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Think about your last fire. The thousands of sounds that surround you, there should be one that ALWAYS stands out. It may be a chirp, whistle, bell, or some other form of loud obnoxiousness designed to save your life! Problem being that over time, false activations blend into the typical fireground soundtrack!
The "J-Hook" and "L-Hook" are easily made and may make forcing entry that much easier.
You pull up on the 8 story apartment building for the reported fire. While there’s nothing showing from the outside, you make your way to the lobby door. It’s a double aluminum tubular style door with panic hardware on the inside of it. Nobody seems to be buzzing you in and there is no lock box… It’s an old trick that been around for a while… The ” J- tool ” Out of the two tools in the picture to the right. The J tool is on the left… Made cheaply out of smaller diameter steel bent into place. Just make sure the steel will hold up to the 15lbs pressure need to trigger the panic hardware.
Insert the the J end of the tool upright through the weather stripping. You may have to jockey the tool through and pull on the door slightly depending on how tight the doors are together. Once the tool is far enough passed the panic hardware, twist and pull lightly until the hardware releases the latch! Simple as that… (more…)
How well do you know your radio?
Emergency buttons, channels, sounds, lights, knobs & buttons, and batteries. Depending on the particular make or model, all of these features can be a pain to operate with firefighting gloves on. 
Lets face it, sometimes its complicated with bare hands!
Your radio is an important tool in fireground communications and sometimes contributes to, well lets call it “over communicating”. In all seriousness, when things go bad it is a key survival tool!
When you need to call a MAYDAY the radio will play a huge part in the rescue process.
I’m not telling you anything we don’t already know but….
Again, depending on the brand of radio we could point out different things all day long. Some jurisdictions even have the same radio with different characteristics/modes/banks activated.
I encourage you to drill in low visibility, randomly during drills, while hanging around the firehouse, or just throw someone under the bus to prove a point! Its just a little something that most take for granted. There are no secrets, we only get better with practice!
Just a couple of weeks ago a question was raised about the removal of child gates. This was during a discussion on
the tailboard after a nice first due job. At the fire building there were two windows on the first floor (where the initial push was being made) that had a horizontal set of metal bars screwed into the wooden window frame. ” Child Gates “
Here is another disscussion that I’m sure we’ve all taken part in.
“ Do we need to open the roof? ”
Well like a lot of things in the fire service, this topic is proned to many opinions. I’m sure in just reading the title, your wheels have started to turn. We think about staffing, building construction, the fire’s location, ….can we vertically vent, should we vertical vent….can we do it without a truck company? These are all great points to consider, but there’s so much more. (more…)
As we all know, the title of this post can go in so many directions. Applied to everyday life, we commonly mov
e in and out of traffic, come and go from home to work, saying hello and goodbye as the day goes on… Taking for granted that our complacent actions just keep us going throughout the day.
It seems to me that over the past year the Line of Duty Deaths have again been relentless. Hearing day after day about another apparatus crash, vacant building collapse, fire conditions that surprisingly got worse or underestimating new building construction. I’m sure that we could go on and on about individual war stories and Monday morning quarterback tactical errors for hours on end. That, is one thing we seem to have down pretty good. Think hard for just a second… Do you want the next survival drill to be named after you? (more…)
Sometimes we forget that one of the most important topics in a firefighters mind should always be “building construction”. However, most of the time, 
it’s not the first thing in our minds. If we are thinking about the type of construction, typically its mentioned quickly and only when responding to a reported fire, in a size up statement.
The first arriving unit throws out the info over the department radio before departing into the darkness. Is that the first and last time it should be considered? Should we toss that info aside and get dirty?
ABSOULTY NOT! First of all, its every-one’s job to consider what or where we are going to go to work. Building construction can drastically change our tactical approach to this fire. Whether you’re the Officer leading your crew or the Nozzleman out in front, the building itself will have a huge say in how our fire fight will turn out! (more…)
Here’s a situation…you respond to a working fire on the first floor. On arrival there is such a heavy body of fire on this first floor, it’s blocking the main building entrance as well as any chance to find the interior stairs. Neighbors are reporting someone trapped on the second floor! You are on the first responding Truck Company. What would you do?
Now we all know that we’re involved in an opinionated service and that this scenario could be discussed for days! Well, that being said… this is the perfect scenario for:
Vent Enter Search
By: Danny Doyle
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire
The infamous statement “The fire goes as the first line goes“ has either become a harsh reality to you or something that you might have read in the latest fire service journals. We are going to dig into that statement regarding the first line, one position at a time, starting at the tip! It could be said that this topic has been beat to death, “you can put a monkey at the tip”, or even “this isn’t rocket science!” Well… The only way to have a crew with continuity is to know the game plan and know each other! A “monkey” with a few good techniques, sure, “rocket science” no. Common Sense, YES! (more…)
Think about where you are right now. Yeah, I’m talking about right now. As you sit here reading this blog. Can you describe your location in the building? If you had limited or no visibility are there 
characteristics that can be identified to depict the room your in? In order to reach your location, what did you encounter? Did you go up or down stairs, pass through any doors? The questions formed above are just a few of the things that can keep you from getting in or out of trouble! (more…)
Ok. I didn’t believe it either. Height stricken nozzlenuts carry ladders too! Most of the time they are under used and much lighter and less cumbersome. Depending on the situation, the engine’s ladders can make a quick pick from a 2nd or 3rd floor. The way the ladders are carried on the rig can make a huge difference! (more…)
So many things come into mind when this comment comes over the radio! Everything from building 
construction, access, fire location and the roof condition. Is the roof peaked, flat, wood or metal deck? These are just some of the considerations that will dictate, what tools will make the climb! All of which can be predetermined with district familiarization. Just a look around during the automatic alarm call or a glance at the neighborhood on the way back to your quarters. This can play a huge part in how efficient you and your company operate. (more…)
“Practical Pockets” was something that I was taught very early in the fire service. If you take a look at the last few posts, that’s exactly what you’ll find. Depending on the characteristics of ones response area along with the rig that they’re riding on at the time, can determine exactly what fills they’re pockets! Working off of both Engine and Truck Company 8 in the City of Pittsburgh can through a lot of change into your game plan. First and foremost you have to be in the right frame of mind for the rig your on! Then pull from 
your district familiarization to know what type of building. All of this goes back to being “Combat Ready”! Being able to work smarter not harder promotes efficiency. I think you’ll find some interesting things in our pockets. Hopefully, you are carrying some of the same if it applies. Please share if you have something different! No secrets in survival! (more…)
How many times have you taken the floor for granted? That’s right we’ve all done it! Usually until you learn the hard way! You crawl across during your search, limited to no visibility. Pushing that line down the hall looking for the basement stairs. Nothing making sure your next move isn’t DOWN… ”Combat Ready” doesn’t stop at the front door! It should be in your mind all the time. Tell yourself to crab walk with that hoseline, so your center of gravity is toward the back. Keeping a foot out front. During your search, use the same tactic. Along with sounding with your tool!!! 
Using the crab walk will let you see the conditions that are rapidly changing above your head!!! Those same conditions that kill Brothers and Sisters everyday! Work smarter not harder! Be Safe…
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