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Our Kids

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*Image from Uniform Duds for Kids.

 

Everyone got there cahffee? Grab some diamond plate. This one might stir up some lively discussion.

So the other night I was listening to an on-line podcast over at FirefighterNetCast that is hosted by Christopher Naum entitled "Taking it to the Streets, The New Fireground and the First-Due." If you click the link you can listen to the replay of the show. The guests were Division Chief Ed Hadfield, Coronado, CA. FD and Deputy Chief Jason Hoevelman of the Sullivan Fire Protection District, MO. The main point of the podcast was talking about the new firground, how we need to start changing our thinking and tactics at some of these fires with new construction methods and new hydrocarbon-rich fuels burning. The show was great with many good points being brought up and discussed by the host and the guests. But I'd like to talk about another great aspect of the show. In case you have never attended a NetCasts show in person you're really missing out. In addition to the great content there is a live chat-room that runs throughout the show in which the producers of the show, the host, the guests and then the listeners all type-chat with each other. It is a great feature and really leads to some great discussion and information sharing.  There is also a call-in number that you can either dial from any phone or use Skype to call in and talk directly to the host and guest(s). It is a topic that was brought up in the chat room and then commented on by the guests that I would like to discuss today.

One of the listeners typed a simple question into the chat-room. I don't remember it exactly so I'm going to paraphrase here, "Is there something different about todays younger firefighters definition of "work" than, say, the older generation's?" A couple people chimed in and then another listener typed his opinion that basically said, paraphrasing again, "Yes. Kids today often haven't had a real job before getting to the fire department. They don't know what real work is." I agree with that sentiment, for the most-part. Anyone with the least little bit of knowledge of the history of our job knows that the number of firefighters coming from the ranks of the construction and mechanical trades has dropped significantly. Those that come from a farm, factory or some other background where mechanical apptitude is needed as a way of life are even fewer. On the flip-side we are getting more firefighters with college education and knowledge that, while may not be directly applicable to the fireground, is very valuable to the department as a whole. Computers, legal issues, radio equipment and communication skills come immediately to mind as examples.  A little more discussion in the chat-room ensued and then Division Chief Hadfield typed a response, paraphrasing, "The kids haven't changed. They just need to be LED!". Again, I agree with that statement too, for the most-part. I'm sure when the legions of carpenters, electricians, plasterers and plumbers entered the fire service in the '40's, '50's and '60's there was some of this sentiment too. I can imagine the barn-boss grumbling, "Sure 'dis kid can swing a hammer but he can't roll hose for s**t!" Or, "Hey junior! When I want you to come to my house and patch my plaster I'll call 'ya. Until then, sit there and shut-up." That's just the way of the fire service. We're gonna break your stones for a while until we find out what you're really made of. But there's a major difference between yesterdays kids and todays, and it's what I think the listener who responded to the question was talking about.

So, 20 and 30 years ago (and more) you had these tradesmen or guys that worked in factories or on farms that became firemen. Many of them had also served in the military during war-years. They brought special skill-sets that revolved around those trades or mechanical apptitude but they also brought something else. In general, the candidate-firefighters of old brought an ability to follow orders, think on their feet and put in a hard days work. Life was vastly different back then, even as recently as the '70's. No one sat around playing video games all day, or glued to their smart-phones or were handed things by their comparatively well-off Mommies and Daddies. No, most of the older generation firefighters worked, or fought, for what they had. Which left precious little time or expendable income for "fun" stuff. Many of the kids I see today, whether it be in my own department or teaching at the academy, have either had no real job to speak of or worse yet, have had many different small jobs. I say "worse yet" because I have asked several of these candidates why they hopped from one menial job to the next in their short work-life and more times than not I get answers like, "I couldn't stand my boss," or "My boss had it out for me," or "I  wasn't being paid what I deserved," or my personal favorite, "It took up too much time so I quit." Huh?!?! So now they want to be firefighers. And suddenly they are forced to report for duty earlier than many have had to get out of bed in years, they have to dress in a certain, prescribed and detailed manner, follow orders that are being barked at them, do certain things at certain times without question, think on the fly in a very fast-paced environment, learn the use of a multitude of tools, learn foreign materiel i.e. building construction and put in a harder days work than many of them have ever done. Talk about a culture shock! It's no wonder we have some trouble in getting through to these kids. Our academies and probationary time is not set-up to allow for a learn-at-your-own-pace approach. You have a set amount of time to complete the academy and the rquirements or fail. You have a set amount of time to make probation or fail. Except in a very few cases, there are no do-overs or time extensions. Sink or swim lads and lasses. 

Now here's where I think Chief Hadfield's comment comes into play. I don't necessarily think he was disagreeing with the listener's comment. I think what he was trying to say was that more officers, and senior firefighters, need to step-up and show our "babes in bunkers" the way. Another listener typed a comment that I think is reflective of an emerging problem in the fire service today. The listener said, "Too many officers "lead" from the office." Obviously nothing I, or anyone else says can be construed as being reflective of any entire department. However, I have seen in person and talked to more and more firefighters who have that exact complaint. That their Lieutenant or Captain sits in his or her office all day and they never see them until the tones drop or someone needs to be yelled at. When it comes to spider-solitaire, checking their e-mails or their stock portfolios or running their side-business they're the bomb. As a company officer, in its truest sense, not so much. Now that's not to single-out the officers only. There's plenty of senior guys who do the exact same things and never invest one second in the new boot. IMHO, er, in my humble opinion (I learned that one from one of those kids) many of us older guys are just as much to blame. These kids need to be led, yes, but don't expect that you're going to take them onto the floor, haul out your extrication equipment and in 10 minutes teach them all the ins and outs like you would with a guy that has worked with heavy tools and equipment before. It's just not gonna happen. In the same vein, when you're sitting around having an impromptu training session at the local building under construction don't throw out building terms like, lintle, top-plate and bearing wall and expect these kids to completely get it like the carpenter on the shift. Many of these kids learn just enough for the test they have to take on building construction, and other subjects, in the academy but have no real practical understanding in real-life. Many of these subjects are going to need to be reviewed and in some cases, completely re-taught. It ain't gonna happen over night brothers and sisters.

Be ready for something else, folks. The "whys" and "this is stupids". Now, to many of us the automatic and best response to those two statments would be a tersely stated, "because I said so" or some version of that retort. Many of us grew up in the fire service under officers who led with iron fists and little in the way of management or personal communication training. An officer or senior member gave you an order and you did it without question or hesitation or be prepared to suffer the wrath. That approach doesn't work with these kids. While it kind of doesn't make sense that they only want to study the absolute minimum to get by for the tests in the academy they actually do want an explanation as to why they are doing some particular thing or other in that particular way. And if that explanation consists of, "because that's the way we've always done it" or some other time-honored traditional response you may get met with the "this is stupid" retort. And guess what folks, in some cases they may be right. Remember, we're kind of set in our ways, brought up in a different fire department. These kids look at things differently and are more technology savvy. Those explanations we simply accepted and shut-up aren't good enough for them. Many times they don't mean offense or insult by their statements, it's just part of their lexicon and their everyday operation. Sometimes we need to take a deep breath and remember that. Then back-up and perhaps explain a little more in-depth or ask what exactly their question is so we can better answer it. Again, they, and we, won't change over night. But I think both our groups need to be willing to.

Well, until next time, getjerbutts off 'da tailboard and go invest in a younger member! Just be patient.

~TK

Posted by on August 19, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Archive, fire-rescue-topics, General Rants, Leadership, Tradition, Pride, Ownership, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Training Opportunities

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Everybody got some regulah? Grab a seat.

Today I want to talk about some new training opportunities that will be coming our way. And by "our way" I mean close to home. There's a new fire and EMS training company in the market and they are looking to revolutionize the way training is given in a congerence setting. Go>Forward Fire and Leadership Training has announced two innagural training conferences, one in St. Charles, Missouri in October and the other in King of Prussia Pennsylvania in November. So in a roughly 5 hour drive from our area you can attend a three day, high quality training conference that will break the model for training conferences. More on that in a miunte.

Does Go>Forward look familiar to anybody? It should. Go>Forward Media owns FireEMSBlogs.com which hosts this rag of a blog and many other of your favorite fire and EMS blog sites. Go>Forward Media also owns Fire-Rescue Magazine, JEMS Magazine and Law Officer magazine. The company saw an opportunity and a different direction to go with fire training in a conference setting. So the company branched out and created Go>Forward Fire and Leadership Training to try and bring a new educational experience to students. Now, for all you traditionalists, don't get your undies in a bunch. They ain't trying to butt in on FDIC or any of the other major conferences. What they are trying to do is bring more affordable, local and intimate (not that kind of intimate, chowderheads) training to us while focusing on student-instructor relationships. That means that not only will you be able to take a class from some of the finest instructors in the world like, Alan Brunacini, Tim Sendelbach, Dennis Rubin and Brotherhood Instructors, but you will also get to talk to and network with them as well. You see, not only has Go>Forward made the conferences local, more affordable and smaller but they have built-in time after lectures and hands-on classes to meet and talk to the instructors. Giving both students and instructors an opportunity to talk and learn from each other and to hopefully build a relationship that lasts past the conference. Check out Go>Forward's announcement page here to check out information on the conferences. 

 

I know it's a short post today but I'm tachnically on vacation, so get over it. But I did want to make you aware of these new opportunities so that you have some time to check them out and get registered. For those of us in the Atlantic states area check out the Liberty Regional Fire & Leadership Training Conference in KoP, PA. page and get registered. For you Midwesterners check out the Gateway Midwest Fire & Leadership Training Conference in St. Charles, MO. and get registered. Lets decrease those "You can teach a monkey…" moments, shall we?

Now getjerbutts of 'da tailboard and go train!

~TK

Posted by on July 31, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Archive, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, Leadership, Tradition, Pride, Ownership, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

That Lonely Feeling, The Ticking Time-Bomb of Short-Staffing

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First, I need to apologize and make a confession. I'd like to apologize for such a long absence and the lack of content on the blog. There's a very good reason for it, I assure you. Which leads me to the confession. I believe that early on I copped to not being the most tech-savvy guy in cyber world and that is in direct relation to the lack of content. You see, I, uh, well that is, I mean, uh, well….<sigh> I forgot how to get into my own blog. Yeah, you read that right. I forgot how to get into the admin section of my own blog. I'm an idiot, I know. I can assure you that the proper web address is now safely tucked away in triplicate in different secure locations, if I can only remember where those are…

Ok. Everyone got their cup of regulah? Watch out, the diamond-plate may be a little wet yet from the wash. Dry it off and have a seat.

So, as the title implies I'd like to talk about a subject that is getting a lot of attention in our job right now; staffing reductions. I'm going to approach it from  little different angle however. It seems like everyone is talking about it and everyone is doing so in relation to firefighting and potential fire related deaths. While I agree with both of the arguments that a reduction in staffing effects our ability to accomplish essential fireground tasks in a timely manner and our ability to simultaneously conduct aggressive search operations I think we may be emphasizing this too much. Bare with me, I know that is bordering on sacrilege. In order to explain where I'm coming from I need to relay a story. I know, what's new right? What can I say, it's the Irish story teller in me.

We were dispatched with still companies to a reported pin-in on one of the expressways that is in our district. It was reported as a car versus semi-truck with heavy damage and serious injuries. The still Engine and Battalion Chief arrived first and reported the same. Next to arrive was the still Medic and Tower Ladder, bringing  8 firefighters and the chief to the scene. Upon our arrival we found a semi-truck had stopped in the break down lane on the outside of the highway with damage to the under-ride guard and trailer. The rear of the trailer was compressed probably three or four feet, enough to get it even with the rear dual. What was left of a car was in the inside lane with both front wheels gone, the hood and fenders flush with the windshield, the engine was in a million pieces spread everywhere and the drivers door and roof area were scraps of metal that looked like a metal sculptor decided to experiment with a chainsaw.  It was one of the most serious accidents in recent memory. So with our arrival the total on-scene compliment of firefighters was 12 plus a chief. Many departments would feel lucky to have that on the scene.

The Engine Lieutenant had finished his size-up and was reporting to the chief while his guys were dropping a hose line. The Tower Captain was getting his crew to work dragging out their compliment of extrication gear and securing the vehicle and we were told to dump all of our extrication gear and cribbing and get to work. I happened to be on the tool that day and went to the car to make my own size-up. I quickly determined we need to remove both front doors, remove the roof and roll the dash and probably would end up cutting both seat backs as well. I relayed this plan to both my Lieutenant and the Tower Captain. It was decided the Tower would take the passenger side of the car while we concentrated in the driver side. The passenger was alert but had multiple complaints (both she and her friend, the driver, were thankfully wearing seat belts), but the driver was unconscious and not able to be aroused. The B/C quickly requested an additional Medic, Engine and the District Chief to the scene. Soon thereafter we requested a medical helicopter to the scene, which required an additional Engine and Ladder company for the landing zone. So in total we were committing 23 firefighters and 2 chief-officers. And take it from me, every single guy there was busting his rear for approximately an hour until both patients were removed and on their way to separate hospitals. My department has gone from a staffing of 4 per Engine and Ladder to 3 over about the last 10 years. Luckily they have left us and our sister company alone and we still have 4. For how long, however, no one knows. If you look at this particular incident that would have given us an additional 5 firefighters on the scene to help. Now, it's been hot around here lately, and humid. During this incident four different firefighters had to be removed from work and sent to cool down and rehab due to exhaustion, three voluntarily and one involuntarily. So, as it turns out the girls were making a packie-run from a party they were at and jumped on the express to avoid traffic. MSP estimated they hit the truck doing about 85. It probably goes without saying alcohol was a factor.

So why the story about a pin-in when we're discussing short-staffing? Well, in my department most guys are firefighter/medics. We run ALS Engine companies as well as two ALS Squad companies plus the Medic units. While we had what many departments would consider a ton of firefighters on this job almost everyone was used up almost immediately. The still Engine had the Luft assigned as "Operations", the driver/operator manned the line, the back step firefighter/medic assisted the medics from the ambo. The still ambo was obviously used up immediately. The still Tower's Cap'n was made "Extrication", the driver/operator and the back step firefighter went to work on the extrication on the passenger side. Our entire 4-man crew went to work on the driver side extrication and the B/C was obviously the incident commander. With the arrival of the 2nd Engine, the Luft and the D/O went to work with the Tower company on the passenger side extrication and the back step firefighter/medic helped the 2nd due ambo. The helicopter landing zone Engine Luft and Tower Cap'n worked together with thier crews to set-up and secure the LZ and the D/C took command of the LZ. Everyone was used up immediately. And once those guys that I mentioned earlier had to go cool down and were removed from the operation their was no one to replace them. Granted, we could have called for additional resources but nearly the entire battalion and one half the town was there already. With the reduction in manning over the years we were missing 5 additional firefighters that could have been rotating in and out or lightening the load in other ways.

Like I said in the intro, everyone is talking about rolling brown-outs, staffing reductions and company closures and how it relates to the possibility or probability that this continued practice will lead to civilian or firefighter deaths . In some cases it already has. And again, while I generally agree with this stance, I'm really sick of hearing it. Everyone is beating the same drum and saying it the exact same way. "Mr. Mayor, if you close these 2 Ladder companies someone will die." "Selectman so-and-so, you are severely hampering our ability to save lives with these proposed cuts to our manning. Someone will die." "Mr. town manager, the continued practice of rolling brown-outs puts the lives of those people that would normally be served by that fire house at risk. It is only a matter of time until someone dies." Maybe it's the fire services version of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". While indeed there is a wolf lurking, who knows where or when it will strike. And since our fire load is in general down, although that is becoming arguable again, the odds are that the cities, villages and towns will probably continue to get away with it unscathed. But what if we put a different spin on it? What if we acknowledge the danger in a fire situation but use other types of calls to try and ram our point home. Much more common calls, like the one I illustrated in the story above. Or the Alameda, California story. Or something else that is common and equally as dangerous as a structure fire in your area. 

We got both our patients out and to hospital relatively quickly while delivering good EMS care at the same time. Our patients probably did not directly suffer from the history of our decreased staffing. But there was another price to pay in the brothers that went down due to the weather and the heavy toll the extrication was taking on them. Another thing that the city hall dwellers hate are increased insurance premiums and workers comp settlement costs. What if a couple of our guys would have had to take time off or be hospitalized due to their injuries? I just think there are other ways to tackle this than with our current illustration of the Grim Reaper hanging out in every browned-out firehouse. One that might actually make some headway with the suits. 

I've seen the following video a few places on the web now. Maybe you have too. It was made by the Redwood City, California IAFF Local in response to threatened budget and staff cuts by their city council. It almost completely ignores the structural firefighting aspect of the job but still delivers a very poignant and powerful message about other aspects of our job that are just as important. Give it a few minutes and watch.

 

 

Pretty good huh? Now getjerbutts off 'da tailboard and quit watchin' videos and go do something!

~TK

Posted by on July 3, 2011 • Filed under: Archive, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, funding-staffing, General Rants, special-operations • Tagged: , , , ,

You Can Teach a Monkey…

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Everybody got their regulah? Ya' comfortable? Good.

Ok, ok. I know. That's a gorilla, not a monkey. Koko, the gorilla, actually. The one they taught sign language to and how to read and a bunch of other stuff. But it was a good picture to illustrate my point and I couldn't find a monkey pic that would do it as well. So calm you'ah liva. Anyway, today we're going to talk about the next generation. Those that will replace us and, more than likely, become our bosses before we retire. Yup, those kids.

So my shift and my battalion happen to have quite a few new guys on the job and three are just getting ready to get off probation, maybe. So my B/C calls up the house just after change the other other morning and tells my Luft that all the companies with new guys and probies are getting together to drill and run them through their paces. He also tells him that I'm going to be running one of the stations and evaluating them. So my day was off to a great start. I love teaching and am committed to training anyone that wants to learn while hopefully doing so myself. So as it turns out, the town had condemned an old building that had sat vacant for years and was intending to tear it down to make way for a community center and park or something. So they gave it to us and the coppers to train in before the wrecking ball came. It was a three story former tax-payer with two separate commercial occupancies on the lower and two apartments on each of the uppers, for a total of four. There was also an one-story addition off the back that was used as storage for the stores up front. The original building was ordinary construction with the addition being very cheaply slapped up with stick-built construction. The only thing we couldn't do was burn the thing down and we had to leave some way of securing the building once we were done. My mind was racing with ideas.

So we showed up at the appointed time and I got together with the B/C and the other instructors. We hashed out a plan and went over safety issues. The B/C really wanted to ensure that the new guys had their basic skills down pat, and then maybe we'd run a full-scale evolution or something. We had three Engines, a Truck, two Medics and ourselves so we basically had a structure fire assignment minus one Truck. Myself and one of the Truck guys were given the ventilation station. We went up to the roof of the building and decided we'd do some inspection cuts, louver-cuts, peeling the roof membrane and ventilation of the upper floor windows from the roof. We then went to the addition roof and decided about the only thing it was good for was some axe work. My Truckie partner took the main roof and I went to the addition. But first we made some "special" arrangements I had filled him in on.

So the kids were told what groups they were in and what they would be doing and to grab the appropriate tools and equipment. In some cases it was kind of interesting what they chose. So, my first group shows up and they have a chainsaw, two 8-foot hooks, a set of irons and a life-safety rope. Notice anything missing? Like a ladder. I briefed them on what I wanted, a typical 4'x4' vent hole, drop the ceiling, do a quick recon of what the roof structure was like. Nothing huge. Then I told them to get to work. They immediately started heading toward the 14' roof ladder I had placed. "Stop!", I barked. "Where 'ya goin'?" They kinda looked at each other and then one kid said, "Up to the roof, sir." "How 'ya gonna get there?", I countered. Confused looks, one kid even turned around to check that leprechauns hadn't taken the ladder he was sure was there. "Uh, the ladder?", another said questioningly. "That ladder?", I asked pointing to MY ladder. "Yes sir", the same kid answered.  "No you're not.", I replied. "You were told to bring tools and equipment to ventilate this roof, right?", I kind of snapped. Two of the four instantly got it, set their tools down and went to the Truck to retrieve a ladder. That was when I heard it for the first time. My B/C had come up behind the group while the exchange was going on, unbeknownst to them. As the two went to retrieve the ladder he kind of mumbled, "You can teach a monkey…". I let it go at the time and waited for the ladder to arrive.

So when the ladder arrives and is thrown the kid with the chainsaw gets set to start it. He makes all the appropriate settings, throttle lock, choke, checks the chain-brake, decompression button, and starts to pull. Muffled putters is all he's met with. We had switched the saw in the cabinet of the Truck with a training saw. A training saw with no gas, to be specific. He continued to pull for a few seconds and then ran through his steps to start the saw again, which I was pleased to see. He did not, however, check the gas. More futile attempts at starting the saw ensued, while everyone else in the group stood and watched. Finally I yelled, "Didja check everything?" Lightbulb goes off, gas gets checked, "it's empty", is the befuddled response. "Now what?", I bark. "I'll go get a gas can!", one kid yells and starts to book for the Truck. "Stop! You have an Engine company trying to advance the line and they're getting the crap beat out of them! Not to mention any civilians that might still be in there. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?!?!?!" One of the better kids responds, "I'd radio the Chief and let him know what the delay is and that we'll be cutting by hand until the saw is ready. Then I'd send someone to get the gas and fill the saw while the rest of us were working on the roof." "Good! Do it!", I bark. 

The rest of the evolution goes pretty well, except for the four layers of shingles and tongue-and-groove under those that I had identified but they had not. A little education was done at simply looking at the edge of the roof. Anyway, the rest of the groups had some similar troubles to greater or lesser degrees. When all the newbies had rotated through all the stations (both ventilations, hose advancement, search and rescue coupled with ladder work) the instructors met out front with the B/C and the company officers. Each instructor took a turn going through each group on their respective station and pointing out the good and the bad. A few times through this process the chief mumbled his line of, "You can teach a monkey…". But no one ever asked him about it. Many of the issues that the instructors had identified seemed to boil down to one thing; thinking. In general the actual performance of the tasks assigned went well with all of the groups. There were very few real issues at the task level. But each and every instructor noted that if a wrinkle or problem was thrown at the groups they seemed to stall-out for a minute. Some of this could be attributed to experience, but not all. We have several "new" guys that came to us from other jobs. So, then is it a training issue? Both ours and their previous jobs? Again, on the task level it doesn't seem to be the case. A number of other new guys are really good rookies and will do just fine on our job. So what's the issue?I have discovered a fictitious affliction that I call, "Leaving Your Brain In The Car When You Get To The Firehouse Syndrome". But that's too long so we just call it LYBITS for short. Rookies aren't the only ones that suffer from it, believe me. But it does seem to attack them more so than a lot of others.

So we returned to our respective quarters and continued on with the tour. Later that evening the chief came by with some frappes (not those foo-foo coffee drinks that the rest of the country drinks, mind you. Look it up if you don't know what they are) to thank us for the work of the day. We were sitting on the bench out front, chatting and drinking our frappes, and I finally asked the chief about his monkey saying. He kinda laughed and then explained, "We can teach a monkey how to do the tasks of a fireman," he said. "But you can't teach 'em to think like a fireman." I suddenly had one of those light-bulb moments. We train our people well when it comes how to do the tasks of our job. Indeed the newbies did perform most of their tasks well. Just look at the story I relayed. They were told what tasks they were going to have to perform but they just assumed that the ladder they saw on the building was for them, forgetting this was supposed to be a "train as we play" evolution. And then with the chain-saw. The candidate that was attempting to start the saw did all of the tasks correctly, he kind of failed in the thinking the problem through department. The getting the gas can issue, they couldn't see how their delay of opening up the roof affected the other operations going on or the potential to save civilian lives. They were simply focused on their task at hand. Checking out the roof by looking at the edge, I kinda think it's basic and should be talked about in the ventilation portion of the academy but I'm kind of willing to let it slide a bit and chalk it up to experience. Hopefully they'll learn and remember for the next time. So how do you train someone to think? Can you train someone to think? I think to a certain extent yes. When I conduct drills, either for multiple companies, an in-house session or at the training academy, I like to do it kind of in a scenario based way. Instead of saying, "See that roof? Grab the saw, a hook, an axe and the roof ladder and go ventilate it." I like to say something like, "You're the first-due Truck. You've been assigned to open the roof. Whaddya need and how 'ya gonna do it?" Then talk through the evolution, throwing in questions and problems, before I send them off to do it. Then, once we've done it, we talk about it some more. Personally I think that maybe, just maybe, by doing it that way and by throwing problems and questions at them in a more calm setting than when we're up on a roof with the chain saw screaming and saw dust flying, maybe they'll start to really look at the entire picture instead of just that particular operation. That's my hope anyway.

If anyone else has any other methods or tricks and tips I'd love to hear them, and I'm sure other brothers and sisters would too. Share them in the comments, or just tell me how crappy the post was. But until next time,

Getjerbutts off 'da tailboard and go impart some knowledge to some kid who's gonna be you'ah officer some day.

~TK

Posted by on June 1, 2011 • Filed under: Archive, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, Tradition, Pride, Ownership, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , ,

Don’t Judge A Building By Its Curtains

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Everyone got theyah cup of cahfee? Everyone comfortable? Good.

Today we're going to talk a little building construction and tactics and strategy. This discussion is going to be based off a recent job we had in a Lace Curtain, or Triple-Decker. Due to departmental rules and regs and such I'm not able to show any actual pictures of the incident but in case you're unfamiliar with that type of construction the picture below from a similar type incident and building may help you visualize it better.

So this is a job that the brothers from Somerville, Mass. had a while ago and comes from the website wickedlocal.com. As you can see this type of architecture is narrow and tall. It is almost always a multiple occupancy with one unit per floor or sometimes two, one front and one back. About the only way to be sure is by counting gas or electric services, but as we all know that can sometimes even fail us if the landlord is a little unscrupulous and has tapped off existing lines etc. They started being built in the late 1800's and were popular into the 1930's. Because of this the construction is mainly balloon although more modern imitations are platform. Because of the ballon construction we were usually assured of two things; 1) it's gonna be a wicked job and 2) it was fairly sturdy and held up pretty well under fire conditions. Hence, you usually ended up with a job as shown above, with fire on multiple levels, usually the uppers. This has also led to many fire deaths and dramatic rescues due to the occupant load and the quick fire-spread.

So, in our case the job comes in around 0330 (of frickin' course) and is originally an "odor of smoke in the area", which gets a single Engine Company dispatched. As the first-due was driving on the other side of the block from where the address was one of the windows on the side of the building on the second floor failed and the jake in the back saw it light-up. They whipped around the block and called for a working-fire response, probable entrapment. We were just about the farthest company from the scene so we were a little while in getting there. Since we are a specialty-type unit we can be assigned anything from Engine work to Truck work to almost any kind of Rescue work, depending on type of building and what order we arrive in. On this particular one the duty-Chief ordered us to split our crew and have one team head to the third floor for search and rescue and the other to the cellar for a quick recon. My Loo took the newest member of our company and went up and had me and another seasoned guy go down. We hit the gas meters as we went by and quickly ascertained there were three units. Since 99% of all these Lace Curtains are built the same we now had a real good idea of the floor plans on each level. We then went down-cellar to complete our assignment. We had just a little bit of smoke hanging at the ceiling and not doing anything and no heat, so at least we knew everything was above us. As my partner and I finished up looking round his flashlight beam caught something that kind of glinted. I took my lantern and shown it on the same area. That's when I saw it. "Dougie!", I yelled to my partner. He turned and looked at me and then where my lantern was shining. "Oh shit!", was his response. As we were hustling out of the cellar my radio transmission went something like this (edited to fall within my department's rules and regs and such); "Command from 14-cellar!". I got the acknowledgement. "Command be advised this is not legacy construction. It's been rehabbed using light-weight floor joists and hangers. No tellin' what else is going on in here Chief." Command acknowledged my transmission and then repeated it to "all companies on the fireground". The first two lines had made a really good dent on the fire and by the time we rejoined my Loo and the kid, now on the second floor, it was pretty much knocked. Talking to the Chief later he told me he had every intention of pulling everyone out once the searches were complete if the Engine guys hadn't been making good head-way. With the delay in the alarm and the head-start the fire had on us I would agree about one-million percent. 

This fire turned out fine, everyone got out, no one was hurt and the building stayed up. But our little find in the basement wasn't the only thing that was a surprise. During overhaul and throughout the investigation companies found that the typical 2×6 or even 2×8 floor joists throughout the third floor had been replaced by engineered open-web trusses as well. What we had found in the cellar were the wooden I-beam trusses and joist hangers secured to a block wall. We also learned the block wall had been built in-place around the original foundation, both to reinforce it and to have a place to hang the trusses. Nice, huh? The flat roof common to these buildings had also been rehabbed but only partially, probably because of cost and effort. Three open-web trusses were found there by the Truckies that had been opening up. Now, in retrospect my partner and I kinda messed up on this one. We fell prey to being a little complacent. It wasn't til after everything was said and done that we noticed the new high-efficiency vinyl windows, the obviously new front door, and the drywall ceilings instead of the plaster-on-lath that should have been there. Tell you one thing, never again.

Many of these buildings are located in "historic" neighborhoods so they are subject to many strict rehab rules on what an owner can and can't change. Almost all of those rules have to do with the appearance of the building from the curb, not so much what's on the inside. So this leads to a couple different things. First, that chowderhead landlord we were talking about before? He just might not want to conform to all the little codes and regulations and so forth so he does his little rehab job on the sly. Which means no inspections from the town, which means it may or may not be up to code. Second, everything may very well be up to code but they're using todays materials to replace yesterdays and we're still looking at the same "old" building from the street. So I guess what I'm saying is that no matter if you're looking at a;

New York Brownstone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philly Georgian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago Walk-up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

or San Fran Victorian,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

be alert brothers and sisters and be looking beyond the curtains to what's in the guts of that building because it may not be what you think.

Now, getjerbutts off 'da tailboard and go do somethin'. Like get out into your still-district and look around at buildings.

~TK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by on May 12, 2011 • Filed under: Archive, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, training-fire-rescue-topics

Gettin’ Ready

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Everyone got their cup? Everyone comfortable? Good.

Sitting on the tailboard talking with my crew about the historical events of late Sunday and yesterday I was urging them to be ready. Our response area isn't New York, Chicago or L.A. but it is pretty much right next-door to a large metropolitan area of historical significance to the U.S. of A. It certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility that whoever steps-up to fill the vacancy suddenly created by a well aimed shot of American lead might see our area as a target to punch at the historical pride of our country. So, if Ayman al-Zawahiri, or whoever else decides they would like to be target practice for a special-forces operator in the near future, is planning the retaliation for OBL's demise we need to be ready, see graphic.

So what does that mean? It is up to our department leaders to make the wide-ranging plans and preparations. It is up to us individually and as companies or houses to prepare for our specific roles in those plans. Maybe it's time to really fix that finicky trigger on the saw that everyone knows about and just kind of works around with that "trick" we've learned to get it running. Maybe it's time to fix the wiring on the rig floodlight that we've just sort of ignored because it's a big project and all the other ones work. Maybe it means going over the tools we don't use a lot to ensure we know how and refresh our memories a bit; air bags, struts, Triage systems, winches, torches etc. Maybe we get out to a local construction site and ask the foreman if we can practice on some scrap concrete, steel or building systems like roof or floor trusses. Those air bottles that are usually good enough a few hundred pounds low, maybe not so much anymore. Is it going to happen tomorrow or next week? On the grand scale, I doubt it. These guys are going to plan something out to hit us hard and dramatically. However, you never can tell when the individual psycho-nutball will go into a local shopping center and start shooting. Or make some home-made explosives and try to martyr himself. That's what I worry about in the near future. Start thinking about what are possible targets in your area and go look at them. What are alternate routes to them if roads or bridges are damaged, blocked or missing altogether? What are routes in and out for evacuation and apparatus? Part of this will fall under your departments overall action plan but we all know that the first-in companies set the tone for an operation. We can start preparing now for a successful operation in the future.

What about preparing ourselves? I carry an accessory bag on the rig in the winter. It has an extra t-shirt or two, an extra set of firefighting gloves, an extra pair of socks etc. I think I'm going to start carrying it all the time now. If something does happen odds are it is going to be an multi-hour at best operation and perhaps on to multiple days. Throw some extra work gloves, a stick of deodorant, baby wipes and some easily packaged food like granola bars, energy bars or even MRE's from the local Army-Navy store. Spare batteries for your flashlights are a great idea too. Start talking to your families. Talk to your spouse and explain that if something happens and I'm on duty I'm going, I don't have a choice. Talk about what that might mean. Discuss the fact you may not be able to make contact right away or even for a few hours. Maybe come up with some kind of code you could text or something just to say, "I'm here and I'm o.k. I'll call you when I can." Talk to them about if it hits when you're off-duty and that you may have to go in and be gone for a while. Talk to your kids at an age-appropriate level. Explain as best you can that sometimes Mommy or Daddy's job means that they can't come home for a while because other people need their help but that they'll always be on your mind and in your heart. You certainly don't want to panic anyone unintentionally and you certainly know your spouses and loved-ones much better than I so use your best judgement as to how and what to talk to them about. I just think it's better now than them flipping on the TV and freaking out later.

These aren't the type of people who are going to stick their heads in the sand and hide or decide they poked too big a bear (remember when we put that cruise-missle through the bedroom window of Muammar Gaddafi's house? Didn't hear from him for almost 30 years. Might be time for a refresher). That just won't happen. There are two things I am sure of. 1) Something will happen and 2) when it does this nations fires responders are going to be just that. Start gettin' ready lads and lasses, cuz it's a'comin.

Now getjerbutts of 'da tailboard and go make sure everythings ready!

~TK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by on May 3, 2011 • Filed under: Archive, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, major-incidents, mass-casualty-incident, special-operations • Tagged: , , , ,

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

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The title is one of the many sayings that come from our Navy's SEAL teams. It should also remind us that just because we got the leader there are many followers who are ready and willing to fill the vacuum. We as a nation, as members of the military and members of the public safety community must be ever vigilant, ever strong. We can't let our guard down for a second. We know something's gonna come of this, we just don't know when or where. Be watchful and be ready.

But for now, we honor the memories of our Brothers and Sisters lost, the members of our military lost and scarred and their families, and the memories of those civilians murdered starting on September 11th, 2001 and extending nearly a decade. Lets us celebrate in victory, let us be solemn in remembrance and let us be vigilant going forward.

Thank you to the members of the SEALS and to all our military men and women who have been fighting this fight for so long.

Umquam vigilans, Umquam praesto.

Posted by on May 2, 2011 • Filed under: Archive, General Rants • Tagged:

The Best Damn Department In The Fire Service

3 comments

 

Everybody got they're cup of regulah? Everyone comfortable? Good.

So I'm sitting on the tailboard the other shift with the rest of my crew and we're talking about general happenings and scuttlebutt around the department. Soon the conversation turns to the general problem-solving and saving of the planet. Of course, me bein' me, I offer my 2 cents on a couple topics. One of the guys who's been around long enough to be able to say something like this says, "Oh, speakin' from your many yeahs experience as Chief, Kenny?" So I kindly replied, "No ya' chowdahead. Speakin' from my many years experience as a fireman." That got a laugh, even from my buddy who was trying to bust my stones. But I did mean it the way I spoke to it.

Sometimes, and it seems with increasing frequency in the last many years, the people who are being tapped to run our jobs didn't spend a whole lotta time learning the job before they get the big bump. Sometimes this is the result of the department's own rules and regs that allow a junior member, say someone just off probation or with only a couple years in, to challenge a promotional exam. Other times it's as a result of the "skyrocket" or "golden child" who seems to garner the favor of the powers that be and finds the path to success is a little easier than it is for other candidates. It's no secret we have better educated firefighters on the job today. Many of the younger jakes are coming on with Associates, Bachelor's and sometimes even Master's degrees. All this studying, writing and memorization helps them when it comes to a promotional test. Now I'm not bashing education, I'm all for it. But the books have gotta be balanced with some experience as well.

There's that saying in the fire service that, "I may have to respect his rank but I don't have to respect him." I've been hearing that one whipped out more and more often lately. A while ago we had a bit of a problem child with us. Many of us tried counseling him individually on separate occasions but it didn't really help. Finally, we decided it was time for an intervention. We called that show on A&E, you know, the one you want to watch to feel better about your own life, the one that does the interventions with all the skeeves and drunks? But they weren't interested. Don't judge, even a jake can get something outta watching it. Anyway, being a senior member I went to the Lieutenant and talked to him about it to see how he wanted it handled. He told me to handle it on our level and then if it didn't get better he'd be the hammer. So the entire shift sat down with this kid and had a chat. We didn't jump him, didn't humiliate him but examples were certainly brought out regarding his less than exceptional performance and how it needed to change. One of the comments he made during the chat still rings in my ears. He said, "What's with you guys? Am I gonna have to fight a fire or make a grab or something before you guys respect me?!" We sat there stunned. I looked at another guy who had more time on than me and he just shook his head, grabbed his cup and left the table. A couple other guys scoffed and just shook their heads. I simply said, "That might help. But you better pray you do it right instead of the way you have been doing it." Fast forward a few years. This particular individual transferred out of our house and went somewhere slower, a little more remote from other houses and we didn't hear much from or about him. Until the recent Lufts list came out. There he was, just about at the top and certainly within reach of that first bugle. Now go back and read the first line of this paragraph again.

I took a trip not long ago to see some family. While we were in town there was the usual family dinners with plenty of time to have some beers and chat. One of my cousins is a firefighter in the area so we were catching up and swapping stories. My cousin's department is small. A couple stations, about 30 guys on three shifts, a couple thousand runs a year fire and EMS. He then began to tell me about the new chief that was recently promoted. This particular person spent three years as a firefighter on my cousin's job. Three frickin' years. He then got promoted to Captain, and then two years later was tapped as the Chief-of-Department. You could almost see the steam coming out of my cousin's ears as he relayed the story. But it wasn't the anger of jealousy or of being slighted or passed over, it was the anger of seeing an injustice taking place and being powerless to do anything about it. You see, this guy has a Bachelor's in some sort of Business Management and a Master's in some sort of Emergency Management or something. Again, please don't misunderstand me, I think the education this guy has is great. But where's the experience to draw from? Where's the foundation in tactics and strategy? Where's the background in what works in theory and what works at 2 A.M. in the street? Evidently the politicos in my cousin's City Hall just want someone to try and balance the budget or steer the ship through the tumultuous economic downturn times or something. So now this guys got one bugle for every year experience he has. Again, see pre-ceeding paragraph's first line.

Even though I'm not promoted I believe in readying yourself as much as possible beforehand, not after you've got the bump. So I read. And I study. And I talk to people. And I train. And I take classes I don't have to. All in an effort that someday, when the devil himself is playing hockey on his own personal rink, I get the bump I'll hopefully be ready. One of the books I've read that influenced me the most has nothing to do with the fire service at all. It was written by the now retired Captain of a guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. His name is Captain D. Michael Abrashoff and his (first) book is titled, It's Your Ship; Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy.  On it's initial shine the title might seem pretty conceited. But what Captain Abrashoff was able to do while in command of his ship was nothing short of amazing. The Navy ranks it's ships in each operational fleet (Atlantic and Pacific) and then throughout the entire Navy. These rankings are based off of performance drills, evaluations etc. When Captain Abrashoff took over the U.S.S. Benfold she was just about dead last in the entire Navy. When he left for a different command a mere two years later Benfold was first. The book is a great read for nothing else than just the story, but it also gives some great leadership advice. The funny thing is that this advice isn't earth-shattering or previously undiscovered. It is simple, to the point and highly effective. One of the best, and a personal favorite, is this gem, "I began with the idea that there is always a better way to do things, and that, contrary to tradition, the crew's insights might be more profound than even the captain's." Imagine that. The management asking the workers what works and what doesn't instead of implementing changes that they think should work. Huh. 

I don't need to be a Chief, or Captain or Lieutenant. I want to be, it's true. But as long as I'm a lowly blueshirt and can draw upon my education and my experience to influence others and my department I can be happy. I truly believe my department could be The Best Damn Department In The Fire Service, and so could yours. Sometimes we just need to convince our "leaders" of that. Sometimes, they just have to take a step back and realize maybe they don't have all the answers and that us peeons might just have some worthwhile input. We need some leaders with the courage and personal intestinal fortitude to realize they may not have all the answers or experience and to reach out to the lower ranks. Then, after receiving that input,  to stand up and actually believe that the advice is sound and institute those ideas that work. 

Oh well. Maybe when I'm chief, eh? Now getjerbutts off 'da tailboard and go do somethin'. Like train.

~TK

Posted by on April 23, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Archive, General Rants, Leadership

Of Pride, Passion And Professionalism.

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Pride,Passion,Professionalism

Everybody got their cup of cahfee? Everyone comfortable? Good.

So for todays little chat I thought I'd talk about the three P's; Pride, Passion and Professionalism. These three words may arguably be at the very heart and soul of the fire service and should drive much of what we do. These words and their synonyms are  often discussed in firehouses across the land and can even, at times, lead to heated debates. They are at the core of what we try to instill in our new Boots, Probies, Candidates etc. and which we as senior members boast we are full of. But are we? And what exactly do these words mean?

Let's start with the definition of Pride. Funk and Wagnall's on-line dictionary defines it this way:

1: the quality or state of being proud: a: inordinate self-esteem : CONCEIT  b: a reasonable or justifiable self-respect c: delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship

3 a: ostentatious display

4: a source of pride : the best in a group or class

6: a showy or impressive group

The definition of Passion as defined by F&W's is:

3: the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces

(2): plural: the emotions as distinguished from reason  b: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction c: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.

And finally, the definition of Professionalism:

1: the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a PROFESSION, or a PROFESSIONAL person.

Profession: 4 a: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b: a principal calling, vocation, or employment

Professional: (1): characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a PROFESSION
(2): exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace
2 a: participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs

Now, take a look at these two videos and see if you can match the definitions listed above with either and the different portions of each. The first video has a soundtrack so you may want to turn your volume down a little. Use the "Back" button in your browser to navigate back to The Tailboard.

Fully Involved

People Hangin'

Ok, so we've seen a couple examples of fire operations that both resulted in the same ending, that bein' the fire went out. Did you have the definitions of the three P's in your noggin while you were watching them? Then let's talk.

The first video out of PGFD is a wicked pissah. Lots of fire, looks impressive, bad-ass fire men get in, get on it, get out, right? So, that particular company is obviously passionate about the job. They should be proud of what they accomplished and from what we can see they generally operated with the professionalism we expect in the fire service. But does it stand up to our definitions?

Passionate: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction, a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. Check. I think all those things are obvious from watching the video. I certainly can't fault them there. But what about the part of the definition that reads, the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces? Like maybe, a big fire with people standing and pointing? Could we safely say that maybe the members were acted upon by these outside forces and felt the need to be as aggressive as they were? I don't know if this house was occupied or if it was a vacant. Now, keeping in mind that we only have the front of the building to look at, do we think that anyone is alive in that house? Did the situation that is presented warrant firefighters advancing past and underneath fire into a structure that was being greatly weakened by the minute? Since the person who narrates the beginning of the video doesn't mention a rescue being made (pride and professionalism) I can only assume there was no life safety threat. Except to the firefighters operating!

Pride: a reasonable or justifiable self-respect, delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship. Check. This company can definitely be proud of their performance and of bangin' out the red devil. But again, what about the part about conceit and of an ostentatious display? Did they have to do what they did or did they simply do it because there was a structure, it was on fire and it's what they're supposed to do? Or, and even worse, did they do it because they really wanted to show the second-in companies what they are made of? Or to "protect" their "good" name as an aggressive interior attack company?

Professionalism: the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession, or a professional, a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation, person exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. Again, check. Sort of. From what we can tell these brothers and/or sisters did perform in a courteous, conscientious and generally businesslike manner and they obviously had the training that was required to accomplish the job. But, you see what's coming right? What about characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession? What about using the specialized knowledge and academic learnings to take in all the information being presented and make an informed decision as to which mode to use to attack this fire? It seems as if they forgot all about that and were drawn like the proverbial moth to the flame. Pun intended. This is just my observation from the comfort of my easy-chair next to my roaring fireplace, but I don't consider this video an example of conforming to the technical standards of our profession and should someone have gotten hurt or killed the ethics could be called into question also.

I know, I know. There are about a thousand of you out there jumping up and down screaming that I'm soft for even suggesting this. That I'm all safety conscious and am what's wrong with the fire service today. Take a blow for a second. Even though we just met and haven't developed what I'd call a deep and meaningful relationship yet, I'm asking you to trust me in something. If I thought there were a live person in that building I might just be right there with our brothers in the video. If I thought there were a downed/lost/disoriented firefighter in that building you wouldn't see me in the video because I would be inside trying to get at 'em. But barring those two situations I don't see what there was to save in this video and how the risk to the members operating was justified. It's just not good enough anymore to say, "well it's just what we do." Gratefully this example turned out with no one seriously injured or killed. It very easily could have been the opposite and all the officers of this company would have been able to say would have been, "we gave the bulldozer operator  a job for the day."

On to the second video. This is obviously out of FDNY and happened to be in Squad 252's first-due area in Brooklyn. Again, another wicked pissah of a video with people from the block jumping in to help out the victims trapped on the uppers, ladder rescues being made and smoke pushin'. Good stuff. One of the main reasons I picked this video was because of a comment that was made on the website where I found it. Our supposed brother or sister had this to say about the video, "this video is disappointing.  it shows a lack of motovation and speed in the action of the fdny members at this fire.  People are trapped.  The first due company should be RUNNING to put a line in place not dicking around like a bunch of volunteers in hoe-dunk nowhere.  Lives are at stake here and yet the first due engine has poor positioning and slow line placement.  Why?" Punctuation, spelling and capitalization, or lack thereof, original to author. So, does what we see stand up to our definitions? Is the comment author on track? Let's see.

Pride: the quality or state of being proud, a reasonable or justifiable self-respect, delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship, a source of pride : the best in a group or class, a showy or impressive group. Hmmm. Check, check, check, check and double-check. Inordinate self-esteem : CONCEIT, ostentatious display? Not that I see. The brothers in this video should be justifiably proud of the job they performed on this scene. Were there problems, issues? Of course. There are on every scene. But the job was still accomplished while putting our ultimate mission first; life safety.

Passion: the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces, intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction, a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. Check and check. The difference I see in this video versus the first in regards to being acted upon by external forces is towards the positive. The members in this video saw the life-safety issue, identified it and addressed it immediately in a calm and professional manner. They were influenced by these outside forces but used their passion for the job (as well as some training and experience) to drive them to a positive outcome. If you only sort of like your job or are ambivalent towards it you will not be able to perform at this level.

Professionalism: I think this is where the comment author misses his mark. The conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession, or a professional person, a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation, characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession, exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace, participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs. Do I even need to waste my time? Check.

Lest some of you think that this is an FDNY love-fest and that I have something against PGFD, it's not and I don't. Both organizations have immensely talented and dedicated personnel. Both organizations have rich tradition and history and reputations. There are problems and issues everywhere. I simply chose two videos that I felt could be used to discuss the three P's. As I stated in the opening these three words can and should be right at the heart of what we do. They can, however, be easily misinterpreted or their meanings twisted to justify certain mindsets or behaviors. Hopefully my ramblings sparked some thinking on your behalf.

Now. Don't we have some work to do? Getjerbutts off 'da tailboard and go do somethin'.

~TK

 

Posted by on April 20, 2011 • Filed under: Archive, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Tactics, Tradition, Pride, Ownership • Tagged: , , , , ,