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When you were new, what was a mistake that you made that stands out to you to this day?
As many know, I'm new to fire fighting. So as things go I learn by doing, which can lead to mistakes. The worst so far was pinching an EMT's hand with the cot. I still can't apologise enough for that one. So I was wondering what others have done in the way of mistakes that stand out in their minds.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian on
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I was in fire school and I lost the face piece to my air pack. It was dark And I left it where I thought I would remember it. I went back and looked for it but it was gone for good. I had to call the chief and explain it to him. I got stuck with an old elephant hose scott pack for the rest of school. I don't get razed as much as I thought I would.
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Permalink Reply by John L. VanAuken on
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Well My self and was still a newbiee at the time was on My first Extrication. Was told to for the most part by the Asst. Chief and who I rode with to the scene. To stand asside and watch or get tools as needed. Well some how in all the excitment and not doing as told found myself holding an open door on the car they where cutting the top off of, I not knowingly pulled the door back way to hard when the Chief was tryen to stabilize the person still in the vehicle and tryen to wiggle between the door and Asst. Chief that was doing the cutting. I pulled the door hard enough that The Asst. Chief felt Me do it. Well to make a long story short I got a major talken to and was put on Station duty for a while and was not alowed to go on calls. Till learned to not get excited and how to do as Im told. The Asst. Chief still reminds Me every now and then, to slow down. But yes We all make mistakes every now and then, no. 1# is learn from them and if told to do something, do it. If dont know how or dont understand, then dont be afraid to speek up. It never hurts to ask how, or to explain better what they want you to do, then to just say ok, when you dont feel you know how or understand the task.
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Permalink Reply by sweetfire203 on
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well ive got 2 that are pretyy funny and so far noone at my new department even knows about it so im safe for now:) when the page came out for my first grass/brush fire all i could remember was that it was ok if i had on leather boots and jeans and my wildland shirt. So i went racing up to the station grabbed my shirt and helmet and jumped up into our forestry truck i thought everything was great ..... untill we got to the fire and they asked me to climb on top of the truck and pull down some extra hose . No big deal right ? except that the leather boots i had on had oh about a 3 inch heel on them i fell of the truck 4 or 5 times before i gave up and took of the boots and just sat on top of the truck for the rest of the call......For months every one called me stilts!!! The worst one by far though was the day they were trying to show me how to run the pumps on our engine! i was practicing and doin pretty good so the chief and a few others let me stay and work on it while they went and got lunch ... needless to say that by the time they got back i had flooded the bay with class a foam !!!!!!
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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Learning what to say and when, especially around those we're helping.
We got called to a house that had been flooded and the family was pretty distraight- it'd casued a fair bit of damage as you would expect.
Part way through, I had to see the Team Leader who was inside with the family and I walked in and said to them, "I was going to take my boots off at the door, but I didn't think it'd make a big difference to this mess!"
I thought it was funny- they certainly didn't and the TL gave me a bit of a serve later.
Another time, we got called to a house that had some fairly major roof damage from a storm that had blown through. I was the TL for this one and the crew were just packing up the truck getting ready to depart. I was inside with the family sorting out paperwork and they had a kid, I'm guessing about 4-5 years old who was all shy and wouldn't come out.
His parents finally coaxed him out with the words, "It's OK, he won't hurt you" and I immediately replied as I'm looking at the kid smiling, "Yeah, it's OK, I like kids- they taste like chicken!" (I think from memory I had heard it in a movie only a few days before...)
He ran away and wouldn't come out. If looks could kill, I reckon his Dad killed me 3 times over!!!!
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Permalink Reply by PAUL IVEY on
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My mistake came on a brush fire that was at the bottom of this big ol hill. After we got most of the fire out my chief called for me to come to the top and give him a report on the fire. Well I get to the top of the hill and im sweating like no other and i take off my coat and helmet and hang it on a branch. When i get done talking to my chief i go to get my coat to go back down with my crew and I cant find my coat. So after we get everything put out and we are all tired and ready to go back to the hall I had to form a search party to go look for it. We all looked for it for and hour n half and my Assistant Chief comes to me and tells me he found the coat on the branch right after i put there and hid it to teach me to never take my ppe off while fighting any type of fire so i had to explain to everybody why we were looking for a coat that was never lost.
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Permalink Reply by Rob on
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Well, I learned in fire school to keep your visor down while working (especially while working with spanners)
I was removing a supply line from the front of an engine, the spanner slipped off the fitting as i was pulling up... caught myself in the nose (no bleeding but it still sucked)
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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
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On my second structure fire ever, I was told by my Chief that he wanted me to man the hydrant which included attaching the LDH and opening the hydrant. As the engine paused briefly at the hydrant, I jumped off, grabbed the LDH and for some reason(excitement or brain fart?) I grabbed a pair of spanner wrenches and didn't bother to grab the hydrant wrench. I realized as the engine sped off to the fire that the hydrant wrench was still firmly in place in it's holder. Luckily it was only about 50 yards to the scene so as soon as the truck stopped I sprinted down and fetched it and by the time they were ready to attack I had the LDH hooked up and water on the way. But I spent several minutes wondering if anybody saw my F/U...nobody ever said anything so I think I'm safe...
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Permalink Reply by John on
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Jumped off the engine without grabbing my Helmet, I did have my hood on but that was the only thing on my head.
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Permalink Reply by Jason on
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Ok my first and only mistake so far happen on a night alot of people had alot of mistakes. We have a drit track in the town i vol. at and we carry a fire truck out there. We had a race car hit the wall and go up in flames and we took out of there in the truck and why i was putting an air pack on i see they where ff's out there in half turnouts and putting water and a fuel fire...had flames running down the track towards the infield where people where...so i got pack out witch no one else done. i got order in efect and got a fire extin. and put the fire out and cussed my guys out for there stupidtied(witch was wrong on my behave shouldnt have talked to them that way)but they mad the whole department look bad..after i had the fire put out i went up to our other engine that came from the station and help land the med trans hilo. and when we where down i went back and didnt think nothin about it andput a half empty air pack back on the truck with out putting a spare cly. in it. the next day when every one was getting wrote up and had one that got kicked off for holding the nozzle in street clothes,i got compailmented for doing everything right and then i got my ass chewed for putting an half empty pack back on the engine,but i didnt get wrote up..it was a bad night and the Chief was pissed.
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Permalink Reply by ECB on
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The first ambulance I drove was a Dodge van, 3 speed on the column. I came back from a run, got out of it and started walking to the station. Several people starting shouting and pointing behind me. The van was slowly following me across the parking lot. Guess it was lonely. Moral of the story - e-m-e-r-g-e-n-c-y b-r-a-k-e.....
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on
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Okay well my stupid thing was not being trained on our early 80's walk through rescue (chevy with a small block 350 which was stupid to small for the weight) but anyway i left the parking break on because we never leave any of the gas burners without airbrakes parking brake on so chief said hey jon grab rescue as i explain twice real quick i have never driven it i am checked off on the engines, but he said just drive it so i said ok. which i didn't hurt the brakes to bad but it was still stupid of me but oh well live and learn, the day you stop learning, is the day you need to quit!!
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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I was in 1980; my first year on the department.
My mistake was attempting to catch the tailboard of the truck as it pulled out of the station. As I jumped, I missed. I hung on to the bar, but scraped both shins down to the bone.
We never did that again. We still have the truck. I growl at it everytime I go by it.
Thank God; this was the only mistake I ever made.
However; I will always be "near perfect" and never "perfect" as a result.
Good question.
TCSS.
Art
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