60 Second Safety - Fire Investigation

This week some safety, even after the fire is out.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

Stay safe, and stay thinking!

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013

Firefighter Training Podcast - Episode 10 - A NIOSH Report Review

This week we acknowledge 3 LODD and we review a recent NIOSH report to see how these reports can serve as the basis for action within our own departments.

The NIOSH report in entirety can be found HERE.

Listen here.


Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013

Tactical Fire Problem - The backyard shed

So it is only a backyard shed, what could happen?

1.) Generally these are pretty small structures that are easily controlled with a single handling. What is the length of the stretch to reach the backyard of a residential that might already have a set back from the front yard?

2.) What really might be in that shed anyway? Make a list.

3.) Which of the following represents the most danger to you? Propane gas grill tank, 5 gallon plastic gasoline jug, 5 gallon gasoline old fashion steel can, lawn mower gasoline tank, lawn tractor with seats, tires and gas tank, acetylene tank with oxygen, or 5 bags of 90% nitrate fertilizer? You decide.

4.) This scenario has the shed a good distance from the residence but you should look around your response district to see them stuck between houses and backed right up to the neighbors fence or even their shed.

5.) Can you do it with tank water or do you need the feeder line?

Stay safe and stay thinking!

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013

Discipline.....some thoughts

This week I am going to comment about discipline on a couple of levels. I am noticing a lack of discipline in many areas of the fire service and I hope we can shed some light upon them here.

I will make a bold statement that the lack of discipline is a significant factor in many of our injuries and deaths.

Discipline is an unpleasant thing for certain, especially when it applies to us!

In speaking to others in person and through e-mail, I am finding that this is not a "city" problem, or a labor management problem, but it in fact applies to the smallest rural volunteer fire departments across America. The situation in the city might be, "If I discipline FF. Smith, then I will get a grievance or have a union issue", to the rural department that says" You can't discipline me, "cause I am only a volunteer and I will leave!"

Lets look at some areas of discipline.

Personal Discipline

If we are going to speak about discipline, let's look at the very root of the issue.....ourselves.

Personal discipline is closely tied to integrity. Integrity is what you do when nobody is looking.

When everyone is sitting down having coffee in the morning, do you get up from the table and check your mask and radio and equipment, or do you just sit with "the rest of the guys"

What about diet and exercise? Can you stay healthy and fit to do your job, or are you just OK doing what you are doing?

What about facing any unpleasant tasks that you may have either on the job or personally? Do you let those slip by because you would rather not deal with them?

What about your personal level of training? Is your training level up to the standard that you want it to be? Do you continue to push and pursue all training opportunities?

Personal discipline is about setting a proper example for others through your own actions. Personal discipline is about accepting your personal responsibility for the consequences that have occurred from your actions. Though, in the fire service there may be many issues beyond our control, let's not begin by always pointing to something else being the problem, let us take a hard internal look.

Company or Supervisor Discipline

If you are a company officer do you hold your people accountable for their actions or is that too difficult for you to face your personnel? Maybe they will get angry and quit if they are volunteer or on-call, and you can't afford to lose any more people.

Make people do their job and follow rules and regulations. It is your responsibility to enforce policies and procedures and if you do not or are unwilling then maybe you should not be in that position.

If your personnel have made an error and you have not corrected, coached, trained and disciplined them accordingly, then you should then be disciplined. Be prepared to accept it and not deflect blame onto someone, or something else.

Chief Officer Discipline

If you have departmental Sops and general orders that are currently not being followed and you are aware of it, then you should be disciplined. Don't be so far removed that you no longer know what is going on in the streets. Many officers have subscribed to the theory that the personnel should not be micro-managed so I should leave them alone. You are about half right.....don't micro-manage your personnel unless they need it. That's right, unless they need it. If your personnel are not wearing their gear properly, then you need to correct that behavior, or even discipline your personnel as to why. If there is an order for daily training to be conducted and you know it is a joke and only being done on paper and in reports then you should address that and correct.

Hiding behind your chief's badge and failing to provide corrective coaching discipline is a failure.

Discipline is about correcting behavior. It is about coaching, corrective actions, and if all else fails some punishing action in last resort cases.

Discipline starts with us.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013

60 Second Safety - Personal Protective Equipment - Firefighting Gear

This week we look at structural firefighting gear.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

Thanks, stay safe, and stay thinking.

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013

Firefighter Training Podcast - Episode #9 - Social Media & The Fire Service

This week special Guest Ellen Rossano and I discuss social media use.

Listen to the podcast HERE..

We look at the organization use, interaction with the media, and personal use by members.

This one is not a "tactical" fire service training in any way, but more of an administrative look at this interesting topic.

Contact information for Ellen is Included in the episode. ellen.rossano@gmail.com

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013

Demonstration versus Declaration (Repost from a few years ago)

How I get to the topics for the week often are a wide and varied path. Folks often ask if it is something I ran into personally or something that someone else has sent in. This week is a variety of both actually.

It actually begins with a simple tip: Don't believe everything that appears on YOUR own resume!

In a brief look the above statement is a bit bizarre at best but let's take a closer look at it, and the title of the commentary. If you have to spend a great deal of he time of your professional career telling everyone how much you know, you may be setting up for a problem. How come the people your are talking to, don't already know that, if you are really so good? A close friend and professional comrade always said, " If you have to tell someone you are in charge, then you probably aren't" This directly applies to the above statement. If you are able to demonstrate your fire service proficiencies, then that is probably the best way to demonstrate to folks that you know what you are doing.

Listen, anyone can make mistakes, heck, follow me around for a day and you will see plenty, some personnel related, and some operational. I am not saying that we should all have perfect performance all of the time, but I am saying that any time you spend telling others about your abilities, would probably be better spent on training yourself to make yourself able to demonstrate that to them rather then just telling them about it.

Every fire department has at least one of these folks that will spend an hour telling you how busy they are, even though during the last hour they did nothing except tell you! Every department has a member who has been to every incident that is being discussed at the kitchen table. In fact some of these members have no shame and they will recount stories that occurred prior to them even being on the job, as if they were there!

These members need help from all of us if we are truly a brotherhood. If I am describing someone that sounds like someone you know, then try to help them out a little bit. These folks probably really do have some skill set in the fire service, and someone should try to guide them and gently point this character flaw to them in a private quiet sort of way. (Yeah like that will happen in ANY fire house kitchen!)

There are lots of reasons people do things like these, but my point this week is not really to look at anyone else, but to look inwardly at ourselves and see if we do this from time to time. I am sure that at points in my career I have done this very thing. If you begin to recognize it, then re-focus yourself on demonstrating your proficiency rather than just declaring it!

Make folks believe you have the knowledge skills and abilities to do your job. If we all work on that one statement, by training and gaining experience and education, things will be good in your department and the fire service.

Folks will probably like you better for it anyway!

Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013