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.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
New SCBA's
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.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Firefighter Basic
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).
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).
Friday, June 20, 2008
Manning the Pump(er)
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Old-Style May Days
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Interface Fires
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Don't Leave Fire Unattended
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.
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.
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