Skip to content

Archives for training

See all posts in the network tagged with training

Top-Notch Training Offerings

Comments

 

The Brotherhood Instructors

BI b website

Two brothers from Illinois, Nate and Curtis DeMarse founded a firefighters training program in 2006 and called it Brotherhood Instructors, the perfect name for their venture.

Their purpose as stated on their website is simple:  We specialize in the basic fundamentals of firefighting.  While we believe that hazardous materials, terrorism, emergency medical and the various rescue disciplines are essential parts of the Fire Service, we also think that the basic fundamentals of firefighting have been overlooked in recent years.  We are here to help turn that trend in the other direction. 

demarse a

Curtis (left) and Nate DeMarse

Other instructors from different areas of the country have joined them, such as Kevin Legacy, Andrew Brassard, Gary Rauch, Lou Amaroso, Dave Wiechen, Kevin Grebinar, Eric Rhoden, Steve Oberg, Jamie Morelock, Rob Blair and others.

They offer their back-to-basics training on-site in several formats,

  • lecture/discussion
  • hands-on
  • acquired structure
  • combination

BI a patchThere is also a great choice of focus points  including,  engine company operations, ladder company operations, multi-company operations……check their website HERE to learn more about these offerings.

If you are unable to attend their programs in person, they also do online training.  They have a lot of online drills which can create interesting discussion between the readers, and they permit you to share some interesting tips.

Additionally, they have a dedicated YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/BrotherhoodInstrctrs#p/u)  where you can watch many of the applied techniques and drills that they offer.  If you are a registered viewer of YouTube, you can subscribe to the BI channel by just clicking on the Subscribe button on the front page of the link.

Their Facebook page that also features pix and instruction is HERE.

All in all, they are offering a complete package of training opportunities that are well worth your time to follow the links and learn more about their program.

Prepared and written by Laurence Delorme who adds:  I could not finish this article without telling you a personal” anecdote”:  Nate De Marse has always taken  time to reply to  my numerous questions  about different topics such as ladder bail out,nozzles, etc.  This simply means that he is a great instructor because he takes time to listen to his readers.

Laurence publishes ChezFireball, a website for firefighters in France, and is a regular contributor to Firegeezer.

Posted by fireball on March 18, 2010 • Filed under: Training, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , ,

Avalanche Rescue Drill

Comments

PRACTICING RESCUE TECHNIQUES UNDER ACTUAL CONDITIONS is the best way to improve your skills.  The Italian firefighters are firm believers of this as we saw in this REPORT HERE of their ice-water recovery drill on March 4.

Last week on March 9 two Italian Vigili del Fuoco’s stationed in the Alps from Rieti and Turni, combined to hold an avalanche drill simulating the search for buried skiers on Mount Terminillo.

ski b backpacks

ski d bumperwinch

They utilized special equipment designed for just such a rescue and began their training while a snow storm was in progress.  In the early afternoon the weather conditions worsened to the point that the drill had to be suspended, but they considered the exercise a full success.

ski c behindtruck

ski a victimonboard

View the entire photo gallery on Vigili del Fuoco’s website HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Posted by fireball on March 17, 2010 • Filed under: Training, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , ,

The Rail Disaster That Wasn’t

Comments

THE FRENCH RAILROAD SNCF ran a regularly scheduled in-house disaster drill Tuesday simulating a major incident with one of their ultra-high-speed TGV trains.

tgv a 

Part of the practice exercise involves the public relations department who are responsible for dissemination of the public information.  Unfortunately, the faux press release was posted on their website instead of the training page and panicked relatives all over the country were greeted with:

An explosion of unknown origin occurred at 8am today aboard TGV1234, close to Macon.“The first estimates of the fire service say 102 people died and another 380 were injured. All the victims were evacuated to hospitals in Macon.

“Due to the dramatic events today on TGV1234, our site will only be publishing essential information. Thank you for your understanding.

It didn’t take long for the word to get back to HQ and the notice was quickly removed.  “On March 16th, just before 12.00, an error appeared on the sncf.com site relaying information about an accident. This never took place,” the company said, adding that an investigation would seek to find out what had gone wrong as they were busily calming down distraught relatives who had been checking on their loved-one’s arrival schedules.

This tv news video shows the renegade web posting.  Our friends in Quebec will also enjoy the report:

The London Telegraph has the STORY.

Firegeezer note:  One more thing for you to keep in mind when you are carrying out a disaster training exercise.

Posted by firegeezer on March 17, 2010 • Filed under: Training, Videos, public relations, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: ,

Multi-National Underwater Recovery Training

Comments

ON MARCH 4 A UNIQUE ICE-WATER RECOVERY DRILL was held on Lake Purr in Italy.  Participating in the extensive training exercise were fire/rescue departments from Slovenia and Austria, as well as several Italian FD’s.

italy a bldg

italy b inside

The drill included setting up a special inflated building that is used as a treatment area and FF rest and recovery zone.  The dive teams  then practiced cutting holes in the ice and going below the surface to search for and recover any victims.

italy c cuthole

italy d entering

Included in the drill was a stringent practice of utilizing the Incident Command System (ICS).  (Yes, they are doing that over there now, too.) 

Participating were divers from Friuli Venice Giulia (Itay), Carinzia (Austria) and Capodistria (Slovenia).  Also surface teams from Trieste Udine Gorizia and Pordenone (Italy).

italy e backboard

italy f retrieval

To view the entire set of photos posted by the Vigili del Fuoco, click  HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Posted by fireball on March 7, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , ,

Proper Probie Preparation

Comments

A PROBATIONARY FIREFIGHTER’S TRAINING AND PREPARATION  is intense and continuous.  The flow of information, tips, and advice seemingly never stops as the shift Lieutenant keeps the information flowing in an attempt to bring the probie up to full firefighter status.

Firefighter Steve Piper in Missouri teamed up with “Fireball” Laurence Delorme to create this training video on one of the most important facets of a probie’s training:

Posted by firegeezer on February 16, 2010 • Filed under: Training, Training & Development, Videos, fun • Tagged:

German Firefighters Train in Arizona

Comments

SIERRA VISTA, ARIZONA’s SISTER CITY is Radebuel, Germany.  A small city of 32,000 residents near Dresden.  As part of their sister-city program, Radebuel has sent three of its firefighters to Sierra Vista to train and ride with their FD and exchange ideas and techniques.  The Associated Press reports:

Hans-Peter Schaefer, the deputy chief, Steffen Kurtz, an engineer, and Daniel Zeihe, a firefighter and paramedic-in-training, arrived in Sierra Vista at the end of January.

They have been learning that many of their tactics and procedures are the same.  “They do the same job, they do it the same way, though they might use different tools,” Gespardo said.

Sierra Vista firefighters spent the first few days letting Schaefer, Kurtz and Zeihe get their hands on tools and vehicles they don’t typically have a chance to work with.  On Feb. 2, each got a chance to ride in an Air Evac helicopter and practice stabilizing and cutting into an upturned vehicle, while comparing the methods and procedures each department would use.

The trio also got a chance to drive the department’s various vehicles, including fire engines and ladder trucks, on a closed course.  “Those were the biggest things they’ve ever been behind the wheel of,” Gaspardo said.

sierra vista station 2

Sierra Vista Station 2

Being located in the desert, they missed being around grass and trees.  Read the STORY to find out what else they missed.

Sierra Vista Fire Department WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 11, 2010 • Filed under: Training, Training & Development

Culinary Training

Comments Off

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?  SOMEBODY HAS TAKEN THE time and effort to make a video presentation on How to Eat a Chicken Wing.  They’re talking about the center section with the two little bones in it.  We’re getting credit for already knowing how to eat the “drumstick” part.

Posted by firegeezer on November 8, 2009 • Filed under: Training, Videos, cooking, fun • Tagged: , , ,

“World Rescue Challenge” Results

Comments Off

challenge c

all photos courtesy of Christian Lewalter

THE WORLD RESCUE CHALLENGE COMPETITION was held this past weekend in Frankfurt, Germany.  teams of firefighters and rescuers demonstrated their rescue skills during a series of simulated road crashes.  It was held outdoors on the property of Frankfurt fire station #1.  The event was jointly held with the World Trauma Challenge where pairs of medical rescuers from around the world compete against each other.  That competition was held indoors.

challenge d

Teams from more than a dozen countries competed in various categories of extication rescues and medical protocols.

challenge b

FWNetz reports that the teams from the UK swept the top three standings in both competitions:

World Rescue Challenge-Weltmeister (Best Overall)
1. Royal Berkshire (England)
2. Hampshire (England)
3. Bridgend (Wales )

Winner World Trauma Challenge
1. Northumberland (England)
2. Leicestershire (England)
3. West Yorkshire (England)

The only team competing from the U. S., a combined crew called NAVRA, came in 3rd-place in the Complex Challenge category.  The team from Mississauga, Ontario, came home with two trophies, 2nd-place for Best Technical Team and 3rd-place for Best Standard challenge.

challenge a

Firegeezer correspondent Christian Lewalter has posted a 56-image photo gallery from the competition HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on October 27, 2009 • Filed under: Training, training-fire-rescue-topics

What Hath Resusci-Annie Wrought?

Comments

MEDICAL TRAINING MANNEQUINS HAVE ADVANCED BY LIGHT-YEARS since our favorite family, Resusci-Annie and Baby hit the scene forty years ago.  Now we have all sorts of body parts that permit training on inserting IV’s, setting broken bones, and even drilling into a bone.

The latest entry into the training market was quick out of the box to take advantage of the anticipated epidemic of swine flu.  An unnamed developer exhibited a training robot at the Security & Safety Trade Show in Tokyo recently that recreates the swine flu symptoms in a realistic way and is designed to teach how to recognize the symptoms and take effective treatment measures.  In addition to sporting a suit of human-like skin, the robot sweats, convulses, moans, cries tears, and exhibits symptoms not unlike a real human patient infected with the virus. If the robot does not receive the proper treatment, the symptoms gradually worsen until it stops breathing and dies.

The Associated Press filed this video report showing the mannequin in action:

Posted by firegeezer on October 22, 2009 • Filed under: EMS Health & Safety, Training

I am listening to Ray

Comments

BILL CAREY, WRITING IN BACKSTEP FIREFIGHTER’S BLOG, WONDERS “Is anyone listening to Ray?” AND SPECULATES ON WHAT THE ANSWER MEANS. This started with the April FDIC big room presentation by Lieutenant Ray McCormack. His animated advocacy for a “Culture of Extinguishment” was a Fire Engineering video sensation, until FDNY lawyers required Bobby Halton to remove the video, read a letter from the Fire Commissioner and apologize for the furor.

I was late responding to the excitement, posting “How Aggressive Suppression?” almost a month after the presentation. This started a great conversation with Fire Engineering editor Bobby Halton.

MAKING EDITORIAL CHANGES

Textbooks, especially those related to an NFPA standard and published as an IAFC product, need to be moderate in tone and content. The post-FDIC conversations about the balance between safety and suppression were compelling. I wrote about changing the chapter HERE. This is how the topic finally appeared:

COTIP_Aggressive_web

Ray writes Tactical Safety articles at thehousewatch.com. These are must-read articles for fire fighters and fire officers. Today’s article covers “Tactical Safety-Attack Supervision: One Box That Should Always Be Filled”…

RISK MANAGEMENT RECONSIDERED

It was a treat hanging out with Bobby Halton at the Professional Development Seminar conducted by the Fairfax County Professional Fire and Rescue Officers Association. Halton is moving the discussion further. He points out that we started with math, calculating event probabilities. The “Everybody Goes Home” is a sociological approach to changing behaviors. He is working in the next approach.

The federal NIOSH “2-in-2 out” rule is a decade old. Halton says that the rule is flawed … you will see more information in an editorial in his magazine later this year. He previewed a new presentation in Fairfax that is designed to continue our discussion of what is appropriate fireground risk management.

Hint: the first two engine companies should concentrate on locating and suppressing the fire.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on October 11, 2009 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Training, Training & Development, commentary • Tagged: , , ,

Professional Development Day 2

Comments

conferenceHeader

DAVE DOES DIGITAL

STATTER-911_med-767783

Discussed Compulsive Outrage Disorder, the impact of social media/internet on the issuing of emergency and organizational information, and steps a command officer should consider in dealing with issues.  firetech1 provides the link to Bill McClellan’s original column from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (HERE).

Statter introduced his list of rules if he was king, a couple of examples:

  • No more volunteer/career, instead lets discuss competent/incompetent
  • Too many “safety issues” are brought up to cover another agenda
  • How can “seconds count” last year while the department is closing companies this year? Admires how Sacramento Fire Chief Ray Jones handles issues.

CHALLENGE COINS

challenge-coin

Posted by fossilmedic on October 2, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Professional Development afternoon

Comments

conferenceHeader

BOX LUNCH BREAK

Great slide show of working incidents in the northern Virginia and Montgomery County areas.

Ward_at_Marriott

BOBBY HALTON

New presentation:  Reality vs. Perception …. and the choice

Risk Management … NOT mathematical, but a dynamic environment that can rapidly change after a small change.

Human/Technical Interface:  The Age of High Velocity Human Factors

Drifting Into Failure:  conflict between our work and safety.  Normalization of Deviance.  Local Rationality.  Related to the rate of firefighter deaths per structure fire.

 New concepts ….   more to come …

Posted by fossilmedic on October 1, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Fairfax Fire & Rescue Officers Seminar

Comments

conferenceHeader

An so it begins … after a late start due to a FossilMedic “senior moment” we finally got to the hotel.  U. S. Fire Administrator Kelvin J. Cochran stopped in during the morning opening session.

Attendance is up, with 160 participants.  The “usual suspects” from the West Coast did not make it, but more within a couple of hours driving to northern Virginia did.

FireGeezer_Banner

How cool is this, listening to Billy Goldfeder while hanging at the Firegeezer booth with Fire Engineering editor Bobby Halton.

10:25 AM: AFTER 1ST BREAK

morning-session

So how can Billy talk so long …. video clips! If you have posted a YouTube video showing your rig blasting through a red light intersection without stopping, it may show up in one of Billy’s presentations.  Think of it as a FirefighterCloseCalls version of “60 Minutes” gotcha.

Special Tyson’s Corner feature, Metro construction creates short power interruptions throughout the day.

ALMOST NOON:  FIREGEEZER ON THE SCENE

Carrying a case of coffee cups, Bill “Firegeezer” Schumm has made it to the venue.

Bill-wCup

Posted by fossilmedic on October 1, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Bee Careful

Comments

RECALLING OUR INFORMATIVE AND INSTRUCTIONAL video report last week (see Firegeezer HERE) about the Cleburne, Texas, firefighters combatting the swarm of africanized bees, reader Brad C. pointed out this video from Turkey where their firefighters had a very similar problem:

Thanks,  Brad!

Posted by firegeezer on September 29, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Placarding Update

Comments

Firegeezer notes:  John Sachen, Senior Fire Instructor at the University of Missouri-Fire and Rescue Training Insitute recently spotted this tanker on the highway.  He sent along the photo with an informative explanation.

WHILE VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE WITH THE NEW  identification numbers for ethanol blended fuels technically began January 28, 2008, the new placards are just beginning to show up on the highway.  This truck was spotted last Friday on I-70 in the Kansas City area.

placard a

The UN 3475 placard is for a mixture of ethanol and gasoline (hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon like compounds) with an ethanol concentration of 11% to 99%.

E-10 (10% ethanol) is still placarded UN 1203 and E-100 (100% ethanol) is placarded UN 1170.  In addition, E-95 can also still be placarded UN 1987.

In summation:
E-10 ….. UN 1203
E-85 ….. UN 3475
E-95 ….. UN 1987 or 3475
E-100 … UN 1170

Posted by firegeezer on September 23, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Remarkable Rescue Leads to Training Video

Comments Off

HANNIBAL, MISSOURI, HOMETOWN TO MARK TWAIN and his adopted children Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, has a lot of tourist attractions that bring thousands of visitors annually.  One of these is a natural feature known as “Lovers’ Leap,” a river bluff promontory that rises 240 ft. above the town below.

LL a

The bluff is owned by Hannibal Parks & Recreation dept. and has a parking lot provided for visitors who wish to walk over and view the sight.  Last month on August 12, two elderly women from Illinois stopped by for a visit, but when the driver pulled into a parking space she pressed on the accelerator instead of the brake pedal and the car lunged across the barrier, through two fences and over the edge of the precipice.  Miraculously, the car was stopped about 30 ft. down the face of the cliff by a tree whose branches are only about 4 inches in diameter.  If not for that small but strong tree, the car would have continued the plunge all the way down.

LL e courierpost engel

Courier-Post / Engel

The Hannibal Fire Department responded on the rescue call and, utilizing their aerial ladder, rappelled down to the car and retrieved the shaken but uninjured ladies and brought them up.  The Hannibal Courier-Post documented the rescue and assembled this video report:

A few days later, a Hannibal resident sent the newspaper clipping of the rescue to a relative who works for Working Fire Training Systems, a video training production company that provides training videos for thousands of fire departments throughout North America.  They called the HFD and determined that the rescue effort had all the ingredients to make a good video.  So last week they brought a production crew up from their St. Louis headquarters and began filming interviews for the story.  This video, also produced by the Courier-Post, tells us about this new venture (and has some additional views of the rescue operation):

Read the first news report and witness statements from the Courier-Post HERE.
The follow-up story about the training video is HERE.

LL c KHQA

KHQA-TV

LL d courierpost engel

Courier-Post / Engel

Hannibal Fire Department WEBSITE.
Working Fire Training Systems WEBSITE.

Thanks to University of Missouri – Fire Rescue Training Institute

Posted by firegeezer on September 19, 2009 • Filed under: Training, rescue

Officer Development Seminar Spaces Filling Up

Comments Off

THE OFFICER DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR BEING OFFERED by the Fairfax County Professional Fire and Rescue Officers Association will be held in just over two weeks from now and seating is filling up, but there are still some spaces remaining.

fx officers seminar banner b

The two-day seminar on Oct. 1 and 2 has an impressive list of speakers lined up, and the price includes continental breakfast and a buffet lunch on both days.  You can read the details of the program and register online HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on September 15, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Fire Officer: Principles & Practice 2nd ed

Comments

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION!  Second edition of Fire Officer:  Principles and Practice comes out this week.

FireOfficer2_

Covering the entire scope of NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, 2009 Edition, Fire Officer combines current content with dynamic features and interactive technology to better support instructors and help prepare future fire officers for any situation that may arise.

The Second Edition features a laser-like focus on fire fighter safety. The text has integrated the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives developed by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. In each of the chapter National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System cases are discussed to drive home safety and the lessons learned from those incidents.

Some of the guiding principles added to the new edition include:

  1. Description of the “Everybody Goes Home” and the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System, including over a dozen company officer near-miss examples throughout the text.
  2. Description of the IAFC/IAFF Firefighter Safety and Deployment Study.
  3. The latest fire fighter death and injury issues as reported by the NFPA® National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, IAFC, and IAFF, including results of a thirty-year retrospective study.
  4. Changes in fire-ground accountability and rapid intervention practices.
  5. Results of National Institute of Standards and Technology research on wind-driven fires, thermal imaging cameras, and fire dynamics as related to fire fighter survival.
  6. The latest developments in crew resource management.

The Second Edition also reflects the latest developments in:

  1. Building a personal development plan through education, training, self-development, and experience, including a description of the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) program.
  2. The impact of blogs, video sharing, and social networks.
  3. How to budget for a grant.
  4. Changes in the National Response Framework and National Incident Management System.

Link to publisher’s page with access to Chapter 9: Leading the Fire Company (HERE)

Ordering info HERE

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on September 13, 2009 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Training, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , ,

Misguided Training Evolution Injures 9 Children

Comments

A POORLY-PLANNED FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING EVOLUTION IN Wikau-Hasslau, Germany, injured eleven civilians including nine children.  The strange public training situation took place in a vacant 5-story apartment building and was supposedly designed to teach people how to react when they find their home filled with smoke.

The local volunteer fire brigade chose the wrong substance to generate the smoke however, because the smoke suddenly ignited in an “enormous explosion,” blowing out the windows sending shards over 50 yards away and causing innumerable cuts to the spectators.  The injured children were ages 4 to 14, some of them children of the firefighters’, and three of them plus one adult required hospitalization.

wilkau a andreas wohland

photo by Andreas Wohland

It hasn’t been disclosed yet what substance the FF’s were using to create the smoke, but witnesses saw them carrying gasoline-type cans and a large tub into the building.  The police criminal investigation agency has begun the investigation into the accident.

Freiepresse has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on September 9, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Knot-Tying Training Device

Comments Off

THERE IS A DEVICE ON THE MARKET THAT ALLOWS FOR SOME SELF-INSTRUCTION and practice in tying knots that are most-used in the fire/EMS service.  Rob Ladd, publisher of New London County Fire Photos sent this tip along for us.

14er-a

The device, called The Fourteener, is a one-piece utensil that simulates 14 different pieces of hardware that you are most likely to be tying off to.  The kit also supplies a length of braided nylon rope of the right size to practice with, along with an adjustable strap that can be used to anchor the Fourteener to a fixed object.

If you want to read more about this training tool, or wish to order one, go to their WEBSITE HERE.

14er-b

Posted by firegeezer on August 31, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Mid-Atlantic Life Safety Conference in September

Comments Off

THE ANNUAL MID-ATLANTIC LIFE SAFETY CONFERENCE, sponsored by a consortium of Maryland fire protection agencies, will be held on September 22 at the Kossiakoff Conference Center in Laurel, Maryland.

midatlantic-a

Following the morning address, there will be five concurrent workshops.  After the lunch break there will be another five workshops with topics including:  A Safety Culture;  Planning to Protect Millions; and Large Scale Evacuation and Sheltering Plan.

The cost to attend is $40 prior to Sept. 11 and $50 after that.  There is a limited number of seats alloted for the conference.

You can read the details including the full schedule and get a registration form on this .pdf file:

http://www.mfri.org/announcements/lsc/2009lsc.pdf

Posted by firegeezer on August 28, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Upcoming Officers Development Seminar

Comments Off

 

fx-officers-seminar-banner-b

THE FAIRFAX COUNTY (Virginia) OFFICERS ASSOCIATION is holding its annual Professional Development Seminar in just over a month, October 1 & 2.

Their list of speakers this year is impressive and includes among others:

  • Chief Billy Goldfeder
  • Chief Bobby Halton
  • Chief John Salka
  • Kimberly Alyn
  • Dave Statter

They have a finite number of seats in the conference hall and more than half of them are sold already.

You can read the details and the full schedule as well as register online HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on August 27, 2009 • Filed under: Training

Denver 'Fesses Up

Comments

YESTERDAY (TUESDAY) STATter911 ALERTED US (HERE) about the disclosure that the Denver, Colorado, Fire Department had submitted faulty training reports to the ISO team conducting a rating evaluation.

KMGH-TV in Denver reported Sunday that the records claimed some firefighters put in up to 40 hours of training in a single 24-hour day, and that other firefighters were training on days they were on vacation or out sick.   Other records showed 85 firefighters in the same training for the same length of time on the same date. Kevin Klein, director of the state Division of Fire Safety, said that’s virtually impossible since the firefighters were at different stations on different shifts. 

At first, the Fire Chief Nick Nuanes said it was an accident, that “There was no intent here to defraud anybody.”   Now the department has acknowledged that they did submit “faulty” training records but they are currently correcting them.  The chief refers to it as “a work in progress.”

Yesterday the department admitted to the Denver Post that about 40% of the training records had inaccuracies.  They are laying to blame on an improper computer programming  default mechanism that filled in fields automatically with a specific date if they were were filled in using a date range.

The Denver Post reports further:

ISO on Tuesday said it would not use the training records the Denver Fire Department submitted in determining the proper public protection classification, a figure used to set insurance rates….

Instead, ISO decided to conduct onsite interviews and review available training documentation for the fire stations serving the communities. ISO said it will notify the city officials when the grading is complete.

Posted by firegeezer on August 12, 2009 • Filed under: Fire-ology, Training

What's the HF ?

Comments

Firegeezer notes:  Last Thursday a seemingly-minor chemical leak at an oil refinery in Joliet, Illinois, brought assisting responses from four fire departments and several ambulances for standby.  The leak happened at an alkylation unit which makes high octane blending ingredients for gasoline and the leak was a discharge of propane that contained hydrofluoric acid mixed in it.

So how does that earn such a heavy response?  We asked Senior Fire Instructor John Sachen, who concentrates on hazardous chemicals, to explain to us the dangers of HF which is liable to be found in at least one home in any neighborhood.  He reports:

hf-poster-a

While most states have no refineries using HF, it is present in many research and teaching laboratories and production facilities. It is also sought after for its glass etching property — often without any knowledge of its hazards by both the seller and the user and is therefore is transported through all states at least in lab quantities. To see the extent of home glass etching just Google: HF glass etching.

 From Wikipedia (Edited for Critical Emergency Response Information): Hydrogen fluoride is a chemical compound with the formula HF. It is the principal industrial source of fluorine (F), often in the aqueous form as hydrofluoric acid, and thus is the precursor to many important compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers (e.g., Teflon). HF is widely used in the petrochemical industry as a catalyst and as a component of many superacids.

 HF boils just below room temperature (68F) and is a gas, whereas compounds that boil above 70F are classified as liquids.  As a gas, HF is lighter than air and forms white fuming clouds when released. Its odor is very penetrating. HF’s toxicity is from its ionization in water which results in the fluoride ion (-F) being available to immediately and permanently replace the calcium in bones and tissue.

Aqueous solutions of HF, called hydrofluoric acid, are strongly corrosive and fume in air. Upon contact with moisture, including tissue, hydrogen fluoride gas immediately converts to hydrofluoric acid, which is very corrosive and toxic, and requires immediate medical attention. Even with prompt medical care, serious HF exposure can be fatal. Strong HF solutions may exhibit acid burn symptoms but weak solutions will not — but still must be treated as a serious exposure. One important aspect is that if even moderate HF burns are not treated appropriately the action on tissue causes liquefaction necrosis (tissue death similar to attack by strong bases — see photo below), and potentially lethal hypocalcemia.

acid-finger1

Immediate flushing with volumes of water for fifteen minutes, including eye irrigation, can reduce the risk of serious injury but all exposures must be considered serious and medical treatment is require. Responders must exercise extreme care that they are isolated from splashing and misting resulting from flushing during decontamination — remove all victims clothing and consider it contaminated (HF is hygroscopic).

 The risk of down wind contact with fume releases can be reduced with water sprays but the runoff will be contaminated and is a serious hazard that must be contained or otherwise mitigated.

Never apply burn salves, ointments or other treatments in the field unless ordered by a physician or poison control center knowledgeable in HF treatment or as part of the treatment protocol of an emergency HF response program.

hf-fingers-glass-polisher

Home glass polisher accident

Response teams should study MSDS information such as: http://www.praxair.com/praxair.nsf/0/F5322947A3AB1C8285256E5B0068EF96/$file/HydrogenFluoride-Canada-2007.pdf for HF as a gas and: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/H3994.htm as the 70% acid. Whenever possible, teams should train on HF response protocols from local facilities that use HF. The training should include eye irrigation and application of calcium gluconate and similar emergency treatments.

Caution – There are a several online videos that show a person demonstrating HF in front of a window without a fume hood or appropriate PPE including respiratory protection, and using procedures that have high risk of fume and liquid contact. One small splatter of 70% HF on open skin or inhalation of HF fumes would constitute a very serious exposure. That video is inappropriate and should not be used for training.

 Photos of HF burns on this web site:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/773304-media

Overview of HF injuries on emdicine.medscape.com:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/773304-overview

Chemtrec Information:
http://www.chemtrec.com/NR/rdonlyres/C15D0DC3-4C99-4144-9441-11E55C410858/0/CHEMTRECGuideforEmergencyResponders.pdf

John Sachen, Senior Fire Instructor
University of Missouri – Fire and Rescue Training Institute

 
 
 
 
 

 

Posted by firegeezer on August 11, 2009 • Filed under: Haz-mat, Training

Hovercraft Aren't Just For Water Rescues Anymore

Comments

MANY FIRE DEPARTMENTS THAT SKIRT THE OHIO SHORELINE ALONG LAKE ERIE have hovercrafts on their equipment roster.  They are used frequently for both water and ice rescues in the Great Lake.  Saturday morning, the Toledo, Ohio, Fire Department put a couple of them to work in still another type of situation.

hovercraft-a-toledo-blade

Toledo Blade

When a large fire broke out at a metal recycling facility, it was burning through conveyor belts and large crushing machinery in a high-ceilinged work station and was spreading.  Toledo Battalion Chief Jerry Abair put in a mutual-aid call for two of the big-fanned boats to help set up a positive pressure ventilation operation.  He tells the Toledo Blade how and why he did it, along with the results, on this video interview:

The fire was extinguished after just two hours, but the damages topped $2 million, most of it due to destroyed conveyor belts and automobile crushing machinery.

hovercraft-b-toledoblade

Toledo Blade

Special thanks to:  Firefighter Nation

Posted by firegeezer on August 11, 2009 • Filed under: Training, apparatus, fire