Electric Vehicle Fires

By: Chief Hank Clemmensen, AFM Board Chair

With adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) increasing around the world, firefighters need to be aware of the dangers they present and the unique challenges associated with extinguishing an electric vehicle fire.  Training and preparation is critical to prepare for advancements like the introduction of electric buses in Kenya.  Is your fire brigade prepared to respond to incidents for electric vehicles? Start training specifically for EVs, now reading this detailed article on EV fire attack and extrication basics by Patrick Durham.

https://www.firerescue1.com/electric-fire/articles/electric-vehicle-response-fire-attack-and-extrication-basics-PwPBmx8uuMuMOR2G/

Trauma: Who, What, Where, When and Why?

Trauma is a word that seems to get used more and more these days; heal your trauma, childhood trauma, vicarious trauma... What to do with trauma?

 Eleven years ago, I started my career as a full-time firefighter. Out training around trauma consisted of looking at horrible pictures and hearing a few stories of bad calls.  At that time, the only experience I had with dead people was at the few funerals I had attended. I had never placed my hands on a dead body before becoming a firefighter, and there was no preparation for the psychological aftermath of some of the events that would happen in my life.

 Fast forward to now, and that surely is not the case. There have been hundreds of dead bodies, and I can't even count the number of times I have done CPR.  However, up until just a few years ago, I still didn’t fully grasp what Trauma was, let alone how it shows up, where one might find it and why it tends to linger around. 

 Through a long journey of healing, research and life experience, I have understood what my trauma means for me in this life.  The thing about exceptional experiences, like trauma, is that once they have occurred, there is no erasing them.  Now, this doesn't mean it has to remain the same forever and ever.  The beauty of the human mind is that we can create perspective.  Take politics, for example. The same people and the same problems have different perspectives on how to solve the issues.  A lesson I have learned through my trauma experience is that this approach can take one out of dark times and into brighter days.

 In December 2020, I was a part of a crew that extracted a woman from a house fire.  The scene was a known homicide, the victim was beaten and burned to death.  The image of her body and her children standing on her lawn stayed with me for a long time; they were hard to shake.  At the same time in my life, I owned a Gym, and the closures from the pandemic were wreaking havoc on my finances, my stress and my relationship; this traumatic experience put me over the edge.

The shift that happened through various therapies was very subtle yet extremely powerful.

 It was this:

  Why is this happening FOR me? vs. Why is this happening TO me?

For vs To:

 The understanding of this came from experiencing trauma's impact on my life.  Let's break down the who, what, where, when, and why of trauma.

 Who is Trauma? 

 Weird question, right? Too often, we become our trauma; it victimizes us, and we fall into the trap of continually asking ourselves, why did this happen to me?  We create an entire identity around our trauma and allow that story to infiltrate our lives.  Unfortunately, most of the time, this takes on a negative narrative that can lead to dark places of unhappiness, anxiety and depression; that is what happened to me.  Once I learned that I am not my trauma, it enabled me to separate from it.  From this place of separation, I could now view it as something different.

Our Trauma comes from an experience; it sticks around and hunts us because of the narratives our mind places on the traumatic experience. By learning to change this narrative, we can change how we perceive the experience of trauma in our life.

 What is Trauma?

 Is the Trauma the event that occurred? Perhaps and if that is true that trauma is the event, then why do we continue to suffer from the trauma after the event takes place?  I sat down for dinner three days after extracting a dead, burnt person from a house fire. My wife had made roasted chicken for dinner.  The traumatic experience was now over; however, my entire body was shaking, my heart was pounding, and I could not bring myself to eat as I was on the verge of vomiting, just from the look of the chicken on the table. My children were trying to talk to me as I stared blankly at the food before me, not hearing a single word.  I was having physical, emotional and psychological responses to the event that had occurred three days prior.  The trauma was alive and thriving within me.

 Trauma is the emotional, psychological and sometimes physical response to a traumatic event. After the event has taken place, it now remains an experience in our lives.  We do, as humans, have the ability to change how we respond to this event.  Knowing that our response is adaptable is the first step in helping heal from any horrible event.

 Where is Trauma?

 If trauma isn’t the event but how we respond to the circumstance that has already happened, then where is it? Where is the trauma?

There is no correct answer here because how trauma shows up is different for everyone.  My experience showed up in several ways, constant anxiety, insomnia, outbursts of uncontrollable crying in the middle of the night, depression, yelling and swearing at my children (they were 3 and 6 at the time), negative self-talk, negativity towards others, and playing the victim card.  There were moments when I was playing with my kids, laughing and rolling around when out of nowhere, the thought of that night would enter my mind and rob my children of their father.  One of the most potent therapies I did was Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP.  It worked by changing my image of the dead body to a pair of jeans and a wreath of roses.  I know it sounds weird, but it worked.  Every time that thought enters my mind, I think of a pair of jeans and a wreath of roses. 

 When looking to talk to a professional, find one who practices NLP.  It worked wonders for me.

 Why?

 This question was probably asked ten thousand times, “Why is this happening to me.”  One evening in bed, I broke down and asked this question to my wife, and her response changed my life.  She said, “Maybe it's not happening to you; maybe it's happening for you.”  As I explored this perspective shift, I kept finding positive reinforcement.  “Maybe this happened to show me that even when horrible things happen, love still exists,”  the proof being the person's children crying on the front lawn. 

 When?

 We never know when or how our past experiences will show up in our lives.  Lots of the time, it happens unexpectedly.  As a first responder, finding tools to help manage our stress and anxiety helps to mitigate our trauma when it shows up.  We train to prepare for the unexpected; our mental health and trauma are no different.  By consistently working on healing and discovering new tools that work for us, we can shift our mindset around what trauma is, how it shows up, and where to find it.   We can begin to shift our perspectives about why our trauma has happened for us, not to us.

 Trauma is no joke. As a firefighter, I don’t believe we have enough education or tools to help us deal with and manage our trauma.  My best advice is to start exercising your relationship with trauma before it happens.  Learn how to breathe, talk to a professional early, and know that there is always another way to view what has happened. 

The entire city would burn down if we waited for the fire to start to learn how to put out the fire.  Learn the tools before the trauma occurs; if it already has, there is no time like the present to start.

 About the Author

Brandon Evans is a professional firefighter, father, and Founder of Fire to Light, a research and development organization specializing in preventative mental health of firefighters.

Brandon works to raise awareness around trauma in firefighters, helping to identify what it is, where it shows up and what we can do about it, before and after.

Through sharing stories, experiences and tools, Brandon hopes to help reduce the rates of suicide and PTSD amongst firefighters globally.

Fire Dynamics

By: Mark van der Feyst

Rapid fire developments (RFD) are when we have a sudden and immediate change in the fire environment. At one moment we have thick, dark, black smoke with intense heat and the next second, we have a ball of fire from floor to ceiling – this is an RFD.

Every fire department will face RFD’s no matter what type of structure they are dealing with – if it has four walls and a roof, then there is the space and environment for an RFD. The different types of RFD’s are going to be flashover, back draft, and smoke explosions. The three are different in how they develop and react but are the same with the outcomes – deadly outcomes. RFD’s produce RIP’s (Rest In Peace) for the fire service.

Of the three RFD’s, flashover is going to be the one that will occur the majority of time at any and every structure fire. So, what is a flashover? A flashover is the simultaneous ignition of unburned fire gases within a room. It occurs when hot gases rise to the ceiling and spread out across the walls. These hot gases are what we call black smoke – unburned particles of combustion. As it spreads out across the ceiling and the walls, it starts to heat up the items found within the room such as the paint on the walls, the furnishings, clothing, mattress, flooring material, etc. – until they all reach their ignition temperature. Once they are all at their ignition temperature, an RFD occurs.

Before a flashover occurs, there are warning signs that are presented or given off by the fire to indicate that flashover is impending. These warning signs are presented to us both visibly and tactically – our eyes can see and our bodies can feel them.

·       Heat buildup – based upon the temperature range of flashover, there will be a period of time when excessive heat buildup will occur. This heat buildup will descend down towards the lower levels of the room pushing the firefighter down to the floor. This will be the result of radiant heat being produced by the unburnt particles of combustion spreading out from ceiling to walls and then down to the floor area. When this quick increase in heat occurs, and it is an intensive heat; flashover is impending. 

·       Roll over – this is a visible indicator as it reveals itself in the smoke. A roll over or flame over is when small gaps open up in the smoke layer allowing air to mix with the unburned particles of combustion and ignite. Small flames can be seen in the midst of the smoke for momentary periods of time and then disappear. When this occurs, this is a warning sign that flashover is coming.  

·       Thick dark smoke – this is also a visible indicator as it will present itself outside the building as well as inside the building. On the inside, you will not see anything except total blackness: but on the outside, you will notice this. Whenever you have thick dark, acrid black smoke pushing out from a structure under high pressure and with high velocity, flashover is impending. This is an outside warning of what is waiting for us on the inside.

What has been described above are the common signs that we will see and feel at every fire – it is important for the firefighter to learn and understand the basic concept of what a flashover is before being able to learn the actions that can be used to aggressively cool the fire or escape the situation if warranted.

About the Author:

Mark van der Feyst is a 25 year veteran of the fire service and is currently the Senior Battalion Chief at the Six Nations Fire & Emergency Services in Canada and a part time firefighter with the Fort Gratiot Fire Department in Michigan. He has worked in both the USA and Canada for various fire departments and holds a Masters of Science degree in Safety, Security & Emergency Management from Eastern Kentucky University.

From Ideal to Real

By: Rabbi Howard A Cohen (Deputy Chief, ret.) AFM Virtual Training Coordinator

As first responders we are required to absorb an overwhelming quantity of data.  As good as our intentions are to remember all that we are taught, the reality is that we forget details.  This is why constant reviewing, drilling and periodic recertification is so important.  Even with doing our best to keep our skills sharp and our knowledge base current, the reality is that we cannot possibly be experts in every situation we might encounter in the course of work.  For example, though we may have a solid understanding of basic first aid principles, we are not doctors and therefore are limited to the extent that we can help a patient in the field.  Even if we were trained to the level of a medical doctor, in the field far removed from a hospital facility, we would still be limited with what can do.  We do not work in controlled environments or under ideal conditions.  No matter what the situation or our skill level, our response is always on a spectrum that moves from the ideal to the real.

Every three years I re-certify as a wilderness first responder.  Every three years I’m embarrassed to admit how much I’ve forgotten.  Although I wish my memory was such that I was better at calling up a lot of details and data that I rarely ever use, I don’t worry about it.  Why? Early on in my first responder career I was taught two important lessons.  The first lesson is that an emergency response in the field will always be somewhere on the spectrum from the ideal to the real.  As emergency responders we do the best that we can with the tools and knowledge that we have on the scene. This is what it means to move from the ideal to the real.  Remember, as first responders, our objective is keep the patient alive long enough to get to advanced medical care.  It is not our job, nor do we have the skills, to fix or heal patients.  Our job is to stabilize, comfort, and transport our patients.

To do our job well as first responders we do not need a medical education. This brings me to the second important lesson I have learned in my career as a first responder:  Pay special attention to the three big systems: circulatory, neurological and respiratory and do whatever you can do to keep them functioning.  The vast majority of injuries to people are not life threatening.  However, any significant trauma to one or more the three big systems has a high probability of being life threatening.  If a person is bleeding, stop the bleeding.  You do not need to know how to suture.  You do not need to know how long to keep pressure on an open wound.  You only need to know that you have to “plug” the hole where the bleeding is coming from.  If your patient is not breathing you don’t need to know how to do a tracheotomy.  You just need to know what to do to open her airway because if you can’t get your patient breathing she will die.  Ideal to the real.  Remember, it is not our job, nor do we have the skills, to fix or heal patients.  Our job is to keep them alive and as comfortable as possible as we get them to advanced medical care.

As first responders we will always strive to respond with the very best of our abilities.  That’s what we do.  However, the reality is that we are generalists trained to respond to a mind boggling variety of emergency situations that always happen under less than ideal conditions.  Ideally, we might want to respond in a certain way, in reality, the situation and our knowledge level will determine our response.  Therefore, it is important to remember that emergency medical responses in the field always fall somewhere on the ideal to real spectrum. Our goal is to do the best that we can with the tools and knowledge we have on the scene.

About the author:

Howard joined the fire service in 2001 to serve as chaplain of his local fire department. Twenty years later he retired as his department's deputy chief.  Howard planned to join Africa Fire Mission on a trip to Zambia but Covid interrupted those plans. He has since traveled twice to Kenya with AFM. He is regular AFM blog contributor and webinar instructor. Outside of the fire service, Howard serves as rabbi to Congregation Shirat Hayam in Duxbury MA. He also has a leadership and mental fitness coaching practice called code3leadershipcoaching.

Africa Fire Mission Supports Fire Service Development with White Papers

Africa Fire Mission Supports Fire Service Development with White Papers

by Nancy L. Moore, LISW-S, LCSW, CPCC, Executive Director and Co-Founder of AFM

It’s hard to believe that Africa Fire Mission has been working in Africa for over a decade. Since 2012, we have been working closely to provide training and consultation to the Fire Service in Africa. While our largest program is in Kenya, we have also worked directly in Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia. We have provided consultation or equipment in other countries across Africa as well.

As we support the fire service, we continue to look for ways that we can grow our impact. Our next step in supporting the African fire service in developing communities is by providing more advocacy resources that will help leaders in Africa to be able to support a well functioning fire service. In order to support our advocacy efforts, AFM is drafting white papers to help provide quality information for African leaders to support decision making with developing programs, making equipment purchases or accepting used equipment donations.

All too often AFM has seen situations when fire service leaders know what they need and have a hard time articulating the need or justifying the costs of quality programs and equipment to the government officials making the budgetary decisions. Our hope is to provide quality information that is designed to support these advocacy efforts.

Our first white paper is now available and addresses the need for a quality Breathing Apparatus Program. Let us know what you think. More importantly, please utilize the white paper as a tool for advocacy when you need support!

The Value of a Quality Breathing Apparatus Program

The Value of a Quality Breathing Apparatus Program 

Executive Summary 

Firefighters often fight fires in conditions immediately dangerous to health and life. In these circumstances, quality firefighting personal protective equipment (PPE) provides firefighters with critical protection that significantly improves firefighting effectiveness while also protecting firefighting personnel’s health and safety.  In particular, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, frequently referred to as Breathing Apparatus (BA), is a critical component of PPE that isolates the firefighters from hot and toxic gases. It is the single most beneficial piece of safety equipment for a firefighter. 

Effective firefighting operations have the essential BA equipment needed to fight fires as well as staff trained in how to use BA equipment and conduct routine maintenance to ensure its proper functioning. 

Suicide Warning Signs

by: Jeff Dill

Recognizing Suicide Warning Signs in Firefighters and EMTs 

Behavioral health is a key component of an overall firefighter health and wellness program. Unfortunately, it is a difficult subject to discuss – many factors affect a firefighter’s ability to understand when a fellow brother or sister is suffering, but that does not make it any less critical an issue.

By far, the number one comment by fire and EMS chiefs associated with departments that have suffered a loss is that they didn’t realize or recognize the warning signs that their member was displaying until after the loss had occurred.

The Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) tracks and validates FF & EMT suicides in the United States. A key component is validation: Whether we receive a confidential report, text message, or phone call of a tragic event of a suicide, confidentiality is always maintained.

FBHA has traveled across North America presenting behavioral health workshops with an emphasis on suicide awareness. Our workshops focus on warning signs and actions to take when a brother or sister is in need of help, and I’d like to share them with you here:

 Top 5 Warning Signs – Think “RAILS”

 1.     Recklessness/Impulsiveness: These might be subtle signs such as purchasing guns when a person has always been against them. Riding a motorcycle recklessly or charging into burning buildings against policy or procedure.

 2.     Anger: Suppressed anger or explosive anger from seemingly minor issues can be a dangerous sign. Displacement (directing one’s anger at someone else instead of the intended person) is often observed. Displacement is most often directed at a FF or EMT’s family.

 3.     Isolation: becoming distant from their career company around the station or volunteer firefighters who don’t participate in drills or calls as much. Members might even display isolation around their family. They lose interest in family activities.

 4.     Loss of Confidence in skills and abilities: Several FFs and EMTs have advised FBHA they lost confidence in their ability to get the job done due to concentrating on emotional or personal issues they were battling. A seasoned FF who can’t remember how put an engine in gear to pump is an example.

 5.     Sleep Deprivation: Loss of sleep can indicate stress, anxiety, PTS or several other emotional issues a member might be struggling with and not realize.

Recommendations:

 When you see someone struggling or just off their game, follow these recommendations as a starting point:

 1.     Be Proactive; Be Direct: We do this when responding to emergencies. We need to take the same approach when our brothers or sisters appear to be struggling.

 2.     Direct Questions: Remember these two questions if a member comes to you with suicidal ideations.

 a.     Do you feel like killing yourself now?

b.     Do you have a plan? 

 A “yes” to either one of these questions means you need to engage your department procedures or protocols if in the firehouse. If outside of the department then they need help immediately. NEVER leave them alone!

3.     Compassion: The theme in our workshop is: Be Direct and be compassionate. Stay in the moment when talking to them. It is the most difficult type of conversation but always speak from the heart.

 4.     Discretionary Time: If a member comes to you to talk about a difficult issue they are struggling with and you have never dealt with this type of issue, then let them know but also use discretionary time. Do not make statements just to fill a void. For example: I never realized you were struggling with this issue and I don’t have a lot of knowledge on this problem, but let me find out a little more about it and we will talk later. (If this is a crisis moment then do not leave member alone)

 5.     Walk the Walk: The number of firefighters, officers and EMTs/paramedics who help their brothers or sisters out by taking them to AA classes or counselors cannot be overstated.  They sit outside and wait until the appointment is over. Taking care of our own goes well beyond the station or fire ground.

 Posters and tip cards are available for your departments and personnel. Please contact Jeff Dill at jdill@ffbha.org for more information or visit our web page at www.ffbha.org.

Find out more about Suicide Questions and PTSD Question

Spirituality in the Fire Service

By: Rabbi Howard A Cohen (Deputy Chief, ret.) AFM Virtual Training Coordinator

I am a rabbi. For those not familiar with term, a rabbi is a person trained in Jewish law, ritual, tradition and the chief religious official of a synagogue. I’ve served congregations in Alaska, Massachusetts, Vermont, and I was a prison chaplain for five years. I was also an active firefighter for twenty years. I entered the fire service world as a department chaplain, and I retired as a deputy chief. For my well-being and spiritual health I am now an instructor for Africa Fire Mission. I share this about me so you understand that I’ve been exploring matters of spiritual health in diverse settings, especially the fire service world, for a long time. This does not make me an authority, by any means. It does, however, afford me a certain perspective on the topic of spirituality and the fire service.

Spirituality is one of those words that everyone thinks they know the meaning of but have a hard time defining. This is not surprising since how we understand spirituality is highly subjective. So for the purpose of this article, I am defining spirituality as a sense of meaningful connection to something beyond or bigger than ourselves.

For many of us in the fire service what we do is not merely a job, it is a vocation. We do what we do, and we face the challenges that we face, because it is a calling. We are called to help others and we are self-sacrificing as we do this. We train to save lives under extreme conditions. Every time we respond to an emergency we are answering a “higher” calling. 

We may not think of what we are doing as spiritual work, but in the eyes of those we help during the worst hours of their lives, our work must be spiritual because to them we are practically divine agents. Moreover, though we tend not to use words like spirituality, higher calling and holy when we are thinking and talking about our work, in my humble opinion, the fire service is nothing less than holy work.  

I’ve also observed that beyond the “holy” nature of our life saving work, there is something spiritual in the way we bond/connect with our colleagues. We trust our lives to one another.  The lives of those who we are called upon to aid depend on our ability to work together. And at the end of a day of soul wrenching experiences, we cry, hug, and support one another.  We do this because we have a spiritual connection to one another.

In the fire service there is a lot of talk these days about emotional wellbeing. What’s the difference between emotional wellbeing and spiritual health? I suggest that emotional wellbeing is about cultivating a frame of mind, which can broaden your outlook and help you to connect to something larger or beyond yourself. Emotional wellbeing involves accepting and exploring who you are, enhancing your inner resources to reduce stress and maintain a positive outlook on life, and awareness and acceptance of the way that you feel. On the other hand, spirituality and spiritual health are about actively seeking meaningful connections with something larger or beyond yourself which can result in positive emotions and personal growth. At the risk of oversimplification, another way to explain the difference is that spirituality starts with looking outward, while emotional wellbeing starts with looking inward.  Nevertheless, they are deeply integrated and, in fact, reinforce one another.

Unfortunately, the daily challenges of being in the fire service take their toll on us. Newness and adrenaline only carries us so far. Eventually after so many encounters with fires, car crashes, accidents, damaged bodies, and death what began as a calling starts to give way to the feeling that it is just a grunt of a job. What is happening is that the demand of the profession is slowly chipping away at our spiritual health.  The nature of being a firefighter not only brings us into direct contact with much trauma and tragedy, but the need to act, not feel, requires that we put our feelings aside.  

Over time, as we become habituated to not processing our emotions, our emotional wellbeing and spiritual health begin to suffer. Left unchecked, this leads to “burn out” and/or secondary traumatic stress that will impact our health and relationships. Our work will start to feel meaningless.  The connections to our colleagues will start to fray.  We are literally becoming dispirited.

As dire as this sounds, there is good news.  There are numerous ways to regain and sustain spiritual health.  Here are several practices you can incorporate into your daily life to strengthen both your spiritual well being and emotional health.  While I can’t say any one of these is necessarily better than the other, I’ve listed them in order of my personal preference.  

1) Develop a strong sense of gratitude:  This can be as simple as making a point of expressing gratitude every day to the many people with whom you come into contact. Take a little time every day to reflect on all of the work others do for you. Express gratitude for them to yourself. Let them know how grateful you are as well.  

2) Embrace rituals:  The life of a firefighter is filled with important daily safety tasks that need to be done.  Embrace these tasks as sacred rituals. As you go through your checklist, visualize how this connects you to your colleagues and what might happen to them if you didn’t do this task right.

3) Foster empathy for others. Develop empathy by paying close attention to the people who surround you.  Expand the empathy you feel for those you know to encompass those you haven't met.

4)  Invest in your Relationships: Invest time and energy into the people who love you and whom you love.  

5)  Meditate and/or Pray:  Work on your spiritual health by questioning, affirming, and revising your beliefs. Drill down on troubling thoughts, don't hide them from yourself. Share them with someone you trust, and discuss your concerns together.

 Throughout this article I’ve used terminology that is evocative of organized religion.  While spirituality may incorporate elements of religion, they are not the same thing, nor are they entirely distinct from one another.  Religion is about following a prescribed set of rules, traditions, or beliefs.  Spirituality is entirely subjective and can be defined in just about any way you want. Some people choose to express their spirituality by keeping the aspects of traditional religion that they enjoy, like the practice of prayer or a belief in God.  This is fine.  Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way to seek out spiritual meaning. It will be different for each individual.

About the Author

Howard retired from the Bennington Fire Dept as a deputy chief.  He spends a lot of time writing and teaching various aspects of firefighting.  He religiously works out every morning, doing a mix of high intensity interval training (HiiT), dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells and cycling. When he is not doing something for the fire service or working out he is the rabbi of two small congregations.

Skills Leaders Incorporate During Team Building

By: Frank Montes de Oca

Recently, I focused a post on common traits that good leaders demonstrate. It listed characteristics common to leaders who strive to build strong, effective teams. To recap those traits are:

1. Recognize People

2. Respect Employees

3. Communicate Effectively

4. Possess Integrity

5. Provide Ongoing Feedback

Now, let’s aim attention on skills that leaders should incorporate in their continuing team building efforts. Assessing and Monitoring the Climate: How do you know your team is forming at an acceptable pace? How do you know when your team is ready to answer the challenges of delivering emergency services? If you’re not constantly assessing and determining individual and collective progress, you won’t. The steps below outline a basic approach to assessing team development and can be modified to meet the needs of the team and its members.

Step 1: Develop (or copy) a set of guidelines or standards that are achievable and measurable.

Step 2: Make sure the guidelines or standards are relevant to your team’s mission.

Step 3: Train team members individually and collectively to the standards.

Step 4: Assess members individually and the team as a whole.

Step 5: Share the team assessment outcome with all team members.

NOTE: Communicate throughout the process to ensure no one is left behind and a sense of ownership or buy-in is present throughout the team. Some departments are managed by standards, guidelines and rules developed by others outside the department or unit. Some might have been developed years ago. To ensure relevance, make sure the guidelines are up-to-date to meet the challenges of the community. Showing Trust in Your People. In the life safety business, it’s understandable to be cautious of taking everything on face value. It is human nature; somewhat of a self-preservation practice to question. There’s a saying that serves supervisors and team leaders well: Trust and verify. That is trust people or groups, but for the sake of safety, check every once in a while to make sure the facts are what they appear to be. Regardless of how you manage to certify the accuracy of the statement or claim, demonstrating trust, confidence in and support of your people is an integral practice for leaders. Ensuring a Respectful Workplace.

This attribute was mentioned in the last blog and is #2 above. This takes it a step further by requiring all members to demonstrate respect for each other and every community member with whom they interact. Regardless of gender, age or personal beliefs, it is integral to an effective team that respect is practiced at all levels. Enforcing Accountability and Fairness

Providing emergency services requires a relationship between the responder, his/her supervisor and the citizens served. To ensure the service rendered is of the quality expected, all members must be accountable for their actions. To achieve this the unit leader holds himself/herself to the established standards and in turn holds all members accountable for their actions as well. The peak of the team’s development occurs when team members hold each other accountable. Duties should be assigned based on fairness and the individual abilities of those assigned. As soon as favoritism is witnessed or suspected, a breakdown in unit cohesiveness occurs. Therefore, to prevent this all assignments, assessments and training must be distributed equally and fairly.

Communicating, Managing and Sharing Expectations The underlying message in this post is communication. When managers and supervisors maintain an open, two-way communication loop, unit effectiveness thrives. Members want to know what is expected of them. And in turn they expect their supervisors to know and respect what they expect. This level of honesty and openness builds teams who operate with resiliency, pride and effectiveness.

Go forth and lead!

Frank Montes de Oca served as a firefighter/paramedic for over 38 years finishing his career as a fire chief and emergency services director at three departments. His focus continues to be first responder development, team building and firefighter safety and survival. Chief Montes de Oca can be reached at frm1@me.com. Visit his website www.responder1.org to find information and training programs focused on first responder safety, survival and leadership development.

Growing Community Fire Prevention Programs

Growing Community Fire Prevention Programs - AFM’s first annual Fire Prevention Competition!

January 1, 2023

by: Nancy L. Moore, Executive Director

When my husband, Dave, and I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya in 2012 we immediately began to see the dangers of fires that are a reality of life in Africa. When we learned in 2014 that many firefighters in Zambia didn’t know the basics of fire prevention and fire safety we knew we had to do something.

From our partners at Missions of Hope International and CMF International we learned about Community Health Evangelism or Community Health Education and realized that there was very little education for developing communities on fire prevention and fire safety. So we worked together with firefighters in Africa, community members in Kenya and AFM’s American firefighter volunteers to develop a curriculum that would be culturally appropriate for developing communities.

We have trained thousands of firefighters and community volunteers in using our curriculum and have been able to track results as fire services in Africa report that communities that have received training call the fire brigade sooner in cases of fire outbreaks and that they have a better understanding of how the fire service works and what firefighters need from the community in order to do their job. In 2022, firefighters and community volunteers reported more than 520,000 people were educated in fire prevention and fire safety through training activities, community walks and fire prevention week activities. Through public television and radio more than 13 million people were received life saving fire safety education.

With more than 1 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa - there are many more people to reach with these important life safety lessons.

In 2023 AFM has launched an initiative to reach more people by encouraging training and reporting that training through our first annual Fire Prevention Competition. We will have 4 categories for participation:

• Individual Volunteer - someone who is not paid for trainings that they are providing.

• Individual Paid - someone doing this as a part of their job, in the fire service, private or public sector.

• Fire Brigade (paid firefighters this could be a recognition for the whole fire department what they submit across all shifts, etc).

• Groups- organization or informal group (this could be firefighters or community members that are not getting paid to do the trainings and are doing it on their own time)

Trainings reported and taking place from November 20, 2022- November 1, 2023 will be considered. For the competition, trainings must take place in Africa. Participants in the competition may use the Africa Fire Mission curriculum as a guide for what training content to include: https://www.africafiremission.org/fire-safety-curriculum

The requirements to be considered include:

1. Submit training documentation to Africa Fire Mission via this form: https://www.africafiremission.org/fire-safety-training-reporting

2. Submit pictures of the training to info@africafiremission.org

Submission reviews to determine winners of the competition:

• Africa Fire Mission will review the all of the submitted training reports for quality of training as well as number of persons trained.

• Training photos will also be reviewed and AFM should be able to tell what content is being taught through the photos evidence.

• Trainings may be done formally (for instance a classroom setting or community gathering) or informally community walk, media interviews)

Winners will be announced at the closing of the Kenya Fire EMS Symposium and Competition 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya, November 2023. Winners will also receive recognition on AFM social media and AFM’s monthly newsletter. A certificate will be issued to the winners as well as a gift (yet to be determined).

Please note: Individuals training together are considered a group, please have one person from the group submit the reports and list the name of the group with the training report. Duplicate trainings will be combined as one training report. If there are participants from multiple countries, awards may be issued by country. AFM staff will not be considered as part of the competition. AFM holds the full decision making over the winners of the competition.

After Action Review

By: Rabbi Howard A Cohen (Deputy Chief, ret.) AFM Virtual Training Coordinator

An important, but often overlooked, training tool is the after-action review, sometimes called a debriefing.  An after-action review (AAR), or debriefing, is a discussion of an event for the purpose of examining what happened, why it happened, what, if any, improvements could be made, and who needs to know what was learned?  

After-action reviews were originally developed by the United States Army and are now used in many different industries, including the fire service, hospitals and sports teams.  Studies demonstrate that AARs have a demonstrable positive impact on the culture of organizations that utilize them.  They increase trust among team members; improve ability to deliver services; and improve safety on the scene.

The AAR is an important component in creating a culture of positive change within a department. AAR debriefs, whether structured and formal (appropriate after a large complex event) or informal, encourage a candid critique and evaluation of a crew’s strengths and areas in need of improvement.  The key to successfully using the AAR is that it is done after every incident, no matter how small or seemingly routine.  As we know, any call, no matter how routine it may seem, has the potential to turn into something life threatening.  Thus, something innocuous learned in one AAR, might very well be instrumental in avoiding something serious in a future incident.

One reason why AAR is so effective is that it takes the ego out of evaluating an incident.  AAR is not about finger pointing, judging, or critiquing individuals. There is no rank and everyone gets to speak.  While there are different ways to organize an AAR, the original model structured around five specific and open-ended questions is arguably still the best.  The five questions of the AAR are: What was our intention;  What went well;  What could have gone better;  What should we have done differently; Who needs to know.  Let’s take a closer look at each of these five questions.

What was our intention with our actions?  Was the call something we could have anticipated and planned for?  Did we have an action plan for this kind of call?  If so, did we follow it?  If not, should we develop one?  What were our expectations and how did we prepare ourselves for this kind of call?  Was what we expected different than what we encountered?

What went well?  What actually happened?  Consider the incident from all the different perspectives.  Who did what?  What tools were involved?  What outcomes were achieved?

What could have gone better?  What additional training do we need?

What should we have done differently?  Any unanticipated problems?  How was our situational awareness?  Were risks and hazards recognized?  Do we need to change our policies and procedures for this kind of call?

Who needs to know?  Who needs to know what was learned from the AAR?  How do you share what was learned?

If you are ready to institute AAR into your department there are six steps to take.  First, write standard operating policies/guidelines (SOPs/Gs) that document the purpose of AAR and how it is to be done. Second, make sure to provide training to department members who will most likely be the ones leading AARs.  Third, support open communication by providing a safe place where the firefighters can talk freely and without fear of judgment.  Fourth, make sure that there is time for an AAR.  Fifth, make sure that there is a process for recommending policy and training updates based on AAR feedback.  And the sixth and final step is to make sure that there is a way for communicating AAR findings to everybody in the organization.  This last step not only shows that the process has positive effects, but that the information gleaned from an AAR might also save someone’s life at the next call.

If your department does not yet have an AAR practice, this is the perfect time to start one.  AARs promote organizational safety and improve performance.  Every incident now becomes a learning opportunity. In the fire service, enhanced performance is measured by lives and property saved and the well being of the first responders.

Fire Prevention Activities Grow in Kenya

When Dave and Nancy , Co-Founders of Africa Fire Mission, went to Kenya in November 2012. One of the things that surprised them was the lack of knowledge around fire prevention and fire safety. In the US, children start to learn about fire safety in Pre-School and fire prevention messages and what to do in case of fire are integrated into school and work for many Americans. In most of Africa we have learned that there is very little education around fire prevention or fire safety.

As soon as Dave saw the gap he invited the Nairobi Fire Service to come to Missions of Hope International (AFM’s first partner) to teach the teachers a little about fire prevention. Stop, Drop and Roll, Crawling Under Smoke (Get Low and Get Out), how to call the fire department and how to use a fire extinguisher were among the first lessons taught. That first fire prevention session in Nairobi had about 30 participants - since then AFM has been growing our fire prevention program through curriculum and a train the trainer model through CHE (Community Health Education).

This October, Kenya participated in Fire Prevention week - at least 10 counties participated and more than 40,000 individuals received direct training in fire prevention! Children and adults conducted fire drills in their schools and businesses. Firefighters went into their communities and shared safety messages in churches, schools, businesses and anywhere that people gathered!

Indirectly, the impact was pretty great too! There were walks to raise awareness and media campaigns to share the work! Millions were impacted indirectly through these collaborations!

At Africa Fire Mission we are committed to continue to increase the impact of fire prevention and safety to save lives! It is important to our mission just as training firefighters. Our curriculum is available for free on our website - check it out here: Fire Safety Curriculum and we’d love for those using our curriculum to report their training experiences here: Report

To all the firefighters in Kenya that are spreading the message of fire safety - Asante Sana (thank you!) We can’t want to see the multiplication continue in Kenya and across all of Africa!

Incident Command: Coordinating with limited resources

By: Chief Mike Kull

In a perfect world, every time our Fire Brigade receives a call for service, we will have all the manpower we need and all of the necessary equipment available at a moment’s notice.  Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world and no matter where you are serving as a firefighter, there will be times that you will not have all of the resources you may need to properly respond.  So, what do we do to prepare for those times when we don’t have everything we THINK we NEED?

            The first step is for us to do an HONEST review of our available resources and manpower from our own fire station.  What is the lowest number of firefighters we have available to respond?  What equipment do we have that will be available and in good working order order for EVERY call?  This is where we start our preparation and training.  If we can only expect to have two firefighters available to respond to a call for service, we can make that work!  As we train at our stations, we train with only two firefighters performing tasks that we will be expected to do at an emergency.  We continue training and practicing as a two-person team until EVERYONE can complete all tasks with only two people.  Now, if we respond to an incident and we have more than two firefighters available, it will make the tasks go quicker and easier.  While we are practicing and training, we will be sure to use the equipment that we will have available and in good working order for every call.  We will be sure to properly MAINTAIN that equipment so that it is always available and in good working order.  If we then have other equipment available to us at an incident it will, again, make our jobs quicker and easier.

            Once we have become very good at working with low manpower and minimum equipment, our next step is to become familiar with other resources.  Is there another Fire Station or Brigade near-by that can bring more firefighters or other equipment?  If so, it is important to take the time to visit with those other firefighters and to practice and train with them as well. They may not always be available when you call them for help, but you will be familiar with them and their equipment if they do arrive to help.

            Now that we have become well trained with our own firefighters and our own equipment as well as with the available resources from nearby firefighters, we must look for other places to find the resources we need.  Are there police officers at the incident that can help us control the crowd or traffic nearby?  Are there members of the COMMUNITY that can assist us with tasks that do not put them in danger?  Is there a nearby business that may have tools or equipment that could be useful?  Are there hand tools that are not designed for firefighting that we may be able to use?  Can we build our own tools out of resources available nearby?

            All of this takes place BEFORE we are called to service.  It is important to identify the types of emergencies that we will be called to.  Then we must try to learn what equipment and resources we will need to help out at that emergency. We can PRE-PLAN what we will need so that we can practice those skills with our limited manpower and equipment and learn how to be successful. 

            In order to become a Fire Brigade that can perform well with limited resources we must practice and train often within our own Fire Stations and also those nearby.  We must utilize resources available in our community and we must find ways to use tools and equipment that are available to us to perform our jobs as firefighters. We must know the types of emergencies we will be called to and what resources we will need.  As we practice and train with very limited resources we become very good at our jobs and we can perform even better as more resources are found or arrive to help.

 About the Author:

Chief Mike Kull is a Fire Chief in rural Pennsylvania and successfully deals with limited resources on every call. He has been serving his local community for 25 years. Chief Kull serves as Fire Chief and Administrator of his local volunteer fire department as well as serving as a local elected official and has served in various government roles for his entire career. He is also a Forest Fire Warden with the PA Bureau of Forestry and serves on his church council.

Basic Troubleshooting for Petrol Powered Engines

By: Chief Mike Kull

Power tools can increase the ability of firefighters to perform their required tasks at emergency incidents and help to protect lives and property. Your petrol powered tools must be properly maintained. They must be started and run until the engine is warm on a regular basis. There will be times that you will not be able to get the engine started. Here are some basics to check when troubleshooting an engine that will not start.

Petrol powered equipment is very similar to the fires that we fight.  A fire requires three things in order to burn: Heat, Fuel and Oxygen.  In the same way, a petrol engine requires those same three things: Spark (Heat), Petrol (Fuel) and Air (Oxygen).  If a petrol engine will not run the first steps to fixing it requires checking those three things.

Spark (Heat):

The first thing to check is if the engine has spark.  To check this, you must remove the spark plug.  A look at the spark plug will tell you something about the engine’s performance.  If the spark plug is wet and black, there may be too much fuel (Rich).  If the spark plug is brown, there may be too much air (Lean).  Clean and dry the spark plug and check the gap of the electrode.  The correct gap is usually about the thickness of a thin coin.  After cleaning and setting the gap, be sure the top of the spark plug is firmly set into the spark plug wire and hold the bottom metal end of the spark plug against the metal of the engine block.  Pull the starting rope of the engine and watch to see if the plug is generating a spark.  If not try cleaning and resetting the gap.  If it still does not spark, replace the plug.  If there is still no spark, this indicates a bigger problem with the engine than we are discussing in this post.  If there is a spark, it is time to move on to the next item to check.

Fuel (Petrol):

The first thing to check is how fresh the fuel is.  It is always a good idea to empty the fuel tank and replace with freshly purchased fuel.  While the fuel tank is empty, look to see if it contains any dirt or debris and clean the tank if necessary.  Next, it is important to check the fuel filter.  Some small engines may not have a fuel filter.  If there is a fuel filter, look at it’s condition.  Is it filled with dirt and debris?  Can the fuel flow through the filter?  If not, the fuel filter must be replaced.  If installing a new fuel filter, be sure to check if there is an arrow indicating the correct direction of fuel flow and install properly.  It is also important to check the condition of the fuel lines (hoses) to make sure there are no leaks or clogs.  A final, more advanced component to check is the carburetor.  Many times, an engine that has not run for a while will have varnish or clogs in the carburetor blocking the fuel jets and preventing fuel from flowing through the carburetor.  If you disassemble the carburetor, be careful not to damage any gaskets and count the number of turns that it takes to remove any components so that you can return them to the same settings when you reassemble.  Also check that the floats inside the carburetor can move freely and are not filled with fuel.

Air (Oxygen):

The final component required for an engine to run is air.  Check the air filter.  You should be able to see a light shining through the air filter.  If the filter is covered in dirt and debris, clean the filter by gently brushing it off, being careful not to damage the filter material.  If necessary, replace the filter.  If the air filter is made of foam and you can not purchase a replacement filter, you may be able to make a new one.  Foam can be cut to the size of the original to use if necessary.  Be sure that the foam is not too dense to allow air to flow through.  Also be sure that the foam you use is not falling apart, allowing pieces of the filter to be drawn into the engine.  The other item to check with air is the choke.  Be sure that the choke lever is connected and working properly to restrict the flow of air when starting a cold engine and opens to allow in more air when the engine is running.

Starting the Engine:

When attempting to start a cold engine, be sure to fully close the choke.  Set the engine’s throttle to the starting position and pull the starting rope.  As soon as you hear the engine try to start or sputter, open the choke.  The engine should start in the next few pulls.

Flooded Engine:

Sometimes when an engine will not start it is because the engine has gotten too much fuel (flooded).  This happens when the choke is left on after the engine first begins to fire.  There are two ways to tell if the engine is flooded.  The first is if you smell petrol.  A flooded engine will have a strong smell of petrol.  The second way to check for a flooded engine is to remove and examine the spark plug.  If the spark plug is wet with petrol, it is most likely flooded.  Dry the plug and try again.  

If the engine does get flooded, it can usually be started by opening the choke fully, opening the throttle all the way and pulling the starter rope until the engine starts.  (This may take many, many pulls.)  Sometimes a flooded engine can be started after sitting for a few hours to allow the excess fuel to evaporate.

Other Simple Causes:

There are two other simple things that should not be overlooked.  If the engine has an On/Off Switch, be sure the switch is set to the On position.  Second, some petrol engine’s have a low oil shut off switch.  Ensure that the engine has the proper amount of oil.

These were some of the most common causes of problems found in petrol powered engines and a quick overview of how to begin to get an engine running.  Proper care and maintenance of an engine will prevent many of these problems in the future. 

About the Author:

Chief Mike Kull has been serving his local community in rural Pennsylvania for 25 years. Chief Kull serves as Fire Chief and Administrator of his local volunteer fire department as well as serving as a local elected official and has served in various government roles for his entire career. He is also a Forest Fire Warden with the PA Bureau of Forestry and serves on his church council.

Five Traits of Good Leadership

by F. R. Montes de Oca, EFO, MESH, CPM

In October I am presenting  two back-to-back lessons simply titled “Leadership”. So, to kick it off, I thought I would submit a few words to give the sessions context and background.  Often we focus on the negatives associated with leadership, especially poor leadership. So here are a few traits that reflect on the positives of leadership for you to ponder.

Recognize People 

Those of us who aspire to be “good” leaders often recognize early on that their team members and direct reports are invaluable in the positive outcomes of almost all professional endeavors we undertake. Have we witnessed a leader thanking his or her members with a simple, hand-written note highlighting an action that exemplifies the “service to others”? I’m not talking about a rescue under adverse conditions or a save at a medical call – just a simple display of actions above and beyond, such as stopping to assist a stranded motorist.  Although the act may not rise to the level of a citation or medal, a short note citing the action written by the chief or commanding officer oftentimes is priceless.  

Respect Employees

I have had the honor of working with volunteer firefighters and support members in three departments throughout my career. Suffice it to say, I learned early on that although we normally can’t offer pay or raises to volunteers the alternative is to provide a healthy dose of respect for their selfless dedication to their community. Recognition and respect are integral in developing a loyal, committed response team. 

Communicate Effectively

My personal communication practice is to over-communicate until I start getting feedback that there is too much communicating.  In my career, I seldom received that feedback. It is often: “I don’t hear anything from the puzzle palace.”, or “We’re never brought into the loop until it’s all over!’ These complaints are present in large and small, volunteer and career organizations alike. The complaints are often based on employees and volunteers who wish to be involved, informed and have some control over their lives. There is no excuse for not keeping everyone informed by utilizing every medium you have at your disposal to the greatest extent possible. Without getting into too many details and notwithstanding the intricacies of departmental policies perhaps consider:

• Placing bulletin boards in all common areas – including bathrooms. 

• Establish and support internal communication committees.

• Open up your calendar for a weekly (monthly?) “Coffee (tea) with the boss”.

• Host a blog with contributions by staff members.

• Establishing shift and crew daily activity dashboards.

• Establishing shift and unit information officers to feed into the department blog.

Possess Integrity

Integrity is like trust.  You deposit into your integrity account regularly until you’ve built up a balance.  But the minute you violate this effort by act or omission, your integrity (and trust) balance drops to zero. Leaders who communicate and act in ways that attempt to undermine or control the rank and file, often possess integrity balances of zero.  Promise one thing and deliver another?  Zero integrity account balance.  Communicate an intention, but fail to deliver?  Zero integrity account balance. Making excuses that don’t add up?  Zero integrity account balance.

Provide Ongoing Feedback

This trait is closely associated with communicating effectively. A good leader would be hard-pressed to provide feedback without effectively communicating.  No matter how high we rise in an organization, as humans we all need and appreciate feedback – especially the positive kind.  But feedback of any flavor helps us to understand if we are accomplishing the wishes or needs of our manager, the community and our subordinates.  Providing feedback helps to highlight the roadmap that has been set out for us.  So, too is the regular, timely feedback we provide members that assists them in staying on track, on schedule and within the boundaries of our unit and/or agency.

I recall working for a manager who spent more time politicking and schmoozing his bosses than leading.  His method of feedback was, “I don’t give ongoing feedback.  I’ll just let you know when you screw-up.  Until then, you can assume you’re doing okay.” The balance of his integrity and trust accounts always ran in the red. Can you imagine running a fire agency that way? It happens more often that not. Often you can see it in the faces of the members and their actions. 

Utilizing the brief, and far from comprehensive list of ideas in the Communicating Effectively section above, providing feedback to all who report to you (and those who you report to) can and should become a ritual that is another tool in your leadership toolbox.

Fire departments are living, breathing organisms made up of those who wish to serve, have meaning in their lives and feel proud of their accomplishments.  Those who lead from a perspective of trust and integrity will witness their organizations becoming a vital and successful asset to their community.  

Go forth and lead!

About the author:
Frank Montes de Oca served as a firefighter/paramedic for over 38 years. Throughout his career he has been involved in training, managing and developing firefighter safety, leadership and organizational change. Chief Montes de Oca He can be reached at frm1@me.com or www.responder1.org.

My Tools

By Edward Collet, Jackson Township Fire Department Firefighter/EMT, Ohio; Ohio Fire Chiefs

In the fire service we use many different types of equipment to carry out our duties of protecting life and property.  It is impossible to know exactly which ones we will need on any given call, meaning every piece of equipment on the apparatus and in the station must be in good working condition. Part of having equipment in good working condition is knowing the important specifications like fuel type and blade speed for saws, lifting capacity for airbags, length of pike poles, and weight of axes just to name a few.  Not only will this level of knowledge allow us to properly maintain our tools but it lets us select the best tool for the job. 

How equipment is kept is a direct reflection of the professionalism and pride of each fire department and firefighter.  One of my favorite examples of keeping equipment in good working condition is the saw.  Saws make firefighters more efficient and effective in serving the community, but only if they work.  Whether ventilating a roof, forcing a roll-up door, or cutting locks to gain entry there are other tools to accomplish the task but they are slower and require more physical exertion than saws.  When I am at work the saws on the truck are my saws.  I do not own the saws, the community provided them to the fire department, but when I am working they are mine to execute the duties the community expects of me.

 I make sure they are clean and in proper working condition.  It does not matter how other firefighters view the tools, I view them as mine and my responsibility for the time I have been trusted with them.  Have I come in to find filthy saws that would not start with blades not capable of cutting a newspaper, absolutely.  Just because someone else left it in poor condition does not give me permission to leave it that way.  It is about having pride in the job and ownership of your tools and actions.   Retired Lewisville, Texas Chief Rick Lasky wrote a book dedicated to having pride and ownership in the job.  For someone to invest the time and effort to produce a book on a topic it must be important.  Back to my saws.  The first thing I check is the fuel, without it the saw will not run.  Then I check the bar oil on the chainsaw and the condition of the blade.  If the blade is damaged I replace it.  Not only will a damaged blade not perform effectively, but it is also dangerous.  After that I clean the saw.  This give me the chance to have a close look at every part and identify damage which was covered by dirt and grime.   Finally, I start the saw to make sure it will run properly.   Over time, doing this has provided me with a great understanding of how the saws operate making me more effective at using them during fireground operations.   Did this take effort, yes.  Did I have to ask a lot of questions to senior firefighters and do research on my own, yes.  Did it take away time from holding down a recliner, again yes.  Most importantly did it increase my knowledge of the saws and ability to use them, absolutely. 

Keeping tools in good working order is not limited to power tools.  Hand tools must be inspected regularly.   Cleaning tools provides an opportunity to make a careful inspection to find damage.   Dirty tools are often broken tools since dirt hides damage.  Having hand tools in good working condition on the apparatus is a critical backup for our power tools.  Even with diligent maintenance and care, sometimes power tools do not start or work properly.  When this happens, it is time to grab the hand tools.  As the saying goes, an ax will always start.  The ax may start, but if the head flies off the handle it does little good at the emergency scene.  Simply making a policy to keep all the tools once a week makes sure they are ready for service and look good. 

Just as important as keeping tools in good repair is knowing when certain maintenance activities are beyond our skills.  I am able to work on a saw or secure an ax head to the handle, but when the heavy hydraulic extrication tools are not working properly I know the factory technical needs to be called.  Some of the tools we carry are very specifically engineered and complex, requiring them to be serviced by a trained technician.  We may have all the good intentions of getting a tool back in service and saving money by attempting repairs but in the end it may cost more to get it repaired properly or buy a replacement if it is not properly repaired.   Losing the use of a tool because it was not serviced by a properly trained technician is a disservice to the community.  It may cost more to get a tool properly serviced but it will save money in the long run and ensure the tool is functioning to serve the community.

A master craftsman would never imagine not having clean tools in perfect working condition.  As firefighters we are masters of our craft and must maintain our tools as such.  The most intelligent, strong, and skilled firefighter cannot proficiently service his or her community if tools are working and on the apparatus.

Introduction to the Principles of Emergency First Aid

By Howard Cohen

Not all firefighters are emergency medical technicians or paramedics, but often we are the first responders to scenes where it is necessary to provide life saving first aid.  Therefore, it is important for all firefighters to have at least a basic knowledge of first aid.  The purpose of this short article is to provide foundational principles for responding to trauma in situations where immediate life saving medical help is required.  In no way should this article be considered first aid training.  However, with the basic and limited information contained within, and no other training, you may still be able to save someone’s life.

Scene Survey: The First Task

Size up:  Regardless of your level of technical first aid training or medical knowledge, when responding to an incident that involves injuries your first task is to gather as much information as you can about the situation.  This is done through a careful size up.  It is critical that you assess the risks and dangers before rushing in to administer aid. Ask yourself, “What is trying to kill or harm me?”  Is it traffic, wildlife, fire, an unstable building, falling objects, or flooding waters? You do not want to become another casualty or cause further harm to the patient.

Number of patients:  Once you’ve made the scene safe and stable now is the time to determine how people are part of the incident.  It is easy to get fixated on patients who are calling out in pain, overlook those who are unconscious, or miss those who are not visible.  It is also easy to rush to aid a person whose injuries appear more life threatening than they are, for example someone who is bleeding from a superficial head injury, while someone else nearby has stopped breathing.

Primary Survey:  The Second Task

The primary survey is an assessment of the three main life supporting functions.  These are the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems, also known as the ABCDs.  Any problems involving one of these systems represents an immediate threat to the life of the patient and must be addressed immediately.   

ABCDs:  Once size up is completed, the scene is safe (or as safe as you can make it), and you have a sense of the number of patients needing aid,  initiate a primary survey of the patients by checking the status of the three conditions which represent an immediate threat to life.

Airway:  Check to be sure that the mouth and airway are cleared and air is actually going and out.

Blood is Circulating:  Check to make sure that blood is not pouring out and that it is circulating.

Disabled:  Check to see if the spine is stable and the central nervous system is operating normally.  Due to the limited scope of this article I will not be saying any more about injuries that involve the head, neck or spine.

Basic Life Support (BLS)

Basic life support is the immediate treatment of one of the three life threatening emergencies found during your primary survey.  The purpose of BLS is to provide temporary support to keep the patient alive while a secondary survey is conducted and/or until advanced treatment is available.

The simplest way to begin a primary survey is to ASK the patient, “How are you?” If he answers then you know that his airway is not obstructed (A), his heart is beating (B & C) and the brain is functioning (D).  If the patient does not respond or responds in an unusual way you will need to look more closely.  

Airway:

Airway problems are a result of an obstruction to the pharynx or larynx.  The obstruction can be complete or partial.  A complete obstruction is rapidly fatal, but can be effectively and dramatically treated by clearing the airway.  There are various ways an airway can become obstructed such as from vomit, a foreign object or swelling caused from trauma, an irritant or allergic reaction.  It is imperative that you clear the airway but you must do so without causing any additional harm to the patient.

Breathing:

It is possible for a person to have an open airway but still have difficulty breathing.  This can be the result of an injury to the brain, spinal cord or diaphragm.  The method for assisting a patient with breathing when more advanced medical care is not available is called positive pressure ventilation or artificial respiration (mouth to mouth).  The rate of inflation should be about 12 breaths per minute or one every 5 seconds.  Breaths should be about 1 to 1.5 seconds.  Faster breaths can force air into the stomach which can lead to vomiting.

Bleeding & Circulation:

Uninterrupted circulation of blood is essential to staying alive.  There are essentially two kinds of disruption to the circulation of blood that you can address as a first responder:  cardiac arrest and bleeding.  Cardiac arrest means the heart has stopped beating.  While doing your primary survey if you discover that the patient has no pulse it means her heart has stopped beating and she is in cardiac arrest.  It is important to note that under adverse situations, or if the patient is in shock, it can be hard to find a pulse.  The carotid pulse is the strongest to feel and easiest to access.  It is found on either side of the larynx in the neck.  If there is no carotid pulse, the heart is not beating. CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the only treatment for cardiac arrest.  Even with hands-on training, it has limited potential to restore and sustain life.

The second kind of disruption to circulation is caused by a major loss of blood.  Blood loss must be controlled as a part of BLS.  Bleeding can be internal and both hard to identify and stop, or external, but not necessarily obvious.  Addressing internal bleeding is beyond the scope of this article and most first responders in the field.  External bleeding is controlled by direct pressure over the bleeding site with your hand, but preferably with a cloth or bandage.  This is not to absorb the blood.  It is to provide even pressure across the wound.  Expect to apply direct pressure for 10 or more minutes.  If the bleeding is not stopping, remove the bandage and check for the source of blood and then reposition your hand.  

There is no easy rule for deciding when bleeding is severe.  A rule of thumb is that if it looks like a lot of blood, then it probably is.  However, it is worth noting that severe  bleeding can be missed if the patient is wearing a lot of clothing or the blood is absorbed into the ground around the patient.

Conclusion:

When it comes to developing first aid skills, like all skills a firefighter needs to master, training and practice are essential.  At the same time, it is important to read about the principles and theories undergirding these skills.  However, there is no substitute for training and practice.

References:  

The Outward Bound Wilderness First-Aid Handbook; Jeff Isaac & Peter Goth.

The Field Guide of Wilderness & Rescue Medicine; Jim Morrissey & David Johnson.

Opening an Unconscious Patient’s Airway with a Manual Manipulation:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AifzmrpA7ao

https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr

About the Author

Howard retired from the Bennington Fire Dept as a deputy chief.  He spends a lot of time writing and teaching various aspects of firefighting.  He religiously works out every morning, doing a mix of high intensity interval training (HiiT), dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells and cycling. When he is not doing something for the fire service or working out he is the rabbi of two small congregations.

Driving Fire Apparatus to Preserve Life and Property

By Edward Collet, Jackson Township Fire Department Firefighter/EMT, Ohio; Ohio Fire Chiefs

Driving the fire apparatus is a great privilege and responsibility.  It is probably the least considered way firefighters protect lives and property.  Everyone has visions of a firefighter racing to the emergency scene, heroically rescuing victims and bravely dousing the inferno.  That is the way most people see firefighters saving lives and property.  Rarely does the image of a firefighter professionally and respectfully driving to an emergency scene, or anywhere for that matter, come to people’s mind when considering saving lives and preserving property.  In reality, it is driving where the fire service can have the biggest impact on the community. 

Think of how many fires and true emergencies a department responds to compared to the number of kilometers its apparatus drives in a year.  If your department is anything like mine, there are many, many more kilometers traveled than blazes fought. 

Property is preserved whenever a firefighter drives defensively and with due regard.  The fire apparatus entrusted to you by your community may be one of if not the single biggest investment it has made.  You are responsible for it being returned from your care in the same condition it was given to you.  It is possible to give it back in better condition by making sure it is clean, well maintained, and everything is working properly.  Showing the pride you have in the community’s property entrusted to you will help develop the community’s pride in the fire department. 

 Having an accident which damages the property of a community member and prevents the fire department from going to the emergency does not generate goodwill and pride for the fire department. It does just the opposite, the community will be mad at the fire department. Not only did they not do the job expected of them, they caused additional damage to the community.

As a driver you are entrusted with the lives of so many people: your brother and sister firefighter in the apparatus, every member of the community you pass, and your own.  I have talked and written about the responsibility a driver has to get his crew safely to and from an emergency scene and the responsibility not to harm the public as we go down the road on many occasions. We forget about ourselves.  As a driver we are responsible for getting ourselves back and forth to an emergency safely.  How would you feel if you could no longer perform your job and provide for your family because of a career ending injury caused by you driving less than professionally.  Or worse, you do not come home because you became a line of duty death statistic. Driving safely and professionally is a selfish endeavor, I want a long and fruitful career and to go home to my family at the end of every shift.  Unlike most things, everyone benefits from this selfish action. 

There are so many variables at an emergency we have little or no influence over, but getting there and back we have much more control over.  Drive with courtesy, respect, and professionalism and the community will see you are concerned for protecting their lives and property. Remember, if we become an emergency it is impossible to fix the original one we were called to. 

Firefighter Physical Fitness

By: Howard Cohen

I am not fitness trainer.  I am not an athlete.  I have not participated in any sort of organized competitive sport for nearly forty years.  I am just a person who unabashedly believes in the importance of physical fitness for everyone, but especially firefighters.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s face it:  firefighting is a dangerous and physically demanding job.  Firefighters operate in harsh and challenging environments, use heavy, hard to handle tools, and wear many kilos of protective gear.  To successfully do our jobs we need to keep ourselves in great shape.  This means that we must take care of ourselves through proper nutrition and hydration, physical exercise, and sufficient rest. This is what is minimally required to properly and safely perform our jobs.

If you stop and think about it, what is the one “tool” every firefighter uses at every call? It’s our body.  We depend on our bodies for all aspects of firefighting.  In this sense, fire fighters are like elite athletes.  While we may not have to jump, sprint or throw a ball, we are, however, often required to crawl, drag or haul awkward shaped heavy objects in extreme heat conditions that greatly tax our cardio vascular systems. But there are important differences too.  Elite athletes generally perform under optimal conditions. Firefighters respond to calls during the worse weather conditions. Elite athletes typically get a good night’s sleep before their big events. First responders are often woken up multiple times during the night.  Elite athletes eat a well balanced meal with regard to their upcoming sporting event.  First responders meals are often rushed, gobbled on the run or interrupted by calls.  However, the biggest difference is that for elite athletes it is all about winning or losing.  For firefighters, what’s on the line is often life or death; your’s, your fellow firefighter’s or a civilian’s.

The good news is that achieving a firefighter operational level of physical fitness is not hard. However, it does require a commitment to exercise regularly.  There are many great ways to hone your fitness level.  If you have access to youtube, search for a type of workout that appeals to you. You will discover many free options to choose from.  Ideally, your workouts will include strength training with weights or whatever heavy objects you have available to you and cardiovascular exercises, such as lunges, jumping jacks, running, climbing stairs, or any activity that gets your heart rate up. You don’t need a specific or fancy program to get in good workouts.  All you need is to make a personal commitment to move your body and get your heart pumping.  Any well rounded program will benefit you in all aspects of fitness.

There are no downsides to exercise and being physically fit, period.  Physical fitness has been shown to prevent or treat many chronic health conditions brought on by unhealthy lifestyles, it even counter acts some of the aging process.  Studies indicate that exercising regularly builds up a stronger heart and along with a healthy diet, can even reduce the risk of cancer and boost one’s immune system.  Being physically fit also helps to reduce injuries that can keep you from working.  Sometimes firefighters forget that physical fitness involves more than just working out. It also includes taking care of your body by eating well, keeping yourself well-hydrated, getting sufficient sleep, and avoiding or limiting ingesting harmful chemicals, such as alcohol, recreational drugs, or tobacco. 

The biggest obstacle to sticking with a fitness plan is boredom.  Therefore it is important for you find or create a routine that holds your interest.  Mix it up too.  Don’t do the same workout day after day.  Workout with a friend or your other brigade crew members.  Make it fun.  To the extent that your schedule permits, it is also helpful to make your fitness program a fixed and regular part of your daily routine.  Some people like to get their workouts in early in the morning.  This way no matter how the rest of the day unfolds it’s a good day because you got your workout in.  Other people like to workout at the end of the day.  This way they figure, no matter what kind of day they had they have something to look forward.  Personally, I get my workout in every morning after having two cups of black tea and reading the headlines in the paper. After my workout I’m ready for whatever is coming my way.

In conclusion, the purpose of this article is to inspire you to find and commit to a personal fitness program that excites and motivates you.  Honor your body.  After all, it is the home of your holy soul.  Now get moving and get your heart pumping!

Bio: Howard retired from the Bennington Fire Dept as a deputy chief.  He spends a lot of time writing and teaching various aspects of firefighting.  He religiously works out every morning, doing a mix of high intensity interval training (HiiT), dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells and cycling. When he is not doing something for the fire service or working out he is the rabbi of two small congregations.

Firefighter Mental Health

By Howard Cohen

Fire fighting is one of the best jobs around.  It is also one of the most dangerous.  As firefighters we train and prepare to run into burning buildings, mitigate hazardous materials, work car accidents on busy roads, and deal with angry, hostile citizens.  But we tend to not train or prepare for one of the greatest risks to our physical, emotional, and spiritual health:  Frequent exposure to traumatic events. Studies in North America show how over time the stressors associated with exposure to traumatic events pose a serious challenge to our emotional, mental, and spiritual health.  For example, a study of firefighters in the United States revealed that 46% experienced suicide ideation; 19% participated in suicide planning; and 15% attempted suicide.  In addition, studies conducted in other countries[1], including Kenya[2], also show that post-traumatic stress symptoms and illness rates among emergency services workers are significantly higher than in the general population. Firefighters every where face the same physical dangers and traumatic events.  Therefore, as studies show, firefighters worldwide also suffer higher post-traumatic stress symptoms and illness rates than the general population.  Fortunately, we have the tools to help us, and our brothers and sisters in the fire service, address the stressors that arise from encountering traumatic events.

What is a traumatic event?  A good working definition is that it is an incident that evokes a strong emotional reaction with the potential of interfering in our lives.  Unfortunately, as first responders we often hide our emotional responses to bad calls behind a mask of toughness. This means that sometimes the impact of a tough call unfolds over time.  This can make it harder for us to recognize a connection between what we experience on a call and its emotional, physical and spiritual effects on us.  It is also important to realize that not everyone’s emotional response to a call will be the same.

Stressful events produce a complex interplay of nervous, endocrine, and immune mechanisms responses.  In other words, our normal way of being is disrupted.  The fight or flight or freeze response is an example of this.  How quickly we regain our homeostasis and return to normal or typical functioning depends on how resilient we are.  Resiliency is our key to coping with stressful events.   The good news is that resiliency is a skill we can develop.  It doesn’t require any special equipment or hours of exercises.  In fact, it is the natural outcome of some very enjoyable and healthy activities.  Here are some ways to build your resilience for when you’ll need it. 

          • Eat healthy food

          • Develop hobbies and interests outside of work

          • Cultivate friendships with those whom you can speak openly and honestly

          • Nurture your spiritual life

          • Practice mindfulness such as yoga or meditation

          • Exercise

          • Relax, go on vacations

          • Be kind to yourself

          • Embrace change

          • Remind yourself that you have the most meaningful job in the world

          • Embrace healthy thoughts

          • Be open to getting help if you think you might need it.

There are many signs that we, or someone we know,  may be adversely affected by a traumatic event or an accumulation of unprocessed events.  These signs may include some or all of the following:

        •Fatigue                                            • Grief

    • Chest pains                                                   • Denial    

         • Loss of emotional control                              • Depression

        • Difficulty paying attention                            • Anger

          • Difficult making decisions                     • Change in appetite

          • Nightmares                                                   • Misuse of alcohol or drugs

          • Intrusive images                                            • Anger at God/Crisis of faith

          • Anxiety                                                         • Withdrawing from others

          • Guilt                                                            

When someone you care about is exhibiting some of the above signs gently bring your observations to their attention.  Be sure to let them know that you are coming from a place of love and concern. Though it isn’t always easy to approach a friend and colleague who is hurting, the price to pay for not to doing so could be very high.  As you know, a firefighter not performing at peak levels because of stressors is a potential risk to herself or other firefighters.  Hopefully, if we are ever exhibiting signs of not coping with the stressors in our life well or with a particularly bad call one of our friends and colleagues will let us know.  Awareness of these outward signs, whether as the result of self reflection or because it was brought to our attention, is critical.

Developing situational awareness on the fire ground is a critical skill taught to every firefighter.  Emotional and mental health situational awareness is a critical skill for building resilience; this skill should be taught to every firefighter because traumatic events and bad calls go hand in hand with the job  Whether it is a fatal car crash, burn victim, suicide or the death of a child, these encounters take a toll. It is no surprise that many firefighters are haunted by the tragedies they witness as a part of their job every day.  Fortunately, with increased awareness and resilience building skills firefighters today are better able to cope with the stresses that go with having the best job in the world.

[1] First Responders and PTSD: A Literature Review By Ashley Fitzpatrick, BSN, RN, EMT -

7.28.2020

[2] Rationale for Early Psychological Intervention Among Disaster Actors in Nairobi County, Kenya by Eunice K. Ndulu & Dr. Maragret Iyaya, Journal of Education and Practice; Vol. 10, No 32, 2019.