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Creating
Tackle
By Laura Aiken
Helping those who help
January is a time of many things. For some, it’s staring down a bitter winter in wait of spring. For others, it’s committing to New Year’s resolutions and personal betterment. For many, it’s the dreaded post-Christmas credit card assessment. For the lucky ones, it’s just the seasonal height of a beloved sport. January can be a bit of all of this. Whatever January is to you, I bet it’s reflective in some manner. That’s just the nature of its weight.
I have a suggested reflection for provinces and one that needs to continue rising in Canadian discourse: How are they helping those that help the public when they need it most? As a society, where do we stand when it comes to caring for the occupational injuries of first responders who are willing to brave the unimaginable to salvage what can be saved? Saving lives is a firefighter’s job. Are we, as a country, doing what we can to save the lives of our firefighters by ensuring their mental and physical well-being to the best of our ability?
Without a doubt, more can and needs to be done. Presumptive cancer legislation is a provincial responsibility and thus lacks federal unity. Human bodies are human bodies whether they live in Nova Scotia or Manitoba, but they are treated differently by default of geographical divide. Recently, Yukon found itself in the news when a CBC story
reported the territory is falling behind other jurisdictions when it comes to occupational cancer coverage. Should workers’ compensation be a federal responsibility? That’s a big question and too loaded to debate with fairly in this short space, but provinces and territories should be striving to keep pace with one another. There are certainly changes afoot. Nova Scotia made WCB coverage mandatory for volunteer firefighters in October of last year. In 2019 the government of Saskatchewan expanded WCB coverage for
For the firefighter, it is up to you to be your best advocate. Your voice of distress, physical or mental, needs to be shared and heard.
volunteer firefighters and added six new presumptive cancers.
When it comes to mental health, ensuring access to the appropriate services for those who are not covered and the cost of services as a barrier, are ongoing concerns. In late December, Global News drew attention to the B.C. First Responder Resiliency Program and the mega cash crunch its facing. In July of 2019, The Saskatchewan Workers Compensation Board and the Saskatchewan First Responders Mental Health Committee announced a joint initiative to improve mental health services to first responders. Good
news, but of course, more can always be done nationwide. I am confident the conversation — the reflection — will continue because it is the fundamentally progressive nature of humans to feel that more can always be done; things can always be better. We are a species obsessed with upgrading.
The fire service is blessed with passionate associations and unions that lobby for this progress on its behalf. First responder health as a priority in the public and government eye is growing, as evidenced in part by the changes exampled here.
For the firefighter, it is up to you to be your best advocate. Your voice of distress, physical or mental, needs to be shared and heard. The conversation around the holistic health of firefighters is a top priority for Canadian Firefighter . If you lose your health, there is not much left. Use the natural inclination January affords to be sure your voice is heard if and when it needs to be.
January 2020 Vol. 43, No. 1 cdnfirefighter.com
EDITOR
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Denmark to host the 2020 World Firefighters Games
The 14th World Firefighters Games will be held in Aalborg, Denmark, from Aug. 22 to 29 . This is an international event where firefighters from all over the world can participate in a wide variety of sporting activities.
The activities consist of more than 40 different events, including the toughest firefighter alive competition, track and field, swimming and more. The games is an inclusive event where full-time, part-time and retired firefighters are welcome to compete.
The World Firefighters Games began in 1990, and has since been held in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, England and Hong Kong.
Ontario treatment centre offering free support
Ontario’s Trafalgar Addiction Treatment Centres is rolling out a Local Hero Support Program, which will provide up to 50 free residential treatment spaces each year to first responders who don’t have access to care. This includes, but is not limited to, first responders who don’t qualify for OHIP, or those whose treatment costs aren’t covered by insurance.
The Trafalgar program includes three individual sessions per week with a master’s level therapist, access to a psychiatric consult and follow-up, PTSD specific care, three skills groups per day and combined family therapy. Family support programming and aftercare programs that provide clients with counselling and support after they leave the facility’s care are also available.
A 2018 NFPA study found that
Provinces build on fallen first responder grant
The province of Nova Scotia has taken actions to further secure the Memorial Grant Program for First Responders offered through federal funding.
There are over 300 CO-related deaths in Canada each year, reported a 2017 University of the Fraser Valley study.
Originally established by Public Safety Canada in April of 2018, families of first responders in Canada who die as a result of their duties can receive a $300,000 grant to recognize their loved one’s sacrifice and service.
In August 2019, the province of Nova Scotia signed an agreement with the federal government to not tax the grant and to ensure that other payments a recipient receives from the government – for example, income assistance payments, are not impacted.
Beginning in April, families of fallen first responders in Alberta will be eligible for an additional tax-free payment of $100,000 through the province’s Heroes Fund.
Those eligible for the federal memorial grant can also receive the benefits of this fund. Albertans can receive the grant of $300,000 from the Government of Canada, and an additional $100,000 from the Alberta Heroes Fund. Budget 2019 commits $1.5 million per year for the Heroes Fund for three years, starting in the 2020-21 fiscal year.
For more information, visit memorialgrant.ca or programmecommemoratif.ca.
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Jason Defosse
On the leading edge of auto extrication. By
Laura Aiken
Jason Defosse’s travel itinerary reads a little like the romping rendition of I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash: “I’ve been everywhere man/Crossed the desert’s bare, man/I’ve breathed the mountain air, man/Of travel I’ve a’had my share, man.” Except in this song, Cash is hitchhiking, and as an extrication instructor for Code 4, Defosse is definitely in the driver’s seat. His talent for auto-ex has taken him up the ranks, all the way to a dream gig as an instructor at FDIC.
When I caught up with Defosse (in his car), he was heading to Windsor, Ont., on the heels of time spent in Newfoundland and Halifax. Home is Trenton, Ont., under an hour from where he was born in Cobourg in 1974. His childhood and school years were spent in the Rice Lake area being raised predominantly by his grandmother.
“I was pretty poor, quite honestly,” he said. “And then my grandma stepped in. She was already older and retired at that point and decided to take on a 12-yearold-kid. I think my goal from there was always to make her proud.”
His goals were clear early on. He has a letter he wrote in 1981 that was returned to him by his primary school teacher two years ago in a circuitous turn of events. The young scribe wrote he would like to be a firefighter and help people who are hurt.
As it happened, he first joined the Canadian Armed Forces as an infantry soldier in 1992 and his life went on the frontlines of the military rather than the fire service. He spent five years in the army and eventually settled in Trenton in 2004, where he became a volunteer firefighter with Quinte West and has been ever since.
His early ambitions back at the fore, he pursued a career as a full-time firefighter. But it wasn’t to be for unfortunate reasons he could not change. A rocket launcher incident during his time in the military destroyed his left ear, eardrum and all. He didn’t tell
people about it, having learned to make do with the disability. In the end, after doing all he thought he could to become a full-time firefighter, he couldn’t pass the required medical.
“I can sincerely tell you that when you’re so close to achieving what you want to do, but you can’t because of an injury that was out of your control — you’re serving your country and something crappy like that happens — it is what it is. You can’t cry over spilled milk.”
The dissapointment was a defining turn of events. The “extrication bug” hit him around 2006 and he started to gravitate heavily towards it. As a volunteer on the scene of car accidents with Quinte West, he said it was the skill set he was most confident in. Word of his talents got around, and he was hired by auto-ex
Jason Defosse’s adventures in life have taken him from life as a soldier, to a firefighter, to an auto-ex ambassador with Code 4, and the journey has seen him travel far and wide.
specialists Code 4 Fire & Rescue in 2011 to provide training, service and sales.
“All I did was train every night because I didn’t know how to sell, but I sure knew how to train. That’s how it started. And then it kind of took on a life of its own — where I became an instructor and teach — and then people trusted me. Departments that had didn’t have our equipment still hired me. I’ve trained tens of thousands of people in my tender with Code 4… Been all over with them. It’s been a really amazing process, and plus my boss, Chris [Christie], gave me the platform to do whatever I want to do. He’s like a father to me— great, great fella.”
His commitment to teaching got the attention of FDIC International, and he was asked to instruct in 2018. The job was a dream fulfilled; first established when he went to FDIC in 2010 and was amazed by the sheer immensity, the hundreds of people and cars.
“This was the Super Bowl for instructors,” he says.
What is at the forefront of auto-ex?
Education, said Jason Defosse. So much has changed in the design of modern vehicles and rescue tools that training is in particularly high demand.
“I wanted an opportunity to be a part of this, but I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know how to get there. And s, I just kept doing what I was doing here in Canada, going from Kenora to Cape Breton and training every night and thousands of people every year. And then I finally got a call.”
In addition to FDIC as a career highlight (one he continues as a returning instructor in 2020), he has brought his skills to events held by the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, Canadian Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Fire Service Women Ontario. He has a social media presence and preceding reputation that bolstered his spotlight and brought plenty of other cool projects into play. He is a spokesperson for Waymo, formerly recognized as the Google self-driving car project, and worked closely in the making of their instructional video of recommended techniques for first responders, which he is also instructing in. Autonomous cars will only further evolve, he said, and the video is a very important step to training because first responders will encounter these cars and be thrown off by the missing driver and altered seating paradigm. There is a lot of novelty around autonomous cars, a ride he experienced firsthand.
“I’ve been involved in it and seen it and experienced it. The first five minutes are extremely exciting. But then, after that, it’s just like being driven around by your dad, you know? It’s kind of boring.”
He expresses confidence in the technology and part of his role with Waymo is educating on how their autonomous vehicles work. The cars operate on a geofence platform to create a virtual perimeter and use a multitude of sensors like thermal imaging that blossom its navigational awareness well beyond that of humans, whom he noted are inherently bad drivers that make poor decisions on the road and are prone to distraction.
With so many advances in technology happening, he said education is what’s at the cutting edge of extrication.
“All the tools are good, regardless of brands, they are all good. They all meet standards. It’s education. It’s teaching people. The car technology and body structures have changed. New cars do not cut, they fracture and break. So, some of these cuts that we make, there’s a lot of reaction to that and we need to prepare people for this.”
Modern vehicles have new types of safety systems, and there are different protocols for approaching vehicles that are fully electric versus diesel or other type of gas. The approaches are different, but all must meet the same end goal of patient safety, he said.
“Let every action that you do result in space for your patient and your medic, and you can never go wrong,
regardless of the vehicle that you’re working on. That’s kind of my style and how that works — and it works.” Rescue tools have become bigger and more powerful than ever before to meet the demands of today’s rescues, he said. Thus, when the vehicle and tool technology changes, the techniques that are taught must change alongside them. It is the evolution and application of technology that has put him in the demand he is in, he said.
Perhaps it is not just a need for education that has put Defosse in demand. Perhaps it is also his particular package of experience, personality and passion. He is fervent about sharing what he has learned and crediting the people who taught him. Brotherhood is important to him, something he found both in the military and as a volunteer firefighter, and something he seems to continue to find working so closely with the audiences he teaches. He describes himself as a transparent guy and thrives in the relationships he builds on the many miles he travels, a journey that has afforded him friends here, there and everywhere. He yearns to, and does, make a positive
He is fervent about sharing what he has learned and crediting the people who taught him.
difference as a teacher. He is currently working on a free app to simplify training because he said, “I’m a pay-it-forward kind of guy and karma has been good to me.”
He’s also a big believer in the concept that you “bring about what you think about.”
At heart, Defosse is a man brimming with gratitude. He is quick to be thankful for the friendship and guidance of John Whelan, fire chief for the city of Quinte West and captains David McCue and Keith Locklin, also of Quinte West, and his boss at Code 4, Chris Christie.
The perpetual teacher, he has two children, Trevor and Julia, and he coaches their sports. He said he is also indebted to his children for their patience in light of the many miles he logs on the road.
But wherever he turns up next, chances are someone will be helped. His primary school letter, returned to him all these years later with his own desire to make a difference written by his childhood hand, shows us how early internal motivators can be set and then drive us on this journey of life.
Front seat
By Jason Clark
Fixing small problems helps achieve big goals
With another year in the books and a new year upon is, many people take the time to reflect on resolutions and how we can better ourselves. Many resolutions made are big picture goals, such as losing a few pounds or maybe making a career change. These can be overwhelming when you start to look at how to accomplish the resolution. We start to think of the obstacles and tend to focus on the things that can keep us from accomplishing our goals.
Most great firefighters are making resolutions not just every year, but after every training and more importantly, after every call they respond to. When I first became a probationary firefighter, I made mistakes, and being a company officer now, I still make mistakes that I must try and learn from. I may or may not have once idled my pump down at a fire prevention open house and walked away, not realizing I left the truck monitor open. (The truck and the station floor got cleaned well that day in front of a crowd of citizens.)
One of the resolutions I’ve made as an officer is to get my crews to perform better. I am not saying they have been performing poorly, but we have added some new probationary firefighters to the roster and they are limited in skill sets and experience. Not only am I working with a newer generation of firefighters now, but so is the entire team. We need to remember we all started at this point and we didn’t magically hit the station floor with the knowledge needed to perform.
Time and again, I have said that the fire service has many parts, and all those moving parts means more time and maintenance needs to be put in place to ensure that all parts work smoothly and correctly together. I find some of the best ways to address an issue is to talk it out with the team that you’re working with. I like to do this as early on as possible. I really don’t have a problem starting the dialogue on the way back from a call when we are returning to the station.
This allows me to get every crew member in my trucks perspective and find out what they were seeing and dealing with. I usually try and keep this light in nature. I see what, if any, issues they had while per-
forming their tasks and give some of my observations. I also use this as an opportunity to give some praise and usually I’m more than impressed with their performance.
When we are back at the station, restocking the truck and making it ready for service, is where an extra five or ten minutes with a new firefighter or the entire team can go a long way. Maybe it was a hose stretch that caused an issue. Maybe the stretch went fine, but the pump operator ran into a snag. Walk through the actions with the crew that performed that task and ask them to show you what they did. You will learn a lot about your team and how they operate.
We carry a lot of equipment on our trucks. This can be overwhelming for our new members and a lot of times I find that it can be something as simple as finding a piece of equipment off the truck that’s causing an issue. Go around the trucks with your new members, and not just once but multiple times, until they are comfortable with knowing what is behind the closed cabinet doors. This will ensure they are comfortable with the truck and you are comfortable with them gathering equipment for the team.
Focus on the small picture items with your crew members and you’ll find fixing those will result in the bigger picture resolutions falling into place
It’s a new year and with that we can focus on those resolutions we want to accomplish and tackle the obstacles. We don’t need to overhaul the entire system to make changes at our company officer level. Take the time and gather the information about what went right at a call and what didn’t go so well, and do it as soon as you can in a comfortable environment so everyone can take away a learning experience from it. Focus on the small picture items with your crew members and you’ll find fixing those will result in the bigger picture resolutions falling into place.
Jason Clark has been a volunteer firefighter in southwestern Ontario since 2007. Having recently made the transition from firefighter to captain, Jason has a new perspective on roles in the fire service and riding in the front seat. Jason can be reached at jaceclark71@gmail. com or twitter @jacejclark.
You can learn a lot about how your crew operates by spending an extra five or ten minutes talking to a new firefighter or the entire team when back at the station after a call.
Elaine Birchall is the director of Birchall Consulting and works with people across the U.S. and Canada. Suzanne Cronkwright is a technical writer/editor. Their new book is titled, Conquer the Clutter: Strategies to Identify, Manage, and Overcome Hoarding.
Hoarding 101 for firefighters
By Elaine Birchall and Suzanne Cronkwright
Hoarding disorder was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition
2013. If sufficient functional impairment exists, it can be considered a disability with the right to “reasonable accommo dation” under Human Rights legislation.
“Reasonable accommodation” does not mean the right to hoard and put others at risk. It must be balanced with the fact that hoarding is not simply a mental health issue; it can also be a legal, personal, and public health and safety issue. Unidenti fied and untreated people living with this compulsive disorder will almost certainly continue until not only a personal, but also a community health and safety hazard has been created. Without hoarding-in formed intervention, they will put their community at risk.
I, Elaine Birchall, co-author of this arti cle, have been a hoarding behaviour and intervention specialist for over 18 years. I brought together 54 key stakeholders to form the first Canadian Hoarding Coali tion. The group comprises a broad cross-section of community partners from all sectors including private and govern ments to tackle hoarding related issues and develop strategic response programs and services. Later, I also initiated and led the Canadian National Hoarding Coalition.
In 2005, I was invited to the Ontario Fire College in Gravenhurst, Ont., to present on hoarding to 100 fire inspect ors. Here are the key pieces of information
Types of Hoarding
There are three types of hoarding disorder.
1. Standardized hoarding (with three subtypes)
• Indiscriminate Hoarding: Anything can and is hoarded, insight and motivation fluctuate greatly, and the hoarding usually results in chaotic piles.
• Discriminate Hoarding: Saves one or more specific categories of items, items have high attraction value for the person and are given high importance, but are rarely displayed as “collections” (kept for having, not enjoying or sharing/displaying).
2. Combined hoarding
• Generally, occurs when discriminate hoarding exceeds the person’s ability to manage.
• Chaos and piles result resembling indiscriminate hoarding.
3. Diogenes Syndrome
• is often found in aging population and is hallmarked by self-neglect (lack of clothing, poor nutrition, medical, and dental care even when they can afford it), and domestic squalor that makes the residence unhealthy and unsafe.
4. Animal Hoarding
Accumulation of animals to the extent that there is failure to provide minimal nutrition, sanitation, and veterinary care, failure to act on the deteriorating condition of the animals or the environment, and failure to act on or recognize the negative impact of the collection on your own health and well-being.
Safety risk is rated on a scale of 0-5, with 0 being non-existent, 1 is mild, 2 is moderate, 3 is severe, 4 is extreme and 5 is crisis.
Here are some examples to consider of fire and the risk level in a hoarded environment.
• Piling combustibles close to a hot water tank – level 5: A minimum of 33-inches clear (see local fire requirements) is required around any heat source. The hot water tank is surrounded by combustible materials. Materials can simply conduct heat and cause smoldering/ fire.
• Blocked or obstructed path to electrical panel – level 4: There must be a clear path to access to electrical panel.
• A cluttered kitchen stovetop – level 4-5: Smooth top stoves, if not cleared, can represent a significant risk. For example, a metal container left on the stove can conduct heat to the glass jar
Continued on page 29
Extrication tips
By Chad Roberts
Chad Roberts is a firefighter in Oakville, Ont. He is a member of the Oakville extrication team and competes and trains across North America. Contact Chad at chadroberts12@gmail.com.
How to build a training program
In my last article, we addressed some common cutting issues when it comes to new technology. This edition, I’d like to stick with common issues, but also address a broader subject in regards to training standardization and where to start. I’ve been approached too often by members of other departments, and some in my own, about where to start with an auto extrication training program. It’s way too easy and common nowadays to get a beat-up old car, a couple tools and a crew together and just start wrecking away. Cars generally aren’t free, time is money and hands on the tools is a limited experience for everyone at best. We owe it to ourselves to approach each one of these opportunities with a plan. And by plan, I mean something that is catered to each specific situation. We have to consider operator experience, tools available and even the type of vehicles and situations that are common in our jurisdictions. To simplify this, I’m going to break down the common skills needed on an awareness, operations, and technician level. Just like any other tech rescue, auto extrication should be approached by referring to correlating NFPA standards to ensure we are addressing our training situations properly and safely.
Let’s start with our awareness level. The first place we need to look to is not the tools, but rather to our departments’ standard operating procedures. If you don’t have one, reach out. Lots of departments across the country have very detailed SOPs that will help guide the first-in crews at these scenes. From there, we need to keep our heads in the books and start looking at simple vehicle technology, glass types, and patient access options. Once there is a basic knowledge established, we can start getting our hands dirty. Simple cribbing procedures such as chalking the wheels, vehicle stabilization and shutdown procedures should all be addressed before we start up the tools. Tool recognition and familiarization is also a huge area to touch on. Let’s not get
focused on the very simple choice options of hydraulics. Make sure you identify all options your department has when it comes to cutting, pushing, and displacing metal. Being able to identify simple hazards, patient access points and tool deployment according to your specific SOPs are all very important parts of the awareness level and should never be overlooked, or the entire foundation of your program will be lost.
Okay, time to start up the tools, operations level. The place to start here is not on YouTube learning the newest and most complex options. We need to start with
simplicity. Think box cribbing and glass removal. Single door removal, roof removal and dash pushes with our rams are all that should be addressed in our operations level. The amount of time and frequency that we have with major incidents is too small to think bigger than these techniques. Proper door removal from the latch side or the hinges is an art and shouldn’t be treated with any less significance. Roof removal requires plenty of hazard identification and coordination that make this an operational level difficulty. Don’t think too big — we will get there.
Now onto our technician level, which I
Here is a group of us training with Jason Defosse. Reaching out to tool manufacturers like Code 4 Fire & Rescue can benefit your auto-ex program.
Here is a group of us training with Heavy Rescue Portugal. Training can extend well beyond the technician level.
You can further challenge your auto ex program once the basics are achieved and your members are ready to tackle more complex situations.
would venture to say is our most broad area of all three levels. I say this because the sky is the limit with auto extrication. Complex tool work and vehicle technology are constantly changing, hand in hand, on a yearly basis and that makes the technician level very fluid. Start with more complex maneuvers, such as total sidewall removals, dash lifts/displacements, and even trunk tunneling. From there, move into situations with vehicles on their sides, roofs and even on top or underneath other vehicles. Throw in common hazards such as trees, hydro poles and jersey barriers to complicate these set ups. And, let’s not forget about readdressing and furthering our knowledge in basic concepts like cribbing. Technician levels should address strut work if your department has them. What about lifting? Now is the time to get out
any hydro struts, air bags and jacks that you may have in your arsenal and pair that with proper box cribbing. Lifting is a skill that cannot be overlooked. These operations generally are the most dangerous we will perform in training and on the road, so proper tool selection, load capture and coordination are paramount to
The big takeaway is to start with a plan. Respect the tools, the technology, and most of all your time and safety
address this technician level skill.
Don’t ever settle. Now that you’ve practiced, and maybe even mastered these areas, there is so much more out there. We haven’t even touched on large vehicle heavy rescue, industrial or even agricultural operations. Get your department
ROOKIE TO CHIEF…
members through the basics, and don’t stop moving forward.
So, where do you start? Like I mentioned earlier, reach out. There are many different departments across North America that post their SOPs and sometimes their training operations. Reach out to your tool suppliers. These companies often have very knowledgeable staff that are willing to come out show you the newest tools and teach some basic techniques along the way.
The big takeaway is start with a plan. Respect the tools, the technology and most of all your time and safety. By having a plan that is laid out similar to all our other disciplines in the fire service, you will be on the right track to not only address what levels your department is currently at, but where you are going in the future.
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FSWO celebrates 10th symposium
Firefighters assembled in Ottawa for the 10th annual Fire Service
Women Ontario Symposium and AGM.
By Moriah Campbell
Fire Service Women Ontario (FSWO) celebrated a decade of connecting and empowering women at the association’s conference and AGM in Ottawa.
The symposium was hosted by Ottawa Fire Services and La Cité, a French language college of applied arts and technology. From Oct. 18 to 20, 2019, firefighters and officers from Ontario and beyond came together for professional development and networking.
Festivities commenced with the opening ceremonies led by emcee Annette Goerner, host of Ottawa’s CTV Morning Live. Dinner and dessert were followed by a keynote speech from Dany Cotton, London’s first female fire brigade commissioner. Cotton’s fire service career started in England in 1988 and she has broken countless barriers for women in the industry since. During her speech, she spoke candidly about climbing the ranks as a woman in the fire service; a journey she found peppered with harassment and negativity. Cotton noted that the difficulties she faced were discouraging, but any obstacles placed in front of her inevitably pushed her to overcome and succeed. Throughout the evening, four FSWO members were recognized for their efforts and positive impact on the fire service.
Capt. Mary Fischer of the Calgary Fire Department was given the 3 “E” award, which recognized leadership and mentoring. The
President’s Trailblazer award was given to Jess Clermont of Toronto Fire Services for her work as an instructor and advocate for women in the fire service. Capt. Thomas Keaney of the Burlington Fire Department in Ontario took home the Diversity and Inclusion award for his contributions to the city’s diversity and inclusive efforts alongside his development of the Truth and Reconciliation Awareness program. Carissa Campbell Darmody of Ottawa Fire Services was presented with the Pink Helmet of Courage award for the development of new fire fighting safety procedures after she suffered an on-duty life threatening incident. The protocols were rolled into a new program titled “From Practice to Knowledge”.
On a bittersweet note, Louise HineSchmidt, FSWO president and co-founder
of the organization, gave a speech formally stepping down from her role. Schmidt announced her successor, Pike Krpan, and stated she will continue to support the FSWO board of directors as immediate past president.
Over the weekend, attendees honed their skills in hot classes that improved their proficiency in areas such as forcible entry, auto extrication, search conducting, solo competencies, fire behaviour, incident command, radio communications and chainsaw management. Firefighters looking to improve their physical fitness could partake in a yoga class, CPAT prep or try their hand at FireFit. A selection of career-focused classes were also offered – one for women interested in joining the fire service and another for any firefighter
Cheryl Hunt, FSWO secretary, (right) presents Carissa Campbell Darmody of Ottawa Fire Services (left) with the Pink Helmet of Courage award.
wanting to learn the ins and out of recruitment.
For attendees with a passion for tech, Paul St-Onge, emergency situations trainer and professor at La Cité, led two workshops. His emergency vehicle operator workshop featured a driving simulator to help better prepare apparatus operators for the road. And, his course on drones in the fire service examined the benefits of this new technology and explained the regulations from Transport Canada Civil Aviation regarding piloting UAV’s in Canada that came into effect in June 2019.
Here is a sample of what was offered through in-class sessions, which dialed in on the themes of firefighter health and leadership. On the subject of mental health resources for firefighters, members of Ottawa’s Emergency and Protective Services held a session outlining the city’s united
tri-service approach to peer support. Alain Pellegroms, Lorraine Downey and Brent MacIntyre are the peer support coordinators for the fire, paramedic and police peer support teams. Over the past two years the three coordinators shared ideas and resources to help create an effective peer support network for first responders. The session emphasized the similar challenges faced by all first responders and the importance of breaking down the silos of emergency response.
The pressing topic of firefighters and exposure to carcinogens was covered by Jennifer Keir, research associate with the University of Ottawa. Keir presented findings from past and present research on cancer rates in firefighters, focusing on how to determine fact from fiction when it comes to reports surrounding specific exposure reduction procedures.
Duo-Safety Ladder Corp.
Fire Chief Jona Olsson of the Latir Volunteer Fire Department in New Mexico, led two in-class sessions, one of which was titled, Breaking the Silence. Here, Olsson openly discussed the elephant she sees in many fire halls: discriminatory, racist and sexist comments. Participants were presented with case studies and challenged to come up with appropriate and respectful ways to intervene and mitigate the situations.
At the annual general meeting, new president Krpan spoke about the organization’s achievements over the past year, referencing the FSWO’s continued research with McMaster University on gender-based barriers in the fire service, and their recently developed partnership with Canadian Firefighter magazine. The FSWO 2020 symposium will be held in Oakville, Ont., from Nov. 6 to 8.
Back to basics
By Mark van der Feyst
Mark van der Feyst has been in the fire service since 1999 and is a full-time firefighter in Ontario. He teaches in Canada, the United States and India and is lead author of Residential Fire Rescue. Mark@FireStarTraining.com
Be a sweeper, not a patter
In my last column, we looked at the reasons why we can become disoriented and also some of the action steps that can be taken by firefighters to help themselves when they do. We are going to dive a little deeper into this area again to explore some more details of the action steps.
When a firefighter is disoriented or lost, it is important for the firefighter to quickly size up where they might be location-wise so this information can be relayed to the Incident Commander (IC), as well as the RIT team. This will allow the outside help — the RIT team — to make direct access or an entry point to that spot, if possible, to hasten the rescue operation.
For the firefighter, they can help themselves by locating a wall. By getting to a wall quickly, they will be able to start following that wall until they come across a window or a door. The building code of Canada and each province specifies and requires that there be windows and doors in each room that is occupied by a human. This provides for two means of egress for any person – the door being the first choice and the window as secondary means. If a firefighter locates a window, they are able to perform an emergency escape maneuver to get out of the building quickly. We will discuss these in more details in the months to come.
When following the wall of the building, it is important that the firefighter sweep high and low along the wall to locate the window and doors. Windowsills are going to be located within a range from two feet to about four feet in height from the floor. When a firefighter sweeps the wall as shown in Photo 1, they are going to ensure that they
Sweeping the wall is going to require a bit more work as you move your hand up high and down low in constant contact with the wall — you want to be a sweeper!
Here are two types of flooring – hardwood and carpeted – that can lend many clues to our location.
Ceramic tiles are useful for figuring out where you are located in the residence, as these coverings are usually found in entries, bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms.
When a firefighter sweeps the wall as shown, they are going to ensure that they will come across the windowsill and window.
will come across the windowsill and window. When they only “pat” the wall, they are ensuring that they will miss the window and door handles. A “wall patter” is a firefighter that gives the wall high fives with their one hand as they move along. Don’t be a wall patter. Sweeping the wall is going to require a bit more work as you move your hand up high and down low in constant contact with the wall – you want to be a sweeper!
Besides the wall, the floor itself can lend many clues to our location. In Photo 2, we can see two types of floor coverings that are typically found in a residential building. Hardwood floor is sometimes found in dining areas, formal living rooms (dens), bedrooms (depending on what floor you are on), and sometimes entries. The carpeted flooring pictured can also be found in bedrooms, living rooms, hallways or great rooms. In Photo 3, we see another example of floor covering with ceramic tiles. These coverings are usually found in entries, bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms.
Feeling the floor to determine what type of covering it is or getting close with our face and flashlight to see what type of covering it is will help us determine where we are. If visibility is not too bad, perhaps we can also see other items in the area to help identify our location. This information needs to be passed on to IC and the RIT team.
There are times that we may find ourselves lost or disoriented inside a commercial or industrial building. The same idea of locating a wall is going to be our best course of action. Inside a commercial or industrial building, we are not going to have varying flooring surfaces, or many windows along the wall, or even many doors for that matter. But there will be a door at some point.
To locate the wall in these types of buildings, we can use building features to help us. Certain features such as the expansion joint lines on the concrete floor will guide us to a column and continuing it will guide us to a wall. This may take a bit of time to locate due to the distance from where we are located and the wall. Usually the distance between columns are going to be between 25 to 50 feet and the expansion lines will run the distance from column to column. No matter what direction the expansion lines goes in, it will lead to a wall.
Trying to see what other features are around also apply to commercial and industrial buildings. In other building applications such as a high rise, this will be especially important. In an office type setting, there will be a various office cubical layouts with or without symmetry to it. If there is a symmetrical layout of cubical walls, they will help lead you to a wall where you may find an exit stairwell as well as a window. When there is no symmetrical layout of cubicles, try to locate the building core. This is where the elevator banks and exit stairways will be.
Seeing as most fires responded to are in residential buildings, it is important to practice our search skills of sweeping the walls high and low to locate our windows and door handles for our quick self-rescue.
Between alarms
By Arjuna George
Arjuna George is chief of Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue in B.C. He has served on the department since 1997. Contact Arjuna at ageorge@ saltspringfire.com.t
Building Psychological Safety
Psychological safety has become a buzz word of sorts, but what is it really? And why is it so important to obtaining excellence and building strong, high performing teams? This column will provide some valuable insight on how we can improve our fire service’s psychological safety and improve our organizations greatly.
High performing teams need to have a strong bond, where they know each other’s personalities, strengths, weaknesses and backgrounds. They need to have a sense of purpose and belonging, and most of all, they need to have a solid foundation of trust. One major factor that dissolves team performance is fear. Not the same fear as entering a structure fire for the first time, not the same fear as your first chest compression — it is fear of our own team — fear of looking stupid or weak; the fear to be comfortable enough, trusting enough to speak up.
Creating a culture within our fire service that allows our members from the newest to the most senior to have the security to speak up without reprise or embarrassment will build powerhouse fire halls that can tackle the toughest issues and develop the best solutions.
Having a psychologically safe environment also impacts our physical safety as firefighters. The more open we are to raising questions and speaking up, the greater our fireground decision making and patient outcome will be. Embracing a democratic
communication environment works, but there is a time and place. Building a psychologically safe organization allows those the space to speak up when critically needed.
Supporting a culture where all members feel safe to speak up means we don’t permit disrespectful dialogue or rudely challenging our peers. It doesn’t mean that we lower our standard, in fact it is the opposite. When building a psychologically safe organization, we excel and hold people more accountable to being respectful and honest. It allows opinions to be shared without judgment or emotional defense. It opens up the doors to new perspectives and ideas — ideas that may save a life or prevent a firefighter from being injured.
The fire service is deep in tradition and some of the longest standing values we embrace include integrity, honour and courage. These core values mirror the same qualities needed for a psychologically safe fire hall. We need to have the courage to be
honest, to speak up, to trust each other. Courage is defined as overcoming fear and danger. If we as a fire service can reduce fear within our firehouses, we will see exponential growth in our teams and in our own health.
One key step to becoming a psychologically safe department is to get to know your crew. The greater you know your fellow firefighters and differences of opinion, the greater your trust and support will be to each other. Having a high social sensitivity allows you to pick up on what your teammates are thinking and how they are feeling by watching their non-verbal cues. If you can hone this skill you are able to read your crew and encourage them to engage. When your entire team is engaged, the higher performing you will be.
One of the leaders in psychological safety is Harvard professor and author Amy Edmondson, who provides three key steps in building a psychologically safe work environment.
Step 1 - Create meaning: The fire service already has a huge advantage over other services or businesses because our dayto-day is packed with meaningful work as firefighters. Fire fighting is the ultimate purpose filled occupation.
Step 2 - Model fallibility: Step 2 suggests that inviting input from others is critical. Requesting help, solicitating opinions and actively inviting input helps build resilient and psychologically safe teams.
Step 3 - Embrace messengers: When our members speak up, listen to them and thank them. The more brains at work, the tougher decisions we can make and the greater innovation we can create. Make speaking up a positive experience for all.
The key indicators that you are operating within a psychologically safe organization can recognized as a positive and engaged department, where members trust and communicate, where there is an equality of voices, and morale runs high. Once we build a safe work environment we can come to work in our full self, present, and engaged ready to make an impact on those we serve. Building a psychologically safe fire hall can start with you. Start today, between alarms, getting to know your team that much more. Support and nurture leaders at all levels and remove those barriers that create fear. In the fire service we see too much fear in those we serve. Our job is to reduce our internal fear so we can serve more effectively.
High performing teams need to have a sense of purpose and belonging, and most of all, they need to have a solid foundation of trust.
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Tools of the trade
By Sean Kingswell
Ahead of the Pack
The self-contained breathing apparatus is undoubtedly the most important advancement in firefighting technology. Being able to breathe is essential to allow for aggressive interior fire fighting but, because SCBAs can also wear you down physically, it is important to prepare physically.
SCBAs have improved in many ways over the last 20 years, but the additional components and added air supply have also changed the ergonomics and, in some cases, resulted in heavier loads. In order to counter these issues, it’s best to address fitness elements to ensure the ability to safely wear SCBA for long periods of time and while in compromised positions.
First, of course, we need to understand how it works and how to take it on and off properly. With developments in self-rescue training, we are more prone to donning and doffing the backpack in fire environments than ever before, often in prone or in supine positions. For instance, removing SCBA while standing in good visibility is also entirely different than lying on your side, blinded under a collapse with downed wires. Adequate shoulder mobility is essential for swimming in and out of the shoulder straps. Rear shoulders can be worked to prevent rounding. As a mirror muscle society, we are predisposed to rounded shoulders from more pushing than pulling in a gym setting. Arm
angels are a good exercise for helping with this. For this exercise, simply stand with your back against the wall and slowly slide your arms up and down in a similar movement to a jumping jack, keeping the arms against the wall.
Improving or maintaining good posture will help reduce fatigue while loaded down. Core strength is very important. Isometrically, we need good core strength to stand for long periods of time in our SCBA. Rotating to swing a sledge is also a different experience with an SCBA on as opposed to not. The core is also required when getting into a crawl, not to mention wearing an SCBA in other unnatural positions. While these are only a couple of countless scenarios that challenge the core, we should always aspire to have good functional balance to overcome the displaced load of the SCBA.
Some reaction time training is always prudent in our job, partially because of the risks but also because when those risks occur, we will be inherently hindered by the extra equipment. Improving our reaction time without wearing a SCBA should condition our nervous system to perform better when wearing it.
Having good leg strength helps for numerous reasons. The hips are weight bearing joints and can be conditioned for the extra load. Climbing is, of course, much more difficult and leg strength and endurance makes the act a lot simpler and quicker. Strong ankles and hip adductors can benefit
Sean Kingswell is an experienced professional firefighter, personal trainer, fitness coach and the creator of the FIRESAFECADETS program. Contact Sean at firesafecadets@gmail.com.
Improving our reaction time without wearing a SCBA should condition our nervous system to perform better when wearing it
us in fall prevention with the risk of falling always a concern due to unbalanced loads, trip hazards, poor visibility and general fatigue. Ankle work doesn’t typically prevent an ankle from being rolled but it reduces the impact of that roll.
Simple band work in multiple directions (one direction at a time for reps) can help to strengthen this tissue. A weight vest in a gym setting can help to simulate an airpack – keep in mind that the load is dispersed differently with the tank of an SCBA being on the back and the straps holding things in place differently. A backpack with weight may be a more realistic scenario.
As I have mentioned over
and over, cardio is an important element to our work and being able to wear the pack effectively and stay in the environment long enough are impacted directly by heart health. It also affects our ability to communicate. In most cases, the more winded we are, the worse our masked-up messaging tend to become. We have looked at the SCBA largely from a fitness perspective but it is important to look at it equally from the health angle. Don’t just wear it on your back, wear it on your face. The carcinogens in our synthetic, high heat environment are well known and effects of these agents is no secret. Fatigue is a common reason why packs come off too early at a fire scene. Being fit enough — and smart enough — to keep SCBAs on allows for a ‘healthy in, healthy out’ mentality and an increased chance at a long and enjoyable retirement.
Self-contained breathing apparatuses are necessary for firefighter health and safety but it’s important to train properly in order to optimize their use in the field.
Recipe rescue
By Patrick Mathieu
The power of salt
WWhen I first started cooking at the firehouse, the only place you would ever see salt is in a shaker at the dinner table. Generations of families grew up with salt and pepper shakers at the table and that’s how you added salt to food. Unfortunately all this does is make food salty. Oh, how far we have come as we no know, to become a better chef, simply learn how to master the use of salt! Salt is the single most important ingredient in any dish. It has a greater impact on flavour than any other ingredient.
The best chefs will add salt at each stage of preparation. They do so intuitively, holding their hands high above the food for even distribution, using their fingers to add a pinch here, a pinch there, and tasting all the while. The final step in pretty much every recipe is to taste and correct the seasoning: ‘salt to taste’. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional chef to learn how to salt properly. It’s merely a matter of habit and learning to salt in stages. Get some kosher salt and store it where you will use it- next to your stove. I am routinely asked why I recommend kosher salt. If you’ve been sprinkling table salt from a shaker, you should really stop. Table salt is sharp and one dimensional in taste. It is refined to pretty much a dust and retainins almost none of its trace elements. Kosher salt is a much broader flake and be -
cause it isn’t refined as much, it retains its trace elements so it yields so much more flavour. The size and shape of kosher salt is also important as it will adhere to food much more effectively giving you very precise seasoning. Store it in a wide bowl, a wooden box, or a ceramic salt pig and set it next to your stove. To use for general seasoning, pinch the salt between your thumb, index finger, and middle finger, hold it high over your pan, and then rub your fingers back and forth to release the salt while circling your hand over the pan to distribute it evenly. For example, if you’re making a marinara sauce, salt the onions and garlic as they sauté in olive oil, and add a little more after stirring in the tomatoes. Just before you take the sauce off the heat, taste it. If it hasn’t quite come together, add a pinch more salt. Just don’t wait until a dish is ready to serve before adding the salt. Salt needs time to pull flavours together. Otherwise, the dish will just taste salty.
Here is a quick guide to follow when learning to master the use of salt on different ingredients and methods of cooking:
• If you are grilling, searing, sauteéing, or broiling, add salt to seafood, poultry, and meat on both sides immediately before cooking. After turning, sprinkle on a little more. It is a myth that salting meat too far in advance of cooking will draw out moisture and result in dry meat. Overcooking dries out meat not improper sea-
Patrick Mathieu is an acting captain at Waterloo Fire Rescue in Ontario and author of Firehouse Chef: Favourite Recipes from Canada’s Firefighters. Contact Patrick at stationhousecateringco@yahoo.ca.
Sous Vide Garlic Butter
Prime Rib Roast
INGREDIENTS
5 -7 lb bone in prime rib roast
1 cup unsalted butter, softened 6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Set sous vide machine to 133F
Salt and pepper the rib roast liberally. Put the roast in a freezer bag, and remove the air through a vacuum sealer or the displacement method. Add some fresh rosemary, thyme and garlic to the bag if you wish. Drop prime rib in the bath for 8 hours.
FINISHING
Mix together softened butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper together in a bowl until the compound butter is spreadable.
Remove bag from bath. Take rib roast out of the bag and thoroughly pat dry. Let the roast rest and cool down for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven for 475 F. Evenly coat garlic herbed compound butter on the entire prime rib. Place rib roast on a baking rack pan and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove rib roast from oven. Let rest for 5 minutes. If it is a bone-in roast, carefully carve off the bones making sure not to cut into the roast. Carve the prime rib into slabs and enjoy this heavenly piece of meat. Brush the excess butter and garlic mixture from the pan onto each piece before serving. Bon appetit!
Rock Salt Crusted Snapper Flambé
INGREDIENTS
1 whole red snapper or redfish, (about 6 1/2 pounds), cleaned and scaled
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 (3-pound) box kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 oranges, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Pernod
6 cups cooked rice, warm
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a sharp knife, make 5 slits, at an angle and about 1 1/2 inches apart, on each side of the fish. Rub 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over each side of the fish, then season each side with Creole seasoning. Place the fish on the prepared baking sheet. Combine the kosher salt, herbs, lemon zest, and juice, orange zest and juice, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Mound the mixture evenly on the surface of the fish, leaving the head and tail uncovered. With your fingers, firmly press the mixture into the flesh. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes. With the back of a heavy spoon or a mallet, lightly pound the salt crust to crack it open, beginning at the tail end. Carefully pull off the salt crust. Then, with a small spatula or wide knife, remove the flesh from the bone from the top side of the fish. Remove the back bone, then serve the flesh from the bottom side of the fish.
Spoon the rice in the center of each serving plate. Lay the fish on top of the rice. Warm the Pernod over a gentle heat and light with a match. Carefully drizzle flaming pernod over the fish. Garnish with parsley. Bon appetit!
soning. The real problem with salting too far ahead is that it causes some moisture to bead up on the surface of the food, which would inhibit browning and getting a much desired crust.
• When cooking beef and lamb, you can use salt to form a hard crust on the meat, which will also helps it retain its juices. Prime rib prepared in this way is an amazing classic dish. Many whole fish lend themselves to a similar preparation, although instead of applying a cloak of salt directly to the fish, as with prime rib, the fish is buried in salt. In such preparations, salt acts like a tiny oven rather than as a flavoring agent. Inside, the fish retains its juices and flavors.
• Try adding salt to salad greens right before dressing. When making a vinaigrette, add salt before whisking in the
oil so it can dissolve in the vinegar; it also helps the vinegar emulsify with the oil. With raw vegetables think how much better a slice of tomato tastes with just a pinch of salt.
• Add salt to any raw vegetable just before serving to enhance flavour. When blanching green vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, etc.) salt the water before blanching or boiling; if steaming, salt after cooking. Onions, leeks, shallots, garlic: add salt while sweating or sauteéing.
• For boiled root vegetables like potatoes, pasta, rice, and other grains, salt the water before cooking and add salt to taste before serving.
• For large roasts, coat with salt just before cooking and season lightly after slicing. For whole birds (roaster, broiler, turkey, etc.) salt all over—inside the
cavity, outside on the skin, under the skin where applicable, such as on the breast and thigh meat.
• Homemade broth or stock and soups/ stews. Salt broth, stock and soup ingredients before sweating, sauteéing, or roasting and add salt to taste to the finished product before serving. When you add a little bit of salt in several stages, you actually end up using less salt than when you add it only at the table. And it’s worth the small effort it takes to become adept at the process. A perfectly seasoned dish is one of life’s simplest and most satisfying pleasures and unless you have been told by your doctor to limit salt consumption, you can relax about your sodium intake from home-cooked food. In almost every case, anything you cook for yourself is lower in sodium than restaurant food. Eat well and stay safe!
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䘀氀攀砀椀戀氀攀
䄀昀 昀漀爀搀愀戀氀攀 刀攀氀椀愀戀氀攀
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愀渀搀 瀀爀漀瘀椀渀挀椀愀氀 爀攀瀀漀爀 琀椀渀最⸀
Fit for duty
By Sherry Dean
Sherry Dean is a career firefighter/engineer with Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency. She has more than 20 years of experience in fitness and training. Sherry can be reached at sherrydean363@ gmail.com.
The Benefits of Partner and Team Training
We have all heard people say they don’t have time to work out. Although that statement is really about prioritizing your workout, often it is also about motivation. Some people are fortunate to have the discipline and drive to workout at home alone, but most of us will avoid home workouts even if the equipment is available. Let’s face it — there are countless body weight options that would take less the 30 minutes
to complete and we still “don’t have the time”.
Going to the gym where there are other people, finding a workout partner or training with your crew are all great motivators. Whether it is simply because you paid for a membership or your buddy is waiting to meet you, chances are you work out harder when others are around. Add a little competition to the support system and the effort may be bumped up another notch. Working out with your crew or department members can be a big key in improving the fre -
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Partner Workout
Team up in twos and have a little competition to see which pair finishes first. Both teammates run together for each run. The rest of the work is split evenly between the two. You can split the reps up anyway you like – 5 reps at a time, 10 at a time or half of the reps at a time. Remember to pace yourself. There is quite a bit of work to do and you don’t want to hit the wall too quickly.
• Run, 400 m
• 50 Toes-to-bars
• Run, 400 m
• 50 Overhead Squats, 95/65 lbs
• Run, 400 m
• 50 Thrusters, 95/65 lbs
• Run, 400 m
• 50 Burpees
• Run, 400 m
quency and intensity of your training regime.
There are downfalls to partner and team training that are largely due to our own shortcomings. Recognizing personal limits at the risk of injury or over training can be difficult when your competitive nature takes over. It can also be disheartening when you are not as strong, fast or fit as those you are working out with. If you can keep it in perspective that your best effort is better than your moderate (or less than moderate) effort, the benefits can far outweigh the faults of training with others.
Building workout plans or individual workouts as a group can be an excellent way to spice up a tired routine. Often others will have a different way to break up a training schedule and a different selection of exercises that will cause your body to work harder simply because the routine isn’t familiar. The
Team Workout –Teams of 4
During this workout 1 person on the team must maintain a plank while the ‘load’ work is completed. If a plank is not being held ‘load’ reps do not count. The ‘load’ work must be completed in order. In addition to ‘load’ work, the team will have to accumulate 200 burpees before the workout is complete. Only one person can be accumulating burpees at a time, but the two ‘resting’ teammates can alternate one for one or any other combination of reps. Team members can switch positions at any time during the workout. *This workout is a toughie
LOAD WORK
• 75 man makers
• 150 jumping air squats or 75 heavy(ish) thrusters
• 100 pull ups
• 150 push ups
• 150 Box jumps or step ups
• 150 sit ups
• 1600m run
ACCESSORY WORK
200 Burpees
change is a great way to challenge your system.
The push and encouragement your partners will give you helps to improve your effort and performance. We can easily limit ourselves simply because we don’t think more is possible. Yet when someone else believes you can keep moving or push a little harder you make it happen.
Being motivated by others to work hard and motivating them in turn is a great way to improve a workout, but it is also a great way to bond. Enjoying the camaraderie (and a little friendly competition) while benefiting from maintaining fitness for your job is a win win situation. It will not only build your body, it will build the team dynamic. .
Ontario firefighter develops new tool
Device designed to reduce amount of gear carried by firefighters
By Grant Cameron
An Ontario firefighter has developed a compact and lightweight, multi-tool that will, among other things, help first responders quickly gain entry through various locks and doors using a respectful approach.
The tool, called the Tri-Blade, is a high-alloy, nine-function multi-tool, comprised of the various hand tools that tend to clutter the pockets of firefighters. It was designed to reduce the amount of gear and weight that firefighters carry on their person while maintaining the level of readiness the job requires.
The tool was developed by Derek Cavaliere, who’s been a full-time firefighter in southern Ontario for three years.
Cavaliere came up with the idea after responding to countless medical calls, as well as standard alarm calls, some during the early-morning hours. Use of force is not typically warranted on calls of this nature – no clear signs of danger to lives/ property. This would result in having to wait on scene because a door he needed to go through was locked.
“We’d have to wait for a keyholder to show, which could take a while,” he says. “I generally would try to make entry while we waited, with about 20 per cent success.”
He had searched for a compact tool he could always carry with him, but had no luck.
Seeing a need for a solution to better serve the community, a light bulb clicked on.
“I decided to make my own,” said Cavaliere.
After many prototypes and testing, he refined the design and function to the present version of the Tri-Blade.
“What I wanted was a lightweight, compact tool that offered me options,” he says. “I incorporated a handful of tools I used to carry in my turnout gear pockets, and added new functions that weren’t previously available.”
Cavaliere decided to optimize the tool for production. It is now being professionally manufactured in Canada.
Cavaliere says no single tool on the market can open every door lock that a firefighter might encounter. With practise, along with an understanding of the various locks available, the Tri-Blade can help as a means of gaining access to many locked or restricted areas as efficiently and respect-
fully as possible.
The tool has many features that Cavaliere said he finds very effective at a fire scene, such as the latch wedge blade that allows firefighters to manipulate latches protected behind security plates. A modified shove knife, 8 and 10-millimetre 12 point wrenches used for battery removal at MVC’s, a TTL tip used to manipulate lock mechanisms as well as reset pull stations, a window punch, serrated edge, O2 cylinder wrench and residential gas shutoff wrench.
The tool weighs about 100 grams and the stored size is 1.5-by-6.75-inches. It is about one-tenth-of-an-inch thick, making it easy to carry behind a radio or in any pocket.
The tool is now being sold worldwide. For more information, go to www.intothesmoke.ca.
Tri-Blade11: The tool weighs about 100 grams and is easy to carry. Grant
Continued from page 13
beside it. Then, an explosion of flying glass could cause injury, as would the saucepan creating ignition. A cardboard box left immediately beside the burners can ignite. Oven mitts left adjacent to cupboards could ignite.
• Piles in the doorway entrance/exit — level 3: Entrance and egress routes can be obstructed in the short term by garbage bags and shoes. Other items can be left “just for now.” When forgotten, they are left longer term. This is a level 3 because the recommended 33-inch clearance does not exist.
• Stairs are blocked chaotically with stored items —level 5: Passage is obstructed and only possible by moving many items. This increases the risk of tripping or falling.
The Environmental Risk Assessment
The best plan always starts with an excellent assessment. I begin by completing a three-part assessment, which includes mental health status, hoarding behaviour history and an environmental assessment.
For the mental health assessment, I do a narrative workup and complete the Depression, Anxiety, and Degree of Isolation Inventory developed by Dr. David Burns.
The environmental assessment is completed using a number of qualitative tools, and when necessary, an in-depth quantitative assessment rating tool developed by Birchall Consulting is completed (available on Johns Hopkins University Press website at jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/conquer-clutter/supplemental-material).
I also work with the client to complete the Housing Clutter Checklist to determine where the clutter is, what is the risk level, and what the priorities are that would be required to reverse the situation. This checklist is available on hoarding.ca.
This environmental assessment helps the individual to gain an understanding of the shortcomings in their environment and starts a specific discussion about how to rectify it.
Motivating Change Behaviour
Motivating “change behaviour” requires two elements: The fact that making a change is and remains a priority, and that the person believes they are capable of making the change (they have the knowledge, tools, and support they need to do what is required).
The collaborative working relationship between enforcement agents and hoarding-informed soft service mental health professionals is the perfect combination of service to keep tasks a priority and keep the support in place to make progress possible.
No one organization can or should be responsible for responding and dealing with hoarding situations because they are too complex and costly. Hoarding requires the perfect marriage of enforcement mandates and support service skills. Community hoarding coalitions are the answer for all parties involved.
Dispatches
By Jennifer Grigg
Learning body language
Hi, my name is Jen. I used to be an anxiety-ridden, socially awkward, insecure introvert. Suffice it to say, two essentials for navigating life did not come easily to me — people skills and confidence — which are two things also essential to success in the fire service and I settled into my place on the sidelines from a young age.
I’m glad I didn’t know that I would also spend a lifetime learning to live with mental health issues that ran in my family.
Finding my calling
I began my career in the fire service in 1992 as a dispatcher and then joined the volunteer fire department in 1997 after attending college for fire protection engineering. In the fire world, I felt at home and comfortable in my own skin, something that I’d longed for much of my life.
I’d found my calling.
However, not long into the start of my 20 plus year career in the fire service, I struggled with processing some of what I was exposed to as a firefighter and it compounded issues from childhood trauma that I’d never told anyone about.
At different points over the course of my life and career in the fire service, I was experiencing difficulties with relationship issues and mental health challenges including things such as hypervigilance, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, PTSI and PTSD.
My journey has a happy ending as I no longer struggle with any of those issues, but my story is not unique. Our stories vary but have many similarities. The one thing
Jennifer Grigg has been a dispatcher, volunteer firefighter, FPO inspector and instructor. She is now a resilience and empowerment coach and certified body language trainer. Contact Jennifer at jennygrigg312@gmail.com or jennifergriggcoaching.com.
we all have in common is that mental health doesn’t discriminate. I say I’ve overcome my struggles, but they’ll always be a part of me. The difference now is that they no longer have power over me.
and feelings beneath the words.
The one thing we all have in common is that mental health doesn’t discriminate.
I left my full-time job as an instructor at the Ontario Fire College in 2017 and started studying body language and human behaviour because I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people tick. It’s a tool I’ve used myself to overcome anxiety and build confidence, but soon I recognized how it can help others.
I learned tools that helped me communicate more effectively, build resiliency, be more present and foster engagement. I learned how to read people and see indicators of high and low power body language and behaviour. I studied the science behind our thoughts and how they translate and show in our body movement.
Finding body awareness
Being aware of your own body language and understanding how to read others is another tool to add to your tactical toolbox, a tool for interpersonal interactions and effective communication.
Here are some interesting tips about body language:
• Sixty to 93 per cent of our communication is nonverbal. It’s not the words we say, it’s everything else that we’re doing with our facial expression and body movement that conveys information.
• If you think someone may be having a hard time, don’t settle for what they say when they say “I’m ok.” Having an awareness of body language is a tool you can use to gauge how people are really doing and read emotions
• In defeat or low power positioning, we roll our bodies in and take up as little space as possible. We often bow our head in shame and cross our arms in front of us to protect our most vulnerable body parts. It’s as if we are trying to shield ourselves from incoming attacks or not be noticed in our time of shame. People who are feeling good about themselves have open, expansive body language and naturally take up space.
• Men and women are socialized to express emotions differently. For the most part, women express emotions freely and vividly. Men, on the other hand, tend to suppress facial expression of emotion and signal their attitudes using their bodies. This creates a problem for women who expect to see cues of empathy on men’s faces. The key to mirroring a man’s behaviour is understanding that he doesn’t use his face to signal his attitudes – he uses his body.
• The limbic system is a very honest part of the brain. When we’re feeling sad, mad, scared or out of control there will be almost simultaneous cues in the body that occur beyond our control and awareness.
• Blocking is a term used to describe when a person wishes to distance themselves from a distressing stimulus, for example our arms folded, hands over the head or eyes or using an object in an unconscious effort to shield themselves.
This is powerful to understand. When armed with an awareness of how to read body language, you’re better equipped to not only monitor your own nonverbal cues, but also to respond more effectively to the needs of others.
