Mutual Aid Fire

Thanks to Niceville FD “B-Shift” for the great helmet cam footage of a recent dwelling fire
enjoy…

Station 21, E-13 and P-8 were dispatched to a structure fire on Coral Dr in Niceville on July 30, 2008. Original information that was put out by dispatch was light smoke showing from the roof and some of the windows. Lt. Ken Revell was the first arriving officer on scene confirming smoke showing, established command and gave hydrant location. Chief 21 arrived on scene shortly after giving additional information about the structure to dispatch, assumed command and requested Eglin FD for R.I.T.. P-21 stopped at the corner coming into the subdivision wrapped the hydrant and advised dispatch that they were laying dry, E-13 to pick up the line on the way in. P-21 crew stretched an 1″ 3/4 handline to the front door, backed up by the crew from E-13. Command advised that the fire was believed to be toward the back of the house. Command also advised that horizontal ventilation was going to be done on the Delta side upon entry. P-21 officer checked the front door to see if it was locked, door was locked and forcible entry was accomplished. Entry crews were met with heavy smoke and moderate heat conditions. Crews advanced the line toward the C/D side pulling ceilings, breaking glass and looking for visible fire. While proceeding toward the A/D side of the structure the interior crew encountered a brief rollover coming from the bedroom into the hallway. Crews proceeded to extinguish the fire and check for extension into the attic.Additional information was passed on to the interior crews to be careful due to possible arson. Fire is still under investigation.

Stay Safe!
Firefighter S. Jimenez
City of Niceville Fire Department

We are still looking …

for those of you who have interesting articles and training stuff. We are wanting to expand the content and ideas shared, so put on your thinking cap and get to writing!
Videos, stories, calls, lessons learned, etc etc… send em’ to us!

mutualaidfire@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to forward this site to all your friends!
DJ Stone : MAF Staff

Check out local OCWFCD Lt. Ryan Christen’s interactive training site. It’s up and going & quite impressive. Ryan’s site will surely change how we learn and share information!
Check it out @ Fullyinvolvedfire.com

Check out this commercial fire close call. We found this via a great site thehousewatch.com

Anyhow follow this link to see the smoke explosion caught on film, luckily nobody was killed in this incident.

We must remember all of us(firefighters on every level) need to be constantly doing our own size up, reading the conditions, and letting those around us know when we see an unsafe environment. As we have seen before it only takes seconds…

Also: RIP Salisbury NC FF’s who lost their lives in the line of duty…

“Forget the b s firehouse testosterone filled pant grabbing discussions about saving stuff that doesn’t have a name, or doesn’t have kids or parents. Just think about what is worth it and what isn’t. This has nothing to do with being brave, dedicated or courageous. It has everything to do with thinking about what we are getting hurt or killed for. And if we love being Firefighters so much, making some few personal cultural and organizational changes so we can keep being Firefighters as long as possible. Fires will still get put out. Lives will still be saved. We’ll just be around longer to do that stuff. Sometimes we do have to take extreme risks for people. But not for stuff…”

a qoute from Firefighterclosecalls.com you should check out this article

MAF Staff

Single man ladder drag & equipment movement…

This technique was shown to FWBFD members by Matt Rush of City of Austin Tx. FD also a FDIC instructor. He is a great instructor on the uses of ground ladders and their possibilities, this is only one piece of the class that was put on for us, but important non the less. Big thanks to Matt.

Load as much as you want onto the ladder (extend the hooks of your roof ladder and connect it to the top of the 24 to carry it) & make sure the items are secured. It is always easier to drag something than to carry it.

You can also use both pikes side by side to make a place to put the rope bag( or other smaller items that could slip through the rungs) onto the ladder.

We also mark, with high visibility, the lengths on each end of the ladder, as well as mark the center balance point in order to identify the ladder more quickly(note the hooks).

We are usually under staffed and operate with 3 so this is a great way for one dude to move a lot of stuff around to the rear or wherever.

Good to go-

MAF- DJ Stone

With the overwhelming passing of ammendment 1 there are some significant changes coming for area departments in the near future. The following has been sent in to MAF from Chief Hart of FWB and a post (by Revere)was moved from ” The discussion ensues” portion of MAF to this thread. What do you think of the measure and what impact will it have on YOUR dept.?

“I am so ecstatic the Tax Amendment passed , I can apply the $240 average
savings from tax relief to my $ 3000.00 home owners insurance premium .
I am so fortunate to have Ray Sampson as my representative and Charlie
Crist as my governor with out them , I would not have been able be able
to come to this logical decision…”( can you say sarcasm?)
Jackie Hart- FWB Fire Marshal, hometown of Milton Fl.

“I would like to say a little something about the bashing of the tax
payers. I am a firefighter and I love the job but the department laying
off 25 of my brothers, they had bad leadership and unfortunately they
have to pay the price. Scare tactics have been abused and the people have
spoken. We can all lean from this in the future. The citizens of our
community have called the bluff. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves,
we should stand united as BROTHERS and band against stupid spending and
spreading our budgets thin. If they are the only ones suffering
significant losses in the local area than there is an obvious problem. I pray
this kind of antiTaxpayer talk will not turn into resentment toward
our citizens, who whether or not still pay our salaries and depend on us.
Most of us did not get into business for the boat loads of money we
make. Let us try to remember why we got in to this feild. If I am wrong
please let me know because I have obviously been misinformed.”
Revere-

Rick Brown (2nd from the left) with his crew

At what point does an individual forget where they came from or stop being progressive in the fire service?

Unless a person sucks their way through the ranks or back doors a position of management, we should NEVER forget what got us to be successful in our craft! If a person wants to aspire to be a chief officer or “the” chief officer, they would have to have some sort of education that takes years to accomplish. These classes take time and dedication. The material is usually more progressive than not. Hence, those making changes to curriculums and printing new material for said classes. At what point does “that” person say, “You know what, I can’t be taught anymore. I know everything there is to know in the fire service and now I know it all. What I know is NOT going to change, now that I have ALL the information. Anyone questioning me or my authority is just a jealous unhappy line guy.” That is such BS!

If you do make it to an executive officer status, don’t think for a second that just because you took a class a few years back that you won’t ever need to take that class again.

It’s the farest thing from the truth. As a Company Officer, I challenge my guys to know more than I do. I don’t say that with an arrogant tone or an “I’m better than you” attitude. I take a lot of pride in the education I have been fortunate to enough to attend. And am VERY grateful for the handful of leaders (not just officers, even firefighter leaders) that have had passion enough to encourage me to push myself and GAIN KNOWLEDGE… to complement the OJT (on the job training). I tell my crew often that I am not above rebuking from my subordinates. (They know the difference in insubordination and a polite de-notching of ones high horse.) They may see things from a more constructive point of view, on scene and off. This type of relationship builds a working family unit. I set the “ground rules” when I receive a new crew member and they must “earn” their place at the feeding table. But first and foremost, they are strongly encouraged to read periodicals and training papers/videos/power points. Train, train, train and ask questions! Why is it that as soon as “that” individual reaches a certain place in their career, do they think everyone beneath them is just that…beneath them.

One should teach respect for positions and teach your fellow firefighters to be PRO-ACTIVE, NOT REACTIVE. One can learn large amounts of knowledge from even the newest firefighter.

Remember, they are fresh to the business and are VERY eager to learn and perform. You have an obligation as an American Firefighter to instill the passion for the job and pass on the time honored traditions that set this occupation apart from the rest! Don’t take your knowledge with you to your grave, unless you plan on starting your own fire department in hell. Share it; keep learning new stuff to pass on to your Brothers and Sisters. The best flattery for me is seeing firefighters get motivated to learn, that means I am leading by example. That is the best way to lead! Oh, and NEVER, EVER pop off with “I’ve been doing this for 40 years blah, blah, blah…” It just might prove you have been doing it for 40 years WRONG. Not to mention, this fire service isn’t the same as it was last year. Much less, 40 years ago. If you are popping off with that kind of comment, maybe it’s time for you to take up that hobby you’ve always talked about or travel with misses to all the places you still want to see.

Don’t forget where you came from! Constantly challenge yourself to be a better, more educated firefighter. The dividends are reciprocated. You gain as your Brother/Sister gain and vice versa.

As a side note, I believe every firefighter owes it to themselves and their Brothers and Sisters to read the following;
“Pride and Ownership” by Rick Lasky
“Practices and Principles- a Fire Officers Handbook”- by John NormanPersonally these should be required reading materials for rookies and promoting officers! Don’t train until you get it right,

Train until you can’t get it wrong!!! Practice makes perfect, but perfect practice saves lives!
Lastly, train in every sick, ugly environment possible. The scenes we rush into are not “controlled”. We owe it to ourselves, our Brothers and Sisters, our community and most importantly our family to train this way. Alarms going off, lights out, cold, wet, hot, sweaty, uncomfortable and under MAJOR stress to name a few. If we can focus to complete the training perfectly in these conditions we can battle anything!

Rick Brown is one of many MAF contributors a little about him below.

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Crestview Fire Department, Captain
11 years career, 24 years overall
Proud parent of 2 great kids and husband to an awesome wife
Local 2680 Vice President
CFD/L2680 MDA Coordinator
Panhandle F.O.O.L.S.
Fire & Iron Firefighters MC, St.36 President

Rick Brown
Fire & Iron MC Station 36 - President
Emerald Coast, Florida

Welcome to the launch of Mutual aid fire A discussion of FWB area fire departments and our operations…

Interested in repping your house?

You got some training tips brewing?

We need your input, contact us!

Please link us to your Dept. site and help get the word out

 We are only as good as YOUR participation!

Email us your contribution:      mutualaidfire@gmail.com