This blog is directed at the engineers. Do you know what those initials above mean? You should. Do you know what nozzles your department utilizes? Automatic? Manual? You should. Do you know what PDP you, as the engineer, should be supplying on each of those lines? You should!
I did a TON of math last shift. Although it gave me a headache, it was also like a cool breeze in the face. Because of our new Chief, I'm not afraid to propose this kind of stuff anymore. Yes, I'm still a little gun shy. Had the "I'm the god damn Fire Chief!" mentality for 21 years, so it's understandable. But halfway through it, Chief Mudryk was "YES YES YES!!! Go with it!" So, I did! And my research results surprised me!
Do you know what your crew is flowing at the end of the line that you are in control of? I bet you think you do, and I'd double the odds that you really don't know. Nothing personal. But you're probably wrong. If you got it right, I apologize! But, I'm here to tell you that my FD has been doing it WRONG as long as I can remember.
This blog is just an introductory. We'll get into the math, algebra, and physics later. And I hope a discussion! This is important stuff. For example, I discovered that even though my FD has our nozzles set at 125 GPM, we were flowing MUCH less. Like in the 92 GPM range! There have been times when we were down in the 45 GPM range! My friggin garden hose will flow 20 GPM! Think about that for a second.
Watering my flowers is NOT the same as protecting my crew when things go south. What the hell are you gonna do in a flashover, a SPLIT SECOND DECISION, with 45 GPM?
You're gonna die, and take your crew with you, that's what your gonna do.
We're gonna get in to GPM vs BTU in the next blog, and all kinds of other cool hydraulics. But it all boils down to doing the best we can do, taking your crew to Hell to do what they're trained to do, then bringing them home!
I'm excited about this one, look for the next blog later this week!
Stay safe out there gang, it's a jungle!
PDP - Pump Discharge Pressure
FL - Friction Loss
NP - Nozzle Pressure
GPM - Gallons Per Minute
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Give them the best chance!
I read an article the other day written by Brian Brush. Never met the man, he's in Colorado, I'm in Ohio. But I was fortunate enough to talk to him via Fire Engineering's webcast radio show a few months ago. Super nice guy, and he's a Warrior.
I guess the best way to go about blogging what's on my mind right now is to share the article first. It's short and sweet.
Go read this:
Fire Engineering, Brian Brush
OK. Welcome back! Kinda harsh reading, but it hits home don't it? I posted earlier in this blog about most of the time our citizens only call 911 once in their lives. Don't we owe it to them to give them the best chance? I think we do.
The big TONKA truck you ride on, your salary (if you get one), all the cool tools you get to play with, the fuel in the rig, the station itself, all of it. That costs a bundle! Where does the money come from? That person calling 911, for the first time of their life, at 03:00 in the morning. They pay for all of that shit.
And all they ask in return, is the best chance at getting out of their particular problem.
I've found myself in a sort of a funk lately. Getting up in the middle of the night because someone else has a problem, and bitching about it the whole way there. I know how to fix the problem (training!) why don't you? Why are you calling 911 because you smell something funny? Why are you calling 911 because your wife has "poop cramps"? Why are you calling 911 because you got really drunk and did something stupid? Then we get there, and find and fix the problem, and our citizen is overjoyed, and thanking us. Then I fell like a piece of shit for bitching on the way there. NOT cool!
The answer is simple. Because they don't know what else to do but call us, the problem solvers! And we owe it to them to show up and solve the problem. No matter how small or trivial it may seem to us. To them, it's HUGE, that's why they called 911! Not saying they are stupid, or substandard citizens, but saying we have more training and better tools. They have thought of absolutely everything they could have, and as a last resort they call us to fix the problem.
How friggin cool is that? That's an honor that shouldn't be taken lightly. Like I've been doing. Like Brian Brush was doing. Yes, the mutts get you down, and the job becomes a job. But we all need to take a step back sometimes and think about what it is we're doing, and why we're at the fire station instead of at home with our families.
We're there because we're Warriors. And we're the best chance they have.
Write that down!
I guess the best way to go about blogging what's on my mind right now is to share the article first. It's short and sweet.
Go read this:
Fire Engineering, Brian Brush
OK. Welcome back! Kinda harsh reading, but it hits home don't it? I posted earlier in this blog about most of the time our citizens only call 911 once in their lives. Don't we owe it to them to give them the best chance? I think we do.
The big TONKA truck you ride on, your salary (if you get one), all the cool tools you get to play with, the fuel in the rig, the station itself, all of it. That costs a bundle! Where does the money come from? That person calling 911, for the first time of their life, at 03:00 in the morning. They pay for all of that shit.
And all they ask in return, is the best chance at getting out of their particular problem.
I've found myself in a sort of a funk lately. Getting up in the middle of the night because someone else has a problem, and bitching about it the whole way there. I know how to fix the problem (training!) why don't you? Why are you calling 911 because you smell something funny? Why are you calling 911 because your wife has "poop cramps"? Why are you calling 911 because you got really drunk and did something stupid? Then we get there, and find and fix the problem, and our citizen is overjoyed, and thanking us. Then I fell like a piece of shit for bitching on the way there. NOT cool!
The answer is simple. Because they don't know what else to do but call us, the problem solvers! And we owe it to them to show up and solve the problem. No matter how small or trivial it may seem to us. To them, it's HUGE, that's why they called 911! Not saying they are stupid, or substandard citizens, but saying we have more training and better tools. They have thought of absolutely everything they could have, and as a last resort they call us to fix the problem.
How friggin cool is that? That's an honor that shouldn't be taken lightly. Like I've been doing. Like Brian Brush was doing. Yes, the mutts get you down, and the job becomes a job. But we all need to take a step back sometimes and think about what it is we're doing, and why we're at the fire station instead of at home with our families.
We're there because we're Warriors. And we're the best chance they have.
Write that down!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Bittersweet Symphony
Well, what to say on this one?
I didn't get the Chief's job. Oh well, tear, sadface, I got a sad, get over it! Stuff happens for a reason gang.
BIG thing here is that our new Chief is doing an AWESOME job so far! And we're all learning how to deal with someone new in charge, someone that has spent 13 years on the rig. He's got some fantastic ideas, and I gotta tell ya, it's refreshing to sit in the day room with the Chief and talk about FIRE STUFF! I can't wait to get to work, and it's been a long time since I could say that! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY JOB, but.....
First dues, hydrant locations, sprinkler hook ups, cross streets, building construction, pump operations, SOP's, map drills, talking with THE CHIEF? Yeah, it's NICE!
But, man is City Hall is "Giving him the business" already! WTF??? That COULD have been me! But no, I still get to drag hose and kick in doors!
The second thing that I thought of, is I honestly believe I'm SUPPOSED to be on the rig! Trying not to sound cocky here, but I'm damn good at what I do. Well, it's not so much what I do, it's who I am. This is what I'm passionate about, and it's who I am. Not sure what's coming, but with all the training we do, I hope I'm prepared for it. You NEVER know what's coming. BUT, if it's something I know about, my citizens ARE COVERED! And THAT is an AWESOME feeling! I got your back, all 12,500 of ya!
Stay tuned gang, we're in for a HELL OF A RIDE, and I'm taking all of you with us!
Not gonna lie to ya, being Chief would have been cool, and honestly my destiny. Spent a lot of time dwelling on the fact that I didn't get it. It was a rough patch for me. Now, it's all about fulfilling my commitment to my citizens as the first due engine company officer,
And being the BEST thing they have seen on the WORST day of their lives! Oh yeah, it's ON!
BE THE ONE, THE WARRIOR!
I didn't get the Chief's job. Oh well, tear, sadface, I got a sad, get over it! Stuff happens for a reason gang.
BIG thing here is that our new Chief is doing an AWESOME job so far! And we're all learning how to deal with someone new in charge, someone that has spent 13 years on the rig. He's got some fantastic ideas, and I gotta tell ya, it's refreshing to sit in the day room with the Chief and talk about FIRE STUFF! I can't wait to get to work, and it's been a long time since I could say that! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY JOB, but.....
First dues, hydrant locations, sprinkler hook ups, cross streets, building construction, pump operations, SOP's, map drills, talking with THE CHIEF? Yeah, it's NICE!
But, man is City Hall is "Giving him the business" already! WTF??? That COULD have been me! But no, I still get to drag hose and kick in doors!
The second thing that I thought of, is I honestly believe I'm SUPPOSED to be on the rig! Trying not to sound cocky here, but I'm damn good at what I do. Well, it's not so much what I do, it's who I am. This is what I'm passionate about, and it's who I am. Not sure what's coming, but with all the training we do, I hope I'm prepared for it. You NEVER know what's coming. BUT, if it's something I know about, my citizens ARE COVERED! And THAT is an AWESOME feeling! I got your back, all 12,500 of ya!
Stay tuned gang, we're in for a HELL OF A RIDE, and I'm taking all of you with us!
Not gonna lie to ya, being Chief would have been cool, and honestly my destiny. Spent a lot of time dwelling on the fact that I didn't get it. It was a rough patch for me. Now, it's all about fulfilling my commitment to my citizens as the first due engine company officer,
And being the BEST thing they have seen on the WORST day of their lives! Oh yeah, it's ON!
BE THE ONE, THE WARRIOR!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Cage the Elephant
"...Blanket of silence makes me wanna sink my teeth in deep,
burn all the evidence of your fabricated disbelief.."
burn all the evidence of your fabricated disbelief.."
You don't have to be in front to be a leader!
I don't even know where to begin this one. A LOT of things have happened the past month.
At first I thought they were bad, but now that I find myself running through the normal processes, I think I'm in the acceptance stage. And I honestly believe that's a good thing.
Nutshell version: Chief's test came up recently, and EVERYONE ASSUMED I was "it." Myself included. When the test scores came in, I was 2nd. Shocker! But, everything happens for a reason. I made it a personal agenda to know where I was in the stages of grief. Yep, it was a grief thing. I had plans in place, I had ideas, I assumed it was gonna happen. I was wrong. I did not finish first on the test. At first I was in denial, then anger.... Who knows what's next.
But I have to tell you the new Chief is gonna be awesome! He has a lot to learn, as we all do! And he knows that. This is a good thing, and I'm excited! He has a great outlook, knows he has to grow up a bit, and knows all of us have to grow up a bit to follow him. He has the plans in place to make our department an awesome place to work, learn, teach, expand, and grow. He is going to afford us the opportunity to grow as a department. That is never a bad thing.
He knows the value of "TRUST & RESPECT." Trust & Respect, write that down. Without that, there is nothing.
I got beat on the Chief's test. Plain and simple. I have NEVER "lost" anything I've wanted. And I WANTED the Chief's job! This time, I got beat. That was a hard hit to my soul. It took some time, and a lot of thinking, but eventually I accepted it. The reason being, I am a Warrior. Period. I would be lost not dragging hose and being on that engine. It's who I am, not just what I do. I am a firefighter. I strive to better myself every day, I follow the 16 initiatives of "Everyone Goes Home." I am an avid follower and believer of the Ethos of The Fire Service Warrior. I don't know if I may or may not be the best guy for the Chief's job. What I do know is that I AM the best guy for the WARRIOR job.
I wish the best of luck to our new Chief. I am excited about the prospects that a new Chief brings to our future. I'm excited about what a new Chief means to my position in our fire department. I'm looking forward to being a productive part of our department.
I did not get his job. But I learned a lot. His job is to lead us as a department. But "You don't have to be in front, to be a leader!" Our new Chief will lead us in a new direction that we are all excited about.
What I mean in the title of this blog is simple:
I will strive to be better each day.
I will support my Chief, and my brothers.
I will continue to teach, learn, and grow as a firefighter.
I will promise to put my life above that of a complete stranger if need be.
I am a highly trained paid professional, and will act accordingly.
I am constantly training to better myself in order to do a better job for citizens of my community.
I AM A WARRIOR!
At first I thought they were bad, but now that I find myself running through the normal processes, I think I'm in the acceptance stage. And I honestly believe that's a good thing.
Nutshell version: Chief's test came up recently, and EVERYONE ASSUMED I was "it." Myself included. When the test scores came in, I was 2nd. Shocker! But, everything happens for a reason. I made it a personal agenda to know where I was in the stages of grief. Yep, it was a grief thing. I had plans in place, I had ideas, I assumed it was gonna happen. I was wrong. I did not finish first on the test. At first I was in denial, then anger.... Who knows what's next.
But I have to tell you the new Chief is gonna be awesome! He has a lot to learn, as we all do! And he knows that. This is a good thing, and I'm excited! He has a great outlook, knows he has to grow up a bit, and knows all of us have to grow up a bit to follow him. He has the plans in place to make our department an awesome place to work, learn, teach, expand, and grow. He is going to afford us the opportunity to grow as a department. That is never a bad thing.
He knows the value of "TRUST & RESPECT." Trust & Respect, write that down. Without that, there is nothing.
I got beat on the Chief's test. Plain and simple. I have NEVER "lost" anything I've wanted. And I WANTED the Chief's job! This time, I got beat. That was a hard hit to my soul. It took some time, and a lot of thinking, but eventually I accepted it. The reason being, I am a Warrior. Period. I would be lost not dragging hose and being on that engine. It's who I am, not just what I do. I am a firefighter. I strive to better myself every day, I follow the 16 initiatives of "Everyone Goes Home." I am an avid follower and believer of the Ethos of The Fire Service Warrior. I don't know if I may or may not be the best guy for the Chief's job. What I do know is that I AM the best guy for the WARRIOR job.
I wish the best of luck to our new Chief. I am excited about the prospects that a new Chief brings to our future. I'm excited about what a new Chief means to my position in our fire department. I'm looking forward to being a productive part of our department.
I did not get his job. But I learned a lot. His job is to lead us as a department. But "You don't have to be in front, to be a leader!" Our new Chief will lead us in a new direction that we are all excited about.
What I mean in the title of this blog is simple:
I will strive to be better each day.
I will support my Chief, and my brothers.
I will continue to teach, learn, and grow as a firefighter.
I will promise to put my life above that of a complete stranger if need be.
I am a highly trained paid professional, and will act accordingly.
I am constantly training to better myself in order to do a better job for citizens of my community.
I AM A WARRIOR!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Why do we train so much? Take 2
Had a friend of mine that reads this blog suggest adding something to my "Why do we train so much?" blog. For the record, I hate the term "blog", but oh well, it is what it is, and here I am "blogging."
Anyways, My "article" on why we train so much could better have been entitled "Tacit Knowledge", because that's where I was focused, and didn't delve into the many other aspects of why we train so much. So a Brutha pipes up about an experience he had recently. He was called on to perform a task he hasn't actually done on a fire scene in years. But, because of his training, not only did he perform the task, he was also able to teach a FNG about what he was doing. He said it was because of Muscle Memory, a VERY valid point. I say it happened because of his training, which muscle memory is the direct result of.
Muscle memory is defined by Wikipedia as:
Muscle memory, also known as motor learning, is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition. When a movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for that task, eventually allowing it to be performed without conscious effort. This process decreases the need for attention and creates maximum efficiency within the motor and memory systems. Examples of muscle memory are found in many everyday activities that become automatic and improve with practice, such as riding a bicycle, typing on a keyboard, playing a melody or phrase on a musical instrument, playing video games,[1] or even solving a puzzle cube.
In a nut shell, your muscles also have a sort of Tacit Knowledge. The more tasks you perform over and over again, the more your physical self "remembers" how to do that particular task. Much the same way your brain remembers everything you've ever seen and done, your muscles and nerves become accustomed to doing a task that is repeated. Muscle memory is a very important part of Situational Awareness for a number of reasons, that contradict one another. Let me explain.
On one hand, when muscle memory kicks in, and you don't have to actually THINK about the task at hand, that frees up some brain power to focus on Perceive/Comprehend/Predict, the three acts of Situational Awareness. Great news! You know how that nozzle is going to react when you open it, you've done it a zillion times. Your body automatically adjusts it's position to make itself ready for the nozzle reaction. You know to shut the nozzle off slowly, and you automatically do it without a conscious thought, it just happens. Muscle memory! What a fantastic thing!
However, the fact that you aren't consciously thinking about the task at hand detracts from your SA. That task is a huge part of your 360* "bubble" and you have to be consciously aware of what's going on. If you rely on your muscle memory to the point that you aren't thinking about the task at all, well then your bubble gets popped, and your SA is deteriorating. But that goes with every aspect of SA, let one of them go, the bubble pops, and SA starts deteriorating, and it takes all the other aspects of your bubble with it. Blow up a balloon, your 360* SA, and add one pinhole, and what happens? It ALL goes away.
Muscle memory is a fantastic thing, and I rely on it all the time, without even thinking about it. Mainly because that's what it is, it let's you perform tasks without thinking about them! Frees up some brain power to build your bubble, and P/C/P!
I'm just asking that when you're not thinking about that task, at least pay attention to it! Write that down.
Stay safe gang, It's a jungle out there!
Anyways, My "article" on why we train so much could better have been entitled "Tacit Knowledge", because that's where I was focused, and didn't delve into the many other aspects of why we train so much. So a Brutha pipes up about an experience he had recently. He was called on to perform a task he hasn't actually done on a fire scene in years. But, because of his training, not only did he perform the task, he was also able to teach a FNG about what he was doing. He said it was because of Muscle Memory, a VERY valid point. I say it happened because of his training, which muscle memory is the direct result of.
Muscle memory is defined by Wikipedia as:
Muscle memory, also known as motor learning, is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition. When a movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for that task, eventually allowing it to be performed without conscious effort. This process decreases the need for attention and creates maximum efficiency within the motor and memory systems. Examples of muscle memory are found in many everyday activities that become automatic and improve with practice, such as riding a bicycle, typing on a keyboard, playing a melody or phrase on a musical instrument, playing video games,[1] or even solving a puzzle cube.
In a nut shell, your muscles also have a sort of Tacit Knowledge. The more tasks you perform over and over again, the more your physical self "remembers" how to do that particular task. Much the same way your brain remembers everything you've ever seen and done, your muscles and nerves become accustomed to doing a task that is repeated. Muscle memory is a very important part of Situational Awareness for a number of reasons, that contradict one another. Let me explain.
On one hand, when muscle memory kicks in, and you don't have to actually THINK about the task at hand, that frees up some brain power to focus on Perceive/Comprehend/Predict, the three acts of Situational Awareness. Great news! You know how that nozzle is going to react when you open it, you've done it a zillion times. Your body automatically adjusts it's position to make itself ready for the nozzle reaction. You know to shut the nozzle off slowly, and you automatically do it without a conscious thought, it just happens. Muscle memory! What a fantastic thing!
However, the fact that you aren't consciously thinking about the task at hand detracts from your SA. That task is a huge part of your 360* "bubble" and you have to be consciously aware of what's going on. If you rely on your muscle memory to the point that you aren't thinking about the task at all, well then your bubble gets popped, and your SA is deteriorating. But that goes with every aspect of SA, let one of them go, the bubble pops, and SA starts deteriorating, and it takes all the other aspects of your bubble with it. Blow up a balloon, your 360* SA, and add one pinhole, and what happens? It ALL goes away.
Muscle memory is a fantastic thing, and I rely on it all the time, without even thinking about it. Mainly because that's what it is, it let's you perform tasks without thinking about them! Frees up some brain power to build your bubble, and P/C/P!
I'm just asking that when you're not thinking about that task, at least pay attention to it! Write that down.
Stay safe gang, It's a jungle out there!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Mutts as teachers
Short one this time gang. Can't and don't really want to get into much detail, but I wanted to share something I learned yesterday.
Worked another 32 hour shift yesterday. Started at 23:00 Sunday, left work at 07:20 this morning. Quiet night on Sunday. However, IMMEDIATELY Monday morning the mutts started getting me down, and I let them. Snide little comments really get under my skin. Started getting myself into a really piss poor mood, which doesn't do anyone any good. Went outside to blow off a little steam, and be alone for a few minutes, and got to thinking. Instead of today being a dog pile on Lucky day, like the Mutts wanted to do, I turned it into a learning session. A learning session for ME.
For the rest of the shift, I looked at things a little differently. Instead of listening to people bitch at me and blame me for things I have no control over, and other things that happened months ago, I started thinking like a Warrior and used it to learn what NOT to do, when and if, I'm in their position.
Ya know what? It worked! I was in a much better mood. Even when I was getting yelled at, I pictured myself in "This is what NOT to do when you lead these guys later in life, school." It was a HUGE lesson, one I will never forget. I know how I felt being berated, and that is so not the way to motivate, lead, or influence others. I heard what was being said, but I wasn't listening, and I couldn't care less about the topic, BECAUSE of the way it was being dealt to me. So, I added to my "What NOT to do" list, cuz it for damn sure wasn't working on me. Once I'm on the other side of that conversation, I'll remember that, and will not treat my guys that way.
Yeah, the Mutts can and will get you down. That's what they do, their sole purpose in life is to make us miserable. Little joke in the aviation world about the FAA's slogan being "WE'RE not happy until YOU'RE not happy" can be applied here. But when they do start, remember there IS something you can learn from them. It's all perception. Twist it around to the positive Warrior way of thinking, and you're in a much better mood, and ya may have just learned something in the process.
Stay safe out there gang! It's a jungle!
Worked another 32 hour shift yesterday. Started at 23:00 Sunday, left work at 07:20 this morning. Quiet night on Sunday. However, IMMEDIATELY Monday morning the mutts started getting me down, and I let them. Snide little comments really get under my skin. Started getting myself into a really piss poor mood, which doesn't do anyone any good. Went outside to blow off a little steam, and be alone for a few minutes, and got to thinking. Instead of today being a dog pile on Lucky day, like the Mutts wanted to do, I turned it into a learning session. A learning session for ME.
For the rest of the shift, I looked at things a little differently. Instead of listening to people bitch at me and blame me for things I have no control over, and other things that happened months ago, I started thinking like a Warrior and used it to learn what NOT to do, when and if, I'm in their position.
Ya know what? It worked! I was in a much better mood. Even when I was getting yelled at, I pictured myself in "This is what NOT to do when you lead these guys later in life, school." It was a HUGE lesson, one I will never forget. I know how I felt being berated, and that is so not the way to motivate, lead, or influence others. I heard what was being said, but I wasn't listening, and I couldn't care less about the topic, BECAUSE of the way it was being dealt to me. So, I added to my "What NOT to do" list, cuz it for damn sure wasn't working on me. Once I'm on the other side of that conversation, I'll remember that, and will not treat my guys that way.
Yeah, the Mutts can and will get you down. That's what they do, their sole purpose in life is to make us miserable. Little joke in the aviation world about the FAA's slogan being "WE'RE not happy until YOU'RE not happy" can be applied here. But when they do start, remember there IS something you can learn from them. It's all perception. Twist it around to the positive Warrior way of thinking, and you're in a much better mood, and ya may have just learned something in the process.
Stay safe out there gang! It's a jungle!
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