The views expressed are those of the author,
and do not represent my employer, or other members of the fire service although
maybe they should…
Let face facts, this job is not rocket science. Those of
average intelligence, with common sense and basic mechanical aptitude can excel
in the fire service. Then why have we lost the basic knowledge, skills and
abilities to perform our jobs?
It can all fall back upon the lost art of firemanship. Yes I
used the “man” version, but firemanship is not about gender, rather it refers
to the basic skills that that fire service has used for generations.
As a boy scout I studied the basics of firefighting and
earned my “Firemanship” merit badge. We learned about the fire triangle and if
we took away a leg of the triangle, the fire would go out. We learned hot air
rises and fire always looks for the path of least resistance. I learned these
things when I was 12 years old. Why is it that this basic information seems to
be foreign to most people entering the fire service today?
Yes that was many years ago, but I still use those simple
boyhood lessons every day. Not to generation bash, but the kids these days have
grown-up in a much different time and culture than I did.
We have the pleasure of hosting a junior college fire academy
at our department. This allows me the opportunity to witness the
“cream-of-the-crop” and the future of our profession. And what I see makes me
worry. Many of the “kids” appear to lack basic life skills: how to clean a
toilet; how to press a shirt; how to cook a basic meal or how to follow simple
instructions. It is not all their fault. We as a society must take our share of
the blame. Our fast food, fast lane, and fast internet world has taken away the
need for our youth to learn the skills that it takes to be a good firefighter.
We again fail them in the academy. We have forsaken the must
know skills: hoselines, ladder throws, search and rescue and PPE use. As an
example I have seen as little as four hours of the fire academy dedicated to
SCBA. The students get to don the BA once and maybe do a quick right-hand
search, and then they are onto the next topic.
The instructors have spent much more time on topics such as
Hazmat, confined space and terrorism. These are all important given the world
we live in, but they should not replace the information that the entry level
grunt firefighter needs to know. Education should focus on pulling hose,
throwing ladders and basic fire behavior--- good basic firemanship. A
Firefighter 1 certification should mean more than just being able to recognize
a hose or ladder, but the new firefighter must know how to use them, in their
sleep!
It is just not the “new kids” that lack the luster and shine
of good firemanship, but guys that have been on the job for some time. Just to
review a basic tenant of firefighting: Firefighting is inherently dangerous.
When did we forget this fact? Fire is hot. There is smoke, dangerous gases,
little or no visibility and FIRE. I have been on incidents where we were
admonished to avoid going in because it was burning. I ask you if we do not go
in to put the fire out then what are we there for? This is where common sense
comes into play: We enter the environment knowing that it is dangerous. We are
running in, while everyone else is run out, to take actions to make the
situation better.
Another example of the loss of Firemanship is demonstrated by
a department culture where it is acceptable to sit in the front lawn,
surrounded by a pile of water bottles after using your first SCBA bottle rehabbing
, all the while the home continues to burn. Firefighting means you are going to
get dirty, be hot, tired and just plain get your back side kicked. When did it
become ok to abandon your job because you are sweating?
We have also lost the basic knowledge of fire behavior. A
neighboring department was working a residential fire, when the radio lit up
with anxious traffic reporting an attic fire. They seemed truly surprised that
there was fire extension to the attic space. All I could do not to yell at the
radio and say “no duh dumb sh**.”
Yes, I have spent a great deal time griping about what is
wrong, and I would be remiss if I did not offer any solutions. I am mindful of
the old saying admonishing those who live in glass houses not through stones.
So I took my 6 foot hook and cleared the glass, sash and all, hopefully letting
the stale air out.
First, we cannot change how the next generation is raised.
But we can encourage vocational education. It should be ok to take a shop
class. People should know how things work and how to fix things and I don’t
mean debugging a computer program or how to hard reboot a CPU.
Second, we must not forsake our traditions. Fire has been
fought by men and women, crawling down hot, smokey hallways taking a beating to
put the fire out. It was dangerous then and remains dangerous now. Let’s not
let forget the lessons learned by our predecessors; take the time to teach the
New Kid what firemanship is about, what the job is about.
Third, we must continue our professional and personal
education. We cannot just learn something and think we know it forever. Our job
environment changes too much to remain entrenched in some old technique we
learned in drill school. Keep an open mind, but do not forget the basics.
Remember put the wet stuff on the red stuff. We can solve all
the fire ground problems by putting the fire out. With no fire, there is no
need for a rescue. No exposure problems and no need for the RIC.
As a profession we must return to the basics of our trade:
Hot, dirty, hard work that every generation has done before us. Keep yourself
educated, in shape and be true to the job. Remember we are the fire service and
it is only as good as we make. Do not forget Firemanship, because without it
public works could do our job.
