Growing Pains

March 1st, 2013 will be a big day for my department. This day will be the first shift for the paid members of our department. We have had an all volunteer department since 1977. A combination department is something we never thought would happen. We have worked for years to get paid members and have always been shut down.
So what now? Are things really going to change that much from the department I have known for 13 years? I am sure they are, but for the better...I hope. S.O.P changes across the board, restructure of  some duties for the personnel, and finally addressing issues that have been put on the back burner because of lack of time or people to do them are some positives coming from this. With the positives are also going to come the negatives. The hurt feelings by those that don't end up getting a paid position, the egos or power trips between the paid and volunteer members, and the " it's not my job" mentality that some are going to have are just a few negatives. We are going to have to work through them all and change the negatives into positives.
Is the transition going to be all lollipops and rainbows? I don't think so, but it will all work out if we make it work. Some people are going get mad and feeling will be hurt. We all have to remember that we are all in it for the same reason. We are still a family and just like any family we are going to have growing pains. My hope is it will bring us closer together as a department. We will see but we can only get better.

Until next time, be safe

Are you prepared?

At a recent fire department meeting our Chief had everybody stand up and move against the wall if they would be retiring due to meeting their required years of service or meeting the cities retirement age requirement within the next 10 years. As I looked around I noticed the wall was full.  Counting them up there is 21 people who will be retiring. To fill these positions it will take 41 promotions. There is going to be some major changes in our department and the impact will be huge.

Moving these 21 men to the wall and looking around at the other members it is very easy to see we are a very young and inexperienced department without the guys that are nearing the end of their careers. As a matter of fact at least 50% of our department has 5 years or less on the job. Which has got me thinking that we are already behind when it comes to preparing to become the next leaders of our department.

Today fires in a lot of areas are few and far between. Due to advancements in fire retardant construction materials, sprinklers both commercial and residential, codes enforcement, public fire safety programs, and many other factors fire just don’t happen like they did 20-30 years ago. Fires today are also different in the way they burn. They are hotter and burn faster than fires of the past, mainly due to materials involved such as synthetics.

Today’s firefighters will not see the fires that the firefighters of the past have seen.  That is why the experience, knowledge, and tactics to name a few that we will lose over the next 10 years are so invaluable.  No matter what we do now to prepare us for the future we can still never make up for what we are losing as these guys retire. We must start preparing ourselves right now to step up and become the leaders we need to be to take our department into the future, because we are the future and its rapidly sneaking upon us. This is the time we should make ourselves like a sponge to absorb everything that the experienced guys can teach us and pass on. 

We must also look at where the fire service is going and how the types of calls we respond to in the future will be different than today. Think about the future of lightweight construction, sprinkler requirements, automobiles, etc. The list of all this could go on. To know where we are going though we have to understand where we have been and then make the necessary changes.

This is not a problem that is only effecting my department, this is, has been, and will be going on all over the country. As my chief stated to us… “ It is up to you to decide where you want to be in this department and then make it happen. Prepare yourself today because tomorrow you will be the one calling the shots.”

Are you prepared?

Be Safe!

Burn Room Bad Ass

Burn Room Bad Ass….

You know who I am talking about. I love these guys that will go into a burn room and stand up just to melt their face shields/bourke's. Then they come out and say… “ Dang it was hot in there!” Well… DUH!  What the hell did they expect? That’s not the bad part though. They will keep their burnt shields and helmet stickers on their helmets to make it look like they have really been in some heat or had a good working job. They think they have something great. I have a news flash for you…. You look like an idiot! We all know you haven’t done crap. All you did was stand up so you could melt your helmet and look cool. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have melted my shield and stickers in a burn room but I didn’t stand up on purpose to do it. It just got that hot, and we shouldn’t have been in there when it did. But I have always replaced my melted stuff with new stuff. Will I ever melt something again... more than likely yes, but I will not parade it around, and will replace it asap.And not that a face shield/bourke's is much good anyway but when it is melted and you cannot see through it, it is no good to you that one time you might could use it.  This equipment is expensive and it is our lifeline to going home or being made into worm dirt. Take care of it; it could save your life. If you want to be a " bad ass" do something extraordinary and worth telling. If you want to be a dumb ass... well just stand up in a burn room....

Be safe! 

All In

It's been a few weeks since we have had a chance to post anything. A busy holiday schedule didn't leave much time for anything extra. Between work, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, parties, and sickness, something's just had to fall behind. Now we are well into the new year and its time to look at things with fresh eyes.

Being that it is a new year it's time to take a close look and reevaluate your role in your department. Are you in for the long haul or the quick trip around the block? I have known guys that are just in it to have the title of firefighter and a t-shirt with the departments name on it, and the guys that only wants to make a run if its a house fire. That's all fine and dandy, but what about the MVC's, brush fires, investigations, and special events? Those are part of the job as well, right? These are the individuals that usually want to stir the most shit as well.

What about training? It's part of the job too, the most important part. Lets say you have a guy the that shows up to every training session and every class offered but you never see him on the foreground. Or the guy that makes every run but never seen him at a training session or class. ( yes we have training requirements but you all know how that plays out in a volly dept) are either one of these guys doing your department any good? Simply put, no! The guy training and not on scene is useless. He has the skills but is not helping the team out one bit by not being there side by side with them. The guy making the runs but not training is useless as well. Sure he is a warm body with a heartbeat and a pair of hands, but without the training is a liability and a safety hazard to everyone on scene.

Coming from a volunteer agency I understand that not every training or every run can be made, but coming from a fire service home growing up I understand that a commitment was made when I signed up for the job, not a pick and choose what I want when I want commitment, but a do what you have to do because you said you would commitment. That is what's owed to your department and the  citizens in which you protect.

So what do we do? Easy, up hold your end of the deal and encourage the rest of your department, shift, company, or whatever to do the same. We all have to hold each other accountable. As an officer, I have to do better at getting my guys in gear an making sure they are ready when the tones drop, but they have to make sure I'm ready as well. You can't swim in the pool standing on the edge, you have to jump in and get wet. The same applies to this job, you have to go all in or go home.


Until next time,
Stay Safe

Attention to Detail

I have heard it said “it’s the little things that count”. This holds true in all aspects of life and also holds a lot of weight in the fire service as well and should with every member of your organization.

Attention to detail is defined as accomplishing a task through complete concern for all areas no matter how small. It shows 1) you have pride in yourself and 2) pride in your job. It should show in everything you do from your appearance to your apparatus to your station. It matters, and believe me it gets noticed.

I am a stickler when it comes to appearance. Not in a vain kind of way but in looking professional. My biggest pet peeve is boots being shined. It doesn’t take but just a minute to slap a coat of polish on your boots. It may not seem like a big deal to you but to your officer in charge, chief, or even the public it is. It shows that you care about your public perception and the job you represent.

I have also been accused of being anal when it comes to apparatus cleaning. I know some that do the bare minimum when it comes to cleaning the rigs. Just spray it with water and back it back in and call it good. Some that give it the white line special (wash from the white line down) because that’s the only part that is seen up close. I believe in washing the whole thing and drying it because I hate water spots and then finishing it off with tire shine. Yes, I am all about the tire shine. It looks better and stands out, shows you care.

Do you make sure the engine room is swept, mopped, everything in its place? Do you knock off the sheetrock debris from the tools from the last fire, and wipe the tools down?

I know it seems like it doesn’t matter but the attention to the little things pays off. Some may call it OCD or petty but to those that matter your attention to detail shows caring and pride in what you have and what you do. It gets noticed, trust me.

Until next time,

Stay safe

Old Habits Die Hard

It truly amazes me that with all of the fire service websites at ones finger tips and all the magazines laying around with great training on new tactics and work smarter not harder methods, we still resort back to the same old tactics we always have. No one wants to venture outside their comfort zone.

Seems like every run you here the same thing come across the radio “...upon arrival pull and 1 ¾’’ attack line” Sure that’s our bread and butter but it’s not an umbrella for all situations. Think outside the box. Here’s an example: you arrive on scene of a single story, ranch style, residential dwelling with nothing visible. The homeowner meets you and says the fire is in the stove. You go to work, pull the attack line off the pumper, tromp through the hose dragging hose, knock over grandmas china cabinet, see the fire in the oven, open the oven door and flood the kitchen with water and the fire goes out. You get a big hug from grandma for not letting her house burn down and causing minimal damage, the neighbors all wave and say thank you as you pack up and drive away. Just another day at the office, right?  Now take that same scenario, you pull up nothing visible, homeowners says the fire is in the stove. Instead of coming out guns blazin’ you think. Walk into the kitchen find a small fire contained in the oven. You use “the can” (Read Water in the Can by Ryan Pennington) and about a gallon of water to put the fire out. Only minor damage to the stove, no broken china, no dragging hose through the house. You still get a big hug from grandma because you saved the house, the neighbors may or may not have even realized you were there, and you head back to the station. Just another day at the office. Both examples will accomplish the same goal but the later just makes more sense. This is just one example there are more.

So the question is why do we always pull the attack line? Easy, because it’s habit! We start off our careers learning how to deploy it, how to load it, and that it’s out life line. I am not arguing that at all but sometimes it’s just not the best choice.

Another reason we always want to pull the attack line is because that’s all we train on. We read the new articles, talk about them and that’s as far as it gets. No hands on, getting out and trying anything new to see if it works. Are we afraid to try? Maybe, or are we just set in our ways and stick to what has worked for years and comes natural?

It is easy to fall into a routine, do what comes natural, but if you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got. Instead of reading and talking about something, get out try it, break old habits, and develop new tactics. Grandma and her china will be happy you did.

Until next time,

Stay Safe

Whose Job Is It?

Feels like it has been forever since I have had a chance to sit down and even think about writing anything. Between Thanksgiving, my work week, working extra at the Tennessee High School Football championships, teaching CPR at the high school, and spending time with family, to say I have been busy is an understatement.

Being as busy as I have has also given me time to think about stuff as well. As a captain with my department, I have certain duties that I have to do. Making sure my 5 assigned stations are clean, equipment is in a state of readiness, apparatus are clean and nothing broken. On top being captain, I am also Public Education and Information Officer for the department. Needless to say sometimes things get missed or put on the back burner simply because there are not enough hours in the day. I don’t want it to seem like I’m trying to make excuses but its reality. I am one person and as much as I want to do it all it just doesn’t happen like I plan.

If I miss checking something, miss a P.R. event, or something is found wrong on a scene when needed it’s on me. What really baffles me is that if the question is asked about why something didn’t get done or what’s wrong with something, the answer is “it’s not my job”.

I realize that if I slack off, it’s my fault. I’m human, things happen. Instead of saying it’s not my job, step up and do it. Not to make you look good or me look bad, but because it needs to be done. It don’t matter who’s job it is , if it gets done and we don’t look like a bunch of jack wagons on scene that because someone didn’t do their job, it’s all good. Finger pointing and the blame game can be discussed back at the house and a solution can be found. I have done my fair share of picking up slack. I know everyone else has as much going on as I do and things fall through the cracks unintentionally. I am not above picking up a broom or taking out the trash if an engineer or firefighter missed it.  It needs to be done, so does it.

So whose job is it? The answer:  it doesn’t matter! It needs done. We all need help from time to time. From the chief to the new guy, get in there and get it done not for self but for the good of the department. We all look good together, we all look bad together, we are a team and like the old saying goes there is no “I” in team. We could all do better at stepping up and getting it done making it our job so that we all look good.

Until next time,

Stay Safe