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All Blog Posts Tagged 'Ben' (16)

You Probably Won't Die, No Matter What You Do

Does it sound crazy for a firefighter to say that? Maybe it does, but at All Hazards Contemplations, I've pointed out that statistics show that approximately 100 U.S. firefighters die in the line of duty each year, with a smaller number of annual non-firefighter EMS…

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Added by Ben Waller on March 15, 2011 at 10:39pm — 4 Comments

Household Hazmat - Not In My Back Yard

From this weekend at All Hazard Contemplations

In the world of preventing the occurance of harmful incidents, the fire-rescue community has few peers and often excels. Innovative ways to prevent and reduce harm have included smoke detector programs, fire…

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Added by Ben Waller on April 4, 2010 at 8:26pm — 5 Comments

The Bathtub Collapse, Part 2

Part 1 of this series from All Hazards Contemplations was an introduction to Bathtub Collapse problem identification, exterior size-up, strategy considerations and development, and safety considerations. Part 2 discusses tactical considerations, interior size-up, victim recovery, investigations, and incident termination. This article was co-authored by my friend and colleague, Jason…

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Added by Ben Waller on March 8, 2010 at 10:00pm — 4 Comments

The Bathtub Collapse, Part 1

This article is co-authored by my friend and colleague Jason Walters. Jason is the Team Leader for USAR SC-Regional Response Team 4. We're discussing this topic at All Hazards Contemplations.

Introduction

FEMA’s USAR system, basic firefighting texts, and other fire-rescue references describe how to recognize and respond to a variety…

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Added by Ben Waller on March 6, 2010 at 9:00am — 2 Comments

What kind of foam are you?

Over at All Hazards Contemplations, we're discussing some similarities between firefighting foam and fire officer characteristics.

Firefighting foam has been around for a long time. The Navy, ARFF firefighters, and the petrochemical industry have used Class B… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on January 30, 2010 at 5:00pm — 6 Comments

Candlemoth Syndrome

How many firefighters have experienced Candlemoth Syndrome? I know I have, particularly when I was younger and less experienced. Candlemoth Syndrome is a firefighting cousin of Target Fixation, where firefighters are drawn closely to the fire in disregard for proper firefighting tactics and for firefighter safety.

The definition of "… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on November 4, 2009 at 7:33pm — 7 Comments

Getting Familiar with Unfamiliar Dirt

I recently spent a week on vacation that included a lot of reading on the beach. I was able to complete a six-book series, the Corean Chronicles by L.E. Modsitt, Jr... an excellent read if you're into the genre. In one of the books, a group of soldiers is deployed to an area with which none of them are familiar. They're tired from traveling and just want to… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on September 6, 2009 at 12:20pm — 1 Comment

Ramp Strikes, Mom's Name, and Survival

From All Hazards Contemplations...

Although I love to read, I haven't had much reading time lately. Work and completing the edits of my chapter in Jones & Bartlett's new Fundamentals of Technical Rescue has taken up most of my spare time. I have been able to complete a book I have… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on August 30, 2009 at 9:38pm — No Comments

Don't save Safety for the Critique

Over at All Hazards Contemplations, we're observing a continuence of the 2009 Safety, Health, and Survival week, even though it technically ended yesterday. I'm sitting here sadly shaking my head. June has been a bad month for the U.S. Fire and EMS services. This month there have already been 10 reported… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on June 21, 2009 at 2:03pm — 9 Comments

The Monkey Parable and Resistance to Change

Once upon a time, some researchers conducted an experiment. They obtained five monkeys and placed them into a single cage. In the center of the cage was a stairway that terminated in thin air. After a hungry night in the cage, the monkeys saw a researcher lowering a bunch of bananas through the bars above the stairs. The monkeys immediately charged up the stairs toward the food. Other researchers immediately blasted the monkeys with ice cold… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on June 7, 2009 at 10:12pm — 4 Comments

Good Luck, Bad Luck, and SOGs

We're supposed to be responders to All Hazards - in other words, we don't do just one thing. In the range of things we do, it never ceases to amaze me how many times I hear or see really bad ideas espoused as the way to do things. Examples abound;

1) Refusing to wear seat belts in the rig "So we can go right to work at the scene".

2) Putting a vent crew on the roof… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on May 25, 2009 at 1:00pm — 21 Comments

1st Due Arithmetic

The "When is it Vacant...?" discussion on Firefighter Nation brings up a basic question about balancing the response to the incident. I don't have all of the answers to such a complex question, particularly in a short venue in a blog like… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on May 16, 2009 at 2:59pm — 1 Comment

Safety Culture vs. Extinguishment Culture – Smart Fire Departments Can Have BOTH!

If you have a personal or departmental "Extinguishment Culture", would you grab a line and enter this flashed over abandoned house that is showing signs of impending collapse? If you have a personal or departmental "Safety Culture", would you wear your SCBA , a traffic safety vest, and crank a PPV fan while sitting in the rig a half-mile down the street? Chances are, if you are a U.S. firefighter, you'll choose an option somewhere… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on May 1, 2009 at 8:30pm — 12 Comments

To evaluate progress, Take a SEET

From my All Hazards Contemplations blog...

During simple call like a room and contents fire, it's usually fairly easy to evaluate progress.

The black smoke turns to white steam, the fire goes out, the building cools down, we go home, and the invetigators take over. The next morning, the local newspaper reports the wins and losses...hopefully with a box score that… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on April 11, 2009 at 10:31pm — No Comments

The Three Cuts Approach to Managing During the Economic Downturn

Cut Back

You may have to cut back on your use of metered services, fuel for non-essential apparatus movement, and out-of-town training. This includes keeping the thermostat at 68 degrees F, turning off the lights when everyone leaves the room, using energy-efficient light bulbs, bringing the meals to work instead of going shopping in the engine, and training locally as much as possible.

Caution - Look at the economic downturn as a chance to do more… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on February 7, 2009 at 6:30pm — 6 Comments

Be a PUPIL and be successful

When confronted by a big fire, big emergency, or big project, it's easy to fall into the temptation to think that if you're in charge, you're the teacher. You can control outcomes, you can have all of the good ideas, and you can make the kiddies do it your way. Then reality intrudes. Sometimes we are faced with situations, personalities, or budget limitations beyond our control, no matter how in charge we think we are.

Approaching a big fire, emergency, or staff project with the mindset… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on January 19, 2009 at 5:30pm — 2 Comments