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"Expect Fire" Baltimore. First-Due Boss Clearly Adapts When Local Alarm Becomes Box Alarm
Clear, concise, level-headed communication is one of the best characteristics a first-due officer can have. Especially when the local alarm turns out to be two floors of heavy fire and the exposures starting to go.
By now many of you have heard about the tragic fire that occurred in Baltimore, MD. The original call was for fire on the porch, and it was upgraded to a full box alarm shortly after that. Dave Statter has some excellent coverage of the fire HERE.
Take a listen to the audio from the fire. Granted on arrival they were not aware that the fire would end in such a high life loss, but showing up with two floors of fire at 5am is a plate full on most days.
The Boss on Engine 33, the first to arrive, calmly notes their hydrant location, what he has showing and then takes command. No screaming and yelling, just a professional going about his business. What is the importance of this?
For starters, it allows him to communicate the conditions CLEARLY. Everyone knows there are going to work, they know who is in charge, and they have a pretty good idea of what they have. The other plus is it gives his company some confidence and allows them to remain focused. We have all worked for the Boss whose eyes fuse together into one big eye ball and runs around screaming and yelling. Not only is it hard to figure out what needs to be done, but it is hard to keep you own cool when someone else is losing it.
Even when Engine Boss orders a second alarm and the Chief decides to evacuate the exposure building, there is no yelling. Just clear communication so that everyone knows what is going on, and what needs to be done.
In his book, “About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior”, Colonel David Hackworth describes his company commander’s ability to remain calm, “Michaely (Captain Jack Michaely – George Company/The Wolfhounds) was as cool as ice. He exhibited little emotion; the worse things were on the battlefield, the calmer his voice sounded on the radio. Later he said that as cool as he was on the outside, inwardly he’d churn: “I learned in WW II,” he said, “that the slightest bit of excitement in a leader is transmitted to the men. You might be afraid, but the fear gets magnified in the troops. Somebody has to keep his cool. If you are a decent leader, you don’t dare lose it – for your own good. You’ve got to keep you unit up there doing its job.”
A couple of other thoughts that apply come from the late Andrew Fredericks:
“Don’t run to the truck when the alarm comes in. If you run to the truck, you will run at the fire. Running leads to yelling and then nothing with get done.”
Andrew Fredericks didn’t say this one, but he used it in an article once and credited to a Senior Fireman on Engine 48.
“The garbage man doesn’t get excited when he comes around the corner and sees a big pile of trash.”
In a recent discussion with another firefighter this quote came up. The other firefighter was explaining that trash and fire are two different things, and that we are going to be excited and to some extent that is a good thing. Excited might not be the best word. Maybe it should be the garbage man isn’t “surprised”, because each day he puts on his vest, gets on his truck, and collects garbage. That is his job. So maybe we should put on our gear (all of it), get on our truck and EXPECT FIRE, because that is our job.
It sounds like that is what the Brother in Baltimore did.
Photo courtesy STATTer911/Baltimore Firefighters Union Local 734.
Read more of Backstep Firefighter and others at FireEMSBlogs.com.
By now many of you have heard about the tragic fire that occurred in Baltimore, MD. The original call was for fire on the porch, and it was upgraded to a full box alarm shortly after that. Dave Statter has some excellent coverage of the fire HERE.
Click on image for audio from 2309 Homewood Avenue
Dispatcher:
"...2309 Homewood...porch fire.."
Dispatcher:
"Communications to Engine 33, Truck 5, switch over to Charlie 1, remainder of the box being transmitted..."
Engine 33 Officer:
"Engine 33 to Communications...we have a hydrant at Homewood and Bartlett...we're on the scene...we have fire showing...first floor, second floor...make Engine 33 "Command."
Engine 33 officer:
"Engine 33 to Communications...strike out a second alarm."
Battalion Chief 2:
"Battalion 2, I'm on the scene..make this a working fire..I got heavy fire showing, first and second floor."
Battalion Chief 2:
"Battalion 2 to 33, evacuate the dwelling on bravo side. Battalion 2 to Engine 33, evacuate the dwelling on the bravo side."
Dispatcher:
"...2309 Homewood...porch fire.."
Dispatcher:
"Communications to Engine 33, Truck 5, switch over to Charlie 1, remainder of the box being transmitted..."
Engine 33 Officer:
"Engine 33 to Communications...we have a hydrant at Homewood and Bartlett...we're on the scene...we have fire showing...first floor, second floor...make Engine 33 "Command."
Engine 33 officer:
"Engine 33 to Communications...strike out a second alarm."
Battalion Chief 2:
"Battalion 2, I'm on the scene..make this a working fire..I got heavy fire showing, first and second floor."
Battalion Chief 2:
"Battalion 2 to 33, evacuate the dwelling on bravo side. Battalion 2 to Engine 33, evacuate the dwelling on the bravo side."
Take a listen to the audio from the fire. Granted on arrival they were not aware that the fire would end in such a high life loss, but showing up with two floors of fire at 5am is a plate full on most days.
The Boss on Engine 33, the first to arrive, calmly notes their hydrant location, what he has showing and then takes command. No screaming and yelling, just a professional going about his business. What is the importance of this?
For starters, it allows him to communicate the conditions CLEARLY. Everyone knows there are going to work, they know who is in charge, and they have a pretty good idea of what they have. The other plus is it gives his company some confidence and allows them to remain focused. We have all worked for the Boss whose eyes fuse together into one big eye ball and runs around screaming and yelling. Not only is it hard to figure out what needs to be done, but it is hard to keep you own cool when someone else is losing it.
Even when Engine Boss orders a second alarm and the Chief decides to evacuate the exposure building, there is no yelling. Just clear communication so that everyone knows what is going on, and what needs to be done.
In his book, “About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior”, Colonel David Hackworth describes his company commander’s ability to remain calm, “Michaely (Captain Jack Michaely – George Company/The Wolfhounds) was as cool as ice. He exhibited little emotion; the worse things were on the battlefield, the calmer his voice sounded on the radio. Later he said that as cool as he was on the outside, inwardly he’d churn: “I learned in WW II,” he said, “that the slightest bit of excitement in a leader is transmitted to the men. You might be afraid, but the fear gets magnified in the troops. Somebody has to keep his cool. If you are a decent leader, you don’t dare lose it – for your own good. You’ve got to keep you unit up there doing its job.”
A couple of other thoughts that apply come from the late Andrew Fredericks:
“Don’t run to the truck when the alarm comes in. If you run to the truck, you will run at the fire. Running leads to yelling and then nothing with get done.”
Andrew Fredericks didn’t say this one, but he used it in an article once and credited to a Senior Fireman on Engine 48.
“The garbage man doesn’t get excited when he comes around the corner and sees a big pile of trash.”
In a recent discussion with another firefighter this quote came up. The other firefighter was explaining that trash and fire are two different things, and that we are going to be excited and to some extent that is a good thing. Excited might not be the best word. Maybe it should be the garbage man isn’t “surprised”, because each day he puts on his vest, gets on his truck, and collects garbage. That is his job. So maybe we should put on our gear (all of it), get on our truck and EXPECT FIRE, because that is our job.
It sounds like that is what the Brother in Baltimore did.
Photo courtesy STATTer911/Baltimore Firefighters Union Local 734.
Read more of Backstep Firefighter and others at FireEMSBlogs.com.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Cole on
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I guess you either have "it" or you don't. There are far too many Officers that run around, scream, shout, and just plain loose control of their emotions and adrenalin when confronted by the sight of fire. As you point out, think about this for a minute. Our vehicles are marked FIRE DEPARTMENT...our PPE may say FIREFIGHTER along with maybe a name, a rank, or our department. WHAT is the excuse for falling to pieces when we have to do our JOBS?
If you can't keep it together and act calm, be decissive, and prioritize, you have no business being an Officer. The public expects us to make order out of catastrophy, if we can't do it, who do WE call? Sadly I have witnessed far too many Officers fall to pieces when they get put in the position to officiate.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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I think the issue is about the training, experience and qualifications to BE an officer.
When the engine boss is in the seat only because he/she happens to be popular, it shouldn't come as a surprise if that officer panics or becomes hysterical. It's not like they earned that position. Popularity is never a substitute for ability. And ability isn't assured just because you're senior, or you've taken classes. It's actually about being able to do the job, of firefighter and of officer.
I've never seen a framing crew show up on the job and the foreman starts yelling, "Oh my god, there's nothing here but a foundation. Quick, everybody throw lumber in the hole" He's a foreman because he swung a hammer long enough to know what to do and how to do it. And he wasn't voted in by his crew, he was appointed by his boss. Why should their standards be better than ours?
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Well put Jack! I was never comfortable with the all too popular method of "picking" an Officer by popularity vote. Being on the career side, my promotions came from testing, which we all know can be just as flawed. Except that our method seems to be well-rounded; DOP departments in here use an assessment-based examination process in which it is much more detailed than filling in dots of multiple choice questions. There are several components of the exam, that all add up to the fact that you either know your job, or you don't.
However, that still doesn't measure the ability to actually remain calm, and act professionally. Some of the most knowledgable, and even experienced Officers still have that rushed, crackling-voice loss of control. That is what I emant by either having "it" or not.
Qualifications, training, and experience are all extremely important for a Officer candidate. A broad and general knowledge of this business is vital, but so is what I call the "local aspect" in which the potential Officer has a COMPLETE knowledge of his or her department's policies, response area, equipment and area resources. In other words, a TOTAL understanding of where they are, what they have, what they may need, etc.
Add the ability to operate under extreme pressure while remaining grounded, THEN you have a well-rounded Officer candidate.
Popularity is LAST on that list.
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Permalink Reply by Gregory Borg on
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Nice work in Baltimore, this is what comes with experience and training. BFD sets a great example for all of us. I love Andy Fredericks comment about the garbage man, so true. I was with a crew, very slow company in the ritzy part of town, when I first became an officer when we were sent to a chimney fire. The nozzleman walked into the building without any tools or his coat and helmet. I took the can and an axe myself and started towards the building. He came running out and said "there is a fire in there". No shit! That is why they called the fire department. The crew grew from that. Thanks for the post.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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we do assessment-based testing, too. It is a big improvement over a simple written test. We do a written test as the first step, and only those with a passing score progress to the rest of the process. For us, that includes a writting assignment, an oral interview board, and a three-phase assessment center. The parameters for the process are set in policy.
However, I question a potential officer being able to have a TOTAL understanding of everything they need to be an officer. A lot of that only comes with experience, and that experience doesn't start until after the promotion.
Popularity shouldn't be on the list at all.
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What I meant by "TOTAL understanding" is that they should have progressed from firefighter being proficient in the tasks required to to carry out the strategy, but also have a complete understanding of the resources available to him or her with respect to their rank, and the department. When using the word "Officer" we may be speaking of several different levels of rank. A company officer in a smaller department sometimes has to be more rounded, to an extent, because there may not be such a diverse, and extensive rank structure available to provide the ultimate degree of supervision.
Knowing your resources is extermely important. ACaptain or Lieutenant on an engine in a department in which there are several companies under one department which all have a company officer, and battalion chiefs, perhaps a deputy on duty on any given platoon or shift may not have to know exactly where to get the next three 100' towers, for example...that's the BC's job. It just all depends on your area, department structure, etc.
But relatively speaking, an officer needs to know where the who's, the what's and the when's are, where they are coming from, and where to find that next rabbit he or she needs to pull out of hat.
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Thanks for the clarification, Jeff.
The difference in ability and understanding between a Captain with 10 years in grade and 20 years of experience and a new Lieutenant with 6 years total is going to be pretty dramatic in most cases.
For departments that can't afford covering Lieutenants, typically a Senior Firefighter or Apparatus Operator will be riding in charge if the regular company officer is off for the shift. The total tactical understanding for a Senior Firefighter or Apparatus Operator isn't usually going to be on the same level as an officer who isn't brand new.
Other officers (battalion chiefs, officers on nearby companies) can help the newby/fill-in, but if everyone had the same level of understanding, then everyone would be a Captain. Obviously, that's not the case anywhere.
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