Rolling Hoses

Tutorial Video

2011-08-11T09:33:00.001-07:00

We have completed the first in a series of tutorial videos for FP2, our RMS software for Fire Departments.

It's recorded in HD, so if you want to watch it, it's better to use Full-Screen mode.

Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

Keeping All the Balls in the Air

2011-08-10T11:04:00.001-07:00

It's summer, so many of you are away on holidays and spending some much-needed time with your families. That’s what I’ll be doing next week, actually. And making sure you spend time with your family can be a bit of an issue for firefighters, volunteer and otherwise. It’s hard to balance work and family time, let alone work, volunteer work and family time.

I’ve been having trouble with that lately. This spring/summer I did a lot of travelling for work. Ontario, Alberta, Alberta again... When I was home, I felt resentful about going to the hall and not seeing my family. Our daughter is 2 now, and as an only child, she likes quite a bit of attention. Which I’m happy to give – when your kid says “Dada, you play toys with me?”, you get down on the floor and you play toys.

I felt like something had to give, so I asked my chief for a leave of absence until the fall. Turned off the pager and put down my helmet for a while.

At first it felt pretty good. I was more relaxed at home – I had been feeling like I was constantly letting something slip, either home or the department. I got through my work travel, did a little visiting… but then I hear the sirens at night.

That’s a hard thing, knowing that your friends are out working. I resisted the urge to get up and turn on the radio, but I thought about it pretty hard. My wife heard the sirens too, because she asked me the next day what my plans were. After listening to my thoughts, she told me that she thought it was an important thing to do, and that she thought I should go back to it when my leave ended.

That kind of support is huge – family tends to bear the brunt of absence for firefighting, and knowing that my wife wants me to do it, even if it means I’m not at home as much – that means a lot. Plus, I’ve had some communication from the guys and girls at the hall, asking when I’m coming back – that’s big, too.

So come the fall, I’ll be back in harness, or PPE, at least. I’m glad the department was OK with me taking the time. It means I can come back energized and feeling less conflicted about volunteering, especially knowing that my family has got my back on it. Well, my 2-year-old probably isn’t onboard… but hopefully she’ll understand when she’s a bit older.

Ingenious Software News

2011-08-04T08:35:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while since I did a post here, but we’ve had some changes around the office that have given us a bit more time to work with, so we thought it would be a good time to revive a long-standing tradition.

It’s been a very busy year for us here at Ingenious Software. In January we started rollout of the new, improved FP2. As with any new software release, we’ve had some challenges and some delays – all of which have kept us very busy.

At this point, things are starting to stabilize. We now have around 80 clients using the new version, and the feedback has generally been very positive. We’ve made the software more flexible, easier to use and much, much more user-friendly.

We aren’t quite ready to totally throw open the doors for conversions, although we’re very close. I’m including some information here about the architecture of the new FP2 system, which you can pass on to your IT department for use in planning your conversion.

We’re not putting any hard time limits on when you need to move to the new system, but our plan is that all of you will eventually convert. We are providing this upgrade free of charge to all clients with a service contract – the rationale is that we don’t want to support 2 pieces of software.

The current “Classic” version of FP2 is still supported, and we recognize that conversion time frames will vary, so we’re allowing you to schedule when you want to convert to the new system. I’ll be announcing a “doors open” date in the late summer when everyone who wants to convert can schedule a date – but we’re taking it a bit slower for the moment.

I know that this has been a long time coming, and we’re really excited and happy that the new program is finally being used. Thanks for being patient – and if you haven’t converted yet – just a bit more is all that we ask for. We want to bring you the best possible piece of software, and we’re almost there!

How Not to do it.

2009-11-02T13:54:00.001-08:00

Winter seems to have backed off for the time being. The snow has melted and warmer temperatures (warmer for November anyways) have returned. Which is good, because I didn’t get my leaves raked until this weekend. I was worried that I was going to have to pick up the leaves in the spring, which would not be a fun job.

At the Fire Hall, we’ve been planning out the annual Firefighter’s appreciation dinner. I think that the appreciation dinner is a really nice event. It gives us the chance to bring our families and spend some pleasant, social time together, and we get a nice meal and a feeling that our time and effort is, well, appreciated.

In the planning stages of the dinner, a vote was requested from the members of the department. After the vote was taken, the decision was overridden, and a different option was selected – the one that had been indicated as a preference before the vote.

Now, I don’t really care about the option that we choose here, but what really concerned me was that this seemed to combine the worst aspects of top-down and bottom-up decision making, pretty much guaranteeing that nobody would be happy with the result, and potentially negating the morale boost that the appreciation dinner normally provides.

As I talked about before, voting is a pretty standard method of bottom-up decision making, with all the risks and benefits involved in that method. If you put something to a vote, you’re likely to get a result that is supported by the majority of the personnel, but you have to be willing to accept the outcome. If you decide, top-down, everyone might not necessarily be happy, but there isn’t a lot of room to argue the decision.

By voting, then deciding not to accept the results of the vote, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the majority of people won’t be happy with the decision. Not only that - they’ll be less happy than if the decision had just been made behind an office door to begin with. Which is too bad, because the appreciation dinner is an event that’s supposed to bring everyone together, and now everyone will just be talking about the decision-making process.

Snow!

2009-10-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

It’s snowing outside. I realize that for those of you in Ontario or Alberta who have already received the first dump of snow, this isn’t quite the shock as it is for me, but this is earlier and heavier than we’re used to seeing. In interior BC, we don’t tend to get much snow that stays around until mid to late November, or even mid December. Plenty of slush, sleet, rain and fog, mind you, but not big heavy flakes that stick.

That being said, I’m pretty much ready for it. My snow tires are on, the winter gear is unpacked, scrapers, sand and brushes are loaded up. The baby’s snow-suits are laid out, and my sandals and shorts are in a box for another year. I’ve got my heavy gloves and winter insoles out for my bunker gear and I even washed my balaclava (about time, too…).

So I’m set to stand by the side of the road and direct traffic - which is pretty much the general vocation of the volunteer firefighter at this time of year. That and trying not to drive off the road as you hurry to the scene of yet another car in the ditch. I’ve ranted about this before, but I think we need to stop letting “all-season” tires be sold in Canada.

OK, OK, the lower mainland and southern Vancouver Island can get away with all-seasons in, well, all seasons. But everywhere else in this blessed country of ours, they should be called “dear lord not in the winter” tires. Or maybe “I hope you like sliding” tires.

I also think that there should be 2 speed limits – summer and winter. Perhaps a magnetic sign that says “We really mean it now - seriously” that you could attach to all the speed limit signs in the winter would do the trick. In any event, the snow is here, and no telling how long it will stay. At least daylight saving time hasn’t hit yet, so we’re still mostly driving while it’s light out.

The Importance of Buy-In

2009-10-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

I thought that this week I’d talk about the concept of buy-in, specifically as it applies to change in an organization. Human beings in general are not fond of change – we have to do things differently, think differently. Change makes us unsure of ourselves, and it makes us feel less proficient – not things that most people like.

Because change is uncomfortable, people tend to resist it, either consciously or unconsciously. This can make changing things in an organization a risky process. The stress of change can cause arguments, anger and bad feelings that persist even after the change has passed and become the “new normal”. In the worst cases, organizations can be made dysfunctional, or revert to older “comfortable” ways of doing things.

The idea of buy-in, or actively getting people to support changes, is a powerful part of change management. If people have bought into an idea or proposed change, they are much more likely to support it, speak positively about it, and put in the effort that any change requires. Attempting to make changes without at least some level of buy-in from the boots on the ground is going to be difficult at best, and impossible at worst.

As powerful and useful as the idea of buy-in is, it’s also somewhat risky, from the management perspective. It means, essentially, going to the people involved and asking them for support. Outlining the benefits and rationale for the changes is a good idea too. The risk is that you won’t receive the support you want, and you may have to put the proposed changes on hold, or cancel them altogether. Or you might just want to make a better case and try again.

Ultimately, creating the culture of communication and respect that is necessary to achieve true “buy-in” is a good thing, regardless of whether a particular change is achieved. This sort of bottom-up change can be more difficult to accomplish in the short term, but it makes the human factor of a big change more supportive. And as we all know, it’s the human side that tends to make things more difficult…

Confined Spaces

2009-10-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we went up to the fire training ground at the Selkirk College campus in Nelson. The training ground has a bunch of natural-gas powered emplacements that can be lit and used for firefighting practice. It has dumpster, wall fire, propane tank, barbeque and car fire emplacements, and it looks like they will be adding a larger bus fire location as well.

The training ground also has a simulation building, built from cargo containers. It’s full of small rooms, furniture, closets, stairwells and other fun stuff. You can build a fire in an enclosed space at the back, filling the building with smoke and heat. We had a little problem getting the fire emplacements running, so we decided to do a Search and Rescue practice run into the building.

Tommy, another Firefighter who joined the department around the same time as I did, and I geared up in our BA’s. The training officer asked if we wanted to have a look around the building, before we went in. Everybody else went inside, but I said no. We won’t get a chance to preview a real structure before we go in, so why do it in training?

After everyone got back, the training officer used a smoke bomb to fill the building, and we headed inside. I’m not claustrophobic. I’ve done SCUBA diving and caving, and I’m not bothered by blackout simulations or wearing SCBA’s. But being in a building were you can’t see anything but smoke still feels a little… close. If you were the slightest bit panicked by tight spaces, I would really not recommend this sort of thing.

Like a good Firefighter, I checked my air before going in. 1900 PSI. Crawling, we worked our way down the upper floor of the structure, checking closets, working our way through hallways and keeping one hand on the right-hand wall. I was the second man, and I know the theory here – keep one hand on the leg of the first guy, and use the fire axe handle to extend your reach and probe for obstructions or people.

Of course, the practice is a bit different. A sofa feels a lot like a person when you are poking it with the handle of an axe. And an axe in a small, confined, obscured area becomes a bit unwieldy. It’s also lots of fun to find your way around. We had a little trouble on the way back, starting down a hallway that we hadn’t come in on.

We made it back out, and it felt like we’d been in there an hour, so I checked my air again. 1400 PSI. We were inside maybe 6 or 7 minutes. It was a totally foreign experience, and I imagine that heat and crackling flames would have made it a lot more stressful. I really enjoyed myself, though. It was a mental and physical challenge, and something that very few people get to do.

It also highlighted to me how critical scenario training like this is – dangerous, unfamiliar environments are easy places to panic or make mistakes in. Hands-on training makes those experiences more familiar, and allow you to use the trained skills. I just wish we had the resources to do this more often – I’d rather have the skills and not need them, than need them and not have them.

Search and Rescue Training

2009-09-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,
I've been doing a lot of really interesting training with the Fire Department lately. On the weekend of the 12th and 13th we had a 2-day training session on Search and Rescue. We did awareness-level courses on Building Collapse, Confined Space Rescue, Trench Rescue and Industrial Rescue.

Our Fire Hall has a lumber mill across the street, so the Confined Space and Industrial Rescue information was particularly important. As a small department, our resources are limited, so we're not able to train to a technical level in many different disciplines, but since we are so isolated, it's critical to have at least a working awareness of the dangers involved in different types of rescue situations.

We trained with firefighters from about 5 other departments in the general area, which was really interesting. It's always good to meet some of the other guys, as you may be working with them on a mutual aid call at some point. The weekend was glorious as well, blue skies and 28 degrees. Too bad we were inside doing mostly classroom work - it was awareness level stuff, after all.

Fortunately, we were able to get outside on the second day for Trench Rescue and Industrial Rescue. We spent the afternoon at Kalesnikoff's Lumber Mill, getting oriented to the mill operations, identifying the hazards, and touring the area. Between kilns, stacked lumber and logs, the green line and shavings storage, there are a LOT of fire and safety hazards over there. To say nothing of the confined spaces, electrical hazards, explosive materials and generally sharp, nasty things.

Sometimes, the more I learn about the sort of things that Fire Departments are expected to do, the more I thing "what the hell am I doing?" I realize that money is tight, but relying in volunteers for a lot of this sort of thing is purely ridiculous. We don't have the time or money to be trained to the point where we can respond safely to the range of emergencies that can occur.

I suppose that we have to decide on a line between cost, safety and likelihood of events and try to walk it as best we can. Still, I can't help but think that local governments and regions across North America are over-relying on the willingness of a group of dedicated people to put themselves at great risk, with limited training, for the good of the community.

In every training course I've even taken with the Fire Department, they've taught us to protect our own safety above anything else. I can see that for a lot of people, the logical conclusion is that not being a Fire Fighter is the best way to ensure that safety - which leads us inevitably to difficulty in recruitment and retention. This is a hard, dangerous job, that we do with little or no compensation - not the best recruiting slogan, is it?

MS Mountain Bike Tour

2009-09-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Rona MS Mountain Bike Tour in Hinton, Alberta. Doug and I were invited to participate by Jasper Fire Chief Greg Van Tighem. I had training all weekend at the Fire Department, so I wasn't able to attend (lack of conditioning and family responsibilities were also considerations…), but Doug made the trip and joined Greg's team, the Rockhoppers, for the 2-day event.

The drive up to Jasper wasn't as long as anticipated - only 11 hours from Nelson to Hinton. Leaving at 6 am and arriving at 6 pm (with a 1-hour time change), Doug and his friend Bruce Hardy enjoyed the amazing scenery on the drive, passing through Kootenay National Park and then up the Icefield Parkway through Banff and Jasper National Parks.

Arriving in Hinton, they found a campsite reserved for the Jasper Rockhoppers team and got set up. Later, the Jasper Fire Chief's truck pulled up, carrying Greg and a few other essentials, like a keg of Rockhopper ale. The next morning the team joined over 330 riders at the start line and set off by 8 am. The sun hadn't reached the trail yet, so it was a cool 8 degrees.

This is apparently the only mountain bike tour in Canada, so Doug was interested in the kinds of trails that they would see. The tour started on a gravel road, then headed through the forest on a single track, crossing a small foot bridge over a creek, then down another dirt road. After about an hour of peddling, the sun had joined them, so everyone stripped down to t-shirts.

The riders then turned onto the highway for about a KM so that they could cross the Athabasca River. The tour had closed 1 lane of the highway for the riders, and had a pilot car take traffic around. After crossing the river, the riders turned off onto another dirt road to the first checkpoint, which were all well-stocked, making the riding very enjoyable.

The rest of the day's ride passed through grassy fields, heavy forests and up old logging roads, covering about 50K and climbing 3500 ft. The ride finished at about 4:30, where buses were waiting to bring everyone back to the campsite.

After a fun evening (which I'm sure didn't include beers OR campfires) and a good sleep, all the riders were bussed back to where they left the bikes and set off for the day. They covered a lot more beautiful trails, including some real downhill, and reached the finish at about 1:00, where they had a BBQ.

Altogether, the group raised about $350,000, traveled about 100K, and climbed over 5000 ft. Bruce, Doug's riding partner raised over $2500, and Doug raised just over $1500. We would like to thank everyone for their generous donations in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. If anyone else would like to donate to the MS Society in support of Doug, Bruce and the Jasper Rockhoppers, go to:

https://msofs.mssociety.ca/2009Bike/Sponsor.aspx?&PID=1143661&L=2

Blogging and Baseball

2009-09-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

After having a number of people comment to about my "blog postings" at the start of each Tip 'o the Week, I had an inspiration. Since I'm writing about my experiences as a volunteer firefighter on a regular basis, why not start an actual blog?

The new blog is located at http://hoseroll.blogspot.com/, and will also be available from our website, http://www.fp2.ca/. For those of you that get the Tip 'o the Week, there won't be a lot of new content at first, but I plan on adding some extra content there that you won't see on the Tips.

On a more Fire Department-related note, we did a departmental softball game and family day in August. Taira and Iris were visiting my sister and her kids, so I invited my dad Kevin to come along. Dad grew up playing baseball in Levittown, PA, and was part of some pretty amazing Little League teams as a kid, but he doesn't get many chances to play baseball anymore.

We didn't have enough people for two teams, but we had a great scrub game, rotating through positions and getting lots of chances to bat. It was a great time, and afterwards we fired up the barbeques and the ping-pong table at the Fire Hall. Dad and I had a lot of fun, and it was wonderful to let him experience the sense of community and family that exists at the Department. Plus we triumphed gloriously at ping-pong!

Ultimately, it's that sense of community and family that I like the most about being a volunteer firefighter. It's something I got used to growing up in a small town, and something that I missed living in the city.

Don't Get Used to It.

2009-09-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ever since I became a parent, I hear people tell me the same thing, over and over. "Don't get used to it". Babies, and indeed, lives, go through lots of stages. Sometimes they go very fast indeed.

Not too long ago I was feeling overwhelmed by my responsibilities, juggling family, fire, fun and work was tough, and it felt like something had to give. I thought it would be fire fighting, and was planning to take a leave and concentrate on other things. Turns out, that didn't need to happen. We got more comfortable with our new routines. Iris started sleeping through the night (until last week, anyways - good thing I didn't get used to it…). Life smoothed out a bit.

There was still stress, and distraction, but it felt more manageable. The support I got from the Department was also great. Not only was everyone very understanding about my changed responsibilities, everybody also wanted to help - and to hold the baby, of course.

This all goes into one of the things which I think is critical to a volunteer organization looking to retain members. Roll with the punches. Things change, so be flexible and supportive, and if you do, you'll probably be successful. So remember, "Don't get used to it".

Fun vs Responsible

2009-08-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Having a new baby has got me thinking a lot about the idea of fun vs. responsibility. Obviously, my fun factor has gone down considerably, while the responsibility has gone way up. This got me thinking about volunteer Fire Departments, and managing social events.

One of the great benefits about belonging to a Fire Department is the social aspect. Summer BBQ's, golf, fishing, after-practice get-togethers and lots of other events are a regular part of the Department's social life, and a lot of these events include the occasional beer. Sometimes, as is the case with golf, they even involve a number of firefighters all going out of area at the same time.

The question is, how do you ensure adequate emergency protection during events like this? Clear OG's are probably a start, at least those regarding alcohol consumption. After that, it's up to the officers to ensure that people are available in the event of an emergency.

It's a hard balance. You want to encourage the department to bond together, but you also need to ensure that you've got coverage, and you usually need to do it without the benefit of a formal schedule. I see this as being a bigger problem for volunteer departments, since the numbers of firefighters available are fairly small, and everyone's work and personal schedules are different.

I know that many of our departments are volunteer - how do you guys (and gals) balance fun times with round-the-clock responsibility?

How Busy is Too Busy?

2009-07-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Once again I have utterly failed to post on a weekly basis. Although I guess this is "a" week, so it's not totally inaccurate. I hope you'll be able to forgive me, I've kind of had my hands (well, arms, to be precise) full.

That brings me to the topic I want to talk about today. How busy is too busy? I'm having a lot of difficulty balancing my responsibilities at home - my wife and baby daughter, with my responsibilities at work and to my Fire Department. Something has got to give, and lately, it's been my attendance at the Department.

Now, I'm not getting the sense from my Chief and Deputy Chief that this is a huge problem. They're both fathers, and they understand what is required of a new dad. I've definitely been catching a bit of flack from some of the other firefighters, though - and I know where they are coming from. We all rely on each other to be available and help out, that's the way a volunteer department functions, and lately, I just haven't been there.

There is a level of personal frustration, too. I want to be a good firefighter, to help out, to be available to assist a group of guys who I like and respect. But when I come home at the end of the day to a tired wife who needs a break, and a little baby… I just can't justify grabbing a quick bite to eat and leaving again. Besides, I only get a few hours with Iris before I go to bed.

So, I think I'm going to have to take a leave of absence from the Fire Department for a while. I don't want my responsibilities there to be an afterthought. If I don't have time, I should make it clear to everyone, instead of finding myself unable to attend practices or help out around the hall, week after week. I'm not happy about it, but it feels better than leaving things so unsettled.

Baby Brain

2009-06-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a father now. What an interesting blend of amazing, awesome and utterly terrifying it is! My wife has been great about letting me sleep in the spare bedroom on weeknights, so I'm not as frazzled as I could be, but I'm still pretty blitzed.

I've heard that being a parent kills brain cells. Our friends with kids have described "baby-brain" to us, but I never really believed them. I believe now, of course. The event that really brought the syndrome home for me happened last week.

Somehow, I remembered that I needed to renew the car insurance, which meant a trip to town. My first trip to town since we brought Iris home, in fact.

I had a lot to do - pick up film, groceries, insurance, books (watching tv while breastfeeding gets old fast, apparently) and a few other things. After stopping at the grocery store, I pulled out of the parking lot and was waiting at the stop sign to turn onto the main street.

I glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Bob Slade, the Nelson FD Deputy Chief, trotting down the road towards my car… in his uniform. Rolling down the window, I blearily said "Hi".

Bob got to the car, smiled and said something like "New dad, huh?"

He knew we were expecting, so I grinned and said, "Yes, a little girl."

He laughed, picked up the package of toilet paper that I'd left on the roof of my car, passed it to me and said, "I could tell." Then he walked off. Bob is probably also a parent.

So I'll ask you to be patient with me in the weeks and months to come. You may have to repeat things, or speak slowly. I have baby-brain, and it's totally worth it.

The Field is on Fire. Again.

2009-04-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

Spring has arrived in the Kootenays, and with it, the usual plumes of smoke as people burn off the dead grass on their lawns or start to clean up their yard and burning waste. Grass-burning is a Russian practice, and I understand that it's meant to stimulate the growth of new grass and clean up dead material after the winter.

This early in the year it's not a huge problem - there is quite a bit of snow still lying around, and underbrush is generally still very damp. It does produce a fair bit of smoke, though, which, combined with the dust from road gravelling, makes for a rough season for people with breathing issues. Later in the spring, when things have dried out and there is still a lot of dead material lying around, grass burning becomes much more hazardous.

What I'm wondering is, has anyone out there done any community-wide education on the risks and/or best practices when dealing with lawn-burning? What steps have you taken to get this information out to the public, and have you been able to quantify any improvements as a result of these initiatives? I'd like to pitch an educational drive to my chief, and possibly to our regional district, but I'd really like to hear about anything that has been done in the past.

Also, I'd like to thank Jeff Dean in Kingsville for this link in response to my question about knot-tying websites: http://www.animatedknots.com/. I can now tie a bowline with gloves on and my eyes closed. It just takes a few tries.

The Slow Times

2009-03-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or does it get harder to come to practices the longer you go between calls? Normally, I really like to go to fire practice (course, I've only been at this a year or so), but it's been about 3 months since we had a call that I could attend. I'm finding going to practice is getting tough.

I'm not sure if it's the late winter blahs or what, but I'm dragging ass to get down there. Part of it might be that our training officer is away, so we haven't been doing a lot of the more adventuresome training stuff in a while. I mean, it's been months since we lit anything on fire! How are we supposed to learn without the fire?

I'm mostly kidding here, but I'm kinda annoyed with myself. I like firefighting for a lot of reasons, the people, the new skills, the burning of things, but I thought I did it mostly because I wanted to do something to help the people in my community. Getting bored after a few months of relative inactivity makes me question why exactly I'm doing this. Of course, I have been getting there, and doing the training, and I'm taking a correspondence course on scene management, so it's not like I'm giving up.

I assume it's tough for everyone to keep their enthusiasm up when the trucks aren’t rolling, but it does provide a good opportunity. Sometimes a chance to think about your reasons for doing something is important, critical even. Not to worry, I still get to fire practice; it just takes a bit more willpower these days.

Tied Up in Knots

2009-02-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since we've had a Tip o the Week go out, as things have been pretty hectic around here. Fortunately, it's slowed down a bit, so I can get back to doing what I do best - telling people things about FirePro2. Actually, I'm not sure if I'm the best at it, but it seems like what I do the most, and practice makes perfect, right?

Speaking of practice, and the need thereof, we did a fire practice on ropes and knots this week. I wish I had a picture of all of us sitting in our meeting room, busily tying ourselves up. I used to teach sailing, so I'm good with ropes and knots, but I always have a problem with one big thing. I'm left-handed. In knot terms, it might as well be called bass-ackwards, because everything happens in reverse for me, which makes it entertaining to watch me learn new knots.

Of course, I'm used to being backwards, so I didn't have that much trouble, but what I found a lot more interesting, and wished we spent more time on, was the practical application of each knot - the when as opposed to the how. Each standard knot has a specific application where it is the most useful, and combining the two is challenging for me.

I suppose more practice and experience is the answer, but I'd be interested to hear how you trainers out there get that critical information across, or if there is a good guide book that anyone has discovered.

Radios are like Babies

2008-11-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

Up until now, I've been the only member of the Ingenious Software team without children. That's made for some pretty interesting conversations at lunchtime (and many other times) as I've watched my co-workers navigate the wonderful world of parenthood. Soon, I'll be able to join those discussions myself. My wife and I are expecting our first child in May of next year, and we're very excited about it.

I've taken to laying in bed on Sunday mornings (I know… don't get used to it) and thinking about the abrupt change that our life is going to undergo. It occurred to me that being a firefighter is actually pretty good practice for being a parent. You have this noisy, cranky thing that requires regular changing (of batteries, anyways) and goes off at random hours of the night. And when it goes off, it might be a matter of life and death, so you have to move quickly - even if you're still pretty much asleep.

Of course, experienced parents (and experienced firefighters - of which many of you are probably both) know that a child is both infinitely more demanding and more rewarding than a firefighter's radio. In a way, that makes me even more excited about what is coming. In my first year as a firefighter, I've had to learn new skills, move outside my comfort areas and be willing to put myself out there for my community. The challenges and the rewards have been substantial, and I feel like I'm a better person for them.

The idea that parenthood will be even bigger, scarier, more challenging and more rewarding is amazing… and terrifying. Hopefully I'll have as much luck with it as I feel I've had with firefighting. 'Cause I think we'll need all the luck (and patience, humor, love and fortitude) that we can get.

Snow - Still Happens at the End of Fall

2008-11-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

Winter is apparently here. I guess that's a good thing - it didn't give us a lot of time for anticipation this year. None of the usual BC winter-watch, where we get to see winter coming on by the steadily lowering snow level on the mountain. It's like living in the bottom of an hourglass full of cold. Not this year, though. We went from "Oh look, some snow on the ridges" to "Holy god, I have to drive home in this…" pretty much overnight.

For our department, and probably for many, many others, this is crunch time. Often literally, actually. The inability of people to prepare for this annual event continually boggles my mind. How hard is it, people? It happens EVERY YEAR! But no. No snow tires, excessive speeds, passing in unsafe conditions. I'm not sure that it's generally realized when it comes to icy roads, SUV often means Suddenly Upside-down Vehicle. Maybe we should put out a memo or an ad or something - maybe during Canadian Idol, as I understand lots of people watch that show.

I guess ultimately I can't complain too much about people not being ready for winter. My leaves aren't raked yet, for example, nor is my garden particularly put to bed. As my neighbor says, "Once the snow covers it, you won't worry about it." Which is somewhat reassuring, but doesn't really fill me with optimism about the spring. I guess I'll just have to keep my radio close, drive as safely as possible, and worry about the things that I CAN see, which is as good a way to live as I can think of.

Responsible Consumption

2008-10-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

A few months back, one of the firefighters at the hall decided he wasn't going to continue with firefighting. He'd been a forest fire supervisor for many years, but he hated wearing bunker gear, so he left the department. While he was with us, he'd taken over managing the canteen at the hall. Well, canteen manager might be a slightly grandiose title - he kept the beer fridge full.

After he left, I volunteered to take over his responsibilities. After working in a bank, this is pretty simple stuff - record your costs, make change for people, and occasionally go on a massive beer run. Nothing like rolling out of the liquor store at 9:30 on a Wednesday with 10 flats of beer to get weird looks from people on the street. Now, I haven't been in the Fire Service that long, but my impression so far is that pretty much every Fire Hall has some sort of beer dispensing system, be it a vending machine or fridge or one of those hats with the can-holders and flexible straws.

This led into a conversation I had with a local resident when I was discussing my responsibilities at the hall. "Beer?" he said, "Should you be drinking beer in the hall? It's public property, I don't think that's appropriate."

I thought about this for a few moments, because I realized that this was a valid concern. The Fire Hall is public property, after all. My eventual response was this:
As volunteer firefighters, we aren't paid anything for the time that we put in, either for training, community work or calls. Even paid on-call departments don't really receive "fair wage" for the time they put in. We do it because it's an important service, and because we like it. One of the big benefits that we get for volunteering is to utilize the hall for social purposes. We drink responsibly, keep the place clean and generally behave in an appropriate manner… Generally.

He decided that this was reasonable, so hopefully we won't be getting a call from the Regional District anytime soon. Still, it was interesting to be called on something that you pretty much take for granted, and considering things like alcohol consumption from an outside perspective definitely gives me extra reasons to make sure that I behave in a responsible and professional manner - even if I'm not getting paid.

Connecting with Clayton

2008-10-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

We're having a beautiful fall out here in BC, which I've managed to enjoy very little of - because I'm renovating my house. As I'm sure many of you know, house renovations are not for the faint of heart (or skinny of wallet, apparently). I'm done now, though, and it looks spectacular. So my wife is looking at other rooms… Guess I did too good a job.

I did take an afternoon off this week and spent some time with my Mom and Dad, and while we were visiting, I learned something really interesting. My Grandfather was apparently a volunteer fireman for many years in Madison, Wisconsin. Clayton passed away a decade ago, and he and I were very close when he was alive - despite the fact that we lived so far away.

Hearing that he had been involved in his local Fire Department immediately filled me with a strong sense of connection to him, one that I'm not sure I ever felt when he was alive. I was close to him, but we never really had a lot in common. He liked fishing and owned a mink ranch, and I like computers and mostly work in offices. Rolling hoses (and don't forget washing them) makes me think about him now - which is good, because rolling hoses gives you lots of time to think.

The shared experience of being a volunteer firefighter allowed me to see him in a different way. He was definitely the kind of man I'd be happy to have on my team, and I hope my grandkids will carry on the practice of volunteering, be it the Fire Department or some other place. I know now that it's something Clayton would have approved of.

Fire Department Saved My Marriage!

2008-09-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is over and fall is here. That's right, I used the F-word. The nights are getting chilly, days are getting shorter and stoves and furnaces are starting up again across the country. We had a short, damp summer in BC this year. Only August was really hot, and there was almost no forest fire activity. I guess that pretty much makes up for having a short, damp summer… I'm trying really hard to convince myself of that.

Things at the Fire Hall have settled into a nice routine. I'm pretty familiar with how things work at the hall now, so I spend a lot less time asking "what do I do now". I also got my Air Brakes certification, so I'll be doing driver training on the Engine and Tender, which is pretty much the whole reason most people join the fire department (except for the starting fires thing, but we've covered that already).

I've also discovered one of the really great things about being part of a Fire Department. My wife and I are doing some pretty major renovations right now (my advice - don't), and having a pool of people with really useful skills to call and ask for advice is awesome. Need some tips on framing a wall, call Joe. Putting in a floor, ask Peter. Pretty much anything, call Mike. I borrowed nails from Jagdev and more nails from Greg (apparently carpentry requires a LOT of nails). Without the guys, this job would have been even more difficult and taken longer - which my wife may not have put up with. So, the fire department saved my marriage! Bet you don't hear that too often.

New SCBA's

2008-08-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

We had a busy summer around here, with several new FirePro modules created (look for an email on our new options soon), several new Departments joining the FirePro family and some actual vacation time for some of us.

It's been a busy time at the Fire Hall as well, with the Department replacing our old BA's with a brand-new set. This transition has probably been easier for me than for long-time members, since I haven't really used the old ones that often. I've also done some scuba diving in the past, so I'm pretty comfortable in breathing apparatus (although the 30-minute tank only lasts me 16 minutes - guess I'm a heavy breather).

The new SCBA's are pretty fancy MSA models. They have better sight lines, a very convenient air-line connector, speakers and even wireless air warning lights. The packs themselves have flashers on them, showing when people are low or out of air and the carbon-composite air bottles are very light and strong.

These are all good things, of course. But what bothers me a bit is the 11! batteries of various sizes that each SCBA requires for all the fancy features to work. Warning lights - battery powered. Digital oxygen gauge - battery powered. Speaker - battery powered. I foresee a sudden rise in the annual departmental battery allowance in the near future. Now I know what the military feels like. "This is Patrol one to base. We're low on 9mm ammo, and AAA batteries…"

Ultimately, I've decided that just because you can do something technological, it doesn't mean you should. I love the light weight of the new SCBA's, the easy-to connect air line, the ease of adjusting the buckles, and the idea of seeing red flashing lights on a downed teammate is great. But the battery bit is an issue for me - sometimes old and reliable is good. I guess with SCBA's, and the rest of life, really, I'll just have to put up with the extra work that comes with the extra features. You can't have something for nothing, I guess.

Firefighter Basic

2008-07-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

I spent the June 21st weekend back in the classroom, doing the Basic Firefighter course with Jack Tyler at the Kootenay Firefighter Training Weekend in Castlegar. I had mixed feelings about the overall experience of the course, mainly because the course was overbooked, which made the practical sections difficult. The classroom portion was very valuable though, so I think overall it was useful.

Most Fire Department work is very practical, hands-on stuff. I like that, because I tend to deal mostly with office protocols and computer programs in my day-to-day work. The classroom portion of this course provided a good conceptual foundation for those practical tasks, getting to the why rather than the how. I find it's easier for me to remember how to do things correctly and safely if I know what I'm trying to do, rather than just trying to recall how I was told to do it.
That doesn't mean you should ignore orders, of course. Jack never said it out loud, but I got the strong impression that there are three commandments for a firefighter: one, keep yourself safe, two, do what you're told and three, tell somebody if you don't know how to accomplish commandments one or two. Which I guess all boils down to one commandment - thou shalt not be an idiot.

Since this was an introduction-level course, a lot of the participants were quite young. That's a good thing, because I get the impression that Fire Departments across the country are hurting for volunteers, but I found their attitude towards risk/reward very interesting. Even more interesting was my reaction to their stated willingness to take "heroic" risks. "That's just stupid," I thought to myself, "we'll just have to save you, too."

I'm not sure exactly at what age the heroic impulse was replaced by the "Ummm, that seems like a bad idea…" impulse. Probably about the same time I got M&M'ed (married and mortgaged), but it might have been earlier. I guess I'll just have to stick with the one commandment, which should make everyone happy - including my chief, the bank and my wife (not necessarily in that order).

Manning the Pump(er)

2008-06-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to learn how to run the pump on our engine this week. My initial impression was a bewildering array of gauges, levers and dials. Turns out it's not that complicated… but not that easy, either.

As someone who normally mans a hose (well, a shovel - to be realistic), I'm well aware of the importance of maintaining water pressure to the lines - nobody wants a soft hose at a critical time. My previous impression of the engine crew was that they did a lot of standing around. Turns out that I was right - but they're standing around carefully fine-tuning water flow and planning to ensure that we have the water when we need it.

Tomorrow I start a two-day Firefighter Orientation course at our annual Kootenay Firefighter training event. I'm interested to compare the quality of the training at our department with the "professional" training I'll be taking - I think it will be comparable, based on the skills and qualifications of our training officers. That makes me feel very confident in trusting my teammates in an emergency situation. Now I just have to train hard and make sure that they can trust me.

Old-Style May Days

2008-05-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well, the May long weekend has come and gone and it sure was an exciting one. I spent the weekend in New Denver, a little town of about 500 half-way between Nelson and Revelstoke on Slocan Lake. I grew up in New Denver, and my parents still live there, so my wife and I go up and visit regularly. The fact that New Denver is very beautiful and that my parents have a hot tub in no way influences the frequency of my visits, of course.

The May Days celebrations have been a tradition on New Denver for about 100 years, and this year they were a little more authentic than usual. A landslide blocked the Trans-Canada east of Revelstoke, so a lot of traffic was diverted through our normally sleepy backwater. Then another landslide blocked the road south of New Denver. Yet another landslide knocked out power lines north of Nakusp, which triggered both a 24-hour power outage and a forest fire… Welcome to New Denver - we've got no power, no gas and no exit.

So settle in and enjoy May Days, just like we had it in 1901!

What I found really interesting was the role that the New Denver Fire Department played in all of this. Since the highway south of town was out, and the gas stations were closed due to the power outage, they were set up in the middle of town, redirecting traffic across another pass to Kaslo. To say that people were unimpressed by an additional detour with no gas is an understatement!

It seemed to me that they handled everything with great tact and skill. They calmed motorists down, ensured that fuel was available, got generators running and still had time to march in the parade! I didn't know I'd be signing up to be a social worker/crisis counselor when I joined a Fire Department, but I'm realizing it now. People see the helmet and assume you know what to do. The level of trust is astounding, and it challenges you to live up to that trust. On their busiest weekend of the year, the New Denver Volunteer Fire Department certainly did.

Interface Fires

2008-05-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how Emergency Service Coordinators sleep at night. They know so much about the catastrophic things that can go wrong in life - it's not a job for the anxious or faint-hearted.

I'm mentioning this because I had the dubious pleasure of learning about interface fires last week - specifically the responsibilities of our Department if a major forest fire hits our area. We're in a pretty high-risk area for forest fires, so this is a distinct possibility.

We have plenty of fuel mass, a fair amount of bug kill and heavy woodlands all around us. We're basically a long strip along the highway with forest on both sides - steeply sloped forest at that. I'd be surprised if there were any properties more than 100 meters from the forest.

Learning about the criteria that Forestry teams use to evaluate how hard to try to save a house was somewhat chilling, when applied to my property. Conifers within the 10-meter safety zone? Check. Trees less than 15 feet apart? Check. Vinyl siding? Check. Wooden deck connected to the house? Check. On the upside, at least the roof isn't shake! Of course, the shed alongside has a tar-paper roof…

Well, at least now I know about it all, so I can start making changes. I look at things differently though - that pile of wood from pruning the fruit trees is getting moved today, and I'm borrowing a chainsaw from my dad on the weekend for the trees. A little awareness and education certainly goes a long way.

Don't Leave Fire Unattended

2008-05-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, last week I mentioned that grass burning was a local tradition and that I hoped things didn't get out of control. Of course, whenever you say something like that, things inevitably do. This past Monday we had an excellent example of why you should never leave a burn site unattended and of how quickly things can change on you.

While doing some extensive grass burning around his property, a local homeowner seemed to take all the necessary steps. He monitored the fire carefully, he checked to make sure everything was out, he even asked a neighbor to monitor things while he was away from the property. Unfortunately a combination of high winds and a creosote-soaked shed led to a fairly large fire involving the shed, nearby trees and a woodpile.

The speed at which the fire went from smoldering coals to a serious blaze was surprising, for me at least. Firefighters driving past the property 15 minutes earlier saw no smoke, but the shed was fully involved and trees were candling by the time we arrived - notified by a department member who lived in the area.

For me, the fire was a great learning experience - my first fire call with the department. For the homeowner and neighbors, I hope it was an important learning experience as well - about the danger of just one smoldering ember and the speed with which a fire can spread. Luckily, it wasn't a lesson which cost people their homes or lives, but it's definitely something we can all learn from.

Spring Snow

2008-04-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

We're sitting in the office in Nelson enjoying the sunshine and finding it hard to believe that we got several inches of snow last weekend. I had my patio furniture and barbecue out on the deck and was getting ready for springtime, but I didn't get any grilling done. Of course, the snow also meant that I didn't have to work on the yard – mixed blessing, I guess.

Doug's been happy, though – he gets to mountain bike one day and back-country ski the next. I have yet to get the bike out myself, but I'm planning a ride this coming weekend, assuming we don't get more snow.

On a more business-related front, springtime means we have to start thinking about wild land fires. It's a local tradition in the Kootenays to burn off dead grass and ground cover in the spring. The volunteer department I belong to (Tarrys Fire Rescue) has already had a few calls about people burning, but we haven't had to deal with anything out-of-control yet. Hopefully things will stay that way for us and for all of you!