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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

PPE Wahrehouse on Wheels for Clean PPE

Robert Tutterow

What about the concept of a personal protective equipment (PPE) warehouse on wheels to help address the problem of putting contaminated PPE back on the apparatus?

Robert Tutterow

The use of a warehouse on wheels is not new to some fire departments. A few larger metro departments have adopted this concept for keeping their stations stocked with expendable items, such as cleaning supplies, emergency medical service supplies, toilet paper, and office supplies. A vehicle, such as a step van, is stocked with these supplies and makes a regular—typically weekly—visit to each station to replenish their supplies.

This application has merit for a PPE warehouse on wheels. The premise is that contaminated PPE should not be carried in the cab of the apparatus or in a personal vehicle in the case of volunteer firefighters. One of the typical responses to establishing a standard operating procedure stating that contaminated PPE should not be placed in an apparatus cab is that the crews must remain out of service until they return to the station to have their PPE cleaned or access their second set of PPE. Or, the department does not offer a second set of PPE for its firefighters.

THE CONCEPT

The PPE warehouse on wheels addresses this concern. A dedicated vehicle, or maybe a trailer, is stocked with loaner gear and dispatched to a working fire. Firefighters can bag their contaminated PPE and immediately be provided with loaner gear while still on the scene. This concept could be adopted on a county or regional basis for smaller fire departments. It could work well for turnout coats, turnout pants, hoods, gloves, and helmet replacement inserts. Footwear could be a little more problematic, as sizing is more crucial. However, cleaning footwear while on the scene is more easily accomplished than with fabric PPE such as coats, pants, and hoods. Helmet shells can also be decontaminated a bit easier.

As mentioned, sizing for footwear creates a need for a modification of a loaner gear program. This might also be a concern for sizing of the other elements. Most sizes for coats and trousers are listed in specific inch measurements. For loaner gear, this could be softened to having men’s and women’s sizing on small, medium, large, x-large, xx-large, etc. After all, PPE as currently addressed in National Fire Protection Association 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, is outerwear.

The above described sizing issue has been further explored by some who advocate that PPE should not be assigned directly to an individual firefighter. In effect, all PPE would be like loaner gear. A firefighter would wear the PPE assigned to him until it needs cleaning, repair, or retirement. The firefighter would then be issued another set of PPE or a specific element of the ensemble and wear it until it needs cleaning, repair, or retirement. This idea is worthy of consideration, and if adopted, there needs to be a tight tracking system in place to monitor the location and condition of each PPE element. Another potential drawback to this idea is that firefighters might not accept that their PPE is not “permanently” assigned to them.

The PPE warehouse on wheels idea h

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

PPE Wahrehouse on Wheels for Clean PPE

Robert Tutterow

What about the concept of a personal protective equipment (PPE) warehouse on wheels to help address the problem of putting contaminated PPE back on the apparatus?

Robert Tutterow

The use of a warehouse on wheels is not new to some fire departments. A few larger metro departments have adopted this concept for keeping their stations stocked with expendable items, such as cleaning supplies, emergency medical service supplies, toilet paper, and office supplies. A vehicle, such as a step van, is stocked with these supplies and makes a regular—typically weekly—visit to each station to replenish their supplies.

This application has merit for a PPE warehouse on wheels. The premise is that contaminated PPE should not be carried in the cab of the apparatus or in a personal vehicle in the case of volunteer firefighters. One of the typical responses to establishing a standard operating procedure stating that contaminated PPE should not be placed in an apparatus cab is that the crews must remain out of service until they return to the station to have their PPE cleaned or access their second set of PPE. Or, the department does not offer a second set of PPE for its firefighters.

THE CONCEPT

The PPE warehouse on wheels addresses this concern. A dedicated vehicle, or maybe a trailer, is stocked with loaner gear and dispatched to a working fire. Firefighters can bag their contaminated PPE and immediately be provided with loaner gear while still on the scene. This concept could be adopted on a county or regional basis for smaller fire departments. It could work well for turnout coats, turnout pants, hoods, gloves, and helmet replacement inserts. Footwear could be a little more problematic, as sizing is more crucial. However, cleaning footwear while on the scene is more easily accomplished than with fabric PPE such as coats, pants, and hoods. Helmet shells can also be decontaminated a bit easier.

As mentioned, sizing for footwear creates a need for a modification of a loaner gear program. This might also be a concern for sizing of the other elements. Most sizes for coats and trousers are listed in specific inch measurements. For loaner gear, this could be softened to having men’s and women’s sizing on small, medium, large, x-large, xx-large, etc. After all, PPE as currently addressed in National Fire Protection Association 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, is outerwear.

The above described sizing issue has been further explored by some who advocate that PPE should not be assigned directly to an individual firefighter. In effect, all PPE would be like loaner gear. A firefighter would wear the PPE assigned to him until it needs cleaning, repair, or retirement. The firefighter would then be issued another set of PPE or a specific element of the ensemble and wear it until it needs cleaning, repair, or retirement. This idea is worthy of consideration, and if adopted, there needs to be a tight tracking system in place to monitor the location and condition of each PPE element. Another potential drawback to this idea is that firefighters might not accept that their PPE is not “permanently” assigned to them.

The PPE warehouse on wheels idea h

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

T3 The Tready Hook: “A Ball-Buster of a Tool”

BY RAUL A. ANGULO


There are two things I love about the fire service. Well, there are many, but two of my favorites are the camaraderie that is developed across the country and firefighters who make their own tools. This story is about both.

I had to go to Texas for a wedding and decided to swing by and see the friends I made in Burleson, Texas. I was there about five years ago to write a story about a spectacular rescue they made on an 800-foot radio tower (“Stairway to Heaven,” Fire Engineering, September 2013). Firefighter Matt Moseley, one of the four rescuers at the time, is now Lieutenant Moseley; Lieutenant Jeremiah Lozier, the initial incident commander (IC) and co-author, is now Battalion Chief Lozier; and Battalion Chief Brent Batla is now Assistant Chief Batla—I love it! Anyway, I was speaking with Batla and he said, “Hey! You need to see this new tool I got for the guys. They call it the ‘Wrecking Ball’! In fact, they love this tool so much, they don’t even use the pike poles or the roof hooks anymore.” Well, being a truckie, I was intrigued; I had never heard of the Wrecking Ball. I asked if it was like a panestaker, and Batla said no. Then he dialed Station 2 on the speakerphone and said, “Watch this. Hey, Lieutenant Moseley, Chief Batla here. What would you say, engine or truck, is the favorite tool of choice for the members?” Moseley answered without hesitation, “Oh, that would be the Wrecking Ball.” I started to laugh and said, “OK, let’s drive over and take a look. I gotta see this.”

Lieutenant Matt Moseley and Firefighter Curry Parnell of the Burleson (TX) Fire Department are holding the T3 Tready Hook, AKA the “Wrecking Ball” and “Billy Baroo.” It has become the favorite go-to tool in Burleson. (Photos by author.)

1 Lieutenant Matt Moseley and Firefighter Curry Parnell of the Burleson (TX) Fire Department are holding the T3 Tready Hook, AKA the “Wrecking Ball” and “Billy Baroo.” It has become the favorite go-to tool in Burleson. (Photos by author.)

When we arrived at Station 2, Moseley and his crew had already pulled out the Wrecking Ball. Some of the guys call it “Wreckage by Ball,” and some of the B-Shifters call it the “Burleson Ball-Buster” and “Billy Baroo.” Too funny. What they were actually referring to was the T3 Tready Hook.

The T3 Tready Hook is a tubular steel shaft made of all steel materials. It has a four-inch hollow steel ball on one end and a solid ¼-inch steel plaster hook on the other. The ball and the hook are securely welded to the shaft, and the ends are designed for balance. It is a multipurpose tool that can be used for myriad firefighting tactics.

VERTICAL VENTILATION

This tool is the first tool in the fire service specifically designed for “sounding” a roof or floor in front of the firefighter, increasing the “safety zone.” By using the weight of the ball at the end of the hook, the firefighter can sound a roof or floor out in front of him with a greater

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

T3 The Tready Hook: “A Ball-Buster of a Tool”

BY RAUL A. ANGULO


There are two things I love about the fire service. Well, there are many, but two of my favorites are the camaraderie that is developed across the country and firefighters who make their own tools. This story is about both.

I had to go to Texas for a wedding and decided to swing by and see the friends I made in Burleson, Texas. I was there about five years ago to write a story about a spectacular rescue they made on an 800-foot radio tower (“Stairway to Heaven,” Fire Engineering, September 2013). Firefighter Matt Moseley, one of the four rescuers at the time, is now Lieutenant Moseley; Lieutenant Jeremiah Lozier, the initial incident commander (IC) and co-author, is now Battalion Chief Lozier; and Battalion Chief Brent Batla is now Assistant Chief Batla—I love it! Anyway, I was speaking with Batla and he said, “Hey! You need to see this new tool I got for the guys. They call it the ‘Wrecking Ball’! In fact, they love this tool so much, they don’t even use the pike poles or the roof hooks anymore.” Well, being a truckie, I was intrigued; I had never heard of the Wrecking Ball. I asked if it was like a panestaker, and Batla said no. Then he dialed Station 2 on the speakerphone and said, “Watch this. Hey, Lieutenant Moseley, Chief Batla here. What would you say, engine or truck, is the favorite tool of choice for the members?” Moseley answered without hesitation, “Oh, that would be the Wrecking Ball.” I started to laugh and said, “OK, let’s drive over and take a look. I gotta see this.”

Lieutenant Matt Moseley and Firefighter Curry Parnell of the Burleson (TX) Fire Department are holding the T3 Tready Hook, AKA the “Wrecking Ball” and “Billy Baroo.” It has become the favorite go-to tool in Burleson. (Photos by author.)

1 Lieutenant Matt Moseley and Firefighter Curry Parnell of the Burleson (TX) Fire Department are holding the T3 Tready Hook, AKA the “Wrecking Ball” and “Billy Baroo.” It has become the favorite go-to tool in Burleson. (Photos by author.)

When we arrived at Station 2, Moseley and his crew had already pulled out the Wrecking Ball. Some of the guys call it “Wreckage by Ball,” and some of the B-Shifters call it the “Burleson Ball-Buster” and “Billy Baroo.” Too funny. What they were actually referring to was the T3 Tready Hook.

The T3 Tready Hook is a tubular steel shaft made of all steel materials. It has a four-inch hollow steel ball on one end and a solid ¼-inch steel plaster hook on the other. The ball and the hook are securely welded to the shaft, and the ends are designed for balance. It is a multipurpose tool that can be used for myriad firefighting tactics.

VERTICAL VENTILATION

This tool is the first tool in the fire service specifically designed for “sounding” a roof or floor in front of the firefighter, increasing the “safety zone.” By using the weight of the ball at the end of the hook, the firefighter can sound a roof or floor out in front of him with a greater

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

Technical Rescue Staffing and Training

Richard Marinucci

Motivating fire service personnel to participate as active members of a technical rescue team can be very challenging. This includes all ranks. Further, fire chiefs and other administrators must also maintain support for events that are often very infrequent.

Richard Marinucci

This is especially true when participation as a team member is voluntary and team leaders must pay attention to recruitment and retention. For firefighters to accept extra assignments, the work must be attractive and appropriately rewarded—and not just financially. What gets supported and rewarded gets done.

Think about what might happen if someone got to practice a sport every day but never got to play in a game. There would be no way to feed the competitive juices and most, if not all, participants would forgo the practices and look for a different pastime. As an example, I was recently talking to a high school football coach. We were discussing the decline of participants in the sport, and we talked about some of the reasons. There is more concern for concussions, competition from more sports, year-round requirements, and others. One thing the coach mentioned was the challenge to get players to practice every day when there was only one game per week. There is also a lead-up time where there are weeks of practice before the first game is even played. He opined that kids playing sports want to play the games, not just practice, and in other sports there are more opportunities to compete. This certainly is something to think about, whether a sport or being part of a special rescue unit that rarely gets to “compete.”

CHIEF SUPPORT

For specialty teams to be successful, there must be enthusiastic support from the top of the organization, including the chief of department and senior staff. They cannot pay lip service to this and must communicate to the entire department that positions on the team are valued and will be supported. I have known chiefs who are the opposite, and their member participation leaves much to be desired. Those who truly value team membership do better with recruitment and retention. They show their support overtly and do not quibble when training arises. They don’t deny training opportunities by hiding behind staffing issues. There is a difference for those with legitimate issues and those who are not supportive.

There are some chiefs who personally don’t support the efforts of special rescue teams and membership. They may tolerate them if they have no choice but may also question whether the expense is worth the payback if their community has no history of needing such service. This is shortsighted in that not too many communities routinely need special teams. But when the call arises, having properly trained firefighters will be worth the effort. This can be challenging in communities strapped for resources, but I am aware of cases where this was not the issue, but the chief opted out anyway. This is not an approach to take if you are looking for people to volunteer.

GETTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE

As is the case with any job, you have to start with talent and those who are interested in the work. This begins

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