A Fire Chiefs Rant
Whenever a firefighter dies there are three common problems. (Command and Control/Communications/Lack of Ventilation)
1. Lack of Command and Control (If you don’t give someone a job such as hold short or standby they will do something and it may not be what you want to do). If there is a known life issue deploy two plans. If you do not KNOW there is someone in the building or not assume there is not!!!! This is your job and by God you will do it!
DO NOT LET ANYONE KILL THEMSELVES: Especially just to put out a fire…These are not our emergencies…they are our jobs.
Fires are not that important. They will go out.
All of you need to respect ICS and work for the incident commander. This is a must. Once on scene report to the IC and get an assignment. Complete that assignment safely watching out for your crew. You are not independent you are a team.
Group and Division Supervisors need to be the same level of protection as those they are supervising.
Do nothing that will change the interior environment confirming with interior division.
Provide a positive environment for 48 hours at a time. For Everyone!! Provide an environment that will make people happy to be here.
No freelancing!!! Safety is everyone’s responsibility!
2. Communication issues. (Give assignments either geographical or objective based then let your crews go to work controlling others so they don’t interfere/compromise your plan. MAKE YOUR PLAN AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE!!!!!
Communicate short and brief objectives/repeat what you hear and then go to work. The radio is much more powerful if it is quite than it you are talking on it. If you don’t have anything to say that will make a difference right now, don’t say anything.
Do not give orders/assignments to companies who are still in route. This just eats up air time and most likely your needs would have changed. Set up your scene well then let people go to work.
3. Lack of Ventilation: (If you can see your hazards they will not be hazards. If you need your gear to survive the fire attack everyone inside the building that is not dressed just like you is dead).
Complete and absolutely know the precautions of PPA as listed in Decembers Fire Engineering.
Read and understand my book!!!
Education is much more powerful than training. I implore all of you to become smarter regarding emergency operations each and every day. Challenge and support each other.
RECEO-VS Start every operation with proper Ventilation
All interior attacks will get a backup line and this crew will make sure everyone of firefighters inside will be fine. The backup crew is your Immediate Rapid Intervention Team (IRIT). This team is much more effective than one outside setting up equipment on a tarp. You should have friends with water and tools 10-20 feet behind you checking non-fire stopped voids for fire and making sure you are safe.
1st crew one line one fan.. 2nd crew another line and another back up fan.
Advice for a long happy career:
If you do your job I will leave you alone and support you. If you don’t and if you operate unsafely, outside of our IC’s plan or treat people with disrespect we will talk.
Market and Defend our department in all that you do. You are all an extension of myself and a representative of the City of American Fork.
Success as a Captain comes with the 4 C’s
Competency
Confidence
Composure
Compassion
If anyone of you fails we all fail.
Let’s go do good things.
As John Wayne says; Live your life so that your family will love you, your friends will respect you and to hell with the rest.
Respectfully,
Kriss Garcia
Chief/American Fork
Remember if you see or hear something you have never seen or heard before retreat to a safe area and evaluate!!!