By Jason Zigmont
For FireRescue1.com

It seems like everywhere you turn there is an amazing video of a fire response, no matter if it is good or bad. The availability of helmet cams makes a real point of view available for review and learning.

Most times the video is “ooo’d” and “aah’d” at, but is it used effectively as a quality-improvement tool? There are ways that every service can use videos effectively and avoid the common pitfalls.

Video recording of events have been around since the invention of the handheld camera. It was not until the Internet age that videos became regularly available to the public.

Now anyone with a cell phone can take a video of a scene and have it posted on YouTube within minutes. This can air your dirty laundry in public as it becomes hard to control videos that are posted online.

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By David Dalrymple
For FireRescue1.com

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By Timothy W. Martin
For the Wall Street Journal

A growing number of volunteer fire departments, most of them in the rural South, are asking residents to pay an additional fee for firefighting service, though not for such things as responses to medical emergencies, which make up most fire-department calls. This throwback to a centuries-old practice comes as public budgets get slashed and local donations dry up.

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Very well, according to Ken Willette in a post for Fire Service Today:

In this video, you can see how the Fire Department of New York attacks an apartment fire on the 4th floor of a six story building that occurred in Brooklyn on Feb. 7, 2012.

Some observations for you to consider as you watch this:

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By Mark Meneaud
Bradford News

BRADFORD, England —  Paramedics and police have joined forces to provide rapid response for alcohol-fuelled revellers and victims of drunken violence, in the first pilot scheme of its kind in Bradford.

An officer in Bradford City Ward Neighbourhood policing team and a paramedic from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) NHS Trust have started patrols in the city centre late on Fridays and Saturdays which traditionally see a rise in the number of emergency 999 calls.

They provide a “quick response” with the paramedic helping those who have drunk too much or attacked while out drinking, while police will deal with any aggressive behaviour or trouble-causers.

The move means people can be treated at the scene, rather than taken to hospital, easing “pressures placed on the police and ambulance service by alcohol-related incidents”, a police spokesman said.

Bradford City Ward NPT Inspector Kevin Pickles said: “By working together, we can quickly resolve incidents there and then which require the assistance of the police.

You can read the full article here.

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I have been in some interesting discussions, as of late, on whether to lay your own supply line when arriving at a structural fire. I don’t believe you could find more opinions if you paid someone for them. I’ve heard everything from “what if no one shows up” to “maybe the second due breaks down.”

Take a moment and set the department policy aside. What is your preference to this question?
Keep in mind that I have seen a few fires in my day. But, I am currently not the decision maker on my engine, which is still the best job. Let’s review some pro’s and con’s:

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By Linda Willing
For FireRescue1.com

You are a company officer who has been given the choice between two firefighters as new members of your crew.

The only thing you know about the two is that Terry recently rescued a child from a second floor bedroom during a big fire, and Lee recently hit a citizen’s car when driving the fire truck. Who will you choose to be on your crew?

Realistically, with just this information to go on, no one would choose Lee over Terry. Those officers who say that it made no difference to them which of these firefighters would be assigned to them are probably not being completely honest with themselves either.

It is human nature to believe that success will be predicted by prior success. This is true even if that success is based on nothing more than a single incident or pure chance, which could certainly be the case in this example.

It is possible that Terry’s success in finding the fire victim was a result of luck — just randomly being assigned to search the room that had an occupant versus all the other rooms that did not.

In a more extreme case, Terry might have disobeyed orders and been freelancing when making the big save. On the other hand, Lee’s accident may have been the result of quick thinking that averted larger damage or bodily harm.

Read the full article on FireRescue1.com.

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By Craig S. Semon for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Firefighter Paul M. “Aldo” Bastardo is not only behind the wheel of the command vehicle dubbed “Car 3,” he is also manning a mobile command center, which is equipped with everything one needs to strategically fight a stubborn blaze and help secure the safety and whereabouts of its firefighters.

As the aide to District Fire Chief Samuel W. Richesson, Firefighter Bastardo, a 35-year-plus veteran of the fire department, keeps track of firefighter personnel, engines, ladders and pumps at a scene, as well as civilians, neighboring dwellings, paramedics, police, the electric company, the gas company, and media,.

And Firefighter Bastardo does all this with the help of an “accountability board,” a magnetic board with movable pieces housed in a suitcase that resembles a suburban “Risk” game — but this is no game. The “accountability board,” purchased a few months ago for about $1,000, as well as the equipment and gear in the command vehicle, reduce the risks inherent to accountability, second-guessing, safety and fighting fires.

“What we have here is one of two vehicles we have in the department. This is a mobile command post. It’s also a mobile office,” Firefighter Bastardo said, standing in front of Car 3 inside the garage at the Grove Street fire station. “And what that means is, we bring our resources with us to the scene of a call, so that the incident can be handled by the incident commander and he has resources right there available to him to make decisions to help reduce and/or eliminate loss of life and loss of property.”

Read the full article here.

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By Rob Raheb, Fire Engineering

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines for training offer the minimum requirements that departments can follow to ensure that trainingneeds are being met and upheld. The problem doesn’t lie with the NFPA, but with departments and trainers who feel that the minimum is good enough when it comes to training.

We can’t afford to maximize training in all areas; it would be too costly and require adding a lot of time to a program. But arguably we cut training to the bare bones on one issue that has been surfacing over and over again–driver training.

Every day, an emergency vehicle is involved in a collision somewhere. We see it on the news, get it in our e-mail, on our Smart phones, etc. What we don’t see are the lawsuits that involve departments, personnel, and families of members. The pennies saved by cutting training on the front end turn into big dollars paid out on the back end. Departments are often called to defend themselves after a collision occurs; training records, personnel files, and a litany of other material is subpoenaed. Overtime and workers compensation cases add more to the payout.

Click here to read the entire article at Fire Engineering.

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One of our favorite things here at LION is hearing from firefighters who tell us how our products have enhanced their health, performance and safety in the line of duty. Recently we’ve heard from two firefighters who wear our structural firefighting boots and have contacted us to share their feedback. Now we’d like to share their thoughts with you:

“At 0630 on September 11, a possible house fire alarm came in. I had already changed out of my uniform into my civilian clothes. I wore sandals to work the morning before….that is correct no socks. I jumped in to my LION Technical Footwear™ Marshall boots, pulled up my bunker pants and hopped on the engine.  The fire alarm was in fact a working fire. Two story residential dwelling with fire and smoke coming out the D side of the house. During this house fire, another firefighter became trapped in a burned out staircase in front of myself and a Captain.  We quickly helped the trapped firefighter out of the stairwell literally seconds before the room behind us became fully charged with smoke and flames.

Your boots with the Lock-Fit Ankle Support System™ worked very well. I would have had to worry about possible blisters on my heels from not wearing socks in my boots, but your boots protected my heels and didn’t slip at all while fighting this working fire and rescuing a fellow firefighter.

Thank you!”

– Ron Brickell, firefighter, Omaha, Nebraska

“I had the opportunity to attend the FDIC conference last year and stopped at the LION booth. I tried on numerous pair of boots, not only at the LION booth but many other vendors. I made my decision that the boots from LION were the best fit and price for me. After returning to Minot, I tossed around the thought of buying a pair of boots from LION. I made my decision, and just as I went to send the order in, I received an email notification that I had won a pair (exact same I tried on at FDIC). I have been wearing them now for about 6 months and I love them, they are the best boot I have ever worn. My fire department has purchased Black Diamond, I wore a pair of them for a while and I honestly would go barefoot before I would wear them again. Thank you LION for all of your hard work in making such great boots!!!

Keep up the good work!”

– Ken Sisk, firefighter, Minot, ND

How about you? Do you love your LION Janesville® turnout gear or LION Paul Conway Helmet®? Have you worn our LION Technical Footwear® boots or our new LION Protective Gloves®? If so, let us know what you like about our products. You can always post your pics and feedback on our Facebook wall, or you can e-mail us directly. We’d love to share your stories and photos next.

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