The Bridgewater fire department arrives on the scene of a massive blaze at the White Point Beach Resort in Nova Scotia on Nov. 12. More than 100 volunteer firefighters from 16 departments responded to the call, proving the effectiveness of incident command and mutual aid. See story page 8.
Photo by Scott Hawkes, North Queens Firefighters Association
hear every January that change is good, that we need to shake things up, do a better job, adjust our attitudes, exercise more, mend fences, train harder, play safer, share, expand our horizons, push the envelope, count our blessings, sleep longer, and work less (I can hear you chuckling).
But it’s true. Change is the theme I heard over and over in 2011. The fire service needs to change its approach to public education to reach marginalized groups and reduce the number of fire fatalities. Fire chiefs need to change the way they deal with the chaos (that’s the word that was used) in their departments. Fire needs to change the public perception of its role in emergency response to hush the critics and gain provincial and federal support (read funding).
We’re committed to being part of that change. It sounds hokey, I know, but stick with me.
We can’t make you go to the gym (and we won’t mention those few pounds gained over the holidays!), so we’re bringing the gym to you in our new Fit for Duty column by firefighter, personal trainer and fellow Nova Scotian Sherry Dean (see page 16). Dean is a career firefighter/engineer with Halifax Regional and a volunteer captain with the Blockhouse and District Fire Department.
I sat in on Sherry’s fitness session for volunteer firefighters at FDIC Atlantic in Wolfville last June (OK, I took pictures while the participants sweated, grunted and begged for mercy!). Sherry knows how firefighters move, what injuries they sustain most often, and how to prevent strains and pains. The exercises she outlines in her column mimic firefighter movements at incidents – hauling hose, unloading gear. You don’t need an expensive fitness club membership or fancy equipment; you just need to do what Sherry says, in the comfort of your basement or fire-hall gym.
We can’t make you work less, either, but we can help you work more efficiently. In our new and very Canadian-titled Tim-Bits column, firefighter Tim Llewellyn aims to make life easier on the fire ground and in the halls by offering tried-and-true methods for everything job-related, starting with rolling hose (see page 36). I met Tim in 2010 at a live burn at Six Nations, co-ordinated by Back to Basics columnist Mark van der Feyst’s FireStar Training Services, for which Tim is an instructor. Tim is a career firefighter for the Allegheny County Airport Authority in Pittsburgh and a volunteer firefighter with the Adams Area Fire District – our first American columnist. (We don’t hold that against him. In fact, in true Canuck style, he wanted to call the column Tim-Bits, eh!)
While our mandate is to be the No. 1 resource for the Canadian fire service and feature Canadian stories and voices, we listen to you – our readers – and you said in our 2011 survey that you want more on fire-ground ops. Enter Bob Krause, a battalion chief in Toledo, Ohio, an in-demand instructor at FDIC Atlantic and, after a trip to Truro, N.S., in November to speak at the Colchester County Firefighters Association seminar, an honorary Bluenoser.
Bob gave me considerable grief two years ago for coming late to one of his always fully subscribed sessions at FDIC Atlantic, but it was worth the red-faced moment to sit in on his class and witness his passion for fire-ground safety. Bob’s three-part series on fire attack starts this month (see page 40) and continues in April and October. (If you’ve seen Bob’s present – he’s rather animated! – you’ll enjoy reading his pieces and visualizing the hand gestures and facial expressions!)
Over the next year, in Canadian Firefighter, and our brother publication, Fire Fighting in Canada, on our website and through our columns and blogs, we will bring you the best practices, the top fire news and analyses, and the resources you need to make changes that will better you and your department. We can’t promise a smooth ride, but you’re used to that.
January 2012 Vol. 35, No. 1
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Ihave experienced several highrise fires in my career, and I have never worried much about them. The unit of origin was usually easy to locate; typically, the fires were well compartmented, ensuring against extension to exposure units and the common hallway; most were brought under control quickly using a single 45-millimetre hoseline; and smoke conditions were dealt with efficiently (our department is well versed in techniques and equipped to ventilate high buildings). These factors, supported by a strong incident-command system and comprehensive highrise manual, gave me confidence.
That all changed recently when my department experienced three close calls (one involving me and my crew) due to a complete loss of water supply during highrise firefighting operations.
In these cases, there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters and crews quickly regrouped to complete extinguishment, but an interruption in the water supply – particularly when operating from a standpipe system (where a backup line is often not stretched) – could have catastrophic results.
In hindsight, the events here in Ottawa could have been anticipated, and once identified, the department quickly addressed the contributing factors. Loss of water could happen to you and sharing our experiences might prevent a similar occurrence elsewhere.
Upon investigation, it was apparent that all three failures in water supply were due to debris and sludge that had accumulated in the standpipe systems and travelled through the riser into the 45-millimetre fire hose, clogging the nozzle. There was surprisingly little warning for the attack crew and the blockage was complete in all three cases.
initial attack hoselines, despite their proven track record in many applications, including highrise fire fighting.
Regardless of hose size and nozzle type, your highrise policies must ensure that a backup line is stretched or at least brought to the fire floor. Remember, most highrise fires will be controlled using a single line, but burst hoses, clogged nozzles, fire spread to exposure units or into the common hallway, wind-driven fires, or other unforeseen events, will occasionally require that subsequent lines be placed into operation in a hurry. You must be prepared.
PETER HUNT
Loss of water could happen to you and sharing our experiences might prevent a similar occurrence elsewhere.
Some of you may operate solid-bore nozzles on your apparatus or highrise packs, but most of us have fog nozzles. You can pump just about anything through a solid-bore tip, but ball-valve and sliding-barrel fog nozzles are subject to clogging at the pattern selector. In our case, our highrise nozzle had a sliding barrel shutoff and a pre-screen at the coupling to capture contaminants. Upon investigation, it became clear that this was not an appropriate nozzle for highrise fire fighting and it was replaced with a more traditional ball-valve-controlled nozzle without a screen.
While there is no industry standard, many major metropolitan fire departments with a lot of experience fighting highrise fires operate 65-millimetre hoselines and solid-bore nozzles in order to prevent clogging and move big water at low pressures. The tradeoff is a very heavy line requiring a lot of manpower. Many of us don’t have the luxury of that kind of staffing and have opted for the easier-to-operate 45-millimetre line.
Hoseline size is often influenced by staffing levels, but nozzle selection is frequently influenced by tradition, culture and experience. My department has limited experience with solid-bore nozzles and, consequently, is reluctant to place them into service on
This raises the obvious question of where the second line should be connected. Choices include down the hall, the floor below, or simply at the original standpipe with a wye. Do you have enough manpower, highrise hose or the necessary appliances to accomplish this?
Another issue concerning standpipe operations is the requirement to flush the standpipe system prior to connecting and charging the attack hoseline. My colleagues and I cannot say for certain that a thorough flushing of the standpipe system would have prevented the loss of water supply that we experienced. The contaminants that eventually reached and clogged the nozzle probably travelled several floors and would have required that we flood the common hallway prior to hooking up. This kind of water damage would be difficult to justify to building owners at a pot-on-the-stove fire, but would go completely unnoticed at a major highrise fire. Since the door to the unit of origin can often hide conditions inside the apartment, company officers may be required to open the door (or force it open) and assess interior conditions prior to giving the order to flush or not flush, and then charge the standpipe.
In most jurisdictions, the theft of caps from fire-department standpipe connections is rampant. Building owners typically are not motivated to replace them and the ensuing accumulation of contaminants can greatly contribute to the problem discussed here. Fire departments must enlist the support of firefighters, fire inspectors and even bylaw officers to ensure that all buildings are checked and owners are reminded of their obligation to cap these connections.
Most people will never experience a complete loss of water supply while fighting a highrise fire, but some will. Once you have, you will never fully trust standpipes again, and you will understand the importance of choosing the correct nozzle, giving consideration to flushing the system and ensuring that a second line is available to be placed quickly into operation. You might even remind building owners to replace the caps on their fire-department connections. Most importantly, take this opportunity to thoroughly review your department’s highrise procedures, revise them if necessary and check your nozzles.
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
Mutual aid, incident command prove successful at N.S. resort blaze
Editor’s note:
One hundred volunteer firefighters from 16 departments responded to a blaze at the White Point Beach Resort at Hunt’s Point on Nova Scotia’s South Shore on Nov. 12. David Payzant, the deputy chief in Liverpool – the first responding department – was on scene and explains the response and the challenges of fighting a raging fire in an 83-year-old wooden building. The main lodge, which housed 15 of the resort’s 159 guest rooms, the kitchen, dining room, a great room, meeting rooms and an indoor pool, was destroyed. White Point (www.whitepoint.com) announced on its website on Dec. 9 that it will rebuild and will reopen in the fall.
By David Payzant
At 14:24 on a beautiful fall afternoon, members of the Liverpool Firefighters Association received a call to respond to 75 White Point Road, #2, for a confirmed structure fire at the main lodge at the White Point Beach Resort, just outside Liverpool.
Liverpool firefighters quickly responded with one pumper, two tankers, an aerial ladder, a rescue, a utility and command vehicle, and Fire Chief Steven Parnell quickly advised dispatch to begin the process of one of the largest mutual-aid responses
in recent memory for the Liverpool Fire Department, with 16 departments at the scene and another five providing coverage. (Twelve departments responded to a fire in June at the historic Fairview Inn in nearby Bridgewater.)
White Point is perched on the Atlantic Ocean on a picturesque strip of Nova Scotia’s South Shore, about 90 minutes from Halifax. The main lodge houses 15 rooms, the kitchen, dining room, meeting rooms and an indoor pool. Rustic cabins dot the property and newer beach houses sit on the shore. The White Point Estates community of homes and the Ocean Club condo development are fairly new additions.
The main lodge at White Point is 83 years old and was not sprinklered. The building had working smoke alarms. The lodge is set back from the highway and is accessed by a narrow road that meanders through the property.
Fire departments in Nova Scotia’s Queens County have strong mutual-aid agreements under which departments that require specialized equipment or extra manpower from another department can request to have that
Early-arriving crews gear up and prepare to fight the intense blaze at the White Point Beach Resort on Nova Scotia’s South Shore on Nov. 12.
equipment or personnel respond to another jurisdiction. Chief Parnell requested tankers and manpower from the North Queens Fire Association, Greenfield, and the Port Medway Fire Department. Following his arrival on scene, Chief Parnell quickly realized that more help would be required. Parnell has been the volunteer chief in Liverpool for seven years. Liverpool has seven vehicles and 40 members.
The fire originated in the basement of the main lodge in the 83-year-old resort – it was noticed by an employee. Upon arrival, heavy smoke was venting from two basement doors on the eastern end of the building. The smoke was under considerable pressure and appeared to be driven similar to a jet engine as it blew through the open doors and to the outside. Chief Parnell requested a second ladder truck and a pumper from Bridgewater in neighbouring Lunenburg County, a pumper, tanker and rescue from Lockeport in Shelburne County, and tankers from Italy Cross and Shelburne.
Liverpool firefighters made entry into the basement area of the lodge – eight people on different teams at different times –but, after several attempts, were driven back by intense heat. With the arrival of mutual aid, alternative methods of entry – from the other end of the building – were attempted but to no avail.
Chief Parnell and his two deputy chiefs were faced with a new challenge: how to efficiently organize and use the assistance offered by the mutual-aid departments? Chief Parnell assumed the role of incident commander and each deputy assumed responsibility as a sector officer, taking command of a particular side of the structure.
Responding chief officers from the mutualaid departments were assigned to assist the sector officers from Liverpool, and were also assigned a side of the building by Chief Parnell. Therefore, each side or sector of the building had two sector officers – one from Liverpool and a chief officer from a mutualaid department.
Two captains, both from Liverpool, were charged with establishing a working water supply; one captain was stationed at an area for tankers returning from a water supply where a pumper filled the empty tankers at a hydrant two kilometres away. The second captain was stationed on the fire ground and called for full tankers, one at a time, to approach the scene from the staging area, where they dumped their
loads of water and returned to the hydrant for filling.
A staging area was set up to manage all firefighting personnel, especially interior firefighters who were wearing breathing apparatuses (once the fire fight went defensive and the building was surrounded with hoselines, not everyone wore BA). Also, a rehab area was set up by paramedics from Liverpool and EHS staff from several other South Shore paramedic bases. RCMP helped staff from White Point evacuate patrons from all of the cabins and other buildings on the lodge property to a safe area. (All patrons and staff had been safely evacuated before firefighters arrived on scene.)
With intense heat and a fast-moving fire, interior crews were forced to retreat when the fire caused structural collapse and began to extend into the main floor area, which contained a dining room and a kitchen area.
Chief Parnell decided to set up defensive operations in order to protect exposures on the property that were close to the main lodge. Within a short time – probably 15 to 20 minutes after arrival – almost the entire basement and first floor were completely engulfed in flames. Both aerial ladders from Liverpool and Bridgewater were positioned to prevent the fire from spreading to the opposite end of the building, and handlines
were deployed around the perimeter of the structure to try to contain the fire.
By this time, the fire had extended into the second floor and almost the entire building was being consumed by flames.
As the firefighters on scene continued to contain the blaze, and fatigue became an issue among personnel, further mutual aid was requested. Crews from Lunenburg were dispatched to respond with a pumper, a tanker, and a rescue; Sable River responded with a tanker and personnel; Mahone Bay and Charleston were dispatched with pumpers, and two other departments – Barrington,
Sixteen departments were on scene:
• Shelburne
• Lockeport
• Liverpool
• North Queens
• Greenfield
• Port Medway
• Charleston
• Mill Village
• Italy Cross/Middlewood
• Bridgewater
• Lunenburg
• Oakhill
• Mahone Bay (BA crew)
• Sable River
• Barrington
• Island & Barrington Passage
and Island and Barrington – answered the call with a rescue and personnel.
With the main lodge engulfed in flames, the structural integrity was compromised to the point at which the floors collapsed on top of each other and, eventually, the remains of the lodge ended up in the basement.
That created yet another problem: fire trapped between each floor and all piled with the remains of the foundation. To fix this, and to allow firefighters to safely allow access to extinguish the fire, an excavator was brought
to the scene and dug what was left of the lodge in a fashion that ensured the area in which the fire was believed to have originated was not touched. However, with the volume of fire in that area, that too had to eventually be brushed aside by the heavy machinery.
A fire of any size can pose its share of chal lenges. Across North America, when fire fighters are en route to any fire scene, they must consider several factors that can deter mine the course of action to properly deal with the fire, the victims, and the responding personnel.
Five departments provided coverage:
• Hemford covered North Queens
• United Communities covered Mill Village, Port Medway and Charleston
• Wood’s & Shag Harbour covered Island & Barrington Passage
• Port La Tour covered for Barrington
• Port Clyde covered for Barrington
Four dispatch centres
• Valley Communications in Kentville
• Scotia Business Centre in Bridgewater
• Roseway Hospital in Shelburne
• Yarmouth Dispatch Centre
Building construction –lodge was constructed 83 years ago. It consisted of heavy timber and wood-frame construction and no sprinkler system was present in the building.
Occupancy –the lodge was full of patrons and staff. With several dozen people in the building at the time of the fire, everyone was evacuated from the building before firefighters arrived on scene.
Water supply –water nearby, the availability of water was not the issue; however, setting a system up under which tanker trucks could provide a steady and smooth transition from the stag ing area to the fire ground tended to be a major hurdle.
Street conditions –the resort is narrow – two vehicles cannot
While there were challenges fighting the blaze at the White Point Beach Resort and the main lodge was destroyed, the mutual-aid and incident-command systems worked well and allowed firefighters to save the other buildings on the ocean-side site.
Exposures – With a fast-moving and major fire sweeping across the main lodge, it became evident that nearby cabins and halls may need to be protected. Aerials from Liverpool and Bridgewater were positioned to prevent the flames from reaching that end of the building. Handlines and monitors were also deployed between the main lodge and the exposures in an effort to prevent the fire from spreading.
Although the main lodge was destroyed, more than 100 volunteer firefighters joined forces to efficiently maintain control of and extinguish a fast-moving fire – 100 normal, everyday people who share a passion for serving their communities and who spend countless hours training for that once-in-alifetime fire. Most importantly, due to welltrained staff, no one was trapped or injured, including the world-famous bunnies that
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The emphasis on core strength and health seems to increase with each visit to the doctor. While many fitness programs include some element of core training, bodyweight exercises may still be some of the safest and most effective ways to increase core strength and stability. Bodyweight training has long been considered a great way to improve core strength, but it’s also a great change of pace from your regular weight-training program. Core training may be the most obvious reward, but more people are using bodyweight training to achieve other aspects of fitness.
Bodyweight training will benefit even the fittest among us. It will push you into better shape and better you in ways you might not even have known. We will explore a sample bodyweight training program and discuss the benefits of it.
Bodyweight training is the most versatile way to train. Its movements are based around squats, pulling and pressing. Many of the exercises can be performed with little to no equipment and may not even require you to visit the gym every day – perfect for those strapped for time, or stuck out on the road through travel. The key is planning your program and working hard, just as if you were throwing weight around a gym. Try to implement some of these exercises into your next bodyweight workout, and when you’re ready, you can slowly add weight if you choose. The easiest way to add weight to any exercise is to wear a weighted vest, but you can improvise if a vest isn’t available. Reps for all should be high – 25 to 40, or as many as you can safely perform.
Lunges – The lunge is a well-rounded exercise with several variations. Lunges will strengthen your quads, glutes and hamstrings. Core stability and overall general mobility are major benefits of performing regular lunges. Look to add explosiveness or weight as your body adapts to high-rep bodyweight lunges.
Bodyweight training is the most versatile way to train. BRAD LAWRENCE
Pull-up – The upper-body squat is the single best exercise you can do for yourself. Start with this exercise – it’s the toughest in the set – and complete as many reps as you can. Palms are pronated away from your body. This exercise is challenging to begin with, and adding a weight vest will test you. If you find yourself at a plateau, try variations of the standard pull-up, including changes to grip or tempo, and especially by adding random repetitions and pauses. Try to find either a pull-up bar, a garage rafter or a sturdy tree branch. Chin-up – This is identical to the pull-up, but your palms will be supinated, or toward you. This allows you to use more arm strength to start your body into motion. Almost everyone should be able to start with chin-ups and work into pull-ups. Again, try variations and focus on stability and strong form.
Suspended row – Perform these only after you’ve pushed yourself through pull-ups and chin-ups. You’ll find more isolation in your core and back if they have already experienced a reasonable load. This is a bodyweight row, using a rope with a couple of loops or TRX trainer. Try elevating your feet and starting with your body parallel to the ground. Elbows tucked in with a steady tempo will give the best results. Add the same variations as above when you’re ready.
Squat/pistol squat – Basic bodyweight squatting is effective; however, it’s probably fairly easy for many of you. The progression is a pistol squat: a one-leg, high-load, high-stability squat. Start with one leg and both hands stretching in front of you, and perform a squat with the other leg as low as possible. Start slow and work into a deep pistol squat. Your legs will thank you.
Lateral jump squats – Start with your feet together in an athletic position. Push off with your left foot and jump (try for about three or four feet) laterally. Catch your body with only your right foot as you absorb your momentum into a squat. As you press down into a squat, drive off your right foot and jump back in the opposite direction and catch your body with your left foot. As you become more confident you can increase the drive and explosiveness of the movement, as well as carry a weight or medicine ball.
Suspended pushup – This exercise won’t allow you to cheat on your stability and offers similar core benefits to the suspended row. Use a rope with loops or a TRX trainer, and prop your feet to start parallel with the ground. Squeeze your core and focus on strong form.
Plyometric pushups – There are a few variations of plyometric pushups you can try, but jump pushups or clap pushups are most common. Focus on good, strong form to protect your shoulders, and you will see quick results.
Advanced pushups – For those of you who will grow tired with the exercises above, challenge yourself with either a one-arm pushup or a handstand pushup. Both require excellent strength, stability and dedicated focus on technique to perform properly. These types of pushups are quite difficult for almost anyone. Be persistent and you’ll have a challenging goal to strive toward for some time. If you’re unsure of the correct technique of either movement, there is an abundance of material available online.
Adding these simple exercises to your established fitness routine will improve your strength, mobility and recovery. You may also be surprised at the hypertrophy that is possible through simple bodyweight training. Try these at home, at the gym, or on the road and give your body the shock it needs by moving nothing more than itself.
Brad Lawrence is a firefighter with the Calgary Fire Department and a certified personal trainer who specializes in training and nutrition for emergency responders. E-mail Brad at bradmlawrence@gmail.com
By Mark van der Feyst
Removing the mayday firefighter from a hostile environment is a top priority for the rapid intervention team (RIT) operation. Incident commanders and RIT operations officers need to address this issue when planning an exit strategy. When RIT members conduct their initial nine-step assessment of the mayday firefighter, the RIT officer should start planning for a quick exit by sizing up the environment and the situation. As mentioned in the column on nine-step assessment in July 2011, if the mayday firefighter is not breathing, then a grab-and-go operation to the nearest exit must take place as it is vital to get the mayday firefighter out to receive immediate medical attention.
The environment will dictate what actions you can take as far as an exit strategy is concerned. Some environmental factors may include: partial collapse untenable heat conditions explosion rapid increase in fire conditions backdraft/flashover
These situational and environmental factors may require RIT members to use an exit point other than the initial entry point. This can be accomplished by enlarging existing openings such as windows and doorways to make them into sufficient exit points.
Most rooms in residential buildings have windows that can be converted into doorways to provide a way out. This may not be the case in a commercial or industrial building. Instead, firefighters may need to breach a wall to convert it into an exit.
Doors in structures can be widened to quickly remove a larger-sized firefighter. Door width varies and can sometimes impede the RIT from efficiently extricating the mayday firefighter.
Enlarged openings are usually created from the exterior side of the building, but sometimes openings will need to be made from inside to accommodate the RIT operation. This would be the case in a situation in which there are multiple rooms between the exterior wall and the mayday firefighter,
By Sherry Dean
Each of us has an obligation – to ourselves, our crews and our families – to take a serious look at the roles we take on in our departments. “Everyone goes home” is a mantra none of us should take lightly. So, are you really prepared?
Whether you lug gear, run training, or participate in fire suppression, are you in sufficiently strong physical condition to do your job without putting yourself or your crew at risk? If you spend 10 minutes, 30 minutes or several hours in active mode on the fire ground, have you prepared for your role? You should engage in a fitness routine to mirror those tasks you may have to perform at emergency scenes. Going for a walk is a great activity, but it does not prepare you for forcible entry, humping hose or RIT.
This column is dedicated to helping firefighters stay healthy and prepared for the fire ground. I challenge each of you to make sure you are unquestionably equipped for the jobs you are required to do when your pager or toner sounds.
At the centre of it all
Yep, your ever-lovin’ midsection. Core fitness is definitely the centre for success. Kinesiology studies prove no matter what movement you make, the first group of muscles to fire is in your core.
Most conventional weightlifting programs incorporate dumbbell or barbell lifts on benches or in machines. While there is no doubt those exercises benefit strength and muscle growth, they are hardly similar to firefighting activities. On the job, we are most often off-balance, reaching and bending in ways that would make trainers cringe. We need to train the way we work; therefore, exercises that take us off balance and add twists and turns will benefit us far more.
With back problems as the No. 1 injury for firefighters, your core fitness is a big priority. A strong back and abdomen will help improve your overall ability on the fire ground. However, it’s important not to overdo it. I often hear people say they do 500 sit-ups a day. Would you do 500 bicep curls or bench presses? Although it’s not wrong to treat muscle groups differently, there are fundamentals we need to consider. Muscles need to be worked and they need to recover. Don’t overwork your abs, and allow them time to repair.
Where you start depends on your fitness level. It is important to consult with a physician about recommendations for strenuous work, but if your doctor tells you not to engage in the types of exercises you need to help you prepare for fire fighting, you need to take a strong look at your risks and consider you firedepartment roles.
I have worked with a fabulous doctor who admitted to a poor understanding of the true demands of fire fighting until she married a firefighter. Keep that in mind when you are talking with your physician and make sure she understands the fitness levels required for fire fighting. Unless you have observed or executed fire suppression, you
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Planks are designed to engage your core while suspending your body weight. There is no equipment necessary except a mat to keep you comfortable and clean on the
floor. You should be targeting a 30-second hold and aiming for one minute. There are unlimited plank positions – half and fullside planks, planks on exercise balls, etc. YouTube is a great resource.
The basic plank:
• You can simply start on all fours in a kneeling position – hands and knees.
• Make sure you have good align-
ment. Arms at shoulder width; knees and feet at hip width; back straight.
• Engage your core (tighten it – think of how your abs feel when you cough) and lift your knees off the floor (see photo 1, page 16). Hold. Take it up a notch with a full body plank:
• Elbows down; straight line from head to heel. Keep your glutes (buttocks) in line (see photo 2, page 16). There is a tendency to pike (bend upward) or bow (sink your seat) during the plank.
• Readjust alignment when needed.
• When you have good plank alignment you should feel steady all over. It shouldn’t feel like all your weight is on your elbows or back.
• Once you have mastered a full plank, balance on one foot only.
V-sits are much harder than they look. People have a tendency to collapse or round their sits, so keep your upper body as in line as possible. Chest out, shoulders back – like in the army!
• Sit with you heels on the floor, legs spread comfortably apart.
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• Engage your core. Keep a straight back and keep neck and head in line with shoulders.
• Slowly start to recline back, without losing posture (see photo 3, page 16).
• Once in position, start to take the weight off your heels. You don’t have to take your feet off the floor, but you don’t have to keep them there either (see photo 4, page 18).
• Work as hard as you can without compromising your form. Maintain the position for 30 seconds (increase with improvement) and repeat five times.
• Add twists or medicine ball twists to increase difficulty.
Most back injuries come from twisting or turning. Keeping a strong middle helps to protect injury. Loading docks will help condition much more than your core; however, core activation keeps everything together. Proper posture is essential. This movement simulates loading gear from the ground to the bed. You can use a small, light hose roll, tool or weight. Be careful with others around you if you are using a long-handled tool.
• Place the weight to the right front side at your feet (see photo 5, page 18). While looking forward, not down with your head, pick up the weight. Looking down will cause you to bend over more than necessary.
• Sit back a little to get a proper squat movement. Try not to lift your heels off the ground.
• Move the weight from the ground on the right side to above your shoulders on the left side (see photo 6). Watch the weight as you move it and turn your body to follow and support the weight. Don’t just move your arms.
• Remember this is a core exercise. Return the weight to its original spot. Complete 10 to 20 reps and repeat on the left side.
Good luck, everyone. Train hard, train real and stay safe!
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 body building, team sports and personal training. Contact her at sbdean@eastlink.ca
Thinking about becoming a firefighter? The pre-service firefighter training program at the Fire and Emergency Services Training Institute (FESTI) – part of the emergency service department at Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport – is the country’s newest option.
The program, approved by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, received official college status in November, but Dwayne MacIntosh, deputy fire chief at FESTI, thinks a few things will set its program apart from typical Ontario college pre-service programs. Perhaps one of the greatest differences between FESTI’s program and a typical Ontario college pre-service program is the duration: At just 22 weeks (15 weeks of pre-service fire fighting, one week of practical scenario-based testing and six weeks to complete the pre-graduate experience), FESTI’s pre-service program is filled with long, intense days.
Students are required to wear a uniform in order to understand the importance of looking respectable on the job – to their peers, their bosses, and the communities they serve, MacIntosh says. The program schedule varies from day to day. Some days include a dress inspection; some mornings include physical activity or proper ceremony drill in accordance with the fire marshal’s manual. Some days are full of classes, and some days are full of practical lessons, which represent up to 50 per cent of the program. And with a fire service on the school’s grounds, students are able to complete their placements on site.
MacIntosh believes FESTI is uniquely positioned to prepare students for a career in the fire service. “Not only do we train, but we’re connected to the fire department that actually responds [to emergencies] so we learn and live through real-life experiences,” he says. “We want to ensure that [students] have a full understanding of what
it’s like in a fire department.”
The FESTI faculty will have high expectations of the students – something that MacIntosh hopes will challenge them. “They will work 40 hours a week; they’ll have homework at night and on the weekends, but the experience is intended to prepare them to a very high level so the chiefs will want them to work in their departments,” he says. “The days are long, the expectations are high, but I think the results will be very, very good.”
MacIntosh says the program will provide students with the education, training, background and history that will equip them with the qualifications to meet a fire chief’s expectations when entering the workforce.
“I’m a chief that hires people; I hire people all the time. What is it that I’m looking for when I’m hiring somebody? And what I’m looking at would be the expectation, I would think, of most chiefs,” MacIntosh says. “Therefore, we’re trying to prepare those students to meet those expectations.”
An intense application process allows FESTI to offer such an exclusive program. Students can apply through FESTI’s website (www.festi.ca) or by telephone, and applicants must meet minimum requirements outlined by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office and the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (all available on FESTI’s website). Applicants must complete an academic test, a physical test and an interview. The top 20 applicants will be admitted to each class.
“That’s different than other programs too – we’re only taking 20 so we can maximize the time that each student will have during practical evolutions. We do not want to set these students up for a fall,” MacIntosh says. “Our goal is to run three programs a year with 20 students per program – we’re not about quantity, we’re about quality.”
The short duration of the program doesn’t
affect the qualifications graduates will receive upon completion of the program.
“[Students] do not have to take general education [classes], but in the end, they’ll receive the same certifications,” MacIntosh says.
Those certifications are ProBoard (accreditation from the national board for fire-service professional qualifications), the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s certification once students become employed in Ontario. The certifications are the same as those that students in a 12-month program would receive. Students will also take the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) at the end of the program, ensuring they have the physical ability needed to complete tasks as a firefighter.
At $13,915.95 plus HST, the program is costly. However, all materials – books, firefighting gear, graduation ceremony and uniforms (save for the boots) – are included.
The program’s first group of students begins classes Jan. 30 and is set to finish mid-June. MacIntosh feels a graduation ceremony is an important opportunity for the students to share their accomplishments with their families.
“We want to have a graduation ceremony that brings together both the students and their families so that the families can experience what the students – their sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, etc., went through. I think it’s a big deal.
“These students are going to work hard; we’re not going to just allow them to float through the course; they have to work to achieve it,” MacIntosh says. “But again, when you look at it, that’s what a chief expects –whether they’re male or female, somebody who is hard-working, dedicated, committed to helping people, committed to the community . . . that’s what we’re going to try to instil in these people during this program.”
Education and Training.
ALGONQUIN COLLEGE
Contact: Randy Foster, Coordinator 1385 Woodroffe Ave., Ottawa, ON K2G 1V8
Tel: 613-727-4723 Ext. 5053
E-mail: fosterr@algonquincollege.com
Website: www.algonquincollege.com
Courses: The Pre-service Firefighter Education and Training certificate progam provides a theoretical/lab basis for entry to the career of firefighter. Students develop a sound understanding of fire science principles, practices of fire prevention, suppression, rescue, emergency patient care, and community service. Students can practice their knowledge and skills in a pregraduate experience in level 3 of the program.
Contact: Judy Kolesar, Ron McRae Box 8500, 2700 College Way, Cranbrook, BC V1C 5L7
Tel: 250-489-2751 Ext. 3216
E-mail: kolesar@cotr.bc.ca
Website: www.cotr.bc.ca
Courses: Firefighter I and II; Hazmat Awareness; Operations; Airbrakes; Class 3 Driver; EVO; Vehicle Rescue Technician; BC Medical First Responder Level 3; EMR; Fire Suppression S100, S185 and S215; Basic Chainsaw; Incident Command Systems 100 & 200; Industrial Firefighter; Confined Space Rescue Technician.
COLUMBIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
PO Box 3110, 25326 Canal Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561
Tel: 251-981-3771 or Toll Free: 1-800-977-8449 Ext. 149 Website: www.columbiasouthern.edu
DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
Contact: Gwen Doary
Dalhousie University, College of Continuing Education, Fire Management Education Programs, 2201-1459 LeMarchant St., PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2
Tel: 902-494-8838
E-mail: gwen.doary@dal.ca
Website: www.continuinged.dal.ca
Courses: A total of 16, on the following subjects: Fire Suppression Management, Fire Prevention Management, Strategic Planning, Municipal Government and Service Delivery, Fire Service Law, Municipal Finance, Program Evaluation and Statistics, EMS Management and the Fire Department, Disaster Management and the Fire Department, Personnel Management in the Fire Service, Fire Strategic Planning, Organizational Behaviour, Station Officer: Dealing with People, Station Officer: Dealing with New Operations, the Environment of the Fire Station.
DURHAM COLLEGE
Fire and Emergency Services
Contact: Robert Brandon, Program Coordinator; Stephanie Ball, Dean 2000 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4
Tel: 905-721-2000 Ext. 3070
E-mail: Robert.brandon@durhamcollege.ca; Stephanie.ball@durhamcollege.ca
Program: Firefighter – Pre-service,
Courses: Patient Care, Fire Behaviour & Fire Ground Operations, Fire Prevention & Public Education, Fire Fitness Management, Fire Ground Practical.
Contact: Chelsey Reid, Director of ESA, EMT, FF; Linda Reid, Finance Manager ESA; Kim Lee, Administrative Assistant ESA. 2nd Floor, 161 Broadway Blvd., Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2A8
Tel: 780-416-8822
E-mail: esacanada@shawbiz.ca
Website: www.esacanada.com
Courses: Fire training including NFPA 1001 (Levels I & II), and accessory courses in Rope and Ice Rescue; EMS training including EMC, EMT/ACP, refresher courses and ACP exam prep. ESA is a private vocational school located in Sherwood Park, AB (close to Edmonton). Fire and emergency medical training provided by career professionals.
Contact: Registration Office PO Box 6031, 2025 Courtneypark Dr., Toronto AMF, ON L5P 1B2
Tel: 416-776-5997
E-mail: festi@gtaa.com
Website: www.festi.ca
Courses: We are pleased to offer the PreService Firefighting Training program. The faculty instructing the program are NFPA certified Fire Service Instructors, OFM Trainer Facilitators and active firefighters who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the classroom and field training. The program combines theoretical firefighting knowledge with considerable practical skills development, including Firefighter Emergency Patient Care, Fire Behaviour, Fire Ground Operations, Environmental Protection & Rescue Operations, Hazardous Materials and Fire Prevention in the Community.
GEORGIAN COLLEGE
Contact: Bob Pollard, Coordinator 1 Georgian Dr., Barrie, ON L4M 3X9
Tel: 705-728-1968
E-mail: bpollard@georgianc.on.ca
Website: www.georgianc.on.ca
Courses: Fire and Emergency Services, Pre-Fire Planning, Emergency Operations, 1,2,3; Emergency First Responder; Rescue and Hazardous Materials Awareness; Communications and Relationships; Practical Fire Training 1, 2; Work Place Communications.
HOLLAND COLLEGE
Contact: Sue Norquay
140 Weymouth St., Charlottetown, PE C1A 4Z1
Tel: 902-566-9502 or Toll Free: 1-866-299-3111
E-mail: info@hollandc.pe.ca
Website: www.hollandc.pe.ca
Courses: Paramedicine – Primary Care Paramedicine and Advanced Care Paramedicine (CMA accredited).
HUMBER COLLEGE
205 Humber College Blvd., Etobicoke, ON M9W 5L7
Tel: 416-675-6622 Ext. 4694
Website: www.humberc.on.ca
Courses: Pre-service Firefighter Education and Training as well as Advanced Specialized Rescue Training, on weekends.
JIBC, FIRE AND SAFETY DIVISION
Contact: Jessica DeVreeze 715 McBride Blvd., New Westminster, BC V3L 5T4
Tel: 604-528-5531 or Toll Free: 1-877-528-5591
E-mail: fire@jibc.ca
Website: www.jibc.ca/fire
Courses: JIBC is Canada’s leading public safety educator. JIBC’s Fire & Safety Division offers a comprehensive range of education and training designed to meet the needs of the fire service, public and private sector and a broad international market. The Fire & Safety Division also offers Canada’s only Bachelor of Fire & Safety Studies, and is the only public post-secondary institute in Canada that is fully accredited to Fire Officer I - IV.
JIBC educational experiences are enhanced by an impressive range of facilities, training resources, simulations and E-learning. For more information visit www.jibc.ca/fire
LAKELAND COLLEGE EMERGENCY TRAINING CENTRE
Contact: Denis Cunninghame 5704 College Drive, Vermilion, AB T9X 1K4
Tel: 1-800-661-6490
E-mail: infofire@lakelandcollege.ca
Website: www.lc-etc.ca
Courses: A multi-dimensional emergency services training centre specializing in fire service, emergency medical services, incident command and emergency preparedness training.
LAMBTON COLLEGE FIRE AND PUBLIC SAFETY CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Contact: Sandra Morrison 1457 London Rd., Sarnia, ON N7S 6K4
Tel: 1-800-791-7887 Ext. 21 or 519-336-4552 Ext. 21
E-mail: Sandra@lambtoncollege.ca Website: www.lambtoncollege.ca/FPSCE
Courses: Lambton College’s on-site Fire and Public Safety Centre of Excellence recently underwent an approximate $10 million upgrade. This facility will not only benefit post-secondary students, but also local, national and international industrial and commercial clients who rely on Lambton College for their emergency response training solutions and programs. Take advantage of our 40+ years of industry leadership and allow us to customize courses specific to your needs.
MANITOBA EMERGENCY SERVICES COLLEGE
Contact: Brenda Popko 1601 Van Horne Avenue East, Brandon, MB R7A 7K2
Tel: 204-726-6855
E-mail: Brenda.popko@gov.mb.ca Website: www.firecomm.gov.mb.ca
Courses: The Manitoba Emergency Services College is a Canadian leader in firefighter, rescue, hazardous material, fire inspector, building inspector, management, paramedic and emergency services training. The Manitoba Emergency Services College (MESC) is located in Brandon, Manitoba. The Manitoba Emergency Services College takes pride in offering exceptional training opportunities contributing to the building of confident, competent firefighters, rescuers and
paramedics. Whether you are seeking a career in the emergency services or if you are currently a member of a local fire service and would like to expand your current knowledge and skills, the MESC has the training that you need.
MARINE
Contact: Office of Student Recruitment
PO Box 4920, St. John’s, NL A1C 5R3
Tel: 1-800-563-5799, Ext. 0543
E-mail: recruitment@mi.mun.ca
Website: www.mi.mun.ca
Courses: Located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Marine Institute’s Safety and Emergency Response Training (SERT) Centre delivers world-class training in: • Firefighting • High Angle Rescue • First Aid • Hazardous incident identification and response • Vehicle extrication • Confined space rescue
NOVA SCOTIA FIREFIGHTERS SCHOOL
Contact: John S. Cunningham, Executive Director 48 Powder Mill Rd., Waverley, NS B2R 1E9 Tel: 902-861-3823 Ext. 223
Toll Free: 1-866-861-3823
E-mail: nsfs@accesswave.ca
Website: www.nsfs.ns.ca
Courses: Confined Space training, Haz-Mat, Vehicle Extrication, Basic Fire Fighting, Officers training, High Angle Rescue, Driver training, Fire Safety, Health and Occupational Safety Officer and Incident Scenes Safety Officer, Rapid Intervention Techniques, Thermal Imaging Camera training, Trench Rescue, Ice Rescue, Collapse Rescue.
OFFSHORE SAFETY AND SURVIVAL CENTRE
PO Box 4920, 155 Ridge Rd., St. John’s, NL A1C 5R3
Tel: 709-834-2076 Ext. 225
Website: www.mi.mun.ca/mi/ossc
Courses: Municipal, industrial and offshore applications. More than 30 related courses and capability to tailor courses to clients’ needs.
SENECA COLLEGE
Contact: Stu Evans
1750 Finch Ave. E., Toronto, ON M2J 2X5 Tel: 416-491-5050 Ext. 2394
E-mail: stuart.evans@senecac.on.ca
Website: www.senecac.on.ca/fire
Courses: The pre-service firefighting program is a new 1-year recruit training program available both to full-time and parttime. The full-time 2-year or 3-year diploma programs are fire science-based with available option courses in firefighting.
ST. CLAIR COLLEGE OF APPLIED ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY
Contact: Dann Dancey, Co-ordinator, Public Safety Institute, Tel: 519-972-2728 Ext. 243, Fax: 519-945-0747; Greg Skomash, Paramedic Program, Tel: 519-972-2727 Ext. 4354.
3600 Rhodes Dr., Windsor, ON N8W 5A4 Tel: 519-945-4007
E-mail: ddancey@stclaircollege.ca OR gskomash@stclaircollege.ca
Website: www.stclaircollege.ca
Courses: Firefighter: Confined Space, Trans. Rescue, Fire Extinguisher Training, Search and Rescue, Security Officer Training. Paramedic Courses: Various to ensure eligibility to write the Ont. Ministry of Health’s Advanced EMCA (primary care paramedic) examination.
OUR SCHOOL ALSO HAS FIRE DRILLS. 850ºF FIRE DRILLS.
Our Pre-Service Firefighter Training Program is taught by the best firefighters of today, for the best firefighters of tomorrow. That’s why half of our firefighting course is hands-on training. The other half is the essentials you need to be the greatest. Talk to us about our intense firefighting program. www.festi.ca
By Kory Pearn
Are you serious about learning how to become a firefighter but not sure what steps to take? Here are some points to help you along the way.
Fire departments have specific requirements when hiring recruits. Most fire departments in Canada expect you to present a post-secondary fire-education certification. There are several program choices available through community colleges or specialized fire schools. Programs range in duration from 10 weeks to three years. Online courses are also available through websites such as www. trainingdivision.com, where you can complete your NFPA 1001 certification. There are advantages and disadvantages to every option, and these vary for each recruit – online training can be more flexible – so it’s important to research the programs as much as possible to ensure you make the right choice. Search the forums in www.firehall.com, visit www.becomingafirefighter.com and check out different schools that are of interest to you – most schools’ websites list requirements and program durations.
Firefighters today are trained to handle all types of emergencies, from vehicle accidents and train derailments to hazardous-materials incidents and, as always, fires. Firefighters also respond to medical-related emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes, VSA (vital signs absent), seizures, severe bleeding, delay of EMS, home accidents, drowning . . . just about any medical emergency you can think of.
Firefighters must be highly diversified to handle every type of emergency and nonemergency situation with little or no warning or preparation.
In addition to emergency response, a typical day for a firefighter includes maintenance of tools and equipment, pre-planning, community education, building inspections, personal development/training, station and apparatus maintenance and volunteering in the community.
Firefighters must be physically fit to meet the demand and strain that is applied to the body under high heat conditions and dangerous environments. Physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle are vital to firefighters: being healthy and fit improves your chances of being recruited and will help you maintain a long and healthy career as a firefighter.
A diverse learning experience is key. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, English, biology and technology courses are directly related to fire fighting, and second-language, physical education and geography courses can be beneficial too. Fire departments will also be looking at your extra-curricular activities and achievements such as sports teams, volunteering and awards.
Visiting fire halls and asking questions will give you a better understanding of what firefighters do. Find out what shifts the fire departments in your area use – some departments work 24-hour shifts; others work a rotation of 10-hour days and 14-hour nights. How many firefighters work for the city in which you live? What kind of trucks does your local department have? What types of calls does your home-town department handle? Is your local department looking for volunteers? The answers to these questions will help you better understand what you’re get-
ting into, and you may be given some great advice along the way.
Each fire department has a list of minimum requirements that recruits must meet prior to applying for a firefighting position. Check fire department websites for the minimum requirements, or call the department’s administration phone number and ask how you can obtain a list of the requirements. These minimum requirements vary; departments request that you meet certain requirements based on the types of calls to which they respond. A fire department located near water, for example, may require you to have a certain waterrescue course, and a department located on an escarpment may want you to have highangle rescue certification. Be thorough when researching the minimum requirements for the fire departments that interest you most.
The objective of a fire-department recruitment process is to determine an applicant’s aptitude for fire fighting. Recruitment processes can be complicated, or short and simple. Fire departments have the authority to establish processes to find the best applicants and set the minimum qualifications and standards they want in their recruits. Departments may use multiple evaluations to determine applicants’ ability to execute firefighting-related tasks and to function under physical exertion. Departments also do testing to determine the overall health and fitness of recruit candidates and their ability to understand written and verbal information.
Fire fighting is a challenging, yet rewarding, career. Do your research to find out if it’s the right career for you.
Kory Pearn is the author of The Complete Guide to Becoming a Firefighter and manager of Becomingafirefighter.com
Another new year is upon us. I’ve always liked this time of the year, if only for the sense of new beginning – a new page, a fresh start. But before opening this new chapter in a year that I hope leads to change, we should look at the past, both recent and distant.
Fire has always been a blessing and a curse to nature and humanity. Historically, fire has been one of society’s biggest concerns, but now there are bigger issues – terrorism, wars, environment, climate change. Ironically, the fire problems of yesteryear are not that much different than they are today. We’ve made significant strides over time and have done a good job saving countless lives though education and code enforcement. Perhaps all that has changed is the amount of money we have to mitigate such problems.
Many years ago, in some cities in England and in early America, there were stiff penalties for contraventions to fire-prevention ordinances or regulations. Before that, in Rome, some paid the ultimate price for setting fires – public execution by burning alive tied to a post.
is that there is an incredible message being spread by a credible messenger. I have to admit, I was skeptical going to hear an expolitician ramble on for what I’m sure was a significant amount of money, about a topic on which scholars worldwide have myriad opinions. Gore could practically say anything he wants and people would listen. To have that kind of influence would be incredible.
KEN SHERIDAN
Why is it that fire prevention still fights for recognition and funding?
In an effort to control the fire issue, cities employed fire wardens to patrol the streets and conduct basic inspections trying to prevent fire. It was not uncommon to have entire blocks, or even a town, consumed by a preventable fire. History has recorded many such events. Many of those notable fires in the last 300 years have shaped today’s fire codes. One such historic event was the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which burned for two days, killed hundreds and destroyed 10 square kilometres. From this incident, fire prevention week was born. More recent fires in nightclubs, theatres and highrise buildings have highlighted these issues for today’s fire service.
Why is it that fire prevention still fights for recognition and funding? Have we made any progress? Have our circumstances improved? Have we, as a society, settled into a status-quo with the eerie sound of apathy? There seems to be too many obstacles in the way of progress. We can no longer tolerate a society that has not yet aggressively attacked its fire-prevention problem.
A few months ago I had the privilege of hearing former United States vice-president Al Gore speak. Mr. Gore is, among other things, chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit organization focused on solutions to the climate crisis. He is an amazing speaker and offers a compelling presentation about what he believes to be a critical global situation. He seems totally dedicated to getting his message out and to educating citizens around the world about what he refers to an imminent predicament.
The fact is that data indicate changes in temperatures around the world, which is having an effect on everything from polar ice to rainforest eco systems. Whether you subscribe to any of the theories surrounding global climate change is not the point. The point
I would never have gone had a friend not offered me a free ticket. But I’m sure glad I did. Mr. Gore got my attention in a fashion that was non-offensive and extremely passionate. I found myself standing at the conclusion of his speech with everyone else in the 5,000-seat room, for no other reason than the quality of the content and the delivery of the speech.
My conclusion to all these observations can be summed up in a quote by Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” So, I’m not sure if we are insane or just haven’t figured out how to get a different result yet – results that would mean all members of fire service embrace fire prevention and public education. I’m speaking in a general way and not just to a single group within our profession; it just seems we are not where would should be. But everyone –from politicians to the fire service – has to take responsibility for coming up with a better plan for fire prevention and public education.
To our own defence, politics plays an enormous part in all of this. Elected officials whether provincial (territorial) or municipal, tend to get in the way of what we see as clearly visible, and they present ways to cloud things and issues that were very clear to us from the beginning. Some might say that’s a good thing because it helps to keep spending in balance. But that shouldn’t happen at the expense of doing the right thing. If doing what ought to be done does not get funding, we have to convince the decision makers that our cause is their safety.
Waiting for incidents of mass casualties is not the answer. It has been proven that what is happening is not working and not enough is being done. Financial resources will help, but attitude is the real fix to this problem. There is plenty of money, but the deficiency is where it’s being spent.
At the end of his presentation, Mr. Gore said – perhaps tongue in cheek – that one of the things that holds society back from aggressive intervention on the climate issue is politicians, but they too are a renewable resource. I agree.
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 John Snider
The delivery of fire-service training and ongoing education hasn’t changed much in more than 20 years. Competency-based training has been the standard in Canada’s pre-service programs and in fire departments. But new training strategies that consider the way young adults process information can better prepare trainees and potential recruits so they are ready to enter the fire service, and so that fire chiefs will want to hire them.
The NFPA first developed professional qualifications in 1973 and the first edition of NFPA 1001 was published in 1974. In 1980, this standard was updated to include job performance requirements (JPRs) that recognized the independent skills required to be a firefighter. The easiest and most straightforward instructional methods take the JPRs and translate them into signoffs based on the trainee’s competency of these skills. Individual skill sign-offs address a limited scope and do not address the need to train well-rounded, critically thinking firefighters who have the ability to multi-task with minimal supervision on the fire ground.
Firefighters need to have the ability to integrate the various JPRs or skills into a task that needs to be performed on the fire ground. Just because a firefighter can fully don SCBA in 60 seconds does not mean he can perform the skill effectively when combining it with a number of other skills on the fire ground.
“The inability to integrate the individual skills into tasks is probably the most frustrating aspect to me,” says Geoff Hoar, a captain with Caledon Fire and Emergency Services in Ontario. “Just because the firefighter demonstrated the ability to do skill X does not translate into the firefighter being able to complete an assigned task.”
Competency-based training is a reasonable approach to developing the individual skills required to be a firefighter, but it is not a progressive instructional method. More effective instructional strategies have been developed that allow the training to better integrate the multitude of skills that
Advancing a hoseline into a burning building is a fire-ground task that can be used to demonstrate effective task-centred instruction.
need to be combined on the fire ground, and to provide this training using methods and strategies that are well suited to adult learners. As firefighter training progresses, these skills become integrated in future training and/or real emergency calls. Why not start the training with full integration rather than combining these skills later?
The trend in hiring practices seems to be gradually shifting toward pre-service education prior to being hired. This is more aligned with other public emergency services such as paramedicine, policing and nurs-
ing. Municipal administrators recognize the potential cost savings involved. Changes in fire-service training have not kept up with this new hiring model, which results in more diversity in the educational and work experience of recruit firefighters.
Jeannette Miller, a professor at Toronto’s Seneca College in the pre-service firefighter program, notes, “There is a definite difference between students that have no handson experience and little or no mechanical aptitude, versus candidates that have come from a trades background.”
Gone are the days when all recruits had a trade (auto mechanics, carpentry) when they joined the fire service, and yet the approaches used to train this new, diverse generation of firefighters has not significantly changed.
Research shows that adults and children learn very differently. Adults can benefit from applying their existing life experiences to achieve their learning goals. Presenting the material in a holistic
manner (whole-picture) allows adult learners to visualize the entire task and use their past experiences while developing the skills necessary to complete the task. Learning becomes much more efficient when the adult students can assimilate their past experiences and knowledge with the new firefighting material.
There are a number of other suitable instructional strategies that could be integrated into firefighter training. Task-centred instructional strategy is an approach well suited to adult learning and uses the holistic approach. This instructional strategy can be easily adapted to firefighter training models.
The task-centred instruction strategy starts with an outline of the entire task and then breaks it down into a series of progress microtasks, or skills, that build on each other. As each micro-task is introduced, and the learners progress to mastery of that skill, some teaching techniques such as diminished coaching (slowly reducing the amount of instruction) can be introduced for that particular skill. As new micro-tasks are added, the learner has an opportunity to reproduce the previously learned skills as part of a larger picture. This method allows the learner to continually work toward mastering each skill while at the same time gaining an understanding of how that skill fits into the larger task and fire-ground operations. Task-centred learning gives the learner the ability to fully integrate each skill and recognize from the beginning where each piece of the puzzle fits into the overall picture.
Another benefit of this instructional strategy is the development of critically thinking firefighters. Fighting a fire is a dynamic experience and using task-centred learning develops a series of skills that firefighters can pull from their toolbox, depending on the needs of the emergency scene. Competency-based training may give the firefighter all of the individual skills but it does not effectively integrate them into a whole task that may be required at an emergency.
The fire-ground task of advancing a hoseline into a burning building can be used to show how task-centred instruction can be used effectively. Below is a simplified list of skills that a recruit needs to complete for this task:
• donning PPE
• donning SCBA
• size-up
• deploying preconnects
• entry/accountability
• forcible entry
• advancing hoselines
In addition to these hard-task requirements, learners are also required to integrate softer, overlying skills, such as safety considerations (building construction, seatbelts and handling tools), radio use and incident management systems.
Some of these skills are individual skills, some are team-based and most of them are actually completed in a concurrent fashion on the fire ground. Together they form an important progressive task on the fire ground.
In a task-centred approach, learners are given a full demonstration of the task from start to finish. This holistic approach gives the adult learners a clear understanding of where they are headed and, at the same time, shows them the importance of the combination of skills they need to master to get there.
Once demonstrated, the task is broken down into a series of skills, in this example starting with donning of PPE. Once the learners develop a basic competence, they are introduced to the next step (SCBA donning) as a continuation of and integration with donning PPE. Each step in the progression has some knowledge components that can be introduced, along with the practical components to complete the delivery of material.
As skills are developed, the levels of instruction and supervision required for the previous tasks start to diminish as the learners’ abilities improve; academically, this is called a scaffolding approach. This allows instructors to focus on presenting and developing the new skill sets efficiently and in a timely manner while allowing for the repetition of previous skills as part of the process.
“When skills (for example, donning PPE and SCBA) are sequentially integrated into a larger fire-ground tasks, the repeated practice allows the student the opportunity to master these individual skills,” says Hoar.
Once learners develop all of the skills and knowledge required for this task, they have an assortment of tools or skills in their toolbox and the ability to fully integrate them.
The fire service faces two distinct challenges in educating young firefighters: meeting the needs of the young adult learners to provide an efficient and effective learning environment; and updating instructional strategies to better prepare these young firefighters for a career that includes continuing education.
These are not easy challenges to address and it will not be a quick fix, but the fire service needs to recognize the benefits of various learning methods and commit to diversifying the adult education methods used.
It’s time to break the motto “100 years of tradition, unimpeded by progress.” In the new world of fire fighting, with its constant battle of understaffed vehicles and multitasking firefighters, the use of task-based learning is well suited to meet the needs of today’s firefighters.
John Snider has more than 20 years’ experience in the fire service, originally as a volunteer firefighter in Tottenham, Ont., and then as a full-time firefighter for Toronto Fire Services. He has been shift-training instructor for the TFS for 14 years and has been a professor in the pre-service program at Seneca College for 10 years. John has a bachelor of science (Human Kinetics) from the University of Guelph and is finishing a bachelor of education (adult education) at Brock University. He can be reached at john.snider@rogers.com
By Tim Llewellyn
Many fire departments encounter a problem after the call is over – while firefighters are taking up the hose. All too often, in the volunteer ranks or in departments with low call volumes, the fire hose isn’t used regularly. As a result, it takes a long time to break in the hose, and after it is used, it either remains filled with air or it keeps its filled shape, even though it has been drained and is empty. Then, when the firefighters are repacking, they experience what looks like a poorly packed hose bed, or pre-connected handlines that resemble balloon animals squished into the crosslay trays.
A solution to the problem for 38-millimetre (1.5-inch) to 77-millimetre (threeinch) hose is simply to roll the hose prior to repacking it. This will force all of the air and water out of the hose and allow it to be re-shaped and flattened before it is repacked (see photo 1). Rolling the hose prior to repacking has a few benefits. No. 1: it requires fewer firefighters to repack the hose – only one firefighter is needed to stand the hose roll on its end on the ground and unroll it as it is repacked (instead of a line of firefighters holding the hose off the ground and walking toward the truck as it is replaced). No. 2: the hose will be carried back to the apparatus rather than dragged. This will save the couplings and hose jacket from premature wear and tear. No. 3: rolled hose takes less space to repack than flat-laid hose. Hose can be repacked in a narrow lane or in the apparatus bay, out of the weather.
For large-diameter hose (100 to 125 millimetres, or four to five inches) that won’t lie flat when drained, it isn’t really practical to roll and unroll the hose at the apparatus due to its weight. Lifting and moving rolls of large-diameter hose is strenuous and can cause overexertion injuries. Although ideal, portable hose rollers/reloaders are often expensive and take up considerable compartment space. A simple solution to help prevent air-filled, large-diameter hose is to use the handle of an axe or Halligan to drain the hose. For this operation to work properly, three firefighters are needed and all the sections of the large-diameter hose must be un-
coupled and laid straight (see photo 2). One firefighter should lift a coupling end of the large-diameter hose and fold the coupling over, creating an airtight bite in the hose. The other two firefighters should stand side-byside with the tool’s handle between them at waist height, facing away from the other firefighter. The hose should drape over the handle. The two firefighters should then walk the length of the hose, with the tool handle forcing all the air and water out of the hose as they go – leaving a vacuum-flattened hose behind them. As they arrive at the opposite end of the hose, and just after the last bits of water and air are forced out, they should create another bite in the hose by folding the
Above: To flatten large-diameter hose, three firefighters are needed and all the sections of hose must be uncoupled and laid straight. Left: Rolling the hose before repacking it forces out the air so the hose will lie flat.
coupling end over. A key point to remember is that in order to keep the hose vacuumflattened, the airtight bites need to remain in place throughout the hose repacking process until the hose is connected to another section or is lying flat in the hose bed.
These two simple tips can be used over and over again to ensure that your apparatus hose beds look neat and orderly, to avoid ballooning, and, most importantly, to deploy the hose correctly and easily when needed.
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 suppressionlevel instrutor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy. He has taught structural firefighting tactics extensively in Canada and the U.S. E-mail him at llewellyn.fire@gmail.com
Offering: A 2 course certificate in incident command for experienced incident commanders. Please contact our office for more information.
Are you looking to take on more responsibility in your Department? Trying to round out your technical ability with leadership skills? Preparing to advance your career?
At Dalhousie University we offer a three course program, the “Certificate in Fire Service Leadership” to career and volunteer fire officers. The 3 courses Station Officer: Dealing with People, Station Officer: Dealing with New Operations and The Environment of the Fire Station are all offered in each of our 3 terms, September, January and April. The program can be completed in one year. For more information and a program brochure please contact:
Gwen Doary, Program Manager
Dalhousie University Fire Management Certificate Programs
2201-1459 LeMarchant Street, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 4R2
Tel: (902) 494-8838 • Toll Free: (800) 565-8867
Fax: (902) 494-3662 • E-mail: Gwen.Doary@Dal.Ca
You will also find the information in our brochures or at the following internet address: Web site: www.continuinged.dal.ca
As members of the fire service, I think we can all agree that one of the finest aspects of our profession is the camaraderie and unity we share as a brotherhood/sisterhood. We spend one-third of our lives together in our fire houses, away from our homes, families and friends. Inevitably, when most people are off work, at some point in our careers, we will be required to work during holiday seasons. It’s not just major marked holidays – our call of duty often disrupts life’s other celebrations. We make the best of every situation, and we do this by honouring the importance of life’s occasions by celebrating them together in our fire halls. If we cannot be with family and friends for holidays and special occasions, we can rely on our fire-hall families to help celebrate the important days in our lives. Bringing your crew together in the kitchen to create a special occasion firehall feast can often satisfy the possible unease of being away from home. Festive Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, Easter brunches, themed holiday menus, or your favourite birthday spread will bring a sense of home to you and your fire-hall family.
Last year, my platoon was scheduled to work on Super Bowl Sunday. This is definitely a day in the calendar year that most people spend enjoying the game with family, friends and neighbours. Our game plan at Waterloo Fire Rescue was to have a super-sized potluck dinner celebration. Each member of the platoon brought a favourite dish to the table. The menu ranged from items as simple (and hilarious) as a potato chip salad, to the classic homemade mac and cheese, to the other end of the gourmet spectrum with a lobster and jalapeno dip and Jamaican-jerked baby back ribs. The result was a fire house full of satisfied, elated firefighters who still got to enjoy the grandeur of Super Bowl Sunday. Good food and good friends – it’s the classic recipe for a perfect family celebration, and despite being at work, our firefighters all got to experience that. Having everyone prepare a dish also brought laughs, a little friendly competition, and the all-important unity that is so important in our line of work.
The recipes I’ve included are Super Bowl party-inspired, and would be a great addition to any Super Sunday, regardless of which family you are spending it with.
Patrick Mathieu is an 11-year veteran of Waterloo Fire Rescue. 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
Ingredients:
• 4 tbsp butter
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 cups quality chicken stock
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
Directions:
BY PATRICK MATHIEU
• 5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups peaches and cream corn, frozen
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
• 1 bottle Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 12 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
1. Heat two tablespoons of the butter and one tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, eight to 10 minutes.
2. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the chicken stock, stir well, and bring to a boil.
3. Add the potatoes, and reduce heat to medium/low so soup is simmering.
4. Simmer until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place chicken pieces on a cookie sheet and rub with extra-virgin olive oil. Season liberally with fresh ground pepper and sea salt.
6. Place in heated oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. When finished, remove chicken and tent loosely with foil for 10 minutes, allowing the chicken to cool.
7. Heat a large sauté pan containing two tablespoons of butter, and sauté garlic until soft and fragrant, about two minutes. Add the bottle of Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce to the pan and simmer.
8. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin, and pull chicken from the bone. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and add it to the sauté pan. Toss to make sure the chicken is well coated with the sauce. Add the chicken and sauce to the soup pot.
9. Add the corn kernels and cream to the soup pot. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, and the cream heated through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
10. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and crumbled blue cheese. Enjoy!
(serves 10)
Brisket
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• 2 tbsp dry mustard
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• 4 lbs beef brisket, trimmed
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
2. Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for one hour.
3. Add beef stock and liquid smoke. Lower oven to 275 F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for four hours, or until fork-tender. Remove and allow resting for 30 minutes. Slice into one-inch slices against the grain, and then cube into bite-sized pieces.
To finish the chili:
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 jalapenos, minced (about 2 tbsp)
• 2 onions, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 head garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 lbs Johnsonville Brats meat, removed from casing
• 2 tsp granulated onion
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
Directions:
1. In large stock pot over medium heat add olive oil.
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp hot paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 28-oz cans diced tomato – with juice
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 4 cups quality beef stock
• 2 (15.5-oz) cans black beans, drained
• 2 (15.5-oz) cans kidney beans, drained
2. Add celery, carrot, jalapeno and onion, and cook until caramelized, about five minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer.
3. Add brat meat and cook until nicely browned and fully cooked through, about seven to 10 minutes.
4. Add brisket, diced tomatoes with their juice and tomato paste; stir well to combine. Cook for 5 minutes to allow flavours to marry.
5. Stir in beef stock and the beans and bring to a gentle boil.
6. Add in granulated onions and garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and pepper and cook for one minute.
7. Lower heat and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.
8. Garnish with your favourite cheese and chopped green onion. Enjoy!
Quickly extinguishing a fire in any residential structure greatly improves fire-ground conditions for everyone; search operations occur at a faster rate, property damage is minimized, and the risk to firefighters and occupants is greatly diminished.
Editor’s note:
Robert Krause has been a speaker at FDIC Atlantic in Wolfville, N.S., for the last couple of years. His classes are always filled to capacity and his enthusiastic teaching style and passion for fire fighting led us to invite him to produce a magazine series on fire attack. Parts 2 and 3 will run in April and July.
By Robert Krause
One of the most exciting aspects of being a firefighter is being first in on the hoseline fighting a fire.
I want to address some basic tenets of fire attack. Fire fighting is a dangerous occupation – just look at the statistics that discuss firefighter injuries and deaths – so it is important that we address fire attack with the safety of the firefighter in mind.
The available staffing at any structure fire will have a definite impact on how many tasks can be completed simultaneously. Incident commanders must assess the risk associated with each task they assign to their limited number of firefighters.
The incident commander and the firefighters must rapidly asses the fire ground and the changing dynamics within the structure as they approach the building that is on fire. While the incident commander is responsible for the overall safety of each firefighter on the fire ground, individual firefighters must accept some responsibility for their safety and welfare. Each firefighter must wear the proper protective clothing, which includes properly fitting structural firefighting coat, pants and boots, and an appropriate helmet, hood and gloves. Additionally, each firefighter entering or working in proximity to a smoke-filled area must use a self-contained breathing apparatus.
This protective ensemble that firefighters wear allows us to penetrate deeper into
structures that are on fire, and with this comes increased danger. Therefore, it is imperative that all firefighter look out for themselves and their fellow firefighters as they began a fire attack.
As we begin discussing fire attack we must address the staffing of the fire apparatus. I have several opportunities to talk with my Canadian firefighting brethren at the annual FDIC conference in Wolfville, N.S. The most common response I have received when asking about staffing on fire apparatus has been three firefighters. So it is with that premise of three firefighters that I continue this discussion.
The first-arriving fire company at any residential structure must complete many tasks. The incident commander must assess
how the fire should be attacked. The assessment includes the potential victims within a structure, exposures, and the amount of fire. The initial attack line should be determined by the number of available firefighters and the volume of fire showing. A word of caution here: do not be lulled into thinking that just because there is not a large amount of visible fire that there isn’t more fire deeper within the structure. Limited staffing will certainly have an impact on the size of attack line that can be pulled.
For most residential structure fires, a 45-millimetre (1.5 inch) hand-line flowing between 125 IGPM and 140 IGPM makes an effective fire attack. Achieving that volume of water flow for a fire attack can be easily done with a limited number of firefighters. This high volume of water can be achieved by using a 45-millimetre attack line with a 24-millimetre smoothbore nozzle.
Using smoothbore nozzles in a residential fire attack has many benefits:
• Delivery of 125 IGPM to 140 IGPM by a single firefighter with relative ease.
• Decrease in steam production because of the compact, solid stream (this decrease in steam production prevents steam burns to the firefighter and any potential victims in the area, and it increase visibility to aid search efforts).
• A smoothbore nozzle produces less nozzle reaction (push back) than a fog nozzle flowing similar quantity of water. A fog nozzle flowing 125 IPGM will have about 27 kilograms of nozzle reaction. Therefore, a firefighter using a smoothbore nozzle will have significant fire knock-down capability while at not having to work as hard to advance the nozzle.
• Smoothbore nozzles are less likely than fog nozzles to become obstructed with debris or ice that can be found in attack lines.
A sustained water supply is certainly important in any fire attack. Many North American departments have fire apparatuses that carry at least 415 imperial gallons in the on-board tank. For an aggressive interior fire attack to be successful, a sustainable water supply is important; therefore, incident commanders must think about how they will secure that sustainable water supply, whether by connecting to a local hydrant system or setting up
for dump tanks and water shuttles early in their fire-ground strategy.
Let’s discuss the role of the incident commander. The importance of a strong and focused incident commander cannot be understated. Incident commanders who are not calm, focused and clear in their communication to arriving fire companies set the stage for a disorganized and ineffective fire attack, thereby increasing the risk to responding firefighters.
Equally dangerous are incident commanders who are incapable of making decisions. Responding fire crews expect the incident commander to give them assignments upon their arrival. If you are an ineffective incident commander, please find another line of work, or do us all a favour and stay home. I want to encourage each of you who is an incident commander or aspires to be an incident commander to practise the skills needed to be effective. Look at the buildings in your communities and play the game I call What If? Go out into your communities with your apparatus, pick a building, and ask your crews, “What if fire were coming out of that window? How would we fight this fire?” This is an excellent training exercise.
When I was a company officer I would take my crews to buildings that I thought would pose significant challenges if they caught fire and play the What If? game. We would discuss water supply, hoseline selection, hose length, how we would begin our search for potential victims, and lastly, how we would self-rescue if we got into trouble. This form of planning is invaluable, and I strongly recommend it.
I can tell you that this type of exercise works. Just six months after my crew and I pre-planned a building in this fashion, we had a serious working fire break out at 2 a.m. It was a two-storey, wood-frame structure with a well-developed fire on the second floor. My crew and I were able to quickly stretch the initial attack line and extinguish a large fire very quickly.
Quickly extinguishing a fire in any residential structure greatly improves fireground conditions for everyone; search operations occur at a faster rate, property damage is minimized, and the risk to firefighters and occupants is greatly diminished.
Many of you have been told during your training that life safety and rescue is the priority in all fire-ground activities. However, limited staffing can have an impact on the order in which fire attack, search and rescue and ventilation are completed.
Consider the following: Your fire company is dispatched to a residential structure fire. En route, the dispatcher confirms a working fire and there are reports of an elderly woman trapped on the second floor. The apparatus is staffed with three firefighters: the driver, an officer and a firefighter.
Upon arrival you see a two-storey, wood-frame house with moderate smoke conditions showing from side Charlie on the first floor. Bystanders out front report that they just saw the occupant at a window on the second floor, directly above the fire. The next apparatus will arrive in four minutes. Which fire-ground task will you complete first? Attempt a rescue of the trapped woman, or attack the fire?
Attempting a rescue of the trapped woman before making an attack on the fire will place the firefighter and the victim in grave danger. Remember, you have limited staffing, and a fire that is allowed to grow will continue to produce products of combustion, heat and smoke conditions. The growing fire and smoke increases the risk to the firefighter of being cut off from their escape routes. It also hampers visibility in the search for the victim and can lead to both the firefighter and the victim becoming casualties.
When confronted with this type of scenario with limited staffing, I recommend an aggressive attack to extinguish the fire and hydraulic ventilation. This will quickly improve interior conditions, which will aid in the search and rescue of any potential victims. Later arriving crews can be assigned search and -rescue and additional ventilation. Failing to initially extinguish the fire can have disastrous results.
I cannot overemphasize the need for continuous training and practice as it relates to fire suppression. The risks are too high, and fire consumes those who are unprepared.
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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We’re lost, aren’t we Frank.”
Frank peered through the trees, then studied his compass. The needle wobbled uncertainly. “I think it’s this way,” he said, heading off in a slightly different direction.
A compass was the navigational tool of choice in the days before GPS units, but on that December afternoon in 1978, minerals from an old mining claim had caused the magnetic devices to act like a drunk on New Year’s Eve. Even a rookie like me realized we were walking in circles when we stumbled upon fresh snowshoe tracks in this uninhabited wilderness. The sun and the temperature were both sinking, and we were miles from our destination. Not good.
I believe that every firefighter enters the service equipped with a moral compass. Career or volunteer, young or old, we know – at least we think we know – what is right and wrong. I also believe that every firefighter will face situations in which his or her compass needle will wobble like a drunk on New Year’s Eve. It’s true – our instinctive care for our communities and loyalty to the job have historically navigated us through a wilderness of black and white choices, but we also face a wasteland of misty-grey issues that are not so clear-cut, and that can skew even the noblest perception of right and wrong.
TIM BEEBE
Good policy will reduce, not eliminate, the need for crews to make hard choices.
For example, Upsala is surrounded by unincorporated territory not served by any fire department – no-man’s land, as we call it. In the days when we ran solely on donations and goodwill, we responded to fires in these areas because we considered the residents to be our neighbours. It was the right thing to do. With the establishment of the Upsala Local Services Board, we gained the ability to collect taxes, but this new revenue source came with a boundary. People on the inside paid an annual tax for service, but those outside didn’t. Houses in no-man’s land still caught fire after the switch . . . and their owners still called us to put them out. Our moral compasses continued to direct us to help our neighbours, but we had wandered into unfamiliar territory where other forces were at work. What would happen if a taxpayer’s house caught fire while we were on a response in no-man’s land?
A Tennessee department made national headlines for its choice in a similar dilemma in the fall of 2010. Their particular system, which required residents to pay an annual fee for service, worked fine until a non-paying family’s house caught fire. The department refused to put it out, causing a storm of controversy, name-calling, and even threats. The flurry of opinions generated by the incident showed that right and wrong, much like beauty, are in the eyes of the beholders. The incident highlighted the uncomfortable, and even unfair, pressures that firefighters face when policy goes against what is expected by the public.
A fire department in California gained notoriety last spring when it stood by while a man drowned himself in San Francisco
Bay. The chief defended the decision saying that, due to budget cuts, his crews did not have the proper training or equipment to act. Once again, firefighters were forced into a position in which, depending on your point of view, there was arguably more than one right and one wrong. It’s right for firefighters to protect citizens. It’s wrong for the public to expect them to enter any hostile environment, including a shallow bay, without proper training and equipment. It’s right for firefighters to stay within their training. Some viewed it as wrong that they didn’t abandon a flawed policy when they had an opportunity to save a life. Not all debatable responses have sad endings. An Ohio firefighter entered a burning building alone last summer while his partner set up an attack line. I am sure the firefighters knew their policies about fire-ground staffing and RIT, but if they had waited for more resources to arrive, the two trapped occupants might have perished. The firefighters made the rescue, and were rightfully hailed as heroes. If they had been injured or killed, on the other hand, the armchair quarterbacks would have torn their choices to shreds. We don’t have a crystal ball to foresee the end result in dire situations, but we will always be judged by the end result after the dust settles. Good policy will reduce, not eliminate, the need for crews to make hard choices. Policy makers orbit around liability, with consideration for the nebula of right and the black hole of wrong. Firefighters gravitate toward the choice that looks right in spite of the black hole of policy. Both viewpoints are dangerous in isolation of each other. I recall a conversation many years ago in which I was cautioned against relying on moral reasoning to justify a course of action. Logistics and circumstances were more reliable gauges, I was told. I didn’t like the advice then, and I’m not sure that I do now. I have come to realize that sole reliance on my opinion of right versus wrong, as perceived in the moment of crisis, is like trusting a compass in a room full of magnets.
The magnetic north hadn’t moved on that December afternoon more than 30 years ago. We were lost because our perception of its location had changed. Through a combination of perseverance, intuition and luck, we managed to find our way back to the cabin, but we learned the hard way that our compasses were only as good as the outside forces that influenced them. Similarly, perseverance, intuition, and – I hate to admit – luck, have saved us in the fire service as well, and I’d like to say that if we couple them with sound policy, we’ll come out right in the end. I fear, however, that the forces of civil liability and the perception of entitlement will continue to influence our moral bearings. In the absence of a crystal ball, we need the invention of a moral GPS.
Tim Beebe is the fire chief in Upsala, Ont. Contact him at upsalafd@ tbaytel.net and check out his blog at www.beebewitzblog.blogspot.com
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