If the Pump Operator Wears a Full Radio Headset...

How do they hear around truck ? Engine was rear pump panel and pump operator turned on wrong hose. Almost took out another firefighter that was connecting, this same hose adding length. Couldn't tell or yell to him to shut down this hose. Firefight laid down on ground to get away from flying hose....

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rescue601 on December 5, 2008 at 12:43am

I guess I am confused .... if he is wearing a full radio headset then why didn't you talk to them on the radio? With a pump engaged and running up pressure its hard to hear anything to begin with and thus why they wear the headset to hear the radio.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by united 289..{Dave} on December 5, 2008 at 5:33am

Accidents do happen. Thats why we train to reduce them.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by FETC on December 5, 2008 at 7:30am

Our DO doesn't use the headset. Everyone has a portable with lapel mic in the entire department. We use radio communication to confirm the charging of the line in a blind situation. Otherwise the DO should have visually made sure the line was ready to be charged.

Also in our dept., we use nozzles with break off tips that allow us to add a length or two onto the attack line without ever shutting down the pump. For us, we just close the gate on the nozzle and add on. This would have solved your problem as well.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Trainer on December 5, 2008 at 8:09am

I hate to be critical, I was not there, but sounds like a communications problem, it happens. Once he gets the command on the radio he; needs to acknowledge it, and visibly watch while the line charges. In a blind situation, he needs to let them know water is coming, and slowly charge; keep his hand on the lever/switch till he gets the OK. This one is all about communications and is usually the first breakdown at a scene.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on December 5, 2008 at 8:41am

I agree with the others - these things happen. I am glad no one got hurt learning this lesson.

Even with radio communications, problems can occur unless everyone has and uses a unique radio identifier, and communicates clearly. Example: Some years ago we had a barn fire, with a 5 inch supply line laid from the water source up a driveway. Someone said "Charge the line!" and the water supply PO thought that was HIS signal to charge the LDH.

This was unfortunate, since the scene PO was in the process of hooking the LDH to his truck and was astride it when the water arrived. I'm glad there are no recordings of the radio traffic that ensued, nor photographs of a soaking wet PO bent over double gasping for breath. No one got hurt (physically) that night, and despite our "efforts" to the contrary we saved the barn.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chief 29 on December 10, 2008 at 11:40am

Training, Training, and more training. In my past experience with headsets usually I would have one side off of my ear while operating a pump just so I could hear what was going on around me and also hear radio transmissions. Someone should have been able to alert the operator via the radio to shut the line. It sounds to me that there was a breakdown in communication.
Regardless to the fact that the operator had on a full headset or one that only has one ear speaker or no headset at all these things are still bound to happen due to adrenaline, excitement, and tunnel vision. The only thing you can do to to reduce the amount of times these things happen is to train on pump operations. Possibly set up an sop for the operators on charging lines, How and when.
Keep training because knowledge goes hand and hand with safety. STAY SAFE!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wade Lawrence on December 11, 2008 at 11:45pm

thanks for the reply

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Engineer k7 on December 12, 2008 at 11:34am

This is a very good question. The answer is pay 110% of what is going on with the engine, hoses and surroundings and 200% to the RADIO! Yes accidents do happen but we as engineers have to do our best to try to prevent them. As an engineer you should train yourself to have one ear to the engine one ear to the radio and both eyes to your surroundings and to the pump panel weather the scene is on the blind side of the truck or not. Good question Wade