(July 2013)

Remembering CT victim of Hurricane Sandy

I appreciate the thought and effort put into the issues on the response to Hurricane Sandy. I would like to point out that Easton, Connecticut, which is adjacent to Trumbell, where I grew up, is the location of the only line-of-duty firefighter death during the storm. Lt. Russell Neary, 55, was president of the Easton (CT) Volunteer Company No. 1.

Daniel Gordon
Firefighter
Fire Department of New York

Editor’s note: Lt. Neary responded to a call for a house fire, according to a report from the department’s public information officer. It turned out to be a false report. While en route to the firehouse, Neary and the returning crew members found the road blocked by debris. The firefighters left their trucks to clear the debris, and Neary was struck by a falling tree. Fire Engineering deeply regrets this tragedy and extends condolences to Lt. Neary’s family and department.

When is it your turn?

Five years ago, the fire service began to experience a new phenomenon called “chemical suicide.” This is a method of committing suicide using household chemicals to create hydrogen sulfide that migrated from Japan to the United States via the Internet.

In 2009, as the team leader of our department’s hazardous materials team, I researched the hazard and put procedures in place to educate and protect fire personnel as well as the police officers in our jurisdiction should they come upon an incident of this type. Our department conducted single company training classes that included an informational lecture and a practical evolution on the subject. Crews were instructed on how to identify it as a hazardous materials incident and perform a rescue if needed. All went well.

As time progressed, the number of suicides using this method inside the United States increased year by year. By 2011, our department had experienced only one unusual suicide inside a vehicle, and it was caused by the use of helium, not hydrogen sulfide. As the team leader and captain in the fire department, I would occasionally send out updates and reminders on the subject, knowing that eventually we would experience this at some level. Our current population is around 130,000 people, and odds are it would just be a matter of time before it would be “our turn.”

On March 25, 2013, at around 4:40 a.m., a police officer was investigating a vehicle parked in the lot of a city park. He approached the vehicle and found it to be placarded on all four sides with warning signs indicating a “Toxic” environment, “Call 911,” “Hazmat,” and “Danger Hydrogen Sulfide. The smell of rotten eggs was also evident. The fire department was notified and responded with an engine, a rescue, and a battalion chief.

The first company arrived and designated a “hot zone” and conducted “recon” of the vehicle to determine if there would be a rescue or body recovery. The “recon” was performed in full turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). It was determined that the victim was not viable. Air monitoring with a photoionization detector provided a reading of H2S levels of 23 parts per million (ppm) outside the vehicle, which had all of its doors and windows closed. A reading of 21 ppm of volatile organic compounds was also obtained. The crew could visually see two one-gallon containers of muratic acid; four pint-size containers of lime/sulfur spray; and two five-gallon mixing buckets., one of which was approximately two-thirds full with a yellowish, almost opaque, liquid. At this point, the crews withdrew and proceeded to treat this as a hazardous materials incident. The county hazmat team, of which we are a part, responded to mitigate the situation.

The hazmat team arrived and was faced with three objectives: (1) mitigate the hazard, (2) recover the body for the medical examiner, and (3), render the vehicle safe for removal. Multiple entries were made in Level B personal protective equipment (PPE) with SCBA. The incident was concluded by noon that day with all objectives met.

Unfortunately, a young woman lost her life, but no fire personnel were contaminated or injured. The victim used two gallons of acid and four pints of sulfur spray in the mixture. Given the amount of product used, had somebody made entry without any prior knowledge, training, or the correct PPE, that individual would have experienced a medical emergency or possibly death. The lesson to take away from this is that constant training and vigilance will always pay off in huge dividends. So when your personnel complain about constant training, share this story with them. What appears to be mundane today may save your life tomorrow when it is “your turn.”

Dennis L. Adler Jr.
Assistant Chief
Sterling Heights, Michigan

Letter to a new recruit

I am a 23-year veteran of the fire service and have served as a training officer and relief battalion chief. Following is a letter I gave to one of my new recruits on graduation from recruit school.

Let me start by saying how proud I am of you in your successful completion of recruit training. Today marks the end of the first chapter of your career. Make no mistake, however, for the training has just begun. In the days, months, and years to come, you will use what you have learned as the foundation for a long and successful career. I caution you to be aware of your attitude toward future training, for the day you no longer desire to learn or the day you think you have learned it all is the day you should retire.

I can honestly say that I will never know all there is to know about this most honorable profession you have chosen as your career. Every day and every call are opportunities to make a difference in someone’s life. Never let the naysayers and those with a bad attitude bring you to their level. Instead, use every day to set the example of excellence in service to your community, your department, your officers, and those who serve alongside you.

Never treat a call as routine. Those calls treated as routine can demand a price much higher than we are willing to pay. Every person who calls is a person who is simply asking for your help. Instead of being irritated at the time of day or seeming insignificance of the call, be honored that you are the caliber of person your fellow citizen feels it is safe to ask for help.

When I had the honor of serving our department as the training officer, I asked new recruits at the end of the first year what they wished they had known at the onset. I have compiled a list of these pearls of wisdom to help you in the coming years.

1. Be yourself. No one likes a fake.

2. At the end of each day, you should be able to look back on the day’s events and know without a doubt that you have done your very best in every situation.

3. Don’t pretend to know everything. Everyone already knows that you don’t. If you don’t know an answer to a question, say so, and go find it.

4. Ask questions, even if they seem stupid to you. A wise officer and coworker know there are no stupid questions when someone genuinely wants to learn.

5. Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Embrace the fact that you will make mistakes. Become a master of recovery. It is not whether or not you fall, because you will, it is that you get up and continue with character and integrity.

6. You are the rookie (although it is no longer a politically correct term). People will make fun and pick. Much of the picking that goes on by the wise “old heads” is actually intended to teach rather than put down. You may as well have a good attitude toward this “peer correction” because it will come regardless.

7. When you mess up (and you will), take responsibility for your actions and learn from your mistakes. Try to never make the same mistake twice.

8. There will be those inevitable coworkers who do not like you. Don’t let it show that this bothers you. That is what they want. If you strive for professional excellence, there will be those people you make uncomfortable because through your dedication they see their own shortfalls. Take these people with a grain of salt, and know that they are learning from you no matter how long they have been on the job.

9. Always be a team player. There is a reason we work in groups. No one person can successfully accomplish all that this job requires.

10. It is not easy to be positive all the time, but it is well worth the effort. Start paying attention. One person on the truck can set the mood for the crew for better or for worse. Although this is primarily the officer’s responsibility, learn now that you can lead from the back of the truck as well as the front!

11. Never forget that even though there may be days when you will want to grumble and complain about this job, you have the best job in the world and the honor and privilege of serving your community in a profession that is admired and respected.

The time is coming for you to add to this list as your predecessors have done before you. Learn what works and what doesn’t; whom you can trust and whom you cannot; who has the right attitudes and who does not. Use these standards to identify the people who will help you in your career.

Today is the day you need to look to the future and see where you would like to be in five years, 10 years, 25 years, and beyond. Today is the day you set your goals and objectives and begin doggedly pursuing them. Never let anyone tell you what you can or cannot accomplish. You can accomplish your goals so long as you never give up on your dreams.

I am proud of you and am looking forward to serving alongside you for as long as we are given. Remember what I told you: Be the first one up when there is work to be done and the last one sitting down. That will gain you the respect of your peers faster than anything else. And again, congratulations!

Lori P. Stoney
Lieutenant/Paramedic
Homewood (AL) Fire & Rescue Service