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and the 24-hour shift
While no smartphone app will put the wet stuff on the red stuff for you, there are a slew of programs that can help firefighters to identify special-consideration areas on hybrid vehicles during extrication, perform pump pressure calculations and determine the evacuation area at a hazmat incident. See story page 8.
All a-Twitter from the
As you can see from the cover illustration, we had some fun with this month’s cover story on mobile applications for firefighters. Warren Bekker, a volunteer firefighter in Bancroft, Ont., whom I met (virtually) through Twitter – tweeps will know him as @FireWeb_Ont – proposed the story, and I was pleasantly surprised when the first app he mentioned in the story was Twitter: more on that in a minute.
The other apps, from WISER to FlowCalc (see our story on page 8) are more specific to fire, particularly volunteers who may not regularly encounter situations in which, for example, they need to reference hazmat information and quickly look up details on their iPhones or androids.
Back to Twitter. The day before I wrote this I was one of several presenters at a York University seminar on the Elliot Lake mall collapse. My topic: How tweet it is. Or is it? A journalist’s perspective on Elliot Lake and the role of the media in critical messaging about disaster response. I know, it’s a mouthful. But it’s a critical topic for incident commanders, emergency managers and fire chiefs (in Ontario, community certified emergency managers, or CEMCs, are usually the fire chiefs).
I was surprised by the questions I was asked: Why do incident managers or fire chiefs or CEMCs have to give reporters information when they’re worrying about saving lives or protecting property? Who controls what the media reports? If the media gets it wrong, who’s responsibility is it to fix it?
In Ontario at least, under the community emergency management plan, once a state of emergency is called – as it was in Elliot Lake – there must be a designated media liaison person (not necessarily the IC or the fire chief – maybe the mayor or the municipality’s communications person) to provide information to reporters, who then relay the information to the community and the greater listening or viewing audience.
Why? Because it’s important that the information coming from the scene be accurate, to provide important details to residents about things such as evacuations or roadblocks, to reduce anxiety among townspeople, and myriad other reasons.
We all know what happens when the people in charge decline to, or are unable to, provide details to reporters: reporters will find their stories elsewhere and the information provided by the unofficial spokespeople – angry or frustrated townspeople, or academics, for example – may be wrong, inflammatory, or inapplicable as was the case, by times, in Elliot Lake.
So, once again, back to Twitter. The first question I asked the audience of about 100 emergency managers, first responders, academics and other fire-industry experts/watchers at the York U seminar was whether they were on Twitter. I was surprised: only about one-quarter of the participants said they were Twitter devotees. This was the Friday of the week that the Elliot Lake inquiry started and Canadian Press reporter Colin Perkel (@Perkel) was tweeting live, providing a minute-by-minute account of the sometimes mindboggling testimony. How a group of people so keen to know the details of the inquiry weren’t following the testimony on Twitter was beyond me – some said they didn’t think they had time for Twitter; to me, that’s like saying they don’t have time for their work.
Some of those in the room clearly didn’t understand – or perhaps, more kindly, hadn’t considered – the importance of getting their messages out first to the media to ensure that the information coming from a scene is accurate.
Managing the message so that it lands in reporters’ laps – or their palms – before they have an opportunity to tweet bad information or stories that lack context, is crucial.
Just as there is new portable technology to help firefighters at the scene, the tool for managing the message is in the palm of your hand. Use it.
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The power of the brotherhood
We are all familiar with the word brotherhood, but do we truly understand its Goliath strength and amazing power? The power of the brotherhood is why the fire service is the best profession in the world; it’s more than a job or a career – it’s a way of life.
When we talk about the fire service brotherhood, it’s understood that the brotherhood includes males, females, volunteers and career firefighters from across Canada and around the globe. When we launch into our careers and begin to serve our communities, we also begin to serve our brothers and sisters: this is by far the most significant part of being a firefighter – to be a part of this lifelong family.
Between alarms is when the brotherhood can show its power and when we can build fellowship and lifelong relationships with trust, compassion and support. If we don’t encourage and foster healthy relationships, the brotherhood as we know it will fade into the past. It’s up to each of us to foster and pass on the torch.
The word brotherhood should not be taken lightly: it and the fire service in general are larger than all of us, and its power can work magic. As firefighters, our job is to promote the brotherhood and do our part to keep it alive and as strong as ever.
Many of us have been affected by an injury to a brother or sister or an illness in our fire halls; for a firefighter, this is a family member – a brother or sister who needs you more than ever. It’s often during these hard times that we see the most visible displays of brotherhood; it’s an amazing spectacle to watch and it’s an honour to be a part of such a movement.
educational opportunities provide a valuable global perspective and reassure us that we are all playing the same game and we are indeed one big family.
Probably the most breathtaking and emotionally charged event that displays the ultimate in brotherhood is witnessing a line-of-duty-death funeral. We all know fire fighting is a risky business and nothing in the world makes you feel more sorrow and pride at the exact same moment than a funeral for a fallen brother or sister. Firefighters from across the world migrate to pay their respects and honour their calling. There are few other professions in the world that exhibit this sort of dedication and unity. The events that followed 9-11 made me fully realize the power of the brotherhood and the traditions of the fire service. My journey to New York to show respect to the fallen opened my eyes and provided me with a gift that I could find nowhere else.
ArjunA GeorGe
It’s up to each of us to foster and pass on the torch of the brotherhood.
Unfortunately, the brotherhood of Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue in British Columbia is feeling the spirit more than ever. One of our own is sick and is in the fight of his life. Lt. Travis Guedes, who has been diagnosed with an advanced case of brain cancer, is sparking a new togetherness that we have not felt in some time. With all the pain we are feeling, we are, at the same time, feeling the power of our fellowship.
The support and caring for Guedes – and for our fire/rescue family –that is pouring in from firefighters from all across Canada is truly breathtaking and our membership has never come together to be as united as we are now. I have never been as proud as I am right now to be a brother and a Salt Spring Island firefighter. How can we keep the magic alive and build on the superpowers of the brotherhood?
Here are some areas that I feel we can all embrace to sustain the camaraderie and esprit de corps. First let’s begin with accepting all firefighters as one: one family, one brotherhood. If you do fire fighting as a career or you volunteer in your community, you are a brother or a sister to all of us. Let’s start there, because accepting and treating all with the same respect is the essence of brotherhood. Let’s not wait to show our loyalty to and compassion for our own; let’s start today and let’s show it daily!
Keep the bond alive by attending conferences and courses as these provide a look at the world’s fire services and can help to re-energize your commitment and passion for this great profession; these types of
Our fellow firefighters understand the things we experience – the sometimes overwhelming emotions as we regularly face traumatic situations. In fact, the fire service could be described as a support group. When a fire department or firefighter needs help and support, the fire service automatically steps up to the plate, offering phone calls of support or a show of unity at a line-of-duty-death funeral. This is not a common occurrence for many in our communities – that is why we must cherish the brotherhood and continue to support our fellow members. Most people do not get to experience the full power and special bond we share.
The public perception of the brotherhood is one reason we continue to recruit new members; most people desire to be part of something bigger, something that provides satisfaction and addresses some of life’s hardest and most sought-after goals: to help others and to be part of a family. The faith of the brotherhood changes your life and can help fill voids in it.
So what do we get in return for building a strong brotherhood? We get pride. Pride is one of the key gifts we can give each other: pride in ourselves, pride in each other, pride in our department and pride in the fire service.
The brotherhood provided me with an amazing group of friends and extended family members. It has supported me through tough times and brought people into my life with whom I can share the good times. I believe there are moments in life that you cannot handle alone and, for some, the fire family is the one we turn to in those difficult circumstances. I believe that the brotherhood has made me a better person, a better father and a better husband. I intend on fostering that brotherhood and paying it forward.
This column was written in honour of our brother, Lt. Travis Guedes.
Arjuna George is a 15-year veteran and the deputy fire chief of Operations on Salt Spring Island, B.C. E-mail him at ageorge@saltspringfire. com and follow him on Twitter at @AJGeorgefire
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Apps for that
Tried and tested downloads for firefighters
By Warren Bekker
When I recently joined the iPhone world, I found that I was filling up my phone with apps, as most techno-nerds do when they get new smartphones. When I started searching for fire-and-rescue related apps, the Apple App Store’s search engine gave me only a few options; I had to do some digging to find other apps. A Google search turned up more results; those alternatives brought me back to the App Store to download the apps (it turns out that app developers sometimes don’t use the same key search words on iTunes that firefighters might use to find apps). Then there is the old-fashioned word-ofmouth way to learn about apps; I heard about one of my favourite fire-service apps from a course instructor during a coffee break. My mission is to try to save you some of this legwork so that you can get the best fire/rescue experience from your smartphone.
Eventually, I compiled quite a collection of apps. Surprisingly, there are free and paid versions of some identical apps, depending where you look. Why someone would pay $5 for an app when the official version is free, is beyond me. And, in my opinion, some apps are a complete waste of time and memory space.
Before I go further, there is a point I must address: no app will put the wet stuff on the red stuff for you – you can’t replace handson experience. But, with fewer fires, I think of smartphone apps as another way to learn, stay on top of fire-service developments and keep your skills sharp during down time or outside of the fire hall.
With the changes to building construction and the so-called solid-rocket-fuel contents in today’s homes, firefighters need to stay on top of fire-service research. The right apps will help with that. Certainly, my use of technology and fire-service social networking has helped to feed my desire for knowledge and has made me a more effective firefighter.
Every app I mention here works with an iPhone or an iPod Touch, and I have noted the apps that are also available for iPad. If you have an Android device, a GooglePlay search or two will get you going, as there are a lot of apps on the ’droid that are similar to those for the iPhone. The only Android app with which I have any experience (and which is also free) is SimsUShare Mobile Lite – a great training app that is also available on iPhone and iPad, but at a cost because there isn’t a lite version on Apple’s iOS platform. There are lots of tablet apps that are geared for department-wide applications but not a lot for the individual user.
Well-intentioned but impractical
When looking for apps, you first need to understand what the app offers and then figure out if it is practical to use. There are some
well-intentioned app developers out there who have latched onto an area of fire fighting and produced slick-looking apps that are, for the most part, useless. A fair example of this is the incident command app called iPAR Fire Lite; while this app might be a useful tool for a firefighter running scenarios in a classroom or at a practice session to make sure all of the critical command benchmarks are hit at a structure fire, this app has no place on the fire ground; it will actually hinder the incident commander (IC) due to the small screen size and difficult functionality. Having your head stuck in your phone while you swipe through menu options for crew assignments would be ridiculous and dangerous at an actual incident. I’ll stick with the accountability tags and write-on/wipe-off command board, thanks.
Fire’s place in the Twitterverse
So, which apps will help firefighters and which ones are a waste of time and memory space?
Firstly, not every app has to be branded as a fire-service app to be hugely beneficial to firefighters. Hi, my name is Warren and I am a Twitter addict: seriously, if you are not already on Twitter,
I highly recommend it. Many emergency services use Twitter for mass communication, and individual firefighters and medics use it to connect professionally and discuss training trends and issues. If you follow the right people and organizations you can learn lots of new things and even open doors to new career paths.
Twitter has allowed me to communicate with a group of true fire-service leaders who champion the reinforcement of basic skills, situational awareness and combat readiness. I have made new friends in the brother/sisterhood around the world and we have shared information about different tactics and evolutions in the fire service. Twitter users must be mindful, however, that the Twittersphere is indeed social media and it’s crucial to think before you tweet.
Apps for busy firefighters
Another generic app that can help busy firefighters is SoundGecko. If you want to read all those fascinating training articles posted online (or on an RSS feed that you like) but just can’t sit down and go through them all, you can simply upload them to your SoundGecko account (for free) and they will be sent to your
From leFt to right:
The WISER app is the ultimate firstresponder hazmat app. Users can identify an unknown chemical substance, based on the symptoms that a victim displays.
Potential users should take caution when downloading the erg 2012 app: the official app is free, but there is another app that looks similar, but charges $5.
The WISER app can also help first-responders search for a known chemical substance through a variety of pre-set categories.
the extricate app, which is quickly becoming an essential reference tool, helps firefighters to identify specialconsideration areas on a variety of vehicles. the app is especially handy for pointing out special hazard areas on today’s hybrid cars.
phone. Once the article lands on your phone, a computer voice will read it to you while you do other things, such as commute to the fire hall or work out at the gym; the voices are fairly good, and the experience is far better than listening to your local AM talk-radio.
For more great listening, the Podcast app that was already on my iPhone is useful because there are hundreds of hours of firefighter webcasts out there that discuss every aspect of the fire service from ideas for company drills and command tactics to the latest National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL) studies on basement or winddriven fires, in addition to public relations, leadership development and even politics for the fire service.
Reference apps
From the awareness level right through to technician, there is just way too much information to memorize for a hazardous materials response; apps can help. WISER is, in my opinion, the ultimate first-responder hazmat app. And it’s free. Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders app (WISER) has versions for
the emergency response guidebook app makes searching for information quick and easy. Users can search for specific information by category or can browse through guide pages and reference material.
almost every platform: BlackBerry, Android, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, Windows mobile, and even the Palm PDA – remember that? There is also a regular Internet browser version of WISER for pre-planning, mobile command posts or dispatch reference. (When I was writing this in February, the current version was still using the 2008 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG), but the update to the 2012 ERG was on the way. Just register your download and you will get the update.)
One of the best features of WISER is the protective distance map feature. When you identify the material released at the hazmat incident, the app runs you quickly through ERG Green Pages-type questions and, using the GPS feature on your phone, shows you a customizable map of your scene and area. Select the hybrid option and you will see a satellite photo of your area with the roads added in, your scene, the immediate evacuation zone, the direction the wind is taking the material, and the recommended evacuation area, so you don’t have to guess where the road should be closed. This app is a great tool that every emergency responder should have, and it is one of the few smartphone apps I can see being used at an incident, though only at the IC or hazmat technician/specialist level. When searching the Apple App Store, you want WISER for iOS, as there are other unrelated apps using the WISER name.
I started using the 2012 ERG app prior to a taking a hazmat course recently, and found it to be a lot faster and easier than the actual Orange Book. (However, I used the book in class in case I couldn’t use the app in an actual emergency.) When you are shopping for this app, make sure that you pay attention; someone has taken the ERG and made an app that looks like it but charges $5
to download. Make sure you pick the free app as it is the official ERG 2012.
Apps that do the math
Two handy apps are available for operating the pump if you are a little rusty on your pump math or don’t work the pump very often. These apps are what I would call brain-verification apps, which you might find useful when you are flowing water and have done the calculations in your head but have that nagging feeling that maybe you are off a little on your math.
Fire Flow and GPM Pump Pressure Calculator – or FlowCalc – is the only free app I could find for pump ops. A progressive flowchart style leads you to the answers. You can set metric or standard/ imperial measurements, smooth-bore or combination nozzle, NFA or Iowa State Formula, and so forth. The only problem with this app is that it stops calculating at your first appliance. So, if you need to know what is at each nozzle after your gated wye, you’d better review the textbook. This app is also available on iPad.
The IES Foam/Friction-Loss Calculator app is designed for large industrial tank farms. The tank fire fighting foam calculator is, hopefully, something you have to use only in pre-incident planning, but it is simple. And the friction-loss calculator is perfect if you can’t do the mental math quickly or if you just want to verify your human computer.
An app to the rescue
For motor-vehicle rescue, the Extricate app is becoming an essential reference tool. Don’t let the low-quality app icon fool you: Moditech Rescue Solutions has made a really handy app for pointing out special hazard areas on today’s hybrid cars. This app covers foreign and domestic vehicles and some SUVs. Quick and easy menus guide you to top and side views with simple hazard and special-consideration areas clearly marked. This app simplifies locating reinforcement structures, high-voltage wiring and battery-cell and airbag locations (which can be anywhere nowadays). Extricate is one of the few apps that I can see being quickly referenced by the IC or rescue company officer when you come across a hybrid vehicle with which you are not familiar and that needs to be opened up.
For the people who worry that firefighters are going to have their heads stuck in their phones instead of fighting the fire, fear not: no one has developed an app that will conduct an interior search, operate a nozzle, read smoke, or do overhaul. Smartphone apps are just tools that happen to fit in our pockets. Firefighters who use smartphone apps will become better educated and more motivated to train. And if you are afraid of informed and motivated firefighters, why did you pick up this magazine?
Warren Bekker is a firefighter in Faraday Township near Bancroft, Ont. He has more than 20 years’ experience in emergency services and was a paramedic with the former Bolton Ambulance Service in Caledon, Ont. Warren is a graduate of the Loyalist College photojournalism program and spent six years working in print and TV news before moving to emergency services. He has completed the Ontario Fire College Company Officer Level 1 Certificate and is working toward his diploma and incident safety officer credentials. Contact Warren at warrenbekker@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @FireWeb_Ont
Working out the kinks in hoseline advancement
By Tim Llewellyn
We’ve all seen it before in photos or videos, and have probably done it too: in a neighbourhood of closely built homes, a firefighter is advancing a 61-metre (200-foot) pre-connected shoulder load from the engine toward a small, residential structure with smoke and flames presenting from one of the back windows. The incident commander has called for an interior attack. The truck company is opening up the front door and is preparing to make entry for search operations. The back-up firefighter on the hoseline clears the remaining 30 metres (100 feet) of the attack line from the hose bed, stretching and flaking it toward the house. The nozzle firefighter, with the hose on his shoulder, is walking up and down the small front yard of the home, between the curb and the front porch. He is flaking the shoulder load onto the ground for what he thinks will be an effective and easy stretch. The department’s operating guidelines call for all hoselines to be charged prior to entry, so at the front door, the nozzle firefighter and the back-up firefighter, now masked up and ready to go, indicate for the pump operator to charge their line. Everything seems to be going just fine.
Once in the staging area, the nozzle firefighter places his shoulder bundle on the ground, attempting to maintain the order of the stack as much as possible.
If the back-up firefighter has any hose left from his shouldered bundle, it should be placed on the ground near the nozzle firefighter’s bundle. The nozzle firefighter then places the nozzle one or two metres away from the bundle(s) in the direction of the advance. Then, starting from the top of the nozzle or the back-up hose bundle (the part of either bundle from where the hose flakes as the firefighter advances), the firefighter makes large loops about 2.5 metres wide on the ground until the nozzle ends up on the top of the pile of loops (see photo 1). It is vitally important that, when creating the loops, you start from the back of the hose and end with the nozzle on top.
Quickly, the nozzle firefighter opens the nozzle to bleed the air from the line and then checks the stream selection to ensure it’s on a straight-stream pattern. The two firefighters indicate their readiness to one another, and they enter the structure. About 10 metres into the residence, in the back hallway, they meet up with the truck company members, who tell them the fire is behind the bedroom door that they are holding closed. The nozzle firefighter gets in position and turns the stream selector to the right one last time while the truck company radios to the incident commander, telling of both teams’ progress. The truck firefighter opens the door and the nozzle firefighter opens the bail, expecting a good strong stream of water. After only a quick burst, the hose goes limp. The back-up firefighter chases the length of the hose back out the front door and finds that at every bend in the hose stretch outside, there is a kink. The firefighter’s stress level goes up a few notches as he struggles to undo the kinks in the remaining hose in the small front yard.
TOP: Photo 1: As the nozzle firefighter prepares to make entry, the back-up firefighter flakes the hoseline using the loop method: large loops are made with the hose, starting from the back of the hose toward the nozzle. this makes for a virtually kink-free advance.
ABoVe: Photo 2: if any kinks remain in the hose after it is charged to full pressure, they can easily be undone by one firefighter picking up the pile of loops and shaking, or fluffing, the pile.
This looping task is most easily performed by one firefighter, freeing up the other firefighter to prepare for entry or to perform other important fire-ground tasks. Once the firefighters are prepared to make entry, they must call for the hoseline to be charged to full pressure before they begin their advance. This technique will not work if the hose is left uncharged when advanced, as major kinks will result.
As the looped hose fills, some minor kinks may form in the loops. These kinks can easily be resolved by lifting the pile of loops to waist height and fluffing them up and down a few times (see photo 2). Once the hose is looped and fluffed, it is ready for a kink-free advance.
I have found that this technique also works well with highrise or standpipe hose packs. Instead of flaking the hose up and down the adjoining stairwells, it is all kept on the landing where the standpipe connection is made. I have also found that it advances with less effort and with less chance of snagging a coupling lug on railings or stair treads – which is great for when staffing is low. It also poses less of a trip hazard to firefighters or occupants who might be moving on what could be smoke-obscured stairs.
The loop technique may not be right for every hose advance situation encountered, but it is definitely another tool on which to train and to put into the mental toolbox in the event that a tight-quarters hose stretch is ever needed.
The problem is simple: there is a lot of hose to flake out and not a lot of room in which to do it. There are many solutions to this problem. I have found that the loop method is the best way to help eliminate kinks in shoulder-loaded hoselines in tight quarters.
The technique is fairly simple and works best with shoulder-loaded or Minuteman-style hose loads. The nozzle firefighter and the back-up firefighter shoulder both the lead and the back sections from the apparatus and advance them toward the flaking- or hose-staging area as normal.
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. He has recently been appointed as a suppression-level instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy. He has taught structural firefighting tactics extensively in Canada and the U.S. E-mail him at llewllyn.fire@gmail.com
PhotoS by t
Two-hatters and the 24-hour shift
IAFF’s Scott Marks explains position on contentious Canadian issues
By Laura King
Editor’s note: Canadian Firefighter and EMS Quarterly
editor Laura King spoke with Scott Marks, the assistant to the general president for Canadian operations of the International Association of Fire Fighters at the 2012 Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) conference in St. John’s, N.L. in the fall about the 24-hour shift, two-hatters, health and wellness and other issues.
QCan you explain the role of the iAFF in Canada for those who are not familiar with the association?
AOur role in Canada is the same as any any labour union – to represent our members. The IAFF is structured somewhat differently than most labour unions in that locals do their own negotiations and different things so the evolution of the IAFF has been one of a parent organization that provides assistance in a broader sense on health and safety issues, helping to provide research for negations, strategies for negotiations and, obviously, the very important political arena.
And the IAFF, even though our role is to carry forward federal political issues and federal legislative issues, our role is also to train locals how to do that at the provincial and municipal levels, so we really function in a support role to our locals to try to provide assistance no mater what they’re faced with; a lot of our work is assisting them on things like press releases and how to get their message through to the public and the politicians.
Qt here has been talk lately of unionizing some volunteer departments in Canada. Where does the i AFF stand on that issue?
ABy other unions? The IAFF by mandate, within our constitution, organizes only full-time departments. There have been situations in Alberta where the labour boards have made rulings that we had to organize the full contingent [within the department], but I don’t think the IAFF’s focus has changed – constitutionally, our
The IAFF’s Scott Marks says the association is working to have firefighters included in the same group as emergency medical responders for pandemic vaccinations, to broaden presumptive legislation and to make changes to the building code.
mandate is for full-time firefighters. But other unions have been, yes. Constitutionally, it’s pretty clear to us and there have been discussions but at this point in time there is no desire to go there.
QWe’re here in St. John’s at the CAFC conference. What’s the iAFF’s relationship with the CAFC?
AThe CAFC has a defined role to try to move some issues forward, such as mandatory sprinklers, and speaking with the OPFFA, for example, one of its issues is trying to broaden presumptive legislation rather than, for example, mandatory sprinklers.
Q Where do you guys fit into all of that?
AOur role with the CAFC and, generally speaking, between provincial [firefighter] associations and fire chiefs associations, the goal is to try to find common interests and work together on common interests and understand that there may be some things we don’t agree on, or we may have separate priorities.
The Ontario firefighters, I think, have kind have been misrepresented as not supporting sprinkler legislation and I know that’s not their position – they do support
Photo by L aura king
The hard truth: Some people just
don’t want to hear it
Statistics Canada shows that 59 per cent of Canadian adults and 29 per cent of our children are overweight or obese. Our children are the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than we do. Obesity costs the Canadian economy between $4.6 billion and $7.1 billion a year and about 9.3 per cent of all deaths in Canada can be attributed to obesity.
Chances are if you are reading this column, you have at least some interest in fitness. The idea of being fit sounds great to most people, but far too many people stop there. The course of action for a healthier lifestyle is simple, but if it were easy we wouldn’t be more obese than ever.
Many people aren’t aware of the considerations involved in health and fitness. Although there are too many factors to list them all, there are some basics.
Genetics and metabolism
We are not all the same. Our genetics have a huge effect on our body composition and response to training. Studies have shown that altering the diet of those genetically predisposed to Type II diabetes has excellent results. There is no question that eating healthier and exercising improves your overall health.
Age slows metabolic rate, but if you think about how our activity levels change as we get older, it makes sense. You can increase your metabolism by improving muscle density, increasing cardiovascular endurance, eating certain foods (omega 3 are excellent), eating less quantity more often, getting good sleep and even turning down your thermostat.
Time and commitment
calories you burn during exercise (forget about the calories burned while sleeping) and then look at your weight loss – if you aren’t losing as much weight as you’d like, then eat less and work out more. Simple.
The other factor you should consider with weight loss is muscle mass. If you have lost fat but you have built up muscle, you may not lose weight; some people even gain weight when they convert fat to muscle. You need to look at your body composition (measurements) and you need to be honest with yourself. Most of us have a pretty good grasp of how our bodies look and how our clothes fit. If you aren’t good at analyzing your body, take some photos in your under gear every two weeks and compare them. If you don’t see results, reassess your fitness plan.
The course of action for a healthier lifestyle is simple, but if it were easy we wouldn’t be more obese than ever.
Getting out of shape probably didn’t probably didn’t happen overnight and you won’t become more healthy and fit in the blink of an eye either; it takes time for your body to respond. Fitness and healthy eating are part of a lifestyle; you don’t have to be obsessive and your regimen shouldn’t interfere with enjoying life. If you indulge in moderation there shouldn’t be a problem.
You do not have to spend two hours at the gym. In fact, you don’t have to spend any time in the gym; we have explored other options in previous columns. Just do something, do it regularly and use some effort. By constantly moving, you are also improving endurance. Besides, the quicker you move the more time you have to do things that don’t take so much effort.
Calories in / calories out
Yes, there are factors that affect caloric intake, but, really, it’s simple. If you are gaining the bad kind of weight or if you aren’t losing weight, you are eating too much or not doing enough work: it’s really that simple. If you calculate how many calories you consume and how many
Motivation
Work ethic
I may sound like I’m venting and perhaps I am a little, but seriously, some people’s perception of hard work is . . . well (I’ll be nice), wimpy. I don’t expect you to feel sick every time you work out. I do expect it occasionally, but that fully depends on what you want to get out of your effort.
Of course it’s difficult. Your department is not asking you to stress yourself with a workout, but you should be responsible and accountable for applying effort, discipline and commitment in being able to perform your duty.
You should be appreciated for your commitment to a difficult duty, no matter what your role is in your fire department. I’m not trying to pick on anyone but this isn’t Disney. Whether you are a volunteer or a career firefighter, you have chosen your involvement and you should take seriously your obligation to be able to do your duty.
Sometimes, the mental fortitude it takes to make change is much more difficult than the physical effort. We are often held back by apprehension, past failures, peer pressure and other obligations, and it can be overwhelming. Try to find a reason to overcome these excuses – there has to be at least one. If you have done something physical, you know that great feeling you get when you have finished. Find inspiration to help you get started, use support systems to keep you on track and maintain focus to keep you going. There are definite benefits. You will feel better and you will be healthier. Good luck and good health.
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
Sherry DeAn
Two-hatters and the 24-hour shift
Continued from page 14
legislation but they do have concerns that some fire chiefs or city councils may utilize that as an excuse not to hire an appropriate number of firefighters. So that’s where the concern lies. You have to remember – our focus, yes we’re concerned with public safety issues, but as a labour organization representing our members, that’s really our main priority and there are situations where public safety and protecting our members combine. I think right now as far as what we’re lobbying for on federal and provincial levels, some of the provincial organizations may choose to take up the sprinkler cause but for the most part it’s not the issue for professional firefighters.
QWhere does the iAFF stand on presumptive legislation? For example, there’s no presumptive legislation here in Newfoundland.
AThe
IAFF has assisted as much as we can with the province here and it’s been very disappointing based on the fact that they’ve chosen to lag behind on this.
Presumptive legislation is still one of our key issues. Ontario is lagging behind some of the other provinces now so it continues to be one of the main priorities.
QWe’ve done some stories and covered extensively the IAFF fitness/ wellness initiative. it seems to be a tough sell in some departments. how do you go forward with this and get more Canadian departments involved?
AI think you’ve got to sell it. The stall has come from funding, from cities that don’t want to spend any money on anything. And I think the sell is that research shows that implementing a wellness and fitness program saves money in the long term. To that extent, I think we see that not only in the fire service but in the way politicians approach a lot of their spending and budgeting – they are doing things that look good in the current budget or election cycle rather than investing to create programs or services that are going to save them money 10 or 20 years down the road. The bottom line is that it’s extremely hard to convince the municipalities to have the political will to [accept] the short-term expense for the long-term good.
QWe’re in St. John’s, where the department has had the 24-hour shift for years. Why the push back in ontario?
AThepush back is from the fire chiefs and, quite frankly, I don’t get it. I’m at a loss, because I think somewhere along the line someone has decided to draw a line in the sand and this is the issue they’re going to draw the line on. It’s some sort of philosophy bigger than this particular issue, but that may just be my sense of it.
I don’t understand because I think if they look at the 24-hour shift and the ability to go in and negotiate around it, the most common thing I’ve heard from fire chiefs and it is a valid concern, is training, and they can’t do training around the 24-hour shift.
I think they’re looking at it the wrong way; they have to look at how can I roll out training differently and what can I do to work it into the contract in a way that works for both sides?
That was my experience in Toronto; when we negotiated it the issue became training and we negotiated a system that worked for the department and for firefighters and ended up with a system under which people could be moved off shift into an eight-hour day a certain number of times a year, and after the first year, one of the biggest selling features to the department on this shift was that they were
Continued on page 36
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Hand tools – part 3
By Randy Schmitz
In part two of my hand tools series, in the January issue of Firefighter and EMS Quarterly, we looked at a few different applica tions for the First Responder Jack (FRJ) in extrication. In this final instalment, we will explore other possibilities for use of the FRJ. Keep in mind that using a jack should be secondary to choosing hydraulic rescue tools such as spreaders, cutters and rams; however, the capacities of the FRJ should not be discredited simply because the tool lacks the power and speed of hydraulics. The FRJ is an alternative when standard tool choices are not available, or when the hydraulic tools break or are being used elsewhere dur ing larger-scale extrications.
Side-resting vehicle support
First responders may not have standard strut systems on the first-arriving apparatus, so an option is to carefully place initial cribbing on the side of the vehicle that is most likely to roll over. For extra safety, consider inserting the cribbing in place with a pike pole in order to stay out of the rollover zone. Once these cribbing components are placed, it should be safer to insert the FRJ.
1: Use the First Responder Jack (FRJ) to stabilize a sideresting vehicle before rescue struts can be installed.
Re-adjust the red clamp clevis so that it is at the end of the steel bar of the jack to act as a grip point on the vehicle. At an angle, place the top of the jack to rest on a solid component such as a frame rail, allowing the baseplate to grip into the ground.
At this point, attach a 1,260-kilogram- (3,000-pound) rated ratchet strap from the baseplate to the vehicle, at a low point if possible. Now, with one person on the end of the vehicle monitoring for movement, carefully tighten up the ratchet strap until the vehicle no longer moves. If the vehicle starts to lift you have gone too far. This process should allow you to safely make the vehicle stable enough to gain entry or provide enough temporary stabilization until rescue struts can be installed (see photo 1).
Winching with the FRJ
On occasion, the best course of action may be to move a vehicle off an object to gain access to a patient, or even to another vehicle. An FRJ can be used to carefully move a vehicle in a controlled manner. Two chains and a two-step chock will be required along with the FRJ. First, find a spot on the vehicle to which it would be safe to attach chains, such as the bumper area or a factoryinstalled tow hook. A suitable anchor point will be required, such as a larger rescue vehicle, oriented at 90 degrees to the vehicle to be moved.
Attach another chain set to the anchor point and then to the end of the clevis clamp either by a hook or by inserting the chain into the intended chain slot. Then, the chain set from the vehicle to be moved is hooked around the runner portion of the jack. Remove all slack from the chains. (see photo 2).
Slowly operate the jack handle to increase tension on the chains. Again, one rescuer should have his hands on the moving vehicle to monitor for unwanted movement at all times. You may find that a hard protection board placed under the tire closest to the jack will help to ensure a smooth and controlled movement (see photo 3).
Jacking a dash with the FRJ
When the dash needs to be removed, the FRJ can be used. The two methods we’ll discuss require the complete disconnection of the dash component from the rest of the vehicle; this is due to the fact that the safe working-load lifting capacity of the jack is limited to 2,273 kilograms (4,660 pounds).
Photo 2: to use the jack as a winch, connect one end of the jack to an anchor point and the other end to the vehicle to be moved. remove the slack from the chains and begin to slowly operate the jack handle.
3: Placing a hard protection board, or some means of a slide, under the tire closest to the jack will help to ensure a smooth and controlled movement.
Photo
Photo
Photo 4: to relocate the dash, make a relief cut between the strut tower, which is part of the front suspension, and the firewall. This will allow for the forward movement of the metal that will be relocated.
We are very pleased to once again be holding the “Ladders Up for the Foundation” online auction and event in 2013. Last year, with the help of our many generous sponsors, we were able to raise over $26,000 for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation memorial, which was unveiled September 9th, 2012. This year’s event will be bigger and better. All of the funds raised from this year’s event will go to the education fund for the children of our fallen firefighters. Stay tuned to the website www.laddersup.ca for details. To donate product or find out how you can get involved call Mark Prendergast (866) 445-3473 or markp@mnlsupply.com or Kip Cosgrove (800) 461-8347 or kcosgrove@vfiscanada.com.
In order to do this, strategic relief cuts will have to be made. Once the door and front fender are removed, make a relief cut between the strut tower, which is part of the front suspension, and the firewall (see photo 4). This allows for the forward movement of the metal. The next cut is a notch in the lower A-pillar in order to make room to insert the baseplate and runner of the jack (see photo 5). Insert the jack (see photo 6) and operate the handle until there is slight pressure on the metal but not too much resistance on the handle. Lock the handle off temporarily. The next step is to make one final cut in the upper A-pillar to reduce the amount of resistance and force required to lift the dash with the jack. We want upward pressure on the jack before making this cut so that when the upper A-pillar is finally severed, the dash will move slightly upward and not downward. At this point, start to operate the jack handle to engage the lift.
An alternative method of dash relocation is to push the dash forward rather than up; this depends on which way the dash or metal components need to be moved away from a patient. Instead of inserting the jack in the
Continued on page 28
Photo 5: Cut a notch in the lower A-pillar, in order to make room to insert the baseplate and runner of the jack.
Photo 6: Insert the jack into the notch made in the A-pillar and operate the handle until there is a slight pressure. temporarily lock the handle with duct tape.
Photo 7: operate the jack handle to engage the lift. Watch closely for all movement.
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Tell your story before others get
it
wrong
It’s a little-known fact that on the same day as the Great Chicago Fire there was another huge fire the United States: a fire burned so out of control in Peshtigo, Wis., on Oct. 8, 1871, that 2,500 people died. Why is it that few people know about this fire?
Other such fires also burned that day including one in Port Huron, Mich., that killed 50 people. And just four days later, there was a catastrophic fire in Windsor, Ont., and much of the town was lost. Again, why haven’t many people heard about these stories?
One doesn’t have to look too far these days to be bombarded with information – news of shootings, earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, financial crises, political scandals, and the list goes on. Many today thrive on such horrific headlines, as it seems to satisfy a dark hunger with us.
Today’s media is much different than it was in 1871. That should go with out saying, I suppose, with all the mass media platforms that quell our appetites with the latest breaking stories. An event happening this very moment can be transmitted around the world within seconds without the aid of a reporter or cameraman. If you can operate a smartphone, you can take a video with it and upload it to YouTube or Facebook, where millions of people can become aware of it within hours, if not minutes – long before a professional news crew can get on scene and publish a story about the incident.
covered at one time. And, most certainly, each paper wanted its own version of the story.
It’s very important to understand a few things about media that may help you. 1) Everybody likes a story! 2) If you’re not telling the story, somebody else is. 3) If the story being told is not correct, you will have a difficult time fixing it.
If the story being told is not correct, you will have a difficult time fixing it.
So why didn’t those other fires on Oct. 8, 1871, make headlines? After all, the fire in Peshtigo was far worse than the Great Chicago Fire; it burned more land and buildings, and killed more people than did its prominent, but lesser, tragedy, and it is now known as the “forgotten fire.”
News is a competitive business, just as it was back in the 1870s. As news of the fire in Chicago was being transmitted, other cities were picking it up and sending their reporters to the Windy City to capture the event and write about it. Many reporters would have travelled by train to get as close as they could before having to walk or ride by horse to reach their destination.
Peshtigo is located on Lake Michigan about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Green Bay. In 1870, the town had 1,749 residents, a far cry from the 300,000 people living in Chicago at that time.
By the time reports of the fire in Peshtigo started coming across the wire, there were no reporters left to make the trek to northern rural Wisconsin, which would have taken days from any major city. This story was just not going to get the publicity it deserved in contrast to the other fires.
Back then, media outlets reported their stories to the public mainly via newspapers. Generally, just one major story could be
Several years ago I took on a project I knew very little about. Understanding the power of media, I wanted to share what my fire department was doing with the public. I did this for a few reasons. Firstly, I thought the public should know what we did. I saw what larger agencies, such as the police, were doing and thought if they can do it, so can we. I researched news and broadcast media sources not only in my municipality but also in my region and my part of the province. I created a distribution list from my Outlook contacts and then made a template of how the media releases would look in print form. Our municipality had a template so I made a few adjustments and used that.
Secondly, I wanted council to know these same facts. I thought that if councillors knew what we were up to, they would be more understanding. This may not have worked exactly as I had wished but, for the most part, council was hearing our story firsthand.
Before I sent out my first release, I met with the local media outlets individually to let them know my strategy: I would give them what they wanted – the news – but I wanted something in return – some publicity about fire safety. It worked. We have a great relationship with many media outlets and they often ask why don’t other fire departments do this, too.
Several years later, our local media outlets have come to rely on us, so much so that they will call looking for stories. We take full advantage of this and do regular pieces on fire prevention and fire-safety topics. We have been on Facebook for about three years and have almost 3,000 likes. We have a Twitter account, our own dedicated webpage (www.norfolkcountyfire.ca) and an educational website (www.befiresafe.ca).
All of this was birthed out of the desire to tell a story, because people like stories and we’ve got one to tell them. Tell your story before someone else does, then you’ll know it’s correct.
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 and follow him on Twitter at @KennyBoy55
Ken SheriDAn
Photo 8: When moving the dash forward, use the adz end of a halligan bar as a push point for the baseplate of the jack. Use cribbing to block up the adz end, keeping it in place.
Continued from page 24
lower A-pillar, use a push point from the baseplate at an angle. If the Bpillar has been removed for patient egress or if the vehicle is designed so that it simply doesn’t have a B-pillar (as is the case with, for example, a Honda Element) then this method may work. Again, the upper front rail, and the upper and lower A-pillars require relief-cut locations. Once these are made, we can proceed with the evolution. This time, the push-point position for the baseplate will be off of another hand tool that most first response trucks carry – the standard Halligan bar. Remove the trim from the lower rocker panel and find a suitable hole from under the plastic trim. Place the pointed end of the bar into a hole and carefully tap the pointed end into the rocker panel until it is about three-quarters inserted. The adz end of the bar (the flat piece) will be used as a push point for the baseplate of the jack (see photo 8). Block up the adz end with cribbing and wedges so it will not slip. Insert the FRJ with the
9: Insert the jack with the runner against the upper A-pillar of the vehicle and the baseplate
runner against the upper A-pillar and the baseplate on the adz end of the Halligan bar (see photo 9). Engage the handle, push the dash and watch for movement.
I can’t stress enough that these evolutions need to be practised and refined in training sessions before they are attempted in the field.
Until next time . . . stay safe out there!
Randy Schmitz is a Calgary firefighter who has been extensively involved in the extrication field for 19 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. Follow him on Twitter at @firedog7
Photo
on the adz end of the halligan bar.
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RiT – enlarged openings on a second storey
By Mark van der Feyst
Back in the January 2012 issue of Canadian Firefighter and EMS Quarterly, we looked at using enlarged openings to expedite the removal of the mayday firefighter from a structure. That column considered how this technique could be used for both interior and exterior applications. Safety was stressed, as it is necessary to have a co-ordinated effort on both sides of the wall to ensure that no other firefighters, including the RIT firefighters, are injured by the tools being used.
That column addressed the removal of a mayday firefighter from the ground floor of a structure. When the mayday firefighter is on the second storey of a structure, removal through an enlarged opening may be the best option, depending on a few important factors:
• Distance to the primary entrance or exit:
° It may be quicker and easier to make a new exit point.
° Consider the time taken to reach the mayday firefighter – the route may be long and arduous.
• Nature of injuries to the mayday firefighter:
° Injuries sustained may be aggravated during removal through a door, down a set of stairs and/or going around corners.
• Air supply status for RIT and mayday firefighters:
° Air supply may be running low for all involved and overall supply may be limited.
• Manpower needed to remove the mayday firefighter:
° There may be limited resources on hand to move the mayday firefighter to a primary exit point. This removal may involve a rotation of teams.
Creating an elevated enlarged opening can be a tricky operation if it is not practised. These skills should be perfected on the training ground. This operation requires a team on the outside and a team on the inside; right away, staffing becomes an issue. The inside team should include a safety officer and a RIT firefighter to remediate and prep the inside of the window. Usually, a window is the best option for an exit but patio doors leading to an elevated deck over a garage, for example, are sometimes available.
The outside team should include at least two RIT firefighters to work the ladder and enlarge the window, and a safety officer. The outside operation requires the following tools:
• maul or sledge
• flathead axe
• pike pole or roof hoof
• vent saw or chainsaw
• ladders (2)
• portable radio
The inside team needs:
• Halligan
• flathead or pickhead axe
• thermal imaging camera
• portable radio
The inside team will strip away all the molding around the
Photo 1: A RIT firefighter clears out the glass and wall material, making way for the removal of the exterior wall.
Photo 2: One RIT firefighter supports and guides a second firefighter, who is cutting the exterior wall of a structure.
Photo 3: The final cuts are completed by a RIT firefighter, and the enlarged opening is beginning to take shape.
4: A rit member on the inside of the structure uses a halligan as a guide for the rit member on the outside of a structure. Using a halligan or an axe as a measuring gauge helps the efficiency of the operation.
window, remove any obstructions around or below the window, clear a path for the removal of the mayday firefighter and, depending on the thickness of the wall, clear out the glass (see photo 1) and start to remove the wall material where the opening will be made. The thickness of the wall will have an impact on the chain depth of the vent or chain saw. The chain may not be long enough to cut through the wall completely. Removing the interior wall surface allows the saw to cut through completely.
The outside team, using one or two ground ladders to reach the window, starts to make cuts around the window. As shown in photo 2, one RIT firefighter is being supported and guided by the other RIT firefighter as the cut is being made. Notice that the cut is started in the corner of the window, moving away from it. This can be done on either side of the wall; the process will be dictated by the team members on the inside of the structure. When using the vent saw or chainsaw, remember to operate it at full throttle to optimize performance.
In photo 3, you can see one RIT firefighter completing the bottom cut. You can see the cut lines of the opening taking shape. This is where two RIT firefighters can work together on two separate ladders: one can be on one side of the window and one on the other side. They can pass the saw to each other to expedite the cutting process. While one cut is being made, the other RIT firefighter can use a pike pole to hold the cut section in place; this prevents it from falling and injuring someone. This
5: the rit members on the inside and on the outside co-ordinate the removal of a mayday firefighter on the second floor of a structure.
can be done from on the ladder, just off to the side, or on the ground, if the pike pole is long enough.
In photo 4, the inside team member is letting the outside team member know how far down to cut. The inside RIT firefighter is showing the distance of the cut to be made by using the Halligan as a measuring gauge. Once the cuts have been completed, the cut section needs to be removed. The best place for the debris is on the outside of the structure. Make sure there is no one standing below the area when pulling or pushing the cut section out and away.
Photo 5 shows the finished product and the commencement of the removal of the mayday firefighter. Two RIT firefighters side by side will help to control the movement of the RIT firefighter down the ladder. Depending on the size and height of the mayday firefighter, a third ladder and RIT firefighter can be used.
This operation will take practice to be effective on the fire ground. Acquired structures are great for this as they are generally two storeys with numerous windows on the second floor.
Mark van der Feyst is a 14-year veteran of the fire service. He works for the City of Woodstock Fire Department in Ontario. Mark instructs in Canada, the United Stats and India and is a local-level suppression instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and an instructor for the Justice Institute of B.C. E-mail Mark at Mark@ FireStarTraining.com
Photo
Photo
Superfoods build better bodies
Regardless of your age, your culture, where you live or where you’re from, the universal question –What is your favorite food? – is routinely answered with the same response . . . pizza! Perhaps the greatest gift from our Italian friends, pizza has an uncanny capability to bring people together and always bring a smile to people’s faces. Not many foods are enjoyed worldwide in every demographic, can satisfy even the most finicky eaters and are requested almost every Friday and Saturday night.
You have to appreciate a food that starts with a blank canvas – the crust – and is transformed into a customizable masterpiece. Perhaps this is why pizza is adored around the globe. Every layer, from the style of crust, to the type of sauce, to the infinite number of topping combinations, allows pizza makers to be completely creative. From the good people of Chicago, who prefer their deep dish, to squid-andeel pizza in the streets of Japan, green peas recommended by Brazilians, and Russians’ love for red herring pizza, there are no boundaries to the pizza pie. What started as simple peasant food for the ancient Romans has become legendary local cuisine, no matter where you call home.
I am sure fire houses across the country have enjoyed their share of pizzas. If your department is like mine, the local pizzeria’s phone number hangs next to the department’s phone list and you are considered a preferred customer. Although pizza is the No. 1 choice for ordering in, everything tastes better if we can build it ourselves. Homemade crust and fresh ingredients are the perfect starting point for any great pie, whether with your family or at the station with your brothers and sisters. The personalities in the station are much like the variety of toppings we can choose – every one is different. Start with that blank canvas and allow each member to personalize his or her creation. Most importantly, enjoy the building process together; it’s pizza – you really can’t go wrong!
I’ve provided the recipe for my basic go-to crust and some tried and tested favourite pizza variations. Enjoy making them as much as you will enjoy eating them.
Patrick Mathieu is a 13-year veteran of Waterloo Fire Rescue, where he is acting captain. 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 stationhousecateringco@yahoo.ca
Basic pizza dough
ingredients:
• 1 cup warm water (40 C to 46 C)
• 1 (¼ ounce) envelope dry active yeast
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• Yellow cornmeal, for sprinkling the baking sheet
1. In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, honey and one tablespoon of the olive oil, stirring to combine. Let the mixture sit until it is foamy, about five minutes.
2. Add two cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, ¼ cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky. You might not need all of the flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, three to five minutes.
3. Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about one-and-a-half hours. When finished, roll the dough out on a flat, floured surface. If you are ready to use the dough, heat the oven to 260 C (500 F). Dust your rolled out dough with cornmeal and place on a pizza peal or baking tray and cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the crust begins to become golden brown. Remove from the oven and lower the heat to 232 C (450 F). Create your favourite pizza and finish cooking with your toppings for about eight to 10 minutes.
Spicy muffuletta pizza
ingredients:
• Olive Salad (see recipe below)
• 8 ounces provolone cheese, deli sliced
• ½ cup thinly sliced sweet onion
• ½ cup roasted red peppers
• 4 ounces hot cappicola, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces hot Genoa salami, thinly sliced
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 232 C (450 F).
• 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces fresh bocconcini or mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1 pre-baked large thin pizza crust
• Crushed chili pepper flakes
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2. Place the crust on an ungreased baking tray or baking stone. Spread most of the olive salad over the bottom of the prebaked crust. Build your pizza in this order: provolone, onions, roasted red peppers, all the meats, the remaining olive salad, and top with bocconcini or mozzarella. Sprinkle to taste with chilli pepper flakes and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
3. Cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, eight to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
olive Salad:
• ½ cup jumbo black olives, such as Nicoise, sliced
• ½ cup large green olives, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced shallots
• 1 tbsp finely chopped celery
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp minced fresh oregano
• 2 tsp minced fresh basil
• 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
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Steakhouse chimichurri pizza
ingredients: For the steak:
• 1 flank steak, roughly 1 ½ pounds
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 shallots, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp Montreal steak spice
For the pizza:
• 1 large prebaked pizza crust
• 1 250-millilitre (ml) jar chimichurri sauce (Station House brand recommended)
• 1 pound small button mushrooms, sliced in half and sautéed in 1 tbsp each butter and olive oil until golden
Directions: For the steak:
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 bunch fresh arugula, tossed in olive oil
• Fresh cracked pepper
1. Combine the steak and the marinade ingredients in a sealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for four hours or, preferably, overnight.
2. Heat the grill or a cast iron pan over medium to high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill until slightly charred on both sides and cooked to a medium-rare doneness, about seven minutes per side. Remove from the grill to a cutting board, tent the steak lightly with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice into ¼-inch thick slices.
For the pizza:
1. Preheat the oven to 232 C (450 F).
2. Place the prebaked crust on a tray or baking stone, brush the crust with the chimichurri sauce and sprinkle with the pepper jack cheese. Top with the grilled steak and sautéed mushrooms. Bake in the oven for eight to 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust becomes golden. Remove from oven and top with blue cheese, arugula and fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!
Thai shrimp pizza
ingredients:
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ½ tsp crushed chili pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 mango, julienned
• 3 green onions, sliced long and angular
• ¼ cup candied peanuts
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
• 8 ounce jar Thai chili garlic sauce (Rooster brand recommended)
• 1 prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust
Directions:
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• Sriracha sauce
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the shrimp and chilli pepper flakes in oil for two to three minutes or until the shrimp just turn pink. Add garlic in at the last minute of cooking. Remove the skillet from the heat and reserve.
2. Place crust on an ungreased pizza pan. Spread the Thai chili garlic sauce evenly over the crust and sprinkle with a small amount of the cheese blend. Place the shrimp, mango, green onion and candied peanuts evenly on the crust. Top with the remaining amount of cheese.
3. Bake at 232 C (450 F) for eight to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are lightly browned. Allow the pizza to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Top with fresh cilantro and drizzle with Sriracha sauce if desired. Enjoy!
Two-hatters and the 24-hour shift
doing more training than they’d ever done in the past . . .
I think they’ve got to look beyond the rhetoric and see if there’s a way to change the culture that we’re entrenched in, the way we deliver the training . . . fire chiefs need to look at what they want to get done and see if there’s a door that can open and deliver them some more potential, because it is an opportunity to view your relationship with the union and with the firefighters differently.
A lot of unions go into negations with the 24 and say we want everything to be the same but we want a 24-hour shift. They have to be open, too. At the end of the day, coming from Ontario and from Toronto and the shift schedule we used to work, in my mind there’s no question that the 24 is a better shift for firefighters to be working.
QAnother other issue we’ve heard a lot about is two-hatters. It continues to be an issue in ontario but only from time to time. If firefighters are two-hatting, you know they’re doing it and they’re not bothering anybody then it seems to be oK until something happens . . . What’s the iAFF position on that?
ATheIAFF has a broad constitution and it’s applied down to the membership. The trial board procedure is a mechanism between members to resolve issues. Secondary employment is clearly stated and understood based on what has been determined by delegates at convention (there’s no question there are more U.S. delegates but there’s never been a convention resolution from the Canadian delegates to change it – there’s never been a Canadian local that put forward a resolution to change it). Obviously everyone doesn’t agree with it and in any democratic organization you have that.
What fosters [two-hatting] becoming an issue or not becoming an issue at any particular time is the circumstances within that geography. In the U.S. lately it has been an issue in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
With budget cuts and municipalities looking at other ways to deliver their fire service I think you’re going to see it be more of an issue, not less of an issue. The experience on the problems that have existed when you needed firefighters is somewhat different – the one we always like to bring up is the ice storm when all the firefighters were called back into Kingston [Ontario] and there was nobody around to staff all the outlying volunteer departments. It comes down to one thing – if you’re looking at a municipality using part-
time firefighters and they’re relying on professional firefighters working part-time, then there’s something wrong. That’s the litmus test; if they’re relying on the full-time professional firefighters working in a part-time capacity, then there’s something wrong. If they need that level of reliance then they need to consider a full-time professional department or some other mechanism.
QWhat issues are on the iAFF agenda in the next little while?
AFrommy office in Ottawa, we’re still very much concerned and lobbying hard for the public safety officer compensation benefit, which doesn’t exist here but does exist in the U.S., our pandemic issue, and issues around the building code.
We have serious issues around the way the building code works. If there’s something in the building code and we see it as a danger to firefighter safety, we cannot even make an amendment on that basis. We really feel that we’ve gotten the runaround and we’re trying to address that in a political arena.
Interestingly, on our three Canadian legislative issues, the IAFF has gotten support from both the Canadian volunteer firefighters association and the Canadian fire chiefs, so it’s a sign that these elements don’t just affect professional firefighters, they affect all firefighters, and, to a large degree, public safety.
Our concern on the pandemic sequencing is a public-safety issue because the modeling that was done shows that under a medium to severe pandemic, we are going to have 25 to 30 per cent of firefighters home sick and that’s a public-safety issue. What we’re looking for is Health Canada to list firefighters in the priority group with other emergency responders. We believe the mistake is that they listed firefighters by name in the second group – which is the general public – if they hadn’t named firefighters by name then we’d be saying here’s where we belong, with emergency medical responders, which is where they are in the U.S.
We’ve gotten a series of different answers from the ministry; we’ve been told now that the H1N1 was a one-time sequencing and they’ll review each [pandemic] as they come out, but there is a master document on the pandemic and we’re trying to make sure firefighters are properly identified in there as emergency medical responders and . . . they’ve finally struck a committee that will start hearing some evidence on some of that. Continued from page 18
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Do you respect
the person behind the rank?
You may not respect the person, but you still need to respect the rank.
Iread this on Twitter recently and it started me thinking: Can you respect the rank of a captain or a higher-ranking officer if you don’t respect the individual?
It got me thinking about the people in my hall for whom I have a lot of respect. What is it about them that makes me think so highly of them? It seems to come down to a few key elements: personality, behaviour and trust.
Personality: The people for whom I have a lot of respect are those who are approachable and supportive; they’ll joke around with you when it’s appropriate and they are there for you when you need a hand.
Behaviour: Their behaviour is consistent and they practise what they preach. Knowledge is a powerful thing, and those who share their knowledge with others are the backbone of the fire service.
Trust: You really should feel a certain level of trust with all the members in your hall, whether we’re talking about going into a burning building with them or backing them up in another kind of situation, simply because you know they would do the same for you.
Someone who wears a red hat or a white hat does not necessarily have all those qualities. But the fact is that someone felt that this person deserved the opportunity to step into a leadership role, and you have to deal with that decision.
there before.)
It’s amazing what thoughts go through one’s head and what opinions are formed about other people and what they may or may not be thinking. You can easily convince yourself that you know exactly what a person is all about and think you have him or her figured out, only to find out later that you were completely wrong. It’s amazing what you find out about people when you actually take the time to talk with them, and, more importantly, to listen to them.
Knowledge is a powerful thing, and those who share their knowledge with others are the backbone of the fire service.
If you don’t feel that the respect is there for an officer in your hall, you need to ask yourself why. I’m not saying that you are the one with the problem. I’m just pointing out that if there is an officer in your hall for whom you don’t have respect, it’s in your best interest to figure out how you can still do the job, because I can almost guarantee that he or she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Is it because you don’t trust that person’s judgment? Or is it perhaps that you don’t think that officer has the knowledge or skill set or even enough years of service to have been promoted? Is the problem that you applied for the position and someone else got it? These are all possible reasons, especially in a volunteer department.
So what can you do about it?
My inclination is always to talk it out. If I have an issue with someone (or if someone has an issue with me), I’d much rather sit down and talk it out than let it weigh on me. Granted, there is a time and a place for a conversation like that, and it’s definitely not on a fire ground, or in front of a group of firefighters. Often when there’s tension among members in a hall, it’s based on misunderstandings and it takes only a few minutes to clear the air. (OK, OK, maybe it can’t be solved in a few minutes because we all know how firefighters like to hash things out over and over and over, but hashing things out can definitely bring a level of understanding to the situation that wasn’t
However, if talking to the person doesn’t appear to be an option, discussing your concerns with another officer may help to facilitate things. And there’s always your district, deputy and/or chief. Now, I’m no Dear Abby, and I’m not suggesting that all fire-hall conflicts can be solved over a cup of tea and a little chitchat – it would most certainly have to be coffee, for starters, but a Pollyanna I’m not. I just think that a lot of misunderstandings occur because we often make up our minds about people too quickly.
Having said that, there are definitely people who are better suited to taking on leadership roles than others; they are the ones who have the qualities that I mentioned earlier. Wearing a red hat doesn’t automatically mean that you have the respect of the guys and girls in your hall.
Respect is something that is earned, through your behaviour, your actions and your character. For some, it’s an automatic thing, for others it takes time. Leadership is something that’s demonstrated by officers and creates a loyal following by firefighters. It’s about encouraging others, helping them to realize their potential, and empowering them so that they know they have the abilities and knowledge to handle whatever is about to come at them.
But you don’t have to be an officer to be a leader. Anyone can lead, inspire and motivate others, regardless of helmet colour.
So, you may not respect the person, but do you still need to respect the rank?
What’s really important is that you respect yourself enough to treat everyone else with respect, because how you do anything is how you do everything.
It’s called integrity. And you have it.
Jennifer Mabee is a volunteer with the Township of Georgian Bay Fire Department in Ontario. She began her fire career with the Township of Georgian Bay in 1997 and became the department’s fire prevention officer in 2000 and a captain in 2003. She was a fire inspector with the City of Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services before taking time off to focus on family, and is excited to be back at it. E-mail her at jhook0312@yahoo.ca and follow her on Twitter at @jenmabee
JeNNifer MAbee
The New blitzfire HE
