Volunteer Firefighting Training

As I sit here in the cold, rainy, unpredictable weather of Connecticut, I cannot help but look forward to the next ‘Cruisin for Solutions’… We had a great week of fun and sun, oh yeah, and we learned quite a bit from each other.  

Good training is half education and half entertainment. You need to achieve your educational objectives while keeping your members attention and involved.   

Whenever members take outside courses, they should be required to bring what they've learned back to their department and share it with their fellow members.  

Last week I introduced you to the Fire Officer II course that I recently attended. This week we pick up at the 'interesting' discussion about the Fire Act grant.   

Everyone knows they need to refuel their car, recharge their batteries and take care of the maintenance of their vehicle. The problem is, people often don't think about recharging their mind.  

Wow! Somehow it has been four months since I last wrote a column for VolunteerFD.org. Many of you have written me to ask where the columns were, when the website would be updated and with many other questions. Well this is the start of the rebirth of VolunteerFD.org!  

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of bringing Todd Hoffman in for training at the East Berlin Fire Department. The class was held on a Saturday, and had 50 firefighters from across CT, and even one from NY.  

The 'dinosaurs' love to talk about the times they were covered in blood, walked through fire and sucked up smoke. After all, it looks good to come home covered in soot, right?   

As 2004 comes to a close departments look towards their 2005 plans, and training schedules are often at the top of the plan.  

I have spent the past 16 months working on my Paramedic at the Hartford Hospital (HH) Department of EMS.   

One of the hardest tasks for a training officer, especially of a volunteer department, is keeping training interesting.   

The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute recently released a study titled 'Health and Safety Guidelines for Firefighter Training' that reviews an extensive body of research on firefighter health, injuries and safety.  

Jeff Seaton is a firefighter from San Jose, California. The Little Rock Fire Department brought him in to provide new training techniques for its men and women.  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Firefighter still in critical condition; was not wearing safety gear during water rescue training  

  

  

How likely is it that the fireground medical screening exam will uncover any of the fireground medical emergencies that we have listed throughout this series? As they say in academia, “When the answer is unclear, that’s a good question.”   

Kilimanjaro climb was tribute, fitness reminder  

  

  

News reporters use the memory jogger of "Who, What, Where, When, Why and How" to gather information for articles. This memory aid can be used as a needs assessment tool for fire and EMS trainers in the selection of training programs. Whether the program requires a textbook only or a complete curriculum with multi-media presentation, an objective selection process must be conducted  

The motto "be prepared" has stuck in my mind ever since my days in the Boy Scouts. The profession of firefighting and EMS seems to really exemplify this phrase. We are not always sure what we should be prepared for, but nonetheless we need to have some semblance of preparation for anything we may face.   

Industry-backed program provides hands-on experience  

The old follow-the–line-out is great, but if you study specific cases such as the FDNY Black Sunday fire, you will find rapid exit is the only option in most cases to spare your life. It should be critical to us as firefighters, officers and instructors to spend some time familiarizing ourselves with escape procedures.   

I had the humbling honor last week of attending a planning meeting at the National Fire Academy for the Vision 20/20 and the Everyone Goes Home programs. The goal was to be able to "identify a coalition of actions that will fulfill goals and objectives of both Vision 20/20 and the Everyone Goes Home program by incorporating a greater awareness of fire prevention initiatives to enhance firefighter and civilian fire and life safety."   

Official recommendations include recruit screening and keeping training atmosphere free from intimidation  

  

Over the years, you've probably been to many conferences, classes and training sessions where instructors either said, "Find a mentor!" or, "Be a mentor!" Achieving these mentorship goals is easier said than done, but there are basic ways to turn this theory into reality.   

  

Deputy fire chief was struck by a motorized water monitor and 30 feet of aluminum pipe launched from elevated aerial ladder at fire  

  

  

  

Local firefighters seek ways to fix a training program that is shorter than comparable cities, lacks recommended periodic refresher courses  

  

  

  

  

  

  

LODD during a tree-felling exercise was the result of poor training and an unsafe workplace, according to state investigators  

  

  

  

  

Firefighter suffered serious burns after falling into basement; investigation team makes 47 recommendations on contributing factors  

  

Chief David Case describes his department's operation and the lessons it learned during the conference in Indianapolis Wednesday  

  

  

Apparatus on mock calls to build response time data stopped; using lights and sirens in non-emergencies violates state law, police say  

Acting fire commissioner reprimands chiefs over public safety risks; mock calls were designed to collect response time data  

  

  

  

Hundreds of firefighters and vehicles blaring sirens will fill the World Trade Center site for its largest post-9/11 emergency drill  

  

Course at the U.S. Military Academy goes beyond tactics and into the theory and history of terrorism around the globe  

  

A commission recommended the sofa store site be redeveloped as a memorial, training facility and new Fire Department headquarters  

  

  

  

  

  

Chief says tests meant to guide training, no need for punishment; about a dozen D.C. paramedics have been ordered into retraining  

  

  

  

  

  

  

As Safety Week drew to a close, I was proud to look back and see how our department has grasped onto this concept and really put effort into it. We performed various drills and also covered various safety procedures during conversations around the kitchen table.  

  

  

A NIOSH report says two firefighters who fell to their deaths were not familiar with equipment before a high-risk training situation  

  

Medical monitoring is the foundation of rehab. In the past, medical monitoring and emergency care were not emphasized as much as in the current standard. Rest and relaxation are great, but it is critical to monitor the well-being of the personnel working at the incident scene.   

  

A deluge gun became dislodged from its staged position, striking and injuring the volunteer firefighters; chief hospitalized  

As I sat in our most recent officer's meeting, I noticed a paragraph that our division chief of operations had added to the agenda: "Lessons Learned." It encouraged officers to present one incident or situation where they and their crews enacted a training practice.  

  

  

  

  

Medical director pulls certification of 25 firefighters; fire chief says the move puts good medics out of commission and endangers residents  

  

  

  

Initial company operation on the fireground can be hampered by the officer's inability to make critical decisions. In some cases this is brought on by fear of making a mistake.   

  

Three firefighters suffered first and second degree burns after their turnouts were charred; OSHA says injuries could have been avoided  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

A NIOSH fatality report urges apparatus rollover protection; the firefighter was pinned with the roof collapsed around his head  

  

  

  

  

The "graying of America" is covered widely in the mainstream media — but what about its effects on our responses? People aged 65 and older made up 12.4 percent — or 35 million — of the population in 2000. It's predicted they will form 16.3 percent of the population by 2020, while in 2030 nearly one in five Americans will be 65 and older...  

  

  

  

  

  

People with strong character give 100 percent and strive for excellence because they refuse to do less than their best. People with weaker character blame the organization and others for their lack of excellence and settle for mediocrity.  

  

  

  

  

  

  

The veteran firefighter hit his head and was under cold water for about 30 seconds before he was rescued  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Visiting Va. firefighters assisted after a fire truck had rolled into a ditch and local fire departments had run out of people to handle calls  

The stair climb is easy to train for, if you gradually push your limits and let your body recover properly during training. You simply need a road-map of how much weight to use when, and a plan of how to safely increase resistance and duration.  

  

  

  

  

  

  

With bathing suit weather already in full swing in most parts of the country, I thought it appropriate to include a workout to get the pounds off in a hurry.   

Firefighters already knew where emergency valves were located when they arrived at a propane pipeline explosion  

The Blue Card Command Certification Program teaches Incident Commanders and fire officers how to standardize incident operations  

  

  

Buffalo firefighters are better trained in how to issue a mayday, carry improved radios and have more thorough tactics for basement fires  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Vehicle allows members to train on skills such as forcible entry, SCBA, and PSS  

  

  

He was frustrated by a "deep-seated culture" and "destructive pride" that he says interfered with modern tactics and standards  

  

Rapid nitrogen discharge from a water misting system simulation broke instructor's wrist  

  

  

  

  

Firefighter John B. Glaser died May 22 last year inside a burning home when he removed his SCBA to clear vomit from the equipment  

  

  

  

  

  

In this era of reduced budgets, not all fire departments can keep up with the specialized training and equipment required to safely provide technical rescue services.  

  

  

  

Keeping communication open lets you know if your plan is being carried out, and if it's having the impact you're hoping for.  

  

  

  

  

  

Use of traditional fire suppression tactics and the unrecognized presence of combustible metals factored into the explosion  

Fire chief: Injuries varied, firefighters' conditions were unknown, but 1 airlifted to hospital suffered most serious injuries