My Board

There I was minding my own business when suddenly we get called for a Structure Fire in a trailer park in Wayne Township.  Upon our arrival, we were assigned search as there was a report of a "possible" victim.  As myself and my partner entered the trailer we were immediately forced to the ground due to extreme heat and zero visibility.  We went right and started our search. After completing the living room, we made the decision to exit.  It was just too hot.  We get on the front porch and come off air when the bedroom (fire room) flashed.  It sent a heat wave up through the hallway and out the front door like nothing I have ever felt.  I then faintly heard someone yell for help.  I clipped back on air and stepped back into the front door.  There was a FF standing just inside the doorway and the heat blast literally disoriented him and he didn't know where the door was.  I reached in and grabbed his pack and guided him through the door.  Why he was standing there alone, I still have no idea.

We had no business being inside that trailer.  As soon as we were forced to the ground we should have known it was not possible for anyone to survive those conditions.  This was 15 years ago and I was still under the impression we were supposed to go no matter what.  Man how things have changed just in my limited time in the Fire Service.  The truth is, we got lucky that day. 

I found this article pretty interesting and there are some great points that were made. With that being said, as some have already posted, there are things in the article that I agree and disagree with.

How do you hold a homeowner responsible for an accidental fire of unknown cause? There are a lot of factors which would make that a legal nightmare for fire departments. We should continue to promote public education and maybe find a way to help push residential sprinklers in new construction.

I agree that the information regarding our exposure to toxic chemical in fires and how it directly relates to cancer is out there. We cannot play the "I didn't know" card anymore. Our PPE is not intended to be used in a hazmat situation and that is exactly what we encounter at every fire. However, it is not realistic to deploy a hazmat team to every structure fire. At least not in our immediate area. I would be interested to see that method trialed at some structure fires to see how feasible it really is. Maybe there is something to it. We hate change right? But once that change is here, sometimes it turns out to be a good idea.

Do I think interior attacks are going to go away? Not any time soon. I think a better approach would be to work with the companies that make structural firefighting PPE and find a way to make our gear more suitable to the conditions we face today. But I also realize that will be a long and costly venture.

In the meantime, we need to stay up to date on the information regarding fire attacks as it comes out. Flow path, transitional attacks, survivability, etc. We need to make sure our crews are trained regularly, and that they utilize the gear we do have until a better option is out there.

You are spot on with your comment about staying up to date with the fires we face today.  NIST is an excellent example of that.  Our industry for the first time is starting to ask the question "Why".  Why do we do it this way, why do we continue to kill 100 guys a year.  Things are starting to change.  It is up to us to continue this change to make it better for us now and others later.

First I want to make clear, this is prior to the Fire Service and in a food service field.

I was a supervisor of about 30 people when a restructure/relocation project took place within the organization.  I went from the supervisor to one of the grunts being supervised.  I had an employee that fit into most of the categories the article mentioned.  As his supervisor, he caused me more heart ache than any one else.  After the restructure we were considered equals.  I was driving into work one day and noticed him in front of me.  He was smoking weed on his way in.  It was obvious and when we reached the parking lot, it was even more clear.  I had him dead to rights, this problem was now gone.  All I had to do is let him in the back door and open my mouth.  Instead, I grabbed him prior to reaching the back door.  I said "it looks like your not feeling well and that you just need to go home for the day".  He looked at me with this blank stare, and I said "that is what I am going to tell them when I get inside, that way I don't have to tell them the truth about what I saw on the way in".  He simple got into his car and drove a way. 

I thought at the time he would return the next day and be thankful to me for helping him to see the light of day.  Not the case, he simple showed up sober and continued his normal behavior for the next week, then he continued more of the same just not with the sober part.  The truth is, you rarely can change attitude and lifestyle like that with a single encounter.  I followed the golden rule.  I stand by my decision.  However, I learned that doing the right thing doesn't always work out the way you want.  That's OK, keep doing it,  you will always outweigh the bad with good, by far.

Side Note:  when I was renamed the manager again, I FIRED him first chance I got>>>>