You don’t have to go very far to find discussions related to fireground operations, tactics, command, and control.
You also don’t have to go far to find opinions on the above–which is a good thing. What is hard to find, at times, is actual fact. Fact about what might or could happen.
How do we really KNOW how, what, why or when our fire department may or may not act based upon the given circumstances.
How do you KNOW your first alarm assignments are adequate?
How do you KNOW your first alarm staffing matches the fire?
How do you KNOW how a line will be stretched?
How do you KNOW you will have adequate water supply?
How do you KNOW your officers are able to size up, in order to make the correct decisions?
How do you KNOW the members know what venting will-or will not do?
How do you KNOW where the potential is for your department to make headlines…and not the good ones?
A department’s leadership may “feel” that things will go a certain way-or even “know” based upon the last run. The issue is, quite simply, do we KNOW how VULNERABLE our fire departments (and those we protect) are in day to day operations, tactics, training, and the other stuff that makes up a FD?
Determining your fire department and community vulnerability has been a guessing game in the past, with only a few, very limited tools that can be used to measure what the FD does right-or doesn’t do right-or may not be able to do right.
City hall dwellers (elected and appointed local gov’t folks) challenge the chief and challenge labor to “PROVE” the needs. Emotional presentations do not have a history of being successful. It’s all about fact these days.
There is, however now, a NO COST tool developed by firefighters for firefighters that allows a fire commissioner, a chief, or organization leadership to determine where their department really is. Take time NOW to understand how this FREE online tool can help cut out the BS and prove the needs of your department.
CLICK HERE for an overview of VAP:
https://www.firevap.org/system/overview
CLICK HERE to sign in and start the process:
https://www.firevap.org/
VAP helps leaders, members and elected officials cut through the emotion and get to the facts on WHY a fire department must be properly funded, staffed, trained and lead. There is no cost and only gain for your department…check it out.
BILLY GOLDFEDER, EFO, has been a firefighter since 1973 and is a deputy chief of the Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department. He is a member of the board of directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), and the September 11th Families Association. He, along with Gordon Graham, hosts and co-sponsors www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com, a noncommercial and free Web site dedicated to firefighter survival. His book Pass It On (Fire Engineering) was released at FDIC 2014. All of the proceeds will be donated 50/50 to the Chief Ray Downey Scholarship Fund and the NFFF.
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