ot one to assume anything, it occurred to me that many of you, not from the Western USA might appreciate seeing one of the most common reference sources, carried by EVERY firefighter in Southern California. It is called the Incident Response Pocket Guide and it has been updated and published January 2010.
Curious what's inside? Here's the Table of Contents:
GREEN - OPERATIONAL ENGAGEMENT
Risk Management................................................. 1
Look Up, Down and Around............................... 2
Common Denominators of Fire Behavior
on Tragedy Fires.............................................. 4
Common Tactical Hazards................................... 5
LCES..................................................................... 6
Safety Zones........................................................ 7
Downhill Checklist .............................................. 8
Incident Complexity Analysis (Type 3,4,5) ....... 9
Wildland/Urban Interface Firefighting................ 10
GOLD - SPECIFIC HAZARDS
How to Properly Refuse Risk........................... 17
Thunderstorm Safety.........................................19
Hazard Tree Safety............................................ 20
Power Line Safety.............................................. 22
Roadside Response Safety.................................24
Unexploded Ordnance Safety............................ 25
Oil and Gas Site Safety...................................... 26
Last Resort Survival........................................... 28
YELLOW - ALL HAZARD RESPONSE
Vehicle Accident Operations.............................. 31
HazMat Incident Operations.............................32
HazMat Isolation Distances.............................. 33
HazMat Classifications for Fixed Facilities...... 34
Local Disaster Response.................................... 35
All Hazard Incident Response........................... 36
Structure Hazard Marking System.................... 37
Missing Person Search Urgency........................ 38
RED - FIRST AID
First Aid Guidelines........................................... 41
Patient Assessment............................................42
Specific Treatments........................................... 43
CPR....................................................................44
Heat-Related Injuries.........................................45
Burn Injuries....................................................... 46
Multi-Casualty Triage System.......................... 48
BLUE - AVIATION
Aviation User Checklist.....................................51
Aviation Watch Out Situations.......................... 52
Helicopter Passenger Briefing and PPE.............53
Flight Following.................................................56
Helicopter Landing Area Selection.....................57
One-Way Helispot .............................................58
Two-Way Helispot.............................................59
Longline Mission................................................60
Helicopter Hand Signals.....................................61
Paracargo Operations Safety................................ 62
Aerial Retardant Safety...................................... 62
Paracargo Drop Zone......................................... 63
Weight Estimates................................................ 64
Directing Retardant and Bucket Drops............. 65
Working with Airtankers.................................... 66
Aircraft Mishap Response Actions................... 68
SAFECOM Reporting System.......................... 69
WHITE - OTHER REFERENCES
Fire Danger Pocket Card.................................... 71
Spot Weather Forecast....................................... 72
Energy Release Component............................... 74
Burning Index..................................................... 74
Haines Index....................................................... 75
Keetch-Byrum Drought Index........................... 75
Lightning Activity Level .................................... 76
Weather Watch/Weather Warning....................... 76
Windspeed Ranges............................................. 77
Severe Fire Behavior Potential........................... 78
Fire Behavior Hauling Chart .............................. 79
Relative Humidity Tables.................................. 80
Probability of Ignition Tables............................ 82
Direct Attack/Indirect Attack............................ 86
Fireline Location................................................ 88
Procedural Felling Operations........................... 89
Working with Heavy Equipment....................... 90
Water Delivery Information............................... 91
Engine and Water Tender Typing....................... 92
Mark 3 Pump Information.................................93
Water Use Hand Signals.....................................96
Average Perimeter in Chains.............................. 97
Fire Size Class....................................................97
Line Spike...........................................................98
Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics........... 100
Reporting Fire Chemical Introductions........... 102
Fire Cause Determination Checklist................ 103
Media Interviews.............................................104
Phonetic Alphabet............................................ 105
2010 Revision Summary.................................. 109
Sizeup Report............................. Front cover (inside)
Briefing Checklist........................Back cover (inside)
Standard Firefighting Orders.... Back cover (outside)
Watch Out Situations............... Back cover (outside)
For those familiar with this reference source, there have been changes to make note of in this latest version (January 2010).
Here's the changes and revisions:
This 2010 edition of the Incident Response Pocket Guide reflects feedback from the first national comprehensive review of this publication since it was initially put into service in 1999. To denote this, the cover color has been changed to red. There are a number of changes and corrections from the previous 2006 edition. Here’s a summary of the notable changes:
New References
Preface
Specific Hazards Section (gold pages)
Roadside Response Safety
Oil and Gas Site Safety
All Hazard Incident Response
Heat-Related Injuries
Fire Danger Pocket Card
Fire Behavior Hauling Chart
Probability of Ignition Charts
Fireline Location
Working with Heavy Equipment
Engine and Water Tender Typing
Mark 3 Pump Information
Reporting Fire Chemical Introductions
Deleted References
SAMPLE Patient History (2006 edition page 36)
START Patient Triage (2006 edition page 40)
Flight Manager (2006 edition page 47)
PPE for Flight (2006 edition page 50)
Effective Use of SEATs (2006 edition pages 62-63)
USFS Visual Signal Code (2006 edition page 66)
Line Production Rates (2006 edition pages 88-90)
Dozer Use Hand Signals (2006 edition page 91)
Radio Frequencies and Contact Lists (2006 edition pages 100-102)
Existing References with Significant Changes
Wildland Urban Interface Firefighting
Hazard Tree Safety
HazMat Isolation Distances
Helicopter Passenger Briefing and PPE
Working with Airtankers
Procedural Felling Operations
Water Handling Information
Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics
Existing References Moved
After Action Review (green section to front section)
Direct Attack / Indirect Attack (green section to white section)
Power Line Safety (green section to gold section)
Thunderstorm Safety (white section to gold section)
Hazard Tree Safety (white section to gold section)
Click the attachment below to download a free low resolution (black & white) PDF file of the pocket book. You can look online to purchase your own at a cost of about $5.00 each.
It's really a handy reference source and something that you will want to have with you. I hope you find this resource as useful as I did during my career.
Stay safe!
CBz
…
timately faces the same responsibilities and problems his or her Colonial counterpart had more than 200 years ago.
Since the beginning of organized firefighting in the U.S., it became obvious that centralized command was needed - someone would have to take charge and coordinate the efforts of those attacking the fire, salvaging goods and preventing fire extension.
In 1711, the City of Boston took steps to control the chaos that occurred during a fire and better organize the attack against the flames. Firewards, described as "prudent persons of known fidelity," were appointed. Each was given a five-foot red staff topped with a bright brass spike to "distinguish them in their office."
The firewards were "required upon notice of fire breaking forth, taking their badge with them, immediately repair to the place, and vigorously to exert their authority for the requiring of assistance, and using utmost endeavors to extinguish or prevent the spreading of the fire and secure the estate of the inhabitants; and due obedience is required to be yielded to them and each of them accordingly for that service."
When the first fire company was formed in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1736, its efforts, and those of the additional companies that soon organized, were under the guidance of similar firewards. Firefighters setting up bucket brigades, operating pumps and pulling down burning roofing materials all fell under their control.
In New York City, Jacobus Stoutenburgh became the head of the volunteer fire department in 1761, with the title of "Overseer of Fire Engines." The department was reorganized the following year and Stoutenburgh's title was changed to "Engineer," then to "Chief Engi-neer" and finally to "Chief." (This is believed to be the first time any firefighter in the U.S. was officially known by the rank of chief.)
The rank of chief soon became popular with fire departments throughout the country, and the association of the speaking trumpet and a fire officer was starting. The earliest mention of trumpets in New York City was in 1752, when Jacobus Turck, who was in charge of the department at that time, was authorized "to purchase six small speaking-trumpets for the use of the Corporation."
The first trumpets were made of tin and were painted. The officers called cadence through the trumpets to keep the men on the hand pumpers in time on the noisy fireground. The trumpets soon were being made from brass and were being presented as gifts to members of the department. Chief officers used them for overall command at the scene of working fires. They also became part of the elaborate uniforms of the volunteer firemen.
The speaking trumpet was in use for many years as a communication device. It has carried on to this day in a small way as an insignia of rank in most departments - one trumpet for lieutenant, two for a captain, and crossed gold trumpets up to five in number to signify chief of department.
Trumpets carried on from the volunteer days to the beginnings of the professional departments. The rank of chief held even more power in the paid departments because firefighting was now a "job" and the firefighters' livelihoods rested on their job performance. The steam-powered fire engine made paid departments possible due to the smaller number of men needed, but even the reduced number responding had to run alongside the horse-drawn rigs until another means of transportation could be devised. Hose wagons and running boards on the hook and ladders took care of everyone except the guy in charge, the chief.
When New York City's paid fire department was formed in 1865, all battalion chiefs had to travel on foot to fire scenes. That rule remained in effect for 12 years, until a horse and buggy were purchased for each chief, except for two battalions in lower Manhattan where it was believed traffic congestion made buggies ineffective. The Brooklyn Fire Department outfitted its chiefs with horse-drawn rigs at the same time.
The first motorized chief's car in the country was the 1901 Locomobile donated to the FDNY by Chief of Department Edward Croker. This electric-powered runabout was promptly nicknamed the "Black Ghost" by newspaper reporters. With the reliability of automobiles still unproven, the chief kept a horse and buggy ready at all times.
Fire chiefs were now arriving on scene in a timely fashion, but not much else had changed - orders were still being shouted through trumpets or being delivered by runners.
In Great Britain, one of the most progressive and ingenious chief fire officers of all times, James Braidwood, developed a communications system of his own. Braidwood was 26 years old when he became the chief officer of the Edinburgh, Scotland, Fire Brigade. Seven years later, he was hired away from Edinburgh by the London Fire Brigade, becoming that department's first chief.
While chief of Edinburgh in 1830 (his title was actually Master of Fire-Engines), the young officer wrote a book describing his theories on apparatus and firefighting. His fireground command system worked this way:
"Amidst the noise and confusion which more or less attend all fires, I have found considerable difficulty in being able to convey necessary orders to the firemen in such a manner as not to be liable for misapprehension. I tried a speaking-trumpet; but finding it of no advantage, it was speedily abandoned. It appeared to me indeed, that while it increased the sound of the voice, by the deep tone which it gave, it brought it into greater accordance with the surrounding noise. I tried a boatswain's call, which I have found to answer much better. Its shrill piercing note is so unlike any other sound usually heard at a fire, that it immediately attracts the attention of the firemen. By varying the calls, I have now established a mode of communication not easily misunderstood, and sufficiently precise for the circumstances to which it is adapted, and which I now find to be a very great convenience."
Braidwood then listed various coded signals that directed specific companies to work the engine, add hose, turn left or right, move forward, stop or take other actions. In all, there were 36 calls the chief used on the fireground to control operations. Despite the young English chief's discarding of the speaking trumpet, in the U.S. it was the state-of-the-art fire communications tool for many years.
In an attempt to better fire communications in the FDNY, Croker issued Special Order Number 83 on Sept. 1, 1900. It stated, "For the purposes of issuing orders, while in the performance of duty at fires, in a proper manner, and to avoid the confusion generally resulting, from different members of a company shouting orders at the top of their voices, megaphones have been placed in various truck companies in the Borough of Manhattan, and the following instructions regarding their use at fires will be carefully observed:
"On all occasions in the future, when at a fire, a megaphone will be taken to the roof, for the purpose of conveying messages from the roof to the street by members of the Department, and the practice heretofore existing of shouting orders will be discontinued. Whatever orders are necessary to be given, will be sent through the megaphone, in a slow, loud and distinct voice. Chief officers issuing orders from the street, while in command of a fire will also use the megaphone wherever possible, instead of shouting their orders, or sending messengers."
Exactly how long the megaphone experiment was in effect is not known. Photographs of fire scenes from that era do not show chiefs with megaphones, so like many other ideas it was tried and eventually things reverted back to the way they were before - shouting at the top of one's voice.
Communications and fireground command would stay relatively the same for many years. In December 1913, the FDNY experimented with a two-way wireless telegraph system between the Manhattan Fire Dispatcher's Office and the fireboat James Duane. Although it proved successful, the idea was abandoned due to the around-the-clock manpower needed to keep the system up.
Boston had a similar idea, but instead of a telegraph the department installed two-way radios between the dispatcher and the city's fireboat. This first fire department radio system went into service in October 1923. The question of the reliability of radios and the restrictive federal laws governing the radio usage made the adoption of radios by the fire service a slow process. Some departments installed radios in chiefs' cars, but many of them used police department frequencies.
With the introduction of Rescue Company 1 to the FDNY's firefighting force in 1915, another step was taken toward control of operating forces remote from the officer in charge. One of the tools that made the rescue company unique was the Draeger smoke helmet brought from Europe and adopted for use by the new unit.
The company was outfitted with eight smoke helmets, four of which were on its rig and the others left in quarters in reserve. Two of the eight smoke helmets were equipped with telephones inside them and connected to a telephone set outside the affected area by 250 feet of wire. The officer could clearly communicate with his men as they worked their way deep into a building.
One use of the helmet at that time was to let a rescue fireman enter areas filled with ammonia fumes (used for refrigeration) and shut off the necessary valves to stop the leak. The telephone system worked well, except for difficulty in keeping the telephone wires from becoming snagged on obstacles. Beyond the two helmets with telephones, the rest of the fire department operated in smoke without mask protection and without direct contact with chiefs.
Even in the 1930s, the control a chief was able to achieve at any incident was about the same as in his father's time - and even his great-grandfather's time, for that matter. Horses had come and gone and motorized firefighting equipment was bigger and more powerful than ever, but the ability to communicate at the scene of a fire and thereby control the operation was still limited. In the late 1930s, loudspeakers were placed on some fireboats and rescue-type trucks. These had limited success in conveying orders of vital importance, such as backing out of buildings in danger of collapsing, but the definitive answer was yet to be found.
In September 1939, the FDNY set up a radio laboratory in a workshop above the quarters of Engine Company 39 and Ladder 16 in Manhattan. Primary experiments involved the development of pack radio equipment for transmission of messages within a fire area. The department also conducted a thorough search of the commercial radio gear available at the time, but found none that could perform as needed at the scene of a fire.
The department's standards held that a radio must be lightweight, compact and simple to operate, have a long operational life, leave the operator's hands free, be able to communicate with other similar packs at an operation, be sturdy, reasonably waterproof and dependable, have sufficient range to cover a fire area, and be easy to service and adjust.
Considering the advanced system of communications we have grown used to in recent years (pagers the size of a deck of playing cards and cell phones that fit easily in your pocket), it is interesting to note what was state-of-the-art in 1940. After field trials, a two-way radio was developed by the FDNY radio lab.
The pack set, or as it was more popularly called the "Walkie-Talkie," operated on an ultra-high frequency and measured nine inches across by 131�2 inches long, and was five inches thick. The set weighed 131�2 pounds and contained dry-cell batteries that gave it an operational life of between 60 and 100 hours. The pack fit on the back of a firefighter, who used headphones to monitor transmissions and then answer via a microphone.
The set was used with great success at many incidents, including ship fires. One set was used by a chief aboard the S.S. Lafayette (also known as the liner Normandie) during multiple-alarm fire in February 1942. (Firefighters on the deck of the burning ship also teamed up with Navy personnel and used flags in a semaphore system to communicate with units on land.)
A significant event in communications occurred in 1948, when scientists at Bell Labs invented the transistor. This development made smaller, more powerful and less expensive portable radios a reality. Technology advanced in leaps and bounds in the 1950s and '60s as portable radios began appearing all over the fireground.
The fire chief now faced a new problem - too much information for one person to handle at one time. The FDNY addressed this problem when it placed two International "Metro" vans in service as field communication units.
In the 1970s, a series of large-area wildland fires burned through Southern California. The fires raced across jurisdictional boundaries and involved state and federal forests. Numerous fire departments and other agencies became involved, but the lack of a common plan of operations and difficulty in one agency communicating with another caused a variety of problems.
After the fires, a number of the involved agencies worked together to develop a plan to better manage these emergencies. Their plan evolved to the incident command system now widely used within the fire service to manage fires and other emergency situations.
The fire chief who had become a fireground commander is now an incident commander (IC) and must coordinate the function areas under his command. To better equip the IC, many departments added large command post vehicles to their fleets for major operations. This proved to be beneficial to the fireground commander, but not every department can afford a large vehicle to serve in this capacity. Many fire chiefs also realized that because most alarms do not escalate to major proportions, a large vehicle was not needed. Many departments have upgraded the chief's car from simple transportation to a command vehicle, using custom command modules. Some departments have even expanded this concept to create specialized first-responding medical vehicles.
We've come a long way, from speaking trumpets to faxes, but one constant is the firefighter willing to battle the flames. Looking at modern command posts and all equipment available to fireground commanders, it's still nice to see the crossed gold trumpets on their collars.…
onitors Body Temp, (and could) Saves Lives
Heat stroke kills players firefighters every year. But a new helmet gives coaches firefighter's a novel sideline monitoring system.
The greatest danger that football players firefighters face is a [insert something else here like heart attacks, asphyxiation, internal trauma, burns, drowning, HEAT STROKE, asthma attack or getting shot ] bone-crushing hit, right? But the stats tell a different story: Since 1995, 39 football players firefighters, most in high school, have died of heat stroke. And it's not the province of psycho coaches in Texas either: In 2001, Minnesota Vikiings lineman Korey Stringer died, with a body temperature of 108.8 degrees. Now take that same individual playing football and put that person into a firefighting situation that could involve structure fires, motor vehicle fires, wildland fires or any arduous activity that occurs in high temperatures that much of the United States is currently encountering.
In the last decade (1), of the 40 firefighters who died on the fireground, 13 succumbed to heart attacks, 8 were asphyxiated, 7 died of crushing injuries, 5 died of internal trauma, 3 died of burns, 1 drowned, 1 died of heat stroke, another died during an asthma attack, and 1 was shot. Nineteen of the victims were volunteer firefighters, 15 were career firefighters, 4 were contractors with wildland agencies, 1 was a career federal forestry agency employee, and 1 was a seasonal state forestry agency employee.
As Popular Science reports, a new football helmet could finally end those tragedies so...
Why not apply this technology to fire helmets?
Hothead Technologies invented the Heat Observation Technology (HOT) system, an in-helmet temperature monitor that will alert coaches when a player is overheated. Inside the helmet's padding, near the players temporal artery, the monitoring comes from a thermistor, whose electrical resistance varies with temperature. (Which sounds fancy, but almost all metals have that property; thermosistors merely have a more regular resistance pattern, which is easier to model.) A built-in radio transmits temperatures to a PDA monitored on the sidelines. Hothead, apparently, is "as accurate as a rectal thermometer" but obviously far more useful to football players (and firefighters).
References
1. NFPA's files on fatal injuries to on-duty firefighters are updated continually for all years. The current total of 95 deaths for 1996 is three more than the number identified in the July/August 1997 issue of NFPA Journal.
2. For this report, the term "volunteer" refers to any firefighter who isn't a full-time, paid member of a fire department. The term "career" refers to full-time, paid fire department members or employees of career organizations whose assigned duties include firefighting.
Refresher Training: What is the difference between Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke?
Refresher Training: What has NIOSH recommended to prevent Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke?
Click Here...
Refresher Training:
The apparent temperature is how hot the heat-humidity combination makes it feel?
We are in the 21st century where technological advances and miniaturization of circuits and radio transmitters makes things like this possible. If a football coach can monitor a football team, then can't a Safety Officer do the same? Any monies spent on this type of technology being made available to high school football teams should be adapted and made available for firefighters.
Firefighters safety is paramount and using a tool such as this that can warn supervisors that one of their own is in danger seems like an obvious thing to do, at least it does to me. Passive systems with GPS monitors and vital sign monitoring should one day be the norm verses my suggesting it here on the FFN.
What do you think?
CBz
"Failure to prepare is preparing to failure, be prepared..."
…
hanges will have the affect of Law and will be binding on all fire departments and firefighters in Georgia.
Of particular concern is the impact the proposed changes will have on volunteer firefighters and departments. If your jurisdiction relies upon volunteers for the delivery of fire protection services, it may be helpful for you to look into the proposed changes and communicate with the volunteers to evaluate the impact the proposed changes may have. From what I have learned, many of the volunteer departments are completely unaware of the pending vote on the proposed changes to the rules.
The proposed changes will:
increase the initial training required to become a basic (volunteer) firefighter
set deadlines for volunteers to obtain either support firefighter accreditation or basic firefighter accreditation (one-year from date of joining)
require volunteers to pass a physical agility test
require basic (volunteer) firefighters to successfully perform 21 life-safety skills
require certain ongoing specific training requirements each year in order to maintain the ability to volunteer
require additional minimum equipment beyond the current requirements
There are some administrative changes as well to include:
the requirement that volunteer fire departments must notify GFSTC within ten days of someone joining their department
departments must obtain and maintain proof of age on volunteers
departments must get background checks on volunteers
departments must have a baseline medical form completed by a certified medical person on volunteers
departments must complete a registration form and submit the form with the criminal history check to GFSTC within one-year of a new member joining
departments must report an arrests of any member (not conviction) to GFSTC within ten days of the arrests
The above changes are not all-inclusive, but capture most of the possible impact on volunteer departments. It is very difficult to recruit and maintain volunteers, and volunteers have an extremely long list of responsibilities in providing fire services as it is, so everyone will need to consider the pros and cons of placing additional burdens on the volunteer spirit. It is very possible that jurisdictions that rely upon volunteers could be faced with having to increase funding to offset the loss of volunteers that could result from the application of the proposed rules. In a case where there are not enough volunteers due to the increased burdens being placed upon them, it is possible that communities will either become unprotected (property insurance rates will soar), or local governments will be forced to utilize tax dollars to provide service through paid firefighters.
GFSTC has historically worked well with fire departments that are deficient in compliance with the rules, but it has been made clear that deficient departments will lose their compliance certification and be unable to legally operate.
If you would like additional information on the proposed changes, or would like to discuss this matter, please contact me by e-mail at blombard@greenecountyga.gov, or by phone at 706-817-6600.
Many thanks,
Byron Lombard
County Manager
Greene County
Mr. Pardue,
My wife tells me that I am still H.F.Stewart.
I appreciate your quick response and do believe that the Rules Committee has good intentions. The practical side, however, is that implementation of the proposed rules as written will cause many volunteer fire departments to become non-compliant.
As a former EMA director, I know how difficult it is to get volunteers to give up their time to attend training and do all the other things required by the volunteer fire departments while trying to make a living.
Specifically, the additional reporting requirements and administrative burdens being placed on the leadership of these volunteer departments will serve as a deterrent to individuals desiring to volunteer their time for the fire service. Experienced leaders will likely find the extra burden too much and either quit altogether, or take on a lesser role leaving the leadership role to someone with much less experience. The additional reporting requirements and administrative burden include, but are not limited to:
· Notification of GFSTC within 10 days of someone joining a volunteer department
· The requirement to get criminal history checks
· The requirement to obtain certain documents for proof of age
· The requirement to have medical forms completed by certified individuals
· The requirement to report arrest within ten days
Further, the additional training that is proposed under the new rules will push available volunteers out of compliance, and thus no longer available. We need every volunteer we can get, not limit our volunteer pool by inserting “hoops” for them to jump through, training requirements that are not practical for volunteers, and deadlines that are arbitrary an unreasonable. Specifically, the proposed rules require the following that will hurt the volunteer fire service:
· Increasing the initial training to become a basic firefighter
· Setting a deadline of one-year from date of joining to obtain certain training certification
· Requiring volunteers to pass a physical agility test
· Requiring volunteers to successfully perform 21 life-safety skills
· Requiring additional ongoing training every year, especially the core competencies
If the above specific requirements are not satisfied, departments will lose their certification. These requirements are in addition to numerous requirements already being shouldered by a select few in volunteer departments.
I would now ask you to provide something in return…please provide me with definitive proof that the fire service across the State is ineffective and broken, and in need of change. Also, provide me with the evaluative data that indicates that the problems that will ensue after establishing these proposed rules is less detrimental than whatever perceived problems exists today.
It would seem that local jurisdictions should be enabled to determine the success of their fire service. In those jurisdictions desiring change, let them make the change and bear the costs. In those that support their volunteers and believe in their dedicated efforts to serve their fellow citizens, let them continue to successfully perform without unnecessary policing.
T. Mayers Original Point:
• The fact that the rules have not been changed in thirty five years could either mean that there are problems with the present rules or that the rules have stood the test of time and have been quite effective. I am not aware of significant problems with the rules as they pertain to volunteer fire departments nor did I learn anything last Thursday to indicate that there are significant problems with the present rules. “If it isn’t broke don’t fix it”.
Pardue’s Response:
• As far as I can determine, the rules of Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council have never been updated since written in 1974 and becoming effective in 1975. There have been multiple law changes affecting this agency since that time and there are significant changes which need to be made.
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
There have certainly been changes to the requirements imposed on volunteers over the years, such as the live-fire requirement that became effective around 2005. Any such changes should be incorporated into the Rules as opposed to promulgating Policy changes adopted independently by Council. It is important to note that the requirements for volunteers under the Rules of 1974 are not the same as the requirements for volunteers under Council’s requirements today.
Please identify those proposed changes that are a product of Legislative changes enacted by the General Assembly with reference to the Code Section that necessitates such change
T. Mayers Original Point:
• I do not like the removal of the word “Volunteer” we are volunteers! We are not “basic” firefighters.
Pardue’s Response:
• This was discussed in detail during the Rules Committee meetings. Generally throughout this state, individuals are labeled “volunteers” even if they receive a fixed reimbursement on a per call basis which would technically make the individual “paid-on-call”. Other options in use are paying the “volunteer” on an hourly basis and giving an annual bonus which is usually prior to Christmas. This is not all inclusive, but just used as an example. (Of my 24 years serving as a “volunteer”, 14 of those were actually paid-on-call). Please remember Mr. Mayers that these proposed Rules are a draft open for discussion and are subject to revision at the Council’s pleasure.
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
We have volunteer firefighters around the State that are trained to higher levels than that of “Basic Firefighter.” Basic Firefighter should remain a level of training, “Volunteer Firefighter” should mean “a firefighter trained to at least the level of Basic Firefighter that is not employed for hourly compensation but appointed and regularly enrolled to serve as a firefighter for any municipal, county, state, or private incorporated fire department.”
T. Mayers Original Point:
• The mandated training and reporting requirements for a small rural department of 100% volunteers is onerous and excessive. While I believe in and support ongoing training, mandating them with the resulting reporting will, in my opinion, result in the loss of some membership and greatly adversely affect future recruitment. The training should be in the form of recommendations not mandates. Keep in mind most of the volunteer firefighters are employed in full time jobs in addition to their volunteer activities.
Pardue’s Response:
• Fighting fire is one of the most “hazardous occupations” there is. I included “occupation” because there is no difference in volunteers, paid-on-call, part-time, or career firefighters engaged in fighting fire at a two story farm house trying to save property or a life. This is the reason minimum training requirements were included by the Rules committee. It was to establish minimum training for all firefighters, not just those who choose to participate.
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
There IS a difference between volunteers, paid on-call, part-time, and/or career firefighters engaged in fighting fire…paid firefighters GET PAID. These paid firefighters get paid to participate in training, both required and voluntary training. These paid firefighters are paid to perform to meet certain expectations and rely upon their job as a firefighter to provide for their household. Without risking their jobs, the paid firefighters have little choice when given an assignment except to perform to the level expected of them. Volunteers absolutely have the choice (and responsibility) to deny an assignment if it is beyond their comfort level or training.
Paid firefighters must respond to calls when dispatched on their shift, volunteers do not have to respond. Volunteer departments never know who is able to respond, what role they will need to fill, or what equipment will role to the call.
Bottom line, there is a difference in the expectations of paid firefighters versus volunteer firefighters. The reality is that this difference is commonly accepted due to the nature of volunteering to perform versus being paid, i.e. required, to perform.
T. Mayers Original Point:
• The requirement for providing documentation to GFSTC when new Volunteer (basic) as well as support members are added only adds time and effort to already very busy volunteer officers of the small rural departments and, as far as I can determine, really does not serve a real useful purpose.
Pardue’s Response:
• I pray we never have another line of duty firefighter death. Under Georgia Law regarding the indemnification benefits for firefighters injured or killed in of duty, O.C.G.A. 45-9-81(B) states: “Firefighter” shall also mean any individual serving as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized volunteer fire department…” It is very important to notify GFSTC when new firefighters are employed/appointed to fire departments. I serve on the Indemnification Commission and I do not want to verify an individual was not an officially recognized or delegated member of a legally organized volunteer department and possibly jeopardize much needed assistance for the firefighter or his/her survivors.
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
In my review of all information available to me under Title 45 and other sources relating to the Georgia Indemnification Commission and could not find any reference to a requirement that in order to qualify as a “Firefighter” for purposes of the Georgia Indemnification Fund that a volunteer firefighter must be registered with the GFSTC to be considered for benefits under the Fund.
Have you ever had to verify that a firefighter was not “officially recognized” by the GFSTC as a member of a legally organized volunteer fire department? If so, did such verification from you representing GFSTC prevent benefits from being paid under the Fund? It appears that while such registration with the GFSTC might simplify the verification process, not being registered with GFSTC does NOT prevent benefits from being paid under the Fund. Please correct me if I am wrong on this point.
T. Mayers Original Point:
• There is no distinction for the annual training and reporting for a firefighter that is trained and qualified to enter a burning structure, for an offensive attack and rescue, or a firefighter that is trained and qualified to handle a hose on a defensive attack. Additionally there is no distinction in the requirements for fighting a wild fire, vehicle fire or dumpster fire.
Pardue’s Response:
• Basic firefighter training is standardized using the National Fire Protection Association standard on Firefighter (NFPA 1001). As individuals are trained as a firefighter and responds to calls, he/she does not know what is ahead. Firefighter may and do find themselves in a situation they can’t get out of without assistance. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know there are trained individuals on site ready to assist should the need arise?
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
I believe you missed my point. In volunteer fire departments, we are limited in manpower and never know for sure who is responding to the fire. There may be a case where those that are able to respond must be completely defensive in their attack, which could be due to the conditions present, or the manpower available. Volunteers should be able to fight fire defensively without having to meet the same standard as those making an interior offensive attack.
Likewise, a support firefighter may respond to a small area on the side of the road that is on fire, yet they would have to wait on a Volunteer Firefighter to actually put water on the fire. This delay could cause the fire to grow into a more hazardous event.
My belief is that there should be a distinction made for initial training requirements for Volunteer Firefighters entering into burning structures over that required of Support Firefighters. However, beyond entering a burning structure, Support Firefighters should be able to man a nozzle on a defensive attack, woods fire, or other fire using their training and experience gained through departmental training.
T. Mayers Original Point:
• The comment that “people die fighting wild fires” is not a valid argument. We all know that most firefighters die from heart attacks and secondly from vehicle accidents. More people die crossing the street than are killed fighting Georgia wild fires. The skill level and physical requirements for fighting an offensive attack on a structure certainly exceeds the others mentioned above.
Pardue’s Response:
• In 2008, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, there were 118 line of duty fire deaths, 66 of these were volunteers, and 26 were related to wildland firefighting
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
A review of the 2008 U.S. Fire Administration report reveals that only two of those fire deaths occurred in Georgia. One of the deaths occurred during training being delivered at the Georgia Fire Academy, the other occurred while in route to a woods fire after the apparatus overturned. Neither of these deaths in Georgia were the result of volunteers fighting wild-land fires.
Further, you point out that “26 of these deaths were related to wildland firefighting,” yet a review of the specifics of these deaths does not indicate that additional requirements for those fighting wild-land fires is appropriate or necessary. None of the 26 deaths were volunteers or support firefighters that died due to lack of training or certification.
The majority of these 26 deaths were due to helicopter or plane crashes (14 to be exact), 5 were due to medical conditions rather than training level/certification, 2 due to a bridge collapse while in an apparatus rather than their training level/certification. Of the remaining five, one was hit by a vehicle on a roadway, one fell from a cliff, one fell off a parked forestry plow, one had a tree fall on him, and one had fire burn over his position…it is arguable as to whether their training level/certification had anything to do with the cause of their death, but of these last five, all had high levels of training.
Fire of any type including wild-land fire is unpredictable and despite the highest levels of training, one can still die due to fire. However, WE NEED volunteers to fight fire of all types including wild-land fires. Implementing requirements that can not be justified that restrict those allowed to fight fire will easily cause wild-land fires to grow in intensity causing greater property loss and possibly loss of life if the fire spreads to nearby occupied dwellings and consumes the occupants.
Appropriate initial training should be encouraged, but volunteer fire departments across the State should not be hamstrung by Rules that make fighting fire more difficult when such rules can not be defended with statistical data and sound rationale. Hundreds, of wild-land fires throughout Georgia each year are successfully managed by volunteer and support firefighters.
T. Mayers Original Point:
• Any “review committee” that is established for the review of a Volunteer Fire Department should only include (the fire department portion of the committee) members of Volunteer Fire Departments. Just as I do not think a paid department should be reviewed by members of a volunteer department. Peer review is much more effective and relevant.
Pardue’s Response:
• I agree that any committee dealing with volunteers should have volunteer representation.
Follow-up Response:
Based on your own description of the Rules Committee, it appears that there were virtually no purely volunteer departments involved in the re-write process. Accordingly, based on your concurrence expressed above, the GFSTC should solicit purely volunteer departments to serve on a committee to develop revisions to the Rules for volunteer departments not merely “volunteer representation”.
T. Mayers Original Point:
• In section 205-2-2-04 the reporting of arrests of members should be removed. Whatever happened to the “innocent until proved guilty in a court of law”? These arrest reports can sit in a person’s records for years, possibly after the person was found to be “not guilty”, and still be available with an open records request by someone on a “witch hunt” to slander another’s reputation.
Pardue’s Response:
• The committee using Peace Officer Standards and Training Council Rules as a guide felt this should be included in Rules.
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
POST Council Rules apply to law enforcement officers, which are involved in enforcing the Law and should be held to a much higher standard under the Law. There is a direct association between those that enforce the Law and their own willingness to obey the Law.
You were asked what the GFSTC would do with such a record when reported, and you indicated “nothing.” So why place this burden on any department, especially volunteer departments?
T. Mayers Original Point:
• 205-3-1.01-h should be changed from Purchase and maintain to Provide and maintain. Our insurance is provided to all Greene County Fire Departments by the County.
Pardue’s Response:
• The above mentioned section (205-3-1.-01(h) is a direct quote of Georgia Law with the exception of this addition, “…that is in accordance with applicable Georgia insurance laws.” I feel certain the current insurance provided to all Greene Co FDs is more than adequate.
Follow-up Response:
To be correct it should be changed to provide.
T. Mayers Original Point:
I hope these comments and suggestions will be given serious review and consideration before we have rules and regulations promulgated on us that will make our lives much more difficult. Please keep in mind that we are all 100% volunteers and many of our members work full time in addition to volunteering with the fire department as well as other volunteer activities.
Pardue’s Response:
It is my experience that the majority of full-time firefighters also have “full-time” jobs while off duty. It has not been nor has ever been the intent to place undue burdens on our volunteers, simply establish fair, equitable, minimum standards for all of our fire service professionals.
T. Mayers Follow-up Response:
I fail to see why you point out that “the majority of full-time firefighters also have ‘full-time’ jobs while off duty.” The full-time firefighters get paid while on-duty to participate in required training. Their secondary jobs are to supplement their primary profession and income. Not only do they get paid for their service as a firefighter, they get paid for their secondary employment. Volunteers must find time around their paying profession to attend training and provide service.
Volunteers should be supported in their efforts to provide service to their fellow citizens, nor regulated and policed out of existence. Any additional burdens will make it more difficult on volunteers, PERIOD.
T. Mayers Original Point
If it isn’t broke don’t fix it. I do not believe, nor does the evidence indicate, that the existing rules and regulations for rural volunteer fire departments are broken.
Pardue’s Response:
Updates and changes actually are needed.
Follow-up Response:
A very subjective response! It should be fairly obvious that many do not agree with your position. Any changes should be based on clear and overwhelming justification and limited in scope to the maximum extent possible when being inflicted against volunteers.…
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Sikorsky Aircraft Fire rescue
Wilmington Rescue 1
Boeing Phila Firefighters
Canden NJ Rescue 1
Station 41 Orange Co FL
New York City Fire patrol 2 disbanded
Los Angeles Air Port LAX
Boeing ( aircraft)
Richmond VA Haz Mat, Rescue 3, Quint 13
Atlantic City Intl airport
Atlanta Hartsfield airport
Dallas Ft worth airport
Naval station Mobile AL
PT. Hueneme Navy Base
Philadelphia ladder 23 China Town Nice dragon
Meriden Eng 4
Otis Air Force base MA Brushfire Control
Stewart Airport NY
Will Co Haz Mat
Philadelphia Eng 49, M11
Wilington DE Eng 6
Camden NJ Rescue 1
Willow Alaska
Station 41 Orange Co FL Shark Tank
Lima PA Tr.Eng Ambulance 69
Carney’s point NJ
Magnolia TX 50 Anniversary
Baltimore Tr B, Eng 30
Engine 3 /Squad 3
Grand canyon AZ
Macdill Air Force base
Kirkland Air Force base NM Hot Shots
FDNY Haz Mat small
California Crash Rescue
Suntana raceway UT
Los Angeles City Station 100
Oklahoma City Underwater rescue & recovery
NSW Rural Fire service Air Operations 2009-2010
Vanndenberg (Air Force base) Wildland Firefighter
Firefighters World Trade Center Engine Co. Fallen Heros
Sikorsky Aircraft UTC
Sikorsky Aircraft Fire Protection & emergency services
Fire Hawk ( Black Hawk Helicopter modified for fire use)
Boeing Fire protection 50th Anniversary
Manchester NH Engine/Truck 5 The Bat House
Little Boston Tribal WA
Pueblo of Laguna SWFF Organization ( south west firefighters Tribal
Westchester Co Ny Haz Mat
Columbus GA Haz Mat Team Fire dept
Louisville Haz Mat team KY
Horry Georgetown haz Mat response Team
Umatilla tribal Fire dept OR
Hutchinson KS Haz Mat Team
Sawtooth Hot Shots
LA CO FD E 76/HM 76
Chicago Fire Dept Air Sea rescue
Dobbins Air Force base Fire Dept
Santa Barbara Co Fire Dept air operations
COMFLEACT SASEBO Japan Fire dept
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Fire dept
Chicago Haz Mat TeAM
Philadelphia Haz Mat Team
Camp Pendleton Helitack
Goodfellow Air Force Base Fire Dept
Crawfordsville Eng 2
Siskiyou smokesliders
F E Warren Air force base
Snake River Helitack
Metro Washington Airport CFR
Anchorage AK Fire Dept
Brick Township Technical Rescue NJ
Rocky Mountain National park Fire
Chesterfield VA Diving Team
R-6 Redmond Smokejumpers
Orange Co Fire crew 1
Albuquerque Nm Haz Mat
Houston Tx Aircraft Rescue Firefighter
Eldorado national forest eng 66 sly park station
Mohegan Lake NY fire rescue
San Diego Regional Fire Rescue air operations
Muskwachees Ambulance Hobbema tribal
Central Mat-SU Alaska
OTHER PATCHES
Antarctic jogging association 200 miles super striders
Sex is my bag with rabbit
The devil made me do it with devil & flames
I lost my A$$ in Virginia City has Donkey in middle
Air Assault Desert Storm 101 Airborne
Corsair II
Ski Doo1
Shoulder covers
Incendie Ville De Quebec
N-Z Fire service
2 different ranks…
of life for the fire department world that I know and understand.
Here is an example of one of the study quizzes used to prepare for promotional exams used by the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
Does the level of information and knowledge base look like what you have to study for promotional testing in your department? Or is being appointed or voted to a position the way your department handles promoting individuals?
LAFD Fire Captain Promotional Quiz / Session # 21
1) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 1, “Exploring the Use of One-Inch Hose on Structural Firefighting”, the indirect firefighting method requires the deviation from two basic principles of fire fighting. They are _________ & __________.
A) Water is applied to the seat of the fire, Vertical ventilation is performed prior to knock-down
B) Water is applied above the fire, Vertical ventilation is performed prior to knock-down
C) Water is applied to the seat of the fire, Vertical ventilation is performed post knock-down
D) Water is applied above the fire, Vertical ventilation is performed post knock-down
2) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 3, Type IV Buildings - Aluminum”, aluminum has a melting point of approximately _______ degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature which can be expected about _______minutes after the start of most fires.
A) 1000, 5
B) 1200, 5
C) 1200, 10
D) 1300, 10
3) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 3, “Type IV Buildings - Aluminum”, to a large degree, depending on the __________ the whole roof may burn out very rapidly, causing an unexpected and severe exposure hazard.
A) Contents
B) Method of storage
C) Type of occupancy
D) Both “A” & “B”
E) Both “A” & “C”
4) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 60, “Methonal Vehicles”, the Training Bulletin provides firefighting and emergency medical service personnel with a general
understanding of the _________________.
A) Chemical properties & associated hazards of methanol
B) Firefighting methods for methanol fuel
C) Methanol fueled vehicle characteristics
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
5) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 60, “Methonal Vehicles”, Methonal is in the _________ chemical family.
A) Gasohol
B) Alcohol
C) Methane
D) Hydrogen
E) All of the above
6) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 60, “Methonal Vehicles”, the vapor density of Methonal is 1.11. Therefore, Methonal vapors will tend to ____________.
A) layout-grid-mode:line"">Drop to the floor
B) Float mid-room
C) Rise to the ceiling
D) Disipate
7) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 60, Methonal Vehicles”, Methanol is a Class _________as defined by the National Fire Protection Association and the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
A) II-A Flammable Liguid
B) I-A Flammable Liquid
C) I-B Flammable Liquid
D) Non-Flammable Gas
8) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 60, “Methonal Vehicles”, there are several methods of extinguishing methanol fires. The more effective method is the use of __________________.
A) Water
B) Dry Chemical Extinguisher
C) Halon
D) AFFF/ATC
E) All of the above
9) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 60, Methonal Vehicles”, each bus will be equipped with an on-board fire/explosion suppression system. The components of the system include ____ 20 pound Halon ____ cylinders mounted
beneath the chassis.
A) Two, 1211
B) Three1211
C) Two, 1301
D) Three, 1301
10) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 61, “Scrubber Systems”, the _________ scrubber system, is used for paint spraying operations utilizing the particulate absorption method.
A) Water wash
B) Filtration
C) Chemical Neutralization
D) Thermal Destruction
E) None of the above
11) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 82, “Infectious Disease Protocols”, skin testing for Tuberculosis should be monitored at least every ____ years.
A) One
B) Three
C) Five
D) Seven
12) According to LAFD Training Bulletin No. 82, “Infectious Disease Protocols”, if a known or suspected exposure to an infectious disease, or an exposure to blood and body fluid has occurred, the member shall notify Medical Liaison of an Level ____ exposure
A) IV
B) III
C) II
D) I
13) According to the LAFD Earthquake Operations Manual (Book 98), Chapter IV “Responsibility and Authority”, the ______________ gives the Fire Department the power and duty to control and extinguish injurious or dangerous fires and to remove that which is liable to cause such fires.
A) City of Los Angeles Fire Code, LAMC Chapter 5, Article 7
B) City Administrative Code, Division 8, Chapter 3, Article 9
C) Constitution of the United States of America
D) Los Angeles City Charter, Article X
14) According to the LAFD Brush Fire Operations Manual (Book 99), Chapter V “Fire Environment”, fire behavior can be defined as the manner in which __________.
A) Fuels ignite
B) Flames develop
C) Fire spreads
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
15) According to the LAFD Brush Fire Operations Manual (Book 99), Chapter V “Fire Environment”, the wildland fire environment consists of three major components, topography, ____________, and weather.
A) Slope
B) Fuel
C) Time
D) Aspect
16) According to the LAFD Brush Fire Operations Manual (Book 99), Chapter V “Fire Environment”, air is fluid and almost constantly in motion. High-pressure areas force air toward the ____________.
A) Surface
B) Sky
C) Mountains
D) Fire
17) According to the LAFD Brush Fire Operations Manual (Book 99), Chapter V “Fire Environment”, it is estimated that doubling the wind velocity will approximately __________ the rate of fire spread.
A) Double
B) Triple
C) Quadruple
D) Reduce
18) According to the LAFD Brush Fire Operations Manual (Book 99), Chapter V “Fire Environment”, wind speeds quoted in weather forecasts are wind speeds measured at ______ feet above the surface in light fuels.
A) Two
B) Five
C) Ten
D) Twenty
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