As firefighters, we have a responsibility to know how to use our equipment and tools at least to the level of proficiency. Excellence is always the goal to which we should strive but, at the minimum, we must know enough to get the job done.
I am well aware that this publication is about apparatus, tools, equipment, gear, and fire stations—everything firefighters need to do their jobs. We don’t often write about how to use all that stuff, but it almost goes without saying that we need to train on our equipment, and it has to work so we can do what we need to do when the tones drop.
If we don’t train, the millions and millions of dollars taxpayers contribute and generous citizens donate are rather pointless. Having beautiful buildings, gleaming fire trucks, and state-of-the-art equipment and gear means nothing if we don’t know what it does or how to use it or it doesn’t work properly.
A carbon monoxide alarm activation can be anything from a low battery to a ripping house fire when we get called. We can’t be complacent, ever, because we never know what we will face when we arrive on the scene. We must always be ready to bring our A game, and the only way to do that is by training and being prepared for whatever gets thrown our way.
It doesn’t matter if we’re career firefighters working full-time at the busiest house in the biggest city or strictly volunteer firefighters from rural America answering a dozen calls a year; we must be prepared and train at the same level no matter what. Last time I checked, fire doesn’t go light on the inexperienced volunteer rookie just because. It will ruin the day for those firefighters just as badly as the crusty veteran. It doesn’t discern or discriminate.
The scenarios we routinely face can be life altering for many and, almost as often, life threatening. It’s just a fact. Being ready starts with knowing where everything is. When the commanding officer says get the saw and vent the roof, you better know where it is, know that it works, and know how to use it. Prior to the call, that saw had better have fuel, be sharp, and start immediately. We’ve all seen it: a firefighter yanking the start cord a dozen times without so much as a sputter. Maintenance matters. When command orders firefighters to the roof for ventilation, it’s not a suggestion and it’s not the time for the maintenance to be conducted. The job needs to be done now. Things happen, sure, but being prepared makes a huge difference. It’s assumed that someone on the scene has trained with the saw and knows how and where to vent the roof, but that’s a whole other conversation.
How about those smells and bells calls? It’s easy to be complacent when we get those. It’s usually a dead battery causing the activation, or that propane smell is often caused by a very low tank with a slight vent of the contents. Think about what happens when the batteries on our four-gas meters haven’t been charged; the devices haven’t been calibrated; or, worse, one of the sensors is faulty. Think about the consequences of entering a structure with deadly levels of CO or explosive levels of natural gas. We’ve put ourselves into an immediately dangerous to life or health situation just by opening the door or setting foot on the property. And, it must be said that we all should have our self-contained breathing apparatus on and air flowing before opening that door, but again that’s another issue.
There are dozens and dozens of examples of situations where maintenance, preparation, and training are all imperative for safe and successful fireground applications. We have to have good equipment that works all the time, every time, and we have to know how to use it to get the job done.
It seems like such an obvious statement that it doesn’t need to be made, but it’s surprising how many times the obvious isn’t so obvious. To use a cliché, none of us want to be caught with our proverbial pants down. The best way to do that is to respond with your A game every time—no exceptions.
The annual Fire Department Instructors Conference International was held just a couple of months ago. I was struck by the tens of thousands of firefighters from across the nation and, indeed, around the world who converged on Indianapolis to hone their skills; learn new skills; and see what manufacturers have available to do their jobs better, faster, and safer.
They were all motivated by one driving force: They wanted to have their A game ready for whenever it was needed most.
Are you ready? Is your stuff ready? The answer better be yes, because there are no redux for firefighters and EMTs.
