QUICK DRILLS

BY MARTIN C. GRUBE

The next time you have duty at the fire station, take a few minutes and give your peers a quick drill. The idea is to provide information that can be passed on from the veterans to the probies. The quick drill is not intended to replace the normal hour-long drill later in the shift. You may have to obtain information beforehand to be prepared for your drill. At the morning meeting or muster, give a quick five-minute drill. The information discussed may be helpful that same day.

RESPONSE CONSIDERATIONS

Quick Drill No. 1 Street Identification

Copy a page from your map book, and use correction fluid to delete all street names from the map. Distribute copies of this blanked-out page to members, and ask them to identify all the streets on the page. A thorough knowledge of the streets in your response area is essential for quick response; include traffic conditions and alternate routes.

Quick Drill No. 2 Bridges and Overpasses

• Identify all the bridges and overpasses in your first- and second-due areas. Note the different types of bridges/overpasses (i.e., auto, railroad, pedestrian).
• What are these structures’ height and weight limits? What does your apparatus weigh, and what is its travel height? Can all your apparatus use these bridges or pass under them safely? This could affect response decisions and routes.
• Post the vehicle’s travel height and weight on the inside of the apparatus cab on the driver’s side. Keep a book in the apparatus identifying all bridges/overpasses and their height and weight restrictions; especially note those structures that cannot accommodate particular department vehicles.

Quick Drill No. 3 Railroad Crossings

• Where are all railroad crossings in your first- and second-due response areas, and how do they affect response? Find out the amount and frequency of rail traffic at these crossings. How does this affect your response? Do you have alternate routes if the crossing is blocked by a passing train? Notify dispatch if response is delayed by a train.
• What is the condition of the rail crossings-which ones have dips or other anomalies? Traversing a crossing at a high rate of speed could damage the apparatus, especially if the crossing has an unusual configuration.
• What apparatus components could be damaged by recklessly traversing a rail crossing? The underside conponents such as the oil pan, transmission, structural frame, wheel chocks, jacks, and stabilizers are among those parts likely to suffer damage.
• Apparatus drivers should stop at all unguarded crossings when responding to and returning from a call. Never try to race a train. If you lose, so do those depending on the fire department to save their lives and property.

Quick Drill No. 4 Helicopter Landing Zones

Does your department respond to set up a landing zone for medical helicopters? If so, do you have standard operating procedures (SOPs) detailing how the fire department can help the helicopter pilots land in a safe area?

• What is the minimum area required for a helicopter landing zone? The minimum landing zone area depends on the size of the helicopter. The minimum area is 60 feet by 60 feet; the ideal area is 100 feet by 100 feet.
• What obstructions should firefighters look for and inform the pilot about? Look for overhead power lines, light poles, and trees. Use specific directions (i.e., north, south, east, west) in notifying the pilot of landing site obstructions. For example, tell the pilot there is a light pole located a certain distance north of the landing site.
• Which fire department radio frequency can you use to communicate with the pilot?
• What information does the pilot require when landing? Check with the local helicopter service. Usually, pilots need to know the number of patients, their condition (type of injuries, unconscious) and to which hospital they will be airlifted. Check on designated medivac hospitals in the area and their specialties (e.g,. burn center, trauma center).

INCIDENT CONSIDERATIONS

Quick Drill No. 5 Elevator Rescue

Before you have to respond to a call to rescue someone trapped in an elevator, consider the following safety tips before engaging in any rescue operation.

• Identify the types of elevators you have in your response area. Are they electric traction vs. hydraulic, freight vs. passenger, and so on?
• Determine in which elevator in the building people are trapped.
• Determine what injuries or special medical conditions the trapped people might have that could affect rescue efforts.
• Send a crew to the elevator mechanical room and disconnect power to the elevator involved. Disconnecting the power to the elevator keeps the elevator from operating but allows the lights and ventilation fans inside to operate because they have a separate power source.
• Does your apparatus have a set of elevator keys?
• Who would have the elevator keys at an occupancy? The security, maintenance, or front desk personnel may have keys. Find out who holds the elevator keys at which occupancy, and keep records.
• Know your elevator keys and how they work (i.e., half-moon, drop key).

Quick Drill No. 6 Car Fires

• How do you approach and attack a fully involved car fire? Wear full protective gear including SCBA, approach from the upwind direction, and sweep the stream under the vehicle as you approach. Chock wheels at the back and front of tires.
• Identify special considerations related to the type of vehicle. Campers and recreational vehicles will have onboard propane tanks, for example.
• What are some signs of a suspicious car fire? The car may be parked in a remote location, or key components (i.e., radio, expensive rims, tires) may be missing.

Quick Drill No. 7 Chimney Fires

• Chimney fires should require only an engine and ladder response.
• Name all tools you would take to a chimney fire.
• Why is it not recommended to spray water down the flue from the top of the chimney? The water will crack the chimney lining. It is better to remove burning logs from the firebox to a metal container and take them outside. Use a 21/2-gallon extinguisher to put out the ashes in the firebox, and allow the steam to extinguish the fire in the flue.
• Always bring salvage covers and runners to avoid damaging the homeowner’s interior, furniture, and flooring.
• What should you consider when raising a ladder to the roof? Look for overhead wires, tree branches, and any other obstructions.
• The ladder crew should check the attic, roof, and gutters for burning embers.
• Identify and describe creosote.
• Chimneys and chases may separate from the structure if you place a load on them.
• Does your department have a thermal imaging camera? Does every firefighter know how to operate it?

Quick Drill No. 8 Expressway Accidents

• Which interstates and other expressways are in your response area? In which direction do they run?
• Where are the on and off ramps located? If they are blocked by traffic, is there an alternate response route?
• When approaching the scene of an accident, what do you look for? Note the location of all the vehicles involved; some may not be visible. Because of high speeds, involved vehicles may have run off the road into the woods, a ditch, or a river or lake near the highway.
• Where should you place the first-arriving apparatus? Look ahead of the traffic to find the most advantageous position for the rig. Place the rig in such a way as to protect the scene and emergency workers. Park the apparatus at an angle.
• Turn off apparatus headlights to avoid blinding oncoming traffic, and use rear traffic arrow lights if so equipped.

Quick Drill No. 9 Truck Companies

• Identify all the ladder companies in your department by location, apparatus manufacturer, presence of a pump, and so on.
• Note each ladder truck’s supply line-forward, reverse, splitlay, or drafting.
• Where are the ladders positioned on the truck? If the ladders are stored at the rear or at the side, keep these areas clear to allow personnel room to remove them.
• Where are the apparatus outriggers, and what is the outrigger spread? The location and spread of outriggers affect positioning of the truck and other responding apparatus.

Quick Drill No. 10 Fully Involved Abandoned Structures

• Where are the abandoned/vacant/condemned structures in your area? Contact the appropriate municipal department for a complete list.
• What are the particular hazards of these structures? They may include vagrants living inside, energized wires, and decayed structural members. Some hazards are related to the building’s purpose when it was occupied: factory machinery, haz mats, and furniture, for example.

MARTIN C. GRUBE is a 23-year veteran of the Virginia Beach (VA) Fire Department and a truck company commander assigned to Ladder 11. He is a master firefighter, a Virginia-certified trainer, and the department historian and photographer.