"I am" a firefighter

I wanted to share this because I don't know who reads this that is a firefighter or who is not. I wrote this essay for a class, and I think you can tell the difference in my writing style. I would call that #englishmajorproblems. Not that it is a bad thing. Whoever reads this, I hope you appreciate either the writing style, the job, or the feelings I am trying to convey. I love being a firefighter.

I am a firefighter. I volunteer. I train and learn. I respond. You do not want to see me. If you see me, in all of my gear, it means today is not a good day for you. You do not know me, but you put your trust in me. I am supposed to make your day better. I do not wear a cape, but on some occasions, I am expected to save the day.

            I am a second generation firefighter, following in tradition, as often happens in this field. I am a firefighter, like my father before me. Everyone who wanted me to fail because I am another Mikulan or because I am a woman-you failed. I am a firefighter, like my father before me. As a child, my dad was serving as a volunteer fire chief. Despite the memory of the fear that my ten year old self felt on 9/11, believing that my father would have to go to New York for those raging fires and not return, I still joined as a junior firefighter when I was old enough. I never looked back. Being a firefighter is everything that I have ever wanted. It is not a job for everyone, but it is a job that you must truly love to do. At 14, you do not realize the scope of the risks you are inheriting. The years went by, and I developed as a firefighter. At least one night a week, my time was spent with classes and learning. On other occasions, I went out of my station to go elsewhere to train. Did I miss things? Yes. Were there times when my friends wanted to go out, and I would respond, “Sorry, I have drill.” Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Even while away at college, there would be times I would miss out on with my friends because I would go home to go to a drill or fundraiser.

            Now I see myself and look back. I have responded to floods that devastated neighborhoods. I have spent the twilight of a Christmas morning at a structure fire. Just last year, when the clock struck midnight for the New Year, I was riding in the cab a fire truck, returning from another house fire. When I turned 16, I was old enough to become an emergency medical technician, and I did. The week after I finished my finals for my junior year, I obtained my Firefighter 1 Pro-Board, national certification. There have been times that I have struggled, but I always realize one thing: I am a firefighter. I do not see how anything could ever change that. Why else would I put so much time in training and fundraising? It is time consuming. Being a firefighter is not easy. While I may never be paid to do anything firefighting-related, I plan on continuing my career as a volunteer, hoping to achieve my Fire Instructor and Fire Officer certifications.

            It is hard being away from the department like I am while I attend college. I miss it. I miss the hard work that goes into it. Even when I am away, I still know that it is a part of me. I can imagine the smell of the turn-out gear, the weight of the air pack on my back, once extremely intimidating, now a solid reminder, or the feeling of that first breath of cool air when I connect my regulator into my face piece. Two of my brothers are firefighters too, when they tell me of calls or drills I have missed, I get jealous at times. I wish I was there with them, pulling lines, forcing doors, or setting up and climbing ladders to get access to the roof.

            I am a volunteer firefighter. I am the luckiest girl in the world. For every day that I can call myself a firefighter, I am thankful. This job can be hard, dirty, painful, disgusting, and frustrating. I have been bruised, cut, bloodied and strained by it. I am a walking contrast, a sorority girl with bows in my hair, taking out them or taking of my hoop earrings and throwing them in my locker as I get geared up to go on a run.  But I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. This job has made me stronger. It has forced me to grow, physically and mentally. Being a firefighter is a gift, not an obstacle.

 We ask a lot from the community, with all of the fundraisers we have. But believe me when I say that your support is necessary, valuable, and much appreciated. Firefighting is not cheap. Our gear and our apparatus cost thousands of dollars; all of it is costly. It can be expensive to save lives and sustain property. Know that for those donation letters we send or the tickets we try to sell, when we get those final numbers, it can be like a weight lifting off of our shoulders-for a moment. After one fundraiser is finished, we are already thinking about the next. Always, we have to be thinking ahead, whether it be fundraisers, planning training drills, and responding. Responding to emergencies always requires us to be ahead. Being a firefighter has changed my life.

            I am a firefighter. I am a part of something more. I am part of a brotherhood. It is nothing to me to call another firefighter my brother. I have never met a firefighter who did not truly love that job with all of their heart. You have to. There is no other way. We are our own culture. I can’t explain the bonds with my brothers and sisters, just know that I always have their backs. I understand that it is not normal to run into burning building when others are running out. It is not natural to run into danger. However, I see it as a job that someone has to do. I know that I am lucky to be a firefighter. I am living a dream. I am not a hero. I am a firefighter. I took this job knowing it wouldn’t be easy. I have struggled. But it has been worth it. If there ever comes a day that I am longer a member of a fire department, there will always be a part of me that would want to go back. Firefighting will always hold a place in my heart.

            The helmet weighs heavily on my head, but that’s okay. This job can have heavy meaning. The heavy weight is a reminder to always be prepared for whatever obstacles are thrown our way. In all of my gear, face mask on, breathing air from my SCBA, all you may know about me is that I am a firefighter, perhaps you may see the Mt. Troy shield on my helmet or V. Mikulan on my back. In that moment, it does not matter who I am, what matters is if I get the job done. All you know is that you need a firefighter to do something. I am a firefighter.

Communication-Pieces of the Puzzle

I have described fireground operations as a puzzle, with many different pieces needing to come together to reach our continued goals of saving lives and preserving property. One major piece of this puzzle is communications. From acknowledging the incident to calling back in service, communications are vital to operations. A misstep or confusion in communications can have fatal results, just like with any of the puzzle pieces that aren't deployed correctly and efficiently. I am looking at several different aspects of communications: radio reports, strategies to improve communications, and use two recent examples of how communications either positively or negatively played a role in the operations: the Boston Marathon bombings and the Yarnell Hill fire/19 hotshots LODD.

This "Radio Reports: A Review"written by Greg Jakubowski is a really informative piece on continuing communications during fireground operations. For something seemingly simple, communications can be a hassle and difficult at times. While communications need to be brief so that they do not the channel is not jammed, but also informative enough that the message is clearly conveyed. Obviously, a good initial report is vital because it establishes the setting for all involved and crews en route can have a better idea of what they will be arriving to, and plan accordingly. Progress reports allow for all responders on scene to know what is going on. An interesting benefit that Jakubowski states is that giving a report forces the person giving the report to have a thorough understanding of the situation-they have to to understand it if they are going to explain it to someone else. Another interesting concept he gives is the "CAN method" for giving ongoing reports-Conditions, Actions, Needs. I think that this is a good theory to follow; it covers several important factors of the incident and whatever operations are occurring at that time. However, it is important to remember that this is a template/guideline. We need to be able to improvise and adapt during operations-there may be times where the situation does not allow a "CAN" report. But communication is vital so that the Incident Commander is aware of what is going on during operations and what tactical decisions he may have to make next.

Another important consideration for communication obstacles and overcoming them are the "frictions," "constant obstacles instead of progress," often a term used by military leaders for strategy and tactics, as explained in Billy Schmidt's article. One of the most important considerations for overcoming these frictions are making sure clear and concise communications are executed. Clear communications are required from everyone on the scene. Firefighting is not an operation that can be completed by only an individual's actions; it is essentially a team sport. Work together, communication together, execute operations together. Keep the situation in perspective. You should be familiar and comfortable with your company's procedures and guidelines for radio communication. As well, Schmidt suggests using Chief Mark Emery's 4-C Communications as follows:   
Connect: Ensure that you are talking to the right person.
Convey: Communicate a clear, concise and easy-to-understand message.
Clarify: Repeat the message to establish that the message received is the message that was conveyed.
Confirm:Confirm that the message clarified is the message that was conveyed.

Communication isn't a physical or necessarily strategic skill, but it does have a role in tactics and strategy. Without it, tactics and strategy cannot be deployed. Miscommunication can also alter the way operations are deployed. Many responders would rather get then job done and not talk on the air. However, planning communication and implementing communication successfully is vital to the operations. Lack of communication can also have an effect, or leave others without answers to the situation.

In the first minutes of the Boston Marathon, their communication system was so overwhelmed by people calling 911 and responders trying to deliver reports or call for additional resources. However, communications were quickly reestablished. Pre-incident planning for the Boston Marathon had communication plans in place for an emergency and were apart of the incident action plan. This displays preparedness  to adapt. It provides a foundation on what to do. One important aspect of their communications plan was establishing a dedicated fireground channel and command channel. It was a great example of deploying the ICS system efficiently and integrating into the response and operations. This was a mass casualty incident with fatalities involved; however, because communications was working well and directions were precise, that saved lives and prevented more fatalities. Additionally, technicians staffing the communication station near the finish line were able to ensure the system's functionality quickly. For more information on how communications were used as part of strategy and tactics in operations, read this article.

Communications during the Boston Marathon bombings saved lives. Unfortunately, in Arizona, communication inefficiencies may have had a role in the line of duty deaths of 19 wildland firefighters. This article comments on the reaction to the serious-action report following the LODD of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots. Several experts believed that the report did not "break any new ground" or give any information that firefighters can learn from for the future in operations. Many expected that the report would have findings that other firefighters could learn from, as many LODD reports do accomplish. Unfortunately, we often learn after its too late. But this report seemed to ignore some of those moments. However, it was noted that equipping firefighters with GPS technology to better know their location and recognized that there was a 33 minute gap in communication, which is really shocking to me. I know nothing about wildland firefighting operations. However, I know how important it is to know what is going on with your crew. We will never know what communication during that time period could have changed. If anything, we would know their operations and tactics during that time. I have not gotten to read the entire Yarnell report (It is linked at the end of the article linked above), but that 33 minute gap is pretty concerning to me. As well, I think the aftermath of the report is interesting as well-some do not feel that everything that should be communicated clearly, is being communicated clearly. If we don't learn from the past or our mistakes, we may just repeat those mistakes. That is not acceptable. Communication is key in learning and can help you in the future, especially in establishing situational awareness. It also makes you, the first responder, establish your understanding of the situation.

Keep it brief, keep it concise. Think before you speak (especially on the air!).

Stay safe

Improvise, Overcome, and Adapt

Ever see the Clint Eastwood classic "Heartbreak Ridge?" It's about a salty old Marine gunny who is assigned to a misfit recon unit and whips them into shape? Classic. Eastwood's character, Gunny Highway, says multiple time that the job of a Marine includes the ability to "improvise, overcome, and adapt." More than once, I have heard fire instructors and officers say the same. And it's true. Never knowing what that next run will bring, you have to be able to react and respond to a situation quickly and effectively.

We can make this potentially easier in a variety of ways. As always, training. But learning never stops and it isn't always donning the gear. There are multiple factors to consider. This article talks about how as building construction materials have changed, it has affected how fires burn thus affecting how we attack the fire as well. Sometimes, these changes alter tactics that have strong roots in the fire service, which isn't easy for some firefighters to adapt to. But that is why it's important to keep up on some of the underlying factors. I found this to be an interesting read, because even though a lot of this I knew, it was valuable to learn more about the background information explaining the "why" or "because." Ultimately, these changes in tactics provide better ways to achieve our goals of protecting life and sustaining property. Search and rescue is a top priority obviously, but, as explained in the article, getting water to the fire is needed in order to perform search and rescue because of how quickly the fire can develop with more rapidly-burning materials in existence.

Here is another informative piece explaining why we must allow ourselves guidelines and operational tactics that can be improvised in order to adapt to the situation at hand. What makes this a valuable read, I think, is that the author is not discrediting the research and studies that have been performed. He's taking those studies and showing how they can benefit us with our tactics and also how they can hinder us. Blanket statements and concrete tactics don't always work in fireground operational tactics.  There are too many variables for each incident. Different building construction, surroundings, manpower, the fuels that are burning, and many more. Every incident is different. Of course, we have an idea of how various scenarios will go or how we would like operations to go in a "perfect world." But those aren't always a reality, which makes adaptation a valuable skill in the fire service.

I don't think that this is just at the officer level, either. If you are an interior firefighter, exterior/support firefighter, or a pump operator, you have to be able to adapt. How can we do this? Read. Read up on the magazines and blogs and see what others are doing. Talk about it in your department, ask about various, potential scenarios. Even when you are just driving around in your first due, observe the area around you. What unique building construction is present? Could the terrain be a problem? What obstacles are present? Narrow streets? What can prevent you and your department from performing the best job to your abilities?

I know that to many of us, I am not saying anything new. However, it is important to go back to the basics, remember them, and be able to utilize and carry them out during operations. And you can't perform any operations without a size up. No, the average firefighter sitting in the cab of the engine may not be delegating operational tasks or  giving the size up over the radio. But it is just as important that they are aware of the situation. They need to know what could provide limitations or obstacles to their duties.

The best way I can describe this is that improvising and adapting are tactics which involve a lot of critical thinking. You need to be able to process and analyze a problem in order to come to a solution.

Check out this video. I know of departments around me that have done this, and I think it's great. It is utilizing the resources that you have readily available. We can't all always get a house to drill in. But this provides some good training. It puts you against obstacles. You could learn about your own limitations. I think this type of drill, using a playground to stretch lines, is a good example of improving and adapting.

Like I said, I know this post is telling us anything knew. However, I wanted to stress the importance of being aware of changes, the need to adapt and overcome obstacles, and the importance of always learning. Don't forget the basics. That is what keeps the foundations of your skills set and tactics together.

Stay safe.

Pieces of the Puzzle

The great debate between truckie and engine work will never end! Personally, I enjoy both. They require a variety of skills, but both are obviously extremely important to the incident.

Sometimes, I'll hear someone say how they are a "truck" or "engine" guy and don't prefer the the other, or even scoff at it. However, these operations do go hand in hand for the operations overall. Worse, if these operations do not work well together, the results could be disastrous or fatal. In the volunteer world, I don't understand how some can scoff at either. I highly doubt you have the leisure of picking your assignments. Sometimes, you might be dispatched as one job as per the preset run cards, but the amount and capabilities of the manpower at hand might result in different jobs being required or assigned to you.

I wrote about how deploying RIT requires a wide variety of skills, which can help in other aspects of firefighting. They are all pieces of the puzzle.

Think about it: You might be on the line, but someone on your crew might be the on having to force the door. Or you are setting up the ladder so the line can get to the window. Before you vent a window, you bet you better make sure you know where suppression is and how venting the roof or window could affect the fire. As well, horizontal ventilation can help the engine crew attack the fire. Of course, the fire may vent itself.

By not working together and drilling together, the results can do the opposite of our goals-to protect life and sustain property. If you do see yourself as an engine or truck guy, take some time and work on the opposite side for a bit. It is vital to understand all operations of the fire ground to see what they you can learn from it.

We never know what the next fire is going to bring us. This is what makes training so significant, along with learning from the past and what we can do better. Feedback after a fire is not necessarily criticism; it can be a game changer.

Learning never ends for a firefighter. I belong to a slow company, and it does not help that I am away at college and am missing out. However, that is where personal accountability comes in. I keep to a lifting regime at school and try to keep up to date on firefighting information.It's all readily available.

With that, I think my next few blog posts will be focused more on the individual and how they can help change the fire service. Health, personal accountability, and leadership are just  a few examples of what I am thinking of covering.

Training never ends. I guess that's why when I saw, online, the back of a T-shirt that said, "If you can read this you must be on the engine," my first thought was "If I'm on the engine, and you're on the truck, I better not see the back of your shirt, just the back of your coat." Maybe I'm just a killjoy. But on the fireground, we're all one team against the same thing: The fire. That's it.

It's a pretty complex puzzle. But let's see how an individual can affect it.

Stay safe.

Brotherhood

Today, I experienced something that I was not sure how to take. I had to write an essay entitled "I am." So, I wrote that "I am A Firefighter." I ended part of the essay with how I felt belonging to a brotherhood. In my class, we had a writing workshop. The majority of the feedback was very positive; about the content and my writing style. However, there was one thing that I was unsettled to hear.

My professor told me that I could not belong to a brotherhood.

Why can I not belong to a brotherhood? Because I am female. Let me say something. I work very hard, at least I think I do, to be a firefighter. I know that because I am female that I will face some different challenges. I am small, even for a girl, but that is what got me into lifting weights which I absolutely love. I think I'm doing alright.

But let me tell you something else. This job doesn't care if you are male or female. More importantly, the fire doesn't care. It's firefighting for a reason. It is not an easy job. Truly, it is a fight. We need to properly prepare ourselves and get ready for that fight. It is up to you, as a person, to decide whether or not you will be prepared and up for it. It can be a challenge to get ready for that, but really, that's what makes it a brotherhood. We struggle together, we build each other up, we have each other's backs. You have to have your brother's back.

I tried to explain to my professor, that it is a brotherhood, I told him that you cannot have brotherhood without her. I told him that this is our culture. It is a brotherhood. I told him I don't care for the gender-specific, politically correct terms.

I am a sister who is part of a brotherhood.

For one, I'd like to point out that in my case, I think it is kind of stupid to specifically make the distinction of a sisterhood. Why separate it? We are one team. The argument of gender? No. The time for that has passed. That has no place.

I have learned a lot from my brothers and sisters. I am very grateful for them. One team.

The other issue I had with these comments, other than the fact I was being told by someone who had no presence in my culture (and admitted he had no idea the significant being a firefighter has had on me) that my thoughts/understanding of it were wrong?

I am part of a sisterhood. I am a sorority sister. How lucky am I? Not only do I have my brotherhood, but I have a sisterhood too. I think I know the distinction between the two. I know it is kind of odd, being a sorority girl and a firefighter. But I think I am pretty good at it. I love it with all of my heart. In some ways, the two can overlap. Both are very much value based and rooted in tradition.

In Greek life, people often say, "From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it." The same kind of goes for firefighting.

It probably confused my professor that I was so passionate in my defense over the term brotherhood. However, you would think that would perhaps help his understanding that it is, indeed, a brotherhood. Also, I am a writer, so I really don't understand why his attempts to censor my word choice in a personal essay. But, please, understand, I am perfectly fine with it being called a brotherhood.

In case you are wondering, here is one definition of brotherhood: an association, society, or community of people linked by a common interest, religion, or trade. 

Notice there is nothing in there about gender.

Also, I'm not taking the word brotherhood out of my essay. That would not be true to me or to my brotherhood. It would not be me.

I am kind of surprised at how much this bothered me, but I don't understand how someone who is not part of it can just blow it off and think they are right.

Proud sister of a brotherhood.

Keep fire in your life. Stay safe.

Accountability and Freelancing

Firefighting is like a team sport. You need to work together to accomplish the goals. Think of the Incident Commander as like a coach. The Incident Commander needs to know who is doing what so that he can make his next tactical decision. This is why accountability, good radio communications, and not freelancing is vital.

You should have an accountability system in place with your department's SOPs. If you do, make sure you use it. If you don't, ask yourself why? Resources-wise, accountability systems are not that difficult to put together. Having an accountability system can also decrease freelancing, especially if accountability is used consistently. Hold your members to a standard. Additionally, mutual aid departments should be familiar with your system, and vice versa.  Or, work with your mutual aid departments to create a system that all can use. Implement it during your training. Practice like you play, right?

Tag up. Keep to your teams, keep to your assignments. When the incident commander gives your crew an assignment, keep to it. It is being done for a reason. You might not always agree with the incident commander's decisions. But the relationship between incident commander and the crews is built on trust. Unless your assignment is putting yourself or your crew or a person in danger, you should trust your incident commander.

We have officers and crew assignments for a reason. Actually, we have them for many reasons. Responsibility, leadership, and accountability are just a few. Accountability is part of the emergency response. Everyone goes home. It is not just safe firefighting practices that bring people home. It's personal accountability. You owe it to your crew. If you aren't where you are supposed to be because you decided to go freelance and something goes wrong, now you made it more difficult for the rescuers to save YOU. Because you weren't doing your job and decided to freelance.

This is one reason why I like riding assignments in apparatus. I would think that the majority, if not all, paid departments implement them and I know that more volunteer departments are starting to. It's useful. It helps keep consistency and can allow for smoother operations. Again, practice like you play. Your officers can put together riding assignments, but ultimately, it becomes your responsibility to learn what they are and retain the information. Accountability. It extends to more than just fireground operations. If you know what you are supposed to be doing as per your riding assignments, that can also decrease freelancing. Personal accountability is important to the fire service as well. You don't prepare to fail, you fail to prepare.

This is kind of a cycle. You train. You learn the skills. You implement those skills during emergency response. However, within the cycle is a puzzle. You need to know the tactics. You have to be able to perform risk assessment. How can you keep yourself safe as you are involved in operations? Accountability is part of that puzzle. It is not hard to do; it's more or less tedious. But by keeping an accountability system in place and using it can be a valuable resource if an incident goes downhill fast. And if you practice it enough, using it will become second nature and automatic. For me, packing up is second nature. Breathing on air doesn't feel weird like it did the first time I ever put a mask on. I don't even need to think when I'm putting on my SCBA. Why is this? Because I practiced it enough.

We should always be using an accountability system on emergency responses. It doesn't hurt to practice it during your drill night. Even if it is just a quick review. Maybe you're practicing truck work, but you can ask your crews how you would set up accountability with what you have. You should have drills that are dedicated to accountability/communications, but you can also use it in other drills as well. Put the puzzle together.

Keep fire in your life. Stay safe.

Using the Halligan Bar

I think my favorite tool in the fire service is the Halligan bar. It is an excellent tool for forcible entry. There are a variety of ways that it can be utilized, and innovation opportunities are abundant. Some of these are not always utilized, but this is where the Internet is a great resource. With YouTube, companies and individual instructors can share training videos with the world.

The design of the tool makes its purpose versatile. It can be used for striking, prying, and pulling. Paired with a flathead ax, the two are often joined together as the "married" couple as "the Irons" to perform forcible entry on doors. The Halligan also can be used to shut off gas meters, prying open the hood of a car, vehicle extrication, and opening walls.

With a fork on one end and a pick and an adze on the other, the potential of the Halligan is vast.

Look at this article to read about utilizing the adze for forcible entry. He's right, in classes, we are generally taught to use the fork end to force our way in. I found the videos really useful; using the adze to create a gap could be a quick fix to entry. I think most of the time, yes, the fork is going to be enough to get the job done. However, those times where the fork might not work, the adze offers a mechanical advantage, as the article states. The adze would be able to get into some areas that the fork might not be able to. And it would definitely be good to use during vehicle rescue. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the chance to really use the adze end of the Halligan for forcible entry, but it is definitely something that I want to practice.

This is a good video from Traditions Training on forcing inward opening. You'll notice that during the video both the adze end and the fork is being used, it is the "shock/gap/set/force" technique. I really like how the camera shots show the gap being created. I think it offers a valuable perspective. He mentions about having enough tools in the toolbox to guarantee having the right one. That applies to more than just physical tools. Learning, practicing, and implementing proficiently a variety of techniques applies as well. The more you know, the more potential solutions you can have in your mental toolbox. Just something to consider.

There is also this video from Brotherhood Instructors, LLC on forcible entry for through the lock failure. Appropriately enough, this uses the adze end with the ax.

I enjoyed the article and videos because I think it helps shape the way we think. The more we practice, the more proficient we are, the smoother and more efficient our responses can be. But with forcible entry, there's always one thing to remember: Try before you before you pry.

Keep fire in your life. Stay safe.