In the past year I have been working on developing a program to bring awareness to firefighter mental health. As part of that I have been trying to do more teaching and public speaking. I completed my program and decided that I wanted to get my message out to a wider audience.
Why start small right, lets go for the big time. I submitted proposals to 3 conferences with each being bigger than the next. I started with IEMSA which is the Iowa EMS Association's annual conference in Des Moines. My presentation was accepted but unfortunately I had to withdraw from that conference due to scheduling conflicts. The next 2 conferences I submitted proposals for were the IAFF HR conference and FDIC. I am still waiting to here back from the IAFF but I did get news from FDIC the other day. Unfortunately I was not selected to present at the 2014 FDIC. While I didn't have high hopes of getting selected it was still disappointing to not get selected. I was encouraged to submit my proposal again next year and to also consider submitting an article on my topic to Fire Engineering magazine. I am not sure if the folks at FDIC send out a form letter with they turn you down or not but it at least makes you feel a little bit better. In the coming months I will be working on an article to submit to Fire Engineering so hopefully I can published there. I am still hopeful that I will get to present at the IAFF HR conference. Not only would it be a trip to Florida in February but it would also be a good place to start getting an important message out to my brothers and sisters.
So even though I was disappointed to get the news from FDIC, I am still encouraged to keep moving forward. It takes a little time and effort to get a foot hold in the teaching and public speaking circuit. This is just the first step in the journey, it will take some work, but I will get there.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The Iowa EMS System-
Today the Des Moines Register released its special investigative report on the Iowa EMS System. I am very disappointed in the report to say the least. I am not going to sit here and say there are no issues with Iowa's EMS system, because there are but the report does very little if anything at all to point out the positives. The report really focuses on nothing but negatives and it is disheartening to read to be quite honest. If you know nothing about the EMS system or have never interacted with any of Iowa's EMS personnel you would think we are nothing but criminals trying to take advantage of our patients.
Are there problems with Iowa's EMS system? Absolutely, there are issues that need to be addressed. The Bureau of EMS is short staffed and underfunded. Like a majority of us in the Fire and EMS world, the Bureau is being forced to do more with less. The Bureau does not have the staffing to adequately provide oversight to the entire state and until the Legislature realizes this we are going to continue to have issues with the system. I agree that there needs to be more uniform and mandatory guidelines for EMS in this state. The state is working to bring more uniformity though. Up unit the last few years the number of different certifications available in the state of Iowa varied from the rest of the country. An Iowa EMT-Basic had a different scope of practice than an EMT-Basic in another state. The State of Iowa decided to adopt the national standard for certification levels and scope of practice in Iowa. We are in the process of transitioning from 8 or 12 different certification levels to 4. The scope of practice for those 4 levels will be the same in Iowa as they are throughout the country. This is a positive step forward for the state. It should make the certification and recertification process easier for both providers and the Bureau.
The biggest frustration I had with the report is the fact that the report basically seems to portray all EMS personnel as bad people. Should there be mandatory background checks for all individuals who apply for EMS credentials, I believe so. We are in the business of trust so I think it is important that we are properly vetting those that seeking credentials. Right now the process runs on the honor system requiring those seeking application to be honest and forthcoming if they have a criminal history. A majority of the folks applying for credentials are honest and self report to the Bureau but there are always the outliers that will always try and circumvent the system. Its frustrating but these folks are not limited to the EMS world. Unfortunately this report focuses on only these individuals. The reporter focuses only on a small percentage of the 12,000 + EMS providers in this state. The majority of providers are upstanding citizens and doing the job to help their fellow citizens. It is only a small percentage of us that are in this job for the wrong reasons. We do not all seek to take advantage of our patients or steal from our services. The reporter seems to use a broad brush to paint the entire EMS field in a negative light. Its disheartening and quite honestly its just not accurate.
In a perfect world we would be able to make all fire and EMS personnel paid staff but given the fact that the majority of this state is rural it has to rely on volunteers. The make up of this state requires us to rely on volunteers. The vast majority of EMS providers in this state are volunteers and doing this job because they want to help. Unfortunately it is becoming more and more difficult to maintain a steady staff of volunteers. Today's society is changing, people are busier and priorities have changed. A lot of people become volunteer firefighters and EMTs because they want to help or think it will be fun but then they realize the time commitment this job requires. Calls come in at the least opportune times and the amount of training that needs to be done to maintain skills and certifications quickly chases a lot of those folks away. There were a couple of mentions in the report that some volunteers want the number of continuing education hours lessened or dropped for volunteers. I understand where they are coming from but I cannot support that stance. I think we should do everything we can to promote volunteerism and try and keep as many of our volunteer EMTs and firefighters as we can but reducing the continuing education requirements is not the answer. There are so many things that change from year to year in EMS that it is imperative that EMTs stay on top of things and keep their skills up. The public deserves the best trained EMS personnel possible. If folks want to continue in this profession they must realize that the learning will be an on going process.
While I appreciate the fact that the Register wants to bring to light the problems and issues with the EMS system in Iowa I wish they would not have used the broad brush to paint this picture. The majority of EMS services and EMS providers in this state are doing a great job. It would have been nice to see some time given to the folks that are on top of their games and doing things right. I understand this approach doesn't give you the shock factor and doesn't sell papers. Unfortunately the media these days seem more interested in selling papers and attracting eyes to screens than they do portraying the whole picture. While a lot of this information needed to be brought to light, its not the whole story. Are there problems? Yes. Are there bad people out there providing EMS care? Yes, but they are the minority. I just hope that the general public doesn't decide to lump those of that are doing things right in with the bad folks.
Are there problems with Iowa's EMS system? Absolutely, there are issues that need to be addressed. The Bureau of EMS is short staffed and underfunded. Like a majority of us in the Fire and EMS world, the Bureau is being forced to do more with less. The Bureau does not have the staffing to adequately provide oversight to the entire state and until the Legislature realizes this we are going to continue to have issues with the system. I agree that there needs to be more uniform and mandatory guidelines for EMS in this state. The state is working to bring more uniformity though. Up unit the last few years the number of different certifications available in the state of Iowa varied from the rest of the country. An Iowa EMT-Basic had a different scope of practice than an EMT-Basic in another state. The State of Iowa decided to adopt the national standard for certification levels and scope of practice in Iowa. We are in the process of transitioning from 8 or 12 different certification levels to 4. The scope of practice for those 4 levels will be the same in Iowa as they are throughout the country. This is a positive step forward for the state. It should make the certification and recertification process easier for both providers and the Bureau.
The biggest frustration I had with the report is the fact that the report basically seems to portray all EMS personnel as bad people. Should there be mandatory background checks for all individuals who apply for EMS credentials, I believe so. We are in the business of trust so I think it is important that we are properly vetting those that seeking credentials. Right now the process runs on the honor system requiring those seeking application to be honest and forthcoming if they have a criminal history. A majority of the folks applying for credentials are honest and self report to the Bureau but there are always the outliers that will always try and circumvent the system. Its frustrating but these folks are not limited to the EMS world. Unfortunately this report focuses on only these individuals. The reporter focuses only on a small percentage of the 12,000 + EMS providers in this state. The majority of providers are upstanding citizens and doing the job to help their fellow citizens. It is only a small percentage of us that are in this job for the wrong reasons. We do not all seek to take advantage of our patients or steal from our services. The reporter seems to use a broad brush to paint the entire EMS field in a negative light. Its disheartening and quite honestly its just not accurate.
In a perfect world we would be able to make all fire and EMS personnel paid staff but given the fact that the majority of this state is rural it has to rely on volunteers. The make up of this state requires us to rely on volunteers. The vast majority of EMS providers in this state are volunteers and doing this job because they want to help. Unfortunately it is becoming more and more difficult to maintain a steady staff of volunteers. Today's society is changing, people are busier and priorities have changed. A lot of people become volunteer firefighters and EMTs because they want to help or think it will be fun but then they realize the time commitment this job requires. Calls come in at the least opportune times and the amount of training that needs to be done to maintain skills and certifications quickly chases a lot of those folks away. There were a couple of mentions in the report that some volunteers want the number of continuing education hours lessened or dropped for volunteers. I understand where they are coming from but I cannot support that stance. I think we should do everything we can to promote volunteerism and try and keep as many of our volunteer EMTs and firefighters as we can but reducing the continuing education requirements is not the answer. There are so many things that change from year to year in EMS that it is imperative that EMTs stay on top of things and keep their skills up. The public deserves the best trained EMS personnel possible. If folks want to continue in this profession they must realize that the learning will be an on going process.
While I appreciate the fact that the Register wants to bring to light the problems and issues with the EMS system in Iowa I wish they would not have used the broad brush to paint this picture. The majority of EMS services and EMS providers in this state are doing a great job. It would have been nice to see some time given to the folks that are on top of their games and doing things right. I understand this approach doesn't give you the shock factor and doesn't sell papers. Unfortunately the media these days seem more interested in selling papers and attracting eyes to screens than they do portraying the whole picture. While a lot of this information needed to be brought to light, its not the whole story. Are there problems? Yes. Are there bad people out there providing EMS care? Yes, but they are the minority. I just hope that the general public doesn't decide to lump those of that are doing things right in with the bad folks.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Burn
Sorry its been so long since my last post. Things have been a bit hectic lately. I am trying to get back on a more regular schedule for posting.
Recently I got the opportunity to see the film Burn for the second time. Let me first say that I enjoyed the film and I think that the filmmakers did a wonderful job putting this film together. I don't want to be critical of my brothers in Detroit or downplay the struggles they are going through but there are a few things about the film that concern me. Detroit is a fire department that is rich in tradition and has a very established culture. They are in a situation I don't wish on any other department. They are short on staffing, short on equipment and the city has a significant arson problem. They are in a terrible situation that probably won't get better anytime soon. I don't wish their situation on anyone and I think they have quite an uphill battle against them. The film does a good job bringing awareness to their plight and I think we should support them however we can.
With all that in mind, the film does raises some concerns for me. Detroit is a unique department, in a unique situation. They have done things a certain way for a very long time. The film wasn't necessarily focused on tactics but there were several times where the Detroit firefighters mention that they fight fires aggressively and from the inside. They say something along the lines of with Detroit fires you see water spraying from the inside out when everyone else has water spraying from the outside in. I am not going to sit here and tell the Detroit FD how to fight fires. Personally, I am a believer in using the risk/benefit approach to fighting fires and I don't believe every fire requires an aggressive interior attack. I think you need make sure there are lives or property to be saved prior to making an interior attack. I got the feeling from watching the film that with Detroit, it is aggressive interior attack all time. If that is how they want to do it, that is their business but I don't have to agree with it. What concerns me more is that there are a lot of impressionable firefighters out their seeing this film and I am afraid they will see this as the only way to fight fire. There is a time and place for an aggressive interior attack but firefighters need to be trained how to recognize those situations. We can no longer to afford to take a singular approach to every fire. Today's firefighters need to be taught how to recognize a situation and deploy the correct tactic. I don't think the intent of the film was to promote a singular approach to fighting fire but it does to an extent glamorize that approach and that might not be the right message to send to today's firefighters.
The second thing that concerns me about the film is that I got the impression that a majority of the Detroit firefighters see themselves as the victims and that they don't share any fault for where the department is at. A new fire commissioner was hired to work to change the department. He was working to bring a new attitude and new approach to this department. He was met with resistance at pretty much every level which can be expected when trying to make a cultural change in a department that has been doing things a certain way for so long. The Detroit firefighters are victims to an extent but they also share in the blame. There were several instances in the film where trucks were damaged and no one seemed willing to take the blame for it. In fact, it almost seemed to be a joke when something got damaged. You have a department that is strapped for cash and when you do things like park a truck on train tracks or drive under an overpass that doesn't have enough clearance obviously people are going to be upset. The department can barely afford to fix trucks that are breaking down just from age and wear and tear, now you add in unnecessary damage how do you expect things to get better. They just don't seem to want to take responsibility for their equipment and the damage they cause to it. Even in a department that is financially sound, firefighters need to take responsibility for their equipment and make sure they are taking care of it. This is not your equipment, it belongs to the city and the citizens you protect but you need to treat it like is your own. Obviously money doesn't grow on trees and you shouldn't be surprised if someone is upset if a truck is damaged. To me, the attitudes in the film promote the wrong message and these guys need to start taking responsibility for their equipment. They need to work to be the solution to the problem, not another problem on top of it.
With all that being said, I enjoyed the film and would recommend it to other firefighters. I would just ask that you keep an open mind and watch the film for what it is. We need to take it as a a chance to learn from a bad situation. We need to work to ensure we don't allow our departments to go down the same path. We can't become so entrenched in tradition that we can't see any other options out there. The world is changing, the fire service is changing, we have to be ready for it.
Recently I got the opportunity to see the film Burn for the second time. Let me first say that I enjoyed the film and I think that the filmmakers did a wonderful job putting this film together. I don't want to be critical of my brothers in Detroit or downplay the struggles they are going through but there are a few things about the film that concern me. Detroit is a fire department that is rich in tradition and has a very established culture. They are in a situation I don't wish on any other department. They are short on staffing, short on equipment and the city has a significant arson problem. They are in a terrible situation that probably won't get better anytime soon. I don't wish their situation on anyone and I think they have quite an uphill battle against them. The film does a good job bringing awareness to their plight and I think we should support them however we can.
With all that in mind, the film does raises some concerns for me. Detroit is a unique department, in a unique situation. They have done things a certain way for a very long time. The film wasn't necessarily focused on tactics but there were several times where the Detroit firefighters mention that they fight fires aggressively and from the inside. They say something along the lines of with Detroit fires you see water spraying from the inside out when everyone else has water spraying from the outside in. I am not going to sit here and tell the Detroit FD how to fight fires. Personally, I am a believer in using the risk/benefit approach to fighting fires and I don't believe every fire requires an aggressive interior attack. I think you need make sure there are lives or property to be saved prior to making an interior attack. I got the feeling from watching the film that with Detroit, it is aggressive interior attack all time. If that is how they want to do it, that is their business but I don't have to agree with it. What concerns me more is that there are a lot of impressionable firefighters out their seeing this film and I am afraid they will see this as the only way to fight fire. There is a time and place for an aggressive interior attack but firefighters need to be trained how to recognize those situations. We can no longer to afford to take a singular approach to every fire. Today's firefighters need to be taught how to recognize a situation and deploy the correct tactic. I don't think the intent of the film was to promote a singular approach to fighting fire but it does to an extent glamorize that approach and that might not be the right message to send to today's firefighters.
The second thing that concerns me about the film is that I got the impression that a majority of the Detroit firefighters see themselves as the victims and that they don't share any fault for where the department is at. A new fire commissioner was hired to work to change the department. He was working to bring a new attitude and new approach to this department. He was met with resistance at pretty much every level which can be expected when trying to make a cultural change in a department that has been doing things a certain way for so long. The Detroit firefighters are victims to an extent but they also share in the blame. There were several instances in the film where trucks were damaged and no one seemed willing to take the blame for it. In fact, it almost seemed to be a joke when something got damaged. You have a department that is strapped for cash and when you do things like park a truck on train tracks or drive under an overpass that doesn't have enough clearance obviously people are going to be upset. The department can barely afford to fix trucks that are breaking down just from age and wear and tear, now you add in unnecessary damage how do you expect things to get better. They just don't seem to want to take responsibility for their equipment and the damage they cause to it. Even in a department that is financially sound, firefighters need to take responsibility for their equipment and make sure they are taking care of it. This is not your equipment, it belongs to the city and the citizens you protect but you need to treat it like is your own. Obviously money doesn't grow on trees and you shouldn't be surprised if someone is upset if a truck is damaged. To me, the attitudes in the film promote the wrong message and these guys need to start taking responsibility for their equipment. They need to work to be the solution to the problem, not another problem on top of it.
With all that being said, I enjoyed the film and would recommend it to other firefighters. I would just ask that you keep an open mind and watch the film for what it is. We need to take it as a a chance to learn from a bad situation. We need to work to ensure we don't allow our departments to go down the same path. We can't become so entrenched in tradition that we can't see any other options out there. The world is changing, the fire service is changing, we have to be ready for it.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Tragedy
The recent school shooting in Connecticut has left me feeling sad and dismayed. It is a terrible, tragic event that never should of happened. Unfortunately, now it adds another layer of stereotypes and stigma to those that battle mental illness. Selfishly, I see this as another hurdle for my cause. I am out here trying to break down the stereotypes of mental illness and tell people that not everyone that has a mental health issue is dangerous. While that remains true, this does not help my cause...at all.
Yesterday while reading through Twitter I cam across an interesting article from Huffington Post. It was written by a mother who has a son with mental health issues. It outlines the difficulties she faces everyday with her son. It is a fantastic article and it sheds light into what families go through on a daily basis when dealing with mental illness. I encourage you all to take a moment and read the article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Words cannot express the pain and sorrow that the affected families are going through right now. I don't know a lot about the person responsible for the tragedy but it would certainly appear that he is a very conflicted individual. I don't know his back story and I don't know if anyone tried to get help for this individual or not but it certainly brings up an important point. We cannot continue to hide from mental illness. We, as a society, need to be more proactive. We need to take the time to learn the warning signs. Just like with any disease, early detection and early intervention are the keys. We cannot stand by idly and hope these issues will just go away on their own. If you have a family member that exhibits the signs of mental illness, you must intervene. Professional help for these individuals is the only thing that can help them. Our society as a whole must be proactive as well. We can no longer push these individuals aside and ignore them. These people have an illness and we must get them the help they need. They may fight us, they may call us names or even try and attack us. It will be difficult to say the least, but we must get them the help they need.
Yesterday while reading through Twitter I cam across an interesting article from Huffington Post. It was written by a mother who has a son with mental health issues. It outlines the difficulties she faces everyday with her son. It is a fantastic article and it sheds light into what families go through on a daily basis when dealing with mental illness. I encourage you all to take a moment and read the article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Words cannot express the pain and sorrow that the affected families are going through right now. I don't know a lot about the person responsible for the tragedy but it would certainly appear that he is a very conflicted individual. I don't know his back story and I don't know if anyone tried to get help for this individual or not but it certainly brings up an important point. We cannot continue to hide from mental illness. We, as a society, need to be more proactive. We need to take the time to learn the warning signs. Just like with any disease, early detection and early intervention are the keys. We cannot stand by idly and hope these issues will just go away on their own. If you have a family member that exhibits the signs of mental illness, you must intervene. Professional help for these individuals is the only thing that can help them. Our society as a whole must be proactive as well. We can no longer push these individuals aside and ignore them. These people have an illness and we must get them the help they need. They may fight us, they may call us names or even try and attack us. It will be difficult to say the least, but we must get them the help they need.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Firefighter Mental Health
As you all know, I am a big proponent of Life Safety Initiative 13 and Firefighter Mental Health. I spoke earlier at great length about my on going struggles with depression and anxiety. I think it is very important that we get the message out to firefighters that its okay to seek help for mental health issues.
I have been to a few departments spreading the message of Courage to Be Safe and Everyone Goes Home. With that we hit on LSI 13. So far I have gotten a lot of great feedback from the firefighters at these departments. Most of the time they are very thankful that someone took the courage to stand up and share their story. It is great to get this positive feedback. I hope that the fact that it is coming from another firefighter makes it easier for the firefighters to relate to. Hopefully because they have heard my story they know it is okay to seek help. That is my goal... to be an advocate for firefighter mental health. I am starting at the local level but soon hope to be expanding the my program. I am working on developing a program that will focus solely on firefighter mental health but I would like your help. If you are willing to help I would love to get your feedback about your thoughts on mental health disorders. Here are a few questions to help get the dialog started:
-Do you have any preconceived notions regarding mental health disorders?
-What are those preconceived notions or stereotypes that you have?
-Do you know the signs and symptoms of depression?
-Do you know the signs and symptoms of anxiety?
-Do you know the signs and symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder?
-Do you know the signs of a person considering suicide?
-Would you be willing to seek help if you thought you might be suffering from depression or anxiety?
-If you were to seek help would you rather do it one on one or in a group setting?
These are just a few questions that I would like to see responses to. If you are willing to help, please post your responses in the comments section. You can choose to remain anonymous if you chose. The feedback received will be reviewed and help guide the creation of the firefighter mental health program. I would love to hear your feedback.
Thanks
Drew
I have been to a few departments spreading the message of Courage to Be Safe and Everyone Goes Home. With that we hit on LSI 13. So far I have gotten a lot of great feedback from the firefighters at these departments. Most of the time they are very thankful that someone took the courage to stand up and share their story. It is great to get this positive feedback. I hope that the fact that it is coming from another firefighter makes it easier for the firefighters to relate to. Hopefully because they have heard my story they know it is okay to seek help. That is my goal... to be an advocate for firefighter mental health. I am starting at the local level but soon hope to be expanding the my program. I am working on developing a program that will focus solely on firefighter mental health but I would like your help. If you are willing to help I would love to get your feedback about your thoughts on mental health disorders. Here are a few questions to help get the dialog started:
-Do you have any preconceived notions regarding mental health disorders?
-What are those preconceived notions or stereotypes that you have?
-Do you know the signs and symptoms of depression?
-Do you know the signs and symptoms of anxiety?
-Do you know the signs and symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder?
-Do you know the signs of a person considering suicide?
-Would you be willing to seek help if you thought you might be suffering from depression or anxiety?
-If you were to seek help would you rather do it one on one or in a group setting?
These are just a few questions that I would like to see responses to. If you are willing to help, please post your responses in the comments section. You can choose to remain anonymous if you chose. The feedback received will be reviewed and help guide the creation of the firefighter mental health program. I would love to hear your feedback.
Thanks
Drew
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Fire Safety...are you prepared?
We typically reserve October as our fire safety month in the fire service however on the heals of recent events I thought this would be a good time to reiterate some important facts about fire safety. 4 people including 3 children tragically died in a fire early in the morning on Nov 13th. Fire Officials are unsure of what started the blaze but the fire appears to be a result of faulty wiring. Another alarming point that came out of this tragedy is that there were no working smoke detectors in this home. By the time fire crews arrived on scene the blaze was far too advanced for an interior attack to be made. Its certainly a tragedy but it reminds us of the importance of fire safety.
I was not able to confirm this piece of information but one report stated that there have been something like 40 fire related deaths in the last month!! That is an unbelievable fact and unfortunately I was unable to confirm its validity. It does drive home the fact that we cannot reserve the importance of fire safety for 1 month out of the year. As firefighters are purpose is to serve the tax payers who pay our salaries. We must promote fire safety all year long and do what we can to ensure the safety of the communities we serve. I know we all love fighting fires but if we are actually fighting fires then we have failed in fire prevention. Fire prevention and fire safety are equally as important as training and preparing to fight fires.
What can you do to ensure you are safe in the event of a fire?
Smoke Detectors:
Make sure you have working smoke detectors on every floor of your home. Make sure that those smoke detectors are located in bedrooms or as close to bedrooms as possible. Be proactive in changing the batteries, don't wait until the detector gets that annoying beep to change the detectors. A good rule of thumb is to change the batteries when you change your clocks.
Choose a smoke detector with dual-sensor technology. These detectors combine the technologies of ionization and photoelectric sensors. So what does this mean? Ionization detectors are the detectors we are most familiar with. These detectors have a small amount of radioactive material between two electrically charged plates. This creates a flow between the two plates. When smoke enters the chamber it disrupts the flow and sets off the detector. These detectors are more responsive to flaming fires. Photoelectric sensors use a light source aimed into the sensing chamber. When smoke enters the chamber it reflects light onto the sensor triggering the alarm. Photoelectric sensors are more responsive to smoldering fires. The combination of these two technologies provide better protection for your home.
Evacuation Plans:
Evacuation plans are very important especially if you have children. Its important to educate your children what to do in case of a fire. EDITH is an acronym we use. It stands for Exit Drills In The Home. Create a plan and practice it. Designate a meeting place outside of the home and educate your children that once they are out, they should stay out. The second part of of evacuation plans is to ensure you have two ways out. Make sure your family knows that if your primary escape route is blocked, they have a secondary means of escape.
Fire Extinguishers:
Make sure you have fire extinguishers in the home, especially in the kitchen. Check them yearly and ensure that they are charged and ready to go. The last thing you want to do with a grease fire is pour water on it. Make sure you have an extinguisher handy in case of an emergency.
Fire Places:
If you have a wood fire place, make sure you have it cleaned yearly to remove the buildup of creosote. Creosote is the result of incomplete combustion in your fire place and builds up inside your chimney. Excess creosote is the cause of many chimney fires.
Utilities:
If your home uses natural gas make sure you check your appliances to ensure the pilot lights are lit. Periodically check for leaks around the appliances. If you think you have a leak, call your gas company and have them come out and check it out. Newer homes are typically equipped with what is called CSST gas lines. These are flexible, corrugated gas lines that have replaced black pipe gas lines. If these lines are not properly grounded and bonded they can be susceptible to rupturing if your home is struck by lightning.
These are just a few of tips to help make your home safer in the event of a fire. Its important to ensure you are prepared for the worst. Take time to sit down with your children and discuss what to do and what not to do in the event of the fire, it could safe their lives.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Seat Belts
One of my biggest pet peeves in the fire service is firefighters who don't wear their seat belts. It absolutely drives me crazy when someone fails to take the time to buckle up. It takes 10 seconds to reach over and put your seat belt on. People come up with every excuse in the book but none of them justify not buckling up.
Over the past 30 years, vehicle-related crashes have been the 2nd leading cause of firefighter deaths. The NFPA found that many of the LODDs caused by motor vehicle accidents could have been prevented. Of the 406 deaths that occurred due to motor vehicle accidents, 76% were known to NOT be wearing their seat belts. That means 308 of those deaths possibly could have been prevented if the victim had taken time to buckle their seat belt. Another contributing factor in many of those deaths were excessive speed. If they would have taken the time to buckle their seat belt and drive a little slower they could very possibly be alive right now!! I know seat belts won't prevent 100% deaths from vehicle accidents but if it can reduce the number by half isn't that a good thing? As the years go by, we get better technology, we see all of these NIOSH reports pointing out the contributing factors yet we still drive to fast and we don't wear our seat belts... it is literally insanity.
Sadly, too many firefighters think they are invincible or are naive enough to think "it won't happen to me." Unfortunately we are not invincible and we are not omniscient. We can't predict the future so we don't know if it will happen to us or not. Since we can't predict the future, we need to prepare for the worst case scenario every time.... that means we put our seat belt on EVERY TIME the rig rolls out the door. If you are a company officer it is YOUR responsibility to ensure your crew is buckled up every time out. Heck, all of the new trucks out their have buzzers that go off if the seat belt isn't buckled. Sure there are ways to circumvent the system but if you set the expectation that seat belts will be worn at all times and enforce that expectation then your crew will buckle up every time.
So why don't firefighters wear their seat belts? I have heard all the excuses, but honestly, none of them pass the smell test in my eyes. You can't get dressed with your seat belt on? Then get dressed before you get on the truck. Seriously it should take you less than 60 seconds to get your gear on. You can't get your air pack on with your seat belt on? That's BS too, your seat belt is mounted in the back of your seat and the seat belt does not interfere with you sliding your arms through the straps. If you can't figure out how to get your pack on, then maybe you should practice that so you know that you can do it. The seat belt slows you down in getting out of the truck? Really!?! It takes 10 seconds to unbuckle your seat belt and get out of the truck. If you have problems and are always getting tangled up in your seat belt then you need to practice. None of these excuses are worth risking your life for. Frankly, the people that don't wear their seat belts are either lazy or just plain ignorant.
If your department doesn't have a seat belt policy then I encourage you to press your chief to get a policy in place. We need to make sure we are doing everything we can to prevent unnecessary injuries or deaths. Again, if you are a company officer, make sure your crews are wearing their seat belts. If you are a firefighter, ensure your own safety and call out the guys who don't wear their seat belts. The culture has to change. I had a situation as a company officer where we were heading back to the station after training. We only had to travel 3 or 4 blocks to get back to the station. I noticed one of my senior guys didn't buckle up when he got in the truck. I waited a few minutes to see if he would buckle up or not. Sure enough, no seat belt. The engineer released the air brakes and went to put the truck in gear. At that moment I told him to stop the truck and set the brakes. I then proceeding to tell the entire crew that this truck was not going to move until everyone was buckled up. Begrudgingly, the crew buckled up. I made it a point to make an example of the guy. I had a couple of rookies in the truck as well and wanted to make sure they knew it was not acceptable to not wear their seat belts. The whole situation pissed off the senior guy but I got my point across. As a company officer, I am not in the business of being your friend when safety is involved. Its my job to make sure you go home safe so I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens. If I upset a few people along the way.... so be it. As long as I am doing the right thing then I am okay with that.
In this day in age, there is no excuse to not wear your seat belt. We have the ability to look back at previous accidents and LODDs and learn from them. We know that seat belts can prevent injuries and deaths in the event of a motor vehicle collision so we need to learn from that. We need to honor those who died and learn from their mistakes. Don't let them die in vain. Oh yeah, one other thing IT'S THE LAW, SO WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT!!!!
Over the past 30 years, vehicle-related crashes have been the 2nd leading cause of firefighter deaths. The NFPA found that many of the LODDs caused by motor vehicle accidents could have been prevented. Of the 406 deaths that occurred due to motor vehicle accidents, 76% were known to NOT be wearing their seat belts. That means 308 of those deaths possibly could have been prevented if the victim had taken time to buckle their seat belt. Another contributing factor in many of those deaths were excessive speed. If they would have taken the time to buckle their seat belt and drive a little slower they could very possibly be alive right now!! I know seat belts won't prevent 100% deaths from vehicle accidents but if it can reduce the number by half isn't that a good thing? As the years go by, we get better technology, we see all of these NIOSH reports pointing out the contributing factors yet we still drive to fast and we don't wear our seat belts... it is literally insanity.
Sadly, too many firefighters think they are invincible or are naive enough to think "it won't happen to me." Unfortunately we are not invincible and we are not omniscient. We can't predict the future so we don't know if it will happen to us or not. Since we can't predict the future, we need to prepare for the worst case scenario every time.... that means we put our seat belt on EVERY TIME the rig rolls out the door. If you are a company officer it is YOUR responsibility to ensure your crew is buckled up every time out. Heck, all of the new trucks out their have buzzers that go off if the seat belt isn't buckled. Sure there are ways to circumvent the system but if you set the expectation that seat belts will be worn at all times and enforce that expectation then your crew will buckle up every time.
So why don't firefighters wear their seat belts? I have heard all the excuses, but honestly, none of them pass the smell test in my eyes. You can't get dressed with your seat belt on? Then get dressed before you get on the truck. Seriously it should take you less than 60 seconds to get your gear on. You can't get your air pack on with your seat belt on? That's BS too, your seat belt is mounted in the back of your seat and the seat belt does not interfere with you sliding your arms through the straps. If you can't figure out how to get your pack on, then maybe you should practice that so you know that you can do it. The seat belt slows you down in getting out of the truck? Really!?! It takes 10 seconds to unbuckle your seat belt and get out of the truck. If you have problems and are always getting tangled up in your seat belt then you need to practice. None of these excuses are worth risking your life for. Frankly, the people that don't wear their seat belts are either lazy or just plain ignorant.
If your department doesn't have a seat belt policy then I encourage you to press your chief to get a policy in place. We need to make sure we are doing everything we can to prevent unnecessary injuries or deaths. Again, if you are a company officer, make sure your crews are wearing their seat belts. If you are a firefighter, ensure your own safety and call out the guys who don't wear their seat belts. The culture has to change. I had a situation as a company officer where we were heading back to the station after training. We only had to travel 3 or 4 blocks to get back to the station. I noticed one of my senior guys didn't buckle up when he got in the truck. I waited a few minutes to see if he would buckle up or not. Sure enough, no seat belt. The engineer released the air brakes and went to put the truck in gear. At that moment I told him to stop the truck and set the brakes. I then proceeding to tell the entire crew that this truck was not going to move until everyone was buckled up. Begrudgingly, the crew buckled up. I made it a point to make an example of the guy. I had a couple of rookies in the truck as well and wanted to make sure they knew it was not acceptable to not wear their seat belts. The whole situation pissed off the senior guy but I got my point across. As a company officer, I am not in the business of being your friend when safety is involved. Its my job to make sure you go home safe so I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens. If I upset a few people along the way.... so be it. As long as I am doing the right thing then I am okay with that.
In this day in age, there is no excuse to not wear your seat belt. We have the ability to look back at previous accidents and LODDs and learn from them. We know that seat belts can prevent injuries and deaths in the event of a motor vehicle collision so we need to learn from that. We need to honor those who died and learn from their mistakes. Don't let them die in vain. Oh yeah, one other thing IT'S THE LAW, SO WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT!!!!
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