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Training the Best for the Worst! |
Middletown Township Fire Department Normandy Road (US NAVY) |
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Training Tips |
Reminders |
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November 22,
2011
If the fire service is going to reduce the number of deaths and
injuries, then it must take proactive steps to reduce or
eliminate unsafe practices. Continued following of unsafe
practices becomes the norm rather than the exception if action
is not taken to correct them. How many times have you thought to
yourself, "Wow that could have turned out a lot worse"? It could
have been you or perhaps another firefighter on the fire or
drill ground where these incidents happened. In this Training
Tip we will focus on identifying some unsafe practices and
provide insight to prevent it from happening to us in the
future. Let’s take a
look at some common unsafe practices and their consequences.
Remember the overall intent is to make the emergency scene a
safer place to work and ensure everyone goes home safely. Simple Solutions Seated and
Belted Operating on
Roadways Incomplete or Improper PPE Complacency These are just a few examples of unsafe practices firefighters everywhere engage in. Prepare yourself as if every call is the "Big One". You need to remember we are all trained to operate safely don’t lose sight of the basics and remember the most important part of the job is to return home in the same condition as you left.
November 15,
2011
Regardless of how often we train or how well we pre-plan, we
often times find ourselves having to adapt on the fly in
order to achieve our objective. Companies with high-rise
buildings and standpipes may find themselves in situations
like this when it comes to the distance the hose stretch
will reach.
Engine companies must be prepared to effectively make the stretch during standpipe operations. Setting up your standpipe kits to be effective and versatile can make or break the fire attack. Try extending the stretch during your next standpipe drill. For added difficulty, members can attempt to make the connections is low visibility. This technique is based on the Denver High-Rise load. The Denver load utilizes three 50’ lengths of lightweight 2 ½” hose and a shutoff style nozzle with a 1 ⅜” waterway and 1 ⅛” tip. For more information on the Denver load see “Firefighting Operations in High-Rise and Standpipe-Equipped Buildings” by David McGrail, published by Fire Engineering.
October 28, 2011
One of the most basic skills we teach a new recruit in the
Firefighter One Course is how to hold the nozzle during an
offensive fire attack. This skill is the foundation of all
firefighting operations. If done correctly, the nozzle-man
will be able to counteract nozzle reaction while directing
the stream 360 degrees and advancing forward. If done
incorrectly, the hose line advance will stall and the nozzle
team will take a beating.
The thumb and
fingers of the left hand should encircle the hose with the
left palm facing up, creating as much surface contact as
possible. If the nozzle needs be open or closed the left
hand is easily repositioned up to the nozzle bail. If he
still is having problems controlling the nozzle reaction, he
can tuck the left elbow inward and brace it on his upper
torso (contact point #4). He should also try to maintain at
least an arms length of hose out in front of his body. This
arms length of hose will allow him to easily move the nozzle
in a 360 degree circle out in front of the advancing nozzle
team. (See photo #1)
October 20, 2011
Each day, firefighters face the need to correctly evaluate
fire behavior and develop a safe means of fire attack. Your
correct evaluation of fire conditions (or events) and choice
of fire attack can be the difference between life and death.
There are no standard rules stating when the phenomenon of
flashover will occur. Being able to recognize its warning
signs however, will allow the firefighter time to alter
tactics and ultimately survive this extreme event.
Flashover is a rapid, spontaneous ignition of a compartment
and all of its contents. It can occur in as little as three
minutes from first ignition or take considerably longer. The
time that it takes for flashover to occur depends on a
number of factors that include the size and configuration of
the room, fuel load and heat release, location of the fire,
room insulation, and ventilation. As a fire burns, thermal
radiation feedback allows heat to be absorbed into the
adjoining contents and, the ceiling and upper walls of an
enclosed space. The radiation feedback heats furnishings and
other components in the fire room to their auto-ignition
temperatures that then spontaneously ignite. When flashover
occurs, it is the end of the growth stage and the transition
to the fully developed stage of the fire. It is the end of
an effective search and rescue of any trapped occupants.
This condition means sure death to any victim trapped within
the now fully involved compartment and severe or even fatal
injury to any trapped firefighter. Flashover is also the
transition from a contents fire to a structural fire. Once
the fire compartment has flashed, collapse of the structure
must be considered because the fire is now attacking the
structural members of the building. Choosing the correct
tactics will be very critical at this point of the
firefighting operations.
Heat release of fuel loads has dramatically changed over the
years. This has caused flashover to occur at lower
temperatures and sooner. Years ago, ordinary combustible
materials used in the construction of household furnishings
did not generate extremely high temperatures and thus
resulted in the less likelihood of a flashover occurring.
Today’s fire environment consists of furnishings made from
many different synthetic materials that have an extremely
high heat release and very low ignition temperatures. When
ignited, the fuel load tends to release high heat in a short
time. This causes flashover to occur much sooner as similar
contents reach auto ignition temperatures faster. Couple
this with modern, energy efficient building construction and
you have the recipe for early flashover. With the advent of
residential smoke detectors and modern communication
systems, the fire department is arriving at building fires
earlier, thus prior to or at the time of flashover.
Understanding the warning signs associated with
pre-flashover conditions will allow the firefighter to make
sound tactical decisions and evade or escape the flashover
phenomenon.
How to Delay Flashover
Surviving Flashover
The flashover phenomenon does not have to be a deadly
experience for the fire service. Understanding fire behavior
and flashover warning signs, knowing the limitations and
performance of PPE, making sound tactical decisions and
understanding flashover survival techniques can make a
structural fire incident safer so that everyone goes home.
Top of Page
August 19,
2011
Every department
operates differently. Some departments prefer staging the
Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC) away from the scene, some
prefer it near the Command Post (CP) and others are not sure
where a RIC should stage. Over the years, I have been
exposed to all three of these situations.
In some
departments it is policy to have the RIC at the CP. The
logic in this case is to ensure good communication between
the Incident Commander (IC) and the RIC Officer. The
drawback here is that if the CP is far away from the scene
then the RIC is far away from the scene. Staging the RIC at
the CP works when the CP is located in front of the fire
building.
Other
departments place the RIC wherever there is room or wherever
it will be “out of the way”. In this case, Rapid
Intervention is not a priority of the IC and this decision
could be costly, should the RIC be delayed when deployed.
Staging the RIC
should be a priority and of a strategic nature. When the IC
arrives on scene, he considers where to stage various
resources and how to effectively command the scene. Where
the RIC is staged should be included during the IC’s
size-up. Strategically placing the RIC will increase
response capability and allow the RIC to conduct its
operations more efficiently. Depending on the size of the
building and level of fire involvement, there may be a need
to stage the RIC in two or sometimes more locations.
Let’s take a
look at how a RIC can be effectively staged to maximize its
efficiency. A company responds to a possible structure fire
assigned as the RIC. Once on scene the RIC Officer meets
with the IC and receives a situation/status report. There
are flames visible and an aggressive offensive attack in
underway. The RIC Officer decides to split his RIC into
crews of four on all four corners of the structure. Attack
crews are operating in multiple areas of the structure and
the RIC’s positioning allows greater access to the entire
structure. This is an appropriate decision based on the
circumstances and current operation of interior attack
crews.
Staging a RIC is
a critical task to ensuring the safety of crews working on
the scene. As Company and Chief Officer’s it’s important
that we always take this into account when conducting size
ups and managing resources. Work on it with your department.
Top of Page
August 12,
2011
All too often
experienced firefighters fall into the “pre-connect syndrome”.
That is, stretching the same pre-connected hose line for every
fire situation they respond too. This works well most of the
time, but every once in a while it will come back to bite them.
Stretching a hose line that is too short or too long is
inefficient and can prove to be dangerous. Firefighters must
know how to properly estimate how much hose is required to reach
the objective.
Hose length
required:
120’+50’ (area)
100’ (height of
third floor)
50’ (set back
distance)
Total length of
hose required = 320’ (almost seven lengths of hose)
The 200 foot
pre-connect falls short in this situation and must be
extended on the fly.
Example #2: A fire in a single story 25’ x 60’ bay-shore
bungalow the set back is 10’ from the street. The main entry
door is on the street side (Alpha side).
Hose length
required:
25’+ 60’ (area)
10’ (set back
distance)
0’ (no height)
Total length of
hose required = 95’ (two lengths of hose)
The 200 foot
pre-connect is too long. To much extra hose contributes to
kinking, unnecessarily high pump discharge pressures and
clutter on the fire ground.
Remember to properly estimate the hose stretch prior to the
stretch and you will be a sharp, safe and successful fire
company.
August 5,
2011
Understanding Building Construction is a crucial part of
firefighter safety. New Jersey utilizes (5) five types of
construction using a Roman numeral format. They are;
Type I
Fire Resistive (Highest)
Type II Non Combustible
Type III Ordinary
Type IV Heavy Timber
Type V Wood Frame (Lowest) The higher the construction type
the greater its fire resistance.
Type of construction is further
categorized as Protected Construction, Type A and Unprotected
Construction, Type B. It’s important to note that this
designation applies to the "passive" fire resistance of a
building, i.e. the use of concrete, gypsum or spray applied fire
resisting materials to protect structural elements and not
whether or not a building contains active fire protection
systems such as fire sprinkler, fire standpipe or fire alarm
systems.
For
example a Type IA Building would be of Protected Fire Resistive
Construction affording a (3) Hour Fire Resistance rating of the
structural frame. It should be noted that most single and two
family homes are constructed of Type VB unprotected wood frame
construction, the lowest, which carries a fire resistance rating
of (0) zero hours. In general the permissible height and area of
a building is limited by the occupancy classification and the
type of construction.
Information regarding a buildings
construction type is available from the jurisdictions building
or construction department. Firefighters can use this
information for preplanning in understanding how a building may
perform under fire conditions.
Additionally we must be keenly
aware of the methods and materials used in the construction of a
building. Firefighters must be ever vigilant of unprotected
lightweight and truss construction, a hazard to all
firefighters. Numerous firefighters have been killed or injured
where lightweight and or truss construction failed under fire
conditions. It’s important to keep in mind that these
construction methods are used in commercial and residential
buildings.
The New Jersey Uniform Fire Code
provides for the posting of a standard "Truss Insignia" for
buildings employing truss construction, the exception being one
and two family dwellings. If truss construction is known to
exist in a building that is not appropriately marked this should
be promptly referred to the local Fire Official/Fire Marshal for
corrective action.
Some municipalities have also
undertaken a program to indentify lightweight construction in
one and two family dwellings by way of a special insignia
applied to the cover of electrical meter enclosures. Check with
your local Fire Official/Fire Marshal to find out if such a
program exists in your community.
Here
are two documents for your reference. Post them in your
firehouses.
An under utilized and sometimes forgotten tool of the fire
service is pressurized water
extinguishers or as most of us know them as; "water cans".
July 22, 2011
With
summer here we are faced with high heat indexes that result in heat
wave conditions and may limit our exposure to the outdoors. As
firefighters we don't have the luxury of choosing when and where we
work; we all know that Murphy’s laws take affect when temperatures
reach 100 degrees and we’re wearing turnout gear. The Safety Officer
in all of us should kick into high gear ensuring everyone stays
hydrated and reports to rehab. Make sure that you and your fellow
firefighters are drinking water throughout operations and consider
rehabbing sooner than usual. If you experience heat exhaustion or
worse heat stroke, you inevitably become part of the problem not the
solution.
The first is a description of heat related injuries. It describes
signs and symptoms, treatment, and how to prevent them.
When
performing conventional forcible entry the basics still apply.
Gap
- Create a gap between the door and the frame.
Set - Set your
tool to properly.
Force - Apply force to defeat the
locking mechanism and open the door.
However,
some locking mechanisms are not easy to defeat on the initial
application of force. This may require the tool to be reset for an
additional force. This is an area where retaining what you've gained
can make forcing the door easier. Instead of completely removing
your tool to reset it, insert a door chock to maintain the gap
you've created. Once the chock is in place, reset your tool and
apply force again. Depending on the construction, lock and door type
this method may get you through the door in one or two attempts. Try
it the next time you find yourself performing conventional forcible
entry. |
NJ Boating Safety is scheduled for February 19th. The NJ Basic Fire Police Course has been cancelled. Firefighter 1 begins March 3rd. Healthcare Provider (CPR & AED) is scheduled for March 4th. Fire Officer 1 begins March 5th. Rapid Intervention Awareness is scheduled for March 6th. Rope Rescue Principles begins March 7th. Submit your Student Registration Forms as early as possible to ensure enrollment in semester courses. Reserve your 2012 training dates early. Submit your Facility Request Forms as soon as possible. Quick Links Winter/Spring 2012 Course Catalog Winter/Spring 2012 Course Schedule Get the latest in Training Tips Student Registration Form NJ Division of Fire Safety |
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