Are We Number One?
I have seen a lot of discussion lately about two in, two out, firefighter safety is #1 priority, etc. I would like to think that no one came into the fire service wanting to put themselves first, but came to help others, more over save lives.
The main thing I have always seen is your safety is #1 priority, your crew’s safety is #2, and the civilian is 3rd or maybe 4th. I believe too many firefighters use safety as an excuse or reasoning for inactivity. Safety should be used as a motive for more activity and more preparation.
#1 My Safety
My safety should be addressed on a daily basis. I’m not going to get into hard facts and figures on these next few subjects. We have all heard the fact that cardiac events are the leading cause of firefighter deaths.
So, if that’s the case then why are we not taking care of OUR bodies the way we should be? My pet peeve is the extremely overweight firefighter on Facebook saying the risk benefit analysis of an open door with light smoke is too dangerous for us to go interior.
I personally hate lifting weights but I’m blessed that half my shift is very passionate about it. So, I am in the weight room and I’m thankful for it. There are many different ways to work out other than just weights. Getting in gear and grinding away flipping tires, pulling tires, throwing ladders, rescuing dummies, swinging a sledge, etc.
All of the firefighter movements are a great way of working out and staying familiar with your tools while mimicking the job. This is personally how i can stay dedicated to staying in shape.
Diet is something I have a hard time even trying. I’m from the South and we LOVE fried, unhealthy food. But, I’m trying to try!
The next statistic we constantly hear is firefighters dying in wrecks. Do YOU wear your seatbelt? Do YOU drive safely?
Do you train enough to keep YOU safe? It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when we will be called on to do a difficult and dangerous task. Pretending we won’t do them because they
are dangerous is STUPID!!!
Make sure when it’s your turn to step up and make a difference that you can and can do it as safely as possible. A 6-12 week probie school or an 80 hour volunteer certification doesn’t mean much over a 30+ year career.
Most probie classes don’t even teach Firemanship. YOU have to look for that, or be blessed to exist in a culture that teaches you the real stuff (which is rare). Training is the backbone of what we do to KEEP US SAFE. So get up and do something to help YOU.
Here is another one I see a lot and think it’s worth repeating, WE HAVE TO EXPECT FIRE AND EXPECT VICTIMS EVERY TIME....PERIOD!!!!!!
Being mentally prepared is paramount to keeping yourself safe. If you show up to work always assuming it is not a fire or no one is ever trapped you are doing yourself, your crew, and, most importantly, the citizens a major disservice.
When you do get to the fire and have victims you will lose your mind and not be able to perform the task you swore to do!!
How safe can you keep yourself if you are so frantic you can’t even think straight. When you set your gear on the rig be at ease with the fact that we go to fires and try our hardest to save victims and property.
The twin sister to training is drilling. You cannot watch enough Youtube or Facebook to become good at anything. These are awesome resources but are not the whole story.
The best video out there cannot teach you everything. Use that resource to spur you to go out and try what you just watched. If that particular method doesn’t work, then modify accordingly.
The fire service is not where it is today because people held down the couch and watched ESPN. Ask any professional athlete how many reps it takes be become great at shooting free throws, kicking field goals, or taking ground balls. They do not perform the evolutions just once. In fact, it becomes a way of life; never ending, never forgetting the basics.
You can never advance until you have mastered the basics. You can’t begin to see the big picture until carrying a ladder, advancing a hand line, or forcing a door become second nature. If you can barely get your gear on and get to the front door, then how can YOU do YOUR own personal size up on the way to the door.
I’m not talking about the officer’s 360. I’m talking about looking at the building and making the decisions you’re tasked with, whether it be the stretch or grabbing the right ladder. Put in the time. Put in the work.
#2 Crew Safety
To begin with, if everyone on your crew or department believes their safety is #1 and you have done the previous mentioned things, then you are over halfway there.
As a group of firefighters we should train and drill together. It doesn’t matter what I know if we’re all doing different things different ways. We should train and drill in groups because we work in groups. This allows us to anticipate what everyone is doing and when they are goingtodoit.
We should regularly have tabletop training. This helps crew members see the big picture. Sometimes one person might not be able to understand how their action can affect another. Tactics and coordination of tactics KEEP US SAFE!!
For me another very important responsibility we have is advocating for good equipment; not for new bells and whistles but for equipment that gives us a more efficient way to complete our tasks. This is to KEEP US SAFE!!
Our department should be getting feedback from the members using the equipment. Good gear is designed to allow us to operate in dangerous and deadly environments.
We should have good equipment but no matter how good or bad your equipment is, there is no excuse to not know how to use your equipment to the BEST of your capability!! All of this equals to improved safety. Our crews will be put in difficult and dangerous situations. Have the right tools!!
Another US factor that can either make US safer or not is GROUP ATTITUDE!! If your crew or department is more interested in laughing and playing than learning during training or drills, this is dangerous.
Dangerous both immediately and when we are called upon to act. If your group’s attitude is serious about learning the job and growing as a group, this multiplies our safety and allows us to operate with confidence, not blind arrogance.
We take care of our safety during down time. To me, 90% of our job is preparation. If we can be prepared as an individual and as a group we are being SAFE and looking out for US and ME.
This is where I believe, people get confused. You often see on forums and groups great arguments about safety, over a picture or video where no one got hurt.
BUT an article about a traffic fatality or firefighter dying of a heart attack rarely stir any discussion. This has led some people to a false sense of where the danger actually lies and what actions actually can effect our health and safety.
#3 Civilians? Really!!!!
When we receive a call we should have already been addressing #1 and #2 with the priority and importance people want to get so heated about.
When we get dispatched to someone’s emergency you better believe that they are MY #1 priority! I have already been preparing myself and my crew to take an educated and intelligent but aggressive risk to mediate the scene or save a life.
If firefighters put their safety and their crew’s safety first as discussed above, they will be prepared to do the job without hesitation or confusion. Our job will require you to act whether you have been hiding from the job or preparing for the job. The job will find you and call you out.
If you are physically exhausted from the rig to the door or wrecked without a seat belt on the way there, staying safe is going to be difficult for you, let alone the citizen you swore to protect.
Closing
In closing, I want to state that I take my safety and my crews safety very, very seriously! WE are the only constants in this job. BE PREPARED!!
When duty calls, the victim becomes #1 by far. We should have our shit squared away because we have had time and opportunity to prepare. We will take an educated risk to save a life.
Every one of us have taken stupid risks as young firefighters. We survived so that should have left us wiser. Risk cannot and will not be avoided but we should use good and sound judgement to mediate the scene.
Every profession has LODD but they learn from them and train so they will not continue, they do not cease to do the main reason for their existence.
There will always be unforeseen tragedy and deaths that comes with life not just the fire service. The great thing about our profession is we can hopefully help prevent someone else from unforeseen tragedy or death.
Be Prepared, Be Smart, and Never Quit Learning!! Being timid and unprepared is infinitely more dangerous than being aggressive with proper preparation.
Be secure in your ignorance but NEVER
be content with it!! Once you have learned everything you think you need to know, you become dangerous.
Keep learning and searching for knowledge. Our civilians depend on us and we owe it to them to do the work to be ready, because they are #1. And remember, quoting NFPA codes from the recliner is no match for actual hands on training and preparedness!