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’ve been editing this magazine for almost eight years. When I started in April 2007, I read mountains of material about fire and fire fighting and technology. Back then, there was talk of new, lightweight construction materials – floor joists and roof trusses that burn faster and collapse more quickly than legacy-style construction.
It’s 2015, and we’re still talking about new, lightweight construction; it’s not new now, and it wasn’t new eight years ago – it has been around for two decades. We’ve all seen the side-by-side new-versus-legacy sprinkler demonstrations and we all know that homes burn faster now than ever, because of construction materials and techniques and more combustible contents.
So why, then, are we stuck in a teaching time warp?
Change begets change, or it should, although it’s tricky when that blessed we’ve-always-done-it-this-way mentality creeps in. Yes, I know – in the end the wet stuff goes on the red stuff. But how firefighters do that to be safe and effective has to change as materials and building trends change.
Did any of you grow up in 3,600-square-foot homes with vaulted ceilings, massive windows and open-concept main floors? Didn’t think so. That style of home is normal in subdivisions across Canada now (and has been for years), yet some fire departments have failed to alter their techniques to suit the flow paths and other challenges created during fires in these types of structures.
As Ian Bolton writes in his story on page 8, adjusting ventilation techniques to comply with the fire science that shows door control to be a key factor in managing structure fires is crucial to maintain firefighter safety.
There is tons of available material on the web (and archived on our www.firefightingincanada.com website) about fire behaviour, ventilation-limited fires, flow paths and positive pressure ventilation. The trick is getting this information to those who need it – those who teach and train.
New firefighters need to understand why certain techniques are used so that they can safely and effectively do their jobs. Which means it’s up to training officers and instructors to keep up to speed and teach the science of fire behaviour along with the how-to techniques so that when something goes awry, those on scene can understand why and what to do next.
Bolton is the lead fire-behaviour instructor with the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services in British Columbia; like his colleague Peter McBride – the division chief of safety and innovation with Ottawa Fire Service – he is a trail blazer who is committed to ensuring that firefighters understand how fire reacts to its surroundings, and to whatever humans introduce to it.
We’re committed too, to making sure that the research on fire behaviour being done by the likes of the National Research Council in Ottawa, and the developing techniques to safely and effectively combat structure fires, are at your fingertips. It’s up to you to use it.
Editor Laura King lking@annexweb.com 289-259-8077
Assistant Editor Maria Church mchurch@annexweb.com 519-429-5184
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The perfect FIT for your department
Does this sound possible in your department: a potentially missed mayday call; a firefighter who is unaccounted for; an over-stressed and taxed incident commander; stimulation overload; un-manageable multi-tasking; or bad radio communication? Any one of these situations sounds possible, right? How does this type of fire-ground environment sound instead: a mayday managed quickly and safely; all firefighters accounted for; stress under control; improved situational awareness; efficient operations; and failsafe communication. Let’s look at how to make this a reality.
Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) in British Columbia operates with a special and unique position called field incident technician – we refer to these invaluable citizens as FITs.
A number of fire departments in North America operate with FIT positions or something similar, but few have made these special assistants formal positions within paid-on-call environments.
Some major cities operate with the FIT model, but the positions are generally filled by experienced fire officers. For us in the paid-on-call world, taking highly skilled firefighters and having them conduct cold-zone activities is a waste of resources and skills. The FIT program allows us to recruit FIT-only members, which allows our firefighters to be firefighters.
verse career backgrounds, which lends a variety of skills to the department. The FIT role requires people who function well under stress, are organized and are articulate. As many of our current FITs do not come from a fire-service background, general fire-service awareness is important. The FIT training provides an overview of tactics, equipment, and fire jargon that may be seen or heard on the job, which provides better situational awareness on the fire ground.
One of the greatest benefits of a FIT is the second set of eyes and ears focused on firefighter safety.
The program started a few years back when SSIFR recruited a handful of volunteer amateur-radio operators to assist our officers with radio logs and communications. We quickly found that this assistance role was invaluable to our department’s operations. As we brainstormed options to keep these people, we began to develop the FIT program as it is today. The program is now one of our department’s most valuable assets.
In smaller communities, building a strong paid-on-call/volunteer department is a massive challenge in terms of recruitment and retention. By expanding our horizons and complementing our ranks with FITs, we allow community members to join the fire department who would otherwise not have been able to do so. Fire fighting is a physically and mentally taxing job; not all community members are able to meet these expectations, but many community minded people have a lot of other skills and talents to offer and can provide value to our emergency responses. With declining volunteerism, thinking outside the box is our only way to stay afloat.
By focusing firefighters on firefighting tasks and FITs on cold-zone duties, we have strengthened our membership and, at the same time, enhanced our fire-ground safety.
Our FITs have a niche field of expertise: FITs take care of accountability, staging, scribing, and general command-aide duties. Taking these tasks off the plate of active firefighters allows them to focus on maintaining their core fire-fighting skills.
The FITs at SSIFR regularly train with firefighters, targeting communication and command-aide skills. Our current FITs come from di-
As an incident commander, having a well-trained FIT standing next to you, assisting with communication and planning, is pure gold. The FITs also improve efficiency by using checklists, benchmarks, reminders and documentation.
One of the greatest benefits of a FIT is the second set of eyes and ears focused on firefighter safety. Decision making under stress, combined with communication breakdowns, are the leading causes of incident mishaps or line-of-duty deaths. Our department’s situational awareness now has a backup safeguard thanks to FITs. The field technicians operate on a second back-channel radio so they can communicate freely with other agencies, FITs or dispatch. This back channel reduces radio congestion and lowers the chance of missed communication.
The field incident technicians also relieve some of the many tasks for which an incident commander is responsible. FITs support the command positions so the incident commander can concentrate more on strategies and tactics, and more efficiently run the fire ground.
Our next step in strengthening the FIT program is managing the mayday. A fire-ground emergency is often pure chaos, and if a FIT can assist in any way, we expect our maydays will run more safely and effectively.
To launch a FIT program in your department, start with a small group of recruits who are not firefighters. The key is to make the FIT and firefighter jobs distinctly separate so the job responsibilities don’t become cloudy. Begin with simple size-up scenarios so the FITs start to understand the command structure and radio lingo. We chose accountability as our first priority during training. We found that our accountability was inconsistent and that it was a safety concern for our members. Having the FITs focused on accountability was our primary goal. Once you have a core FIT group with a good understanding of the fire service, brainstorm other tasks that they can help your department manage.
Incorporating a FIT program into a department will help strengthen personnel, improve firefighter recruitment and retention, and make fire grounds safer and more efficient. So, how can a FIT fit into your department?
Arjuna George is the deputy fire chief of operations on Salt Spring Island, B.C., and has served on the department since 1997. Email him at ageorge@saltspringfire. com and follow him on Twitter at @AJGeorgefire
ARJUNA GEORGE
by Ian Bolton
Door control
Understanding the impact of ventilation
We all know that the fire service is steeped in tradition. Many of these traditions are beneficial and provide us with culture and operational support and guidance. However, at other times, some of these traditions – if left unchallenged and without continued evaluation – put firefighters and the communities we protect at great risk. How we as a fire service manage doors and other access points during structure fires is one of those time-honoured traditions we must re-evaluate in order to operate safely and effectively in today’s fire environment. Door control is an incredibly important tactical capability for any progressive fire department.
As many firefighters are aware, modern fires are different than fires of the decades past. For this reason, it is essential that all firefighters have a solid understanding of fundamental fire-dynamics concepts and how they relate to today’s fire development and behaviour encountered on the fire ground. There are many important concepts within this vast subject with which firefighters need to become strongly familiar. Two of the more important concepts that directly relate to door control are ventilation-limited fires and flow paths.
Ventilation-limited fires make up the vast majority of fires we deal with today; these are fires in which the growth and heatrelease rate is limited not by available fuel, but by available oxygen. In this situation, any increase in ventilation or available air often has a dramatic impact on the energy released by the fire. This subject was discussed at length in the February 2014 issue of Fire Fighting in Canada and it is highly recommended that this article be reviewed. (Go to www.firefightingincanada.com under Training/Structural and scroll down to Understanding fire behaviour.)
Additionally, the term flow path must become fundamental terminology and knowledge used by any safe and effective firefighter. Quite simply, the flow path is the
movement of smoke, heat and flames from a high-pressure area within the fire area to all other available low-pressure areas both inside and outside a structure. This subject was also discussed previously and is suggested reading. (Go to www.firefightingincanada.com under Training/Structural and scroll down to Understanding flow paths.)
Although door control is a relatively new concept here in North America, many of the world’s most advanced fire services have been performing this action for decades.
“I was taught to close the door behind me when I started in the Swedish fire service, almost 30 years ago,” says Seefan Svennson, a fire captain and associate professor of fire safety engineering at Lund University. “Controlling the door is an important part of an operation.”
We in North America are starting to catch up. Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Fire Department of New York, and both North Vancouver fire departments are now actively teaching and using doorcontrol tactics.
“The use of door control allows firefighters a greater opportunity to be safe, efficient and effective in a structure,” says Capt. Jim Golondzinier, director of firebehaviour training with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “Because fire is a pressure-driven event, the last thing I want is an uncontrolled open door allowing the fire to dictate the flow path towards my fireattack team.”
During various research projects at Underwriters Laboratories (UL) that burned both single- and two-storey residential buildings, the potential impact of controlling the door after a fire-attack team makes entry into the structure was very evident. In both buildings, when the door remained wide open after the simulation of initial entry, the rapid growth of the fire caused by the fresh air entrained to the ventilationlimited fire was very clear.
Conversely, when door control was initiated during subsequent experiments, the evidence was astounding. In both build-
In order to control the door, a firefighter must:
use webbing to control an inwardswinging door;
determine the minimal amount of space the door needs to be open, and then place a foot against the door to avoid pinching the hoseline when pulling on the webbing;
keep a hand on the hoseline at all times to assist with the advancement or withdrawal of the line, and also to know when the interior team is flowing water.
ings, the evidence clearly shows the benefit of door control for managing the fire environment. In the single-storey home, this action slowed the fire’s growth by multiple minutes before the fire hit a predetermined reference point. However, in the two-storey home, the effect was even more dramatic.
“In the two-storey house (see figure 1), because the fire was actually further from the front door, when we controlled the front door, the fire almost put itself out,” said Steve Kerber, director of UL’s Firefighter Safety Research Institute, during the 2014 IAFF Redmonds Symposium on occupational health and fires-service hazards in Colorado Springs in September.
“We had to open it all up to get the fire to come back.”
Furthermore, Kerber said, by opening a door, firefighters are likely creating a new flow path and this must be understood.
“The moment you go through that front door, you are between where that fire is and where that fire wants to go,” said Kerber. “So if you control the air behind you, you’re lessening the chance that the fire is coming over top of you.”
Door control is all about managing the fire environment, especially when dealing with a ventilation-limited fire; increasing ventilation at this time will cause the fire to intensify. Doors are not simply access and egress points, they are also extremely efficient ventilation points
“Probably the best ventilation point you can make for any fire is a door,” Kerber said. “It goes all the way to the ground, allows for more air to enter in, allows for hot gases to go out the top. [The] quickest way to grow a fire is with a front door, or any door for that matter. If we can limit the air that is making it to the fire until we get water on it, then we’re doing positive things, we’re not allowing that fire to grow.” (To view a portion of Kerber’s presentation from the Redmonds Symposium, visit https://vimeo.com/110069287)
Many firefighters, when first introduced to the door-control tactic, have the impression that managing the door is not an important or challenging role; this could not be further from the truth. A firefighter who
Continued on page 32
Why we hurt after working out
It’s a well-known fact that exercise makes us happier. But the feeling, at times, is short lived if you wake up so sore you have to peel yourself out of bed. This unfortunate phenomenon is referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Everyone experiences DOMS, or post-workout soreness, from time to time – from elite athletes to first-time lifters – so don’t be discouraged if you have a bad bout. In general, DOMS kicks in between four to eight hours after your workout, and is usually at its worst after 48 hours. This type of muscle soreness is often accompanied by a decreased range of motion, and interpreted by our bodies as joint stiffness. Some people dread this feeling and have trouble finding the motivation revisit the cause of it. Others wear soreness as a badge of honour that signifies a great workout. However you decide to interpret DOMS, it’s important to understand what’s happening to your body at a muscular level. With this knowledge, ideally, you’ll have more input on the severity of your soreness in the future.
Many still believe the cause of DOMS is a buildup of lactic acid and other toxins in the bloodstream and muscles. However, advances in fitness research have largely disproved this theory, suggesting instead that DOMS is caused by trauma to, or tearing of the microfibers in our muscles and connective tissue. The trauma inflames the muscle and produces the deep-seated soreness we feel after training. Despite the pain, this is actually our body’s way of producing firmer, denser muscle and tissue mass.
ing cold muscles. A warm up also releases synovial fluid into your joints, preparing them for the exercise and creating a safer training foundation. When planning your workout, remember DOMS is the most severe when there has been an extended break between workouts, when trying a new exercise for the first time, when drastically increasing the load your muscles are accustomed to, or when performing workouts with greater than normal eccentric loading. Start slowly if you are trying an unfamiliar movement. Give your body a few training sessions to adapt to the movement, and increase the load over time.
While a common post-workout urge is to rush home to sit down and relax, instead finish your workout with a short cool-down period. This period is known as active recovery. Even a low-paced ride on a stationary bike will increase blood flow and help reduce DOMS in days to come.
BRAD LAWRENCE
Everyone experiences DOMS, or post-workout soreness, from time to time.
The degree of soreness is largely dependent on a body’s ability to support the loads you’ve placed upon it; meaning, if you lift a heavy load that you’re used to lifting, your soreness will be minimal. Conversely, what seems like a light load placed on muscles that are unaccustomed to the weight will produce a great deal of soreness.
Exercise type and tempo also relate to the level of soreness. Muscles in general will suffer greater levels of micro tearing and trauma during the eccentric phase. The eccentric phase, you’ll recall from previous columns, is the lengthening or stretching phase that muscles undergo during an exercise, such as the lowering portion of a squat or dumbbell curl. This is why many people feel they’ve had a great workout after performing several negative reps during training, because the heavy eccentric phase produces more muscle trauma, and a greater degree of soreness follows.
Unfortunately, prevention of DOMS doesn’t exist, and probably never will. Muscle soreness is an unavoidable phenomenon associated with training. That said, we do have the information to minimize the effect of DOMS on our bodies if we prepare accordingly.
To begin with, start every workout with a proper warm up. Studies show a full warm up greatly reduces DOMS, as opposed to exercis-
Inevitably, everyone will have a rough encounter with DOMS. Try these treatment tactics to discover the best combination for your body.
Force yourself back: It may seem unimaginable at times to return to the gym after only a day or two, but re-exposing yourself to the same movements allows your body to adapt quicker, which will reduce future severity of DOMS.
Foam roller: Foam rolling may be the single best way to alleviate a sore muscle. Foam rollers work by helping to release tension in muscles and the fascia surrounding them. Releasing tension increases blood flow, which reduces inflammation and promotes quicker recovery. Try adding a form roller segment into your cool-down procedure.
Stretching: Stretching is a heavily debated topic; while it is a great tool for flexibility and mobility, there is no evidence that stretching reduces soreness. Some people believe that stretching helps them recover quicker, and that’s fine. Find out what works best for you.
Deep-tissue massage: Massage can reduce muscle soreness and swelling to some extent, but as with stretching, the results seem to vary from person to person.
Anti-inflammatory supplementation: Taking an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen will not actually speed muscle recovery; it will simply reduce pain and swelling in your muscles. Although you may feel better, your muscles will still require time to recover.
Give yourself a working knowledge of DOMS in order to finetune your training. By taking control of your DOMS treatment, you can and get yourself back in the gym sooner, and stronger. Happy training.
Brad Lawrence is a firefighter with the Calgary Fire Department and a certified personal trainer. Email Brad at bradmlawrence@ gmail.com
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Steps for successful positive-pressure ventilation
Irecently had the opportunity to teach a class on ventilation for a fire department that has a lot of large, low-rise apartment buildings in its district. Most of the buildings house low-income and/or elderly tenants, and the department frequently responds to smoke-removal calls from burned food. The fire chief wanted several young members in the department to hone their skills on positive-pressure ventilation (PPV) – a tactic they frequently use to remove smoke from these buildings.
A common misconception with PPV is that once the fan is started, all of the bad air inside the entire structure will automatically find the opening and the smoke will flow outside. This is not necessarily true. PPV has the best results when firefighters follow a few easy steps.
The first step for successful PPV – besides checking to make sure the fan starts and runs, at least weekly – is to ensure the building is ready and capable of receiving positive pressure. The majority of the building’s windows and doors must be intact and closed. Positive pressure works by building pressure within the structure, and if the windows and doors are broken out or stuck open, PPV will not work as quickly or as intended.
The next few steps are easily accomplished by keeping four major points in mind: control of the ventilation inlet opening; control of the interior; control of the exhaust opening; and communication.
To control the ventilation opening, set up the fan at the main ventilation inlet point, usually an entry door. The general rule of fan placement is to set it somewhere between 1.8 to three metres (six to 10 feet) from the door to enable the cone of air produced by the fan to cover the door opening completely (see photo 1). This is not a hard and fast rule. A more reliable indicator of proper fan placement (in training) is to hold a piece of paper or a small strip of caution tape up to the top of the doorframe as soon as the fan is turned on. If the tape flows into the door, the cone of air is covering the door completely. If the tape hangs down or flows to the outside, the fan is too close and the cone of air is not covering the top of the door (see photo 2). If that is the case, move the fan backwards until the tape flows to the inside. This can also be accomplished at incident scenes by watching the smoke at the top of the door as soon as the fan is turned on.
The next step is controlling the interior. PPV is not a passive tactic; it requires firefighters on the inside wearing full PPE with SCBA on, waiting for the call to open and close windows and doors. A PPV fan takes a few minutes to build pressure within a structure; the bigger the structure, the longer it takes. The main concept behind controlling the interior is to ventilate one living space or room at a time by opening the door to a room and keeping all of the other doors closed.
Once the door to a room is open, the third and fourth steps – control of the exhaust opening, and communication – take place. Open the window and allow the positive pressure to force the smoke out. The interior window-and-door team needs to communicate with the incident commander on progress and location.
Once the smoke in a room is gone, the interior-team members should shut the window and then the door; they
should wait a minute or so for the fan to once again build pressure in the structure before moving to the next room. The process of opening and closing doors and windows is then repeated for each room until the structure is free of smoke, or until it has been decreased to an acceptable level.
PPV is meant to be an active, sequential process – it is not just setting a fan in a door and letting it blow inside. Pull the fan off of your rig and practise with it. You will find that the use of PPV is a lot more than just blowing smoke.
A fire-service veteran since 1989, Tim Llewellyn is a firefighter for the Allegheny County Airport Authority in Pittsburgh, Penn. He volunteers for the Adams Area Fire District in Pennsylvania and is an instructor for the PA State Fire Academy, the Allegheny County Fire Academy and the Pittsburgh International Airport fire training facility. Email him at llewllyn.fire@gmail.com
Photo 1: Place the fan 1.8 metres to three metres (six to 10 feet) away from the door in order for the cone of air produced to cover the door completely.
Photo 2: Check the fan’s placement at the door by holding a strip of caution tape at the top of the doorframe. If the fan is set correctly, the caution tape should flow into the building.
PHOTOS BY TIM LLEWELLYN
Cabbage is the new kale, and broccoli is back
Did you know that cabbage is the new kale, and that broccoli is back in style? I wanted to kick off the new year with a fun discussion about vegetables. Many of you woke up on Jan. 2 and probably made a few weight-loss and diet resolutions. If we have this discussion on dieting a few weeks from now, I won’t be surprised to find a few of you have already moved on to sugar and muffins. I want to expand this discussion about food into an inspirational talk about the power of vegetables. Don’t think of this shift to vegetables as another weight-loss diet; rather, look at it as the right way to eat as the human species. I can already hear the moans and groans. If you’ve ever questioned the power of what we choose to put in our bodies daily, then you need to read on. I just might make a believer out of you.
The science of food is moving at a serious pace. The work of universities and naturopathic doctors on the food file has taken let-food-bethy-medicine theory to a whole new level; we’re taking advantage of all this great research on food and vegetables and helping you apply it to your own health. The science and evidence is hard to dispute, and this should make avoiding those colourful vegetables hard to do.
eat healthy, be healthy and fight cancer. As a firefighter, selecting any combination of these vegetables will put you ahead in the health game.
Spinach, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, endives and arugula are all raw, leafy-green vegetables that contain high volumes of bioavailable proteins, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll. All of these fresh, raw greens, when combined, can make a wonderful, mouth-watering salad that packs amazing medicinal properties. Study after study has confirmed that people who eat a diet high in raw, leafy-green vegetables have lower risks of heart disease and cancer.
ELIAS MARKOU
It is time to look at what you are eating; your body is your greatest asset . . .
Eating a diet abundant in supercharged vegetables is the ideal way to care for your firefighting body. Driving your natural detoxification pathways and supplying your body with very important vitamins, mineral, phytonutrients, enzymes, water, fibre, basic nutrients and more are all critical to prevent cellular damage. Your body is your greatest asset for fire fighting; we need to help you develop a strategy that stops the degenerative breakdown of your body.
Many of you will go out and buy the supercharged version of a Sea-Doo, a motorcycle or a specific car with a supercharged engine. Let’s consider for one moment that you have embraced this new approach to food and have decided to buy supercharged foods when you purchase groceries. What constitutes supercharged vegetables and how can they help firefighters?
Supercharged vegetables are whole, living foods, unprocessed and filled with essential nutrients for every single cell in your body. All 100 trillion cells in your body need these nutrients to live – call them the oxygen for your lungs, the water for your body, or the food to survive. These vegetables pack the life force for every single one of your cells in your body.
Spinach, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and broccoli all belong to the brassica family of foods. We know these vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, water, fibre and plant chemicals called sulforaphane. British scientists have proven the sulforaphane in these vegetables helps to fight cancer; this phytochemical works with prostate cells that don’t have anti-tumour gene and helps fight the cancer in the prostate. We also know that sulforaphane helps to remove toxins from the liver. What an easy way to
Turnips, beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes and yams are all root vegetables and are called nature’s carbohydrates. Many of us will reach for pasta, grains and cereals to get that carb fix; why not reach for vegetables grown underground? Mother Nature has packed all these vegetables with fibre, water, minerals and high levels of vitamin C. The most important part of root vegetables is the starch or natural sugar found in these foods. These carbs don’t behave like white table sugar; they are far from processed, and are considered healthy.
Coloured peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants are all vegetables from the nightshade family. This family of vegetables has its own unique properties we need to note as they all contain active ingredients called lycopene and beta-carotene. When cooked, lycopene is a powerful anti-oxidant that can help your eyes and goes as far as preventing certain cancers. Beta-carotene, on the other hand, is a powerful fat-soluble vitamin that drives liver function and helps keep skin healthy. When you look at this impressive list of health benefits, you can’t help but want to eat a pepper.
After all the marketing on television, the peer pressures of social gatherings, and what society tells us is the way to eat, most of us no longer recognize the way that our bodies prefer foods. We have already shifted the evolutionary tables and have moved the human species in a direction toward poor health and chronic disease. Firefighters will fall further into this reality if they don’t make the appropriate dietary changes.
Fire scenes can be highly stressful; firefighters can be exposed to toxins and their bodies can take a real beating. It is time to look at what you are eating; your body is your greatest asset – take good care of it.
Dr. Elias Markou is one very busy naturopathic doctor. He is in private practice in Mississauga, Ont., and is the chief medical officer for the Halton Hills Fire Department. Dr. Markou was a firefighter for six years; he is a firefighter health expert and blogger who is regularly featured on television and radio and in print. Contact him at drmarkou@mypurebalance.ca
Deciphering the jargon
Who’s who in the accreditation process
by Wes Graves
When I first started volunteering as a firefighter I remember hearing words such as “ten-oh-one,” “NFPA,” “IFSAC,” and “Pro Board” thrown around, but I had no idea what they meant or how they applied to me. As I spent more time in the fire service and progressed in my training, I slowly began to understand the jargon and which organizations do what, but it wasn’t until I got serious about obtaining my NFPA 1001 certification that I made a solid effort to figure out how all these organizations relate to each other. The details are very confusing and it took me a long time to unravel all the assorted connections.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is at the heart of it all; it is a nonprofit organization with the mission to “reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.”
Basically, this means that the NFPA sets the standards for fire service. These standards
are not laws unless they are adopted by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), such as the county, city, town, or province in which your fire service resides.
Regardless of the legal situation, the NFPA standards can and have been used in court as recognized measurements. In general, the NFPA does not certify or accredit firefighters, training institutes or AHJs. (There are exceptions, such as NFPA-certified 1031 fire inspectors, but that is another story.) To clarify, the NFPA defines the standards by which firefighters are assessed, but it does not certify firefighters directly.
OK, well, who certifies firefighters then?
This is where the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board) and International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) come into the picture. Pro Board and IFSAC are the bodies that accredit other organizations using the NFPA standards, such as AHJs and training institutes. For example, the Alberta Office of
the Fire Commissioner is accredited to certain levels by both the Pro Board and IFSAC. In order to be accredited, the Office of the fire Commissioner (in each province and territory) has to prove that it followings NFPA standards to the satisfaction of the accrediting organization (Pro Board or IFSAC). Once accredited by these organizations, the fire commissioners’ offices can then, in turn, certify training institutions (such as the Lakeland College Emergency Training Centre in Alberta, the Ontario Fire College or the Nova Scotia Firefighter School), or directly certify specific in-house training programs.
Wait a second; why are there two organizations that accredit to NFPA standards?
Pro Board and IFSAC are competing organizations. I won’t go into the history of how this came about, but you can learn more about each organization by visiting its website. One is not necessarily better than the other and oftentimes a firefighter can be certified by both using the same test or program. Most employ-
Firefighters in Canada are certified by various training institutions or programs that are accredited by either the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board) or the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or both.
PHOTO BY LAURA KING
ers recognize both entities and will not care which organization issued the certificate, as long as it is one of the two.
A Pro Board/IFSAC certificate should be the same no matter what AHJ issues it. This means that you do not necessarily need a certificate issued in the province in which you want to work. For instance, if you have a Pro Board 1001 Level 2 certificate from the Justice Institute of BC, it is equivalent to a Pro Board 1001 Level 2 certificate from Lakeland College Emergency Training Centre in Alberta, or the Manitoba Emergency Services College, and vice versa. This does not mean that the programs are equivalent to each other, only that the basic Pro Board requirements have been met by each program.
Who issues a firefighter’s certificate?
I think it is important to note that neither Pro Board nor IFSAC issues certificates directly to end users (the firefighters). Instead, certificates are issued through an accredited organization such as a training institution or AHJ. This could be a local fire school or provincial or territorial fire authority (such as fire commissioners’ offices). Some institutions are accredited directly by Pro Board or IFSAC and therefore issue their own certificates without going through the province or territory, however, the ins and outs of accreditation is beyond the scope of this article. Please read the bylaws for Pro Board or IFSAC if you wish to know more about the accreditation process.
Also of note, most Pro Board and IFSAC certificates do not expire. There are exceptions to this rule, such as the NFPA 1521 Incident Safety Officer certification from the Fire Department Safety Officer Association, which expires after five years.
Why do these standards matter?
Have you ever wondered why certain types of training are scheduled for certain training nights or weekends? How do firefighters know what they’re expected to train on, and how do they ensure that they’re training on every topic required for the job? This is the responsibility of the training officer in each hall, and many will use the NFPA standards as a guideline. Note that I said guideline; the NFPA standards cannot possibly cover every type of training that every single fire department needs because each one has different needs. However, the standards are a very good base from which to work. This is why every department strives to train all its firefighters to the NFPA 1001 standard –so that they have a common, base level of training. Once a firefighter achieves that base level, he or she is expected to maintain those skills through opportunities provided by the fire department, such as weekly drills or weekend courses, or through personal initiative.
Employers look for these certifications in prospective employees so that they know each one has met a basic level of training that is the same for everyone. The certifications give employers something to measure against, similar to a training officer in a fire department.
OK, so is that it?
Yes, in anutshell, that is it. There is a lot more to accreditation and certification if you wish to delve deeper, but, for most firefighters, this is really all you need to know. I hope this may clear up some of the confusion about how to get certified as a firefighter and which organizations grant the certification. Although at first the process may sound confusing, once you understand the role of each organization, it becomes fairly straightforward. I strongly encourage all firefighters to read more on NFPA, Pro Board and IFSAC to better understand what each organization does and how it relates to firefighters across Canada.
Wes Graves is a captain and training officer for Lac Ste. Anne County Fire Services in Darwell, Alta. Email him at w.graves@ lsacfire.com
NFPA
To provide and advocate consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education on fire and other hazards.
• Established as a non-profit organization in the United States in 1896
• First international members joined in 1903
• Membership totals more than 65,000 individuals from almost 100 countries
• Publishes more than 300 codes and standards
• Codes and standards are not law unless adopted by a level of government
• Codes and standards have been used in court as legal measurements
• The NFPA has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week since 1922
• Jim Pauley is the NFPA president
• Sparky the Fire Dog is the official mascot of the NFPA
8 www.nfpa.org
IFSAC
To provide a self-governing system of both fire service certification programs and higher education fire-related degree programs.
• Founded as a non-profit governing system in 1990
• Overseen by an elected council of governors
• Spit into two assemblies:
• The certificate assembly board of governors – accredits entities that certify individuals to NFPA qualifications and standards
• The degree assembly board of governors – accredits fire science or related academic programs at colleges and universities
• A peer-driven organization, members are system users
• Accreditation through a self study from applicants, followed by a site visit by a review panel made up of peer representatives
• Clayton Moorman is the chair of the council of governors
8 www.ifsac.org
Pro Board
To accredit organizations that certify uniform members of public fire departments, both career and volunteer, using the NFPA’s professional qualification standards.
• Incorporated in 1990 as a non-profit corporation
• Accredits organizations such as fire colleges or programs and government offices
• The board of directors consists of members from:
• the International Association of Arson Investigators, Inc.
• the International Association of Fire Chiefs
• the National Association of State Fire Marshals
• the National Fire Protection Association
• the North American Fire Training Directors
• Accreditation through an application process, followed by a site visit to prepare a report for the accreditation committee
• Jim Estepp is the chairman of the board
8 www.theproboard.org
Get active from the comfort of home
Your home is warm and comfortable this time of year, but that means it’s difficult to set down the hot chocolate and motivate yourself to work out. There are plenty of outdoor winter activities that keep us fit, but the time and effort of layering up doesn’t always seem worth the result, even if we know it makes us feel better. Luckily, you don’t have to leave the comforts of home to have a great workout; and you don’t need specialized equipment, just a little ingenuity.
Distractions are a challenge to working out at home, and an easy excuse to not finish. Keep focused and compare your workout time to the time you spend watching your favourite TV show.
It’s easy to inject variety to workouts at home. Below is a list of suggested exercises, but there are so many more choices. This biggest danger of athome workouts is making things too easy. Avoid this by simply changing your point of balance, or adding another movement to an exercise. Start by picking a number of repetitions to complete or use a specific amount of time. Combat boredom by moving from one body part to another, or completing three consecutive sets of the same exercise.
Push-ups
Regular push-ups are great but if you are finding them too easy, then try the following:
• Change your hand/arm position after every rep; move them outward three inches at a time and then move them back in until they are right beside your body.
• Lift one leg off the ground while you push up. Change legs each set or after five reps.
jugs of water, toolboxes or even small children. (OK, maybe not, but you get the idea).
• Invert your row by hanging from a bar or the back of two chairs. Sit the kids in the chair if you need a counter balance. Pull your body up, placing your hands beside your chest, and lower back down.
• Change the angle of your row by moving your feet closer.
SHERRY DEAN
… you don’t need specialized equipment, just a little ingenuity.
• Push up on a decline by placing your feet on a chair or box. You can also do push-ups in a pike position (like downward dog) which focuses on your shoulders
Squats
Take a couple of small jumps up and down. Usually the comfortable place your feet land is a good start position from which to do squats. Focus on your heels and the outside of your feet when you squat and think of pushing your knees out away from each other. If you have knee problems, be careful. You know your limits.
• Jump squats – add little jumps to each rep. Increase difficulty by touching the floor and reaching your arms in the air while you jump. Try to keep your chest open (don’t roll your shoulders in or lean forward) and look straight forward, not at the ground.
• One-legged squats – lean to the side and focus on one leg at a time. Using a chair or wall for balance, lift one leg right off the ground.
• Pistol squats – not for the faint at heart. These are one-legged squats with your other leg suspended straight out to the front.
Rows
Grab whatever you have around the house to weight your rows;
• Lift one leg in the air if you need an extra challenge.
Pull-ups
Find a sturdy doorframe and do some pull-ups. Place one hand on either side of the frame, inside and outside the door. Pull your body up on one side, then the other. This can be great for your grip strength.
Abs
Crunches and sit-ups are great exercises, but they are easy to do without challenging yourself.
• Try knee raises while you’re hanging in the doorway you were using for pull-ups. Lift your knees to your right side and pass them over to the left side to lower
• On a tile or wood floor, place a towel under your feet while maintaining a straight arm a plank. Keeping your legs straight, pull your feet toward your hands; this will put your body in a pike, downward dog position. Return to your original position by sliding your feet back along the floor.
Plank, plank, plank
Any plank. Straight armed, from your elbows, in a side support, with one leg or no legs (just kidding). You get it.
Full-body-exercise
Try 50 burpees in five minutes. At the start of minute one, do 10 burpees. Rest for the remainder of the minute. At the start of minute two, do 10 burpees, then rest for the remainder of the minute. Repeat five times. It gets harder every minute.
Get inventive
Use your stairs for some cardio. There are some great stair workouts online for home that will leave you sweating.
That’s it; plain and simple exercises, but ones that will help keep you fit. Working out at home means you save on travel time, you don’t have to worry about forgetting your shoes at home and you can refuel right away. Enjoy your winter. Work hard and play safely.
Sherry Dean is a career firefighter/engineer with Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency Service. Contact her at deansherry@bellaliant.net
A reminder to think before you act
Writer’s block, as you know, affects writers from time to time, and I seemed to be afflicted with it right about the time that this column was due. I started it and restarted it a couple of times, getting no further than a word or two.
Writing should not be this hard, I thought. When I’m inspired, it’s so effortless, so what the heck was stopping me? I think it’s one of those situations in which the harder you try, the harder it gets. So I decided to take a break and go for a haircut.
It was my first time at this salon so the stylist, Kiersten, and I chatted about my hair and what I wanted. “Well, I like this and I like that, but I don’t like this and don’t want that. . . . I’m not sure about the length I want. . . . ”
We looked at each other in the mirror and she said, “I’m not going to tell you yes or no, but I will say that you seem to be unsure of what you really want, so I suggest a trim.”
With a laugh and a sigh, I said, “OK, sounds good.” Like Kiersten told me, “It’s easy to take a little off and then go shorter if you decide, but I can’t put it back on if we go too short.”
While the stylist washed my hair, I thought of my column, and how Kiersten had made a very good point, one that I could relate easily to the fire service.
At our last training night, I overheard two of the younger fellas checking the packs. One of the firefighters asked the other what he was doing. The newer of the two firefighters told him he was checking the mask for a seal.
Firefighter No. 1 said, “Who told you to do that”?
JENNIFER MABEE
Work with what you’ve already got and think of ways you can improve it.
Most of us will go through times during which we think change is necessary. We may find that we’re getting complacent, tired, discouraged. We start to think that we need a change and maybe contemplate ways to facilitate that change. And then we start to flip flop: I should do this, nah I shouldn’t, maybe I should do that . . . and on it goes.
I learned that day that if it’s time to make a change, you’ll do it without having to get everyone else to weigh in on it. No waffling back and forth. When the time is right, you’ll just do it. And if you’re really unsure about things, it’s simply not the right time.
My recommendation is to figure out what you already have that is a good thing, and make it better – it doesn’t mean a drastic change, it just means that you already have something in which you’ve invested a lot of time and energy. Work with what you’ve already got and think of ways you can improve it.
The next lesson learned was that there is an OK way to do things (some might even say wrong) and there is a much better way to do things. We were discussing my frizzy hair when the stylist explained to me that using a towel creates more friction and causes more frizziness, whereas if you use an old cotton T-shirt, it absorbs the moisture without causing the frizz.
That’s fascinating, I thought. Much like in the fire service, there are many ways to do things – some methods are perhaps not the best, and others just make more sense and work more effectively.
Firefighter No. 2 replied, “I’ve always done it that way; that’s how I was shown.”
I interjected and said, “How else are you supposed to check the seal?” (Since I knew full well that I had shown Firefighter No. 2 how to check the packs, the same way I had been shown 17 years earlier. Hey, I have no problem owning my mistakes; I was just passing on what I’d been taught.)
“Don’t do that, you’ll contaminate the mask,” said Firefighter No. 1. “What if you have a cold?”
Firefighter No. 2 and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders; he had a valid point. Just then another firefighter joined the conversation and pointed out that everyone is supposed to be fit tested so there is no need to check the seal or risk contamination. That was another good point.
I fully admit, as someone who has been on the department for many years, it’s easy to get into the we’ve-always-done-it-this-way mindset. But this exchange served as an excellent reminder to ask yourself if what you’re doing still makes sense.
When I started, we didn’t do fit testing, the equipment wasn’t as good, and contamination wasn’t a huge concern, so checking the seal was an accepted practice.
Lesson No. 3 I learned at the salon was about the quality of work that you do. I’ve been to many stylists over the years; although the result is a huge factor in things, the attitude and personality is an equally huge factor. I think this stylist was born with scissors in her hand; she was friendly and knowledgeable and took the time to understand where I was coming from and what I wanted (even if I wasn’t sure what that was), and explained helpful techniques.
Our attitudes and personalities have a lot to do with the quality of work we do and the differences we make in people’s lives. To quote a former fire chief of mine, “Be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving” and I’ll add, to everyone you meet. You never know where you’ll find the inspiration you’re looking for.
Jennifer Grigg has been a volunteer with the Township of Georgian Bay Fire Department in Ontario since 1997. Email her at jhook0312@yahoo.ca and follow her on Twitter at @ georgianbayjen
By Mark van der Feyst
WSub-level rescues – part 2
e are continuing to look at sub-level rescues of a downed firefighter with a focus on rescue tactics.
In October, we went over the use of rope to rescue a firefighter who is conscious and able to assist in the rescue process. Here, we are going to focus on tactics to rescue an unconscious downed firefighter, or a downed firefighter who is immobile due to an injury or an impedance of some sort.
The primary tool for a sub-level rescue of an unconscious firefighter is life-safety rope formed into handcuff knots. While one set of handcuff knots is sufficient to rescue a conscious firefighter, two sets are necessary when attempting to rescue an unconscious firefighter; this allows for one or more firefighters from the rapid intervention team (RIT), and the necessary equipment, to be lowered down to the sub-level, or basement.
Rescue teams need to assess the situation to determine how many RIT firefighters should be sent down for the rescue. If significant manpower is needed to free the downed firefighter, three RIT firefighters, ideally, should be available for lowering. Generally, more than three RIT firefighters creates congestion and slows the operation.
When setting up the rescue, make sure the area around the opening has been secured and stabilized for the crew to work around. Standing too close to the edge of the opening through which the downed firefighter has fallen exposes other firefighters to potential risk.
At least four RIT firefighters are required at the sub-level opening to operate the ropes and equipment; two sets of handcuff knots require four separate ropes and therefore four firefighters. As you can see in photo 1, the ropes are laid out in a V fashion on each side of the opening. (In this photo, the black mat portrays the opening.) The two handcuff knots are positioned at one end of the opening.
The first RIT firefighter prepares to be lowered down by securing one set of handcuff knots around his feet, crossing one foot over the other to secure the knots, and grabbing the two sections of rope with his hands. The firefighter then makes himself stiff by standing up on the handcuff knot while two other RIT firefighters hold and control the ropes extending from the knot. (This was explained in detail in the October column, which you can see online at www.firefightingincanada.com under Training/ Structural.)
Once the first RIT firefighter is lowered to the downed firefighter, he can begin to assess the situation by locating and turning off the PASS alarm. Next, he notifies the incident commander that the team has located the downed firefighter and is beginning the removal process. At this point, the second RIT firefighter should be lowered down to help with the assessment.
The next step is to determine whether the downed firefighter is breathing, which can be done by leaning in close to his SCBA face piece and listening. If the downed firefighter is not breathing,
and is not trapped by any debris or other obstruction, a grab-and-go operation is required so that proper resuscitation can take place in a safer environment with access to advanced life-support measures. If the downed firefighter is breathing, check the air supply by either connecting the rapid intervention crew (RIC) valve to the
Photo 2: The rescue crew uses handcuff knots and large or extra-large carbineers to lower equipment down to the rescuer(s).
Photo 1: Four pull lines, created from two basic handcuff knots, are needed to rescue an unconscious firefighter from a sub-level, or basement.
PHOTOS BY MARK VAN DER FEYST
Photo 3: Handcuff knots are fastened around the downed firefighter’s biceps and thighs to ensure a secure hold as the top rescue team begins the lifting operation.
SCBA, changing the regulator, or changing the face piece. The RIT kit, along with any other necessary equipment, is lowered down by the rescue team using ropes and handcuff knots (see photo 2); large or extra-large carabineers work well for securing the equipment for lowering and are easy for the receiving team to handle.
While assessing the downed firefighter, rescuers should take into account any obstructions or impedances. The downed firefighter might be pinned by fallen debris that requires lifting using air bags or hydraulic tools and cribbing; it is the responsibility of the rescue team to acquire and prepare the equipment for lowering. Assigning an interior operations-sector officer to liaise with command and the interior RIT members is helpful in this type of situation.
In the case of a lengthy operation, consider implementing a work cycle; this might involve lowering new or fresh RIT firefighters and raising RIT firefighters who have been working for a while, which adds to the manpower needed for the operation.
Once the assessment is complete and the downed firefighter is ready for removal with his or her SCBA converted into a harness, ensure that there are no entanglements and check that the RIT kit is secured to the downed firefighter. Then, secure the rescue ropes around the downed firefighter for lifting (see photo 3).
Two sets of handcuff knots are used to secure both the arms and the legs of the
downed firefighter so that, when lifted up, it looks as if the downed firefighter is in a reclined, seated position. In order for this to be accomplished, one set of handcuff knots is placed around the bicep area of each arm to ensure a good anchor point on the upper body; the second set of knots goes around the upper thighs of each leg.
Once the knots are cinched up tightly, the RIT members on the top level begin the lifting operation. With a minimum of one firefighter on each rope, the team quickly and effectively raises the downed firefighter up. Once the downed firefighter has been raised to the the top of the opening, other RIT members grab him and move him away from the hole to a safe and secure area.
At this point, the downed firefighter is removed from the building. The quickest and shortest route available for transport is chosen and readied ahead of time by another rapid intervention team.
Mark van der Feyst is a full-time firefighter in Ontario and has been in the fire service since 1999. Mark teaches in Canada, the United States and India. He is a local-level suppression instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and an instructor for the Justice Institute of BC. He is also the lead author of Pennwell’s Residential Fire Rescue book. Email Mark at Mark@FireStarTraining.com
By Randy Schmitz
WNew tool assists in frontal offset collisions
ith advancements in automobile-safety technology over the last 10 to 15 years, steady progress has been made in the development of techniques to safely remove passengers from motor-vehicle collisions. Today, most emergency response personnel use established methods of extrication, such as dash lifts, side-outs and roof removals.
In general, these standardized methods work well for typical crashes that rescuers encounter. But what happens when the crash forces are beyond the thresholds of high-strength steels and engineered crumple zones? What happens when intrusion into the passenger compartment is severe enough that the standard extrication techniques are simply not enough? I think it’s safe to say that most rescuers have responded to a collision that caused them to scratch their heads and wonder how to tackle the extrication.
In Alberta, the Sundre Fire Department has faced this situation. One motor vehicle accident responders encountered was the result of a 45-degree frontal offset collision that trapped the driver by the upper and lower A pillar. The intrusion was deep enough into the passenger compartment that a traditional dash roll with hydraulic rams would not allow the rescue crews to effectively manage the metal in order to push it away from the trapped patients. As well, the typical modified dash lift from the driver’s-side lower A pillar with hydraulic spreaders did not create enough space to displace the metal away from the patients for removal. Extrication crews were left with no alternative but to peel the onion – meaning to remove the metal around the patient layer-by-layer and piece-bypiece, which was a painstakingly long and frustrating process.
In response to that scenario – with necessity being the mother of invention – firefighter Frank Crouch came up with a solution to help in frontal offset crashes.
“The biggest challenge we encountered was that the drivers’ A pillar in these types of crashes is basically not in the position it needs to be in to get a good push off of with a hydraulic ram in order to move it away or to gain access, because it simply isn’t there,” Crouch said.
“I wanted to utilize the stronger vehicle components such as A pillars to place my hydraulic tools in positions where I can apply the proper angle of force to move metal in the direction I want or need it to go, rather than being at the mercy of the tool and hope it moves in the way that it should. . . . This device and method now allows us that control.”
Crouch named the device the Dash-Away. The principle of the Dash-Away is quite basic; it allows accessibility to the A pillar in order to use it for strength to lift the rest of the dash upward or away from entrapped patients. While his device is not yet available commercially, Crouch is working toward that goal.
The Dash-Away is a simple design; it is just over two metres in length and is made out of heavy-duty walled square tubing. Two 10-millimetre course-threaded rods and wing-nut bolts attach to
PHOTOS BY RANDY SCHMITZ
Sundre firefighter Frank Crouch calls his extrication device the Dash-Away. It’s designed to lift a vehicle’s dash up and away from trapped patients.
Four solid rings are welded to the opposite end to provide an insert for the hydraulic ram head.
The Dash-Away is inserted directly underneath the driver’s A pillar at the dash area. A hydraulic spreader is used to add extra strength and to secure the device.
Technical rescue Department
certifies all members in NFPA 1006 competencies
by Deryn Rizzi
Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) was the first department in Ontario to have all its firefighters certified to the province’s firefighter curriculum after the program was introduced in 1993. Now that Ontario has transitioned to NFPA professional qualifications, Vaughan has become the first career department in which all firefighters are certified in NFPA 1006 core competencies for technical rescue – all 300 of them.
In January 2014, VFRS rolled out training programs that enhanced the technical skills of the firefighters. The first step was to ensure that each firefighter had the basic skills and knowledge for technical rescue. VFRS was the first fire service in the province to have all 300 firefighters tested by the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM) to NFPA 1006, Chapter 5 – otherwise known as the core requirements to enter into any NFPA 1006 discipline-specific technical specialty program, such as confinedspace rescue, trench rescue, water rescue, or rope rescue.
exam was graded on a pass/fail basis; there was no notification about which specific skills from the job-performance requirements would be part of the test. Candidates were allowed to be unsuccessful on one attempt and retest to pass the skills portion. A second failure would result in a failure for the entire skillstesting portion of the exam.
“We are proud of all our firefighters who have gone through the testing process, and who have increased their professional standing in order to remain credible to their colleagues, city officials and the public they serve,” said VFRS Chief Larry Bentley.
The practical testing of performance objectives was conducted by the OFMEM to ensure that the skills proficiency was evaluated by a third party. All firefighters showcased their manipulative skills to a third-party evaluator by demonstrating specific skills and objectives safely and competently.
NFPA 1006 is the professional qualification document that details what knowledge, skills, and abilities individual rescuers need to know. NFPA 1006 identifies job-performance requirements for a variety of technical-rescue environments including rope rescue, confined space and water rescue. The purpose of NFPA 1006 “is to specify the minimum job-performance requirements for service as a rescuer in an emergency response organization.”
All 300 VFRS firefighters wrote a one-hour, 100-question exam proctored by the OFMEM, which covered a range of topics from incident command to helicopter signals, and mass casualty triage protocols to rope equipment. A minimum score of 70 per cent was required to pass the theory exam. The practical
The VFRS has 10 fire stations, 12 frontline apparatus, and a minimum of 50 on-duty firefighters on each 24-hour shift. Four of the stations are designated as specialty halls, covering
Memebers of the Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service in Ontario practise technical-rescue techniques during a course delivered by Spartan Rescue Inc. The course prepared them for the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management’s standardized test for certification in NFPA 1006 core competencies for technical rescue
technical-rescue disciplines including rope rescue, water rescue, vehicle and machinery rescue, confined-space rescue, structural-collapse rescue, and trench rescue. Four other stations are designated as the backup for each of the specialty teams.
While firefighters graduate from training programs or colleges and are hired with NFPA 1001 (Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications), NFPA 1006 core competency training builds on that knowledge and expands on operational tactics used during an incident.
With more diversity in the types of technical rescue that fire departments are performing, and with new, specialized equipment, procedures and regulations, there are greater demands on rescue personnel to possess increasingly complex skills.
NFPA standards have become the norm for those who respond to technical rescue incidents, with the goal of providing a common framework for rescue training and operations, and limiting liability. Training is paramount to successful operations at incidents; this is why the VFRS decided to focus on the NFPA 1006 certification process.
The City of Vaughan is rapidly growing, with a population of more than 314,000; there are three major 400-series highways, the CN Rail yard, which is the largest rail yard in Canada, and the CP intermodal line, on which goods and people travel through the city’s borders every day. All of these factors contribute to call volume and the wide range of incident types.
With intensification within the city and a population that is expected to continue grow at a rate of 20 per cent over the next 15 years, the demands on the VFRS will undoubtedly increase. In addition, Mother Nature has tested our resources, equipment, personnel and rescue skills with the 2009 F2 tornado that affected 600 homes, the 2011 York Region flooding, and the 2013 ice storm.
Bentley says increasing the capacity of training and operations links the department’s level of service to its philosophy: “treating our citizens as customers, deserving of the highest quality of service.” That’s why, Bentley says, the VFRS expanded beyond fire suppression to the technicalrescue skills it provides.
Thirteen trainers selected from the floor were trained by Spartan Rescue Inc. to NFPA 1006 Chapter 6.2 (technical rope rescue), and these instructors rolled out the program in their own platoons. Regular committee meetings were held to address training and equipment issues, future training, and continuation of the training as an in-
structor group.
The skills-verification process is also about firefighter safety. Though the NFPA standard sets out job-performance requirements outlining required skills a rescuer must be able to perform, there is little guidance as to how to safely and efficiently perform the skills.
Having the OFMEM provide an external verification of skills added a layer of accountability to the level of competency maintained by members of VFRS. Management, VFRS firefighters and Spartan Rescue collaborated to create training resources including video tutorials, course guides, a photo library and practical training lessons to provide a consistent level of competency among all 3000 members. Equipment staging, department response SOGs and tactical worksheets were then created to provide a consistent level of customer service in technical-rescue emergencies.
“This training program is one of the many successful initiatives in a series, all of which has been attained with far less procedural turbulence than anticipated,” Bentley said.
Bentley said co-operation with the firefighter association was key.
“As a newly appointed fire chief . . . I reached out to the labour group. This has truly proven to be a defining move for us in the fire service. The leadership of the labour group had also recently experienced a change, and together we have entered into an open, honest and accountable partnership based on trust and respect for each of the respective labour/management factions.”
Although VFRS is proud to be the first fire service in Ontario to have all of its firefighters certified in NFPA 1006, Chapter 5, the true goals of the VFRS were to increase the level of health and safety of our firefighters, to establish a commitment to the technical disciplines we provide, and to ensure we deliver the highest level of service to the citizens of Vaughan. The VFRS has been successful in achieving these goals by working together as a team.
Deputy Chief Deryn Rizzi of Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service is a PhD candidate at York University; her doctoral work supplements a master’s degree in disaster and emergency management from York and bachelor of education and bachelor of arts degrees from Queen’s University. Contact Deryn at deryn.rizzi@vaughan.ca
an additional piece of tubing to hold the device in place. Four solid rings are welded to the opposite end to provide an insert for a hydraulic ram head.
The device is inserted directly underneath the driver’s A pillar at the dash area. The opposite end is clamped to the passenger A pillar and secured with the wing nuts and clamp bar. In most cases, the front windshield will need to be removed.
For additional strength, a hydraulic spreader can be used to help secure the device. Be mindful that the spreader will be committed to the evolution and unavailable for use in other tasks. Typical dashlifting relief cuts will still need to be made at the upper front rail, lower A pillar and lastly, the top section of the upper A pillar.
Depending on the degree of A pillar intrusion into the driver’s area, one of the four florescent rings on the Dash-Away will be used to insert the ram head and push out in the opposite direction.
As the ram is extended, the dash area will start to lift upward. At this point you can reposition the ram head by choosing a ring further to the outside to push it out-
ward or in whichever direction is required to create the proper space.
A rescue team must be able to gain access to patients as swiftly as possible without exposing the patients or themselves to further danger. In order to facilitate this, the crew must be properly trained in all methods of extrication, including the latest devices and tools. In addition, an awareness of vehicle-specific accessibility options and the purpose and process of safety systems is essential.
Randy Schmitz is a Calgary firefighter who has been extensively involved in the extrication field for 23 years. He is an extrication instructor and has competed internationally. He is the education chair for Transport Emergency Rescue Committee (T.E.R.C.) in Canada, a T.E.R.C. & WRO International extrication judge and a tester and evaluator for manufactured prototype products for extrication equipment. He can be reached at rwschmitz@shaw.ca. Follow him on Twitter at @firedog7
After making relief cuts at the upper front rail, lower A pillar, and top section of the upper A pillar, the ram is extended, lifting the dash area upwards, away from any trapped patients.
The goal for firefighters controlling the door is to close it as much as possible while still allowing for, and assisting with, the free movement of the interior hoselines.
Continued from page 9
is given this responsibility should be knowledgeable, well trained and experienced; being tasked with this role is a great responsibility.
“Door control goes beyond controlling the growth of the fire,” says Golondzinier. “And it goes to managing the advancement of the hose, it’s about knowing who is in the building, and providing greater accountability.
“We’re now teaching that [a firefighter in] the door-control position is responsible for knowing the general location of the interior-attack team, which engine company is on that hoseline, and how many firefighters are on that hoseline. The [door-control firefighter] knows by counting the passing couplings how many feet into the structure that fire-attack team is, has the ability to provide horizontal ventilation once fire attack is being made, and can monitor and evaluate changing conditions.”
The firefighter tasked to perform door control must be aware of the many elements for which he or she is responsible in order for this tactic to be successful. Ultimately, this firefighter is trying to close the door as much as possible while still allowing for, and assisting with, the free movement of the interior hoselines. The first step in this process is to establish and maintain complete physical control of the door itself. As most exterior doors of residential homes in Canada swing inward, using webbing will likely be of great value (see photo 1, position #1). Secondly, after the firefighter determines the minimal amount of space the door needs to be open, the firefighter places a foot against the door (see position #2) so as to not pinch down on the hoseline when pulling on the webbing. Finally, this firefighter must at all times keep a hand on the hoseline (see position #3) to assist with the advancement or withdrawal of the line, and also to know when the interior team is flowing water.
By doing all of this correctly, this door-control firefighter greatly contributes to the safety and effectiveness of the interior team as he or she helps to reduce the volume of fresh air reaching the fire, and limits a flow path that would otherwise bring the fire over the heads of the interior crew members as the fire progresses to the low-pressure area at the front door. (Visit https://vimeo.com/69350848 to view the Los
Controlling the front door is shown to have a dramatic effect on the temperature of a fire. In this case, the fire was in a two-storey house and located far away from the front door.
Angeles County Fire Department’s Door Control training video.)
Upon arrival at a fire call, one of the first actions firefighters may want to consider is to close all doors (and windows) until there is an operational advantage to having them open.
If vent-enter-search (VES) is something your department performs, you must add the word isolate into this working acronym. Once a firefighter takes a window and enters the room to search for occupants, the first priority for this firefighter must be to close the door connecting this room to the rest of the structure. The firefighter needs to isolate himself or herself from the new flow path that has likely been created by breaking a window. Operations such as VEIS can be dangerous, but with a proper understanding of fire behaviour, appropriate training and situational awareness, these tactics can be performed relatively safely when the risk/benefit profile warrants such actions.
If a rapid intervention team is on the fire ground softening doors for interior teams’ emergency egress needs, team members must close these doors as much as possible afterwards.
If a door if forced, check for occupants behind it, then close the door; keep the door closed until the line is changed and firefighters are ready to immediately make entry.
This article is not intended to serve as a stand-alone source of door-control training or doctrine; it is merely an introduction to a vitally important tactic that must be thoroughly examined by each respective agency that pursues professional excellence.
Ian Bolton is a firefighter and the lead fire-behaviour instructor for the District of North Vancouver Fire Rescue Service. He has been a student of the fire service for 12 years. While working in Sydney, Australia, Ian was trained as a fire behaviour and tactical ventilation instructor and has received additional training in these areas through the Swedish Civil Contingency Agency in Revinge, Sweden. He currently serves on a technical panel at Underwriters Laboratories Firefighter Safety Research Institute and is pursuing a fire science degree from Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Ore. Contact Ian at ian.bolton@firedynamics.ca
s the hustle and bustle of the holiday season winds down, it is time to reward ourselves with some muchneed relaxation and recovery. Our frosty Canadian winters push us indoors, and there is no better place than the kitchen to start the relaxation process. Once you find a home for all the new gifts and put away the decorations for another year, it is time to dust off the classic, little kitchen appliance that was designed to prepare food with ease – the ol’ slow cooker.
The slow cooker as we know it was introduced as the Crock Pot in the 1970s, designed for busy, working moms as a way to prepare dinner in the morning before heading out for the day. When the family returned home after work or school, there was a delicious meal ready to go.
A slow cooker cooks its contents on a simmer. Raw or browned foods layered with a liquid in a slow cooker will simmer unattended over low temperatures for a long period of time. There are many amazing benefits of using slow cookers that explain why they are so popular.
1. Little to no culinary skill is required to produce a complex, flavoured dish. Simply layer the ingredients and allow the slow cooker to work its magic.
2. Using a slow cooker to prepare a meal takes minimal effort and time. The only hard part is waiting to taste your newest creation.
3. The cooking process happens unattended. The slow cooker gained popularity because busy, working families could create a great, home-cooked meal without spending all day in the kitchen, or even at home.
4. Since the slow cooker uses simmering as its cooking method, you can take cuts of meat that may be considered tough and turn them into melt-in-your-mouth, tender and delicious meals. These cuts often come with a smaller price tag as well, which means relief for your wallet.
5. Slow cookers were designed to prepare comfort food, which appeals to almost everyone. It does not matter if you are making a savory appetizer dip, a special Sunday stew, a classic pulled pork for the big game, or even a dessert, there is a slow-cooker recipe for every course.
At Relish, a cooking studio in Waterloo (www.relishcookingstudio.com) where I am a guest instructor, I am fortunate to work alongside one of the co-owners, Donna Marie Pye, who is affectionately known as the Crock Pot Queen. You may own one of Pye’s five best-selling cookbooks on the mastery of slow cooking. I have learned
many great tips and ideas by her side over the years; for instance:
• Go easy on the liquid. Slow cookers have tightly fitting lids that do not allow any evaporation. The liquid should just barely cover the meat and vegetables.
• Trim the fat. There is no need to add any oil to the dish; trim away excess fat from cuts of meat to avoid ugly pools of oil.
• Thicken with flour. If you want a thicker sauce, try rolling meat in seasoned flour before adding it to the slow cooker, or use cornflower mixed with a little water to form a paste and add it at the end.
• NO peeking. Slow cookers are designed to do their thing; there is no need to constantly check on the contents. Whether you are part of a working family and find weeknight meals a chore, or with your fire department family away all day doing live-fire training or working a 24-hour Sunday shift, the slow cooker is designed for all occasions. There is something classic and comforting about slow-cooker meals. During a time of year when warmth and simplicity are needed in life and in the kitchen, put your food on low and slow and simply wait for the rewards.
Patrick Mathieu is a 15-year veteran of Waterloo Fire Rescue, where he is an acting captain. He has won several cooking competitions and has helped raise thousands of dollars for charities by auctioning gourmet dinners at the fire hall. Patrick will appear on the Food Network’s Chopped Canada on Feb. 14. Contact him at stationhousecateringco@yahoo.ca
Spicy red lentil and pumpkin chili
Ingredients
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 (15-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dry red lentils
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
Directions
(about 1/2 a medium onion)
• 1 cup sliced portabella mushrooms
• 1 cup winter squash, optional
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• For garnish: sour cream, shredded cheddar or Gruyère cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions.
• Crusty bread, optional
1. Add all ingredients to a large slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for eight to 10 hours until lentils are tender and chili is thick and hearty. Serve with assorted toppings, and some crusty bread if desired. Enjoy!
Slow-cooker venison cassoulet
Ingredients
• 4 pounds boneless venison roast, cut into 8 pieces and trimmed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
• 3 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes, drained
Directions
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 12 cups cooked small white beans, drained
• 6 smoked chorizo or garlic sausage links, each halved
• 1 garlic head, halved crosswise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
• Coarse sea salt
1. Season the venison generously with kosher salt and pepper; set aside. Using the stovetop-safe insert of a slow cooker over medium-high heat, combine the canola oil and panko. Cook, stirring constantly, until the panko is toasted and golden, four to six minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and season. Add the bacon to the insert and cook until crisp on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
2. In batches, brown the venison on all sides, seven to eight minutes total.
3. Add the onions and one teaspoon of kosher salt to the insert and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half, about eight minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and broth. Remove the insert from the heat and add the beans, venison, chorizo and garlic.
4. Place the insert on the slow-cooker base, cover and cook eight hours on low. Skim off the fat, if any, and remove and discard the garlic. Fold in the panko and the 1/4 cup parsley. Adjust the seasonings with kosher salt and pepper.
5. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and broil for a few minutes to lightly toast.
6. Sprinkle each serving with the reserved bacon, sea salt and parsley. Enjoy!
Bananas Foster bread pudding
Ingredients
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 can coconut milk
• 8 ounces crushed pineapple
For the rum caramel sauce:
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tbsp water
Directions
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 loaf French bread or banana bread, cubed
• 2 tbsp rum
• 2 bananas, sliced
• Good quality vanilla bean ice cream
1. Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Pour coconut milk and milk into a liquid measuring cup with the crushed pineapple juice. Whisk mixtures together. Add salt, nutmeg and pineapple. Fold in bread cubes; coat thoroughly. Pour into slow cooker. Cook on low for six hours until the bread is just set.
2. For the rum caramel sauce, bring all ingredients, except rum and bananas, to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for about one minute, then add rum and sliced bananas and cook for a few minutes longer.
3. Serve warm bread pudding topped with the sauce and vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Customer service with a side dish of fire fighting
What are you when you put your uniform on? Are you a fire officer, a firefighter or do you even contemplate how many different hats you wear in one shift? What if I told you that you are salesman, a communications officer, and a customer-service clerk all wrapped up in a fire helmet of whichever colour you just happen to wear? Several years ago I wrote a paper for a fire-prevention management course I was taking at the Justice Institute of BC; Rita Paine was my course instructor. I had an opportunity to use some customer-service skills the other day and it reminded me of the fictional paper on which I just happened to get an A. The purpose of the paper was to write about customer service in the fire service and describe what it meant to each of us.
My paper started out something like this (in a thick, old-school Boston or New York accent): “Ms. Paine, Ms. Paine, are you kidding me? Customer service? You must be talking about that great new Italian place down the block, now they’ve got great customer service! They got this ravioli that is to die for. Customer service in the fire department, I’m not sure what you’re talking about Ms. Paine; I mean, put the wet stuff on the red stuff, right? We wuzz at this fire the other day, and the homeowner was kinda’ upset. So I told him, hey guy, you’ze a probably going make some money off this fire, eh? I nudged him in the shoulder and told him his insurance company will take care of him and he should cheer up because no one died.”
products, and we know how to sell them. Customer-service staff who are trained well always seem to get us to upsize the order or buy into the extended warranty in a way that we feel good about. For firefighters, this means we have to be knowledgeable about our products (the gear and tools we use) and how to use them if any mitigation action is required. Basically, we are selling our training and experience, but the kicker here is the customer in this case has already bought and paid for it. So imagine getting poor customer service from anyone, when you’ve already given them your money! That’s right, I’d be pretty angry too if I already paid you for your services and you treat me like dirt.
JAY SHAW
Customer service in the restaurant business is not all that different from what we do.
The reality is that you are many different things to many different people when you put on the uniform. Sometimes, when I see an opportunity for great customer service, I wonder if we in the fire service would be better served if we had training in how to actually deliver it. Customer service in the restaurant business is not all that different from what we do. A good friend of mine has owed a successful downtown eatery for almost 15 years and he believes that customer service is basically the No. 1 thing he teaches his employees, as the cost to acquire new customers versus keeping existing ones is about a 10:1 ratio. Basically, if you keep your customers happy and content, you will save money. The secret is in understanding what you are selling, how to sell it, and how to deliver an experience that leaves the customer feeling good about what just happened.
So how does this translate into public service for us? Well, if we first look at any call we respond to – emergency or not – as an opportunity to provide our service, that would be a great first step. It might mean that we need to reconnect with the fact that taxpayers are our bosses and reiterate what that means to us in the halls. Maybe it means we need to read our mission, vision and value statements that are placed in the fire halls and in our policy books and binders.
The second step is knowing what we are selling at any given call we go to. In sales terms, this means we are knowledgeable about the
Let’s face it – in our job, when people call, it is proven that it usually one of the worst times in a person’s life. Something is going terribly wrong and something bad has happened. Anytime this is the case, there is an opportunity to sell our services, and even up-sell if we know how to do it. Have you ever explained to the construction guy why it is important to not silence and clear the alarm off the panel before we get there? Did you take five minutes and teach someone how to replace a battery in a smoke alarm, or the difference between the two kinds of units?
I had a captain a few years back who received a string of calls over several months when people kept dying on us. Sounds morbid, but this captain was a pro at reading and understanding the stress levels of the family members and explaining to them what had happened. I can recall at least three times when he was the person who told the spouse that his or her husband or wife had died; every single time, he took the time to help the grieving spouse process the information. I asked him if he had training in grief counseling and he said, “No, I just think it needs to be done with a little bit of heart.”
Customer service is what we do. It’s not the would-you-like-frieswith-that kind of gig; it’s way more complicated. The essence of taking care of people by understanding who your customer is – either externally or even your own internal stakeholders – and responding to the needs from a perspective of serving, is a universally known concept.
So if your ever in Winnipeg, head down to Soups, Sandwiches and More at 428 Graham Ave. for the best lunch ever, that comes with a side of great customer service, and where the owner trains his staff to understand one simple concept: “Make your customers like you, and they will take care of us for the long haul.” I think Rita Paine would agree.
Jay Shaw is a firefighter and primary-care paramedic with the City of Winnipeg. He holds a master’s degree in disaster and emergency management from Royal Roads University. Contact him at jayshaw@mts.net and follow him on Twitter @firecollege
2000 GPM Where You Want It!
The Monsoon RC is designed for 12 or 24 VDC operation, comes with factory installed control panel mounted on the monitor for horizontal rotation, elevation, nozzle pattern, programmable PARK and Oscillate. The Monsoon RC is capable of flowing 8000 l/min while maintaining a FULL 450° horizontal rotation. Electric drives and control box are waterproof.
• Maximum Operating Pressure 200 psi
• Only 15 lbs friction loss at 2000 gpm
• Field Changeable Stops
Monsoon Remote Controlled and Manual Monitor
PROTECTOR
STATION MONITOR
• Full 360° Rotational Ability
• Maximum Operating Pressure Of 200 psi
• Optional ON/OFF Valve With Position Indicator
• Lever-action Rotation Lock Is Fast and Positive
• Outlet Available With Various 2.5” Male Threads
• Requires No Grease Application or Other Maintenance
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Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms are now the law
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A CO alarm is the only way to detect deadly CO gas – you can’t see, smell or taste carbon monoxide.
When buying a CO alarm, consider an alarm with a continuous digital display that will show you if lower levels of CO are detected so you can take action before higher, more serious levels are reached.
