"Rational Aggressiveness"

[FFPCogs 863]

http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/worcester-deputy-chief-touts-rational-aggressiveness

Worcester Deputy Fire Chief John Sullivan tackles the question, "Are we losing our edge in the name of safety"?

I hold off on this for now other than to say yes, I think we are.

What about you? Why?

Looking forward to a good discussion.

Cogs

(edit) Correction: Chief Sullivan was not the IC at the Cold Storage fire.

Edited March 3, 2011 by FFPCogs

[x129K 1,393]

Beat me too it...........

[Alpinerunner 61]

Without having any experience with "how things were", I would still tend to think the risk/safety balance is right where it should be. As the article points out, hazards are higher now, with heavier fire load, and less durable construction. It's just not worth it to "make the push" when the risk of collapse is so high. If there is life to be saved, I think any firefighter will up the allowable risk. But it is NEVER Ok to be serious injured in a fire when there is no life there to save, and I think that is the message that is getting out.

[JohnnyOV 2]

I would also have to agree. As a safety professional in a buisness/construction/property management setting, I create, implement and review different safety practices throughout our company, and have a good grasp on the "Risk vs. Benefit" of accomplishing tasks. My company has an extremely strong safety culture, one who's motto is "There is no job so important, that we cannot take the time to do it safely." Now this motto can be applied to the fire service as well, and before I get lashed out on for being "overly cautious," hear me out.

Safety culture, training, pre-task safety analysis's, job hazard analysis, permits, and numerous safety controls from engineering the hazard out (first line of defense) to PPE (your last line of defense) are all items that I use, and make sure my employees are going to follow, before a job is ever started. All of this takes time, a lot of effort, and cannot be done in a safe manor if in 2 minutes a job pops up and work begins. All of this needs to be in place before the job ever starts, so everyone is on the same page. This can be directly related to the fire service too.

The culture of the department will immediatly dictate how aggressive, or defensive your attack on a fire will be, and will be very hard to change throughout your career in that particular department. You can have a culture that is hell bent on training in all aspects day in and day out, keeping up with the "Jones'" when it comes to new techniques and being a very aggressive interior department, who will not stop to protect the lives property of others until you're reaching the breaking point of unsafe; or you can have a culture of well we're not going to do anything that will put our lives in jeopardy when we arrive, so we'll train by watching video after video with bare minimum hands on training. Either of the attitudes will set in motion how the outcome of the fire will play out. Once you arrive on scene, your holes are already aligned, and you pretty much know whether you will be saving the foundation, or stopping the fire at a room and contents job.

By training prior to the alarm ever coming in, practicing what jobs you will be completing as the 1st/2nd/3rd due in and understanding the different dynamics of an always changing scene, you've already begun to lower your risk by a considerable amount.

We have a very important job in the fire service, to protect lives and property. To me, that is the most important and job you could ever think of being employed to do. If you practice before you arrive on scene, and train as an aggressive department, you have already taken the time to do your job safely. Your OIC should have total faith that the guys he is sending to the structure are going to get the job done and know when it is time to say "Hey Chief, it's really bad in there, we need to get out." If there is any doubt in his mind, then we haven't taken the time before the job came in to explain how the job needs to be operated. Any fireman should be able to roll up to a scene, look at the situation presented to him and immediately say either "We're gonna get a good stop on this, or we've lost the house already." That comes with training and experience, not being over cautious.

Even in the fire service "There is no job so important, that we cannot take the time to do it safely." Train every day brothers, even if its just driving down the street and thinking about apparatus placement. I hope my ramble makes any sense at all.

[ny10570 745]

While I agree that no life is worth property are you really prepared to operate aggressively when there is a life at risk if you do not operate with an aggressive mindset all of the time? I find its usually easier to slow down and back up than it is to hurry and catch up.

[wraftery 1,275]

FYI Although Chief Sullivan was not OIC at the Worcester fire, that fire will remain close to his heart forever. He was a Lt. on an engine Company staffed by himself, a seasoned veteran and two rookies. The crew got split up (I don't remember exactly how) and the veteran and one of the rookies lost their lives.