Wire Box!
Now that I have your attention, and perhaps you are even a little scared, lets talk training. Perhaps a better statement would be, lets talk Survival Training. Recently C-Shift rotated crews through an entanglement emergency training at station 74. The first goal of this training was to get past the fear and apprehension that firefighters have towards this type of training. To a certain extent, you can understand why firefighters get nervous about this type of training. It is stressful, restricts movement, and they are the only person who can solve the problem. I will argue, however, that if conducted properly, this type of training will provide more confidence than any other training that we can do as firefighters.
The wire box should be just as important to us as firefighters as stretching an attack line or performing VEIS. The skills needed to properly mitigate an entanglement hazard while on the fireground are directly connected to firefighter survival skills. The ability to recognize conditions, control breathing, using gloved hands to use small tools like cable cutters, and remaining calm while under stress will help lead to the success of many tasks on the fireground. The wire box will sharpen all of these skills.
So what steps can you take to successfully negotiate this hazard? For starters, acknowledge that wire entanglements can happen on virtually any fireground, and train with this is mind. It is important to understand the situation you are in and know how you will respond. Taking a slow, deep breath can help set you up for success. This can almost act like a reset button. It can take just a few seconds, but that will be enough time to clear your thoughts and understand the situation you are in.
Secondly, we do a pretty good job in the fire service with our pre-plans. We pre-plan our buildings. We pre-plan our hose loads. We pre-plan our riding assignments for each tour. We must also make sure we are pre-planning ourselves. Let me explain what I mean. There is not a 100% no questions asked, guaranteed one-size-fits-all way for firefighters to wear their turnout gear. People choose different ways to carry their radio, what additions they add to their helmet, and which pockets they carry their tools. It is each firefighter's responsibility to pre-plan their gear. In relation to wire entanglements, we must know where our "hang-up points" are. The eagle on your helmet, the flashlight, the radio, and even the SCBA could be snagged by a wire. Knowing where we are vulnerable to get hung up with wires before it happens will greatly improve our chances to successfully solve our problem.
Creating a "Dependable Position" should be a priority during an entanglement emergency. With your bottle as low as you can get it towards the floor, you will be laying on one of your sides. If you are on your right side, use your right hand to cover the eagle on your helmet, and if you are on your left side, use your left hand. This will do a couple things that are very beneficial. It will help protect your helmet, face piece, and regulator from low hanging wires by creating a "dependable position" from your hand to your elbow. You can also think of this as if your forearm is a shield that keeps wires away from your head, face, and neck. While doing this, your top side arm will start fully extended and touching the bottom of your SCBA. Then slowly bring your hand towards your helmet while constantly maintaining contact with your bunker gear, making sure you are not allowing wires to come in between your top arm and your gear. As your top arm makes its way to the front of your helmet, lift up the wires as if you are swimming in a pool and move forward. A key point to remember is to not move too fast forward. This is a common mistake and can lead to wires dropping down before we are ready to bring our top arm back to the "reset position". A slow, methodical approach will set you up to successfully mitigate a wire hazard.
Now if you have done this, but still are becoming caught on a wire, you will need to know how to remove it. The first thing you want to try is to back up a little bit. Depending on how the wire got caught, or where it was caught, simply backing up may free the wire off of you. However, this won't always work and we must be able to be efficient with our cutters of choice. If you don't currently carry at least one wire cutter with your gear, you are not incorporating a survival attitude toward your job. If you have tried to back up and the when going forward you still feel caught on a wire, you need to keep tension on the wire and reach back and identify where at you are stuck. Again, knowledge of your gear and SCBA is key to knowing how to remove the wire. If you cannot pull the wire off by hand, it is time to use your cutters. Maintaining tension is important, because if you lose that tension and reach for you cutters, when you find a wire and cut it, it may be the wrong one. What does this hurt? Well, number one you are wasting time cutting a wire that did not need to be cut. Then, you will probably be adding to your stress level because after cutting the wire and thinking you have solved your problem, only to find out you haven't, frustration can start to mount and our breathing rate can rise. Little things at this point start to turn in to big things. Keep tension on the wire and cut it. You will instantly feel the tension from the wire disappear and can continue through the hazard. At this point, it is important to remember to back to your "reset position" and cover your eagle and bring top arm back down and be ready to do your swim technique. Another suggestion would be to keep your cutters out. Now that you have removed them from your pocket, you don't want to waste time by putting them back or even worse, dropping them. Keep them in one of your hands, and continue through the hazard.
In closing, I urge everyone to reevaluate the importance of the wire box. For too long we have let this training tool get the best of us physically and mentally, when we should be embracing it. Repetitious training on this prop can help save your life. It cannot be overstated; IT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE! Unlike some trainings that can be more slanted towards engine company or truck company operations, entanglement trainings are firefighter trainings, point blank. Embrace them and become a better firefighter today!
--Justin Longerich
