Materials
13 – 2″ x 4″ x 8′
2 – 4′ x 8′ x 1/2″ OSB
Prop Description
The nice thing about this prop is that it can be easily assembled and disassembled, and won’t take up much room to store. Best of all it can provide multiple quick training drills and improve firefighters confidence in their SCBA. (more…)
Here is a great post from a good friend, Lt. Scott Hulsey of the Metro West Fire Protection District and an Instructor with Engine House Training, LLC. It really simplifies the Mayday in regards to providing information.
Calling the MAYDAY….Now what????
The most feared words that anyone can hear on the fire ground….MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY…. Now what do we do when we hear those dreaded words? How do we react? What is the thought process of the Incident Commander and most importantly, what is going thru the mind of the firefighter calling the MAYDA? (more…)
Take a listen and share with your crews and friends as we talk with Jerry Jachyra of the St. Louis City FD. Jerry shares a close call that happened to him and another firefighter, Matt. The call initiated as ‘dry cooking’ and escalated beyond what anyone expected.
Pay close attention to some of the discussion about preparedness, personal protective clothing, physical fitness and survival skills.
These are the types of experiences we need to learn from and share.
Thanks and train hard………….Expect Fire!
Fire Engineering Blog Talk Radio–Engine House Training Episode 432
This is a great drill from a great Brother and friend, Lance Peeples of the Webster Groves Fire Department in St. Louis County. Look for more great material from Lance in the future.
Daily Drill 1: Standpipe Operations
“The Daily Drill” is designed to spark discussion about operational issues in YOUR fire department. To do this we use photographs or videos depicting fire operations in other fire departments. We do not know the exact circumstances in which our Brothers in these fire departments are operating. Photos or videos are not intended to embarrass our BROTHERS and SISTERS but rather are intended to provide US with learning opportunities relevant to OUR specific operational framework. DON’TFOCUSONWHAT THEY’RE DOING…FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WOULD DO! Stay safe!
Watch the video below and answer the following questions:
1. Using the National Fire Academy Fire Flow Formula, what gpm would be required to extinguish a completely involved 500 square foot apartment fire?
How large of an undivided floor area is often found in high rise office buildings and what fire flow would be required there?
2. Under previous editions of NFPA 14 what was the minimum psi required to flow 500 gpm at the most remote riser?
3. What is the target gpm you are attempting to flow from your standpipe hose and nozzle combination? What psi must be available at the standpipe operation to supply that hose and nozzle combination in order to flow your desired attack flow?
4. The operation depicted showed using 4” supply line into the fire department connection. What is the working pressure limit of LDH used in your department? What is the elevation head pressure in a 30 story building? Are standpipe operations usually high flow or high pressure operations? Is using large diameter hose in FD standpipe connections a good idea?
5. What is the diameter of hose used in your standpipe pack? Is it an automatic/constant flow fog/smooth bore tip? What nozzle psi is required for its designed flow?
6. Will rust, scale, and other debris commonly found in standpipe systems pass through an automatic fog nozzle? Will rust, scale and other debris usually pass through an 1 1/8” smooth bore tip?
7. Can fire department pumpers ALWAYS be used to increase available pressure on the fire floor? What about damaged or missing FD connections? Pressure reducing and restricting valves? Missing piping or excessive head pressures?
8. At the One Merdian fire in Philladelphia on February 23, 1991 what was the length, diameter, and nozzle type (including psi/flow requirements) of the standpipe kits used by the fire department? Did this setup work? Why or why not?
9. What were the names of the Brothers that died at One Merdian that tragic day?
In an effort to give a more personal experience to our customers, we have added our business phone number to the website in addition to our email address. If you would like information about registering for upcoming classes, or would like a quote for your department please feel free to email or call. This information can be found on our Contact Us page listed above.
If you have hosted or attended any of our classes, please call our contact number and leave a voice message with class information and your comments. Messages could be featured on our website for everyone to hear. (By calling in you are agreeing to allow your message to be posted on our website www.enginehousetraining.com)
Thank You, and we look forward to hearing from you!
Engine House Training LLC
Here is a short video of our thru the floor prop. This is soley for the use of calling a Mayday and recognizing that parameter. We place mattresses and foam below the firefighter and is monitored closely by our instructors.
This gives the firefighter a sensation of falling but is a short enough and controlled fall as to keep the drill safe. Email us if you would like to know how we built it.
Here is a great “memory jogger” for Command Functions and Size Up from one of our instructors, Scott Hulsey.
Click the link for each and feel free to use how you wish. If you have additions and suggestions, please share.
Thanks for reading and keep training.
Many of us stay in shape in different ways. Some just lift weights while others circuit train or ride a bike. Of course the Crossfit craze is out there too! I really enjoy running and do a great deal of it along with some resistance training. It is a time to test my aging body and to clear my mind during a time when I’m all by myself. Actually, during my runs my mind races and I have lost many ideas because I had nothing to write them down on during my runs.
The challenge is not against someone else or even a clock. It’s really against me. Can I push it for half more mile or a full mile more? Can I sustain a faster pace than I ran last week? Will this hill break me or will I be able to push through without breaking stride? Everyday is a different run and no run is ran the same. Sometimes its the wind, heat, cold, rain or a sinus infection. Other days it may be the dinner you had the night before not setting well, whatever the case is you choose to push ahead or to ease off a little. However, quitting is never an option.
In recent weeks I have talked to other fire service people who have become frustrated with circumstances at work or in other fire service related endeavours and they question their motivations and the worth of their cause. I myself have sought the advice and encouragement from some of my mentors recently too due to some of those same frustrations. I begin questioning if my efforts will be worth the time and energy I put into everything I do in regards to teaching, training, self improvement and all of the extra “stuff” I do to try and make the fire service a better place for those coming after me and for those that are already here.
We all deal with the same personalities and negativity no matter where we are when it comes to affecting change in the fire service and sometimes it seems we are making no head way. Then something happens or someone drops you note or an email that changes those doubts. It reminds you why you are doing what you are doing and that you are making a difference.
I recently presented and didn’t feel especially good about my performance. I didn’t get any negative feedback, but I just did not feel like I would normally have after giving a class. Couple that with the normal challenges of being a training officer in a department that is transforming itself and I was questioning my efforts and wondering if I was still being effective. We’ve all been there and it can seem lonely in those places. Then I received two messages of encouragement and how some of the information that I had shared and provided was being used by crews and positive outcomes were resulting changed everything and reinforced my resolve to keep on keepin’ on.
Then, today I was having a conversation with a more junior firefighter and we were discussing our training programs. We were discussing the challenges with starting a new training division and how patience is key. As he left I said to him, “It’s like running hills.” What I meant by that was that running hills is not easy and seldom thought of as fun. But, if you continue to press on and include them in your training regimen you learn how to handle them during a race and you are faster and more efficient in the flats.
Running hills may not get easier over time simply because we try to run them a little bit faster and a little more efficiently, so it’s a constant battle. Or, we may move on to a larger, steeper hill that is even more of a challenge. But, we can be sure that we are physically and mentally stronger for stepping up to the challenge. That new hill may take more time and effort, but with persistence and the fortitude to not be conquered you will persevere.
Our fire service challenges are no different. We all need a little pick me up every now and then, but the key is to push on. Don’t quit! Encourage yourselves and those around us to continue to be constructive and productive in sharing ideas and knowledge that is important and vital to our performance on the fire ground. If your message is received and used by one person that had a positive impact, you succeeded.
Bad days? Sure, they will come, we just need to make sure that they go too.
I always loved sports. I played just about every sport I could and eventually settled in with basketball and baseball. The coaches I had were always preaching the fundamentals and basics explaining that as players, we had to master the basics to the point that things like dribbling and passing were second nature. When those basics were mastered we were able to ascend our skill sets to seeing an open player before he is open and making moves on the fly, avoiding the defender with moves that were more challenging because we had a “feel” for the game.
The “feel” for the game allowed us to improvise and do things on the court that weren’t necessarily practiced. A defender stepping in front of us quickly, obstructing our passing lane may force us to make a behind-the-back pass. This is improvising with an advanced skill based on our most basic of skills: passing. Does the player get punished for this advanced skill? Probably not, especially if the outcome is a positive one.
When we get to an advanced level of skill sets, it typically comes from past experiences and hours upon hours of training. With that training and experience also comes the ability to recognize situations that are not typical. These non-typical situations will require us, if trained appropriately, to make the best possible decision for the best possible outcome. The mantra of always use two hands to pass and catch the ball with thumbs turned down may not work or be appropriate in a certain situation because the desired outcome is not going to be achieved.
The same can be said in the fire service. In recent weeks a Philadelphia firefighter made a heroic save and was faced with a decision to give the fire victim his air. There has been a great debate over the actions. I was recently asked by Eric Rhoden on his and Ray McCormack’s radio show what I thought about the incident and the reaction that followed. What came to me was a baseball situation.
We teach our kids to get square to the ball, get our glove to the ground, field the ball in the middle of our body/stance and to turn toward our target and so on. You get the point. But that doesn’t always get the out. Sometimes the fielder has to dive for the ball, getting dirty and bruised and maybe tossing the ball behind his back to get the out. Is there less margin for error? Yes. Is it taught that way? Not usually. Is it effective in certain situations? Absolutely!
There is one important variable however. You must be highly skilled and practice daily to make plays like that. You can’t just walk out onto the field and expect to perform at that level. I don’t know the firefighter in Philly that made the save, but my guess is that he is very competent with his SCBA and has mastered the basic skills surrounding his air supply. I would also guess that he is one that takes his craft very seriously and wants to perform at a high level for incidents just like the one he performed so heroically for.
I always teach that in the fire service there are no “always” and no ” nevers” because right when you think you have every situation covered, a call comes along that you never thought about. Ask yourself every day when you walk onto that engine bay floor, “Am I ready for the worst call of my career?” The conclusion I always come to is “No.” But, I train, drill or engage myself into the fire service every chance I get, just in case that call or situation comes along that requires something a little extra of me. Hopefully I will be ready to dive for that ball to make the play.
Finally, thanks to Ray and Erich for having me on and thanks again to Fire Engineering and everyone on the site, you all keep me engaged and excited about the fire service. Take care and stay cool during this hot summer. Be ready to dive for that ball.
In this video we cover the techniques used in our classes to setup and store a personal rescue webbing that we utilize during many of our evolutions.