ziegler says. “All of them were very successful in their previous lives in different fields such as construction, development, accounting, etc., and on top of that, they gave their time freely for this task.
“For example, the bank had looked into the business backgrounds of all our directors and that’s one reason why we got our financing relatively easily.
“As well, all decisions on the project were made by committees, not individuals. All contracts over $5,000 needed at least three bids and all bids were thoroughly checked. Most importantly, we have contracts on the public record for everything we did.
“All of us felt that if you’re going to spend public money then you need to have transparency for every decision you make.”
Basically, the lowest bid got the job, but Ziegler admits that preference was sometimes given to a Saturna bidder if bids were close.
However, it was not uncommon for both local and off-island contract winners to donate back part of their fees as a way of helping the project along, Ziegler adds. In fact, community support from donations was broadly based as well. Even the people who sold their East Point property to the SIFPS for the Annex donated part of the purchase price back.
And throughout the planning and construction periods, property owners on Saturna were kept informed via regular newsletters. Anyone could come and physically inspect documents any time they wished. There was a damage-control aspect here. “If you don’t keep telling people what you are doing then the rumors start flying,” Ziegler explains.
The end-result is the 7,000-square foot, disaster-proof, twostorey main emergency services building, which serves the Saturna firefighting services, rescue services, Parks Canada and the emergency preparedness group and its radio room. There’s also ample room for fire trucks, an ambulance and other emergency vehicles.
The 1,600-square-foot East Point Annex features a spacious garage for its two fire trucks, as well as an administration office, gear room, washrooms, and space for the emergency preparedness group.
The official opening took place on June 18, 2011. However, such new, state-of-the-art facilities are providing additional benefits.
“Since we now have full training facilities in the main building, that’s helping us attract more volunteers,” Ziegler says. “Recruiting volunteers is always a problem on a small island like Saturna because there are very few young people here.
“Having new facilities like this is also a way of saying thank you to the people who are already doing these volunteer jobs.”
Furthermore, the new emergency services buildings may save all Saturna homeowners money on their fire insurance down the road.
Fire insurance costs in Canada are based on a rating system administered by the Fire Underwriters Society (FUS) on a scale of one to 10. The highest possible risk is rated at 10 – and Saturna’s rating is a nine. “We want to get that FUS rating reduced,” Ziegler says.
And now that both the new emergency services buildings are operational, representatives from other Gulf Island communities are dropping by to see how this little island thought it could do this big project – and then went out and did it.
Brian Lewis is a freelance writer in British Columbia.
So, now that you have been working on your core for three months, and you have abs of steel and the back of a pack mule, you need to start thinking about intensity and duration. Each of us has a specific set of duties on the fire ground, and as with core workouts, you want to make sure you train to match your expected cardiovascular exertion at a working fire.
There are some general rules to help you along the way, but the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to find some form of cardiovascular training you like doing. If you enjoy your exercise you are far more likely to keep doing it. Swimming, running/jogging, biking and playing sports are all great forms of cardio. If you don’t like doing anything . . . well, I’m afraid your armchair quarterbacking doesn’t count. You need to get off your duff. Sorry (sort of).
The Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week, from moderate to vigorous intensity. These standards are for average people, not firefighters. If your workload demands more, you need to do more. If you are inactive right now, don’t worry – anything you do from here on in is a huge step in the right direction. Regular cardio fitness will not only help you improve your heart, but it can also improve high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, and can even lower your risk of certain cancers.
If you don’t do anything physical, check with your physician and make sure you are good to go. Start at the beginning, based on your current fitness level and experience. Set goals. If you are doing five minutes today, do six minutes tomorrow. If you are running marathons, try some 400-metre sprints (then send me your secrets).
age from 220 (that’s your maximum heart rate) and aiming for a percentage of that number. Recommendations vary anywhere from working at 50 per cent to 85 per cent of your max, but if you aim for 60 per cent to 80 per cent you are in a good zone.
Think about how high your heart rate gets when you are working at an emergency. Next time you head for rehab, check it out. One thing to keep in mind is that your heart is a muscle, just like your biceps or your quads. Some people have naturally bigger muscles than others, and hearts are the same. Some folks have big, efficient hearts, and some of us have hearts that have to work a little harder to handle that same workload.
SHERRY DEAN
If you don’t like doing anything . . . well, I’m afraid your armchair quarterbacking doesn’t count. You need to get off your duff.
Picking a variety of types of cardio is the best approach. Your body is a brilliant machine that has the ability to adapt and overcome. Remember what it feels like to do something you haven’t done in a long while? It hurts. You ache, you’re stiff, and you know you’ve worked. The more repetition of the same activity, the less sore you become. Your muscles remember how to move and become more efficient each time you do something. So how does this affect your workout? Basically, mix it up. Run today; swim tomorrow. Play hockey in the winter; play basketball in the summer. You get it. How hard do you need to work at an emergency? Do you feel like you are going to die when you come out of a burning building? Or maybe you feel like you are going to die when you finish walking up two flights of stairs with your PPE on and gear in hand. Not good. Your level of fitness should be such that you know you are working, but you don’t feel like you can’t go on. The latter is a dangerous situation in which far too many firefighters put themselves. The result can be as serious as a heart attack or death. The good news is it’s avoidable.
Some fitness experts recommend working at a target heart rate during your cardio. Target heart rates are calculated by subtracting your
Confused yet? Don’t worry. There are loads of websites to help you out with calculating target heart rates, or you could just do it the simple way: perceived exertion. No namby-pamby efforts allowed.
Perceived exertion is a great way to gauge your activity. If you feel like you are working hard, you are. You should be able to carry on light conversation during your cardiovascular workout. You should not be gasping for air and you definitely don’t want to be relaying a detailed story about your last call. A few words at a time with the need to breathe in between is a great pace.
Walking is not a bad exercise for those who want to get the blood flowing, but here’s where the brilliant machine comes back into play. Your body is very efficient at walking, even at a decent pace. If you are starting with walking, ensure you are pushing yourself to walk at a high rate. Uphill is even better.
Try new and different ways to get your heart working. You should be aiming for at least 10 minutes, but work up to 30 minutes or more for good endurance. You don’t need to keep one consistent pace; in fact, mixing it up is much better for you – it keeps your body guessing and mirrors the fire ground more closely. We are most often engaged in a variety of activities at one call. Grab a partner. We all have days when we just don’t want to work out. If you work with a partner you will keep each other motivated and supported. A little competition doesn’t hurt, but be sure to work at your own pace. Encourage each other to work as hard as you can and remember to reward yourselves for achieving goals. Now get out there and do it. Then come back feeling good, get yourself a glass of water, put your feet up and open up your magazine to the next article. Good job.
Sherry Dean is a career firefighter/engineer with Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency Service and a volunteer captain with the Blockhouse & District Fire Department. She is an NFPA level 1 instructor with hazmat technician and special rescue certifications. Sherry has more than 20 years of experience in fitness and training including the Scott FireFit Challenge, competitive bodybuilding, team sports and personal training. Contact her at sbdean@eastlink.ca
I’ve been writing for this publication for more than a year now and my focus has been to get firefighters (like you and me) to believe that fire prevention and public education play a crucial roll in the well-being of our municipalities.
I’ve discussed quite candidly my experiences as a firefighter (first responder) and my career experiences in fire prevention and public education. I have received several emails from readers agreeing that our global fire prevention strategy must continue and become even more prolific.
Many of you have commented on how your desires are not met with as much enthusiasm (by colleagues or higher-ups) as you wish, and some of you have even been forced to scale back your personal convictions to do the right thing and be less aggressive (a sad state indeed). I encourage you to not give up.
It’s important at this point to congratulate all the Canadian fire services that are making fire prevention and public educatin work. Many of you have toiled tirelessly to make your communities safer from fire. You put in extra time, often sacrificing time with family, friends or hobbies. You are making a difference! To all the fire chiefs who permit, or even encourage, your staff (and especially suppression staff) to dig-in and expand in areas of fire prevention and education, my hat is off to you.
fire suppression staff, yet people are people and leadership knows no restrictions to staff, level of responsibility or position. Leading is something you can do by just doing the right thing over and over again. But don’t worry, not everybody wants to be led.
There is a lot to be said about leadership (and there has been) but when it comes to the fire service we stand apart. However, this column is not necessarily about how to become a better leader or even a better fire safety educator, it’s about being who you are and who you were meant to be.
KEN SHERIDAN
Take a moment and think of all you have done . . . in your fire service.
I attended FDIC (Fire Department Instructors Conference) in Indianapolis in 2010. This was, for me, a career highlight. If you are thinking, “What does this have to do with fire prevention?” I’ll tell you. Firstly, yes, the six-day long program is very much geared to fire suppression and its associated equipment. If it’s manufactured for the fire service, it’s there. If there is a hot topic, it’s discussed. If there are new techniques in training, they do it in at FDIC. You get the idea. However, like much of life, there were a few diamonds in the rough in Indianapolis. I attended a couple of sessions on public fire and life safety education, and also on leadership. Although at first glance these may not have much to do with each other, they do.
Firstly, Tom Kiurski, a training officer from Livonia Fire and Rescue in Missouri and author of Creating A Fire-Safe Community: A Guide For Fire Safety Educators, discussed an arsenal of public fire-education programs he uses in his municipality. Some he designed; others are programs used around North America. Many were simple yet unique; some were a bit more involved, however all had value. What really impacted me was the fact that Kiurski started doing these programs when he was in fire suppression; that’s right - one of these guys I’ve been talking about all along. He said in his presentation that when the thought came to him to educate his community he would do it, without being asked. He saw the need, becasue nobody else within his department was doing it at the time.
Secondly, I attended a session entitled Be a leader, not just a position, by Richmond Hill Fire Chief Steve Kraft (who was then the deputy chief). Again, this had all the signs of being intended for
So ask yourself two simple questions: 1. Am I happy with my contribution to my community as a firefighter? 2. Is there anything more I can do to fulfill the need to educate the citizens where I serve?
If you answered yes to question one, then great, soldier on with what you are doing. If you answered yes, but . . . , then this is your opportunity to take it to the next level. If you answered no, then you have a few more questions to ask yourself such as, “Am I in the fire service for the right reasons?” If you answered no to question two, you may want to re-evaluate your community’s needs and its opportunities to receive the message of fire safety. If you answered yes, then this is your time – time to make a difference. Many of you have asked questions like this in other areas of your life such as marriage (or divorce for that matter), when playing on a sports team or sitting on a board of directors for some other worthy organization.
The thing is, many of you are making outstanding contributions to the fire service; take pride in that. You may not see the fruits of your labour today or even tomorrow, but one day you will. Take a moment and think of all you have done or accomplished in your fire service. Stop waiting for the day you rescue a child from a second-storey window with flames raging all around and you both escape safely. That day will probably never come. There will most likely not be any headlines in the local paper or accolades about you when you’re gone, but someday, somewhere, a person may come to you and tell you of a lesson he learned from you and how it saved a fire from having devastating effects on his family. That’s why I take fire education so seriously.
I encourage you to write to me and this publication with your success stories of programs you have designed, altered, used, stolen (being funny here!) or of “saves” in your community as a result of your programs and initiatives. Check out Firehall.com (www.firehall.com) an electronic forum owned by this publication that allows comments on stories (almost 190,000 of them and counting) and for you to share your own.
And most of all, keep up the good work.
Ken Sheridan is captain of fire prevention in Norfolk County, Ont. He is a certified fire prevention officer and certified fire and life safety educator for the Province of Ontario. He is a graduate of the Dalhousie University fire administration program and has more than 21 years in fire suppression and fire prevention. Contact him at ken.sheridan@norfolkcounty.ca
By Mark van der Feyst
Properly staffing the rapid intervention team (RIT) is essential when conducting any kind of fire attack. NFPA and other regulations or guidance notes require a minimum of two firefighters on a RIT to ensure the necessary tasks can be completed and to allow an incident commander to initiate an interior fire attack with minimal staffing.
Having just two firefighters on a RIT is not sufficient. In RIT training, instructors show the difference between a two-person and a four-person team, and compare the effectiveness of two- and four-person squads.
A two-person RIT is labour intensive for a number of reasons:
1. The amount of equipment team members need to bring with them.
• The basic equipment needed is two sets of hand tools, the RIT pack containing an SCBA cylinder and hardware, a thermal imaging camera (TIC), a flashlight and a portable radio.
• The RIT bag can be very heavy and awkward to carry, or it can be light and convenient to carry, depending on the size and the amount of equipment packed into it. RIT kits are usually packed full of hand tools and gadgets and this makes the kit heavy. Ensure that the necessary equipment needed is present and remove all the extras.
2. Two people are doing the job of four.
• When faced with obstacles or hazards, there are just two people available to navigate and physically remove any debris. This task alone will fatigue a two-person team.
3. The search operation requires both members to be together at all times.
• For accountability purposes, the team must stay together. A four-person team can conduct an oriented-type of search or a TIC-assisted search.
The two-person RIT will have to use the building’s features to conduct either a left-hand or a right-hand search. Using a TIC is beneficial but team members still require physical contact with the building to maintain orientation, as the building will be the exit lifeline. This type of search is slow and contributes to fatigue of team members.
A primary search has to be quick. Fire victims can be missed in a quick search because not every area is checked thoroughly. A twoperson team needs to search quickly but will be able to check only the area along the perimeter as they do a left- or right-hand search. This greatly increases the chances of failing to find the mayday firefighter.
The two-person search team starts searching for the mayday firefighter at his last-known location. The accountability officer or incident commander can communicate this to RIT members – this is why the accountability system needs to be kept up to date about the status of the interior operating crews.
Once members of the RIT find the mayday firefighter, they will have to assess, package and remove him. If first-in team members have to complete all these tasks, they will become fatigued and may have a tough time removing the mayday firefighter; it’s better to have four people on a RIT as they can rotate these tasks.
A four-person RIT reduces the intensity of the operation because there are twice as many people to carry the required equipment, remove debris and navigate obstacles. RIT members can work in two teams – two to locate the mayday firefighter and two to complete the removal process.
The search for a mayday firefighter using a four-person team is quicker and more direct. Instead of using a left- or right-hand search pattern, team members can use a direct approach by listening for
Above: A two-person search team locates a mayday firefighter using a right-hand search.
the mayday firefighter’s PASS alarm. The sound of the alarm guides the RIT members to the mayday firefighter and this results in faster packaging and removal.
The main difference between the twoperson and the four-person search team is the addition of a search rope. The search rope is the lifeline for the four-person RIT members; it will guide them out should they need to evacuate.
Rope should be between 7.5 and nine millimetres. This size allows firefighters to move freely (because it isn’t too heavy) and easily carry a bag with 100 feet of rope without adding too much bulk.
The last firefighter on the team should carry the rope bag so that it doesn’t get tangled around furniture or team members. The rope bag must be secured outside, around a station-
ary object, so that it is properly anchored; this alleviates any possibility of the rope becoming untied from the safety landmark.
The first firefighter from the four-person search team leads the team toward the sound of the PASS alarm and should carry a Halligan and the TIC. The TIC will help with navigation.
The second firefighter should also carry a hand tool to help the first firefighter.
The third firefighter carries the RIT bag and the last firefighter manages the rope bag.
(You can refer to the January 2010 edition of Back to Basics for specific instructions on the rope deployment – go to www.firefightingincanada.com and click on past issues.)
If the manpower is available, a fourperson search team increases efficiency and makes the rescue of a mayday firefighter that much quicker.
Mark van der Feyst is a 13-year veteran of the fire service. He works for the City of Woodstock Fire Department in Ontario and teaches in Canada, the United States and India. Mark is a local-level suppression instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and an instructor for the Justice Institute of British Columbia. Contact him at Mark@FireStarTraining.com
By Randy Schmitz
Vehicle safety has improved in recent years. If we look at motor vehicle design today in regards to safety, the passenger compartment is well protected, as crash energy is diverted around, under and over the vehicle. This is accomplished through engineered crumple zones in the front upper rails of the engine compartment, and collapsible engine cradle bars that absorb the impact energy and divert it away from the passengers.
However, the incidence of foot and ankle entrapment has increased. Foot and ankle entrapment are mainly caused by footcompartment deformation in head-on collisions, more so if the impact is a frontal offset crash and on the driver’s side. Therefore, improvements to foot compartments are essential for entrapment reduction. On a few 2012 models a crushable brake- and acceleratorpedal assembly, and collapsible steering columns, have helped. Also, knee airbags keep the driver in the correct position to receive secondary restraint supplementation, and help to prevent the occupant from submarining underneath the dash.
Conversely, when there is a high-speed collision, the crash force may be beyond the limits of the repelling ability of the vehicle’s design. Each metal fixture in the crash zone needs to absorb as much energy as possible before failing. Once the energy is beyond this safety threshold, intrusion into the passenger compartment areas is likely to cause body-part or lower-extremity entrapment. Often, when drivers anticipate a crash, a natural reaction is to depress the brake hard with the left foot. This leaves the foot close to the floor pan and increases the risk of lower-extremity entrapment.
There are many times during severe frontal crashes when the vehicle’s floor or toe pan will wrap itself around the feet of the frontseat occupants. One disentanglement method is the common dash lift or roll, to create space between the dashboard / knee bolster and the floor pan. In most cases, this popular procedure has a very high success rate for gaining sufficient access to the lowerextremity entrapment.
The challenge for rescuers is that design changes on some of today’s vehicles have forced us to alter the way we have handle common relief-cutting procedures and locations (see photo 1). Let’s look at dash lifting in rough detail, For example, typically we would expose the upper engine compartment rail, make a relief cut behind the strut tower, make a second relief cut in the lower A-pillar, and then a third relief cut or section out of the upper A-pillar to completely disconnect the dashboard from the rest of the vehicle. At this time, a hydraulic ram or spreader would be used to move the disconnected dash section up and away from the patient. However, some late-model vehicles have incorporated this crash energy dissipation in the engine compartment, which means that the upper rails are made with high-strength steel, which can be so thick you can’t get the cutter blades around it to severe the material for the intended relief cut. Once the fender is exposed and this problem is recognized, an alternate technique is to work around the high-strength
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steel, if possible. One such option would be to directly attack the area of entrapment, which is the weaker foot-well area that consists more or less of basic sheet metal.
If we look at a common frontal collision, be it off-set or head-on, often the driver’s side rocker panel will be very close to the ground as a result of the crumple zones doing what they are designed to do, which is basically to take the engine parts and components and divert them around, away from or under the passenger compartment during the crash. Also, the front tire will be either completely missing, not in the original position, or could lodged into the passenger foot-well area, causing some entrapment. Attempts to remove the tire by unbolting or cutting the steering-control arms or axle may have to be undertaken in order to have sufficient room to work. At this time, it is necessary to create space between the surface and the underside of the rocker panel to perform the floor-pan displacement evolution. Insert a hydraulic spreader underneath, near the front of the vehicle, and locate a strong lift point - usually this will be some piece of the front engine compartment that has remained solid enough so the spreader tips can be inserted into it. Carefully start to lift the front driver’s corner of the vehicle off the lower surface to roughly eight to 10 inches to create space under the rocker area, as this will be needed to push the metal back down. When sufficient lift height has been gained, crib up the front of the vehicle to keep it suspended and remove the spreader (see photo 2 on page 26).
Next, make a box crib under the drivers side B-pillar, leaving the area underneath clear of any obstructions as this space will be used to push the rocker panel and floor pan section down.
The next step is to make a relief cut through the driver’s side Apillar above the lower hinge, and an additional relief cut near the base of the B-pillar at the rear of the door opening (see photo 3 on page 26).
In addition to this cut at the B-pillar, an inspection must be done to ensure the seat and floor pan will be able to pass by the remaining B-pillar as the section is pushed down (see photo 4 on page 26). Cutting the driver’s side seat track toward the rear of the seat assembly may also be required so the sheet metal floor will tear when pushing it down. At this time, a telescopic ram can be placed in the center of the driver’s side opening with the top ram tip locked on to the roof rail and the ram base placed on the rocker panel. Push down the floor and seat until it touches the ground.
Insert the hydraulic-spreader tips in the relief cut that was made in the lower A-pillar and also push down to the ground, while closely watching the entrapment area closely. If everything goes as planned, the rocker panel will separate from the vehicle at or near where it is spot welded to the vehicle body (see photo 5 on page 29).
Again, insert your spreader in the opening at the A-pillar cut and spread the floor pan down even further until it touches the ground (see photo 6 on page 29). As the floor moves downward, it will unfold the metal floor and lower firewall helping to release the victim’s feet, or, at the very least, open up the area to gain better access to the entrapment.
Hand tools such as an air chisel can also be used to help to gain space, by cutting the wheel-well area from behind. Rubber floor mats, sound-absorbing material and carpet may also have to be cut away when making space; a carpet knife works well for this because of the curved blade, which is fairly safe to use while working close to the patient. Once the space requirements are achieved from the sheet metal removal, the tool of choice to cut the harder steel, such as the
5: The rocker panel will separate from the vehicle at or near where it is spot welded to the vehicle body.
specifically
brake and accelerator pedals, is a confinedspace tool, or so-called brake-pedal cutter. This high-strength cutting tool is specifically designed to get into those tight spots where space is limited (see photo 7).
All mainstream rescue-tool manufactures now offer this tool due to the increase in foot entrapments.
Once the pedals have been severed, it is a good idea to cover up the sharp ends with a tennis ball that has a small incision cut into it. This helps to protect the patient’s appendages when removing him from the vehicle. This evolution should also be taken into consideration when the patient’s knees are trapped by the dashboard (assuming there was no knee-bag supplementation). If just a small amount of space is required to release the patient, this method may prove to be more efficient than the standard dash lift or roll (see photo 8).
6: Insert your spreader in the opening at the A-pillar cut and spread the floor pan down even further until it touches the ground.
If just
Be mindful of wiring harnesses, fuel lines and brake lines running near the outside of the rocker panel underneath the vehicle; you may have to unclip them from the vehicle body and slide them aside somewhat so that they’re out of the way of cutting operations.
Always use hard protection between the patient and a working tool.
Cover all sharps created by either the collision or tools themselves.
This procedure can work on either twodoor coupes or four-door sedan type vehicles. Make sure you check to see what kind of vehicle body type you’re dealing with; uni-body type construction is a non-issue, however, a full-frame vehicle will be quite a challenge and other options may have to be considered. Stay safe!
Thanks go out to Mitsubishi Motors and TnT Rescue tools.
Randy Schmitz is a Calgary firefighter who has been extensively involved in the extrication field for 20 years. He is an extrication instructor and has competed internationally. He is the education chair for Transport Emergency Rescue Committee (T.E.R.C.) in Canada, a T.E.R.C. International extrication judge and a tester and evaluator for manufactured prototype products for extrication equipment. He can be reached at rwschmitz@shaw.ca.
Iam often asked to reveal the absolute must haves in my kitchen, including the tools and products that I couldn’t imagine cooking without. As I am not a big fan of kitchen gadgets, my response is always the same: a really good knife and a lot of creativity!
I often look for ingredients to inspire me, rather than the newest and latest fads. There are a handful of ingredients that trigger your creative juices and are a blank canvas waiting to be made into something tastefully unique!
One of my favourite ingredients that falls into this category is chicken. Although chicken starts out as a bland, almost flavourless, piece of protein, it is capable of taking on the many flavours of several different cuisines. By varying cooking techniques and using a worldwide variety of ingredients and flavours, thousands of dishes can be creatively made using a simple piece of chicken.
It is no coincidence that chicken is a dietary staple in most cultures. It is a very healthy, lean source of protein, and due to its cellular makeup, it easily absorbs different flavours. Most people enjoy chicken, so if your crew is feeling like Italian, or perhaps Thai, classic American, or Mexican, chicken is a great starting point at the grocery store.
Once you determine where in the world you want to go with your chicken, the possibilities are endless. More decisions will quickly enter your creative thought process, such as, “Should I grill it, roast it or braise it? Beer can in the butt? Fry it? Should I use the breast, thighs, drumsticks, wings or whole bird? Do I want to make a soup, sandwich, salad, casserole, pizza, or pasta? Should I serve it over rice, potatoes or maybe noodles?”
So, as you can see, with a versatile ingredient such as chicken, the options are endless – it’s an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and explore ingredients and a different cuisine of the world, different parts of the bird, and a variety of cooking techniques and styles.
I’ve included four chicken recipes, each using a different cooking technique, a different type of cuisine and a different part of the bird.
I hope these recipes start a creative recipe repertoire, and the ability to take one ingredient and turn it into a worldwide culinary adventure. Enjoy!
Patrick Mathieu is an 11-year veteran of Waterloo Fire Rescue in Ontario. He has won several cooking competitions and has helped raise thousands of dollars for charities by auctioning gourmet dinners at the fire hall. Contact him at patrickmathieu78@yahoo.ca
Directions:
• 1 1/3 cups crispy corn cereal
• 2 1/4 cups broken Ritz crackers
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 bone-in, skinless chicken pieces
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Set a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray the rack generously with cooking spray.
2. Finely grind the cereal and crackers together in a food processor. Transfer crumbs to a large gallonsized plastic bag. Add the oil, salt, cayenne, paprika and ground pepper, and toss to mix thoroughly.
3. Whisk the light mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a medium-sized shallow bowl. Add chicken to mayonnaise and turn to coat all the pieces evenly.
4. Drop the chicken into the plastic bag, seal and shake until each piece is evenly coated. Place coated pieces on the prepared rack.
5. Spray the chicken pieces evenly with cooking spray, and bake until the coating crisps and browns and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 F, about 35 to 40 minutes.
• 12 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus 1 tsp
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 tsp
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 3 oz prosciutto, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
Directions:
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp fresh oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flatleaf parsley leaves
1. Season the chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
2. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the tomatoes, wine and herbs.
4. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve. Enjoy!
By Esther Lakatos
How many times have we heard passionate discussion on how to perform any number of skills in our profession? The window rescue is no exception, with its many methods and variations. From the head-out method, to the various feet-first methods, all deserve equal opportunity and praise as long as they deliver and you get the victim out as quickly and safely as possible.
In the FDNY, VES window rescue, is traditionally performed by a truck company. The FDNY has perfected this skill by entering via ladder, securing the interior door and locating the victim for removal. Having crews search from the interior (with the protection of a hose line) and pass a victim out to another awaiting crew on the exterior can accomplish this same objective. Now you can start to see how this discussion can spark conversations about the many variations.
The window rescue is a firefighting skill that must be practiced, preferably using a
The 2011 recruit class with Vaughan Fire & Rescue Services performs window rescue during training. It’s important to practice different methods to know what works best for your department.
live victim who is in harness and on belay. The movements of a victim’s limbs are not easily duplicated with a stiff rescue dummy, and are impossible to realistically replicate using a hose-bundle victim. However, learning this skill for the first time requires repetition and progressive training, and using training victims would be acceptable.
Using an aerial ladder should be a first option when an elevated egress is required; it is more stable and has a higher load capacity. This is not always possible due to access, location, time of set-up, or simply because the department does not have an aerial apparatus. No need to worry; ground ladders, when properly placed and safely manipulated and secured, can be quickly deployed in narrow places providing elevated egress. If there is a second storey in your municipality, every fire crew should be trained to perform this essential firefighting
skill. Firefighters should be knowledgeable with both the heads-out and feet-first methods. You will undoubtedly choose the method that works best for your crew as a working fire rescue team.
• Drag the unconscious victim to the window and place the body supine, knees bent, perpendicular to window with the feet against the wall
• Sit the victim up and pass the victim’s hands to the outside ladder rescuer. Lift the victim from behind up onto the window sill.
• The ladder rescuer will step down onto the rungs and hold onto the beams, ready to receive the victim, with one arm under the victim’s under arm, and the other in-between victim’s legs, once again grasping firmly onto the beam.
• Tip: By lowering the arm on the victim’s lower body, the weight becomes balanced.
• The inside rescuer should not let go of the victim until the ladder rescuer has the victim balanced properly and ready to lower.
• The ladder rescuer steps down the ladder and brings the victim to the ground.
• Drag the unconscious victim to the window and place body prone, knees bent, perpendicular to window with his knees against the wall.
• Two inside rescuers are required for this manoeuvre.
• The ladder rescuer reaches inside the window, grasping the victim’s ankles, and pulls upwards (this creates a space under the victim’s thighs).
• The inside rescuers place their window-side hands under the victim’s thighs, grasping onto each other’s wrists.
• The inside rescuers grasps under the victim’s chest and, in a co-ordinated manner, lifts the victim.
The legs are received by the ladder rescuer in two possible ways:
1. Diagonally across the body: The legs-end hand goes in between the victim’s legs, then back to holding beam. The top-end hand goes under the victim’s armpit and then back to holding the beam. Balance the weight and proceed down the ladder. This is the same removal process that’s used for a downed firefighter
OR
out a window. With a civilian, there is no SCBA strap to grasp. Therefore, you must place that inside hand under the chest and lift with your legs, keeping your back straight.
2. Opened and on knee: Arms go under the victim’s armpits and grasp onto a rung at the victim’s face level. (This prevents the victim’s face from hitting each rung on the way down.) Step down the ladder with same foot leading, one rung at a time, holding the victim’s weight, making sure to keep the victim’s weight on you knee.
There are many variations on the feet-first method such as:
• victim facing ladder rescuer on the rescuer’s knee
• victim facing ladder rescuer diagonally as in (1) above
• victim facing ladder rescuer with legs onto rescuer’s shoulders, rescuer grasping under arm pits and holding onto beam
• Two ladders and two rescuer’s taking one victim down diagonally across their arms.
It is important to practice these skills and work on the most effective method for your crew. Always have a firefighter secure the butt of the ladder below. Train safely!
Esther Lakatos is a 15-year veteran and a captain with Vaughan Fire & Rescue Service in Ontario. She is a platoon trainer in rope rescue and is a trench rescue/ confined space technician. Esther has instructed at the Ontario Fire College and is currently an instructor in the pre-service program at Humber College, specializing in live fire and firefighter survival. She is a past Canadian champion in the FireFit combat challenge and a world relay champion. Contact her at esther.lakatos@yahoo.ca
Surreyfiresafety jul09CFF.pdf 1 25/01/10 1:34 PM
The use of the geographic terms can help to determine the location of a missing or downed firefighter. A firefighter who calls a mayday and reports that he is trapped on division 2 in quadrant 3 pinpoints the location for RIT members and localizes search efforts (compared to saying, “Mayday, mayday, I’m trapped on the second floor.”).
By Robert Krause
In continuing the discussion on fire attack that we started in the January issue (go to www.firefightingincanada.com and click on past issues), I want to pay particular attention to residential structure fires, which include single-family homes and multi-unit apartments.
Fires in residential structures present significant hazards to the occupants and to firefighters. The available staffing has an impact on which actions firefighters can undertake simultaneously.
As I mentioned in January, three firefighters arriving on the initial engine company seems to be the norm for many Canadian departments. While some departments may have higher staffing levels, for our discussion, we will presume three firefighters arriving on the initial engine company or pumper crew.
Residential structure fires present a significant life hazard to the occupants. It should be the goal of every fire department and its firefighters to aggressively promote the use and proper installation of smoke alarms in every home, apartment and building in their communities in which there is potential for loss of life.
Working fires within a single-family home or a multi-unit apartment present many challenges for responding firefighters. The incident commander arriving at this type of fire must quickly size up the fire conditions, the risk to any occupants, and the risks to firefighters, and develop a strategy to quickly and safely extinguish the fire while minimizing the dangers.
It is important to review some geographical areas on the fire ground, and assign proper terminology to each area. The front of a building is called side alpha, the
left side of the building is called bravo, the rear of the structure is called charlie and the right side of the building delta.
Floors within a structure are called divisions. Here’s an example to illustrate the use of these geographic terms. “Dispatch, this is engine 16. We have a two-storey wood-frame structure with heavy fire on division 2, venting out the windows on sides bravo and charlie.” Using these geographic terms should give the other responding fire companies a good indication of what the fire looks like and where the fire is located.
The floors, or divisions, within the building are broken into quadrants. Quadrant 1 is the front left corner, quadrant 2 is the rear left corner, quadrant 3 is the right rear corner and quadrant 4 the front right corner. I strongly recommend the adoption and use of these terms to simplify fire-ground operations, create common terminology and
help to pinpoint geographic areas on the fire ground.
It is important to remember that the front of the building is given the alpha designation (see photo 1). The use of the geographic terms can also help to determine the location of a missing or downed firefighter. A firefighter who calls a mayday and reports that he is trapped on division 2 in quadrant 3 pinpoints the location for RIT members and localizes search efforts (compared to saying, “Mayday, mayday, I’m trapped on the second floor.”).
Here’s a fire scenario. It is 2 a.m., your fire company has been dispatched to a reported structure fire. The location of the fire is 6.5 kilometres from the fire station. When you arrive on scene you observe the following: a two-storey, wood-frame, single-family dwelling with heavy, fast-moving smoke conditions coming from the upstairs windows on side alpha. There is no visible fire from the front of the house. As you dismount the apparatus, family members approach you, screaming that their teenage son is unaccounted for and may still be in the house. You have three firefighters on the first-arriving engine; the second due engine with four additional firefighters will arrive in two minutes. The nearest truck company with four firefighters will arrive in five minutes. What are you going to do to fight this fire?
The incident commander must quickly size up the fire problem, identify the risks to potential occupants and make strategic decisions. There are two high-priority tasks that must be addressed. The first is locating the potentially trapped victim, and the second is suppressing the fire. The first order from the incident commander should be to stretch a hand line up to division 2 and attempt to locate and extinguish the main body of the fire. This scenario calls for an aggressive fire attack to be mounted by the first-arriving fire company. Allowing the fire to go unchecked in lieu of a search effort for the potential victim greatly intensifies the threat to both the firefighters and the trapped victim. If no immediate attempt is made to extinguish this fire, it will continue to grow, producing more smoke, high heat conditions and toxic gases.
A word of caution: do not begin breaking windows around the structure in an attempt to ventilate the smoke from the building. This indiscriminate breaking of windows can cause the fire to quickly intensify, allowing for rapid fire spread throughout the entire structure, trapping the firefighters and greatly reducing the chance of survival for the trapped victim.
The order has been given to stretch a hand line to division 2 and begin attack on the main body of fire. As the second-arriving engine reports on location, the incident commander should assign search to two firefighters from that engine. The order should sound something like this: “Command to engine 2: I want two firefighters to begin search on division 2. I want the remaining two firefighters to stretch an additional hand line to division 2 and your assignment is backup.” Remember, the role of backup is to protect the fire crews operating on the fire floor; your focus should be protecting the egress routes out of the structure. Do not become distracted and begin fire attack in another portion of the building; the role of backup is to protect the fire crews operating in the fire area.
If you are fortunate enough to have additional firefighters arriving on scene, the incident commander should assign additional firefighters to the original attack line or stretch a second attack line to aid in extinguishing a large amount of fire, and, if necessary, assign additional firefighters to begin search operations in other areas of the structure.
While waiting for the truck company to arrive, the incident commander should be determining if vertical or horizontal ventilation
will be necessary: the decision to send the truck company to the roof to provide a hole for vertical ventilation should be based on a sound tactical approach. Crews should not be assigned to roof operations if fire has been burning within the attic for several minutes. However, if fire-ground conditions allow for crews to operate on the roof, putting a hole in the roof will greatly improve conditions within the fire building (see photo 2). The products of combustion (which include heat, smoke and toxic gases), will be readily vented out the vertical hole, visibility will improve for interior fire crews, and heat conditions will diminish, which will help firefighters locate the fire and help search crews in their efforts to locate the victim. A reminder for firefighters sent to the roof: if you are given the order to put a hole in the roof for ventilation, remember the proper size for a roof ventilation hole is 4x4 feet.
I strongly recommend the use of a positive pressure ventilation fan to aid your overall ventilation efforts. When using this fan, it is important to remember not to indiscriminately knock out windows within the structure. The concept of effectively using positive pressure relies on having a structure with an opening large enough to allow for products of combustion to be ventilated from the building, while keeping the structure tight. The idea is to pressurize the building, and using the fan to move thousands of cubic feet of air into the building per minute. Breaking windows unnecessarily prevents the fan from pressurizing the building, thereby reducing the amount of smoke and heat cleared from the building. If breaking the window is not necessary to immediately save a life, don’t break it.
Firefighters need to keep in mind that fire can travel very quickly throughout a structure through the natural voids found within the building. Pipe chases, cutouts within walls for electrical and cable lines, and holes in beams and rafters for plumbing are all means of travel from one area of the structure to another.
While completing overhaul operations, it is important to search for fire extension above and below the original fire. You must also
If fire-ground conditions allow for crews to operate on the roof, putting a hole in the roof will greatly improve conditions within the fire building.
look for lateral fire spread that can occur in attic spaces, cocklofts and above drop ceilings.
In buildings with multiple floors, such as apartment buildings, incident commanders should assign search operations in the following manner. In co-ordination with an aggressive fire attack, search operations should be prioritized as follows:
1. The fire floor itself
2. The floor directly above the fire
3. Additional floors above the fire floor
4. Remaining floors below the fire floor.
Multi-storey and multi-unit apartment buildings require a considerable number of firefighters to accomplish all the necessary tasks. I urge you to consider calling for additional resources early on in these types of fires so that as fire-ground operations progress, additional resources will arrive in a timely manner to allow you to address all of the complex issues you’re facing.
Next time, I will discuss oriented search and removing victims from fire buildings, and we’ll finish fighting this fire that we started here. I will also discuss the use of 63.5-millimetre (2.5-inch) attack lines.
Get out there and train – your lives and the lives of the people you protect depend on it.
Bob Krause is a battalion chief with the City of Toledo fire department in Ohio and is assigned to Battalion 2. He has 32 years’ experience in emergency services. He holds an International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) certification and several other EMS and fire certifications. Krause has held a variety of positions in the fire service including engine company officer, fire training officer, Fire & EMS Academy program director, fire/EMS communications supervisor and chief of emergency medical services. He is working to complete his doctorate in emergency management. E-mail him at rcktfd@bex.net
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Iwas about to dig in to my super awesome looking breakfast when my significant other suddenly bolted up the stairs. He came back down the stairs with a pager in each hand and tones going off. “Whose is it?” I casually (in my mind anyway) asked.
“Yours,” he replied.
“OMG!” I looked at my breakfast again and grabbed a piece of bacon and ran upstairs to get my socks. I ran back downstairs, grabbed my keys, my pager and a toque, and off I went.
The call was for a residential smoke alarm. As I listened to the call while driving to the hall, a slew of stuff was running through my mind.
“It’s probably a false alarm,” the fire alarm technician in me thought. “Maybe they have a leak and there’s water in the device, or it could be dust or a spider in the smoke detector that caused it to trip.” Next was, “Holy crap, this drive is taking forever,” followed by, “Only pump 3 is responding so far. I’ve still got a chance to catch a truck.”
I’m almost there when I hear the tanker responding. The voice in my head starts again, “Crap! Missed that truck . . . but there’s still one in the hall that hasn’t responded yet.”
I pull into the parking lot, jump out of the truck and run into the hall. I kick off my boots and start to put my gear on. I look up to see my captain coming in. He looks at me and shakes his head. “Ah, crap,” I think to myself.
It’s now confirmed to be a false alarm and the guys are about to clear. I step back out of my bunker pants and put my boots back on. My captain had picked up a broom and had started to sweep the floor. He said to me, “If you want to sweep, I’ll start the paperwork.” “Sure, I’d be happy to.” I reply, the wind sucked out of my sails by my failed attempt to catch a truck.
out what truck to jump in to, a booming voice says, “Jennifer, back of the rescue.” I do what I’m told, thankful to be relieved of my inner conflict.
It reminded me of the movie, Ladder 49, when Jack jumps out of the truck at his first fire, all eager to go, and his chief, played by John Travolta, catches him as he runs by and says, “Helmet,” which Jack has forgotten and has to go back and get.
JENNIFER MABEE
Our MVC turned out to be someone who had pulled over on a bridge overpass and another good Samaritan had called it in thinking that the people had been involved in an accident.
Twenty minutes later, we’re standing around yapping and then . . . tones go off. (And therein lies the beauty of being a firefighter - volunteer or full time - those moments when you’re just chilling and doing your thing and the tones go off . . . it changes everything in an instant.) We all look at each other, and wait. The first set of tones wasn’t ours, but now we’re hearing the second set, which is.
We get our gear on again. It’s an MVC. I head for the rescue truck (which is normally the only unit that responds from our hall when we are backing up another hall for an MVC). Then I look at the pumper and think, “I’ll go jump in the back of it because there’s more room in the pumper and I’m thinking that the other three firefighters will be going in the rescue.” I start to head to the pumper and then I think, “Is the pumper even going, because it’s an MVC?” and then, “Remember that the other station didn’t respond to the first call so there’s probably still no one around and we’ll therefore need all three of our trucks.” As I’m going in circles trying to figure
A fellow firefighter and I are in the two jump seats in the back of the rescue. I’m thinking to my self excitedly, “Yeehaw! Here we go,” followed by a less enthusiastic, “OMG, here we go. Will I remember everything?” My mental barrage has started and we’re not even out of the parking lot yet. (I’m not sure if it’s a female thing or just a still-a-little-nervous-about-being-back thing.)
I look across at the other firefighter and see him buckling up his seat belt. I search for my seatbelt and buckle it up. Then I start to do up my coat and struggle a bit to get the clasps together with the seatbelt on. This time I’m reminded of the movie Backdraft, when Brian has to help the rookie do up his gear properly.
Self-deprecation aside, I realize how glad I am to be back. Ten years on the department, four years away, six months back. There’s nowhere I’d rather be. Our MVC turned out to be some one who had pulled over on a bridge overpass and another good Samaritan had called it in thinking that the people had been involved in an accident. We headed back to the hall. As we were discussing how amazing it was that we hadn’t come across any accidents due to the weather and road conditions, dispatch called us back with a report of a single vehicle rollover.
Lights and sirens back on, we took the next exit, turned around and headed north to our third call of the day.
Although we didn’t actually do a lot that day, I felt like (forgive the third movie analogy) Jack when he comes out of his first fire with John Travolta and he’s all smiling and laughing and hugging Travolta.
I admit to thinking at times, that it didn’t really matter whether I made it to a call or not.
But I realized on that Saturday that it does matter. Every member of the fire department matters. Volunteer fire departments rely on all of the members – to be there for training, to be there for calls, to be there for each other. It matters.
Jennifer Mabee is a blogger, mother and volunteer firefighter (not necessarily in that order) with the Township of Georgian Bay Fire Department in Ontario, in her 11th year. She joined in 1997, left in 2007, and returned in 2011 after completing a 100-hour recruit course. She is also assistant director for Ontario with the Canadian Volunteer Fire Services Association. Contact her at jhook312@yahoo.ca
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