Ownership

We’ve all heard the old saying “Do as I say, not as I do”. This is a single statement we should not associate with the fire service if possible. Why you might ask?

Are you willing to put your life on the line with an officer or fellow brother who speaks a good game, but won’t follow through with his actions? Don’t get me wrong, we all fail to live up to the goals and expectations we set for ourselves. But, why not strive in every human way possible to be the firefighter we talk ourselves up to be?

Instead of Monday morning quarterbacking a video or picking Facebook fights over different views and tactics, why not work to leave yourself and this profession better? Own up to your mistakes, learn from them, and try not to repeat them. Fire will kill the first day rookie the same as it will the last day veteran.

Do as I say, which is what I strive to do.

Leadership

I combed through various online dictionaries looking for a definition of leadership that completely fit the fire service. I admit I failed. Maybe there is a definition of leadership on the world wide web that fits, but I couldn’t find it. When I think about leadership in the fire service I think about men and women from the highest of position to the lowest. 

 

 

I think of the person wearing the white helmet with the weight of the world on their shoulders. The one who sends his crews into situations, but only the ones he would go into. This is the person who must draw from years upon years of training and real experience in a matter of seconds to find the best over all course of action to take.

But leadership isn’t reserved to be practiced by those with white helmets, or those with bugles.

The most honest and over looked form of leadership comes from the lowest man on the totem pole. 

This definition of leadership is shown by the men and women making the push through the door on the hose line, from the ones searching for the missing family member, and from the ones opening the roof. It is these elite few who cherish the fire service, who what to leave it better than they found it.

These are the men and women who spend countless hours traveling to take classes. The ones who struggle, sweat, and bleed in the gym and on the training ground. These few do not consider their job complete until every tool is clean, every cylinder full, every hose load perfect, and every ladder clean and inspected.

To me, these are the ones who define what leadership really means in the fire service.

Forcible Entry Tools

Editors notes: Originally posted as a downloadable PDF on http://www.firetrainingtoolbox.com

 

Forcible Entry Tools

By: Trevor Bertram

There is approximately one break-in every 13 seconds in the United States. With break-ins happening more often, home and business owners are installing more and more complex locking mechanisms on their doors and windows. With this being said, firefighters should expand their forcible entry toolbox. Forcible entry, as defined by International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), is “the techniques used to get into buildings or other areas of confinement when normal means of entry are locked or blocked”. Knowing the various techniques is vital for all members.

To be completely effective in forcible entry, a combination of knowledge, skills, and experience must be combined. One must have knowledge of various types of doors, hardware, and locks. Knowledge also involves being able to quickly “size up” the easiest way to gain entry. Firefighters apply their knowledge of doors, locks, tools, building construction, and techniques to skillfully execute forcible entry. One can only sharpen their skills by repeatedly practicing forcible entry to gain experience. Like anything a firefighter does, learning from success and failure is the only way to become their best.

Today we will work on expanding your knowledge by discussing various tools used to gain entry. There are five (5) different groups of forcible entry tools; striking, prying, cutting, pulling, and through-the-lock. Although there are many different tools and combination of tools, the right tool for the job is the tool that accomplishes the job the quickest.

Striking tools

This covers any tool that can be used to deliver enough of a force to break a locking mechanism or help drive another tool. The power a striking tool exerts can be explained as Force = Weight X Speed. Too heavy of a striking tool will not generate enough speed to force entry.

Flathead ax

There are many uses to the modern fire ax. It can be used to break objects or can be used to drive the halligan. Flathead axes most commonly come in either six or eight pounds. When combined with the Halligan the set becomes “married” resulting in the most practical forcible entry tool.

Sledge

The sledge, like the flathead ax, can be used to break objects or to drive the Halligan. There are four different sizes of sledges; 8- 10- 12- and 16-pounds. Just like the ax, the weight is all in the head of the tool. The most common sledge used for marrying with the Halligan is the 10-pound. The 16-pound sledge is too heavy to swing and drive the Halligan; however it can be used for breaking down doors. 

Prying

Tools that fall into this category can be used to pry jambs away from doors, lift objects, or help expose a lock.

Halligan

The original Halligan tool was designed by Deputy Chief Hugh Halligan (FDNY) in the 1940s. Although the original design has changed, the Halligan remains to be one of the most versatile tools for forcible entry. The Halligan comes in many different lengths and weights, with the most common and effective size being 30-inch forged steel. There are three main components to the Halligan tool; these are the adz, pike, and fork. With all prying tools the size, length, and weight of the tool will determine the mechanical advantage gained. 

Kelly tool

This tool has been replaced in recent years by the Halligan bar. However the Kelly tool is a 28 inch long steel bar. The Kelly tool has two main features; one end has a 3 inch wide adz, while the other end has a large fork.

Miscellaneous prying tools

Crowbar and pry bar

Cutting

Cutting tools are used to cut away material to break through a door or wall, or to open up a locking mechanism.

Ax

There are two styles of axes; flathead and pick head. The flathead is the most common ax used for forcible entry; it can also be used to break through walls and doors. Pick head axes are not ideally used for forcible entry; however they can be used to cut through doors and walls. But, it can be used to puncture, pull, and pry.

Bolt cutters

Used to cut metal bars, cables, and wires the bolt cutters can be very useful for forcible entry. Like most tools, there are many different sizes; the most common being 36 inches in length. Heavy-duty padlocks and case-hardened shackles should be avoided when using bolt cutters.

Saws

The most common power tool used for forcible entry. When picking saws, they are available in two basic types: rotary saw and chain saw. Both saws are normally powered by a two-cycle gasoline engine, and most safely operated by two firefighters.

            Types of blades

                        Carbide-Tipped Blades – This blade is used for cutting wood, composite materials, light-gauge metals, and polycarbonate plastic.

                        Metal Cutting Blades – Most commonly an abrasive disc made of aluminum oxide. This blade is used for cutting locks, hardware, steel doors, and roll-down gates.

                        Masonry Cutting Blades – An abrasive disc made of silicon carbide or can be steel with a diamond matrix blade. This blade is used to cut concrete, brick, block, and stone.

Pulling

Pulling tools are grouped by length of their handles and type of head. These kinds of tools are mostly used for searching for hidden fire, but can be useful for forcible entry also.

Pike Pole

The pike pole is the “Hook” of “Hook and Ladder” and is one of the oldest firefighting tools still in service today; the original use was to pull down walls and neighboring buildings to stop fire spread. However, like the Halligan, the pike pole has changed over the years. Today’s pike poles range from 4-12’ long and most commonly have fiberglass handles. Mostly used to pull ceilings and walls to look for hidden fire, the pike pole can also be a useful tool for breaking windows to gain entry into a structure or for ventilation.

Through-the-lock

There are a number of specialized tools that have been developed over the years by firefighters based on experience from trial and error.

K-tool

This tool pulls out the lock cylinder and will expose the mechanism in order for the firefighter to trip the lock with various key tools. The tool gets its name from its design; the backside of the tool is shaped like a letter K and slides over the lock mechanism. The front side of the tool has a special loop for the adz end of the Halligan to fit into. To use this tool you get a purchase with the K side of the tool over the lock and use the Halligan to pull/pry the cylinder out of the lock. Once this has been accomplished, the use of a key tool is needed to operate the locking mechanism. Key tools can either be bent, squared, or screw-driver style. Tools similar to the K-tool include: A-tool, officers tool, and REX tool.

We have not discussed all tools for forcible entry, but with the information presented you can establish a working knowledge of tools needed to gain entry into buildings. Like any fire ground skill, knowledge of tools alone is not enough to get the job done. Knowing when and how to use the tools is just as vital. Getting these tools off the apparatus and examining them is also a must. Take into consideration that perfecting the use of these tools in a controlled environment will help you accomplish fire ground activities when called upon to use.

 

Moment of truth

Train so you know what to do and when, for this is the moment everything is put on the line. This is not the moment to second guess yourself, when on scene know your crew well enough to know what they are comfortable with. Strive to be the best you possible.

Accountability

According to Webster’s Dictionary the meaning of accountability is “: the quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions”[i] How is this word important to the fire service? Being an accountable firefighter is just another way of preparing your mind to be the best you possible.

As a firefighter you should be holding yourself accountable for everything you do. There are many other traits that come along with accountability, such as trust, respect, discipline, and hard work. Combine these traits with pride and tradition and you will be on your way to becoming the best you possible.

Trust should be a hard, but rewarding thing to earn in the fire service. You should want your fellow brothers and sisters to trust you. Trust is not handed out to new hires, from the moment you walk in the fire house as an employee you should strive for the trust of these men. Earning this trust comes from following through with everything you say you will do. Things such as helping a brother on your day off, volunteering for extra activities around the fire house and in the community. However trust will only get you so far.

When you earn trust you will also start to earn respect. Respect is something you must give before you receive, however when you walk out onto the bay floor for the first time know not everyone is deserving of respect. Look for that senior member ready and willing to help the new guys, the one wearing all his PPE on every call, the one training with the recruits. Once you identify these brothers or sisters show them they can trust you through your actions and you will get their respect in return.

You must have discipline to be an accountable firefighter. Discipline is “training to insure proper behavior”.[ii] You must have a behavior both internally and externally that drives you to be accountable for your actions. Once you have found this behavior you must train on being disciplined enough to keep this behavior.

Hard work is something that must be applied in every endeavor you take on after you turn in your application. This is not a job you sit behind a desk all day; this is a calling that you must work at every day. You must work had at earning the trust and respect of fellow brothers, you must be disciplined enough to never give up or slack off.

You will never master the traits we have talked about today, but with constant work at them you will be better suited to be accountable for all actions you take. With every action you take there will be consequence. Whether these consequences’ are good or bad you must be ready to be held accountable.  

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[i]
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountability

[ii]
http://www.bing.com/Dictionary/search?q=define+discipline&qpvt=discipline+definition&FORM=DTPDIA

The firefighter’s helmet

There is one thing that distinguishes a firefighter, his helmet.

The firefighter’s helmet is a sacred and cherished item. It is a recorder of everything we do in its presence. It can not talk in words, but it knows where we have been and what we have seen. It knows our true level of training, how we perform under fire.

A firefighter’s helmet is a protector in the night.

Preparing The RIT

It’s two in the morning; you’re in a dead sleep in your bunk when you are awoken. Awoken by the tones, you can hear excitement in the dispatcher’s voice. Now you’re wide awake. What goes through your mind next? Location, assignments, occupied, unoccupied. We could build a pretty good list with this question. However do you think about RIT? Do you have a dedicated RIT company?

All over the country departments are having to do more with less. Each and every one of us has probably seen this in our departments first hand. So, how does your department overcome these cuts when it comes to RIT?

When assigned to RIT on a working fire, do you and your company know what tools to grab, when to grab them, and what not to grab? Today we are going to take a few minutes to go over the basic things to grab when tasked with RIT on a fire scene. Keep in mind we will not be going into what you would need for high-rise or industrial fires. What we will be covering today is a residential fire.

*Also keep in mind that these practices may not work for you or your department, take the time to research and train to find what works best for you.*

When assigned to RIT the first thing I do on the fire scene is designate the RIT staging area. The first thing I take off the rescue is a tarp, how can we help if we have no organization of our tools? Once I have a designated staging area, the tools start filling the area up.

What I get into the staging area first is a stokes basket. You may not be able to take this in with you every time, but if your staging area is far away it can be a life safer just getting your tools to the door.

After the stokes basket has made it to staging, hand tools come next. The reason I prefer hand tools for RIT is because of the situation you are working in. Now there are examples where power tools and spreaders are needed to help in the execution of rescuing a downed firefighter.
Items I like to have in my staging area and why:

Axe – for obvious reasons, the axe is the most reliable chain saw we have on scene. Also it can be used for forcible entry in the case you need to force entry.

New York Hook – there are many uses for the NY Hook on the fire scene. Pulling, prying, leverage. Just some of the things you may have to use it for during a RIT situation.

Bottle Jack – The bottle jack is a nice and simple tool that can be used to lift objects off of a downed firefighter.

Cylinders – I like to keep enough spare cylinders in the staging area for each member of the team. My reasoning behind this is for one quick cylinder change for the RIT team for when it is needed.

RIT Pack – This should be self explanatory.

Cribbing – This goes right along with the bottle jack. What’s the point in lifting something if you can’t keep your purchase point?

Life safety rope – The life safety rope can be used to lower the downed firefighter from a second floor (or higher) out to safety. Also can be used to conduct a below-grade rescue after a collapse.

Utility rope – The use of the utility rope is very import for a long term operation. Whoever is the last member for the first activation should have a utility rope with him that is secured to a point outside the structure. The reason behind having a rope follow you in is for easily finding your way out or for a second crew to easily find their way in.

Bolt cutters – This tool may not be useful on every job, however when it is needed you’ll be glad you have it.

Pike poles – This can be used for pulling objects out of your way.

Ladders – Used for climbing over objects that have collapsed inside the structure, or can be used for a below-grade rescue, Denver drills, ECT.

Now that we have everything to the staging area I like to stock the stokes basket with my tools. The stokes basket may or may not go in with us, but it is useful in keeping everything organized and ready to deploy. Inside the stokes basket I like to keep the irons, bottle jack, one or two pieces of cribbing, NY Hook, RIT pack, life safety rope, and bolt cutters (depending on the job).

Depending on the length of the pike pole I usually leave them outside, shorter pike poles can easily be managed inside the structure. Also, the ladder, extra cylinders, and extra cribbing remains outside in the staging area.

Now that our stokes basket is packed and ready to go, we will talk about why I use the stokes basket in this way.

With everything together in this one area we can carry all of our equipment to the entry point without leaving any of the first tools needed. Also, the stokes basket can be used for firefighter packaging/removal from inside the structure.

Remember that the examples and reasons above are what I have found to work for myself and my company. Always research and train on any topic you want to improve on.