Why Everyone Goes Home doesn’t always mean “Everyone Goes Home.”

Copied from backstepfirefighter.com:


I think I finally put it all together….I understand it now.  Call it an epiphany or a moment of clarity, but suddenly it all made sense.  During a recent class the instructor made several references to the standard EGH ethos, “We come first” and “Risk a lot to save a lot”.  As I listened though, I understood that while he spoke of these things, his perspective was different.  And then it became clear.

I saw this post on the Fire Service Warrior forum and thought I would share it:

There is a great book by Malcom Gladwell titled, Outliers about expert performers. The realization that has occurred, because of work by researches like K. Anders Ericsson, is that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert performer. That's why we can't accept that three hours a quarter of live fire training is enough. That is why we have to live and breathe this profession. The best way to reduce the risk of firefighting is to be an expert. So, how many hours are you devoting to fighting fire? How much studying are you doing, how many videos are you studying, how many hours do you spend preparing for the fireground?
I have a couple of suggestions for getting those sets-and-reps in.
1. Every building you walk up to take a minute and do a size up. What is the construction? Where are the bedrooms/high life hazard areas at?
2. Every shift day go through the process of calling a MAYDAY. If you ever need to you want it to be as automatic as possible.
3. Watch YouTube videos of building fires and ignore the tactics - just watch the fire behavior. Learn to anticipate what is coming next.

Course Registration

On September 26, 2011 I distributed an SOG titled Course Registration Process. This SOG explains the proper way to apply for fire academy courses and the proper way to fill out registration forms. Four months later I continue to receive registration forms that are filled out incorrectly. Effective immediately, I will not correct any mistakes on registration forms and any form not filled out properly will be returned to your Battalion Chief, no exceptions.

Captain Earle

Region 5 Course Update

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

·        2150-12-504, ISO, scheduled to start 2/18 at City of Charleston Fire Dept will go---there is one space remaining in this class

·        2147-12-506, NIMS ICS, scheduled to start 2/20 at Beaufort Fire Dept will go

·        2728-12-504, Haz Mat Ops, scheduled to start 2/20 at Jasper Co Fire Dept will go

·        1225-12-502, Pumper Testing, scheduled to start 2/21 at Berkeley Co ESTC will go

·        1136-12-502, FLAG, scheduled to start 2/23 at Summerville Fire Dept has been cancelled

·        3310-12-505, Rope Rescue, scheduled to start 2/24 at MCAS Beaufort will go---this class is full

·        1250-12-505, Aerial Ops, scheduled to start 2/27 at Summerville Fire Dept will go

·        2130-12-503, Bldg Const: N/C, scheduled to start 3/6 at Beaufort Fire Dept will go

·        3310-12-506, Rope Rescue, scheduled to start 3/12 at Berkeley Co ESTC will go

·        1221-12-503, Pump Ops II, scheduled to start 3/13 at St. John’s Fire Dept will go

·        2118-12-508, PICO, scheduled to start 3/13 at St. Andrew’s Fire Dept will go

·        2154-12-504, I-400, scheduled to start 3/13 at MCAS Beaufort Fire Dept will go

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

·        8335-12-502, Intro  to Wildland/Urban, scheduled to start 2/27 at Colleton Co Fire/Rescue (need 10 more students)---this class cuts off Friday morning!

·        2118-12-507, PICO, scheduled to start 3/7 at Isle of Palms Fire Dept (need 1 more student)

·        1210-12-511, EVDT, scheduled to start 3/13 at Summerville Fire Dept (need 1 more student)

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

• Posted by Paul Combs on January 9, 2012 at 3:26pm

It is a fresh new year - full of hopes, dreams, and challenges. Many of us will use the new year as a launching pad for personal improvement and an opportunity to accomplish important goals. Maybe yours is to advance within your department, to finally run that extra mile, or simply lose a few pounds - whatever it is, it's a great time reevaluate and implement a new you!
However, change - real change - starts from within! Change your own attitude and outlook on life before expecting others to do the same. Because when you come right down to it, you are the only person you can change - but your actions will influence many others to follow.

Quote of the Week

"Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

Theodore Roosevelt

Randolph Firefighter CLOSE CALL caught on the Fire Helmet Camera