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TV vs. Emergency Lighting
You may have to look hard and wide to find the emergency systems during your inspections.
This occupancy decided that the television was more important than the emergency lighting.
Things will get pushed in front of fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull stations and of course exits. If the place is pretty junked up, take some extra time to find these items and ensure that they are freed from obstacles.
Be safe and stay warm out there, most of are freezing.
http://firefightersenemy.com
This occupancy decided that the television was more important than the emergency lighting.
Things will get pushed in front of fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull stations and of course exits. If the place is pretty junked up, take some extra time to find these items and ensure that they are freed from obstacles.
Be safe and stay warm out there, most of are freezing.
http://firefightersenemy.com
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Station10Capt106 on
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things that make you go hmmmm (shaking head).
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Permalink Reply by Chief Dino on
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I have this problem constantly here at the hospital where I work, nurses and aides are always blocking fire extinguishers. The other big fight is keeping hallways clear.
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Permalink Reply by Derek R. on
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This is likely one of those places that wedge the double emergency doors open too. Man, I hate that.
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Permalink Reply by Roy Walker on
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Maybe the T V is on emergency power and the light from the television could guide you to safety , that is after Friends is over cause nobody wants to miss an episode right!
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Permalink Reply by Jason Hoevelmann on
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I was thinking more along the lines of Everybody Loves Raymond. You just can't beat Frank Barone!
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Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on
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Not a soap opera fan but Guiding Light would be more like it, so I hear. TCSS
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I know, for some reason it reeled me in.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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Billy....say it isn't so..............PLEASE!!!!!! I am a more 2 1/2 men fan myself or even Big Bang Theory...but never ever soaps......Oh, the humanity.......
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I'm with Jason, Frank B is it. However 2 1/2 men is great too.
Soaps??? arrrrrgggggghhhhh.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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Ok... so maybe before I was a Fire Captain, I might have spent about six years as a fire inspector dealing with all of this stuff and had to come up with a way to deal with things, knowing that if I screwed up in the least way possible, that I would find myself in court. Which did happen by the way but I never lost and was always found to be in compliance of my duties, protecting the public and enforcing the Uniform Fire Code. So, here's how to deal with all of the incidents noted on you blog posts including:
• blocked emergency lighting
• blocked, missing, or out-of-service fire extinguishers
• blocked hallways
it doesn't matter what the problem is and in my case, I had absolutely no support from supervisors so I had the potential for getting screwed from both sides... guess what, if you just remember one of the lines in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean then you will always do fine... "Arrr matey, just follow the code..."
When doing an inspection, don't consider yourself a fire inspector or officer or anything "official". Instead, make an appointment to conduct an "initial fire inspection", that does not include any "official" paperwork. Instead, have the liaison or tour guide or manager or whoever is in charge of making decisions to apply corrections and someone to take notes for them accompany you (and your engine company) on a site safety inspection. During this inspection, problems found are IMMEDIATELY corrected if they are life safety in origin. This includes blocked hallways. Remember, what you care most about is getting people out of the building. Nothing else really matters in the long run. It's all about LIFE SAFETY. As you identify problems that need correction, assuming that your are well versed to recognize the basic things like electrical, exit pathways, extinguishers and compressed gas cylinder storage then you simply have the scribe make notes on their letterhead, sending you a copy. This list of identified problems is called a punch list in the oil industry and I adapted this concept to meet my needs when doing fixed facility inspections. You pre-arrange an actual inspection date, with the goal of coming back, actually filling out the inspection paperwork and writing, "NO VIOLATIONS NOTED". Typically, you end up working with the safety person and you are making she or he look really good in the process and your will get all of your desired results.
So, what if they blow you off? No problemo amigo/amiga! Your return to complete the "real inspection" make note that none of the things have been done and give them two-weeks to address the problems.
You come back in two-weeks, make note whether they made an effort or not. If they did do some of the things, then continue working with them by giving them two-more weeks. If they did not correct any of the violations, then remember, it's not your 'Kuliana', which is hawaiian for NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
Once identifying life or safety hazards, and non-compliance is an issue then you simply punt the whole mess to your jurisdictions legal beagles and move on. You have covered yourself by not only getting a written acknowledgement from the business that problems existed but your official report documenting the problems in addition to the punch list from the business, from them... Iron clad CYA... Gotta love it!
This should work for all of you reading this. Know your job, do your homework, look at prior responses to the facility to see if there are repeat patterns (elevator issues, releases, spills, fires, ems, etc). To do so will amplify your credibility when you talk with whoever and let them know that you are a professional, not some hack killing time. You are there to protect those who can't or don't know how to protect themselves. That's what we are right? Protectors!
Go out and do your jobs now remember all the time, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice..."
CBz
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It isn't so Paul, it so isn't so. Thanks for making sure. Two and a Half Men is the show, it sometimes trumps a Cowboy game. Gotta go now, need to cook and iron my wife's clothes while watching my Cowboys play (beat) the Eagles. Now if I watched a soap doing all that, my wife's name would be Joe and I would be....well, not living in TX.
PS The Guilding Light thing was a joke about the TV used as an emergency light. Really, honestly, I mean it.
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Oh Billy, Billy, Billy....First Tiger Woods and now you.....where is this world headed...?
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