At FDIC International 2021, students can preselect from among 71 four-hour workshops, whose topics ranged from tactics to training to command to construction to technology. We sat down with a sampling of the workshop instructors to discuss what they are teaching and why the topic is important to the fire service.
TOOLS FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING A PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM
Erica Gilmore, Florian and Womens Services Coordinator, Rosecrance Health Network,
Rockford, Illinois; and Captain Dena Ali, Raleigh (NC) Fire Department
“In recent years, the mental health needs of firefighters have become more recognized. There are many mental health disorders found to be common among firefighters and, if unaddressed, these can lead to toxic work environments, early retirement, disability, poor physical health, and suicide. While there is no evidence that mental health disorders are on the rise for firefighters, addressing their prevalence has finally become a priority for the fire service. Often, when firefighters suffer from depression, stress, PTSD, relationship problems, bullying, or addiction, they attempt to address it on their own. They fear showing any weakness to their peers, so they suffer in silence and avoid addressing the underlying issues. This only makes things worse. Suffering in silence often leads to feelings of weakness and alienation, which in turn builds into a crisis. What’s fascinating is that of all the therapies and medications out there, the remedy found to work for all people is social support (talking and connection). Without connection, humans are unable to thrive. What we have found is that the simple presence of peer support can serve as a first line of defense for firefighters.
“In this workshop, we aim to help build confidence among those actively serving as peer supporters and those interested in starting a team through sharing evidence of peer support efficacy. What’s important to understand with a peer support team is that there is no one size fits all model. Each agency, community, and region must find the resources that work for their community. We share how this is accomplished. It’s not hard; with just a few trained members, you can start building your team, and with patience you can obtain the right pieces to complete your team.”
Gilmore has more than a decade of experience working in mental health, mostly with first responders. Ali is the founder and director of North Carolina Peer Support.
FULL CONTACT LEADERSHIP: FROM THE FIREHOUSE TO THE STREET
Deputy Chief (Ret.) Anthony Avillo, North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire and Rescue/Director,
Monmouth County (NJ) Fire Academy
“This class is relevant, fresh, and fun to teach. I think it is a different type of leadership class that gives students a new slant on their job and a guideline on when to get involved in issues that arise and when to step back and monitor. It provides a mantra known as the Prime Directive: ‘Allow NOTHING to interfere with your ability to maintain the in-service and ready-to-respond status of your command.’ Understanding this helps guide decisions on an everyday basis.
Firefighter Casualties: When “Old-School Firefighting” Doesn’t Work
“Leadership does not magically come out of nowhere. Leadership comes out of the firehouse just like every other tool we use to meet the Prime Directive. So do accountability, discipline, safety sense, the critical sense of team, proper communication, and the art of officering. Failure to lead in the soft environment will create a leadership void on the fireground. Firefighters would rather run into a burning building with a thimbleful of water than confront a subordinate/personnel issue. The more you recognize conflict and confront it, the better you get at resolving and the more leadership confidence you build.”
Avillo was an officer for more than 25 years and worked for both a small department and a larger regional department. He has also been an instructor at fire academies for almost 30 years.
ESSENTIALS OF FIRE INVESTIGATION: THE COMPLETE FIRE SCENE EXAMINATION
Operations Systems Manager Adrian Cales, Paramus (NJ) Public Service Enterprise Group
“Just as with everything else in the fire service, the field of fire investigation has, and is, changing dramatically. With the advent of NFPA 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, the approach to conducting an investigation into where and how the fire started took on complexities and challenges never before encountered by the fire investigator. Shortly thereafter, NFPA 1033, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator, came along, which now speaks to ‘who’ the fire investigator needs to be. Fire investigation, origin and cause determination, and what happened at the fire scene is no longer based on antiquated theories and defunct assumptions.
Buddy Cales on the Essentials of Fire Investigation
“The ability for today’s fire investigator to conduct a thorough, detailed, and comprehensive investigation at the scene of a fire to determine the point/area of origin, the heat source responsible for igniting the fire (cause), and the manner of the fire (accident or crime?) must be methodical and must be in line with what NFPA 921 says. There is little room to deviate. Today’s fire investigator needs to be NFPA 1033 compliant. Failure to follow NFPA 921 is a precursor to a flawed fire investigation. Not having the requisite training, qualifications, and knowledge as specified in NFPA 1033 sets the fire investigator up for challenges in court that are not surmountable.
“My class offers an adaptable format to use at any fire scene. Just as not all fires are the same, not all fire investigations are the same. I teach this program because I know how difficult it is to establish credibility in the field of fire investigations. What I want to prevent is fire investigators losing that credibility.”
Cales has been involved in the field of fire investigations for more than 30 years in both the public and private sectors. He has presented at FDIC since 1997.
DRIVE TO SURVIVE: REINVENTING EVOC
Firefighter/EMT (Ret.) Christopher Daly, Goshen (PA) Fire Department
“I developed this program in 2003 as a result of real-world experience as both a firefighter and police officer. Over the course of my police career, I have specialized in the investigation and reconstruction of serious motor vehicle crashes. As a result of this training, I have had the opportunity to investigate thousands of serious and fatal motor vehicle crashes, almost of all which are preventable.
“Due to my background in crash reconstruction, I began to pay attention to the amount of fire apparatus crashes that I read about. While motor vehicle crashes are usually the second leading cause of death for firefighters (after heart attacks), I noticed that there is little training on the topic. The training that does exist often glosses over the most important aspects of vehicle operations, namely vehicle dynamics. Roadway friction, critical curve speeds, total stopping distance, and countless other areas of advanced vehicle dynamics are often missed or not properly explained in many driver training programs.
Fire Apparatus Driving: Drive to Survive: It Starts at the Top
“The goal is to teach emergency vehicle operators that no matter how long they have been driving or how good they think they are, at some point physics will take over and the vehicle will lose control. By learning the science of driving a vehicle, firefighters will have a greater respect for the dangers involved in driving a large vehicle during routine and emergency conditions.”
Daly is the author of Drive to Survive: The Art of Wheeling the Rig (Fire Engineering).
This is the 15th year he has presented this program at FDIC.
IT’S JUST A ROUTINE HOUSE FIRE, OR IS IT?
Battalion Chief/Shift Commander Jim Duffy, Wallingford (CT) Fire Department
“I am obsessed with this often-underemphasized topic. I write and talk about this often for several reasons. Number one is because the two departments I served with were in suburban Long Island, New York, and suburban Connecticut. The majority of my structure fire responses are private-dwelling fires (house fires). Most of my experience and the experiences of many of the fire departments in the United States and Canada are with these fires. I also believe this is an area where the fire service can have tremendous impact. The losses from these fires are staggering. In the next 24 hours, about 1,000 homes in America will have a fire that requires the response of the fire department; in an average year, we lose about 2,500 people and injure another 13,000 at residential fires; and a significant number of our line-of-duty deaths and injuries occur in these structures as well..
Jim Duffy: It’s Just a House Fire
“I firmly believe that the number of residential fire-related deaths can be reduced with good, sound fireground tactics and an understanding of fire behavior and the construction of these occupancies. We will take a look at a few things I think are important at every house fire: fireground environment, building construction, size-up, command, search, fire attack, and ventilation. My goal in teaching this workshop is to share some of things I’ve learned both from positive results and from mistakes I’ve made in 40-plus years in the fire service and to better arm the students when they go back to their departments.”
THINK LIKE AN INCIDENT COMMANDER
Deputy Chief (Ret.) Thomas Dunne, Fire Department of New York
“The science of firefighting involves making a series of decisions that are based on experience, acquired knowledge, and the observations we make when we arrive at the scene of an incident. These are high-stakes, life-and-death decisions and are often made under a great deal of stress and severe time restraints. In addition, we seldom have all the information that we’d ideally like to have about the particulars of the building, the extent of fire spread, and the status of all the occupants who may be affected by the fire.
“The art of firefighting involves an ability to function confidently and effectively at a fire operation regardless of the numerous distractions, uncertainties, and stress levels involved. It requires us to see beyond the numerous tactical operations that may be going on and to perceive the overall plan or strategy required to safely coordinate those tactics. History has taught us that if something bad is going to happen, it’s likely to occur in the very early stages of a firefight. This calls for having the discipline to pause, step back, and make some vital decisions early on in an operation.
Thinking Like an Incident Commander
“That is precisely why I designed this class. Every firefighter, company officer, and chief must develop the ability to see beyond their individual tactical tasks and understand how those tasks fit into the overall fireground strategy. This is not an easy skill to master, since we all start out as new firefighters trying to learn the hands-on techniques of using ladders, nozzles, and other firefighting tools. As a result, we become proficient at tactical duties but, at the same time, somewhat myopic in our overall view of an operation. And, it is this overall view that allows us to work safely and efficiently together. To quote the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, ‘Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.’ Sun Tzu would have been a proponent of developing size-up abilities in every level of the fire service, from new firefighter to high-ranking chief.
“I have used my 33 years of experience with the New York City Fire Department as a guide in developing this class. As I moved through the ranks, from firefighter to company officer to chief, I had an opportunity to work in some of the busiest areas of the city. I made mistakes at each rank but learned much from those mistakes. At each new rank, I also had to develop a new perspective of firefighting, as my level of responsible increased along with an ability to portray a sense of confidence and command presence as a leader. My goal is to help firefighters of all ranks to make rapid, effective decisions and to function with confidence on the fireground.”
RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES INVOLVING HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRICITY
Captain/Vault Response Team Supervisor Chris Greene, Seattle (WA) Fire Department
“Our nation’s electric power distribution system, aka ‘The Grid,’ is quite literally indispensable to life in 21st-century America, and any disruptions have real consequences. In many cases, smaller-scale disruptions cause problems that ultimately amount to inconvenience and localized economic activity impacts. On the other hand, medium-scale and larger events can and do result in wide-reaching, significant impacts to public safety, the delivery of basic services such as clean water, safe food, secure finances, transportation, communications, health care, and so on.
“Since electricity is intrinsically woven into the fabric of everyday life, providing reliable electrical energy to our nation is an enormous responsibility. Utility providers today face an urgent and significant challenge to keep up with the ever-increasing reliance and demand on this critical electrical infrastructure, one that is quickly outpacing the energy industry’s ability to properly maintain existing infrastructure, let alone build new capacity.
A Collaborative Approach to Electrical Vault Fires
“Ongoing overutilization of aging equipment, as we are seeing, can result in explosions, fire, and immediate loss of power to large service areas. The timing of these events is often at the worst possible moment. When fire and explosions do occur, maximum damage results to this infrastructure, along with extended periods of critical utility downtime.
“St. Petersburg, Florida, experienced this very type of incident during an extended heat wave in the summer of 2016. Multiple underground transformers caught fire and detonated, leading to complete power loss to a wide service area for longer than 24 hours. The ultimate cause was determined to be line and transformer fatigue.
“These incidents are not isolated. Electrical infrastructure emergencies happen every day, and our fire service members are often the first line of defense. Unfortunately, the training that we received in the fire academy provided minimal preparation for these challenges.
“Your competence and safety when dealing with these incidents begins with learning how to recognize energy infrastructure emergencies immediately. This is exactly the training that we bring to FDIC 2021. Students will leave this workshop with tools to prepare for these emergencies so that decisions they make are based on actual training.”
The Seattle Fire Department’s Energy Response Team is the only technical team in the country designed specifically to address high-voltage electrical energy emergencies.
EXTREME LEADERSHIP: BRIDGING THE GENERATIONAL GAP FOR ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Chief William Greenwood, T.F. Green International Airport
“New firefighters, regardless if they are paid or volunteer, have been raised completely differently than how the organizational leadership was. This gap has caused a multitude of obstructions in the fire service. This is the true disconnect of most fire and EMS organizations, and number-one reason retention is a never-ending, uphill battle.
“So, in my workshop we look extensively at the upbringing of our newest generation of firefighters to understand the why–why new recruits see the fire service as exciting but in the same breath disengaging; why they start off with great attitudes and intentions, then quickly realize this isn’t a good fit for them. This workshop is for students frustrated and struggling to not only recruit firefighters but retain them.
“Statistics don’t lie. Recruitment numbers are way, way down, and retention is becoming harder and harder for all departments nationwide. When you get a new recruit, the organization as a whole needs tools and training to keep them. This program offers new pathways to read and map all personnel. It offers best practices for delivering training and mentoring, teaches how to gain greater engagement and motivation that ultimately affects retention, and shows how to value these new recruits in a way that they themselves feel is a really important factor in organizational excellence.”
Greenwood literally gives the program away–all the content, slides, and associated literature–so students can go back and implement their own modernized firefighter mentoring program.
MITIGATING NEW VEHICLE EXTRICATION AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE FIRE CHALLENGES
Deputy Chief (Ret.) Carl Haddon, North Fork (ID) Fire Department
“My class topic was chosen as a direct result of ongoing and up and coming daily challenges that firefighters face in new vehicle extrication and electric vehicle/hybrid vehicle fires. New vehicle construction and materials change each year. For example, in model year 2018, average passenger vehicles contained an average of 35 pounds of Class D combustible metals. For model year 2020, these same vehicles contain an average of 350 pounds of combustible metals. Lithium ion car battery fires present a huge challenge for firefighters to extinguish with conventional means. In addition to the operational considerations are the critically important firefighter safety concerns that surround new vehicle extrication and electric vehicle fires. For example, new science shows that the toxic smoke created by burning lithium ion batteries can permeate our turnout gear. Ultra high strength steel components found in new vehicles continue to create dangerous challenges. Learning about how these components are built and what they are made of will help rescuers work more proficiently while maintaining crew and patient safety.
Rurally Speaking: All Hazard Risk Assessments and Rural Fire Departments
“I have had relationships with major vehicle manufacturers and their engineers for more than 10 years. When I started teaching on new vehicle rescue challenges, the automakers and rescue tool manufacturers were caught completely unaware that the new metals and manufacturing processes of new vehicles created impenetrable situations for firefighters responding to vehicle crashes. Once I opened dialog with the automakers and rescue tool companies about this problem, we were able to come up with workable solutions. As a result, I have been fortunate to receive unparalleled access to automakers proving grounds, as well as getting brand new vehicles and access to the latest and greatest rescue tool technology each year, that we use to figure out the best and safest ways to perform vehicle rescues. These same automakers also recognize the challenges that lithium ion car batteries and class D metal fires pose. This has allowed me to be on the cutting edge of the battery and automaker side of the equation, and I have also been immersed in new technology and firefighting products, methods, and tactics available to quickly and successfully deal with these types of fires.”
BUILDING THE LADDER: OFFICER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
Deputy Chief Rudy Horist, McHenry Township (IL) Fire Protection District
“For several years, I have had the opportunity to work with fire departments around the state of Illinois whether teaching for our state instructors association or as a member of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, Volunteer & Combination Officer Committee. When working with other training officers and instructors, the topic of officer development was consistently at the top of the list of areas needing improvement. Large career and small volunteer departments struggle with the planning and implementation process. The issue wasn’t finding examples of other programs but rather having a step-by-step process for taking those examples along with professional standards and other information and crafting it into a program tailored to the needs of the organization.
“This topic is important to the fire service for many reasons. Officers, whether at the company level or higher, are critical positions, and providing them with the knowledge and skills to carry out their jobs is essential. Experienced fire officers retiring or leaving the fire service coupled with a decrease in certain types of incidents and an increasing need for knowledge in the other, nonincident-related parts of an officer’s job make the topic of officer development programs more important than ever.
“For 17 years, I was a course developer and instructor for the Illinois Society of Fire Service Instructors. In this role, I had the opportunity to work with many small to large fire departments, both in Illinois and other states, on a variety of training topics including officer development. That experience, along with the needs of my own department, led me to further research and develop this workshop.”
SAFETY LEADERSHIP FROM THE FIREHOUSE TO THE FIREGROUND
Chief Ron Kanterman, Gold Horn Associates
“Being a longtime advocate for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, I’ve witnessed the anguish of the families who lose a firefighter in the line of duty. The NFFF along with every major fire service organization has taken on the safety mantra over the past 15 to 20 years or so. This has become part and parcel to me and the work that I do in the fire service and I continue to wave the banner for occupational safety and health.
“As a chief officer for the past 30 years, nothing was more important to me than to bring my firefighters back from every job alive and in one piece. The commands at which I worked remained in my rear-view mirror every single night I drove out of quarters and headed home. The good news is that instilling health and safety in firefighters everywhere is getting easier as new members show up at the firehouse. A lot of fire academies around the nation are presenting the Everyone Goes Home-Courage to be Safe program during initial, probationary, or recruit training programs. We’re able to insert the health, wellness, and safety thought processes early in their careers (all firefighters—career and volunteer) so they can do better than the generation before them, our current generation.
Kanterman: …We Are Always There
“My vision for the future is for probationary/new folks to open their Firefighter I manual in 25 or 30 years and read about the NFFF and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network in the history chapter of said manual along with Ben Franklin’s early work. All ancient history.”
CHIEF OFFICERS FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM
Chief (Ret.) Rick Lasky, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department; and Battalion Chief (Ret.) John Salka, Fire Department of New York
“There are many people in various ranks throughout the fire service who have a dramatic impact on the effectiveness and operational success of their department. Departments that use the services of a shift commander, battalion chief, district chief, or other chief-level officer in the field have a unique and distinct advantage over departments that do not. After 25 years of providing soon-to-be-promoted and current company officers the tools they need to be successful in ‘riding the front seat,’ we realized that we were lacking in that same preparation for those chief officers who are assigned to the field.
The Command Post with Rick Lasky and John Salka: Not Everyone Survives a Mayday
“This program walks students through the numerous vital skills and abilities that field chief officers need to be successful. This was not written as an administrative chiefs’ program but rather as a detailed guide for field chiefs to follow from their first hour in the firehouse to their last assignment of the shift.”
READING THE FIREGROUND
District Chief Walter Lewis, Orlando (FL) Fire Department
“This is a skill that today’s intelligent firefighter and fire officer each need to know how to perform. The newest member being supervised will see certain portions of the fireground as it plays out with limited scope and understanding. However, all of what is going on and what they do will affect the operations. As they mature, they will comprehend more of the emergency operations. For more senior members and fire officers, reading the current operations will help determine the next best course of action with what other options exist. The incident commander should not and cannot be the only person monitoring the fireground for signs of improvement or worsening, determining if sufficient resources are being managed for the problem at hand and what contingencies need to be considered.
“The main intent of the program is to challenge each member in position to listen, see, and follow the action to determine what is being done, what is being done well, what is being done poorly, and what needs to still be done. As a diversified tactics-driven program, the purpose is to analyze the actions needed to best succeed in mitigating the incident using all the tactical tools available to us. Our job is much more than just ‘pulling a hose and putting water on it’–the need to read the scene, decide the best relevant tactics, and understand all our options is imperative.
Training Minutes: 2 1/2-Inch Line Option
“Citizen and firefighter safety and survival depend on us knowing our job and doing it well. In the course of my several years as a chief officer and during the course of my 30 years in the fire service, I have witnessed where small units and individuals operated within their own bubble, unaware of their actions and the results they have had. As I watched those situations play out, intervention or support could have enabled better results rather than having to adjust for the change. To prevent the hard-knocks method of learning the ‘if this, then that’ mechanism of learning by experience, this program is in constant development to improve the ability of today’s firefighter to make appropriate choices for the given emergency. Our ability to learn from others’ experiences will help shape a better and safer fire service.”
THE CHALLENGES OF LEADERSHIP IN A FIRE DEPARTMENT
Chief (Ret.) Richard Marinucci, Farmington Hills (MI) Fire Department
“As firefighters ascend in rank, the issues associated with the job have little to do with fighting fires and other emergencies. They are related to the politics of the job or people problems. When officers are asked how much preparation they have had for this significant part of the job, they often say very little or none. But there is much that an officer can do to prepare for these important aspects of the job. This workshop explores theory and real-world applications to provide thought on methodologies that can be used to be successful. Fire departments cannot be successful without resources and without political acumen–there will be a shortage of resources. Those who are better prepared will see the benefits of better staffing, training, equipment, and apparatus.
Why I Teach: Richard Marinucci
“With more than 32 years as a chief, time spent as the chief operating officer of the United States Fire Administration, and a term as president of the IAFC, I have had the opportunity to meet many successful leaders in the fire service and to gain personal experience.”
BUSTING THROUGH RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION CHALLENGES: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME PLAN
Firefighter/PIO Candice McDonald, Sebring & Winona (OH) Fire Department
“The volunteer fire service makes up almost 75% of the U.S. fire service. Fire service leaders face challenges in retaining volunteers, as evident by the 12% decline in volunteer firefighters since 1984. Offering strategies needed to improve the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters may not only lead to the retention of public service employees to foster a high-quality workforce to serve the public community but also provide a significant cost savings. Serving my community as a firefighter, EMT, and officer allowed me to see firsthand the negative impact firefighter recruitment and retention issues have on a community. I sought out to find the solutions to this issue by conducting a three-year doctoral study focused on what strategies fire service leaders have used to retain firefighters in the United States. Through a combination of interviews with officers from departments with a high success rates and secondary research, I was able to identify research-based strategies to address this issue. Since completing my doctorate, I have been disseminating the findings internationally.”
FIRE FOR EFFECT: THE LOST ART OF REALISTIC TRAINING
Captain David Mellen, Reno Township (KS) Fire Department
“I chose to build a class on this topic several years ago because I have watched as our training has been more driven by technology but, as a side effect, become less realistic. While we used to teach fire suppression skills in live fire with class A combustibles in realistic smoke conditions, we now predominantly teach in LPG fires that go out with the flip of a switch. As a result, we have found ourselves in situations where firefighters were ill prepared for actual emergencies and don’t have a realistic expectation of what they are about to face. In addition, the number of fires most of us respond to is undeniably down from 20 years ago and, largely due to that, some firefighters have lost the ability to gain experience through on-the-job training.
“Adding realism does not equate to increasing risk. In a controlled environment, we can adjust the level of realism and balance it with the desired outcome. Case in point, if a new group of firefighters is learning how to perform a search, they can begin in an environment with no smoke or fire. You may choose to then add LPG live fire with no smoke and subsequently include theatrical smoke conditions. After they have become comfortable with the skills you are teaching, students can be exposed to class A combustibles with real thermal layering and smoke conditions. Once they get confident with searches, we can add other realistic components like parents screaming in the front yard, replicate burn injuries with lubricant, and the difficulty it creates when moving victims. By the end of the training, I hope students walk away with a solid foundation AND a realistic expectation of what they will face in the real world.
Firefighter Training: The Blind Leading the Blind
“As an instructor, I have traveled the country and witnessed firsthand departments and institutions who use realistic training and the benefits it brings. In every training we do, our attempt is to leverage realism with outcomes to make sure that firefighters are as prepared and knowledgeable as we can make them. It is our responsibility protect those who cannot protect themselves, and realistic training is the best way to achieve that goal!”
THE PROFESSIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Commissioner/Past Chief Thomas Merrill, Snyder (NY) Fire Department
“Too many times in discussions with the public, I am asked whether I am a professional firefighter or just a volunteer firefighter. I take exception to that and politely explain to those inquiring that there are paid firefighters and there are volunteer firefighters, but all firefighters, including volunteers, can be viewed as professional. Our volunteer members must embrace the mindset that developing, maintaining, and upholding a professional reputation are the duty and responsibility of all firefighters. Professionals do not say, ‘But, we’re only volunteers,’ and use that as an excuse for poor performance, not training regularly, treating citizens and even fellow firefighters in a bad way, or not taking the role of firefighters seriously. It is very upsetting when firefighters bring discredit to the profession by exhibiting bad behavior and engaging in unethical or even illegal practices.
“It’s important for our members to realize that it is a much different world we live in today. It’s a much more scrutinizing and in many ways a more mean-spirited world than ever before. The world today dictates that we run a professional operation in our volunteer firehouses. When a community member steps forward to join the local volunteer fire department, he is looking to be part of a professionally run organization, with a membership that treats him with respect, cares for his welfare, and is interested in developing him into a productive and competent member.
Professional Development for the Volunteer Fire Service
“Think of this class as professional development for the professional volunteer firefighter. Many volunteer firefighters share these feelings and have a strong desire to be professional firefighters and help their department achieve a professional reputation.
The bottom line? Our residents are owed professional service, delivered by professional firefighters representing a professional fire department.”
Merrill, a member of the volunteer fire service since 1982, spent 26 years as a department line officer, including 15 in the chief officer ranks and five as chief of department.
INCIDENT SIMULATION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Deputy Chief (Ret.) Theodore Nee, Albuquerque (NM) Fire Department
“The use of computerized incident simulations for company officer and incident commander training and certification has become increasing prevalent in the fire service over the past decade. There are a number of reasons for this, among them the availability of high-quality simulation authoring software, low cost but powerful laptops and tablets, and the popularity of simulation-based certification programs like the Blue Card Command system. One advantage of training in a simulated environment is the ability to place company officers and battalion chiefs in situations requiring critical decision making without the life and death consequences. The hard lessons of the fireground need to be taught in the simulation lab and not out on the streets. As the father of the U.S. fire service Benjamin Franklin so aptly put it: ‘Experience keeps a dear school, and fools will learn in no other.’ Simulations are powerful training tools but only if they are well designed and constructed.
“Over the past five years, I’ve had the opportunity to travel across the U.S. and Canada teaching fire and emergency services instructors how to leverage the power incident simulation software. While conducting this training, I recognized several areas where instructors struggled with the concepts, most notably the design and development process. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to get into the nuts and bolts of design and development during these software specific classes. I could think of no better venue than FDIC to present this topic in depth.
Ted Nee on Deliberate Practice: How to Get People Up to Speed As Quickly As Possible
“My interest in simulations began in the mid-1990s when I was assigned to the training division for the Albuquerque (NM) Fire Department (AFD). I created a size-up training program with colored overheads featuring digital photos of buildings with rudimentary fire and smoke effects added in photoshop. I presented this program at FDIC in 1999 along with then AFD Battalion Chief Bobby Halton. This program was so successful that it fostered an interest in simulations that has continued ever since. Currently, I am the lead instructor for one of the major simulation software companies and I continue to work with the AFD Command Training Center as a Blue Card command instructor and simulation developer. This past year, I created a number of fire simulations for the Fire Engineering Web site.”
MAIN STREET FIRES 2020: ARE YOU READY?
Assistant Chief Joseph Pronesti, Elyria (OH) Fire Department
“We have as a fire service been so focus on the modern issues such as UL and modern construction problems that many chiefs have neglected the important tactics of fighting fires in legacy structures. Every day in America and Canada, departments are faced with fires in legacy construction aka Type III Ordinary Construction; blocks of these now centuries old structures sit in our Main Streets and when fire strikes it takes foresight, recon, and legacy tactics to bring these fires under control. When a fire strikes in most towns, it is always a dramatic event, BUT when a fire strikes your Main Street, all eyes will be on the department and its leadership.”
Pronesti is in his 31st year of being a firefighter, officer, and now commander in an old rust belt city loaded with legacy structures.
FIRE OFFICER LEADERSHIP: LESSONS LEARNED AFTER GETTING THE BADGE
Deputy Chief Steve Prziborowski, Santa Clara County (CA) Fire Department
“I chose that title because it’s the story of my life and the life of many others–if I only knew now what I knew then. The primary focus of this session is to share lessons learned (many times the hard way) through my career as well as through others who have experienced challenges throughout their careers in a productive, nonpunitive manner. I am not pointing fingers or questioning things that have gone on in the past but rather I want to have a courageous conversation with the attendees who are willing to discuss the challenges of being a fire officer in today’s fire service. Being a company officer or chief officer in today’s fire service has never been more challenging, for a variety of reasons, and my goal is to have those preparing for the position go in ‘eyes wide open’ or those already in the position come out with some nuggets to assist them the next time they were at their respective firehouse.
“As I’m fortunate to travel the country presenting this topic to personnel of all ranks, I continuously find that there are many company officers who are struggling to make the jump from buddy to boss, something which I personally struggled with as I didn’t want to be ‘that guy.’ I share my struggles as well as my lessons learned, with the hope of reinforcing why it is so critical for a fire officer in the year 2020 to provide the leadership that is needed and expected.”
The Fire Officer’s Role in Reducing Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths
Prziborowski has been in the fire service for 28 years, serving in ranks up to deputy chief. He has coached and mentored hundreds of candidates who have successfully been hired as firefighters or promoted in all ranks up to and including fire chief. He has published three career development books, with a fourth being finalized for publication with Fire Engineering Books.
TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENTS
Battalion Chief Richard Ray, Durham (NC) Fire Department
“The fireground is very challenging and dynamic. The building, the fire, and the presence of occupants can challenge even the best prepared and best staffed organizations. For the volunteer firefighters, we can add the availability of personnel and resources into the mix. The ability to evaluate all the different variables and initiate the right fireground tactics determine whether we win or lose.
“This presentation identifies 15 basic tactical considerations to help chief officers, line officers, and firefighters of volunteer fire departments to prepare, train, and prioritize fireground tasks. These tactical considerations will help volunteer firefighters get started in the early stages of a structure fire and help them maintain a proactive incident. Many times, there are not enough firefighters at the beginning of the incident to accomplish all the necessary tasks on the fireground. Effectiveness is lost and firefighter safety is compromised because on scene personnel fail to follow guidelines, lack the necessary training, and try to perform too many tasks rather than prioritize and complete them. The tactical considerations I teach are based on successful and unsuccessful experiences on the fireground and nationally recognized fireground principles and practices. This presentation will help the student in developing operational guidelines, training, and how to prioritize and accomplish fireground tasks by dissecting and examining the tactical considerations.
“I have been a member of the volunteer fire service for 27 years. I have been a part of numerous incidents where the fire department was not successful due to lack of knowledge and the ability to mitigate the incident with their resources and skill set. I have also been to numerous incidents where the fire department was successful because of training, knowledge, and ability to apply a skill set to the incident with the resources available. My desire is to give the students a framework to build on that can be carried back to their fire department and used immediately to help leverage their ability on the fireground.”
FIRE SERVICE MORTAR: THE CRITICAL ROLE OF THE COMPANY OFFICER
Captain Jarrod Sergi, Norfolk (VA) Fire Rescue
I picked this class topic because I am very passionate about the role the company officer plays in the firehouse. I choose to deliver this program because I know just how much of an impact the company officer can have in someone’s professional development. I have seen the unfortunate side of poor company officer leadership and how it can contribute to a toxic culture. I believe this program is important to today’s fire service because the company officer sets the tone in the firehouse. Leadership is a common conversation in today’s fire service and for good reason. I think today, tomorrow, and in the future the conversation should narrow to just how much of an impact the company officer can have on the organization. By simply investing in the morale, welfare, and professional development of its people, the organization will have long lasting positive results. It’s simple: Care about people, look out for them, and don’t forget where you came from.
Their Rookie Year is Our Responsibility
“Ever since I was 18 years old, I have been on a team. I joined the military at 18 and ever since then I have been in a position where the decisions I have made affected others around me. Since I entered the military over 20 years ago, I have paid attention to what makes small units/teams successful and what makes them fail. Since leaving the military, I have done the same in the firehouse. Over the course of those 20 years, I have paid attention to poor leaders and great ones and have developed my own set of principles and a road map for the way I lead my teams to success. I have been in a leadership position in the military and have been a company officer in my department for eight years. I continue to learn and grow but consistently apply the principles that many have taught me along the way. I will discuss my experience in both the military and fire service to hopefully inspire others to be the best company officer they can possibly be and, if not an officer currently, to lead with passion from right where they sit.”
SIZE-UP VIDEOS AND TACTICS FOR THE FIRST-DUE ENGINE
Lieutenant Tom Sitz, Painesville Township (OH) Fire Department
“The engine is the most important and fundamental piece of equipment in any organization. You can be a fire department without a truck or rescue or medic, but you cannot be a fire department without an engine. Stretching and operating the initial attack handline are without a doubt the most important things we do on the fireground. If you want a safe fireground, you put water on the fire; if you want to increase victim survivability, you put the nozzle between them and the fire and put water on the fire; if you want to increase the probabilities of success for the searching firefighter, you put the nozzle between them and the fire and you put water on the fire. When you know an aggressive engine has placed themselves between you–the searcher–and the fire, it builds confidence, which allows you to increase your aggressiveness as it pertains to searching. This fact alone decreases the time it may take a searcher to find a victim, which greatly increases survivability.
“As fires decrease, young officers and firefighters acting out of class as engine officers lose the valuable experience of sizing up fires as a first-due engine officer. Most of the fires American firefighters respond to will not be first-due fires. I personally go to a lot more fires second, third, or fourth due than I do first due. So, this is a skill set that needs constant reinforcement. It’s also the most important thing we do for firefighter safety. Nothing we do increases safety on the fireground more than water on the fire.”
AN ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACH TO DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
Chief/Emergency Management Director Jerry Streich, Andover (MN) Fire Department
“I never imagined my journey being a chief would include harassment, threats, MURDER, and suicide, but it did. As a new chief hired from the outside, I inherited a few employees whose mission was much different than mine. They were never held accountable for their lack of participation, negative attitudes, and bully-like behavior. After surveying the majority of the staff, it was clear they wanted to change this behavior and ‘hold people accountable.’ I began to document corrective action but the push-back became overbearing. I was not prepared for the complex and difficult personnel issues I would face. One firefighter was so abusive, his actions literally changed my life.
“After a year of working to change his behavior, he became more and more violent and was arrested for beating his wife, holding her captive, and tearing the phone off the wall so she could not call 911. I immediately placed him on administrative leave and took him off the job as I worked to terminate him. How could I allow such a man to care for our community? How did a man with such violent tendencies be allowed to stay on the job for 20 years before I arrived? And why was I never trained in how to handle these issues? Within months, this firefighter arrived back at the fire station unannounced to see me, but I was with another employee. He left and a few hours later killed his wife and then himself after dialing 911 and stating there was a shooting at his home. I responded to the scene of his home and his actions were confirmed: two were dead and my first year as a new chief came to an end in disbelief. After intense reflection on the incident, I went out on a search for answers and now provide them though this class.
“I am confident there are few people in the fire service who have experienced this type of incident. They do, however, experience other complex personnel issues they are not prepared for. For the past nine years since the incident, I have studied this area and have provided real-world training for others to learn. I have also been able to conclude that our roles as managers and leaders can create scars in our brain that could lead to PTSD if not properly managed. Simply stated, this class asks why WE all allow people who continuously change the mood of our organizations to exist. We are such an elite team there is no room for this type of behavior. I have put my research in place within my own organization and have seen a significant change in our productivity and success. In fact, our fire department was awarded the Minnesota Fire Department of the Year in 2019. I am confident this class can give others great information to better their teams and department overall.”
AERIAL LADDER AND TOWER LADDER OPERATIONS AND PLACEMENT
Lieutenant (Ret.) Michael Wilbur, Fire Department of New York
“Aerial apparatus represents a large investment, and yet most of the departments that have aerial apparatus underutilize them and many really do not understand their proper use at all. Go to a firehouse and see the aerial apparatus parked behind two other apparatus, and the realization sets in that this department has little or no understanding about aerial apparatus operations, positioning, and placement.
“This presentation is intended for firefighters, apparatus operators, training officers, line officers, maintenance personnel, and chief officers who are expected to have an intimate knowledge of these apparatus. The objectives are to have the students recognize the differences between each aerial device and learn to properly drive, position, place, and operate aerial ladders, squirts, and tower ladders at a variety of buildings and their occupancies. Students will learn how to simultaneously position and operate both aerial ladders and tower ladders on the fireground to get the most out of each piece of equipment. It aims to give firefighters a profound sense of driving and scene safety when driving and operating aerial devices.”
Wilbur served 30 of his 31½-year career in ladder companies, served on the FDNY apparatus purchasing committee, drove ladder apparatus for 10 years, and started a national training program on this subject in 1999.
