Fireground Safety - and the lack of it.

[Remember585 815]

If you're like me, you spend a good amount of time reading about firefighter injuries and deaths in America, and ask yourself "why?"

I am a big fan of reading Billy Goldfeder's articles and columns, and look forward to his commentaries. He doesn't hold back on his opinions about our own stupidity, and we should all open our eyes and do a few things to help ourselves.

#1. When operating at accident scenes, why are we not creating a safe zone to work in? Too many times we operate at accidents and even fire scenes on major roadways, where we leave ourselves open to disaster. Close the road if it means creating a safe area for your people.

#2. At night, light up those scenes. All too often firefighters and ems workers stumble on equipment left on the ground, trip over hoselines, and walk into things. Let's light up those dark nights.

#3. Move your fireground operations over to a different radio channel. Many Departments have embraced the new UHF channels, and others have found other alternatives. Free up your primary (usually the notorious 46.26) for the rest of us. Command, set yourself up on another channel for contact to dispatch.

#4. STOP FREELANCING! I'm not just talking about going to fires out of town, but listen to orders on your own scenes. Every incident that I either respond to or hear about, one of the biggest complaints people have is "Nobody listens." Remember, you are part of a chain of command. Report to your unit officer, and get your assignment. If you see something that needs to be done, point it out to your Officer, who will make sure it gets done.

#5. Plan for the worst! If you have a reported fire in an area that has no hydrants, call in those tankers! I can not even begin to tell you how aggrivated I am that some departments (you can take a guess at this one :-k ) know they have no water, but choose to wait until they arrive to get the mutual aid going. Remember, you can always send them home.....they won't mind. Our safety could be in jeopardy if we know of a problem, and don't act on it quickly.

#6. Ladder the building, preferably on all sides! Give your interior crews a means of egress on every side in case the you know what hits the fan.

#7. CALL A F.A.S.T.!!! I know many Departments have the capabilities to handle this task "on their own." But many of us don't, and we need to make sure we have the help on scene in case (God forbid) things go downhill. Over 25 Departments in Westchester have trained to provide us with this resource, CALL 'EM. Even if it is a defensive attack, let them be your eyes and ears, and remember this too - they are there for your benefit! Let them point out hazards you and your crews may be overlooking. Any fireground incident can and should be handled by the F.A.S.T. / R.I.T. If you want to know more about what they do, ask them!

I hope my thoughts are not only my own, but are shared by many of you. We are all a voice in our Department when it comes to safety, so speak up! Even the low man on the totem pole is integral to the entire system...

Happy Memorial Day - Keep our troops in your prayers!

God Bless America, ALSFirefighter - and EMTBravo :peace:

[x635 4,066]

Another excellent article!!

Have you seen the FF Close Calls gallery:

http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/gallery.shtml

Some scary photos there that just reenforce the points of this article.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

LOL. Well thanks for the nod of respect. As you well know 585, I tip my hat to you as well.

As far as the topic goes...I could add on to the same things you voiced and add another 4 pages worth by what I (and amazingly many others) see in my own dept. even at "routine" (I like bread and butter) fires that pats on the backs are going on. But for the sake of not trying to cause a riot because of my status, and the fact that I'll get accused of doing and being something I'm not. And so not to force you to listen to a few persons whom are in denial about many of the problems that are within my dept. deny and pont fingers I'll do what I normally do not and keep my mouth shut on a personal level. Disgruntled? Not totally but getting there.

But not to totally waste a good post, here are a few that I see are (some) problems that affect another dept. :roll:

1. Train in the basics before you worry about the advanced stuff. And perform training based on some of the problems "those" complain about after the incident.

2. Live fire training is not all about how much flame and heat, but are you performing your tactics correctly.

3. Get off the main operating channel. If your on a duplex system its safer being its line of site instead of going from radio to repeater back to radio. Nothing aggravates me more or did to hear people complain that while operating at any involved incident, ie. structure fire etc. That other depts. were cutting them out while on 46.26. Well duh, its not just yours..and they have calls too.

4. Someday black gear will be outlawed. This is simple enough. I almost hit a briarcliff FF standing in the middle of 9A and Chappaqua Rd. a couple years ago because amongst flares in the middle of a blackout and downpour, fully dressed in black gear. Yeah those yellow stripes work wonders. Get over tradition. "It hides dirt" BS!!! Wash the crap. I never prided myself on dirty gear, dirty geat doesn't make the man, my actions and conduct spoke of my fire service.

5. Oh yeah. Tradition...it sucks. Tradition is good for 2 things, reminding you where you are, and stopping you from getting where you need to be.

6. ICS funny how IMS works all over the place except in NY where we feel we do it better. LOL. Just having a higher chief's number doesn't designate you IC. And styly doesn't count. Those road guard vests belive it or not, do make a difference.

I'll add on more later, but that is enough for now.

___________________________

The above opinions are mine alone, and do not reflect that of any dept./agency I work for or am a member of.

God bless the United States Marine Corps.

And always "remember 585!" That dude was one hell of a person and firefighter!

[Guest BrotherFF]

=D> Bravo Remember585 and ALSFirefighter! I suprisingly have nothing to add!!

[RWC130 594]

REMEMBER585 FOR PRESIDENT.

Excellent Post!!!