Chris Mc Loone

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a keynote by Gordon Graham recently. During his presentation, he spoke about his specialty-risk management.

He applied risk management to apparatus operation, maintenance, and training. Graham discussed the many facets of risk management and how risk managers study tragedies to identify their causes to prevent future tragedies. However, he asserts that not enough people have been taught that a given tragedy has multiple causes: proximate, contributory, root, and problems lying in wait. The problems lying in wait are what got me thinking.

The Debbie Downers among us will take a look at problems lying in wait and identify numerous items at their own fire departments within seconds. It will always be that way, and there is nothing we can do about that. But, when you put those numerous items through a strainer, some actual problems lying in wait might emerge, so it's never a good idea to dismiss the complainers.

By identifying problems lying in wait, a department is actually predicting potential issues before they occur and should then be determining control measures to ensure they don't become causes for tragedies. Basically, Graham sums this up by saying that predictable is preventable.

Do we have problems lying in wait in the fire service? We sure do. From the health and safety side, we have stations without diesel exhaust systems in which our walls and often our personal protective equipment are coated with a layer of diesel soot-an identified carcinogen. And, we have firefighters who are not physically fit enough to do the jobs they are called on to perform. Don't misunderstand-I'm not talking about overweight firefighters here. I'm what some would call "lanky." To look at me, one probably would not think I have any potential health issues that would bring me down during or following a fire where I am humping hose, clearing windows, carrying equipment up ladders, or removing fire victims. I get my annual physicals, including bloodwork to ensure my cholesterol isn't too high and my blood sugar is in a good zone.

But, what about firefighters out there built like me who do not get their physicals? What problems lying in wait are there for them? You can be skinny as a rail, but lack of exercise and conditioning along with a questionable diet could be the problem lying in wait that could quite frankly kill you.

On the apparatus side of the equation, the fire service has been experiencing a fair amount of apparatus accidents in recent months and, in 2014, preliminary figures indicate that the second leading cause of line-of-duty deaths was vehicle crashes-sometimes in personal vehicles responding to the firehouse and sometimes resulting from apparatus crashes. What are the problems lying in wait there? Is it poor driver training? Is it lack of strong leadership from the officer's seat? Is it undisciplined driving practices? If your driver training program is poor, that speaks for itself. If the officer "riding the seat" won't tell his driver to slow down, that's a problem lying in wait and a tragedy waiting to happen. Undisciplined driving practices grown from lack of leadership and poor driver training are also tragedies waiting to happen.

As I have come up through the ranks, my chief has often suggested stepping back at the scene to observe-obviously not in the heat of things. It is amazing what you see if you step back from time to time and observe what is happening vs. being in the thick of a situation. This isn't always easy in volunteer departments during the day. But, when possible, step back. What you're really doing wh

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By Bill Adams

"Mini Pumpers, Part 1: How Well Do They Really Work?" (September 2014) described the experiences of two fire departments with mini pumpers purchased in the 1980s.

It appears the fire service is giving mini pumpers a second look. Why? What's new? What are people purchasing? I asked apparatus manufacturers of all sizes. Their answers to some specific questions follow.

Are mini pumpers becoming popular?

Mike DuFrane, vice president, Florida Products Government Sales, Pierce Manufacturing: "Mini pumpers have an inherent size advantage over larger apparatus. We continue to see growth in mini pumper sales."

Trapper Meadors, sales engineer, Precision Fire Apparatus: "Mini pumpers can fit into very specific roles that a lot of departments have yet to see a need for. However, once the need is realized, they're perfect fits."

Mike Watts, national sales manager, Toyne Fire Apparatus: "Yes. They are finding a new purpose in the fire service."

Jim Kirvida, president, CustomFIRE: "There seems to be considerable interest, mostly for short-staffed duty crews."

Grady North, product manager, E-ONE: "The mini pumper concept is showing renewed interest."

Doug Kelley, mini pumper product manager, KME: "Yes, and growing. However, they're still a very small portion of the market overall. As a reference, there are fewer than 150 mini pumpers sold each year vs. about 2,500 to 3,000 full-size pumpers."

Joe Messmer, president, Summit Fire Apparatus: "Yes. We are finding fire departments want smaller trucks with a bigger punch. They are looking for more agile apparatus with four-wheel drive."

Are fire departments looking to accomplish specific missions with mini pumper purchases?

Kelley: "The educated customer is trying to take advantage of the mini's smaller size combined with the all-wheel-drive capability for tasks similar to accessing the backside of structures, such as garden apartments, with a master stream device; using the truck as a manifold truck up long driveways where larger trucks have a hard time accessing; using the all-wheel drive in disaster situations where roads may be partially blocked; and using the truck to access incidents in hard-to-reach locations, especially in heavy traffic or small streets."

Messmer: "They're looking for smaller trucks that weigh less and can get into tighter spots. Some departments are attempting to reduce the wear and tear on larger, more expensive apparatus to stretch the budget a little further."

Dufrane: "Departments responsible for protecting hard-to-reach areas where they can't get a traditional pumper or tanker through narrow, unpaved roads find the maneuverability of mini pumpers is an advantage. Pierce is seeing some being used as "first-out" vehicles instead of traditional pumpers. Departments with emergency medical service (EMS) responsibilities can run them with their emergency medical technicians on board."

Kirvida: "Initial response for both EMS and fire calls."

Meadors: "Smaller departments experiencing an influx of new, younger members are wanting a small unit people can feel more co

David Hiltwein passed away Sunday, February 22, 2015 in Kennewick, WA as the result of Scleroderma-related complications. David was born on February 26, 1952 in Pasco, WA to Leo Hiltwein and Viola Hiltwein and lived in Kennewick his entire life. He graduated from both Kennewick High School and Columbia Basin College. He proudly served as a Hanford Fire Fighter and EMT for 37 years (1974-2011). He was also a volunteer Fire Fighter with Benton County Fire District #1 for 31 years (1971-2002). He was a loyal supporter of his Union IAFF Local 1-24, where he served as the Vice President for many years.

David is remembered for his compassion, sense of humor, practical jokes, strong work ethic, teaching abilities, and steel trap memory. He loved hunting, fishing, reading, crossword puzzles, knife making, riding his Harley Davidson, attending car shows, and burning rubber in his 1967 EI Camino. He was a dedicated fan of the Seattle Seahawks and loved watching and attending football games with his friends and family...

Fifteen-year-old Jake is a high school basketball star. We invited Jake to go into another room and toss beanbags through holes of various sizes in a plywood target, then report back to us with his final score. Our hidden camera recorded that he scored six out of a possible fifteen points (not too good for a basketball phenom). As Jake approached our table to report his score, we wondered—would he embrace his shame and tell the truth? Or would he lie to get the extra $1 per point we promised him? Eighty percent of his colleagues in our experiment had lied. Would Jake follow suit—or fess up?

Most of us lie. Studies have shown that lying is actually the natural order of things. From the time we are small, we learn there are powerful incentives to say what works rather than what’s true. The question is, why? Do we lie because we are morally bankrupt from birth? Or is there something more fixable going on? Given the importance of trust to healthy relationships, families, and communities, how can we help people do the unnatural? How can we, in spite of all the immediate incentives to do the opposite, influence people to tell the truth?

A recent report released by the State Auditor’s Office found, local governments (including fire protection districts) still struggle to file their reports on time or at all. All local governments are expected to file their annual financial reports with the State Auditor’s Office within 150 days after the end of their fiscal year.

In both 2011 and 2012, more than 700 of 1,956 local governments did not file their reports as required for each year. Due to increased outreach by the State Auditor’s Office in 2013, such as trainings and workshops, about 100 more local governments filed their required annual reports...