Fort McMurray chief honoured with Kin Canada award
18 | Tim-bits
Take me to your leader line
20 | Extrication tips
Carbon fiber composition in modern vehicles
30 | Recipe rescue
Bond over meal prep
32 | Back to basics
Understand why you need survival skills
COLUMNS
04 | From the editor
13 | Guest column
The patient-first philosophy
22 | Tools of the trade
Pre-plan your wellness journey
24 | Front seat
Admit your mistakes and learn from them
28 | Between alarms
Grow from firefighter to teacher
34 | Fit for duty
Strong legs improve form
36 | | Dispatches
A leap of faith – and a perfect landing
38 | From the floor
Believing in fire science
Best practices for handling the super-heated firefighter BY KEN WEBB
G-rated public ed, with a twist Using intelligent humour in fire-safety messaging BY
BETTRIDGE
By Laura King
Honour among men and women
It was at the Maritime Fire Chiefs Association conference in Sydney, N.S., in July that I realized the dedication, commitment and work required to develop an honour guard.
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality Fire Services lacks an honour-guard division but was hosting the 2016 MFCA conference and annual memorial service – a major event with upwards of 300 guests, dignitaries and families of fallen firefighters. It was crucial to get things right.
Enter Vince Penney, the deputy fire marshal and, as anyone who has ever met or worked with him knows, a fellow who gets things done efficiently and effectively.
Penney pulled together a colour party, ceremonial axes (after a considerable search), pike poles and with pomp, circumstance and darnednear perfection, moulded a group of firefighters from various stations into a proud and pleased-to-serve group that practised for weeks and impressively carried out their duties.
The group comprised rookies and veterans, men and women, who performed with precision despite challenging logistics in the foyer of the local arena, Centre 200, that had been set up for a musical performance and was less-than-conducive to marching and flags.
Still, the presentation of
the colours went off seamlessly, a much-deserved salute to the memories of those who served.
I hope the group will stay together, to perform at funerals, in parades and ceremonies, given what the participants learned in the short run up to the MFCA and the pride with which they performed. Maintaining the unit would add an element of dignity and passion to the fire service on the Cape Breton island, and would increase visibility.
An honour-guard division can be as simple or complex as the department desires, and it can grow as resources become available.
As Jordan Paris with Brampton Fire and Emergency Services writes on page 10, developing an honour guard from scratch can be a considerable task but with a committed group, simple uniforms, a desire to represent a department or even a region, it’s possible.
An honour-guard division can be as simple or complex as the department desires, and it can grow as resources become available.
“With just the class-A dress uniform, some strong leadership, and commitment, any department can start an honour-guard unit,” Paris says.
In the amalgamated Cape Breton Regional Municipality, which boasts more than 750 volunteer firefighters and a handful of career staff, it’s important that the fire department ensure the support of residents, government and council.
“Participating in community events will epitomize your department as an active, contributing and relevant part of your municipality,” Paris says.
While some of the events in which honour-guard divisions participate are solemn, other municipal, regional, provincial or even national ceremonies can be exciting and entertaining – a bonding experience for participants and a highlight for the department(s) and the community. Financial support is always a consideration for honour-guard divisions, but where there’s a will there’s a way, and given the creative skills that most firefighters employ, fundraising should be an easy hurdle.
There’s no doubt in my mind that most departments have a Vince Penney type among the ranks, a motivator who gets things done.
If an honour-guard division interests you, be that leader.
October 2016 Vol. 39, No. 4 firehall.com
EDITOR
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Firefighters in Prince George, B.C., can now administer the life-saving drug naloxone. Members were to begin carrying the medication by Oct. 1, under a one-year agreement with B.C. Emergency Heath Services. Firefighters in Vancouver and Surrey, began carrying naloxone in January.
The B.C. Coroners Service reported a 74 per cent increase in drug overdose deaths between January and July this year compared to 2015. – LAURA KING
Fire boats unveiled
Vancouver Fire & Rescue Service introduced its newest fire boat to the community at a ceremony on Granville Island on Sept. 14. Fireboat #1 will be joined by its twin in replacing the last two of what were five rapid-response fireboats that entered service in 1992. The new boats, built by Metalcraft Marine of Kingston, Ont., offer a huge improvement in performance and firefighting capabilities, with twin jets, a top speed of 39 knots, four monitors and a rated pumping capacity of 6,000 imperial gallons a minute, -PAUL DIXON
New Brunswick department gets gear
The Norton Volunteer Fire Department in New Brunswick is among the benefactors of the Globe Gear Giveaway, and for good reason. According to Globe’s press release announcing the winners, the department has 22 volunteer firefighters and 24 sets of gear – but 16 sets are more than 10 years old.
“Much of the existing gear has been passed down from member to member,” Globe says. “The new gear will boost the morale of their team, helping to protect them as they do their work helping those in need.”
Globe, DuPont Protection Technologies, and the National Volunteer Fire Council have partnered for the fifth year to provide new turnout gear to fire departments in need. – LK
per cent increase in the drug overdose deaths in British Columbia between January and June.
Pressurized cabins
in Vancouver’s new fire boats allow the crew to work in close under the most difficult conditions without having to don SCBA as was previously required.
Fort McMurray chief honoured with Kin Canada award
Fire Chief Darby Allen has consistently praised Fort McMurray firefighters for their Herculean efforts during the wildfire that decimated the Alberta community in May.
Allen did so again on Aug. 20 when he accepted from the Kin Canada Foundation an award recognizing his leadership during the massive blaze.
Allen was named a Hal Rogers Fellow; the award is presented to people who have demonstrated the high ideals to which Kin Canada founder Hal Rogers was committed.
In Allen’s acceptance speech, he recognized all the members of the Wood Buffalo emergency response team. In addition, Allen acknowledged his appreciation of Kin Canada, Kinsmen and Kinettes and their efforts after the fire.
“It was amazing,” said Tanya Bettridge, a public educator with the Perth East and Perth West fire
departments in Ontario, and a Kin Canada volunteer who was in Edmonton for the presentation. Other notable recipients of the Hal Rogers Fellow are Gen. Rick Hillier, Wayne Gretzky and Rick Hansen.
Allen walked in the Calgary Stampede parade, has been named one of the most influential people in Alberta in 2016, and has been praised for his from-the-heart tweets and videos in the aftermath of the fire. He has also been criticized (in a CBC story that did not name its sources) for his handling of the fire ¬ – for not calling sooner for residents to evacuate.
“We don’t know if those guys had been on the [firefighter roster] five minutes, five years or 15 years,” Allen told CBC News. “But I’m going to suggest that if they’d been on for 15 they wouldn’t have made those comments, because it’s not what we do.” — LK
Fire Chief Darby Allen praised the efforts of volunteer groups such as Kinsmen and Kinettes when he became a Hal Rogers Fellow at a ceremony in August in Edmonton.
Co-operation crucial to
Quick-thinking responders saved trapped resident
By Paul Dixon
There is a fine line between being at the tipping point and going over. Firefighters in North Vancouver recently found themselves on the line. The first of many 911 calls came in shortly before 05:00 on Monday, July 18. The alarm had been activated at 357 East 2nd Street in the City of North Vancouver, with callers inside the building reporting a smell of smoke, while neighbours reported visible flames. First alarm assignment was City of North Vancouver Engine 9, Engine 10 and Ladder 10 from the City fire hall as well as District of North Vancouver Engine 6 (spare replacing Quint 2) from District Hall 2. The fire was visible against the predawn sky to the City fire crews responding. Based on what could be seen and with dispatch advising reports of people trapped, Capt. Paul Granger on Engine 9 called for a second alarm while en route. The second alarm would bring District of North Vancouver Engine 1, Rescue 1, Engine 3 and Quint 5 along with West Vancouver Tower 1 (District Tower 1 out of service). Granger established command upon arrival.
Built in 1971, 357 East 2nd Street is a wood-frame building with 29 suites on three floors; there are no sprinklers or standpipe, however the fire alarm was upgraded in 2014 and is monitored by a central station. While the building is three storeys at the front, the land drops away to the rear, where the building is five stories high. Lane access to the rear is from the east side only, extending to the parking lot entrance. The rest of the Charlie and Delta sides are city park, with mature trees growing close to the building. Access to the rear
is made more challenging by the presence of hydro lines and transformers.
City of North Van Chief Dan Pastilli and Assistant Chief Bob Poole were paged out with the initial dispatch as the on-call chief officers. Pastilli quickly realized from the radio traffic that this was the real deal. Granger had established command upon arrival and he remained as incident commander throughout, with Pastilli assisting him and Poole taking the Charlie side in the lane. The District of North Van Duty chief was the safety officer.
RCMP officers on patrol had seen the flames and were working through the lower floors of the building, alerting residents and assisting with the evacuation. Third-floor residents were reporting by phone that they were trapped by heat and smoke. First-arriving firefighters laddered the upper balconies on the street side of the building to remove
residents, while flames were pouring out of one suite at the rear of the third floor. Capt. Kit Little of District E6 and another firefighter attempted to reach residents at the rear of the third floor from an interior stairwell, but upon cracking open the door on the third floor, were driven back by extreme heat. Hydro wires precluded the use of an aerial. A 35-foot ground ladder barely reached the top-floor balcony where an 88year old woman was trapped by flames. The first firefighter was unable to get high enough on the ladder to safely grab the woman. The six-foot, four-inch Little waved the firefighter down the ladder. Discarding his SCBA and helmet to minimize his weight and maximize his balance, Little still had to balance on the second rung from the top, as four Mounties on the ground steadied the ladder; he was able to stretch out enough to grab the woman and bring her out
Firefighters from the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver and the District of West Vancouver responded to an apartment-building fire on July 18. Hydro lines and transformers posed a threat to firefighters removing people off balconies and access to the rear of the building was complicated by mature trees up against the rear and west sides.
to knock down
over the railing and then get down the ladder far enough to pass her off to firefighters on the balcony below. Not done, he went back up the ladder and scooped her little dog to safety.
By this time, BC Hydro had arrived and de-energized the lines at the rear of the building. While the City’s Ladder 10 and West Van’s Tower 1 poured water down from the street side, in the rear District Engine 6 unleashed its deck gun in tandem with Quint 5’s 55-foot ladder pipe.
In an interview later, Chief Pistilli described “a very labour-intensive fire” with manpower the key to fighting the fire. Pistilli credits Granger’s quick decision to call the second alarm with getting that manpower in play as soon as possible. The first alarm assignment with three engines and an aerial put 14 firefighters at the scene initially,
Response
City of North Vancouver Fire Rescue Engine 9 Engine 10 Ladder 10 Rescue 10
District of North Vancouver Fire Rescue
Hall 1 – Engine 1, Tower 1 (out of service), Rescue 1
Hall 2 – Engine 6 (spare replacing Quint 2)
Hall 3 – Engine 3
Hall 4 – Engine 4
Hall 5 – Quint 5
District of West Vancouver Fire Rescue
Hall 1 – Engine 1, Tower 1, Rescue 1
Hall 2 – Quint 2
Hall 3 – Engine 3
Hall 4 – Engine 4
357 East 2nd Street –
First Alarm
City E9, E10, L10, District E6, City duty chief
2nd Alarm
District E1, E3, Q5, R1
District duty chief, West Van T1
Firewatch City E11
with the second alarm of two engines, a quint and a rescue from the District along with West Van’s tower adding another 17 personnel on scene in short order. “Enough resources,” said Chief Pistilli, “to allow suppression and rescue operations at the same time.”
While the building didn’t have sprinklers or standpipes it did have a firewall that cut the building in half, from east to west. The fire had started on the top floor in the rear on the east side. A two-and-a-half was run in the front door and two inch-and-a-halves were run off in a garden lay to support for interior operations. A team from the District was able to access the third floor from the west side through a fire door and gained a foothold; then it was a matter of doggedly tearing down ceilings. “It was knocked down in about two and a half hours,” said Pistilli, “and we were at a comfortable spot after about four hours.”
Manpower was a consideration as the shift change approached. The decision was made to hold over the City night shift of 10 firefighters as the day shift arrived. With the District holding over some of its firefighters, more than 40 personnel were working on the site. Coverage for the City and District of North Vancouver was left to Engine 4 from the District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver’s four engine companies.
Nightshift firefighters were released starting from about 11:00. “It was their first night shift and we had to give them time to rest before coming back to work that night,” said Pistillli. The decision to hold over the night shift was based on the time; earlier in the
shift, it would have required an overtime callback to build up the required personnel.
There was one fatality in the fire. Later in the day, as firefighters were working through the suite in which the fire started, a badly burned body was discovered. Information provided to firefighters at the time of their arrival had been that the resident of the suite was out of town. Preliminary investigation suggests that the door to the fire suite may have been opened, accounting for the rapid buildup of smoke and heat through the east half of the third floor, which in turn forced residents to their balconies. Again, Chief Pistilli points out, there were a number of residents who heard the fire alarm, but chose to ignore it. Many who delayed had to be rescued. The firewall not only saved the building, but also saved lives. The upper floors of the Charlie and Delta sides of the west half of the building would have been beyond the reach of ground ladders, and rescuers would have been hindered by trees. The roof design worked in firefighters’ favour: the closed construction prevented the horizontal extension of fire.
The fire could have been catastrophic, but several factors worked to prevent that: the firewall was critically important; the role of the RCMP officers in alerting and evacuating residents; the decision to quickly call a second alarm was enabled simultaneous suppression and rescue operations; the decision to hold over the night shift, building up resources and then being able to sustain a concentrated effort to track extensions and hot spots. It’s the little things that keep you from going over the edge.
RESPECTING TRADITION
Honour guard preserves fire-department practices
By Jordan Paris
The phone rings in your fire chief’s office with news that one of the department’s members has passed away suddenly; it is a line of duty death (LODD). With a sinking heart and eyes full of tears, the chief mourns the loss of one of his firefighters. After getting a grip on emotions, the chief’s mind races frantically over the details that will have to be organized over the next 48 hours. The chief needs to inform the department, contact the family, the funeral home and fire-department chaplain (if the department has one) and make various other arrangements. Depending on the circumstances, the media might also have to be informed. Visitation, funeral and reception details need to be sorted. City police might be enlisted to assist with road closures. Arrangements will have to be made with local hotels to accommodate firefighters from other departments who may want to pay their respects. The overwhelming number of details for which the department is responsible causes the chief to realize how truly unprepared everyone is to effectively handle this situation.
Was there a way to reduce this stress and anxiety ahead of time? Can departments be better prepared for such a daunting task?
Absolutely. The addition of an honour-guard division to a department puts into place the tools to assist members, and to support each other and the grieving family. The creed of the honour guard is to honour the fallen, remember the traditions and support the families of those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their communities. An honour guard provides stability and guidance, and maintains meaningful practices in the fire service.
Components of an honour-guard division
In order for an honour-guard division to run smoothly, the following team positions should be in place:
A co-ordinator, who is responsible for overseeing all facets of the division and provides guidance and direction to the participating members. The co-ordinator also maintains all communication with the fire chief and relevant parties. This person should be proficient in all elements of communication, including social media.
An assistant co-ordinator, who supports the co-ordinator in all duties and responsibilities and acts as acting co-ordinator in the co-ordinator’s absence.
A drill commander, who leads marching drills with a powerful voice and has knowledge of marching commands. The Canadian Forces Drill Manual outlines movements that can be altered to suit individ-
ual situations.)
Pipes and drums; any members with these musical skills can play for your department or join in with other departments at appropriate opportunities.
The colour party generally consists of flags, but axes, pike poles and other firefighting tools can also be used if available.
The marching unit comprises members who will march in parades or other special events; it is generally made up of two or more members.
All these components come together to create a formal and complete honour-guard division, however, not all of these components are necessary to begin building your team. With just the class-A dress uniform, some strong leadership and commitment, any department can start an honour-guard unit. The Brampton Fire & Emergency Services honour guard began in 1974, wearing simple shirts and ties; don’t be intimidated – you have to start somewhere.
Choosing members
The type of person who will best represent what the honour-guard division is all about is one who carries himself or herself respectfully and demonstrates an appreciation for appearance, etiquette, values and professionalism. These members should go through a probationary period to make sure that they are worthy of the honour of being part of the honour guard. Members of the honour guard should be cognizant of the fact that they represent not only their departments, but also
their chiefs, their cities and their country while on duty in their uniforms. These recommendations are guidelines drawn from personal experience; in the end, whether a member becomes part of the honour guard is at the discretion of the co-ordinator.
Drills and equipment
Drills, or marching practices, are necessary to maintain precision, unison and cohesiveness in the marching unit. Once a location has been finalized, drills should occur a minimum of once a month. The co-ordinator may determine that more practices are prudent, especially during the building phases of a department’s honour guard. It should be noted that even veteran honour-guard teams meet once a month to maintain their skills. While a gymnasium works per-
fectly as a practice venue, the apparatus floor can always be used as a parade square. While attendance at practices should not be mandatory, members should be encouraged to attend to achieve consistency and so everyone is well prepared if called to duty. Dividing drills into workshops works well when teaching isolated skills such as funeral details, visitation and casket details, carrying flags, carrying axes and pike poles, marching rhythms, patterns and commands, and details pertaining to other special events.
It’s important to have certain props on hand so that the honour guard is ready when called upon; these include flags, flag stands, flag holsters, axes, pike poles, white gloves, pipes and drums, and, hopefully, at some point, a special honour-guard uniform separate
from the fire-department uniform.
The honour-guard co-ordinator should establish a routine for maintenance and safe and accessible storage of these items. There are numerous Canadian websites that sell honour-guard equipment.
Events and finances
An established and active honour guard will attend events other than funerals, such as:
• City parades
• Retirement parties
• Firefighter last-day-at-work march-out
• Weddings
• Recruit graduations
• Local sporting events
• Mayoral inaugurations
• Award banquets
• Charity events
• Fire-station openings
• Canada Day celebrations
Components of an honourguard division
1
Co-ordinator – overseees all facets of the divison; provides guidance and direction to members .
2
Assistant co-ordinator – supports the co-ordinator in all duties and responsibiities; becomes acting co-ordinator when necessary.
3
Pipes and drums – any member
4 5
Marching unit – all interested department members can participate through
The creed of the honour guard is to honour the fallen, remember the traditions and support the families of those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their communities. An honour guard provides stability and guidance, and maintains meaningful practices in the fire service.
Participating in community events will epitomize your department as an active, contributing and relevant part of your municipality. An honour guard can also participate in funerals outside its own city, province and country. Protocols for attendance at such events need to be established upon development of an honour-guard team in order to be prepared when a situation arises. These protocols should be created by the co-ordinator and the fire chief.
The co-ordinator and the fire chief should also discuss financial support for the honour-guard division and determine the level of funding available from the department. There are, of course, other funding options, including the firefighters association and the municipality. Monies can be used to purchase and maintain equipment, for travel and accommodation at events, and to buy uniforms. However, it should be noted that members might have to pay for room and board when attending events out of town. While this is not ideal, this might be the norm at the building stages of your honour-guard unit.
An honour guard can be started without financial support from outside units, simply by wearing a dress
Honour guard or ceremonial guard,
uniform and making a commitment to attend local events and firefighter funerals; doing so will promote that idea that the honour guard is an active division in the fire department and within the community, and this visibility may lead to future financial support.
In addition to the honour-guard co-ordinators, it is a good idea to have a responsible and trustworthy member act as treasurer.
Uniforms and rules
A standard class-A tunic provided to firefighters at graduation can be worn as an honour-guard uniform. The addition of white gloves, a rope lanyard placed on the left shoulder, and perhaps a polished boot or tuxedo shoe will enhance the look and distinguish honour-guard members from other firefighters. Purchasing a custom uniform comes with time and money.
Rules, while in uniform, are different then when not in uniform. Once the uniform is on, members should not chew gum or monitor cell phone use; hat protocols should be practiced (indoors and outdoors). In addition, members should maintain a clean, tidy appearance, and carry themselves professionally as representatives of their professions, cities and departments.
For more information and direction about establishing an honour-guard division, look to a neighbouring department that has an active honour guard. There is also an opportunity to gather information at the third annual Canadian honour-guard convention in Niagara Falls this spring (http://www.hgconvention.com).
The traditions of the fire service are maintained through an honour guard. The Latin phrase Semper paratus means always ready. The responsibility of an honour guard to its department is to continue to practise and maintain fire-service traditions and to represent the department with honour, integrity, pride and professionalism at all events and opportunities. Being ready when duty calls, and being able to adapt quickly, are key characteristics of a polished honour guard. When you have an active and present honour guard, all who come in contact with its members will appreciate the dignified and professional presence.
Charlie Martin, who founded Brampton’s honour guard, said, “Never let our honour guard die.” I am doing my best to fulfill his request and inspire others to do the same.
Jordan Paris has been a full-time firefighter for 18 years a proud member of the Brampton Fire & Emergency Services ceremonial honour guard for 12 years, serving the last two as co-ordinator and commander. He can be reached at jordan.paris@brampton.ca
Funding is necessary to acquire special honour-guard uniforms but departments can develop honour-guard divisions with members wearing their class-As, polished boots or shoes, a lanyard and white gloves. Uniforms can be purchased later, once the honour guard division is better established and supported.
is a ceremonial unit, composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity.
Guest column
By Rodney Schmidt
The patient-first philosophy
All the negative stories regard ing fire departments provid ing first and co-response EMS services have led me to wonder who is being served by not playing nicely in the sandbox. Certainly these usversus-them situations fail to put the customer. or patient, first.
Members of the High Level Fire Department (HLFD) are part of the patient-care process, even when EMS is on scene first. Our system is based on a patient-first philosophy and it works; perhaps other regions can learn from us.
High Level, located in northwest Al berta, is a community of just under 4,000 people. With an initial response area including a 40-kilometre radius of the town as well as highway response 200 kilometres to the north, 100 kilometres to the south, 40 kilometres east and 70 kilometres to the west, the HLFD has a large responsibility. One of those services is medical co-response.
reserved for use by EMT staff. The department is adding Narcan – an opiate antidote – once training is complete.
The HLFD responds to all Delta- and Echo-level calls (potentially life threatening) as well as any call with an ambulance delay of 15 minutes or more. In 2015, EMS calls comprised about 56 per cent of the HLFD call volume (178 calls). This percentage is not uncommon in Alberta, where the majority of MFR programs utilize similar parameters; the difference lies in the proud and seamless working relationship between the two agencies.
The HLFD is part of the Alberta Medical First Response Program, which was developed by Alberta Health Services (AHS) when it took over responsibility for EMS in 2009. The program has grown and the HLFD is growing along with it. The EMS service in High Level is provided by a contracted service to AHS. The company, Aeromedical Emergency Services, has a longstanding, great working relationship with the HLFD.
The HLFD is a volunteer service with three staff (two full-time equivalents) providing administrative direction and command capability to the more than 35 volunteers. The HLFD has always provided assistance to EMS at a first-response level, but since the development of the Medical First Response (MFR) Program, the working relationship has grown with the service level. Approximately half of the HLFD staff have medical training above first aid; this includes four staff trained as emergency response technicians (EMTs) who are primary-care
paramedics, and eight emergency medical responders (EMRs), all of whom are registered with the Alberta College of Paramedics. Another six staff members are trained as first medical responders (FMR), which is similar to an EMR, with 80-hours of classroom training. The majority of the volunteers all have standard first-aid with additional training on spinal immobilization, stretcher operation and oxygen administration, as well the ability to operate the department’s monitors/defibrillators (LP12s). Firefighters have medical training built into weekly training nights, and dedicated medical training nights are scheduled every six weeks for currency training. The HLFD also uses an online learning-management system for additional training. Staff from Aeromedical regularly attend training nights. All new Aeromedical staff meet senior HLFD staff and tour HLFD facilities.
The HLFD provides up to basic life support care to first-response calls and carries advanced airways, as well as epinephrine for allergic reactions, ASA for heart attacks, instant glucose, D50W and Glucagon for diabetic emergencies, and Atrovent and Ventolin for respiratory distress. Some medications are approved for use by FMR/EMR staff and the rest are
When HLFD staff arrive, usually with a crew of between four and six personnel, some firefighters are assigned to assist with patient care with the paramedics, and some ready the stretcher or start preparing whatever device is required for patient transport. Once on-scene treatment is complete, HLFD members assist with the patient in the ambulance. This may involve starting IVs, taking vitals, assisting with patient airway or anything else that is within the scope of training.
HLFD members attend in the back of the ambulance on approximately 75 per cent of co-response calls; this improves patient care and helps firefighters stay current on skills. Once at the hospital, firefighters assist with patient transfer and, when requested, even assist nursing staff. If firefighters are not required to assist at the hospital, the fire crew that follows the ambulance to the hospital will help to ready the ambulance for the next call by preparing the stretcher, cleaning the ambulance interior or assisting where needed to ensure that the EMS crew can have a quick turnaround.
When not training or responding, both services attend social events together and co-operate on joint public presentations. It is this type of community effort and co-operation that shows what can be accomplished when services set aside differences and do what is best for the community.
Rodney Schmidt is the fire chief and director of protective services for the Town of High Level, responsible for fire protection in an area spanning more than 37,000 square kilometers in Alberta’s northwest. rschmidt@highlevel.ca
Burn protocol
Best practices for handing the super-heated firefighter
By Ken Webb
Much wo rk has been done over the last three decades to improve the quality of firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE).
We are long removed from the minimal protection provided by hip waders and rain coats that were used by some of Canada’s largest fire departments up to the early 1990s. Today’s PPE ensemble, combined with the latest in respiratory-protection devices, affords firefighters the best available opportunity to survive the hazards in a modern-construction dwelling containing materials that burn much more quickly and hotter than they did just 30 years ago. Even with the latest and greatest in available technology, there are situations in which firefighters are seriously injured or killed as a result of acute exposure to the intense heat associated with hotter and faster-developing structure fires.
I first heard Winnipeg firefighter Lionel Crowther’s story at the 2015 Canadian Burn Symposium in Toronto. While working an overtime shift on the evening of Feb. 4, 2007, a response to a house fire produced results that have changed Crowther’s life. We now know Crowther and his crew likely encountered a change in fire conditions as a result of flow-path dynamics. Crowther suffered burns to 70 per cent of his body, 30 per cent of which were full-thickness burns. Captains Harold Lessard and Thomas Nichols died on scene and firefighter Ed Wiebe suffered injuries that put him in critical, but survivable, condition. Firefighters Darcy Funk and Scott Atchison sustained minor injuries.
Crowther was exposed to extreme heat levels for an extended period of time as he was unable to make an exit when fire conditions changed; he sustained burns
It is crucial to follow particular protocols when removing PPE from a super-heated firefighter to prevent further damage and injury. Once a firefighter is removed from the burning structure, allow some time for the PPE envelope to passively cool and off-gas, or use a positive-pressure ventilation fan to speed up the process.
that may have been caused by the compression of superheated gasses trapped in his bunker gear. (For more about Crowther go to https://afterthecocoon. com/burn-survivors/lionel-crowther/)
NFPA 1971 sets the minimum performance requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) and also specifies the test methods by which the PPE is measured. The newest test is the stored energy test, which was added in 2013. Industry experts recognized the thermal protection offered by bunker gear also results in heat being stored in bunker gear. The trapped, superheated gas, when compressed at pinch points in the suit at the knees and the elbows, causes burns. Another common place where superheated gases are trapped is behind the backplate of the SCBA.
Crowther’s story closely resembles that of Winnipeg firefighter Barry Borkowski, who suffered significant injuries on Oct. 9, 1994. Since retiring as a captain in 2005, Borkowski has worked to implement design changes to bunker gear.
The evolution of engineering of bunker gear has resulted in significant improvements in protection of firefighters; NFPA 1971 has evolved as a result of different types of firefighter injuries, and now measures more factors. But with the improvements have come some challenges: the retention of superheated gasses inside the PPE envelope has resulted in burns during the handling of firefighters who have been removed from fires.
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The evolution of engineering of bunker gear has resulted in significant improvements in protection of firefighters...
Representatives from the International Association of Fire Fighters were invited to attend the 2015 Toronto burn symposium and participate as presenters. At the 2014 symposium, much of the information presented contained American-specific details. In 2015, I was asked to co-present – from a Canadian perspective – with Judy Knighton, a registered nurse and burn specialist at the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Knighton and I were tasked to identify best practices in handling and managing the care of responders who sustained burns. Knighton handled to the transport and treatment priorities in her presentation titled Emergency Management and Outpatient Care of the Person with Burns. I addressed management of the patient immediately following removal from the hazardous environment in my presentation, Managing the Handling of the Rescued Firefighter.
Emotions among fellow firefighters run high when a firefighter is rescued from a fire. As with all hazardous situations in which patients are involved, the primary concern should be rescuer safety. It is important that the rescuers wear full PPE when managing care for a rescued firefighter, and be purposeful and careful when handling the super-heated firefighter. The rescuers need to:
• Avoid off-gassing from firefighter;
• Avoid skin contact with hot bunker gear.
Considerations and steps to safely remove the PPE ensemble:
1. Have the firefighter remain standing
• Allow some time for the PPE envelope to passively cool and off-gas or use a positive-pressure ventilation fan to speed up the process
• Do not use a hose line to cool the firefighter while he or she is in the PPE ensemble.
• Use two rescuers to facilitate the removal of the PPE ensemble
• Protect the rescued firefighter from the stored heat in the bunker gear
Disconnect chest strap, unbuckle waist belt, remove and replace neck flap, open front jacket flap while unclasping/unzipping the coat, open the jacket and remove the stage-2 regulator. Roll the coat and the SCBA over the shoulders, remove gloves and coat, unclasp pants and remove suspenders, letting pants fall, roll pants over boots and assist in the removal of boots.
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your planned actions and co-ordinate the loosening
3. Disconnect the chest strap
4. Loosen and unbuckle the waist belt
5. Remove and replace the neck flap
6. Open the front jacket flap while unclasping/unzipping the coat
7. Open the jacket
8. Remove the stage 2 regulator
9. Roll the coat and the SCBA over the shoulders
10. Remove gloves and the remainder of the coat
11. Unclasp the pants, and remove the suspenders, letting the pants fall
12. Roll the pants over the boots, and assist in removal of boots.
13. Remove helmet, balaclava and mask.
Initial burn treatment:
• Rapid access to definitive care ASAP
• Use water to cool small minor local burns
• Cut away clothing if necessary to avoid debriding when fabric remains in the burned tissue
• Protect open burn wound with dry sterile burn dressings
• Facilitate rapid transport to definitive care
Lastly, remove the helmet, balaclava and mask and ensure the firefighter has rapid access to definitive care. Use water to cool small, minor local burns. Cut away clothing, protect open burns with dry sterile burn dressings, and facilitate rapid transport to hospital.
Initial assessment of burns on scene are quite often not overly reliable; some burns that appear to be minor end up being severe while some burns that seem to be significant end up being less severe.
All regions in the country have burn centers associated with leading-edge hospitals that are best suited to manage the care of burn patients. It is worthwhile to ascertain where your firefighter will go when they sustain significant burn injuries. Our partners in emergency medical services will facilitate movement of firefighters to these facilities.
Fire services are very good at preplanning occupancies so they are aware of the different hazards. Situational awareness training is also helping firefighters recognize and react when fire conditions are about to change. These are initiatives designed to limit the risk to firefighters when emergencies occur. Through articles like this and presentations at conferences such as the Canadian Burn Symposium, we hope to spread the word about how to manage the superheated firefighter to limit injuries to the rescuer and the rescuee. These are low-incidence, high-risk situations that need to be planned for before they happen.
Ken Webb is a 22-year career fire fighter at Toronto Fire Services who is also paramedic trained. Ken served 15 years as a captain in the professional development and training division. For the last eight years, Ken has been the manager of the firefighter pre-hospital care program at the Sunnybrook Centre for Pre-hospital Medicine in Toronto.
Tim-bits
By Tim Llewellyn
Tim Llewellyn is a firefighter for the Allegheny County Airport Authority in Pittsburgh, Pa., and an instructor for a number of fire academies and training faculties. llewellyn.fire@gmail.com
Take me to your leader line
As the first-due engine company responds swiftly to a confirmed bedroom fire, the company officer in the right, front seat scans the GIS map on the engine’s iPad for locations of nearby fire hydrants. The company officer finds that the best hydrant is six houses past the incident address, and the second-best hydrant is a block before the incident, but is on the opposite side of the street. The company officer knows that a charged, large-diameter supply hose snaking up the street will likely block access to the next-arriving companies, so she ranked that hydrant second. As the engine approaches the second-ranked hydrant, the officer shouts to the emergency-vehicle operator: “You’re going to hit the hydrant up there, past the address. Stop in front of the house, we’ll drop our leader line and two attack bundles. Reverse lay the leader line to the hydrant. Send water as soon as you get it, don’t wait for us to call for it!” The operator nods and sails past the first-encountered hydrant. As soon as the air brakes are set in front of the burning house, the company officer and her two firefighters disembark the engine, retrieve their assigned hand tools and both ladders and drop them all in the front yard. The officer heads to the rear hose bed and pulls the leader-line bundle down to the street, while each firefighter shoulders and disconnects the top two sections of both of the engine’s midmount minuteman, crosslay hose loads. Once the firefighters are clear of the engine, the company offer kneels on the leader-line bundle and shouts for her driver to begin the reverse lay toward the hydrant.
The situation in this story occurs all too often, but based on my knowledge gained from instructing locally and internationally, the decisions made and the actions performed by the company officer are rare. Firefighters, as creatures of habit, think securing a water supply means laying our supply hose from the hydrant and
driving the fire engine toward the fire – a forward lay. Leader-line reverse lays are taught in recruit academies, but are rarely put to use and seldom trained on (and only if the fire engine is equipped to perform them). I’ve even witnessed a wellequipped fire engine drive past the fire, perform no fewer than six three-point turns on a single-lane road, just to turn around and perform a forward lay from the hydrant to the fire. A reverse lay with a leader line would have sent water to the fire much faster.
A leader line is a dead load of 77-millimetre (three-inch) hose packed flat-load style in a hose bed from the female coupling. Typically, the hose in the bed will be no less than six lengths, and will terminate on top at the last male coupling with a water thief or other gated, reducing wye. A leader line’s function is to extend a larger diameter hoseline further than would be practical to stretch smaller lines, and then attach smaller attack lines to the appliance on the end. As much hose as needed is removed, and the line is then broken and attached to a side or rear discharge for supply.
We have devised a unique way of packing our leader lines that enable an effective reverse-lay operation, or simply extend our attack lines further from the truck than our pre-connected hoses will allow. The idea is to form a bundle of 77-mm hose that contains one length and a water thief. Our members use a 1.8-metre (six-
foot) piece of old large-diameter supply hose to form the base of the bundle; we purchased some cheap utility straps and pass them through the width of the large-diameter hose at several spots to hold the bundled section of hose and the appliance. The purpose of the large-diameter hose base is to ensure the bundle stays packed together neatly and to enable an easier removal from the hose bed with less friction. We also attach a rope pull handle on the bed end to make retrieval easier.
Our district has a lot of properties with deep setbacks, so it is imperative that the water thief makes it well into the front yard, if not just short of the front door. Our practice of removing the top sections of our minuteman pre-connects gives us just 30 metres (100 feet) of working hose length and the nozzle – a water thief in the street is useless as the majority of our attack hose will be laying in the yard. The one-section leader-line bundle can be dropped and unstrapped in the street, and advanced one full length toward the structure; this helps to ensure that the firefighters will have almost all of the attack hose length at their disposal for use inside the structure.
Our version of the leader-line bundle works well for our department and has proven to be a versatile tool. Give it a try – it might be a fit for your department. Now get out there and practise with your leader lines!
PHOTO BY TIM LLEWELLYN
A piece of old large-diameter supply hose acts as the base of the leader-line bundle, while two utility straps hold the bundled section of 7.62-centimetre hose and the appliance.
Extrication tips
By Randy Schmitz
Carbon fiber composition in modern vehicles
Some questions are being asked in the fire-rescue community about the use of carbon-fiber material in new vehicle construction. Although carbon fiber has been in the aircraft industry for many years, it is now being used in many late-model vehicles coming off the assembly line. It’s important that rescuers understand how carbon fiber is made and its properties in order to safely and efficiently predict and deal with this material.
Carbon fiber is a lightweight, strong alternative to common steel. It is used in everything from an airliner fuselages to racing-bike frames and protective cell-phone cases. Carbon fiber was invented in the United States in the late 1950s but it wasn’t until a new manufacturing process was developed at a British research center in early ’60s that carbon fiber’s strength and lightweight potential was truly realized.
Carbon fiber reinforced polymer, or CFRP, is a process of combining strands of acrylic yarn together and baking the material to 1,400 F, which activates the carbonation of the yarn, hence the term carbon fiber. Each carbon fiber has roughly 10 layers of fabric; it is placed in a heavy press, air is extracted, a chemical resin is injected under high pressure and heated again for a specific time; then the fiber is cooled and the part is formed. When the part is removed from the press, the edges are very jagged so they are trimmed and sanded. The outer layer is the product’s final color and finish, which is a dark grey or black; the parts can be painted any colour, but are often left in the original colour, which has a unique, professional hightech look.
One of the main advantages of this material is the strength-toweight ratio of carbon fiber after the above process is completed; the actual weight of the component is a fraction of that of the same part made of steel. This transmits into reduced weight of vehicle parts which, in turn, can result in an overall increase in fuel economy of 20 to 30 per cent; that saving really motivates the auto industry to include carbon fiber in production lines. As a result, there will be a big push in the next few years of carbon fiber and aluminum combinations mated with other lightweight materials in modern vehicles. Anywhere the manufacture can reduce weight results in better fuel economy.
Another area that has undergone change is inside the vehicle passenger compartment, where structural strength is not important but cosmetic appeal is desired. Carbon fiber, with its sleek, stylish, eye-catching look really complements the interior of even the entry-level vehicle and is well suited for door panels and handles, outer seat contours and dash parts. These components do not have to conform to structural standards and can be made slimmer, quicker and cheaper for this reason. On the structural side of things, auto manufacturers have established methods to give carbon-fiber parts more strength in a specific direction, for example, increasing strength in a load-bearing direction, but not doing so in areas that bear less load. Developments are underway that allow for omni-directional carbon-fiber construction, which applies strength in all directions. This version of carbon-fiber association is mostly being used in the safety cell unibody chassis as-
Developments are underway that allow for omnidirectional carbon-fiber construction, which applies strength in all directions.
sembly. Another advantage as time has passed; carbon fiber reinforced polymer has proven to be very corrosion resistant; this is a very important characteristic in both the outer body panels of the vehicle and the structural makeup of the framework or safety cell.
Let’s look at one popular vehicle that uses versions of CFRP and aluminum that’s cutting edge technology. According to the engineers and stakeholders at the Beamer camp, “The new 2016 BMW fifth-generation 7 Series uses a passenger cell called a ‘Carbon Core’ to improve performance and fuel economy, which cuts the weight by 86.kilos (or 190 pounds.)”
While the BMW carbon core is
Randy Schmitz is a Calgary firefighter extensively involved in the extrication field. He is the education chair for the Transport Emergency Rescue Committee in Canada. rwschmitz@shaw.ca @firedog7
PHOTOS BY RANDY SCHMITZ / COURTESY BMW
In the 2016 BMW 7 Series, the upper roof rail has carbon fiber integrated inside the roof rail. Unsuspecting rescuers will be unaware of the carbon-fiber content unless they see the Carbon Core Emblem on the upper B-pillar.
not a complete carbon-fiber, reinforced plastic tub or a series of panels as is used in racecars or hybrid supercars, the BMW efficient lightweight technology combines carbon fiber with lightweight, highstrength steel, and aluminum body panels. There are some carbon-fiber brackets and stiffeners, such as the cross-member at the top of the windshield. CFRP is inside the steel roof pillars to keep the cabin intact in a rollover or severe side impact. More 7 Series body panels are now aluminum, including doors and the trunk lid. The brakes, wheels, and suspension have lightened by 15 per cent, BMW says; savings to the so-called un-sprung weight parts have a much greater effect on performance than taking the same weight out of the gearbox or seats. BMW liberally reinforces the already strong metal/aluminum passenger cell with CFRP in critical places. The 15 CFRP reinforcements include the header above the windshield, door sills, transmission tunnel, front-toback and left-to-right roof reinforcement tubes and bows, the B-pillar between front and rear doors, the C-pillar, and rear parcel shelf.
Most of the discussion around CFRP from a rescuer’s perspective concerns actual tool use and the dust that is created when breaching or cutting into the material. Testing done by rescuers has shown that there can be a fair amount of CFRP dust when using tools such as a fine tooth reciprocating saw blade. Although each CFRP manufacturer uses different chemicals and resins to make its product, most of the material safety data sheets call to protect your airway with either a respirator or N95 particulate mask when working around CFRP airborne dust.
In discussions with the companies that make or work with CFRP, all workers have stated that when cutting, sanding or in any situation in which they are creating dust particles, they have either worn the proper PPE as mentioned above or if operating in a close environment, have done the work under a ventilation hood fan. It is my belief that rescuers should adopt these same protocols, err on the
side of caution and wear N95 masks when working around the CFRP dust.
Another challenge worthy of mention is the fact that manufacturers may paint over the carbon-fiber components and thus give rescuers no indication whether the component it is steel, aluminum, or carbon fiber. The 2016 BMW7 series upper A-pillar is an example of this; the indicator in this case is the carbon-core stamp on the top of the B-pillar.
One method firefighters in the United Kingdom use to determine if a component is made of carbon-fiber material is to place a small, pocket-sized magnet on the suspected component; if the magnet doesn’t stick, the component is most likely carbon fiber or possibly aluminum, and therefore rescuers know to protect their airways accordingly with approved respiratory measures.
In terms of hydraulic rescue tools breaching CRFP material – the material is not a challenge to sever as it simply crushes the part, such as a B-pillar, with relative ease. When cutting or spreading, the material simply breaks apart into small fragments. Rescuers will have no problem cutting the material with hand tools such as reciprocating saws and air chisels; doing so would be similar to cutting fiberglass.
Most vehicle manufacturers are investigating, testing and using carbon fiber in
some form or another. Ultimately, use of carbon fiber will help manufacturers meet stricter fuel-economy and crash-safety standards. The use of carbon fiber in a vehicle can significantly reduce the weight and size of the framework; this will allow engineers to design and create more passenger compartment space. Using more carbon fiber in the manufacturing process also reduces the volume of water and electricity used to build vehicle components and chassis. Advancements in carbon-fiber technology will trickle down to the mainstream, just as airbags, anti-lock brakes, and stability control have done. Staying abreast of the changes to vehicles will allow first responders to stay on the top of their game.
For rescuers, the only visible notifer that carbon fiber materials are in use in the BMW is an indicator at on the driver and passenger side top of the B-pillar.
The carbon fiber at the top of windshield intersecting at the driver’s side upper roof rail on the 2016 BMW 7 Series will not be visible to to rescuers.
Carbon fiber and high strength steel are integrated to form the upper roof rails, which are called tailored blanks.
Tools of the trade
By Sean Kingswell
Sean
Pre-plan your wellness journey
Any quality fitness and wellness coach knows there is both an art and a science to guiding the wellness of others. The science is extensive and includes nutritional concepts or exercise physiology, but the art, that’s the human side. As important as the science is, the art entails possibly the most challenging elements of long-term wellness: adherence and compliance. Compliance is properly following the steps of a good wellness plan and adherence is sticking with it over time.
These elements are absent either because the person is unaware he or she is making poor wellness choices, or, in most cases, the person knows what he or she should be doing, but is simply unable to see it through. In addition, those who are already fit may have an it-won’thappen-to-me attitude about wellness deterioration. The reality is that life is an evolution with many hurdles and a decline can happen to many unsuspecting and well-intended firefighters. The difference between a lack of adherence and compliance for civilians and firefighters is the consequences. For firefighters, wellness affects performance and is truly life or death, impacting both their crews and their families.
So how do firefighters improve or maintain adherence and compliance? First, we need to understand the depth of firefighter wellness, which is multifaceted and interwoven. Wellness includes fitness, nutrition, sleep, injury prevention, rest and recovery, stress management, flexibility, cardio and cancer prevention.
Next, look at the aim and magnitude of personal effort, which is
Set timeframes for both shortand longterm goals, and be sure to look at the different facets of wellness beyond just aesthics or fitness.
represented as motivation. There are both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to wellness. Intrinsic motivators come from within the individual and for a firefighter can be health, family, performance for crew, performance for customers, life safety and professionalism. Setting an example by modelling for newer firefighters while inspiring others can also motivate. Extrinsic motivators generally come from outside the individual and can include praise or financial rewards, which may not always be as realistic in the public sector. My advice to any firefighter is to make wellness a career-long personal expectation and commitment while continually developing positive and successful habits. You would, of course, keep up your medical or extrication skills, so why not everyday fitness and wellness?
There are many possible strategies when it comes to adherence. A wellness plan, especially for firefighters, needs to be meaningful as well as balanced. An unhealthy level of rigidity can prevent longterm success, and dwelling on small setbacks is never helpful. One strategy is creating extrinsic motivators in the form of rewards, which should not always be food. Social support can also increase adherence. Create a team of advocates by speaking with those in your life about the importance of wellness for firefighters and your strategies. Pre-planning can be as important in firefighter wellness as it is in fire fighting. Plan workouts in advance, prepare food and fit sleep into your schedule. Documenting and journaling have been shown to improve adherence and play an active role in systematic progression. Firefighters should use fire-hall downtime effectively
by exercising or enacting other wellness concepts at the appropriate level, and balance their wellness during off time; remember that being active is not the same as exercising. Developing a personal ethos can be a constant reminder of individual values, which are your choices that guide your day-to-day actions and influence decisions. Follow and embrace wellness initiatives in your municipality, whether they are employer driven or self-directed.
Buy-in was the action step in my first column of this series in the April issue of Canadian Firefighter, which involved understanding the importance of different facets of firefighter wellness and performing a personal inventory on each. The action step for this column is considering compliance strategies as well as goal setting. Set timeframes for both short- and long-term goals, and be sure to look at the different facets of wellness beyond just aesthetics or fitness. It is important, however, not to set too many goals at once. Goals need to be written down and verbalized to a few friends, colleagues or family members in order to improve their effectiveness. In selecting goals make sure you are focused on the specific scope of each element and determine a metric for success; consider your role as a firefighter and as an individual and be sure the goals are reasonable. The greatest firefighting strategies are only effective if executed properly at the task level. The same applies to firefighter wellness; a plan is needed but equally important is that it is effectively followed and maintained. The difference is that a fire may be out in minutes or hours while the passion for firefighter wellness should burn for a whole career.
Front seat
By Jason Clark
Admit your mistakes and learn from them
Most firefighters, officers, or chief officers
strive for perfection on the job. Every run that I am on, in whatever role I find myself, I try to perform to the best of my abilities and rely on my training and lessons learned from past experiences. Some of those experiences are mistakes I’ve made. We all slip up now and then, whether we choose to admit it or not. I believe a good leader admits those mistakes, learns from them and moves on.
In my first year as an acting captain I made a few funny blunders that prove I’m human. None of those mistakes caused any harm to my crew or myself and really only bruised my new red-helmet ego. When I took the front seat I was aware of my new responsibilities and I knew the time would come when I would serve as an incident commander (IC). The opportunity arrived when my crew was called to a single car motor-vehicle collision with air-bag deployment. I took the IC role and climbed in the first-responding truck with a crew of three. Upon arrival I announced our situation to dispatch and jumped off the truck onto the highway. My second-due apparatus blocked off the north-bound lanes and I called for the same on the south-bound lanes.
My crew performed patient care and I obtained information from bystanders. I kept fidgeting with my traffic vest, which read INCIDENT COMMAND on the back in big letters on a reflective background. I couldn’t get the vest to stay latched in the front (I was
thinking it was time for a diet plan). One of my firefighters came up and offered to help. Without making too much of a scene he gave me the heads up that my vest was on upside down. We all get a chuckle out of small, funny mistakes that happen during calls. My chiefs said something like: “If that is the worst thing that happened on the scene, we’ll take it.”
It takes time to adjust to the role of captain and to feel comfortable riding up front on the first truck. During my first response as IC, the biggest challenge was being hands off. I wanted to grab a hose or the extrication tools and get involved with the tactical operations. Becoming a captain doesn’t mean my hands-on days are over, but it does mean I will sometimes take on the command role. An IC needs to be available to the crews on scene, dispatchers and incoming trucks in order to manage the scene and keep everyone safe.
It’s tough to stay separated from the tasks that need to be done, which depend on the type of incident and number of staff. A captain needs to trust his or her crews and to supervise them in a non-micromanaging fashion. You’ve trained alongside your crew members and you know their abilities. Your job is to keep your firefighters safe, to save saveable lives and to stabilize the incident. Sometimes you need to take a couple of deep, calming breaths to keep yourself in the right mind frame to accomplish your priorities.
I’m proud to work with the members on my department. I know that even though I am still learning how to lead a scene or supervise at
the task level, those members will help me with what needs to be done. If I’m backing up one of my other crew members or chief officers at a scene, I’ll do the same for them. Egos and personalities are set aside during these operations as we all focus on the common goal of resolving the scene.
Without making too much of a scene he gave me the heads up that my vest was on upside down.
New captains in fire services, don’t be afraid to admit when you’ve made a mistake. Acknowledgment allows you to learn from that mistake and become a better leader. Your crews should respect your humility and you will, hopefully, not make the same mistake twice.
As firefighters, we train as best as we can to make our emergency responses perfect, but we all know the real world throws us curves. We may not obtain perfection on all our calls, but if we aim to be perfect, we should at least come very close and be more than satisfied with our crews’ performance as well as our own.
Jason Clark has been a volunteer firefighter in southwestern Ontario since 2007. Having recently made the transition to captain from firefighter, Jason has had a new perspective on roles in the fire service and riding in the front seat. jaceclark71@gmail.com @jacejclark
G-rated public ed, with a twist G-rated public ed, with a twist
Using intelligent humour in fire-safety messaging
By Tanya Bettridge
One has only to consider pop culture to conclude that the thin line of appropriateness has changed significantly in the past 20 years – from movies such as Deadpool and The Hangover , to Cards Against Humanity, to the acceptable words allowed on mainstream television. A single episode of Game of Thrones raises (or lowers?) the benchmark of graphic violence on screen. Fifty Shades of Grey floated topics to the pop-culture surface that were previously considered downright deviant.
It’s no wonder that the fire service struggles to balance its feet on that fine line between what grabs people’s attention and what puts them off. As we yearn to adopt the approach of corporations that have successfully lured audiences with racy, sexy, raunchy and borderline offensive campaigns, our mindful gaze also recognizes that the red tape of municipal professionalism demands a high level of G-rated, approved-for-all-audiences messaging.
This precariously thin line is also the difference between messaging that is skipped over by the people we are trying to reach, and campaigns or promotions that prompt behaviour changes. In case you’re asking, “Why does it matter?” look no further than movements such as the ALS ice-bucket challenge or the recent Pokemon Go craze to see that when something is new and cool, it prompts people to act In our case, we want to prompt mom or dad to insist on a home-escape plan, Sally to check her smoke alarm or Tom to replace his expired CO alarm.
How does a fire department balance on that line? Good news: there are companies that do this with everything they produce; they create G-rated products that kids go crazy about, and cleverly insert just the right dash of adult-oriented content; they have names such as Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks. You can sit with the whole family to watch Shrek, Finding Nemo and Toy Story; the kids will
laugh at the characters’ antics, but the parents will catch the clever adult-humour insertions that have become a go-to ingredient for production companies.
Toy Story is one of the most successful family movie franchises and is also brimming with parent-geared messaging. When Bo Peep says to Woody, “Whadda ya say I get someone else to watch the sheep tonight?” we all know what Bo Peep means. In the mutant-toys scene, when they come alive in front of toy-bully Sid, Woody turns his head 360 degrees, a comical tribute to the 1973 horror film The Exorcist. Family movies today are packed with adult-oriented punchlines and references in disguise (in Despicable Me, under the sign identifying the Bank of Evil, it states “Formerly Lehman Brothers”).
Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks realized a long time ago that while the target audience for their movies is primaryschool-aged children, those audience members don’t go to theatres by themselves – they are always accompanied by parents or older siblings. Movie studios also realized during the VHS and DVD eras that if they had any hope of parents wanting to bring those movies into their homes, the parents must not mind watching.
Even though trends such as Pokemon Go are aimed at kids, their parents are likely to notice the messaging that goes with posts about the popular game. Incorporate a safety message into posts.
Lessons I have learned:
• Messaging approved for all audiences does not have to be boring, nor does it have to appeal only to toddlers
• Public-education programs and events need to offer something for everyone
• We can balance on the line by being creative and clever in our messaging
• Stale, generic messaging will not prompt anyone to act; we have to present stuff that is new and cool
• We don’t have to reinvent the wheel; there are plenty of ways to piggyback on pop culture and still get the message across
Applying the lessons
It seems unattended cooking is still a big problem. Unfortunately, the generic “Watch what you heat” messaging doesn’t seem to capture people’s attention. So, using a little creativity-and-clever-humour disguise, maybe we can twist the message into something that elicits a response. Post a tweet featuring a photo of a romantic dinner for two, a second photo of a pot on a stove, and a third of a house on fire, accompanied by the message “There are great ways to heat up a romance. Unattended cooking isn’t one of them.” Chances are good that the message will be retweeted by people other than just fire-service colleagues. Post a similar message about flameless candles.
Images and messages that focus on pop-culture or popular trends but provide clear fire-safety messaging take a bit more time to create but are more likely to grab attention on social media than tired stop-drop-and-roll posts.
Pop culture offers so many funny examples of events gone wrong. For example, instead of issuing the same old water-your-Christmas-tree message, insert an image from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie and tease people about ensuring they have a Griswold-free holiday season (and add the watering tree tip afterward). Or say something about making sure cousin Eddie is the only unwanted guest this holiday season by ensuring you have working CO and smoke alarms.
Humour is the quickest and most powerful way to engage an audience. Production companies such as Disney have proven that there are ways to produce a message approved for all audiences but that captures the attention of those who are responsible for taking action, such as buying a DVD or changing a smoke alarm battery. While fire services many never experience their own super-cool movements, there are plenty of opportunities to capitalize on fads and crazes and twist our messages into something new and cool.
If only Nintendo had included “Carry Pikachu home and test your smoke alarms” in its Pokemon Go game.
Between alarms
By Arjuna George
Grow from firefighter to teacher
The best thing fire-service members can do once they have solid foundations of fire fighting is to pass on their skills; we owe it to those who taught us, and to our future firefighters. Our job as senior firefighters is to move from the student to teacher.
When I first joined the fire service, I didn’t consider at the time that I would one day be teaching recruits and other firefighters, or that it would be so rewarding. The ultimate gift we can give back to the fire service is to share our knowledge and mould our future firefighters.
Fire services provide some training on instructing, but for the volume of teaching we actually do, the training is pretty basic. Some firefighters might have taken a fire-service instructor course, some may have post-secondary training, but most learn to teach by doing.
When it comes to teaching methods, some firefighters are better in classrooms, some are better on the training ground, but both are needed and vastly important. Just as you can lead from the middle, you can also instruct from the middle. All forms of instruction are needed, including lead instructors, company officers and fellow firefighter mentors. All are important and required for a fire service’s future.
Recruitment and retention are continuing problems for many volunteer departments, and that means teachers are even more valuable. With more and more junior members in our departments and fewer seasoned veterans, passing on our knowledge is paramount.
Being a teacher makes you a better firefighter; the more you teach, the better you become.
So how do we get these skills needed to teach without going to university for four years? To me, teaching comes down to passion, drive and commitment. If you dedicate the time to learn the skill and have the passion to share it, you will be a great teacher.
Being a teacher makes you a better firefighter; the more you teach, the better you become. A firefighter preparing to teach something is forced to learn everything he or she can about the subject. Teaching requires time spent digging deeper to find all the information, which results in the teacher becoming more knowledgeable. It’s a win-win – your department gains a teacher and you become a valued mentor to your brothers and sisters, while at the same time enhancing your personal development.
Being a teacher takes certain skills, but they can be learned. Consider the following ideas that might help you hone your teaching skills.
Teachers should commit to learning continually, staying current with techniques and trends, and dedicating the time to know the material inside and out. Don’t just put in time learning, put in quality, deliberate time in order to excel to expert level.
As teachers and mentors of our craft we must be patient, allowing the adult learners to absorb the information.
It is crucial to find a balance of encouragement and toughness. Adult learners like to be treated with respect, but also need to be pushed to get the most out of them. No one wants it too easy, or too hard that they fail over and over again. We must help learners feel successful and that they are progressing.
Make the learning environment fun, interesting, challenging and worth their time.
Instructors should be respectful of their students’ time by managing their drills. Time management is a skill that takes lots of practice to master. Stay on track, follow your lesson plan and keep the drill focused and on topic.
Share what you have. Share your presentations, your videos, your stories, your pictures, and most of all share your knowledge. It is our job!
Always be flexible and willing to adjust your plans. I can guarantee that sometimes your well-planned drill will go awry and you will need to think fast, and switch things up. Have a Plan B and even C.
Be open. Fire services are evolving businesses and our jobs, tactics and methods, are continually changing thanks to new science, testing, technology and practices. An excellent instructor needs to be able to be open to and adapt to new methods, new techniques and new equipment.
Know thy stuff. Teachers should know their equipment, environment, people, props, and their own skills. Don’t pretend you know things you don’t – it should be OK to say I don’t know. In the book Turn your ship around!, author David Marquet writes: “All learning starts with the assumption of I don’t know. If the leader/ instructor says I don’t know, it makes it safe for the whole team to say I don’t know.”
Share your knowledge in a number of ways. Mix things up with classroom sessions and hands on. Become a student of teaching and you will find it to be the most rewarding job. Thank you to all my instructors, teachers, and mentors who have helped me love the fire service and to be the best firefighter and instructor I can be.
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Recipe rescue
By Patrick Mathieu
Bond over meal prep
We have all heard the adage: a family that cooks together, stays together. As a firehouse chef for 16 years, an avid cook at home and a lover of all things food, I couldn’t agree more with this motto. There is something about meal time that brings people together. At home, meals are opportunities for family members to catch up with each other during busy days, to sit and talk without distraction and to reconnect. My wife Andrea and I value every opportunity and make it a priority to sit and enjoy meal time with our children. We love to cook together and we love to eat our creations together. This simple philosophy has built a strong and very happy family, and the reward is evident in our family’s bond.
The same philosophy holds true in our fire houses. In the fire service, we pride ourselves on teamwork and unity, whether it is at an emergency scene, community event or in and around our stations. Eating and cooking is part of our firefighter culture and I have seen the immense team-building benefits that result from a platoon cooking together. When all hands are involved in the preparation of a meal, members can easily bond and feel as though they are part of a team. As with a family at home, taking the time to cook, eat and reconnect over a good meal will do your platoon a world of good.
To get the biggest rewards out of cooking together you need to get your family or platoon present and involved in the kitchen, whether it is in the prep, chopping or dicing, standing by a pot stirring or mixing, or even on clean-up duty. My most-requested recipes at the fire house and at home all have one common ingredient: they are dishes that are made together. At my fire house perhaps the most-requested meal is my jalapeño kettle chip fish tacos (see recipe). This is one of my favourite meals to make and eat as well. What makes these tacos so special is, of course, the super flavourful
Patrick Mathieu is an acting captain at Waterloo Fire Rescue in Ontario. He was recently featured in Food Network’s Chopped Canada. stationhousecateringco@ yahoo.ca @StationHouseCCo
Jalapeño kettle chip fish tacos
INGREDIENTS
1 kg (2 lbs) fresh haddock fillets or any mild whitefish
1 cup flour, seasoned with Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and Old Bay seasoning
2 eggs beaten
2 bags jalapeño kettle chips, crushed Canola or peanut oil
Spicy avocado lime crema
Pico de gallo
Sriracha aioli
(See recipes at www.cdnfirefighter. com / health and wellness / nutrition)
1/4 head of cabbage, finely shredded
1. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large deep skillet to 350 F.
2. Set up a breading station by having a bowl for each the seasoned flour, beaten eggs and crushed kettle chips. Dust the fish pieces lightly with seasoned flour. Then dip fish into beaten eggs, then toss in the crushed kettle chips pushing down on them to make them stick. Repeat the process with the remaining fish. When your oil is hot enough, fry fish for a couple of minutes per side or until crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
3. When ready to serve heat the corn tortillas as per package directions. Spread the avocado lime crema on a tortilla and place fried fish on top. Add shredded cabbage and garnish with pico de gallo and Sriracha aioli. Enjoy!
crispy-coated fish, but now, after years of making this dish, everyone on my platoon has a hand in making a component. One member makes the pico de gallo, one makes the avocado lime crema, another makes the slaw and Sriracha aioli while a few of us coat and cook the fish. With everyone in the kitchen, we talk,
Cheesecake pancakes with maple peppered bacon
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tbsp strawberry jam
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil + 1 tbsp for cooking
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of kosher salt
2 cups chopped frozen cheesecake
1 tbsp butter
Butter, confectioners’ sugar or whipped cream, for topping (optional)
Maple peppered bacon (directions below)
1 large egg
1. Mix the strawberries, jam and maple syrup in a small pot and simmer over low heat as you prepare the pancakes. Preheat the oven to 200 F.
2. Pulse the flour, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheesecake pieces, keeping them whole.
3. Melt the butter and the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, about four minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. Transfer pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Serve topped with the strawberry sauce, and top with butter, confectioners sugar or whipped cream.
4. Maple peppered bacon: Position wire racks on two rimmed baking sheets. Lay one pound bacon in a single layer on the racks and bake seven minutes at 375 F. Brushing bacon with maple syrup and continue baking until caramelized, about 25 minutes, flipping, brushing with syrup and seasoning with pepper every five minutes. Let cool. Enjoy with the pancakes!
Corn tortillas
Mushroom and burrata lasagnette
INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing
1½ pounds mixed mushrooms (such as chanterelle, crimini, and oyster), cut into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 large shallot, finely chopped
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 cup ricotta
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
6 fresh pasta sheets (about 7x5 inches) or 12 dried lasagna noodles
8 ounces burrata or fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
6 large fresh basil leaves
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat two tablespoons of the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until browned and starting to crisp, about eight to 10 minutes. Add shallots, wine, thyme and remaining one tablespoon butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the skillet is dry, about five minutes. Scoop mushrooms into a bowl and set aside.
2. Combine ricotta, cream and oregano in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Working in batches, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 30 seconds. (If using dried noodles, cook until al dente.) Transfer noodles to a large-rimmed baking sheet as you go, brushing with oil and overlapping as needed.
4. Spread a thin layer of ricotta mixture in a small coquette or ramekin and top with a pasta sheet (if using dried, use two noodles side by side). Spread a large spoonful of ricotta mixture over pasta, scatter some mushrooms over, then add a piece of burrata. Top evenly with some Parmesan and one basil leaf.
5. Repeat layering process (starting with noodles and ending with basil) a few more times; finish with the last of the Parmesan and a grind or two of pepper.
6. Cover lasagnette with foil and bake until warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool at least five minutes before serving. Enjoy!
laugh, joke and create something special together, and every member appreciates the process and the final product.
My platoon cooks and eats together at every opportunity and I know this, in part, contributes to our strong team bond. At home the same benefits apply. During busy weeknights, my family keeps things simple, yet still takes the time to cook and eat together. Our recipe for mushroom and burrata lasagnette is well worth the minimal effort required. As I prepare the lasagnette, my wife is by my side helping to chop and prep a simple salad. Our children share our passion for cooking and are learning as I did as a boy, watching and helping my family cook. Even the smallest kitchen tasks, such as cracking eggs, measuring flour, mixing and stirring, are exciting and fun for children. Weekends and breakfast are perfect opportunities to create something special with the kids. My recipe for cheesecake pancakes is just right for young chefs in the family to lend a hand and make something they will love to eat.
I encourage everyone to embrace the philosophy of families that cook together, stay together, both in your homes and fire houses. Soon the philosophy becomes habit and a way of life.
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 the lead author of Residential Fire Rescue. Mark@FireStarTraining.com
Understand why you need survival skills
Firefighters need survival skills, but they also need to understand how correcting certain behaviours can help prevent dangerous situations. In the last two issues of Canadian Firefighter, this column explained how peer pressure and complacency can contribute to dangerous environments for firefighters. Two more reasons for concern are inexperience and good ol’ Murphy’s Law.
Inadequate fire ground experience
Through the efforts of fire-prevention officers and campaigns, the number of structural fires to which firefighters respond has decreased. Better building codes, better education, better and more frequent inspections, and better construction methods have resulted in fewer fires than there were 20 years ago.
With the decrease in structural-fire response comes a decrease in firefighters’ exposure to high-risk events.
In the world of risk management, there are categories of risk that can be used to rank certain actions or operations based upon severity and frequency. Structural fire fighting fits into the category of high risk, low frequency: this means that fire services are responding to events that are high risk, but that are infrequent, therefore firefighters are more susceptible to the outcomes of that risk. At these events, there are injuries, critical mistakes, lineof-duty deaths and the wrong sequence of actions taking place on the fire ground, all the result of the low frequency of response.
When firefighters are caught off guard at one of these high-risk,
low-frequency events, they need to be able to get out by any means necessary.
Murphy’s Law
A final reason for having a firefighter survival program is Murphy’s Law – what can go wrong will go wrong. No matter how well prepared firefighters are, there is still the chance that something dangerous will happen on the fire ground. Whenever firefighters face a dilemma or a problem on the fire ground, their survival skills allow them to process the problem, determine the viable solution to the problem, and then enact the solution to overcome the situation. Firefighters need to be able to adapt and overcome – that is firefighter survival.
Murphy’s Law requires a firefight-
er to be prepared for the unexpected by being able to adapt and to overcome that which is thrown at them. So why learn firefighter survival? How do survival skills benefit the firefighter and others? These skills give firefighters the ability to rescue themselves. When crew members face a life-or-death situation, they need to be able to save themselves. A firefighter may have called for a mayday and the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) might be on the way, but the member in danger cannot just sit there and wait – he or she needs to do something to get out and away from the problem and into safety. The firefighter should be prepared to do something unorthodox – not found in a textbook – but effective to escape safely and quickly.
The rapid intervention team will
The average time for a rapid intervention team to rescue a downed firefighter is about 21 minutes, with about 12 firefighters needed to complete the job.
not arrive as quickly as you may think; depending on the situation, it may take team members a little while to get to a firefighter. The average time for a RIT to rescue a downed firefighter is about 21 minutes, with about 12 firefighters needed to complete the job. In 21 minutes, a single firefighter can do something to self rescue.
Firefighter survival skills also form the basis of rescuing other firefighters. The Phoenix Fire Department tested its rapid intervention crews after firefighter Bret Tarver died in the line of duty in 2001. The testing found that one in five RIT members found himself in trouble, requiring assistance by another rapid intervention team. You can see how quickly this situation escalates, with more firefighters needed to rescue one, two or perhaps three downed firefighters. Firefighters who have the survival skills to save or rescue themselves can help
de-escalate the situation.
Houston Station 8 fire Capt. Eric Joel Abbt’s story is a good example of the importance of firefighter survival skills. On March 28, 2007, Abbt responded to a highrise fire that was started by arson. Abbt was working on the fifth floor trying to rescue an occupant when he declared a mayday due to low air. Abbt waited for the RIT for 18 minutes before he was plucked from a window on an aerial ladder and brought down to an awaiting EMS crew.
Abbt told the story of his ordeal and said: “A lot of guys think that this won’t happen to them – it can happen to you.”
Fighting fires is a high risk, low-frequency job, and that is why firefighters need survival skills. All structural firefighters should have the skills needed to rescue themselves when they are faced with dangerous situations similar to Capt. Abbt’s.
Firefighters need to learn the survival skills necessary to be able to help themselves when they are in a dangerous situation.
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. deansherry@bellaliant.net
Strong legs improve form
Firefighters’ legs carry them everywhere and do an overwhelming amount of work on fire grounds. Anyone who has hauled larger-diameter hose any distance or climbed any number of stairs is familiar with the burn in the legs and lungs. Having good leg strength and fitness is a huge help to maintaining movement at work. Watch out for the many myths and misconceptions about leg workouts, which can get in the way of improving.
Activating your support muscle groups is essential to a well-performed leg exercise. Always practise good form, which will eventually become a natural movement with far lower risk of injury.
As with everything we do, our cores fire first. Fitness progress is difficult without a strong core as a foundation. If your back bothers you when you do leg movements it can mean poor core strength or poor positioning. While improving core strength is straightforward, improving form can be a little more difficult or frustrating. It is crucial you do not increase the weight you lift before you overcome the obstacle.
Begin every exercise by maintaining a neutral spine (rounding your back increases the likelihood of injury) – this means activating your core and glutes, as well as tracking your knees properly during the entire movement. Some people start with excellent form, but lose control as they move through an exercise, especially when lifting something heavy. If you find yourself rounding your back at the bottom of a squat, lower the weight and/or limit the range of motion until you are able to perform the exercise properly.
When it comes to knee angles, the biggest myth is that you should not
go below 90 degrees. Knees are designed to go beyond 90 degrees, and studies show there can be far more stress on knees and hips at lower angles than at higher angles. Do you bend your knees more than 90 degrees on the fire ground? Yes. So doesn’t it make sense to work in a safe environment beyond 90 degrees to ensure better form and strength when you are in a riskier situation?
The important thing to remember is to work within your capabilities and practice. If you have a pre-existing condition you must work around it safely, but try not to use it as an excuse not to improve. As always, speaking with your physician is a good start, just remember to say you are a firefighter, not a desk worker. You should be prepared for physical work with risk.
First, warm up – three to five minutes of your choice, but get warm.
Next, do three to five rounds with one-minute intervals for each movement. If you need to rest during any exercise, rest only long enough to get going again. It’s better to keep moving at a slower pace rather than to stop, but if you have to stop, don’t worry, just get right back in as soon as possible.
• Run – 200 metres (approximately one minute). Adjust the distance accordingly. If you are not a runner substitute with cardio movement such as skipping, stair climbing (quickly), jumping jacks or running on the spot.
• Air squats – Keep feet shoulder width apart and aim to get the crease of your hip below your knees. Activate your glutes and keep your knees pushed to the outside. Keep your weight on your heels. Add a light weight or jump to increase intensity. If you
Air squats
Keep feet shoulder width apart and aim to get the crease of your hip below your knees. Activate your glutes and keep your knees pushed to the outside.
jump, soft, cat-like landings only.
• Side speed skating – Start with your weight on your left leg, lunge hop in the opposite direction, landing on your right leg and bringing the original leg swinging in behind as far as is comfortable (left foot swings in behind right leg and out to right side). Continue side-to-side movement maintaining a low, stable position, which keeps legs activated during the whole exercise.
• Run – 200 metres.
• Alternate jumping lunges – Start with one leg in front of the other, knees bent and hands on hips. Jump in the air and switch legs, lowering back knee to just above the ground. Repeat. To increase intensity, raise arms over head and jump a little higher or more quickly.
• Step/jump-ups (box jumps) –Use hi-vol, stairs or a box. Step from the ground and fully extend hips at the top. Increase intensity by height, weight and speed. Try using one leg for 30 seconds and switching for the last 30 seconds.
• Run – 200 metres.
It is crucial you do not increase the weight you lift before you overcome the obstacle.
• Deadlift – A minute can be a long time, so use a fairly light weight. Water jugs and hoses work fine. Start with feet shoulder width apart, a neutral spine is imperative (no rounding) and shins as vertical as possible. Activate your glutes and keep knees pressed outward as you did with your squat. Stand and return to starting position.
• Glute bridge – Lay on your back with one leg bent and one straight. Squeeze your glutes and press your foot on the floor, forcing the body into a raised straight bridge. Return to the ground, but don’t relax fully. Repeat one side for 30 seconds and switch legs.
• Run 200 metres.
Dispatches
By Jennifer Grigg
A leap of faith – and a perfect landing
Life is all about making decisions and as I write this column, I find myself in between the last big decision I made, and the one I’m about to make. I decided in March to leave my full-time job in the planning department with the municipality for which I am a volunteer firefighter. I knew unequivocally at that point that it was time for me to go. My heart wasn’t in it and my spirit had dwindled.
Some in my inner circle (OK, my mother) expressed surprise and dismay at me walking away from a secure job with good benefits. No surprise really – I’m 44 and she’s 82 and she still mothers me, but that’s what mothers do, and I’m OK with that. I’m thankful that she’s still here to do it. I knew leaving my job was the right move for me, but what we know in our hearts to be true is sometimes called into question by those we love.
Other people assumed that my husband and I were well enough off that I didn’t have to work. After hearing that comment for the second or third time, I matter-offactly pointed out that we weren’t any better off than anyone else, that this was something I had prepared for financially, and that I would be getting another job at some point.
One co-worker in particular gave me all of the support and encouragement she could muster, in spite of losing one of her closest work buddies.
So what does my last career decision have to do with fire fighting?
I believe that we are all put here for a reason, and that reason is unique for each of us. We all have gifts buried deep within, and it’s our mission to unveil these gifts and offer them to the world.
For many of you, the gift that you share found its wings through the serving of others in the role of firefighter, fire-prevention officer, public-information officer, public-education officer, inspector, lieutenant, captain, chief, dispatcher, or any other fire-service role conceivable.
You love what you do. You find your work inspiring, motivating and rewarding. You feel it in your soul that it’s what you are called to do, especially when you’ve come to the aid of someone in their time of need, and witnessed the positive effect you’ve had on the lives of – in most cases – strangers.
It’s an honour and a privilege to serve in such a way, and it’s an integral part of restoring our faith in humanity. When there is tragedy, we’re told to look for the helpers. As I write this, the wildfire in Fort McMurray is devastating the lives of Albertans – but we bear witness to acts of courage, bravery, love, determination and humanity. On the very worst days of peoples’ lives, they received the very best that people have to offer of themselves –their gifts. Whether it’s a bottle of water, a kind word, or a hug, people gave humanity back to humanity. Tragedies are just that, tragic, but they also provide us with opportunities to bare our souls to others in their times of need.
I’ve often struggled with the notion that so many people live their lives in shrouds, behind facades. Why are we so afraid to drop the bravado and just be who we really, truly are? We are vulnerable, honest, caring, compassionate, loving human beings. At our core, we all want the same things: to be loved, acknowledged and accepted for who we are.
I believe that we in the fire service do just that when we’re called upon to help
others. When firefighters are putting out flames, we are working together as a team with a common goal of stopping the loss. We come together, whether it’s multiple stations, departments, provinces, or entire countries. When we’re performing a rescue, we’re present in the moment, focused on the task at hand; we’re genuine in the words we use with patients and the actions we take to get them to safety.
That is what I’m on a mission to do and that’s why I left my job at the township. I am on a mission to live a more authentic, honest, heartfelt life of service. No, I’m not joining a convent, I am simply following my heart and doing the best I can with what I’ve been given – to help humanity in whatever way I’m called to do.
I will always be in the fire service, because the love runs far too deeply for me to ever not be, and because I’ve always found a fulfilling connection to the act of helping others. Where life takes me next is anyone’s guess, but as long as I’m using my life as a vehicle for positive intention and sharing my gifts with others for the greater good, I’m OK not knowing.
Update: It turns out that my leap of faith led me to a new way of sharing my passion for the fire service – as an instructor at the Ontario Fire College. I’m blessed to be working with a fantastic team of dedicated individuals and grateful to be in a position through which I’m fortunate to meet so many members from throughout the fire service.
BY
PHOTO
LAURA KING
Jennifer Grigg has been a volunteer with the Township of Georgian Bay Fire Department in Ontario since 1997. jhook0312@yahoo.ca @georgianbayjen
From the floor
By Jay Shaw
Believing in fire science
When I was in university, a professor gave me feedback on a research paper I wrote and said that I had to balance my opinions with fact. The prof explained that the facts that I believed to be relevant also needed to be from sources that were credible; and further, the credibility of the sources had to meet university academic guidelines for referencing, or else I might be considered a plagiarizer. Plagiarizing is really, really bad –like, getting-caught-eating-anothershift’s-ice-cream bad, but worse. At one point I wanted to tell the professor he doesn’t know what I know, because he’s never seen what I’ve seen – sound familiar?
Why is this research stuff important? Because a bunch of lab-coat firefighter scientists working out of a high-end research facility have continually been publishing gamechanging science that is telling fire services what we think we know, we don’t actually know, and what we think we know that is actually correct, is correct for a whole bunch of different reasons. Basically, scientists are throwing a huge wrench into the this-is-the-way-we-do-thisaround-here philosophy.
These researchers understand that the messages they are preaching to fire services in North America are hard pills to swallow. How do you tell a tremendously proud group of professionals that the Earth is in fact round? You do it the way these researchers have: very carefully and with respect. Scientists let the data speak for itself by breaking it down into digestible chunks that are easy to explain. Most of us know and have seen throughout our whole careers as firefighters that our water stream pushes fire, and that our Z-
Jay Shaw is a firefighter and primary-care paramedic with the City of Winnipeg, and an independent education and training consultant focusing on leadership, management, emergency preparedness and communication skills. jayshaw@mts.net @firecollege
and O-pattern straight stream applied correctly is the best way to fight fire. I mean, we’ve seen it with your own eyes; we’ve been there and done that. Now imagine that the whole time, what we have actually seen is something entirely different. Could we change our thinking? Could we believe something even if we might not fully understand?
Basically, scientists are throwing a huge wrench into the this-isthe-waywe-do-thisaroundhere philosophy.
The group of firefighters working for Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) burn stuff – lots of stuff – in a facility that I can only describe as the Disney World for live fire training. Now, I’ve seen only the dozens of videos online, but the math all adds up. Astrophysicist Neil deGrass says, “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.”
Now this new crazy math that the kids are learning these days is not that new after all. In fact, evidence-based methods have been the standard of practice for many professions, including some close to home; our paramedics have been
basing patient decisions on evidence-based research that is driven by outcomes for, like, forever. In fact, this kind of paramedic thinking – asking why, in a controlled environment, before the heat of battle – is very refreshing for a profession that is so steeped in history that in some departments the routine dayto-day functions are done because, well, because they’ve always been done this way.
The best part about this new modern fire behaviour is that I’ve seen so many veteran officer firefighters soak up the findings and believe in the science. But there are many more who will not believe.
In fact, the director and humble leader of the UL Firefighter Safety Institute, Stephen Kerber, who is a firefighter himself, has become a bit of a firefighter rock star. At one of his recent sessions at the Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis, immediately following the final word from Kerber, the stage was rushed. I will admit, I was right there in the front row and shook the hand of the man who, along with his team of researchers, saves firefighters’ lives through science. Kerber told me that those who struggle with and cannot believe in the research are those who take one side, one angle, one statement and compare it to their complete body of firefighting experience. Kerber admits it is a huge challenge. “We are trying to make up for 200 years of fire-service experience without much research to validate or refute what is actually happening on the fire ground, and we’re doing it one fire at a time.”
What the university professor was trying to tell me all along was that, my opinion matters, and what I’ve seen or what I know does too; but it matters more what I can logically conclude and express, from a consistent baseline of evidence. I think Kerber is saying the same thing; he’s just way cooler when he does it.
