Everyone Goes Home!
By: Eric J. Hankins
engine1shark@sbcglobal.net
Captain
Yuba City Fire Department
Yuba City, California
NORCAL FOOLS







As firefighters travel in search of more knowledge for this great profession you come across great “Tips” or “Tricks” to help get you and your crew home safe after every job. I have been fortunate enough to come across several of these tips over the years. Nationally known instructors from all over the country have taught these tips at H.O.T. classes and conventions for years. All with the same goal in mind, to make sure we all Go Home Safe! Instructors such as Lombardo, Dugan, Goldfeder, Pressler, Ciampo, Dodson, and Laskey, have made every effort to impart lessons they have learned to us, to make a safer fireground. The following list is a compilation of the Tips and Tricks I have picked up from these fire service legends in hopes that others may also learn them and pass them on.

Never get off the rig unless you are ready to go to work. Don't show up on a fire scene with out your PPE on and ready to work. 90% of the time this may be OK but when you show up this way to a working incident, you may get caught with your pants down.
Always carry a tool, a flashlight, and a radio. One of these three things could very well save your life inside of a burning building. If you get lost, trapped or hurt, they could be your only lifeline.
Never walk around the fireground with your suspenders down. We have enough crap on our gear to get us tangled up in something. Why give Murphy two big loops to grab on to. If you take them down, then drop your bunkers down too. This way if you get called into work, you CAN'T forget your suspenders.
When doing a search take a second to orientate yourself to the building. Think about it, there are usually four walls in a room. Count the walls. If you come to a window that can be opened, poke your head out and see what side of the building you are on (A,B,C,D). This not only helps you keep a sense of where you are, if you become lost trapped or hurt, you can better describe where you are for members coming in after you.
Know when it is OK to walk. If you can see you feet then walk, if you can't then crawl. This goes for anywhere on the fireground. Inside the building or on the roof. Even when walking around the back. Many firefighters have been hurt falling into holes, pools and the like because they couldn't see where they were going. If you can't see then crawl! Along with this is know when to go to your belly. You should only go to your belly when heat conditions tell you to. If this happens DO NOT KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Today's PPE is being designed and constructed to take more heat. This means we are going deeper into environments that we should not necessarily be in. If it is so hot that you have to crawl on your belly, you are not going to win the fight at this time. Conditions have to be improved first. Whether it is in the form of ventilation, flowing water, or coming from a different side, something has to change before you can progress any further into the building.
When using a TIC don't forget about your basic search practices. TIC's are great tools. Just don't get tunnel vision with them. You have to maintain a normal search routine when using a TIC. Remember, a TIC is a battery powered machine. Things can and will go wrong with them. Think about what would happen if the thing quit working.
Always let your boss know what you are doing or where you are going. A good boss will give his crew the latitude to do what needs to be done. This comes from lots of training and a crew that has proven to the boss that they can handle it. This being said you should still ALWAYS let the boss know what you are doing. This way if something happens in that area they will be more heads up. Also if you go missing, the boss will know where to start looking.
Use your hose stream to tell you about the building. The hose stream is a great tool for not only putting the fire out, but also for describing the room to you. By using the stream to bounce off of objects, you can identify doors, windows, holes in the floor, or any number of things. Practice listening to the stream in burn rooms or during fires.
Always perform your own size-up of the fire building. We all know that the “Radio Report” is usually done by the first due officer, but EVERY firefighter on the fireground needs to be doing their own size-up. This includes the fire building, the fireground, any possible hazards (power lines, traffic, potholes, etc.) and fire/smoke conditions. This personal size-up must be ongoing. What was the smoke like upon you arrival? What does it look like now? Where were the windows? Where may the interior staircase be? Another great size-up tool is to make mental notes when on medical calls. We all know that the majority of our fires happen in buildings that we run medical calls in. Or at least similar type occupancies. Take the extra few minutes to look around after your next medical run. Where are the bedrooms? What type of construction is it? All of these things will help you be better informed on the fireground. Better informed and more likely to get/keep yourself out of trouble.
Buckle the waist strap on your SCBA. As I mentioned earlier, we have enough things hanging from our gear to get us hung up inside a burning building. But with and unbuckled waist strap, not only can we get hung up, if we go down and another firefighter tries to pull us out by our SCBA, he may very well come out of the building with nothing more than a SCBA in his hand.
Look at where you ladder is going, not at the ladder. It has been proven by many that you do not have to look at the ladder in order to raise it. What's important is to look at where the ladder is going. Is there someone in the window? Are there power lines above? How high do you need to extend the fly? You cannot answer any of these questions if you are looking at the beam of the ladder while you are raising it.
These are only a few of the lessons that have been taught over the years. I urge you to take them and others and pass them on to the newer members of your department. We must protect ourselves by passing on the information that was given to use. Only then can we go home safe.

Everyone Goes Home!