By Frank R. Myers
When I worked at my department’s training center, we made it a habit to perform a bunker gear inspection for in-service crews that were coming to do drills. We would have the crews stand in a line and then inspect their boots, soles of their boots, pants, suspenders, jacket/coat, Nomex hood, gloves and helmet. To our surprise, we could not believe the number of issues we encountered.
Many culprits were the more senior firefighters. They had become lax. Basically, these were the Ladder/Aerial personnel and/or Drivers. Since their run load was minimal compared to the ALS units and/or Pumpers, I assume that they felt there was no need to update or report anything that was wrong with their gear.
Newer firefighters were up to speed. They committed to getting the newer style firefighting boots and were assured that they had the “latest and greatest” the department had to offer. The newest gear was and is always available to all firefighting personnel! It was just a matter of going to the quartermaster and getting it surveyed or replaced.
Some issues were pants with no suspenders; ill-fitting gear because of weight gain/loss; cuts in the boots and soles; shell integrity compromised in either the pants or jacket; no Nomex hood; helmets without chinstraps or face shields; holes or cuts in the gloves or improper, nonapproved, or nonfirefighting gloves; and dirty gear.
It is important to have gear that fits correctly. This is because there needs to be a thermal layer or air space between your body and your gear. Being too tight or too loose also can compromise one’s mobility. Remember, the majority of active firefighting is done crawling on all fours or working in confined spaces.
I am not saying that our department didn’t provide replacements for all these issues. What I am saying is it was just laziness. We had policies in place stating that on the first of the month, the shift commander was required to make sure that all drivers’ licenses were valid and that all bunker gear was fit for duty. It is definitely not enough to say “Is everybody’s license and gear good?”
Everyone must don their gear and physically inspect it with a second set of eyes or an officer’s eyes, along with physically seeing the driver’s license and checking its validity online. The officer may need to order those who have issues to go get the faulty items replaced immediately via the quartermaster, accompanied by a signed survey form. Uniform checks were only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while PPE was Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
There can be no compromise when it comes to personal safety. Even though you can say to yourself that “nothing is going to happen,” in our business, it eventually will, and you may get injured. Direct flame can enter through a tear in your pants, jacket or boots, eye protection can be compromised if no shield is in place and no SCBA is donned, especially during forcible entry operations. Good gloves are a must as hand protection is crucially important.
The days of dirty gear showing one’s seniority are over! While a single event can trigger job-related illnesses, repetitive donning and doffing of dirty gear coming in contact with our skin is another culprit. Subsequently, we get complications through exposure or absorption. Much is still unknown about many products that are everywhere and how their chemical composition changes when exposed to fire. Whatever it is, we all know that when these different materials burn, the combustible products and gases, smoke, and by-products are generally not good for us.
Our department purchased special extractors and Read more
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Posted: Nov 10, 2016
From CPV Towantic Energy Center : CPV Towantic Energy Center hosted the local Oxford Volunteer Fire Department for a visit to the energy project site on Saturday, November 5, 2016 to practice the life-saving high-angle rescue drill, a technique used to rescue injured or otherwise incapacitated persons at high-degree slopes.
The fire department successfully performed a total of three practice rescues, two using an on-site crane and one using their ladder truck that was purchased with funds contributed to the town by the energy project in 2007. The rescue scenario consisted of a worker being injured on the steam turbine table top, approximately 40 feet above the ground. Photos were taken of the drills for use as future training aids for the fire department.
"We appreciate the Oxford Volunteer Fire Department's commitment to working closely with the CPV Towantic Energy Center team and look forward to our continued work together to ensure the highest levels of safety for everyone who works and lives near this state-of-the-art facility," said Colin Kelly, CPV Towantic Asset Manager Representative.
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Posted: Nov 10, 2016
Five months ago, after learning that the building was structurally compromised, the Kearny Fire Department vacated its 115-year-old firehouse on Davis Ave. and relocated its occupants and engine. But the town has yet to remedy the issue, although it hasn't been for lack of trying.
Initially, the KFD commissioned and received an engineer's report detailing what needed to be fixed and for how much.
To that end, Public Works Director Gerry Kerr solicited price estimates from contractors and that was followed by the town soliciting formal bids.
It was anticipated that the governing body would act to award a fix-up contract at last week's meeting but, instead, after a closed caucus, it voted to reject all bids and authorized a rebidding of the project.
According to town CFO Shuaib Firozvi, three firms bid on the project: JZA Enterprises of Aberdeen was the apparent lowest bidder with a price of $198,000; Reivax Contracting Corp. of Newark was next with a bid of $342,600; and George Koustas Painting & Construction of West Long Branch bid $345,000.
The emergency situation at the firehouse arose in May - as previously reported by Observer correspondent Karen Zautyk - when workers from Bower & Co. of Kearny were replacing gutters when they found that part of the wooden plate just below the roofline was bulging out on the Devon Terrace side - a condition that Fire Chief Steven Dyl blamed on the lack of "collar ties" at the time of the original construction.
Absent those fixtures, Dyl said, the roof joists pushed the plates out of alignment. That, in turn, led the town Construction Department to issue an "unsafe structure" notice.
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Posted: Nov 10, 2016
The Perry County Ambulance Authority has a new ambulance that is equipped with state of the art technology designed to assist patients with back injuries and mobility limitations. A grant for $10 thousand was used as part of the funding for the new ambulance.
The Board of Directors for the Ambulance Service approved the additional funding needed to purchase, not only the vehicle, but also the new patient lift-system, which cost an additional $40 thousand.
"We're getting better equipment and better vehicles for everyone to work with," said Ambulance Service Director Jason Taylor, "Next, we plan on getting another new ambulance with additional grant money. This one will be a four wheel drive."
The additional grant money the Ambulance Service is seeking will equal about $50 thousand dollars. Over the past year, the Ambulance Service has also used grant money to purchase new equipment to assist with cardiac issues emergency crews experience out in the field.
"Our main focus here is safety," said Judge Executive Scott Alexander, "Having new equipment to serve the patients is one thing we have looked at, and we are trying to upgrade as we go."
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Posted: Nov 10, 2016
An ambulance driver was cited Thursday afternoon after the emergency vehicle collided with a car on Texas 30 in Bryan. According to Bryan police, a Guardian EMS ambulance was travelling westbound on Texas 30 near Harvey Road in Bryan around 1:20 p.m. The ambulance was not carrying any patients but was carrying three EMS staffers.
The ambulance made an unsafe lane change and struck a westbound Nissan Sentra, causing damage to both vehicles, authorities said.
The three ambulance occupants were not injured. The driver of the Nissan was transported to an area hospital, however, with injuries that were not life-threatening. The ambulance driver was cited for conducting an unsafe lane change.
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