(fireengineering.com)

By John “Skip” Coleman, Technical Editor

I can certainly say that during my 32-plus years on the job there, the Toledo (OH) Fire Department evolved from a “fire” department into a department that provides several services.

When my father came on the job in 1952, the department pulled people from vehicles damaged in accidents, from buildings that collapsed from tornadoes and other disasters, and from small spaces from which they couldn’t get out. (When my father was a lieutenant, he and his crew received several awards for removing a worker who fell into a 40-foot cement silo.) We performed these rescues but didn’t have fancy names and truckloads of specialized tools and equipment back then.

Today, and rightfully so, fire departments have received special training, funding, and resources to respond to such emergencies. These “specialties” are grouped together into a generic term called “heavy rescue.” Toledo has water, confined space, extrication, and high- and low-angle rescue capabilities. These units are housed in specific stations and are staffed only by trained “certified” personnel.

That brings me to this month’s Roundtable question: Does your department provide “heavy rescue” services? If so, what types of rescues or “specialties” does that entail? Go to the Web site to post your response and see what others across the country had to say.

FIREFIGHTING PHOTOS

On the home page, you will find the Photo of the Day gallery, which features photos of working incidents from around the United States and Canada. We continually update our photos, with more than 20 showcases every day, as well as links to galleries from specific locations, such as this photo by Ted Aurig, which can be found in our Philadelphia and South Jersey Photo Gallery page, linked off of http://emberly.fireengineering.com/index/photo-of-the-day.html. These photos can offer valuable training lessons, and we are always looking for new contributors. E-mail submissions to peterp@pennwell.com.

EXCLUSIVES

Wherever you live, you probably have air traffic overhead. This month, Matt McNabb of the Oklahoma City (OK) Fire Department poses an interesting question: Are you ready for an aircraft crash in your district? He then provides a few basics on response to these incidents.

Dan Fuller of the Minot (ND) Fire Department writes about lessons learned from an unusual heavy rescue run that required a lot of ingenuity: A car had crashed into a single-family home and ended up in the basement. When firefighters learned what was under the vehicle, the complexion of the run changed dramatically. Read the article to find out what responders encountered and the “audibles” that needed to be called to overcome it.

Kurt Glosser, an education specialist with the Illinois Fire Service Institute, provides an excellent article on training. Every firefighter and fire officer is an instructor. We get new recruits and are charged with the task of training them to do a job. How well that task is performed and perceived will affect the recruit for the remainder of his career. This article helps us become better instructors at every level.

Tom Kiurski, training coordinator and director of fire safety education for Livonia (MI) Fire & Rescue, reviews the basic training process in his article “Fire Instructor 101.”

Mike Hennigan, in the sixth installment of “Captain’s Corner,” discusses the need for fire service leaders to possess vision. He writes about how great leaders can make their crew see the greater mission beyond their personal success.

Lance Peeples of the St. Louis County (MO) Fire Department provides an overview of large fire department operations. Although most of us don’t have the resources he describes, he explains how it can work for the “big boys.” Read it, look at the tasks provided, and then determine how your department accomplishes these actions with your own level of staffing.

COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE MONTH

Each month, we randomly select a member of the Fire Engineering Training Community for you to meet. Visit community.fireengineering.com and register (it’s free).

Name: Michael K. Scotto.

Department: Fire Department of New York.

Title/rank: Lieutenant.

Years of public service: 31.

Agency structure: Paid fire department.

Professional qualifications: Thirty-one-plus years of experience and a lieutenant since 1997. Currently working in the Bronx and responsible for all types of operations, including structural firefighting, extrication, and all types of emergencies. CPC certified, Level 1 instructor, AHA certified CPR instructor, NYS CFR-D certified. Daily training of members.

Topics you provide training for: Leadership Instructions Decisions & Strategy (LIDS), Hands-on Training: Basics, RIT/FAST operations for all types of structures, search (Mayday), forcible entry, vent-enter-search. Lectures on leadership, terrorism, WMD, safety, company officer training, and high-rise operations.

Areas of expertise: RIT/FAST operations, ladder/engine operations (i.e., roof operations, forcible entry, and so on).

Bio: I was appointed in 1979 and assigned to Engine 18 in Manhattan. In 1992, I transferred to Ladder 157 in Flatbush, Brooklyn. I was promoted to lieutenant in 1997 and in 2000 was assigned to Ladder 58 in the Bronx. In 2008, I started my own fire training company, training firefighters in different areas of the country.

Join the Fire Engineering Training Community today. There is a group or discussion that will interest you.