In this series, Fire Engineering Senior Editor Mary Jane Dittmar looks at the things that motivated and inspired instructors to present on their topics at FDIC International 2016. Segments will be posted on a regular basis up to and through the conference, April 18-23.

Drew Smith
Deputy Chief
Prospect Heights (IL) Fire District

Regional Multicompany Hands-On Training

Other Midwest fire departments have asked about how our mutual-aid region conducts its semiannual multicompany drills. There is always an interest in interdepartmental/mutual-aid operations based on the response to my past FDIC classes and the articles I have written for Fire Engineering. I hope that departments in a region will see the value of such training, the benefit it provides regarding ISO ratings, and how it can improve firefighter safety and survival by getting the right number of trained responders to the incident ASAP.

At FDIC, I have presented 16 times and conducted four HOT classes. After each of these sessions, students have contacted me for additional information about a specific need or situation or to share their success stories. Mostly, I present “how to do” related to specific drills or training sessions. In a class on aerial apparatus operations, I covered not only how to conduct them at an incident but also how to create the environment that allows for practicing the essential skills. Knowing that someone incurred the expenses to travel to FDIC and took what they learned in my class to share it with their department is what it is all about. Since no department can send all its members, those who are fortunate to attend need the instructor to cover “how to make this happen when you get home.” 

In this series, Fire Engineering Senior Editor Mary Jane Dittmar looks at the things that motivated and inspired instructors to present on their topics at FDIC International 2016. Segments will be posted on a regular basis up to and through the conference, April 18-23.

Mark Gregory
Captain
Fire Department of New York

Man vs. Machinery: Are You Prepared?

I chose the topic of ‘Man vs. Machinery’ because it seemed to be an uncovered incident, yet it was occurring all across the country in both the rural and urban settings. First responders were receiving these calls, and some did not have any training on which they could fall back on to enhance their on-scene performance. The selection of tools and some of the adaptations we introduce offer rescuers more tools in their toolbox to get the job done.

The class introduces a ‘simple approach.’ Not all technical rescues need to be technical. If we simply slow down and look at the big picture, we can usually come up with a solution.  I use this same approach at work and emphasize to our students that if we stick to basics, our training and mindset will usually guide us toward productive solutions.

We receive a tremendous amount of feedback from the program. Our techniques have been used across the country and Canada to effectively assist victims who have become entangled in some pretty crazy incidents. The Internet offers many different solutions to a variety of entrapments. The ‘Man vs. Machinery’ program is similar to the television show Myth Busters. We are not saying that the techniques many assume are gospel because they are on the worldwide Web are incorrect, but sometimes, there are more effective ways to get the job done. 

Many departments have asked for our assistance in creating kits to handle ‘Man vs. Machinery’ incidents. The FDIC HOT program allows students to interact with instructors, use the latest techniques available, and see demonstrations of various types of equipment and homemade fabrications to see if they are appropriate for use in their departments.

In this series, Fire Engineering Senior Editor Mary Jane Dittmar looks at the things that motivated and inspired instructors to present on their topics at FDIC International 2016. Segments will be posted on a regular basis up to and through the conference, April 18-23.

Greg Jakubowski
Life Member and Past Deputy Fire/EMS Chief
Bryn Athyn Fire Co.
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Firefighting Operations in Mega-Mansions

Generally, fire departments are prepared to handle fires in homes of 2,000 square feet or less; this is their bread and butter and considered by National Fire Protection Association standards as a ‘low-hazard’ occupancy.  However, major paradigm shifts are needed when faced with a fire in a home that is four, five, or 10 times the size of that ‘low hazard occupancy.’  More, larger homes are being built in the United States, and they are often being built with lightweight construction that has been proven to burn faster and hotter.

Recent fires in large homes have occurred in Maryland (six fatalities), Maryland (10 firefighter injuries), Connecticut ($10 million loss), Pennsylvania (19 bedrooms, $18 million loss), Ohio (10,000 square feet, $4 million loss), North Carolina ($3 million loss), New Jersey (four alarms), and California (eight bedrooms, $19 million home) among many others.  Most of these fires have presented serious challenges to firefighters. Chris Naum and I were discussing these challenges and realized that there was little training focusing on this emerging issue. We partnered to study the challenges, learn the lessons from the case studies, and apply best practices and lessons learned from these incidents and others to present a unique program to the international fire service.

We have recently begun to present these programs, and they have been well-received. We have been invited to present seminars on mega-mansion fires in a number of locations.