Hey,
This is an update to the earlier posted Tulsa (OK) FF who was brought back to life following an arson house fire last night. James P. O’Neal, 35, is a 14-year TFD veteran and is now, thankfully, recovering. O’Neal was responding to a house fire around 1930 last night and was assigned to fire attack on a dwelling with fire showing. O’Neal was at the back of the house when he went down and a MAYDAY was transmitted. He was pulseless and not breathing when the RIT team got him out and ALS revived him outside and he is now listed as stable. Tulsa Firefighters IAFF Local 176 has added an additional $1,000 reward to the Arson Hotline effort. We wish him a rapid recovery.
APPARATUS DRIVER?
If you are a fire apparatus driver or know one, watch this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=janfyzt4Qyk .
You’re welcome.
MORE FACTS-Less Emotion: (TSL Commentary)
I’ve always been one to react emotionally to any harm toward a FD or a FF, along with some facts-at least as I see them-but generally emotion reigned. It usually worked pretty well when talking with FF’s-it’s the non-FF’s who never seemed to get it. Took me a while in this career for me to figure that out-inspite of numerous warning signs. The emotion apparently comes from the bad stuff we have experienced as FF’s but city hall dwellers and others have not. Incredibly it’s 2012 already, and I am not aware of any fire department that’s not been hit by the economic problems — we are losing people, training dollars and resources, and we’re even losing a lot of senior firefighters who are “getting out” when they can as they worry their retirements will be messed with. What we’re seeing in the fire service today is an erosion of experience and training, and with it the potential quality of firefighters.
Departments need to have resources to get the job done, but on the other side of the cutbacks is the fact that we all know that many of the fires we are responding to today are burning quicker -and- collapsing quicker. We know that construction is shoddier. We know these fires are much more dangerous — or we should.
And that doesn’t mean we don’t do the job — it means we need to be as best trained and educated as possible. We need to be really good at the basic tasks such as size up, forced entry, search and especially getting water on the fire. That’s actually a simple one with what should be a simple response: what does it take to get water on the fire in any building your company may respond to? What’s the plan? How much water will be needed? How will it get done and how many FF’s are realistically needed to get that done? How long will it take? What is needed to make it take less?
And that doesn’t mean we don’t do the job — it means we need to be as best trained and educated as possible. We need to be really good at the basic tasks such as size up, forced entry, search and especially getting water on the fire. That’s actually a simple one with what should be a simple response: what does it take to get water on the fire in any building your company may respond to? What’s the plan? How much water will be needed? How will it get done and how many FF’s are realistically needed to get that done? How long will it take? What is needed to make it take less?
On top of all this, we are continuing to be beaten down by politics, politicians and by local and national home builders associations using B$ to minimize or defeat our opportunities to sprinkle buildings.
2011 should have been a wake up call to us of a perfect storm that is being created — and in 2012, some FD’s could be heading right into it. Many have less staffing, less resources, less understanding of the types of buildings we are responding to and less chance of beating the fire earlier through a lack of sprinkler systems.
Do more with less.
This is perhaps the perfect storm for some FD’s.
Doing “more with less” may work for the parks department or sanitation-but how it works for FD’s is all dependent upon conditions, existing resources, pre-fire preparedness and training. Actually FD’s have ALWAYS done more with less. Those watching us just thought that was our norm. It is and was. Now it’s even more – with even less.
Do more with less.
This is perhaps the perfect storm for some FD’s.
Doing “more with less” may work for the parks department or sanitation-but how it works for FD’s is all dependent upon conditions, existing resources, pre-fire preparedness and training. Actually FD’s have ALWAYS done more with less. Those watching us just thought that was our norm. It is and was. Now it’s even more – with even less.
With relation to cut resources, we (and “they”) all need to understand that we can only do so much with the resources we have. And a typical Fire Dept’s “so much” is much more than any other local government resource. We know it. They know it. But they need to understand the facts-without emotion.
Like you, we all want to crawl down the hall, do the search, knock the fire down etc but we have to keep in mind that if we don’t have the political support and or the public support to give us what is minimally needed whether it’s funding, training or support for sprinkler systems, there is only so much we can realistically do. We can only do as much as our resources and physical ability allow us to do. And that’s us already going “above and beyond.”
We simply can’t get everything done when they have cut what we need to do “everything.” Of course, we need to be able to clearly and factually define what “everything” is when they ask us. For example, a first alarm fire with 10 firefighters will not and cannot have the same end results – with that same fire initially getting 25 firefighters. Simple math – no emotion. But “they” need to understand that well before they start the budget slicing. Be honest and factual. And speaking of heroic stuff, that’s often when the Fire Chiefs or Commissioners must show the most courage, by taking the risk of “upsetting” the elected officials by telling them the truth. Respectfully, factually and honestly. There have been too many headlines recently where Chiefs have stated that “the cut in apparatus staffing”….or…”the shutting of that fire station”…..or…”the brown outs”…will not impact service levels. Please.
There very well may be a measurable difference in people getting rescued-and not getting rescued in your community based upon proposed cuts. So figure it out and educate them. No emotions-just facts based upon the numbers such as response times, distance and FF’s to perform the tasks. Tell’em. Factually.
When we face some cuts, we can still get some stuff done. If training budgets are cut that doesn’t mean you stop training. Everyone has the Internet now, and there’s a lot of information that can be gathered there at no cost for the creation of classroom and hands on training. Also, we all have apparatus — and we can get out and train on all of the equipment we already have. Training to the point of becoming an “expert” on every procedure, tactic, single hand tool or equipment you may have to use at the next run. If we MAY have to use it, we need to be experts in every aspect of “it”. Basic training can get done when we want to get it done. More than basic training costs more than basic money-they have to decide what they want us to be able to do when their taxpayers and related customers have a really bad day.
Show’m the facts without the emotion.
Like you, we all want to crawl down the hall, do the search, knock the fire down etc but we have to keep in mind that if we don’t have the political support and or the public support to give us what is minimally needed whether it’s funding, training or support for sprinkler systems, there is only so much we can realistically do. We can only do as much as our resources and physical ability allow us to do. And that’s us already going “above and beyond.”
We simply can’t get everything done when they have cut what we need to do “everything.” Of course, we need to be able to clearly and factually define what “everything” is when they ask us. For example, a first alarm fire with 10 firefighters will not and cannot have the same end results – with that same fire initially getting 25 firefighters. Simple math – no emotion. But “they” need to understand that well before they start the budget slicing. Be honest and factual. And speaking of heroic stuff, that’s often when the Fire Chiefs or Commissioners must show the most courage, by taking the risk of “upsetting” the elected officials by telling them the truth. Respectfully, factually and honestly. There have been too many headlines recently where Chiefs have stated that “the cut in apparatus staffing”….or…”the shutting of that fire station”…..or…”the brown outs”…will not impact service levels. Please.
There very well may be a measurable difference in people getting rescued-and not getting rescued in your community based upon proposed cuts. So figure it out and educate them. No emotions-just facts based upon the numbers such as response times, distance and FF’s to perform the tasks. Tell’em. Factually.
When we face some cuts, we can still get some stuff done. If training budgets are cut that doesn’t mean you stop training. Everyone has the Internet now, and there’s a lot of information that can be gathered there at no cost for the creation of classroom and hands on training. Also, we all have apparatus — and we can get out and train on all of the equipment we already have. Training to the point of becoming an “expert” on every procedure, tactic, single hand tool or equipment you may have to use at the next run. If we MAY have to use it, we need to be experts in every aspect of “it”. Basic training can get done when we want to get it done. More than basic training costs more than basic money-they have to decide what they want us to be able to do when their taxpayers and related customers have a really bad day.
Show’m the facts without the emotion.
Of course, when you’re going from a three to four person engine down to a one or two person company, or shutting companies down, you can’t solve those kinds of problems on the Internet. I know people get very emotional about this — our oath is to save lives and save property. Thirty-nine years ago, I took the same oath as everyone else did. But let’s not be stupid.
The lives and property stuff isn’t equal. It’s far greater to attempt to save a life and far less critical to save a property and related stuff. Anybody who doesn’t understand that is a danger to themselves and others. No boss should be putting a crew inside to save someone’s dress when it’s obvious that the lightweight truss house is ready to collapse – especially when resources may have been cut – or have not yet arrived. I understand some may claim to be ready to “lay their lives on the line” for a dress – but that’s why, these days, most FD’s encourage psychological testing prior to hire.
On the other hand, if the wearer of the dress is still inside, and conditions indicate we may have a shot, we will absolutely take extreme risks. Odds are-we are going in and will do whatever it takes. The point is that we may no longer be able to “afford” to do all the things we did before, with the measurable loss of resources some FD’s are faced with now. It can get emotional.
But those who are quick to shout, “We should go in no matter what” are those who have never had the responsibility for those who are going inside. When you’re a company and especially a command level boss, your responsibility is much greater — to those on the fireground and to those in the building-and the stuff in the building. They have to weigh the stupid risk vs. the necessary risk. Sometimes firefighters will die in that process. There are times firefighters die doing the job that must be done and the risk had to be taken. To think “no firefighter should die in the line of duty” is to clearly not understand the aspects of this risky job. However, to think we should do our best so that no firefighter dies unnecessarily in the line of duty is probably more like it. Sometimes firefighters have to die, but in the majority of times when we have, it was preventable. Sadly, that an emotional fact.
Line firefighters who are told to do “this and not that” (whatever “that” may be) need to understand that the people making those decisions have… (hopefully-and I know that isn’t always the case-but in most cases it is) have been in their shoes as a line firefighter. They may have grayer hair, or even less of it than you, but their experience matters and they’re the ones who have to make the decision.
The lives and property stuff isn’t equal. It’s far greater to attempt to save a life and far less critical to save a property and related stuff. Anybody who doesn’t understand that is a danger to themselves and others. No boss should be putting a crew inside to save someone’s dress when it’s obvious that the lightweight truss house is ready to collapse – especially when resources may have been cut – or have not yet arrived. I understand some may claim to be ready to “lay their lives on the line” for a dress – but that’s why, these days, most FD’s encourage psychological testing prior to hire.
On the other hand, if the wearer of the dress is still inside, and conditions indicate we may have a shot, we will absolutely take extreme risks. Odds are-we are going in and will do whatever it takes. The point is that we may no longer be able to “afford” to do all the things we did before, with the measurable loss of resources some FD’s are faced with now. It can get emotional.
But those who are quick to shout, “We should go in no matter what” are those who have never had the responsibility for those who are going inside. When you’re a company and especially a command level boss, your responsibility is much greater — to those on the fireground and to those in the building-and the stuff in the building. They have to weigh the stupid risk vs. the necessary risk. Sometimes firefighters will die in that process. There are times firefighters die doing the job that must be done and the risk had to be taken. To think “no firefighter should die in the line of duty” is to clearly not understand the aspects of this risky job. However, to think we should do our best so that no firefighter dies unnecessarily in the line of duty is probably more like it. Sometimes firefighters have to die, but in the majority of times when we have, it was preventable. Sadly, that an emotional fact.
Line firefighters who are told to do “this and not that” (whatever “that” may be) need to understand that the people making those decisions have… (hopefully-and I know that isn’t always the case-but in most cases it is) have been in their shoes as a line firefighter. They may have grayer hair, or even less of it than you, but their experience matters and they’re the ones who have to make the decision.
So, as we start the New Year, our focus on the buildings before they are on fire and training before we have to use it can go a long way. Size up before the run comes in (the buildings, the resources, your alarm assignments and whatever else you can understand and learn about BEFORE the run) …and size up again when the run comes in (Do we have the resources now, or on the way, to do what we must do right now? What is it that we MUST we do right now? It helps us avoid getting all screamy and goofy when we pull up and we are “shocked” that there is a fire – and we “suddenly” don’t have the resources needed to, amongst other things, get water on the fire.
Maybe with more facts and less emotion we’ll have a better chance to do the job with success in spite of what the city hall dwellers have in mind. And maybe even get them to understand the emotional facts.
All the best for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2012 to you and yours from all of us and ours with special THANKS to our soldiers serving in our armed forces. Take some time to “hands on” train in every opportunity, factually educate the public on what we do, pray for those Firefighters who have lost their jobs in 2011 and be thankful for those who still have them.
Take Care-Be Careful,
BillyG
The Secret List – 1-1-12 / 2000 Hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SECRET LIST: https://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/secret.php
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Maybe with more facts and less emotion we’ll have a better chance to do the job with success in spite of what the city hall dwellers have in mind. And maybe even get them to understand the emotional facts.
All the best for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2012 to you and yours from all of us and ours with special THANKS to our soldiers serving in our armed forces. Take some time to “hands on” train in every opportunity, factually educate the public on what we do, pray for those Firefighters who have lost their jobs in 2011 and be thankful for those who still have them.
Take Care-Be Careful,
BillyG
The Secret List – 1-1-12 / 2000 Hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SECRET LIST: https://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/secret.php
GET SECRET LIST TWITTER “ALERTS”: http://twitter.com/thesecretlist
FOLLOW THE SECRET LIST ON FACEBOOK: http://tinyurl.com/y855vmt
