What to do when the what if’s happen!

Have you ever set down and thought about the “What if’s” of the fire service? In our line of work the what if’s are too many to list, but have you ever set and thought about how some of them would affect you. These variables that you face can and will have a negative effect on the outcome of your incident; they may even cost you your life. So what if we trained to expect the unexpected. What if while you are training you practice for the unexpected variables that might cause harm while handling your next emergency. What if we learn how to handle the situation’s that you might not see but once in a career? Can we keep our wits about us to realize that something is wrong before we lose our life? Can we rely on our training and knowledge to get us through the emergency? Maybe we should look a little deeper and learn to mitigate these situations before game day. Just like any good athlete practice makes perfect so let’s start right here and practice before the what if happens to you!

In this Picture....Note the HVAC unit that was on the roof! Now inside the Building! A BIG WHAT IF!

The Iso Man is a comin!

Good morning all from the jumpseat.....I received a call yesterday from a chief asking for assistance in preparing for a ISO rating at my home department. So it got me thinking, who is ISO, what does it mean to me, and why do we care? Well these are all question's that I will be finding out and answering soon as I embark on a journey to maintain and possibly improve my department's ISO rating. It may be possible to become WV first ISO class 1 fire department. If anyone has any suggestions or tips please leave comment's and I will be updating often. Thanks Everyone and Keep the wheels on the road and your rear in the seat,,,, IN A SEAT BELT!

Reaching New Heights for Safety!

We are on our way to the local civic arena to test the latest crop of rookie in their job skills abilities. Our department uses this test to measure the skill level that a new person has achieved in the first year of joining our department. I arrive, on the ambulance that day, to see our 105’ ladder truck sitting up proud and beautiful against the parking garage sixth floor wall. The guy’s are finishing up the final preparations to administer the test. While we are waiting I noticed a captain climbing the ladder. He had his ladder belt, helmet, gloves, and turnout’s on as he ascended up. You could tell that he was comfortable with the ladder but was still paying close attention to the climb. Then it hit me, wow what a concept. Here he is climbing our 105’ truck with all his safety gear on and he’s totally focused on safety. When was the last time that you climbed a ladder truck and was not 100% focused on safety? I think that we could put the perspective of climbing the ladder truck to work in our everyday routine as firefighter’s and Ems workers. When was the last time that we did any task with 100% focus of safety? You might be thinking that everything that we do doesn’t have the dangers associated with it like climbing the ladder truck. Well maybe that thought get’s us into situation’s that end up hurting or even killing us. Please join with us in this article as we compare climbing the aerial ladder to safety procedures in our everyday operations. “Reaching new heights for safety” is not only a slogan for our behavior but a topic that we should all preach and follow through on every day?

The Boy's in Blue are Going Pink

Everyone will be seeing a different side of firefighters starting this Friday. The boy's in blue are going pink to support breast cancer awareness. October is breast cancer awareness month and IAFF 317 is putting on the pink! Don't be alarmed if you dial 911 and see pink it will be the same brave men and women responding to your emergency and responding to the call for breast cancer awareness. All the proceeds will benefit breast cancer research. Everyone join in with IAFF 317 in supporting this cause that affects many of our mothers, wives, or children!

Are you ready for the "What If's?"

Recently I heard a story about a fire department who ran a structure fire where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. With that in mind are you ready for the WHAT IF'S? By what if's I am referring to the unexpected situation's that you might find at your next emergency scene. Maybe it's a bridge that your engine cannot get across, or maybe it's a house that is full of trash from floor to ceiling. Keep these situation's in mind the next time you head out to participate in your next drill. Expect the unexpected and prepare for the "WHAT IF'S!" Have a safe day everyone and thanks again for riding with View's from the jumpseat!