Some departments need to go back to the basics!!!

In my area we've got a lot of "little" departments that might get 30-50 fire related calls a year and one of those will be a house fire. They usually call use for manpower and apparatus. When we get on scene we'll find them fighting the fire from the burned area and pushing the fire the rest of the way through the building or at least a couple more rooms. It's hard to run up there and tell them to STOP, mostly you stand there and shake your head. We'll advise them of a different attack method and they will usaully give us the ok, but I feel this is really a no brainer. I know that there are times that its the only thing that you can do but not every time.

Any thoughts or anyone else ever see this same problem with other departments?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on October 13, 2008 at 7:26pm

I was going to reply.....BUT, I don't think this deserves a reply.....Paul

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Permalink Reply by Tony P on October 13, 2008 at 7:54pm

I just enjoyed myself writing a nice long reply. Then proof read it and realised that I hadn't answered the original question at all. I was just off happily talking about training!

T.J., It happens. All of our individual local Brigades are part of a State-wide FRS. We have training packages and guidelines passed down through the system from the State HQ. Yet when it gets to the fireground there are differences. Why do we have this sort of issue? Because of individual interpretation, because 'this is how we've always done it'. So if with our organisation we get the problem, it's really no surprise that you do.

How to overcome it? Joint training, as has been said, would have to help. Try to have all the local department training officers/managers get together on a regular basis to try and get some cohesion in what you all do (this is also a good venue for organising mutual training). Perhaps involve all the chiefs in the first few meetings as well? This might not be possible, or it might not work. Perhaps you do it already! It's how we've always done it, even before the State government stepped in and took over all the individual Brigades over 60 years ago.

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Permalink Reply by PFC Harmon on October 13, 2008 at 10:36pm

Jeff there was another discussion TJ has started about different type of ventilation to use. In this discusion he stated that a dept. in his area busted all the windows out of a house first thing and said the house was vented. I was just curios if it was the same dept. he said it was so it sounds like they all need to have some long hard training before they run on any calls.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on October 13, 2008 at 10:51pm

Whaaaa? That's just crazy! I understand breaking out windows in the fire room, but ALL the windows?

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Permalink Reply by T.J. on October 14, 2008 at 7:54am

Bust out the all the windows and spray water in them.......................its sad, but when we get there we try to make an interior attack if we still can, their Chief just does not like the idea of interior crews fighting fire, but its ok if we do it for them.