Region 5 Course Update

The following courses are in danger of cancelling (low enrollment):

·        2118-12-505, PICO, scheduled to start 1/7 at City of Charleston Fire Dept (need 8 more students)

·        3330-12-505, Auto Extrication, scheduled to start 1/7 at Goose Creek Rural Fire Dept (need 14 more students)

·        8118-12-503, PPV, scheduled to start 1/7 at Berkeley Co ESTC (need 13 more students)

·        1152-12-505, Fund of FF, scheduled to start 1/10 at Berkeley Co ESTC (need 8 more students)

·        1152-12-506, Fund of FF, scheduled to start 1/10 at Hampton Co Fire Dept (need 2 more students)

·        2153-12-504, I-300, scheduled to start 1/21 at City of Charleston Fire Dept 9need 3 more students)

·        1153-12-507, FFI, scheduled to start 1/23 at Summerville Fire Dept (need 1 more student)

·        1210-12-508, EVDT, scheduled to start 1/23 at Burton Fire Dept (need 10 students)

·        2113-12-503, FSS: Personal, scheduled to start 1/23 at Beaufort Fire Dept (need 12 students)

·        2727-12-502, Haz Mat Awareness, scheduled to start 1/23 at Colleton Co Fire/Rescue (need 9 more students)

·        2118-12-506, PICO, scheduled to start 1/27 at Hilton Head Island Fire/Rescue (need 10 more students)

·        8118-12-504, PPV, scheduled to start 1/28 at Hampton Co Fire Dept (need 15 students)

·        1210-12-509, EVDT, scheduled to start 1/30 at Isle of Palms Fire Dept (need 10 students)

·        2153-12-505, I-300, scheduled to start 1/30 at MCAS Beaufort (need 10 more students)

Colorado Firefighters Recall Intense Close Call

http://www.firefighternation.com/videos/colorado-firefighters-recall-intense-close-call

'Black Sunday' Firefighter Hero Found Dead In LI Home

http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-black-sunday-firefighter-hero-found-dead,0,4153382.story

Vehicle Fire Safety

While it is easy to sit back and critique an obvious lack of fundamentals, none of us are immune to making mistakes. The more complicated this job becomes, the more important it becomes for us to train on the basics. After the video, discuss the firefighting basics that were forgotten here. Here are a couple of my observations; what else did you notice and what would you do?

1. Stage upwind/uphill whenever possible.
2. Chock the wheels.
3. Don't stretch the line through burning fuel.
4. Attack from a 45 degree angle.
5. Water supply and back-up, this isn't your typical vehicle fire.
6. Every vehicle fire is a haz-mat incident.

Is Your Engine Company Combat Ready?

Check out the link for a good blog about combat readiness for engine companies. Be honest with yourself; are you as combat-ready as you should be? Read this blog with your crew and discuss other ways to become a more combat-ready engine company.

http://www.fireengineering.com/blogs/blognetwork/nick-martin/2011/11/what-is-a-combat-ready-engine-company.html

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy  Thanksgiving and thank you for all of your hard work and enthusiasm in training. For those of you on duty, enjoy your Thanksgiving but remember, fire doesn't care what day it is; every day is a training day. Be safe.

Collapse Close Call

National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System: Garage Fires

http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2011/11/near-miss-garage-fires.html

SCFA Course Dates January-June 2012

The new course dates are out. Make sure you sign up early for any course that you wish to take or need for promotion. Here is the link:

http://www.scfa.state.sc.us/PDF/Jan.%20-%20June%202012%20Public%20FS%20Course%20Dates.pdf

Quote of the Week

“If you only do what you’ve always done, you’ll only be as good as you’ve ever been.” (Robert “Bob” Murgallis)

The Company Officer: The Perfect Training Officer

Check out the link for a good article about company training. Remember, if you are the senior member of your company, YOU are the company officer.

http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-162/issue-7/features/the-company-officer-the-perfect-training-officer.html

Quote of the Week

"I frequently remind the men of my truck company, 'You may not fight fire every day or every week like they do in the Bronx or in L.A., but fire here won't care; it doesn't know you're not a New Yorker, and it won't wait for you to explain, but it'll expect you to start actin' like one.'" — Captain Ben Fleagle, firefighter in Alaska

You're First-Due: What Would You Do?

Test your strategy & tactics skills on this bread-and-butter house fire by clicking on the following link:

http://www.firefighternation.com/article/training-0/first-due-what-would-you-do

Dangers of Modern Firefighting

We all know that fires burn much hotter and faster than they did 30-40 years ago. This video produced by the UL clearly shows why interior firefighting is far more dangerous now that it used to be. Combine the speed of fire development with lightweight roof construction and it is no wonder why we are getting killed in structure fires at a higher rate than in the past.

Be a Student of Your Profession

Below is a link to a great short article by Battalion Chief John Salka, FDNY.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4760/is_201106/ai_n57807806/

Bread and Butter Operations

Saw this on http://www.safefirefighter.com/ this morning.

Below is a great video of bread and butter firefighting at a DC house fire.  I originally caught this video on www.backstepfirefighter.com.  Over there, Bill Carey pointed out how efficiently the engine crews got the lines to the Charlie side.
Typically, the Charlie side of a structure is an after thought (or an uh-oh thought) until something back their grabs our attention.  Always remember there are six sides to every fire.
Speaking of which, also notice the number and placement of ground ladders (all visible sides are laddered).

I would also like to point out the one-man ladder raises, which happens to be one of our training topics this week. You can see how quickly the building can be laddered using this technique. The Brothers working on the floor above the fire are now much safer with multiple egress options.

One-Man Ladder Throw, A Critical RIT Skill

Laddering a building to create secondary means of egress has a huge impact on firefighter safety. Profiency in the one-man ladder raise allows the RIT to throw multiple ladders simultaneously.

Quote of the Week

"The best thing an old firefighter can teach a young firefighter is how to become an old firefighter."

Chicago Fire Department Mayday 12-22-10

Houston Firefighter Mayday

FDNY "Black Sunday" Bailout

Click here for the complete audio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXo25xL01MM&feature=related

Firefighter MAYDAY call's

Region 5 Class Update

This is a brief update on some of our upcoming catalog classes:

·        1220-12-506, Pump Ops, scheduled to start 11/28 at Summerville Fire Dept will go---this class is full

·        1221-12-501, Pump Ops II, scheduled to start 12/3 at Burton Fire Dept will go

·        3310-12-504, Rope Rescue, scheduled to start 12/5 at James Island Fire Dept will go---this class is full

·        1250-12-504, Aerial Ops, scheduled to start 12/6 at Hilton Head Fire/Rescue will go---this class is full

·        1221-12-502, Pump Ops II, scheduled to start 12/10 at Colleton Co Fire/Rescue will go

·        2154-12-503, I-400, scheduled to start 12/10 at North Charleston Fire Dept will go

The following class is in danger of cancelling (low enrollment):

·        2173-12-502, Leadership III, scheduled to start 12/10 at Bluffton Fire Dept (need 4 students)

Video: Wall Collapses on Ind. Firefighter at Warehouse Fire

Check out the link for video of the collapse.

http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/video-wall-collapses-ind-firefighter-warehouse-fire