FDIC in The Rear-view

    I was blessed with the opportunity to finally attend FDIC. I has been on my to do list for some time. My opportunity to attend was made possible by the leadership and vision demonstrated by my Fire Chief. Indy became FDIC with building high banners and 38,000 Firefighters filling downtown streets, restaurants, and of course spots to "network".

    The heart of the international fire service was FDIC. The streets and buildings were filled with firefighters from all walks of life- big city career, volunteer companies, young and old, salty and bright eyed all with one mission, to serve people. It was also a memorial service for the late Bobby Halton. For those who are not in the know he was the heart and soul of FDIC and the Fire Engineering magazine. Grown men were wiping their eyes as his words filled the halls of FDIC one last time. Hearts pounded with pride and big smiles crossed faces of hard men as a montage of his impassioned opening statements were played out on the big screens, but even those large displays were not big enough to fill the hole left by his passing.

    The lectures and presentations offered a wide variety of topics from accountability to how to manage Gen Z firefighters. There was every gadget reinvented, revised, and retooled on display or for purchase lining the hallways. I listen to old mentors, met new people, generated networks, but the most important of all reconfirmed why I have committed well over have my life to the job.

    Looking back on the blur of those three days spent breathing in the spirt of the brother and sisterhood: my batteries are recharged, my focus is clearer and my purpose is redefined. Now to help move the people I serve forward, preparing them for their next steps.

    

What’s Wrong With Being A Fireman?

               I was involved in a fire house conversation, in which I called myself a “Fireman”. The reaction from some was swift and scathing. It was as if I swore during High Mass or shouted fire in the theater or set fire to the Stars and Stripes. I was told that I am not a Fireman but a Firefighter. When I began to defend my position, my argument fell upon death ears. So when did it become a Sin to refer to yourself or a co-worker as a “Fireman”? 
     

     I ask you, what is wrong with using the term Fireman? I am sure there are many who would say that it is a passé, sexist throw back to times past and others would ask what the difference is between a firefighter and a fireman. The short answer: attitude. There are many firefighters in the world, all with the same attitude: they have the cookie-cutter hair cut, sun glasses and the “I fight what you fear” tattoo. They have the patch, the tee shirt and the badge but lack the true meaning of what is required to succeed at this job, what it means to be a Fireman.
 

     So what is the real difference is between a Firefighter and a Fireman? Firemen understand not just the how, but the why operations are preformed on the fireground. We have text books and power points that show the how to fight a fire, but it is not until the firefighter takes it upon themselves to understand the why of the operation, that they may then call themselves a fireman. Firemen are street smart and understand the importance of the roots of our job: Hot, dirty, hard work that every generation has done before us. The title Fireman is rooted in these traditions. (Yes I know the real root is from the company member who kept the steamer hot and ready to pump water, but I digress.)

     Too many in the fire services, from the probie to chief officer, take fire ground operations for granted; they find themselves tied to an SOP or the “we always do it that way” operating mode. They have not made the investment in themselves and their careers: to go beyond the how-to phase to the understanding why phase, and despite a long tenure on the job, they still find themselves fighting the fire vs. beating the fire. So I guess they are truly Firefighters.

     So the only sin committed is not being prepared to do the job and not taking pride in your work. I challenge you to renew your commitment to yourself, our profession and your community and be proud of your commitment to not just doing your job but knowing why you are taking action and be proud to call yourself a FIREMAN.

Live From FDIC

 “If you are damned if you do or damned if you don’t…

Why not just do..”

Paul Combs 2023

Quick Bit- Humility

 It is much easier being humble that it is getting humbled

A hard lesson to learn is that no matter how confident you are about your actions/position, when  your actions exceed your competence is when you will be humbled. 

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Striking a Balance Between Knowledge and Experience- Embracing That You May Not Know What You Do Not Know

    

          It was some 30 years ago, and I was new to the fire biz. I had read many textbooks and subscribed to all the trade journals, substituting knowledge for experience. We had very few structure fires for me to gain experience from. The bread and butter calls for the department then were EMS, Traffic accidents and as fate would have it, a great many vegetation fires , thanks to a prolific arsonist. EMS was my niche as I was working full time as a paramedic. 

          I was active as a volunteer firefighter, which put me in the position to be offered a resident firefighter job. I lived 20 feet from the engine and often was in the driver’s seat for nearly every run. We ran short, typically with a driver only and sometimes with a second guy on the engine. The other volunteers would arrive via POV or in the second due engine. 

         On a cold and rainy night,  we were dispatched to a commercial structure fire. This was my first structure fire since I took the resident position. Turning out with my heart racing in fear and excitement, I started the engine, pulling out slowly, looking for a co-pilot to keep me company. No such luck. As I pulled out onto the road, looking left towards the reported location of the fire... Shit... we had fire showing from the fire house. 

          I charged off into the night, armed with only the best of intentions, and Brannigan's Officers Handbook of Fire Tactics, turning pages in my mind. Arriving at scene, with fire showing from the roof of a 50 x 100-foot wood barn used by a plumbing company, I ordered mutual aid engines and water tenders; pulled the first line and with my book learning as my guide, promptly declared that this was a defensive fire, as we had “fire through the roof...”

          Looking back now that was not the best decision. If we had opened the door, we would have seen a small fire that was directly under a small plastic skylight, that we could have knocked with tank water… This was the first “parking lot” that I created. 

          The lesson here is you do not know what you do not know. The knowledge gained from the materials in books and simulations helps support the fire ground decision making process, but that information alone often leads to failure, especially under the time compressed and less that ideal conditions in which we must make life and death decisions.. A balance between knowledge and expense is critical and unfortunately there are less opportunities to gain that experience today compared to the last generation.

          We mistakenly equate experience with call volume. Calls may provide you with experience, but going to the same frequent flier patient every day does not expand your knowledge base or give you hands-on practice that challenges and sharpens your skills. My chief, Todd McNeal uses the example of the 20-year firefighter that goes to the same quarter acre grass fire every year; is he an experienced wildland firefighter, doubtful. Now compare the 21-year-old kid, who spends a season on a CalFire engine or on a Forest Service hand crew or engine in California, traversing the state fighting fires. Who do you want on your team?

          The issues today are that we do not get real life experiences, with fewer and fewer fires to go too, it is hard to expect the next generation to become as proficient in a timely manner. So, if you happen to witness a young guy struggle with balancing knowledge and experience, look at it as a teaching moment. Remember back when you did not know what you did not know, and maybe it was just the right time to create another parking lot.

Nuts and Bolts and Fire Chemistry Re-Visited

 

            Fire is a chemical process that results in a change in the state of matter by the process of oxidation, resulting in the production of heat and light. Not all oxidation produces heat or light, as is the case of rusting of metals. Rust is a slow process, fire is faster, and explosions are the most rapid form of oxidation. Fire is typically represented as a triangle, one leg being a heat source, another leg the source of fuel and the third a source of oxygen. This model remained the standard for many years. The Fire triangle now represents smoldering combustion which produces less heat and light. The flaming combustion is now defined as the fire triangle with the addition of an uninhibited chemical chain reaction, better known as the “Fire Tetrahedron ” .

            When you examine the various parts of the process of the production of flaming combustion you should consider the fuel portion first. It is the fuel that will dictate how much energy will be required to produce fire. A solid ,such as a common 2x4 board, will not burn.  In the solid state of matter, it requires more energy (heat) to change the material from a solid to a gaseous state. The process is known as pyrolysis, where  the application of heat produces gaseous by-products that burn. The next state of matter is liquid, which still requires energy to change the liquid to a gas, but at a lesser amount than the solid state of matter. The gas or vapor state uses the least amount of energy to produce flaming combustion and thus is the most dangerous state of matter for a combustible product to be in. It is said that you can place a burning match into the full gasoline tank of a vehicle and it would go out. The liquid state is less volatile in comparison to the vapor state of the same product which has been known to produce rapid combustion aka an explosion.

            The next leg of the triangle to examine is the heat source. Heat is most often produced by electric arcing, friction, and/or a chemical reaction. The arc may be from lightning or an accumulation of a static charge or the movement of electrons in a circuit. Friction is best defined as the interface between two surfaces, The best example is when the brakes of a tractor-trailer overheat on a long downgrade. The heat from a chemical reaction is best represented by the common match. There are chemical reactions that create heat, like when metallic sodium is placed in water. Chemical reactions may be exothermic-heat producing or endothermic- heat absorbing reactions.

            The next leg of the triangle is the oxidizer. The atmosphere is made of roughly 21 percent oxygen with the majority being nitrogen and some trace amounts of noble gases. When it comes to combustion and fire behavior, the oxidizer is the one element that we can influence the most. We take actions to reduce the effect of oxygen by smothering the fire, or somehow reducing the amount of air that is available to the combustion process.

Fire Behavior and Control

            In the modern study of fire behavior, the impact of the available air supply to a fire, has become the focus of discussion and debate. This is one leg of the triangle that we can control. The heat and fuel are typically not as easy to manage as they are present in the environment and are not easily manipulated. Controlling or limiting the air in the container is much easier than managing heat production or the fuel package.

            The term ventilation limited fire is tossed around the dinner table often times with little or no real understanding of the process. It has now become standard practice to limit the air flow to a fire burning in a compartment. With limited air the fire will starve and often remain controllable with limited extension or growth. This has given rise to the concepts of coordinated ventilation and fire attack techniques. It was once common practice to break windows and remove doors from buildings all prior to having a fire attack line in place and working on containing the fire. This practice led to uncontrolled fire growth and increased risks to civilians and firefighters alike as well as increased property damage and losses.

            When we examine fire behavior, we look at the components of the fire triangle: the volume and type of fuel, the heat source and the amount of available oxygen in the container. Fires create high pressure systems, as hot gases rise and fill the box. The size of the container or box has an impact on fire behavior. A small space will fill up and the heat, smoke and fire will leave the space sooner. A large space will take longer to fill before the fire attempts to leave the original space. When the box can no longer absorb any more energy or pressure, then that energy will be looking for an escape route from the box. When we create a path to a low pressure area; the next room, out a window, a void space or over our heads at the front door, the fire and products of combustion are going to move to that location in a rapid fashion. This may lead to a hostile fire event.

            Such events, flashovers, back drafts or smoke explosions always lead to more fire, heat and smoke damage and unfortunately often to firefighter injuries or deaths. Coordinating the application of water and a controlled release of the energy, will allow for a decrease in the negative impact that a fire has on the space and the people in the space. The other factors in the modern fire environment include building layouts, construction materials and techniques and the fuel packages of the modern home.

            I often hear that today’s fires are different from the fires 20 years ago. Fire remains the chemical process that we reviewed in the beginning of the paper. What is different is the fuel package. The typical home is full of hydrocarbon based products that have a much greater heat release rate than the legacy fuel packages of natural fibers and wood products. It does not take as much energy for the modern material to off-gas flammable vapors thus more energy is available in the form of heat, leading to the concept that the fires are hotter. Fires burn at the same temperatures; they just get to those temps at an accelerated rate compared to fires burning legacy fuels.

          Again, it is imperative that the modern firefighter understands the need to limit the air available to the fire, while coordinating the application of water into the space. The basic concepts of breaking a leg of the fire triangle remain valid, The art and science of firefighting requires a balance of understanding the process of combustion; the interaction of fuel, heat, air and how those elements impact and are impacted by the size of the box. The actions of the firefighters working to manage the incident dictate the outcome and impact that the emergency has on the public and our staff. Well practiced and coordinated fire ground operations will benefit the firefighters, officers and the community. 

 

 

Inviting Change to Your Life

     The two things Firemen , I mean Firefighters, hate are CHANGE and the Way Things Are... 

    There has never been a more accurate statement regarding fire house culture. At my house we have had a "green" fleet" for well over 48 years. Though we have opportunities to the change the paint scheme of every new piece that has been added to the fleet since I was hired 22 years ago, it was not until this year when we added a new Type 1 engine did we final change the color.. It was no longer white over green, but a stunning metallic flake grey over what is best described as American La France red. 

    We were much like Kermit the Frog as it was not always "easy being green", but it was even harder to accept that fact it became too easy not to change colors. In the past we had the Fire Chief publish a survey to determine the color of a engine as it was being designed. Despite the over-whelming majority voting for a red based paint scheme, he made the choice to stay status quo.

    In my experience people fear change for several reasons; they are not competent enough to learn something new; they are too comfortable/ lazy to put an effort into change; change my expose their flaws; or the want to create turmoil or attempt to influence the situation or to undermine the new ideas and the people who are the advocates for change.

    The watch words of those who oppose change is "We have always Done It That Way". It is when that statement is used that I begin to worry. If a culture is defined by the way they did things 5, 10 or even 20 years ago, they are either lucky or know how to "hide the bodies". When I stated working as an EMT there was not a routine use of gloves on medical emergencies. It took the AIDS epidemic to scare change into the EMS personnel. 

     The fire service: a 150 years of tradition, unimpeded by progress". We never used use SCBA, we rode tail board, we never washed our gear, and most died an honorable fireman's death, leaving in our wake a tradition of unwillingness to change. It took time but change did happen. Even the FDNY now uses "Masks" and they adopted "bunker gear" leaving the tradition of the long coat and roll-up boots for modern PPE. 

    The fire service now uses PPE that has been proven to cause cancer. The need for change in upon us again, and I can bet that somewhere in some fire house, some is saying why do we have to change, we have always been" at risk of of getten' killed or sick on the job".

    Change when managed, it can be good. As humans in general and firefighters specifically need to continue to adapt and overcome to survive our environment. When you stop learning or believe you  already know all that you need to know, you become a danger not only to yourself, but you fellow firefighters. The fear of change is normal, and it is that fear that helps keep us focused on doing the job correctly, hopefully improving our ability to be flexible and responsive to the challenges that we face being a firefighter in our modern world.

WHAT'S THE HANG-UP? -The "Ins and Outs" Storing Your Tools

 

Note: I wrote this in 2005 and was published in the Fire Department Training Network as well on the NorCal FOOLS web site. Enjoy JB

  

It was only a drill, but I found myself hung-up, trapped by one of the tools that were supposed to keep me safe. We were performing a low profile exercise as part of a SCBA confidence course when either the glove strap and/or the radio antenna caught on something. I could not go forward or backward, my mask was pulled off and if it were REAL... I was dead; I had trapped myself!

The contents of my bunker gear pockets always seem to change. There was always some new and improved tool to make the job easier. But my pockets soon were full of tools that never saw the light of day. The more frequently used the day-to-day stuff was pushed out of my pockets and into some form of loop or strap or Velcro holder hung on the outside of my turnout jacket.

Yeah, it is cool to be able to grab your gloves without having to dig them out of your pockets. But it seems that we have taken things too far. At the recent Fire House Expo hands-on training, I witnessed all sorts of tools hanging from turnouts. There were gloves, door wedges, rope, accountability system tags and one guy even had a spanner wrench attached to his gear. The next thing you know the only things our pockets will be holding are mismatched rubber gloves, crumpled coffee cups, and candy wrappers from the last BIG ONE we were on.

I personally organize my bunker gear pockets and tools by function. Anything used primarily to fight to save my skin; I put in the right side—Right-To-Fight. I am right handed so I use my right hand to use these tools. I try to keep my left hand free in the event of an emergency. I may need to change the position of my SCBA, and I do not want to lose control of the regulator. My left hand controls the regulator. My life line is in my left hand: Left-For-Life.

The tools that you take to work with you should be the best quality and well cared for. When you select a tool for your bunker gear you should make sure it could do multiple jobs. For instance, a pair of locking pliers (vise-grips) can be used to hold open doors, pull locks away for cutting, open stand pipe valves and if you get the right type (with cutters in the blades) cut wire. A multi-bit screwdriver can be used to remove electrical outlet covers, assist a citizen with installing a smoke detector or be used to operate the mechanism of a lock.

I could list tools that you should carry, but like I said my list changes all the time. But at a minimum I always carry a sharp knife, a flashlight, a short rope and some form of wire cutters. Other tools that I have used in the past include door wedges, a hose strap and a pocket spanner. The less used tools I store in a small tool roll, but the tools I may need to save myself are free in my right pockets.

Should you choose to carry tools and equipment strapped to your coat beware that you could find yourself in danger. Should you ever need to get yourself and your SCBA through a wall or under fallen debris, the last thing that you need is to get one of those can 't-live-without-it gadgets that you attached to your coat hung up, slowing you down or even trapping you.

Look at your gear. Will that flashlight flow with as you squirm to safety? Will the radio antenna sticking out of the pocket get caught as you crawl through wires and pipes? Can that glove loop get caught on the tip of the ladder or a nail sticking up in the window frame keeping you from rolling out under the flashover? Is that life saving equipment going to get you killed?

You need to consider what tools you truly need and rethink strapping them to your chest. Make your profile slim and aerodynamic. Move your tools back into the pockets. Not only are you less likely to lose the equipment, but you may also better your chances to keep from getting hung up and trapped and losing your life.

Leadership-EGO Friend or Foe

                  

            I always stress that the job of being a Firefighter should be focused first on people. When we speak of people, we typically think of the public we serve, but as leaders we must never overlook the other people that deserve our attention, namely those whom we have the un-written contract with to serve. We must juggle managing and leading, finding a balance between the two competing disciplines. 

            For me the working definition of managing and leading starts with the end state in mind.  When a person manages, they are meeting the needs of stakeholders and the bottom line. This should not be confused with the act of leading. We employ people skills when we interact with our staff, and keeping the ego in check is one of the most important people skills.

         A leader, first must be a good follower, being humble enough to know that they are not always going to have the answer. Following requires that you accept your place in the system, being flexible and open minded. Many would-be leaders fail when it comes to following, believing that they have the only solution to the problem and no one else has ability to do a better job. They are the letting their Ego drive their actions. They are not necessarily flawed people. According to Freud the human physiological make up includes the Id, Ego and Super Ego. I am not by any means an expert on the human mind (and this is not the vehicle to explore the subject)  but it is not a bad thing for a leader to have an ego. 

        History’s leaders were men of strength; physical, mental, and emotional strength. The situations they faced required a person who had vision, charisma, and an ego to be successful.   Modern leaders followed this model, applying the influence of power, position, and ego to lead government, business, the military, and community and service organizations.  This did not always prove to be the formula for success. Many leaders, who just by their rank or position did not have the tools to lead and they failed the mission, because they could not keep the ego in its place.

        We think of the egomaniac, unwilling and unable to see the issue beyond their own lens, as the autocratic dictator, who will not listen to or seek the input of others. The ego driven person is often seen as self-important, unrealistic, and most defiantly not as servant leader. The issue again is balancing the impact of the ego, as is that there is a time and a place for the egocentric autocratic leadership style.  This style must only be used sparingly and not the constant driving force in the leaders actions.

        Ego often drives the actions of traditional "leaders". The success that they can create from the use of title and influence only work to benefit them, that is until the Ego is all that they are. In chapter eleven of It Worked for Me-In life and Leadership by Collen Powell discusses mutual respect. “Leaders have legal authority for followers. They can demand and expect obedience on the job and have the power to take action against followers who do not obey or meet expected standards of performance. "He then goes on to state.” Obedience alone may get the job done, but it probably doesn’t inspire commitment to the job.”(p.77). 

            To summarize Powell’s thoughts: To inspire pride in work or the product or a passion for excellence the follower must feel they are part of a well led team. This comes from when they respect their leaders and in turn, they believe they are respected by their leaders. This also requires mutual trust between leaders and those who are being lead. Real leadership requires a person to create a balance between the positive and negative aspects of their ego. It is up to the individual; will their ego be a Friend or Foe.