Do you have a Backup Plan?

Good morning from the Jumpseat……The sun is shining down on another great day, happy to be a firefighter in America.  This day is starting interesting for me to say the least.  We purchased new IPhone 4S last week and in the process lost 3 pages of notes from it.  So, for the last week I have searched for ways to recover my lost work.  Then this morning I found it, BAM!  During this process my mind kept wondering, what is our back up plan if we had an emergency during a structural firefight?

How often have you grabbed your SCBA, hose, flashlight, and headed into the pits of Hell ready to combat the dragon? Can you ever remember a time when you thought to yourself “what if I had a SCBA emergency right now”. If you’re like me it doesn’t happen very often because we have a job to do!  Do you have a backup plan and how many ways can you prepare before the alarm sounds? Let’s look at a couple of quick tips.

Tip 1 is to be familiar with EVERY piece of PPE that you have, from your hood to you face piece it all should be familiar to you even in the most extreme conditions.  If you’re not familiar with it before you have an emergency how do you expect to manage it when it does happen? You should take time practicing equipment malfunctions  before the call comes in.  Practice your hood on wrong, radio strap on wrong side, pack straps not let out all the way, and practice them slowly then add in game speed as you become faster.

Tip 2: Don't mask up until it's time.  I have seen many firefighters putting on their face piece before they even get off the truck.  How are you going to get an exact view of the structure as you arrive to find exits, entries, fire, and smoke conditions? Just because we ride in the jumpseat don’t mean that we can’t size up the building and be #jumpseatready.  It is our jobs to remain a reliable worker when things are at their worst.   You should practice managing emergencies in the comfort of your station before you’re faced with a life or death situation!

In closing I would like to remind you that you always need a backup plan.  It’s hard to imagine taking a lesson in firefighting from my phone, but hey, it is 2012.  I will remember to back up my data from now on and it’s your job to have a backup plan on your next fire!

Thanks for the stop in the jumpseat…..train hard….stay safe…

Bunker up, Buckle in, it’s where we ALL begin!!!

Views on Firehouse.com

Good afternoon from the Jumpseat.  Look for some new and exciting Jumpseat views opportunities coming soon from firehouse.com.  I would like to send a HUGE thank you to Peter Matthews and the entire Firehouse family.  Before I am allowed to announce the new material please take some time to visit some previously posted views from the jumpseat materials:

http://www.firehouse.com/article/10466624/ems-runs-saving-a-firefighters-life

http://www.firehouse.com/podcast/10458913/training-tactics-talk-searching-in-the-modern-environment

http://www.firehouse.com/article/10470150/safety-when-to-back-the-truck-up

Once again a HUGE thanks you for all the loyal readers of "Views from the Jumpset".

If you have any subjects that you would like to hear the Jumpseat view on send a email to Ryan33@suddenlink.net

Stay tuned viewers................

Swift Water Ops Class

Here is a preview of a project that I am working on for Firehouse.com.  Keep you eyes peeled for upcoming article and more action pics from Spec Rescue's Swift Water Operations/Technician Class...

What If's

     Good afternoon from the jumpseat.  After my long, wet weekends training on the new river for swift water tech class I must say that it’s good to be back on dry land.  I learned a lot from the instructors and can comfortably say that I could perform a swift water rescue.  One of the best moments is when my LT. came up with the quote of the weekend.  “We are in the what If business”, he said loudly.  Ding! One thing about writing is that I am always looking for materials.So here it was a quote that pertains to our business to a tee!  What if we get the call to this particular house?  What if the car is on its top?  What if the patient has a communicable disease?  This could go on all night but the fact remains that we manage the situation when it happens and we are called.  It is our job to “solve” or “stabilize “the issue when we arrive because we are the fire department.   We are the one that is tasked with making the rescue, saving the day, or putting the fire out.

Photo Courtesy of Views Staff
Confined space tech class 2010

So how do we manage the what if’s?  Well, how about this one.  What if we stayed prepared to respond. Bam, there it is the solution to all of our problems.  Simple, plain, black and white right in there in front of our noses. How could we ever forget that our job is to be ready to answer the call, manage the scene, save lives, and protect property?  We do this when riding in the jumpseat by being physically fit, mentally focused, and properly trained.

So what if you stopped reading right here? Then you would miss the point of this blog.  We are in the what if business but it remains our job to manage the “if’s” to make for a safer fire scene.  Remaining proficient in the skills that are asked of us is our number one job while we ride in the jumpseat.  So get off your computer, grab a tool, and get ready for the next rounds of “if’s” to head your way.  Because it’s not  a matter of if, it’s a matter of when  you are faced with the “what if’s”.

Be safe everyone

 Bunker up, Buckle in, it’s where we all BEGIN!

Summit Ave. Fire in Hagerstown

Dramatic video out of Hagerstown Maryland.  This well involved apartment complex with entrapment had early reports of "clutter conditions".  Watch the conditions deteriorate as they order firefighters out of the building.  Great example of when to "back the truck up"

God bless the victims and Hagerstown Fire Department!