Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Cardiovascular and Carcinogenic Hazards of Modern Firefighting now available for viewing
Cardiovascular and Carcinogenic Hazards of Modern Firefighting now available for viewing
Recorded: 30 June 2015
Now available for on demand viewing.
Cost: Free to attend.
Duration: Approximately 120 minutes.
Join us for this two-part ground breaking event!
Fighting fires exposes the human body to myriad environmental and pathophysiological hazards, increasing the risk of occupational-related mortality and morbidity. Sudden cardiac events are the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the Fire Service and the primary acute health concern. On the other hand, cancer is a primary chronic health concern associated with firefighting.
In this study, we will collect pertinent physiological data concerning cardiovascular and carcinogenic risks associated with firefighting activities. We will provide the first rigorous scientific study to quantify acute physiological disruptions, including thermal and cardiac strain, and exposure to products of combustion, in response to working in a realistic modern fire environment. Further, we will document the time course of recovery from firefighting work and examine how the response and recovery is modulated by tactical choice and firefighters’ riding assignment (e.g. Engine vs Truck), providing the most relevant data to inform the national discussion on establishing a timeline for returning a firefighter to service after a fire.
We will investigate salient physiological parameters (including EKG abnormalities, coagulatory potential, and markers of carcinogen risk) for up to 12 hours post firefighting activities to better understand this “vulnerable period”. Importantly, we will also investigate the effect of on-scene PPE cleaning and decon, to determine the effectiveness of this strategy to minimize secondary exposures to additional cardiovascular and contaminant risks from PPE off-gassing after a firefighter has removed their breathing protection.
In order to accomplish this ambitious project, our team will include scientists and firefighters with experience in studying physiological strain of firefighting (IFSI), the leading authorities in measurement of fire dynamics and fire behavior (UL)and experts in firefighter toxic exposure (NIOSH).
This project addresses the most important health concerns of firefighters and does so in a way that ensures that the results are “directly” applicable to firefighters. Keeping with our team’s long standing tradition of dissemination, and leveraging an extensive network of fire service collaborators, we will distribute our findings to those who need it and can implement it, including standard setting bodies (i.e, NFPA 1500, 1582, 1584, 1851, and 1971), policy makers, training academies, fire officers and firefighters.
Please join us for this event sponsored by MSA: http://www.fireengineering.com/webcasts/2015/06/cardiovascular-and-carcinogenic-hazards-of-modern-firefighting.html
Now available for on demand viewing.
Cost: Free to attend.
Duration: Approximately 120 minutes.
In this study, we will collect pertinent physiological data concerning cardiovascular and carcinogenic risks associated with firefighting activities. We will provide the first rigorous scientific study to quantify acute physiological disruptions, including thermal and cardiac strain, and exposure to products of combustion, in response to working in a realistic modern fire environment. Further, we will document the time course of recovery from firefighting work and examine how the response and recovery is modulated by tactical choice and firefighters’ riding assignment (e.g. Engine vs Truck), providing the most relevant data to inform the national discussion on establishing a timeline for returning a firefighter to service after a fire.
We will investigate salient physiological parameters (including EKG abnormalities, coagulatory potential, and markers of carcinogen risk) for up to 12 hours post firefighting activities to better understand this “vulnerable period”. Importantly, we will also investigate the effect of on-scene PPE cleaning and decon, to determine the effectiveness of this strategy to minimize secondary exposures to additional cardiovascular and contaminant risks from PPE off-gassing after a firefighter has removed their breathing protection.
In order to accomplish this ambitious project, our team will include scientists and firefighters with experience in studying physiological strain of firefighting (IFSI), the leading authorities in measurement of fire dynamics and fire behavior (UL)and experts in firefighter toxic exposure (NIOSH).
This project addresses the most important health concerns of firefighters and does so in a way that ensures that the results are “directly” applicable to firefighters. Keeping with our team’s long standing tradition of dissemination, and leveraging an extensive network of fire service collaborators, we will distribute our findings to those who need it and can implement it, including standard setting bodies (i.e, NFPA 1500, 1582, 1584, 1851, and 1971), policy makers, training academies, fire officers and firefighters.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Firehouse living: 55 basic rules for survival
Following these rules will help the new firefighter get along in firehouse living — and if you break them, here are six remedies
Aug 20, 2009 Retrieved from FireRescue1.com blog site on July 15, 2015
By Tony Vitalie Updated July 7, 2015
After 20 years in the fire service I have had the pleasure of working and living with a wide variety of personalities. I've learned something from each and every individual that I've had the opportunity to work with — some through positive examples and some by way of negative examples.
In the process I’ve also learned a great deal about myself and about this unique group dynamic. This is the kind of thing one cannot learn in a class room or academy.
My time in school and even my four years of study psychology in no way prepared me for Firehouse living. In my opinion, all retired firefighters should be given an honorary Ph.D in psychology.
Every firehouse has its own unique dynamic and personality. Yet, as unique as they all are, there are some universal truths that hold true regardless of where you might end up working and living. Remember that unlike other professions, firefighters are subject to not only a unique and demanding work environment, they are also subject to unique living conditions, as working together and living together are one in the same for firefighters.
This creates the need for understanding human behavior and respecting those we work and live with.
What best prepares one for firehouse living is growing up in a large dysfunctional family. Only children and those who always got to choose their friends may have a harder time than those who grew up in a crowded house and had to share everything with siblings — they were forced to live and get along in very close quarters.
How are you preparing for the next generation of the fire service?
In response to this question posed by the National Fire Academy Alumni Association, then Superintendent Dr. Denis Onieal replied:
There’s a line in the Bob Dylan song “Subterranean Homesick Blues” that says, “…you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” You don’t need an assembly of fire service experts to know which way the fire and emergency services is moving ― just read the headlines. The shootings in Aurora, outside Milwaukee, Tucson and Newtown; the tornadoes and flooding in the southeast; the wildfires in the northwest and the increased demand for emergency medical services by the baby boomers are all influencing our future. The fire and emergency services are every community’s all-hazards response agency of first and last resort.
As a result, we’re undergoing tremendous changes. In some cases, progressive leaders are influencing that change. In other cases, the political forces are imposing the change, but we’re changing nonetheless.
One consideration during these tough budget times is that National Fire Academy training is inexpensive; less expensive than most. We cover the cost of round-trip airfare; give students a dorm room and the training at no cost. All students pay for meals, about $125 per week. Of course there are back-fill and salary / benefit costs for the local department, but they would have those costs for ANY training ― even in-house training.
The National fire Academy offers residential and off-campus courses in almost all areas of fire prevention, investigation, administration and EMS management. We now include the Managing Officer program which targets new and aspiring officers. And, we continue to offer the Executive Fire Officer program.
The NFAAA provides periodic updates to alumni about application periods opening and closing, last minute class vacancies, pilot course recruitment and notifications on job openings at the USFA.
VISIT THESE SITES FOR MORE INFORMATION:
National Fire Academy Alumni Association: http://www.nfaalumni.org/
National Fire Academy Course Catalog: http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/nfacourses/
National Fire Academy Alumni Association: http://www.nfaalumni.org/
National Fire Academy Course Catalog: http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/nfacourses/
How to know if you're cut-out to be a firefighter: Many want to be firefighters, but should they be?
Retrieved from [Firerescue1.com]Firerescue1.com website on 7/7/2015
Oct 9, 2012
By Tony Vitalie
Oct 9, 2012
By Tony Vitalie
The first question that anyone considering a career as a firefighter asks themselves is, "Do I want to be a firefighter?" This is usually an easy question to answer. One considers the job, often over glamorizing it in the process, and decides whether or not they can see themselves in that position and wearing the uniform.
One should always then ask themselves an even more important follow-up question: "Should I be a firefighter?" It is imperative that firefighter candidates understand the difference between, "want" and "should" very early on in their pursuit of the career.
Just because you may want something, does not mean you are cut out for it. Wanting to do something does not mean you will be good at it, even after spending time trying to master it. We’ve all seen the American Idol tryouts.
There is no shortage of people who want to be pop stars, but when they step in front of the judges, it becomes quickly and often painfully apparent which ones have potential and should pursue their dreams, and which ones should abandon their dream for a new one. We are not all cut out to be pop stars and we are not all cut out to be in the fire service.
So once you have answered "yes," to the question, "Do I want to be a firefighter", ask yourself the next, much tougher question, "Should I?" Here are 5 things to seriously consider while answering that important follow-up question:
So once you have answered "yes," to the question, "Do I want to be a firefighter", ask yourself the next, much tougher question, "Should I?" Here are 5 things to seriously consider while answering that important follow-up question:
1. Am I "wired" for the job? Everyone has natural talents, predispositions and abilities that help them to excel at different things. We all have natural weaknesses too, which cause us to struggle in certain areas. Being a good firefighter requires a certain skillset that some are naturally suited for, while others simply are not. The best firefighters are those who have the ability to maintain their composure while, multi-tasking and thinking on their feet in the face of life and death emergencies.
They must be able to organize a great deal of information in a short period of time under extreme mental, physical and psychological conditions. People who have a history of not handling stress well, or are prone to overreact (for example, have ever had a panic attack), do not make good firefighters. Do you thrive under pressure and stress or do you get flustered and crack?
Soft Skills Matter - ISFSI
Soft Skills Matter
For years, I would review brochures and flyers of conferences advertising various classes. Like most of the firefighters I worked with, the most appealing classes would be action oriented: hands on, dirty and physical, the qualifications for a “good class". Refining my hard skills through this physical experience fed my sense of purpose as a firefighter. Consequently, there were a lot of soft skills classes that I overlooked. I viewed these classes as designed for firefighters on the fast track to promotion or who couldn’t handle the more physically demanding classes. Who needs to waste time on all this classroom, talking stuff? Real firefighters are hands on, doingstuff. Firefighting is hard work with hard schedules, hard situations and you need a hard core mentality to deal with it all. Soft skills had no place in the hardened culture of firefighting.
I had a few years on the job when a fellow firefighter was going through a bad divorce. As a firefighter family, if one person is going through life experiences, as a unit, we tend to all go through it. This firefighter would argue and curse his soon to be ex-wife over the phone. We would get a call and this mad man would get behind the wheel and drive us to the call. I didn’t understand a lot back then but I did understand that this wasn’t a good combination. This experience planted the seed of how bad management of soft skills can put hard skills in jeopardy. One set of skills is not more important than other. Properly applied soft and hard skills compliment each other. Great firefighters recognize and constantly work to maintain this balance.
The soft skill we discuss briefly in this article is personal leadership. Leading yourself is critical if you aspire to one day lead others. The personal leadership tool is called the EMPOWER model. This model is made up of 7 elements that enhance technical training. If you are never promoted to an official leadership role, your fire service career will still be enhanced.
The following can be added to your skills tool box:
Envision – Begin with any task truly defined. Leaders without vision perish. Hard skills suffer when this soft skill is not addressed. Envision is not just a map but a compass that will guide your course despite all the detours that life presents. I suggest a personal manifesto that you will refer to regularly. This will keep the vision in front of you and make every step count. Master this principle and watch all areas of your life, from family to career, increase in value.
Mutual Victory- We live in a world where people feel there are limited resources. The good news is, there is an abundance of resources. Our view of the world helps shape our scarcity or abundance mentality. This is important in mutual victory solutions for teams. Your independent attitude of the abundance mentality will help you contribute to interdependent relationships. The mastery of this soft skill limits or eliminates the tug of war of whose way is best. Focusing on the objective at hand creates a third alternative that satisfies the objective. When both parties submit to this mutual victory paradigm, the objective is achieved and all parties involved benefit. This practice is not a technique or maneuver to get what you want or plot for future deals. This is a total change in attitude, a firm belief that your investment in the other party will truly help them win, which in turn will make both parties interested in each other winning. Ultimately everyone truly wins.
Proactive - This soft skill is one of my favorites. The proactive leader plans ahead and understands that when they incorporate this skill, everything touched turns to gold. There are many situations in our everyday life, that would be made easier if we take time to think ahead. Effective plotting and planning will make life more simple, minimizing reactive energy. Firefighters have a reactive job by design. Citizens need help. We respond and mitigate the emergency. When our proactive habits are mastered, we serve citizens better and minimize costly mistakes. Personal stress is reduced because life is easier to predict. When unforeseen events occur we have the energy and resources to deal with the unexpected. The examples I love to use are the stories doctors tell of the recovery of patients. A proactive person with good physical health has a faster recovery from a hospital stay than those who present with poor health.The person in excellent health was proactive and enjoyed unforeseen benefits according to our hospital example. This is the beauty of the proactive skill, it benefits in ways you can and cannot predict.
Organize Priorities – You’ve heard the phrase, lots of activity and very little productivity? If organized priorities is not one of your soft skills, this will frustrate your day to day efforts. Productivity is no accident if you identify principally centered personal/professional priorities. Organizing priorities around principled centered planning gives a clear picture of what’s real and what’s fluff.
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least” –Goethe
We live in a world where information and activity comes faster than ever. Slowing down your internal system and organizing priorities will help you discern the difference between real priorities and activities disguised as priorities.
Working Together - Firefighting is a team effort. There is no getting around this fact. Unsuccessful teams are unacceptable. Successful teams are successful by design. The team is only as strong as the sum of its members. Each members A-game mentality produces a top notched team. Everyone pulling in the same direction helps the team achieve together what the individual couldn’t do alone. All talents are different and should be celebrated. Working together will reveal strengths and weakness. Strategically organizing the team will minimize weaknesses and create overall team strength. When members feel they are positive contributors to a successful team, they will exert independent will, conscience and reveal maximized potential. When these values are exercised before the emergency, performing at the emergency is flawless.
Empathetic Listening – Listening while not just hearing the words is an important skill that will do wonders for the communications soft skill. At times, we all experience not listening effectively. That can lead to delays in problem solving and misunderstandings. If we master the skill of truly listening we can hear the meaning behind whats being said. Listen with two eyes and two ears. Watch for body language. Listen for tone. Work hard to put yourself in that persons shoes and resist the temptation of listening autobiographically. Listening, while filtering through your point of view can be insulting to the speaker. The conversation can quickly become about your experience. The issue at hand is about the person you are listening to and how you can help them. This soft skill works with family and co-workers alike because outside of survival, being understood is one of the greatest human needs.
Recharge – This soft skill keeps your personal leadership arsenal at an optimal level. Recharge encourages physical and mental intentional attention. Value clarification, planning and meditation are a few areas requiring recharge focus. Our profession requires us to be sharp and make instinctive life saving decisions. We should be operating at optimum levels to deliver our best in all aspects of our lives. When we give attention to our physical fitness we reduce the risk of heart attacks and injury. We as industrial athletes have to make fitness a priority. Attention to our mental fitness helps keep order to reduce mental atrophy and burn out. We can be as excited and attentive whether we have 2 years or 32 years on the job. Value clarification gives substance to our efforts to keep us connected to the essence of our public service calling.
Changing the metaphoric oil often is critical to keep your personal leadership engine running smooth. I love the phrase that states “the best thing an old firefighter can teach a young firefighter is how to become an old firefighter”. The successfully applied recharge principle will guarantee quality and wisdom throughout your life and career.
Technical training (HARD SKILLS) are critical in maintaining readiness in our profession. Personal Leadership using the EMPOWER model (SOFT SKILLS) enhances technical training and therefore are just as critical. The balance goes beyond creating good firefighters. Great people emerge. Great people make great firefighters. Great firefighters make great teams. Great teams make for a great fire service.
---
I had a few years on the job when a fellow firefighter was going through a bad divorce. As a firefighter family, if one person is going through life experiences, as a unit, we tend to all go through it. This firefighter would argue and curse his soon to be ex-wife over the phone. We would get a call and this mad man would get behind the wheel and drive us to the call. I didn’t understand a lot back then but I did understand that this wasn’t a good combination. This experience planted the seed of how bad management of soft skills can put hard skills in jeopardy. One set of skills is not more important than other. Properly applied soft and hard skills compliment each other. Great firefighters recognize and constantly work to maintain this balance.
The soft skill we discuss briefly in this article is personal leadership. Leading yourself is critical if you aspire to one day lead others. The personal leadership tool is called the EMPOWER model. This model is made up of 7 elements that enhance technical training. If you are never promoted to an official leadership role, your fire service career will still be enhanced.
The following can be added to your skills tool box:
Envision – Begin with any task truly defined. Leaders without vision perish. Hard skills suffer when this soft skill is not addressed. Envision is not just a map but a compass that will guide your course despite all the detours that life presents. I suggest a personal manifesto that you will refer to regularly. This will keep the vision in front of you and make every step count. Master this principle and watch all areas of your life, from family to career, increase in value.
Mutual Victory- We live in a world where people feel there are limited resources. The good news is, there is an abundance of resources. Our view of the world helps shape our scarcity or abundance mentality. This is important in mutual victory solutions for teams. Your independent attitude of the abundance mentality will help you contribute to interdependent relationships. The mastery of this soft skill limits or eliminates the tug of war of whose way is best. Focusing on the objective at hand creates a third alternative that satisfies the objective. When both parties submit to this mutual victory paradigm, the objective is achieved and all parties involved benefit. This practice is not a technique or maneuver to get what you want or plot for future deals. This is a total change in attitude, a firm belief that your investment in the other party will truly help them win, which in turn will make both parties interested in each other winning. Ultimately everyone truly wins.
Proactive - This soft skill is one of my favorites. The proactive leader plans ahead and understands that when they incorporate this skill, everything touched turns to gold. There are many situations in our everyday life, that would be made easier if we take time to think ahead. Effective plotting and planning will make life more simple, minimizing reactive energy. Firefighters have a reactive job by design. Citizens need help. We respond and mitigate the emergency. When our proactive habits are mastered, we serve citizens better and minimize costly mistakes. Personal stress is reduced because life is easier to predict. When unforeseen events occur we have the energy and resources to deal with the unexpected. The examples I love to use are the stories doctors tell of the recovery of patients. A proactive person with good physical health has a faster recovery from a hospital stay than those who present with poor health.The person in excellent health was proactive and enjoyed unforeseen benefits according to our hospital example. This is the beauty of the proactive skill, it benefits in ways you can and cannot predict.
Organize Priorities – You’ve heard the phrase, lots of activity and very little productivity? If organized priorities is not one of your soft skills, this will frustrate your day to day efforts. Productivity is no accident if you identify principally centered personal/professional priorities. Organizing priorities around principled centered planning gives a clear picture of what’s real and what’s fluff.
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least” –Goethe
We live in a world where information and activity comes faster than ever. Slowing down your internal system and organizing priorities will help you discern the difference between real priorities and activities disguised as priorities.
Working Together - Firefighting is a team effort. There is no getting around this fact. Unsuccessful teams are unacceptable. Successful teams are successful by design. The team is only as strong as the sum of its members. Each members A-game mentality produces a top notched team. Everyone pulling in the same direction helps the team achieve together what the individual couldn’t do alone. All talents are different and should be celebrated. Working together will reveal strengths and weakness. Strategically organizing the team will minimize weaknesses and create overall team strength. When members feel they are positive contributors to a successful team, they will exert independent will, conscience and reveal maximized potential. When these values are exercised before the emergency, performing at the emergency is flawless.
Empathetic Listening – Listening while not just hearing the words is an important skill that will do wonders for the communications soft skill. At times, we all experience not listening effectively. That can lead to delays in problem solving and misunderstandings. If we master the skill of truly listening we can hear the meaning behind whats being said. Listen with two eyes and two ears. Watch for body language. Listen for tone. Work hard to put yourself in that persons shoes and resist the temptation of listening autobiographically. Listening, while filtering through your point of view can be insulting to the speaker. The conversation can quickly become about your experience. The issue at hand is about the person you are listening to and how you can help them. This soft skill works with family and co-workers alike because outside of survival, being understood is one of the greatest human needs.
Recharge – This soft skill keeps your personal leadership arsenal at an optimal level. Recharge encourages physical and mental intentional attention. Value clarification, planning and meditation are a few areas requiring recharge focus. Our profession requires us to be sharp and make instinctive life saving decisions. We should be operating at optimum levels to deliver our best in all aspects of our lives. When we give attention to our physical fitness we reduce the risk of heart attacks and injury. We as industrial athletes have to make fitness a priority. Attention to our mental fitness helps keep order to reduce mental atrophy and burn out. We can be as excited and attentive whether we have 2 years or 32 years on the job. Value clarification gives substance to our efforts to keep us connected to the essence of our public service calling.
Changing the metaphoric oil often is critical to keep your personal leadership engine running smooth. I love the phrase that states “the best thing an old firefighter can teach a young firefighter is how to become an old firefighter”. The successfully applied recharge principle will guarantee quality and wisdom throughout your life and career.
Technical training (HARD SKILLS) are critical in maintaining readiness in our profession. Personal Leadership using the EMPOWER model (SOFT SKILLS) enhances technical training and therefore are just as critical. The balance goes beyond creating good firefighters. Great people emerge. Great people make great firefighters. Great firefighters make great teams. Great teams make for a great fire service.
---
Larry Conley is the president and lead instructor of Leadership Development Concepts, LLC. He travels the country to present his popular and compelling program, ZERO TO HERO Personal Leadership (Powered by GLUE). The concept of GLUE (Growing Leaders Using Empowerment) was born in the fire service, where Larry successfully juggles many leadership roles.
Larry’s initiative and creativity are put to work in his roles as: Captain of the St. Louis Fire Department (Truck 13C); President of the Parkway Gardens Neighborhood Improvement Association; Chief Instructor for the Highlander Fire Academy St. Louis Community College at Forest Park; Director at Large for the ISFSI (International Association of Fire Service Instructors); President of the Supervisory Committee and Board Member St. Louis Firefighters Credit Union; and Co-Chair of the Fire Education Subcommittee Missouri Community College Association.
Monday, July 13, 2015
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