Sunday, January 7, 2018
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Monday, July 24, 2017
When seconds count, can we count on you?
A lot of attention is given to being fast in certain areas of our job; getting oxygen administered quickly to someone with low SPO2 stats, getting water on the fire, and performing primary searches. To do any of these things quickly, we better make sure we can get inside first. Think about it. When push comes to shove and we need inside, can YOU be depended on to get the job done? How long has it been since you have had to force a door open? With all honesty, its been a few months for me. Think its not an important skill? My last three force entry situations have all been for EMS reasons. In one of those, I was looking at the patient through the front door, and witnessed her fall head first to the floor. Pressure situation? Immediate need? ARE YOU READY? Don't be the one that stands back, or is happy to grab the irons for someone else. Be the answer and be ready to make a positive impact.
The "Irons". Without a doubt, they are the most versatile tools we have, and they are invaluable. I invite you to open your tool compartment and reintroduce yourself to them. Have a table top discussion and share your knowledge with others. You have encountered things in your career that others have not, so please share it. We never know what might make a difference to someone later on.
I know that many of us think "I will just mule kick the door if I need to" and I also know that that sometimes works. Well, if you make "kicking" your habit and lose your skills of force entry using tools, you might fail when someone needs you the most.
So as we approach our door we are going to force, size it up. What is it made out of? How many locks does it have? Which way does it swing? For this scenario, our door will be an inward swinging door with a single dead-bolt lock above the door knob (very standard for residential front doors). Unless you are attempting to cause as little damage as possible because thats what the situation dictates, you should always "shock" the door. Striking the door at the top, middle, and bottom with the axe or halligan will tell you how solid the door is, or where potential locks might be located. On some doors, you may be able to force them using only the halligan tool. By using the adze end and making a purchase point, some locks will fail and you have done your job. If the lock holds, you will need to reposition the halligan and put the fork in your purchase point. Have the axe strike the back of the adze until the crotch of the fork is even with the stop of the door frame. The curve of the fork should be towards the door. If you are holding the halligan, keep your eyes on the fork and trust the person striking. If you are striking with the axe, be on one knee and hold the axe upright so the tool has a greater surface area to strike the adze. But how do you develop the trust that he/she wont hit you while holding the halligan? Train! With your eyes focused on the fork, you say "hit" or "strike" until you have the tool where you want it. Tell your partner "STOP". This should be the only other time you need to look at your partner, and this is done to verify that they heard you and are stopping their strikes. Push towards the door till it pops open. You may need to reposition your tool to finish the job, but some extra force to that lock should get you in.
Remember when seconds count, you can be the difference, so stay on your skills and keep training. Go around the firehouse with your crew and size up different doors. Talk about the possibility of different locks being present and how you would mitigate those issues. And again, share your knowledge with others.
STAY SAFE!
Justin Longerich
C-Shift STO
The "Irons". Without a doubt, they are the most versatile tools we have, and they are invaluable. I invite you to open your tool compartment and reintroduce yourself to them. Have a table top discussion and share your knowledge with others. You have encountered things in your career that others have not, so please share it. We never know what might make a difference to someone later on.
I know that many of us think "I will just mule kick the door if I need to" and I also know that that sometimes works. Well, if you make "kicking" your habit and lose your skills of force entry using tools, you might fail when someone needs you the most.
So as we approach our door we are going to force, size it up. What is it made out of? How many locks does it have? Which way does it swing? For this scenario, our door will be an inward swinging door with a single dead-bolt lock above the door knob (very standard for residential front doors). Unless you are attempting to cause as little damage as possible because thats what the situation dictates, you should always "shock" the door. Striking the door at the top, middle, and bottom with the axe or halligan will tell you how solid the door is, or where potential locks might be located. On some doors, you may be able to force them using only the halligan tool. By using the adze end and making a purchase point, some locks will fail and you have done your job. If the lock holds, you will need to reposition the halligan and put the fork in your purchase point. Have the axe strike the back of the adze until the crotch of the fork is even with the stop of the door frame. The curve of the fork should be towards the door. If you are holding the halligan, keep your eyes on the fork and trust the person striking. If you are striking with the axe, be on one knee and hold the axe upright so the tool has a greater surface area to strike the adze. But how do you develop the trust that he/she wont hit you while holding the halligan? Train! With your eyes focused on the fork, you say "hit" or "strike" until you have the tool where you want it. Tell your partner "STOP". This should be the only other time you need to look at your partner, and this is done to verify that they heard you and are stopping their strikes. Push towards the door till it pops open. You may need to reposition your tool to finish the job, but some extra force to that lock should get you in.
Remember when seconds count, you can be the difference, so stay on your skills and keep training. Go around the firehouse with your crew and size up different doors. Talk about the possibility of different locks being present and how you would mitigate those issues. And again, share your knowledge with others.
STAY SAFE!
Justin Longerich
C-Shift STO
Friday, June 2, 2017
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Ladder Co Training
As some of you may have already seen, our next training will be centered around ladder company operations. We will be going to the ESEC training grounds (old Wayne Township site) and we will be using the 3-story shipping container building on the North end of the site. I wanted to share with you some of the main points of importance for all members who will be attending the training and share with you what skills you should expect to utilize on the training ground.
Before I get too much into what we will be doing, I would like to remind everyone that as we start to get towards the main summer months, we really need to be making sure that our hydration is where we can be successful at performing our duties. This training will have some physically taxing moments, so if we are not hydrated properly, the training or the rest of your shift may be more difficult. Make sure you are taking care of yourself.
In the early morning hours, around 03:00, your crew is dispatched for a residence fire with possible entrapment. While en route, control advises that the neighbor states she can hear screaming from inside the residence and smoke is showing from a downstairs window.
-What type of things are you considering on the way to this run? Do you know the area? If you are the backstepper, do you feel confident in throwing ground ladders? When was the last time you performed a primary search? Does your crew know what type of search to do? Will everyone be on the “same page” when you arrive on scene?
In that scenario, you do NOT want to find the answers out at 03:00 in the morning. When this call is inevitably dispatched on OUR department, the time will be now to use the $500,000 appartus, the expensive SCBA and bunker gear, the hand tools and attack lines, and make a difference by giving our citizens the greatest possible chance at having a positive outcome during the worst moment in their lives. At this moment, you don’t want to second guess what you could have done differently. The decisions we are making today as a crew and as a department will be seen in action at a time that we won’t be able to predict. It is on all of us to have accountability to be the right firefighter at the right time at the right moment. We rotate crews, work trade-time, and fill-in (at times with little notice). Take this opportunity to sharpen your skills.
Crews arriving at the training are going to have the opportunity to work on using the aerial device to place the bucket under a window for a rescue. You will have the opportunity to throw ground ladders for search and rescue maneuvers. You will have a facility to search for victims under stressful and difficult conditions. Before you arrive to the training, I highly recommend knowing what size ladders you have on your trucks. If you are at an outside station, make arrangements to learn some things about Ladder 71. Ask your shift's Ladder Co Officer, Engineer, or Backstepper about their truck. Know where items are located that you will need to make your searches the most efficient and safe for you and your crew. Be prepared, because this training will be quick and to the point. Come out ready to do your best and we will provide you with a realistic approach to make us all better. Please, if anyone has questions, contact me via e-mail. You may have a question that will help others out, so don’t be afraid to ask.
As always, STAY SAFE!
Click Links Below for additional training
Can Search
Ground Ladder Tips
June 5, 6, 7
Justin Longerich
C-Shift STO
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