Pitboss Lecture Series - America's Bravest

[tsywake]

In an effort to revitalize the Pitboss Lecture Series, I'm going to bring to you an overview of firefighting in America. Since we're capped at 50k characters per post, its being split between two posts. I'm going to touch on some statistics, a brief history of the fire service, and some of the equipment used. I'm also going to throw in some of my experiences, and unique calls over the years. I’ll try to keep it brief enough to not bore you too much, but feel free to ask questions as they come up and I’ll be happy to answer. I'll forewarn you, I'm not a writer so excuse the grammar.

Syllabus
Intro
Statistics
Fire Department Setup and Organization
Training and Regulatory Guidelines
Apparatus
Equipment
Compensation
9/11
The Brotherhood
Psychology of Firemen
Firefighting in Television
Cool Stories Hansel

Intro
I'll preface this by saying, firefighting isn't cut and dry across the board. How we are set up in rural NC, is by no means how things are organized and run in other parts of the country. Most of the larger cities develop their own protocols and rookie courses and I'll just touch on those because I'm much less familiar with them. We have countless traditions that date back hundreds of years, which I wont go too far in depth about. Maybe that'll be the topic of a future lecture. My hope is that through this lecture, you have a simplistic understanding of the fire service in America as a whole.

Our primary service to the community is life safety, but there is a financial benefit to having an efficient fire department as well. The better rated a fire department is, the cheaper the insurance rates will be for homes and businesses in their district. In NC, the ratings are set by the department of insurance. They have a formula derived rating system that goes form 1-10 with a 1 being the best possible rated fire department, to 10 being an unrated department. The majority of fire departments in the country are rated a 9. The lower the number, the cheaper insurance rates are for that area. Less than 1% of all departments in the country are an ISO Level 1 rated department. There are only a few in NC with Greensboro being the largest city with the rating. Most departments have a split rating, meaning a different rating for commercial structures and residential structures. Our's is a 9/5 S rating. This means our commercial structures are evaluated on a class 9 rating, while residential structures are rated at a class 5. In a nutshell, the ratings denote how prepared and capable we are to handle each size fire in our district.

I’m a Lieutenant/EMT for a volunteer fire department in Davie County NC, just outside of Winston-Salem. Our county is relatively small (41,000 residents), and we are protected by 12 volunteer fire departments each protecting a ~5 mile radius, and a county-wide rescue squad that handles heavy rescue. Our department was independently chartered in 1954 by the community and currently has 42 volunteer members on the roster and one part time paid employee. Each department in the county has at least one part time employee, and some of the larger departments have entire crews that work for them. We receive our yearly funding of $135,128.25 through a $0.05 on $100 tax evaluation. In 2011 our department ran a total of 252 calls for service and spent a cumulative 693.57 hours on scene. 47% of our calls were EMS related. Our members amassed a total of 3,000 training hours.

Upon graduating WFU in 2003, I moved back in with my parents for a few years and quite honestly got bored with the working world. 9/11 happened while I was at Wake and I felt compelled to do something for my community, which I’ll go into a little bit later in this lecture. I also saw the fire service as an adrenaline fix that I desperately needed to break up the monotony of my day to day routine. I was familiar with the fire service beforehand, because my father was a firefighter for a decade back in the 1980s. I remembered going to calls with him as a child and being enamored in what he was doing. I was drawn to the excitement and adventure of it.


Statistics
We report our figures on a yearly basis to a national recording database so these statistics are up to date through 12/31/11. There are an estimated 1,103,300 firefighters across the United States. This figure is estimated due to not all fire departments reporting. The rules and regulations for reporting vary from state to state. Of those 1,103,300, 70% or 768,150 are volunteers. Of the 30,125 fire departments in the country, 20,480 are all volunteer; 5,290 are mostly volunteer; 1,860 are mostly career; and 2,495 are all career. Delaware leads the country with 98.3 of their departments comprised of volunteers. The District of Columbia is the only territory that is entirely comprised of paid firefighters, followed by Hawaii with 90.9%. In NC we have a total of 1016 fire departments. 63% are all volunteer, 28.3% are mostly volunteer with supplemental paid firefighters, 4.1% are mostly career, and 4.5% are all career.

Since 1984, the number of volunteer firefighters in the US has declined by 14%. The explanation for the decrease is routinely attributed to: time commitment, more personnel working outside of their community, and employers not allowing firefighters to leave work to respond to calls.

The number of fires and fire related deaths peaked in the late 1970s. It was at that time that new building codes were developed, better equipment was being produced, training improved and public education was stressed. In 1977, there were 3,264,500 fires in the US resulting in 6,015 civilian deaths. Since that time, overall fires have decreased by 49% and civilian deaths by 51%.

In 2011:
All Fires
1,389,500 fires were reported in the U.S.
during 2011.
Increase 4% from 2010
3,005 civilian fire deaths
One civilian death occurred every two hours and 55 minutes
17,500 civilian fire injuries
One civilian injury occurred every 30 minutes
$11.7 billion in property damage
A fire department responded to a fire every 23 seconds

Structure Fires
484,500 structure fires occurred in the U.S. during 2011.
Less than 1% increase from 2010
2,640 civilian fire deaths
15,635 civilian fire injuries
$9.7 billion in property damage
One structure fire was reported every 65 seconds

Vehicle Fires
219,000 vehicle fires occurred in the U.S. during 2011.
Increase 2% from 2010
300 civilian fire deaths
1,190 civilian fire injuries
$1.4 billion in property damage
One vehicle fire was reported every 144 seconds

Grass/Woods/Brush Fires
686,000 outside and other fires occurred in the U.S. during 2011.
Increase 8% from 2010
65 civilian fire deaths
675 civilian fire injuries
$616 million in property damage
One outside fire was reported every 46 seconds

In 1981, the US began keeping track of firefighter deaths. Until that time, records varied from state to state and no uniformed reporting was used. From 1/1/81 to 12/31/11, there were 3836 firefighter deaths in the US. Roughly half were career and half volunteer. New York has the largest number of firefighter fatalities at 466. The majority of those (343) occurred on 9/11/01. So far in 2012, 63 firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty. A snapshot of firefighter fatalities from 2007-2011:

Type of Duty

On-Scene Fire	29.7%
After	17.2%
Other On-Duty	16.8%
Responding	15.4%
Training	10.8%

Type of Incident

Structure Fire	31.8%
Non Incident-Related	[27.3%
Motor Vehicle Accident	10.1%
Wildland	9.1%
Other	6.8%

Nature of Fatal Injury

Heart Attack	46.5%
Trauma	27.7%
Asphyxiation​	8.3%
Other	6%
CVA	3.9%

States with Most Fatalities

New York	40
California	38
Pennsylvania	37
North Carolina	34
Ohio	25

Month of the Year Most Occur

January	36.2%
October	13.8%
March	5.7%
August	5.7%
June	5.5%
July	5.4%
April	5.2%
February	5.1%
December	4.9%
November	4.6%
October	4.1%
May	3.8%

For more statistics, feel free to visit:
http://www.nvfc.org/media/statistics-and-fact-sheets/
http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/census/summary.cfm#c
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/os.fireloss.pdf


Fire Department Setup and Organization
Fire departments in the US fall under one basic structure for its officers. It was originally derived from the military with a few modifications over the years. According to FEMA’s NIMS (National Incident Management System), optimal command is one leader per 7 firefighters. The larger the incident, the more officers are required. The number of each position can vary per department. The officer ranks and duties are as follows:


Chief – Represented by 5 crossed bugles. They rarely if ever fight fires, but handle the paperwork, and are ultimately responsible for the actions of the department as a whole. They wear white helmets, and occasionally will have white fire gear to easily be located on a scene. Each department will have only one Chief. When called to a scene, they take over command.


Deputy or Assistant Chief – Represented by 4 crossed bugles. They also wear white helmets. In large departments with multiple stations, these are positions over that particular station. They report to the Chief, and handle personnel issues within their particular station. They respond and are in command of the scene. Anything they cannot handle gets escalated to the Chief. On large incidents, you may have multiple Deputy/Assistant Chiefs, who are handling different aspects of the call. In cases where the Chief is not present on the call, one of the Deputy/Assistant Chiefs will assume command.


Division or Battalion Chief – Represented by 3 crossed bugles. Some departments don’t use these positions, and are mainly found in very large departments where you have multiple specialties. You may have a Battalion Chief over a specialty group. i.e. you have a Truck Crew, Rescue Crew, and Haz-Mat crew in a station, you may have a Division or Battalion Chief over each group. They wear white helmets as well.


Captains – Represented by 2 bugles, either parallel or occasionally crossed. They wear red helmets and are usually the line officers with the lieutenants. They’re quite often interchangeable with Lt’s and are the ones riding shotgun on the first arriving apparatus. They have a maximum 7 personnel in their crew.


Lieutenants – Represented by a single bugle. They perform the same duties as Capt’s, but may have slightly less experience. They also wear red helmets. IMO, they should change the structure to combine Capt’s and Lt’s into one position, because it’s a waste having them perform the same function and duties.


Safety Officers – No specific insignia. They are responsible for the safety of all personnel on the scene. They report directly to the incident commander, and have no personnel under their command. They’re typically the ones walking around the scene observing and relaying information to the command post. Ours wear blue helmets, and are the older most experienced members of the department, whose body might not be physically able to fight fire any longer.


Our department has 1 Chief, 2 Assistant Chiefs, 2 Captains, 2 Lieutenants, and 2 Safety Officers. Our regular firefighters wear yellow or black helmets. Probationary firefighters have a blue stripe down their helmets to notify everyone of their inexperience. Our probationary period is 6 months long, at which time they are evaluated and voted on to become a full fledged firefighter. Until they come off probation, they are not allowed to enter burning structures, or drive apparatus. Some departments have a yearlong probation; others keep candidates on probation until they’ve reached their firefighter state certification.


Training
For training, there are multiple textbooks that we operate out of, but the most widely used in the US is the IFSTA (International Fire Service Training Assocation) Essentials of Firefighting 5[SUP]th[/SUP] Edition. Its 1440 pages broken into 23 chapters of the most exciting information EVAR.



http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_ifsta_essentials_5/80/20494/5246605.cw/index.html

In the state of NC, there are 21 classes for a total of 345 contact hours required to achieve your state certification. Rural department education is handled through the NC Community College system, and firefighters receive college credit for completing the courses. Larger departments that have full time paid personnel send firefighters through a 6 month rookie school to achieve certification. It took me almost 5 years of going to a weekly 3 hour Monday night meeting and 2 weekend seminars each year to achieve my certification. Compared to most volunteer firefighters, that was relatively quick. The listings of classes are listed below.


Requirements for NC Firefighter Level 1 and 2 Certification
FD Orientation and Safety
Fire Alarms and Communications
Fire Behavior
Portable Extinguishers
Personal Protective Equipment
Forcible Entry
Ventilation
Ropes
Ladders
Fire Hoses, Streams, and Appliances
Foam Fire Streams
Fire Control
Salvage
Overhaul
Emergency Medical Care
Rescue
Water Supplies
Sprinklers
Response to Haz-Mat and Terrorism
Fire Prevention, Education, and Causality
Building Construction

In addition to the basic firefighting classes listed above, there are other certifications NC Firefighters can achieve, which I’ll mention but not go into specifics.

Hazardous Materials Level 1 (Operations) and Level 2 (Technician) Certification
Driver Operator Aerial and Pumps
Rapid Intervention Team
Basic Rescue Tech
Emergency Rescue Tech
Technical Rescuer
Fire and Life Safety Educator
Emergency Vehicle Driver

We also fall under NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards which regulate equipment and tactics, OSHA, and the NIMS (National Incident Management System)



Equipment
In the early days of firefighting, your turnout gear was whatever you happened to be wearing at the time of the call. We progressed into rubber gear, and that evolved into the kevlar and nomex gear that we have today. Contrary to popular belief, firefighting gear is not fire proof. It will ignite if it gets hot enough. It is extremely fire resistant though. NFPA states that all firefighting gear must be rated at a TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) rating of 35. An easy way to transfer that number into time in heat is to cut your TPP rating in half, this is the number of seconds you have in 1,000 degrees. This means that we have about 18 seconds to in a room of 1,000 before we start feeling the heat. Essentially all structure fires will be in between 400 and 800 degrees unless there is an abundance of accelerants on fire. As a result, we rarely look at a fire while inside a structure. Almost all the time, we are flowing water as we go through the door. The gear is designed to reflect heat away from the body through multiple layers, but on the flip side, it also does an excellent job of keeping our body heat in. The gear itself weighs and additional 80 lbs, on top of working in conditions that routinely kill every living organism in sight, tends to build up a lot of heat. Our airpacks are designed to last 30 minutes, at which time you're so exhausted that you're ready to come out. The picture below is of a toy, but its the best example of everything a firefighter typically carries into a fire.

The cost to train and equip a firefighter is approximately $16,000.

Helmet: $ 225
Gloves: $ 95
Coat: $ 1,200
Pants: $ 900
Hood: $ 40
Boots: $ 235
SCBA: $4,300
Pager and Radio: $1,000
Training: $7,800

The SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) is one of the most important devices we carry with us with regards to structure fires. Without it, our interior firefighting capabilities would be severely limited. It functions much like scuba gear, except this piece covers your entire face and is not designed to be used under water. Until the 1970s, firefighters would enter buildings to put fires out with nothing but their mustaches to filter out the toxic smoke. As a result, firefighters from that time have rates of lung cancer that are comparable to coal miners. The bottles are designed to provide clean, cool air for up to 30 minutes. The more out of shape you are or the heavier you breath, you can suck down a tank faster than that, but on average they last about 30 minutes. In the picture below, the gauge on the right shows how much air is left in the tank. While on the body, its conveniently on your right shoulder so you can easily tell how much oxygen is left. Just in case the firefighter isnt paying attention to the gauge, as the supply of air approaches 5 minutes left, the mask will vibrate and make an audible noise to notify you to exit the structure.

Pass (Personal Alert Safety System) Devices are credited with saving thousands of downed or injured firefighters. They're integrated into the SCBA and are motion activated. Once the air pack is turned on, the PASS will alarm if no motion is sensed for 15 seconds. In the event of a down firefighter, the PASS will activate to alert others to the location of the firefighter. At 95 decibels, its impossible not to hear the alarm. PASS alarms also have a manual alert in case a firefighter were to get disoriented or need to call a "mayday".



One of the coolest parts about being a fireman is that we have some pretty badass tools to play with that the average person doesnt. We carry tools on each truck that will get us into or out of practically any building or situation know to man. We'd have a little trouble with a bank vault, but I pray I'll never have to work with one of those.

The most common tools are what we refer to as the "irons". That consists of a flathead axe and a halligan bar. Every crew entering a structure is supposed to have a set of irons with them. They're used to pry open doors, windows, or to break through walls.

Pike poles for pulling ceilings or breaking windows for ventilation.

Spanner wrenches are used at all facets of the fire scene. Anywhere there are hoses, spanner wrenches are nearby. They're used for tightening and loosening hose attachments.

One of my favorite toys is the K-12. Its a chain saw engine with a circular blade instead of a bar. The blades are interchangeable and can cut through anything from metal, masonry, or cement.

The Hurst Tool, commonly referred to as the Jaws of Life is probably the most recognizable piece of equipment we carry. Although it cuts very efficiently with its interior teeth, the primary purpose of the tool is for spreading rather than cutting. Its primarily used for vehicle extrication.

One of the more recent additions to our toolbag is the thermal imaging camera. We purchased our first in 2004 at a cost of $12,000. Since that time, the picture quality has improved greatly, and the cost has almost been cut in half. In a structure fire, there is very little light if any, due to the thick smoke. The cooler air is on the floor, which is why we crouch down. The camera allows us to quickly scan a room for occupants, and locate the fire if we're not able to see it. Its a great tool, but also a crutch. Too many firefighters tend to rely heavily on the camera for searches and ignore their other senses.

 

[tsywake]

Apparatus
Our first two fire engines were standard truck chassis with a special built bed with a pump built in. They were prone to breaking down, and since that time, NFPA has developed specific requirements for a truck to be "rated" a firetruck. NFPA requires that all current firetrucks be automatic transmission and run on diesel fuel. They're special built firefighting machines, and you pay for it. We operate 6 apparatus out of our department. We have 3 pumpers, a brush truck, a brush/quick response vehicle, and a support vehicle that we use as a rehab truck. Whereas large cities have specific crews to each truck, in the volunteer setting, we're called upon to operate each type apparatus depending on the situation and number of people responding.

Engines or Pumpers
Your basic run of the mill fire engine cost upwards of $150,000 - $600,000 depending on the specifications. To be a rated pumper, it must have a 1000 gallon per minute pump and carry at least 500 gallons of water. The primary purpose of the engine is to pump water, and it does that very effectively. Water can be sent to the engine via direct lines to hydrants, from one truck to another, or by large diameter hard suction hoses. Each of our engines carry 1000 gallons and have a 1000gpm pump. In cities, the engine crews, (sometimes referred to as truck crews) are the nozzlemen who's job is it go in and put the fire out. Here's a photo of a new engine one of our neighboring departments just purchased for a cool 1/2 million dollars.


Districts with large structures often have ladder trucks to help fight the fires. Ladder trucks are large, slow and take a relatively long time to set up, so when they arrive on scene it's typically going to be there for a while. New ladder trucks range from $400,000 - $3,000,000 and come in a few different styles. While engines also carry ladders, they're much shorter and the water capacity of a ladder truck rarely exceeds 300 gallons. A large water source must be nearby for ladder truck operations.

Tillers
The driver in the suicide seat has one of the coolest and scariest jobs in the world. The seat and turnable axle are there to help the large tiller to maneuver tight city streets. An experienced driver combo can turn the tiller around a corner comparable to a single axle fire engine. The crazy thing about the suicide driver is that in order to make the turn, he has to turn the wheel the opposite direction that you normally would in a standard vehicle. At last check, there were only two tiller trucks in NC.

The video is a good example of the maneuverability of the tiller.


Telesquirts
Anywhere from 50-100ft high and are usually not manned at the top. These are the fix it and forget it ladders. The nozzle on the end is can be set in a location and spray water continuously. These are very effective for large fires like fuel tanks or large structures with a very high fire load.

Aerial Platforms
Generally 85-100 ft high and add a rescue component to the ladder. The platform can be operated from the base of the ladder or from controls on the platform. The platform can hold up to two firefighters and has a water and oxygen capabilities.

Quints
The city of Salisbury NC switched primarily to Quints a few years back. They're a combination engine and ladder truck and derive their name from the 5 things it provides: a pump, a tank, hose, an aerial device, and ladders. They're considered the swiss army knives of fire apparatus. These apparatus can single handedly accomplish any task on the fire scene.

Tankers
They're just as the name implies, mobile tanks. The pumps can be rated as low as 300 gallons per minute, and up to 1000. Their purpose is just to deliver water from point a to point b. They carry over 1000 gallons of water and some of the super tankers can carry up to 3000 gallons. They're built for mostly for rural locations where its difficult to get water to the fire.

Rescue
Called when someone needs to be freed from a potentially deadly situation. In large cities, the rescue trucks handle all of the vehicle extrications, water extrications, trench extrications, and are also the guys who search the structure for missing persons during a fire. These apparatus are big and boxy and carry no firefighting equipment. Their equipment is solely used for freeing trapped individuals. Our rescue squad is a centrally located department that is dispatched with the fire departments when calls come in for water rescues or extrications. Independent rescue squad apparatus are generally green and white.

Wildland/Brush Trucks
These apparatus are found in rural areas that have heavily wooded areas, or large tracts of land off the main road, away from hydrants or water sources. They have 4x4 capabilities, and can go almost anywhere. They're lighter, and carry specialized equipment for fighting wildfires and also carry rugged rescue equipment. Below (ignore the hideous green color...it was the rave in the 80s) is our brush truck.



To aid in departments with even more rugged terrain, manufacturers have started building an urban wildland interface style brush truck. These are a little larger, carry more water, and the frame and axles are set higher off the ground.

Quick Response Vehicles
Since the number of fires has dropped steadily since the 1970s, fire departments have taken on a larger presence for EMS calls. We are now dispatched to assist the EMS on every medical call they receive. Most EMS services have a couple bases throughout the city or county and firefighters, being in the community, can arrive on scene faster. Rather than responding with the large engines that get horrific fuel mileage, departments are choosing to purchase quick response vehicles like SUV's. They're less cumbersome than standard fire trucks, and can arrive on scene much quicker. Below is an example of a Chevy Suburban that has been converted into a QRV, and the 2nd picture is our Brush/QRV hybrid.






ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting)
These have to be the most badass firetrucks on earth. You'll find them at airports across the world. While capable of deploying handlines, there is rarely a need to. The driver controlls the deluge gun on top of the truck via remote controlled from the drivers seat. One person can drive the truck, operate the pump, and extinguish the fire all without leaving the air conditioned and heated cab. These are some of the best paid firefighters in the country, and its an honor to be chosen for one of those jobs.

These trucks rarely leave airport property, but these O'Hare Airport ARFF are training on a simulated airplane crash into an apartment building.



Compensation
While I am not directly paid for being a firefighter, there are some financial compensations in NC. Some departments pay their volunteers on a per call basis up to a certain amount. We don't do that, but we do receive a $250 additional tax credit from the state of NC for being a firefighter. Any mileage accrued on my personal vehicle responding to calls, or going to and from training meetings is also tax deductible. In addition, NC has a pension program for paid and volunteer firefighters. It costs $120 per year to purchase into the pension, and you're vested after 20 years. Upon retirement, the state will send a check for the remainder of your life. The current payout is $170 a month, and the amount is re-evaluated every couple years. For more information.

9/11
9/11 is a very sad and somber day for the fire service. Its a day in which we reflect on the 343 Brothers in the FDNY who gave their lives trying to save others. We hold memorial services at our stations, and sponsor remembrances in our towns. We vow to never forget the sacrifices of the FDNY that day. It is the largest single loss of life in the fire service. Until that day, the most lives lost on any given incident was 14 during a wildfire in Colorado in 1994. Entire crews from stations were lost. Firefighting is passed on from generation to generation, and some families lost multiple members. Thankfully its a record that I don't ever see being eclipsed. Even though none of us were at the World Trade Center that day, we can all relate to the thoughts and decisions of those firefighters. Many of them knew that call would be their last, knew that they would not come out of there alive, but still went in anyways. There were people that needed help, people that would surely die without their help. It was their jobto try and save them, and they were willing to give their lives to save others.9/11 changed the American public's opinion of firefighters. Like so much in the fire service, its difficult to put into words, but I'll try here in and in the next two topics. We get a lot of flack, and in many ways, its a thankless trade. For the first time, people took a step back to show their appreciation for the sacrifices we make day in and day out. Its sad that it took a national tragedy for it to happen, but is the reality of it. 9/11 is what drove me to become a firefighter. Sitting there on my couch with my college roomates in Polo dorm, I said to myself that I needed to do something. Due to sports injuries in high school, I could never keep up with the physical demands of serving in the military, and I was enthralled with the actions of the FDNY. I wanted to join them, to be like them. As a remembrance of the events from that day, I have a poster of the picture below, and it hangs above my front door. It's there so that each time I leave, I'll remember. Its very symbolic of the mindset of firefighters, and something that is difficult to understand unless you've been there.

The Brotherhood
There is a common bond amongst firefighters that ties us together like very few other professions. There's a mutual respect because we can relate to what others go through. My wife is amazed that driving down the road, even in other states we salute or wave at each other as we pass. In a fire, you rely on each other for everything. One person could never do it on their own, its too physically demanding. Our lives depend on knowing when and where your crewmembers will be, and knowing if something happens to you, they'll get you out. When we (fire service as a whole) lose a firefighter we all feel for the pain. When one hurts, we all hurt. Having never met the person, we'll travel across the country to the funeral for no other reason than to show our appreciation for their service and to help their brothers grieve. Its a bond like nothing else I've ever experienced. I've never known a firefighter's funeral to be anything but standing room only. When one of us dies in the line of duty, we send apparatus to join the procession whenever a firefighter's body is transported, be it from the hospital to the funeral home, or during the actual funeral procession, regardless of the distance. It's important for the fallen firefighter and their family to know they're not alone, we'll always be there. We line each overpass and salute them as the procession passes. I've been a part of a few different processions, and words cannot express the gut punch I felt when I look around and see burly, grown men moved to tears over someone they've never met. Drum and Pipes are the traditional music for firefighters and they're present at every funeral or parade.

In the March of 2008, Salisbury NC lost two firefighters in a millwork fire. The following videos (sorry for the quality) show portions of the procession and ceremony.

At 3 minutes into the video, it marks the start of the "Return to Quarters", which is the traditional ceremony for firefighters who fall in the line of duty.


You're welcome to watch the entire video, but there's a video of the procession starting at the 5 minute mark. This was taken on I-85 near Kannapolis as their bodies were being returned to Salisbury from the hospital in Charlotte.


Psychology of Firemen
It takes a special person to be a firefighter. What we do in inherently deadly and dangerous, and we realize that going into it. We run to situations that most everyone else runs away from. I think a lot of times, firefighting is glamorized to be something different than reality. We're surrounded by death and despair on a daily basis. We don't get called because people want to invite us for a beer and a cookout. When we get called, the person is having the worst day of their life, and is likely to die without our intervention. Its a sad and emotionally draining activity. Occasionally there are uplifting stories of rescues or saving someone's life but they are few and far between relative to the ones we cant save. I carry along a ton of emotional baggage from the experiences I've had in the fire service, things I wish I could get rid of in my mind, but have not so far. I've had 5 people die in my arms over the years, and I can remember every minute detail of the last moments of their lives. Hell, I cant always remember what I did yesterday, but I cant forget the sights, sounds, and smells surrounding their deaths. Not a day goes by that I don't see at least one of them when I close my eyes, and generally its more than one. They randomly show up in my dreams, when they have no reason to be there, and I've woken up with my heart racing and a cold sweat more times than I can count.

From my experience, firefighters are typically broken into two distinct personalities. The quiet and reserved ones who tend to compartmentalize everything (which I am), and those who are loud, boisterous, and wear their emotions on their sleeve. Both are traditional ways of coping, and neither one is really healthy. I assume soldiers go through similar experiences, but its difficult to try and explain our experiences to someone not baptized in fire. Its even more difficult for spouses to know what to say or do after we get back from a traumatizing call. As a result, firefighters have one of the highest divorce rates of any profession. In the past decade, as an organization we've begun to tackle the emotional trauma that firefighters go through with Critical Stress Debriefings and bringing in counselors if needed. For me, after a call, I'll pour a glass of good bourbon and sit by myself for a few minutes to wind down after an especially difficult call.

If you made it through the last few paragraphs, I commend you. Sorry about the doom and gloom, but its essential in understanding what firefighters go through. People often ask why we do what we do, and the reasons are as diverse as the people giving them. For me, its helping people. If someone is in need of help, and I'm able to give it, then I want to. The appreciation people have for trying to help them in their time of despair is quite powerful. Its what drives me to keep going every time the alarm sounds.

One of my favorite quotes about fire is from the movie Backdraft. Brian McCaffrey is learning about fire investigation from the seasoned Fire Marshall.
In a word, Brian,what is this job all about? Fire.
It's a living thing, Brian. It breathes, it eats, and it hates. The only way to beat it...is to think like it; to know this flame will spread this way across the door... and up across the ceiling; not because of the physics of flammable liquids, but because it wants to. Some guys, fire owns 'em. Makes 'em fight it on its level. But the only way to truly kill it...is to love it a little, just like Ronald.

House fires are one of the most amazing and terrifying things on the planet. Contrary to what science tells us, fire really is alive. You cant fully apprecaite until it you see fire on its own level. The sights and sounds of fire as it progresses through the various stages of a burn are like nothing else on earth. Each time I enter a burning house, I pause for a couple seconds to get my bearings. The only way to fully snuff out a fire, is to know what its doing, and what it'll want to do and cut it off before it acts. Even through the darkness, you can still hear and sense what the fire is doing, even if you cannot see it. It cracks, pops, hisses, and moans as its working its way through the house, and even has a faint scream as its being extinguished. Its scary in its own regard, and if a firefighter tells you he's not the slightest bit scared when going into a fire, he's lying. We're trained with physics on our side, but there's still a level of uncertainty each time we go in. That's the thrill of it all. No two fires will be alike.


Firefighting in Television/Movies

TV

Emergency (1972-1979)
Emergency wasnt the first firefighter show to hit television, but it is tied for the longest running series. It follows Roy and John with LA County's Rescue 51, and does a great job of showing the life of firefighters back in the 1970s. IMO, its the truest to form of all firefighting shows. It was on air during the great revolution in firefighting in America. Until that time, ambulances were either run out of the hospitals or funeral homes. The only thing the ambulance was used for was to transport patients from the scene to the hospital. Very little if any medical care was given. In a pilot program, hospitals trained "Paramedics" in the fire departments to treat patients on the scene and en route to the hospital. It was revolutionary at the time, but has since come commonplace.

Rescue Me (2004-2011)
Rescue Me follows Engine and Ladder 62 in the years post 9/11. The best part of the show was how well they conveyed the emotional inner demons that firefighters have. It really brought the struggles to the forefront, aided by Dennis Leary as Tommy Gavin. Along with Emergency, it ties the longest running firefighter show on tv at 7 years.

Chicago Fire (2012-)
Chicago Fire is currently airing on NBC, and IMO the verdict is still out on it. Parts of it are a little too dramatic for my tastes, and they dont always follow protocols like we're required to in real life. A lot of them had to be adjusted for tv though, so I can see why the changes were made.

The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Towering Inferno is one of Steve McQueens best movies outside of The Great Escape. It eerily parallels what would eventually happen to the World Trade Center on 9/11. The building is the worlds tallest, and there is an electrical malfunction that causes a fire during the grand opening, trapping people in the penthouse. The movie follows their struggles as they attempt to free the people before the fire consumes them.

Backdraft (1991)
In my opinion, the best firefighting movie of all time. Some of the scenes are not realistic (entering fires without scba's on), but like Chicago Fire, some corners have to be cut for the story to work on film. Nobody wants to hear a bunch of firefighters mumbling through their scbas during the action scenes. Backdraft delves into the psychy of firefighters and has some pretty incredible fire scenes.

Ladder 49 (2004)
Ladder 49 takes place in Baltimore, and overall is a solid movie. It focuses on the family life of firefighters, better than other movies have in the past. There are a few inconsistencies I noted the first time I watched the move, but most non firefighters would never know the difference. The funeral scene depicts the mood, pomp and circumstance of a firefighter's funeral better than any other move I've seen.

Burn: A Year with the Detroit Fire Department
This is a documentary that I'm really excited about. For a year, a film crew follows the Detroit fire department with incredible access. Nothing is staged, its raw in all its glory. I'm planning on heading to Charlotte later this week to catch one of the screenings.

http://detroitfirefilm.org/
The Short Version

The Long Version




Cool Stories Hansel

Go Home Fisherman, You're Drunk
A few guys were fishing from the bank of the Yadkin River one night, and were drinking. One guy had so many bears that was too drunk to stand up from the stump he was sitting on. Instead he fell down and rolled into the river. Problem was, he couldnt swim. We get called and after a few hours of searching with boats and people on shore, he was found 1/2 mile down river clutching an overhanging tree.

Playing with C4
There were some kids who were playing around in their grandfather's shop and came across some blasting caps for dynamite. He worked for the NCDOT back in the 40s and 50s and brought them home to blast stumps in his yard. The kids brought one into the house and their parents freaked out. The bomb squad was called and they called us to stand by as they disposed of them. They used C4 to blow them up, which was pretty awesome to see.

10 Mile Fire
We get a call one night of multiple fires along the side of the road over a 10 mile stretch. Every few hundred feet we found a small fire. We were extremely fortunate that this particular night had an unusually heavy dew. As a result, the fires were kept very small. What ended up happening was a guy had been cooking at a family function with a large, tow behind charcoal grill. As he was bringing the grill home, the embers and coals were still active, and each time he'd hit a bump a few would dump out. We were able to get one of our neighboring departments to head him off and finally put out the coals. We ended up with nearly 30 separate fires on the side of the road that night.

Pyromaniacal Squirrels
A guy decides to burn a large brush pile in his back yard that has been building up for a few years. He lights it off, and a few minues later a squirrel runs out with his tail on fire. The squirrel starts a new fire each time the tail touches the ground. The squirrel runs up the side of his house and dies in the cutter, catching the pine needles on fire, which in turn caught the guy's house on fire. Moral of the story, dont fuck with squirrels, they'll get you in the end.

The Talking Goat
We responded one time to a missing person call that turned out to be a goat tied up in a barn. The goat kept screaming, and it sounded clear as day like it was saying "help me", "help me".

Magnesium Engine Block Fires
While the video below isnt our department, its a great example of the difficulties we have while putting out some fires. Magnesium components are often used in foreign cars, most notably VW Bugs, and when burning, magnesium and water dont play nice. I cant count the number of ruined turnout gear we've had over the years due to the explosions.


Campifire Loving
A teenage couple decided to have a romantic evening in the woods behind one of their houses, complete with a campfire. Wisely, they built the campfire in the middle of a gravel drive, so as to limit the chances of catching the woods on fire. All was fine and well until after the deed, the girl had to go to the bathroom. She gets in the car to drive back to the house, and instead of putting it in reverse, she drives the car over the campfire. In a panic, she stops and jumps out of the car. Car is instantly engulfed in fire. I hope it was good, because their parents were none too pleased with them.

We Got Hail
The most terrified I've personally ever been on a fire call was in the spring of 2008. A severe line of thunderstorms was coming through the area and it spawned a tornado. We get dispatched to a structural collapse. Its dark and we're driving to the scene when there's a large flash of lightning. The entire sky lights up and directly in front of us is the tornado. It makes my hair stand on end even now thinking about it. It was absolutely terrifying, and nothing like I ever expected it to look like. The light made it purple, and while relatively small, the debris it was kicking up was pretty widespread. I think what made it so terrifying was the thought of it moving through the night quickly and out of sight, only knowing the location when lightning would strike, just waiting to pounce on someone else's home. After the storm had passed, we spent the rest of the night going house to house in the district checking on everyone. Some homes were completely destroyed while their next door neighbors had zero damage. One of the lasting memories for me is the eerie silence of the night. You heard no animals, no insects, just silence.

Night of Terror
This is probably one of the more famous calls our FD has ever responded to. It was before my time, but a guy decides he wants to kill his separated wife and daughter. He shows up with guns and hand grenades. The family escapes, and he yells for a neighbor to call 911 because the home is on fire. He sets the fire, barricades himself inside and starts shooting that the first arriving apparatus, who had no idea there was an armed man inside the home. They quickly radiod for all other personnel to stage away from the scene and hid behind the trucks as he continued to shoot at them. Finally he took his own life.

 

[tsywake]

I've been talking with OGB, and hopefully this will encourage others to continue the lecture series. It was something I really enjoyed reading back in the day.

 

[timdunkandthefunk]

Just fantastic. I loved all the personal stories.

 

[TownieDeac]

Tagger can DIAF, but then again, tsy would prolly save his ungrateful ass.
This is awesome, tsy. Can't wait to read in depth tonight after work.

 

[wakephan09]

Awesome -- can't wait to read after work (or during work).

 

[DeaconPeach]

Well-done, tsy!

 

[cookoutdeac]

Good read. Defs got quite sad during some parts. :tear:

 

[WakeGal]

I'm always amazed at the brotherhood and bonding within the fire department. From what I have seen, it is stronger than that in the police departments. Having several family members and friends that are firefighters, it is amazing to watch the brotherhood bonding.

TSY touched on it, but March 7, 2008 was a devastating day within Salisbury/Rowan County with the mill fire. To give you some idea, I can still remember where I was and what I was doing when I found out about it. It was the beginning of Spring Break and I drove home concerned as to if one of my best friends from high school and her father had made it out. I had already been able to confirm that they were both there.

Each year in Salisbury, firefighters and individuals throughout the community still remember the fire and Justin Monroe and Victor Isler. During the annual Christmas Parade, there will be silence followed by cheers as the Salisbury Fire Department walks down Main Street carrying the helmets of both firefighters.

Victor Isler had left NYC after 9/11 to become a firefighter.

Justin Monroe was 19 years old. He was a volunteer firefighter in addition to working for the city of Salisbury. In August of this year, the department that he volunteered with was dealt another blow when they were called out to a wreck with fatality. It was Justin Monroe's father.

 

[bmoneydeac]

very interesting, thanks for sharing.

 

[cookoutdeac]

What exactly do you mean by the "suicide seat" on the Tiller?

 

[tsywake]

I'm always amazed at the brotherhood and bonding within the fire department. From what I have seen, it is stronger than that in the police departments. Having several family members and friends that are firefighters, it is amazing to watch the brotherhood bonding.

I tried to go into a more detailed explanation in the lecture, but each time I would, to me it came across as more confusing. In the end, I took it out and left the brief overview.



The first time I saw Ladder 49, we had a call with a neighboring department the following week for a grain bin explosion. You cant imagine the trepidation I had climbing to the top of the 10 story grain bin. At that point, I made a conscious decision....my fatass isnt going any higher than 2 stories unless there is someone's life at stake. Heights and I do not agree with each other.

 

[tsywake]

What exactly do you mean by the "suicide seat" on the Tiller?

The guy who rides on the very back controlling the back axle. He's at the mercy of the driver in the cab for speed and braking. He can only control the direction the rear of the tiller goes.

 

[DeaconCav06]

On the 9/11 anniversary this year cnbc was showing the live coverage from '01. It was so surreal watching those firefighters march up the street and into the building knowing what was coming.

 

[awakeandready]

Can't wait to read this when I can take some time and not be distracted by silly work.

 

[tsywake]

On the 9/11 anniversary this year cnbc was showing the live coverage from '01. It was so surreal watching those firefighters march up the street and into the building knowing what was coming.

One of the most lasting images from that day for me is Mike Kehoe. He famously was photographed walking up the stairs to the North Tower as the rest were coming down. On the 10 year anniversary, UK's Mirror did a then and now story on him, which is a pretty interesting read.

 

[TownieDeac]

Awesome stuff, tsy, thanks for putting this together. I was very surprised to read that 10% of firefighter casualties come from training. That seems very high.

 

[tsywake]

While training is inherently dangerous as well, the stats can be a little misleading. People do die during training accidents, but they also classify a Line of Duty Death as up to 24 hours post training or a call for certain medical conditions. If a firefighter were to train, and has a heart attack within 24 hours, its considered attributed to the training. Likewise, if I am injured or die responding to or returning home from a call, I'll be covered.

Firefighters who qualify for a line of duty death have close to a half million dollars due to their families through different payouts, pensions, and insurance when you combine state and federal benefits. Its a reassurance that if we were to die, our families would not be financially burdened.

 

[ImTheCaptain]

One thing that puzzles me is why the local fire dept. is dispatched whenever the EMTs are sent out?

 

[tsywake]

EMT certification is pretty much expected for all professional firefighting jobs in the US, as the majority of calls has transitioned from actual fires to more medical related issues. There are two main types of medical care, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS). The FD EMTs operate as a BLS unit, which means we're EMT-B's, whereas the ambulances are ALS and run EMT-P's (Paramedics). Some departments have BLS ambulances that are dispatched to certain type calls, say a broken bone or minor injury. As basics, we arent allowed to start IV's or push drugs like the Paramedics can. We're dispatched along with them because we are typically closer to the scenes than the EMS bases are, and can start administering care prior to their arrival. Larger cities (Chicago, NY, Boston) have incorporated the EMS into the Fire Department, but in NC they're separate. The county typically operates the EMS units, and the FD's are all organized and operated locally. We have one EMS charter in the county, and 13 independent fire department charters. Our county has 4 full time ambulance crews, which breaks down to just over 10,000 citizens per unit. Two units are located in the largest city in the county, which happens to be centrally located, and there are two outposts in opposite corners of the county each with one additional unit. Most of the time we can get there within 5 minutes of the call, where it may take the ambulance 10-12 minutes to arrive on scene. Ideally you want, the ALS unit to arrive on scene in 15 minutes or less.